Sunday, May 08, 2005
Brisbane--1
G'day
Arrived safely in Brisbane on the 7 May to be met by Fiona and Rob who had just arrived because of heavy traffic in the city. Fiona looks really well and has lost weight and grown her hair longer. Rob is a very nice guy and is easy to get on with. The unit is very comfortable and has a familiar look about it--Ikea is not too far from here! She has furnished it well and the 2 floors she put down are warm looking and enhance the room. Her VW Polo is in excellent condition and is marroon. There is a surprising amount of garden which can be used for sociallising or the inevitable barbie--she still hasn't mastered the art of looking after grass--I've suggested astroturf!!!!!!
Yesterday we went out for breakfast--Pat and I had Tuscan porridge which was delicious--it tasted like rice pudding and had raisins and a crust of sugar on it, accompanied by a bowl of cream which had nuts mixed through it. To work this off we went for a walk at a viewpoint--Mt Coothat and the Botanic Gardens--it was very relaxing. The ladies couldn't finish their evening pasta so we came away with 2 doggie bags--a normal custom here--Rob won't have to make up a piece for work today! Our day finished with a film--Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which was a bit of light relief with incredible graphics.
Our last few days in NZ were great. The last long drive--about 6 hours (they calculate distance in time cf km which is very helpful)--took us from Queenstown to Christchurch. We left in brilliant sunshine and after half an hour were in a temperature inversion mist which lasted for about an hour--we didn't see Cromwell!! En route to Omarara we encountered to herds of merino on the road which slowed our progress a little. At the coffee stop at Omarara I booked a Mt Cook flight and then had difficulty in getting into the car and it wouldn't start! The battery was flat as the lights had been on for the fog and I didn't realise I hadn't put them off. Fortunately there was a garage across the road and a helpful mechanic took over a battery and got me started!
We had a fast drive via Twizel to Lake Tepako where we boarded our Air Safari's flight to Mt Cook. As we were the only customers we were taken up by Fraser in a 4 seater Cessna! What a wonderful experience flying over the vast outwash plain of the Mackenzie High Country and then to circle Mts Cook and Tasman at 12,000 ft looking down on the myriad of glacial features--aretes, moraine, corries, corrie lochans, glaciers, crevasses, roche moutonne etc. We even looked down at sea plane which had landed on the glacier. At one point we saw the Tasman Sea and Lake Matheson as well as the hills outside Christchurch--the width of South Island.
At L Tepako there is a beautiful small church which appears on postcards because of its location and behind the alter is a wide window looking out over the lake to Mt Cook--stunning view. Nearby is a striking statue of a collie dog which had been a faithful companion to an early settler.
Our next coffee stop was at Fairlie where we discovered that the lady who served us came from Carrbridge, had married a Kiwi ski instructor in Aviemore and 3 years ago had come out to settle with her husband & 2 teenage boys. The guy who owned the tearoom was from Invergordon! The last hour of the drive was in darkness but we managed to find our digs without too much trouble.
Our Christchurch stay was most enjoyable and our hosts Anna and Robert made us feel very much at home. They have a lovely home in a secludeded cul-de-sac off a main road. The first day we had a 30 min walk in to the city via Hagley Park which contains pitches for rugby, croquet, tennis and bowling; Botanic Gardens and a marvellous museum. Most of the rest of the day was spent at an Arts Centre which housed numerous craft workers--Pat had a field day!
Later we visited the Art Gallery which is a modern whose façade reminds you of the Sage in Newcastle Upon Tyne. There were interesting modern exhibitions and Scottish artists, Henry Raeburn and Thos/James? Guthrie (born in Greenock, Isabel) were represented. In the evening we drove up a hill in the outskirts and got a great view of the city which spreads over a wide area and was built on a swamp. There is a pollution problem but they are not having much success in persuading people not to burn coal and wood.
The following day we spent in the nearby Banks Peninsula, named after the scientist who was on Cook’s first world voyage. It is yet another volcanic crater and there is a spectacular Summit Road along the ridge. We took a diversion to Chorlton and Okains Bay, part of the road being unsealed--it was beautiful and traffic again light. The main obstacle was a herd of Angus cross bred cattle which was being herded along the road--it took aged to get past them. The cattle here are definitely smaller. We had another pleasant walk through brush and woodland to the highest point on the ridge but this time the path was quite slippy. We ended up at the main settlement on the coast--Akaroa--originally a French settlement but little trace of that now except in the street names which are all “rues”. The area also had some superb craft shops--the standard here is very high.
Our Christchurch stay ended on Saturday and we are very grateful to our hosts, Robert and Anna for their wonderful hospitality.
Pat’s 65th birthday was special with a cuddle, card (pecten shell picked up while diving) and present from Fiona! We spent the day in the Queensland Art Gallery which had a superb exhibition by school pupils, Fiona Hall who makes wonderful creations using metal from coke cans eg shredding them and making nests and Robert Moew (Pregnant Woman). There was a video on how he created his work and it must have taken months. Raeburn and D Y Cameron were the Scots represented. In the evening Fiona who had stayed at home, produced a wonderful barbie---beef, chicken, salmon and veg, followed by an enormous pavlova. It was lovely sitting out the back with garden lighting, palm trees and possums popping along the fence from time to time! Rob and 2 of her nursing friends completed a very pleasant day.
Hope this has not been too garbled!
Tom
Arrived safely in Brisbane on the 7 May to be met by Fiona and Rob who had just arrived because of heavy traffic in the city. Fiona looks really well and has lost weight and grown her hair longer. Rob is a very nice guy and is easy to get on with. The unit is very comfortable and has a familiar look about it--Ikea is not too far from here! She has furnished it well and the 2 floors she put down are warm looking and enhance the room. Her VW Polo is in excellent condition and is marroon. There is a surprising amount of garden which can be used for sociallising or the inevitable barbie--she still hasn't mastered the art of looking after grass--I've suggested astroturf!!!!!!
Yesterday we went out for breakfast--Pat and I had Tuscan porridge which was delicious--it tasted like rice pudding and had raisins and a crust of sugar on it, accompanied by a bowl of cream which had nuts mixed through it. To work this off we went for a walk at a viewpoint--Mt Coothat and the Botanic Gardens--it was very relaxing. The ladies couldn't finish their evening pasta so we came away with 2 doggie bags--a normal custom here--Rob won't have to make up a piece for work today! Our day finished with a film--Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which was a bit of light relief with incredible graphics.
Our last few days in NZ were great. The last long drive--about 6 hours (they calculate distance in time cf km which is very helpful)--took us from Queenstown to Christchurch. We left in brilliant sunshine and after half an hour were in a temperature inversion mist which lasted for about an hour--we didn't see Cromwell!! En route to Omarara we encountered to herds of merino on the road which slowed our progress a little. At the coffee stop at Omarara I booked a Mt Cook flight and then had difficulty in getting into the car and it wouldn't start! The battery was flat as the lights had been on for the fog and I didn't realise I hadn't put them off. Fortunately there was a garage across the road and a helpful mechanic took over a battery and got me started!
We had a fast drive via Twizel to Lake Tepako where we boarded our Air Safari's flight to Mt Cook. As we were the only customers we were taken up by Fraser in a 4 seater Cessna! What a wonderful experience flying over the vast outwash plain of the Mackenzie High Country and then to circle Mts Cook and Tasman at 12,000 ft looking down on the myriad of glacial features--aretes, moraine, corries, corrie lochans, glaciers, crevasses, roche moutonne etc. We even looked down at sea plane which had landed on the glacier. At one point we saw the Tasman Sea and Lake Matheson as well as the hills outside Christchurch--the width of South Island.
At L Tepako there is a beautiful small church which appears on postcards because of its location and behind the alter is a wide window looking out over the lake to Mt Cook--stunning view. Nearby is a striking statue of a collie dog which had been a faithful companion to an early settler.
Our next coffee stop was at Fairlie where we discovered that the lady who served us came from Carrbridge, had married a Kiwi ski instructor in Aviemore and 3 years ago had come out to settle with her husband & 2 teenage boys. The guy who owned the tearoom was from Invergordon! The last hour of the drive was in darkness but we managed to find our digs without too much trouble.
Our Christchurch stay was most enjoyable and our hosts Anna and Robert made us feel very much at home. They have a lovely home in a secludeded cul-de-sac off a main road. The first day we had a 30 min walk in to the city via Hagley Park which contains pitches for rugby, croquet, tennis and bowling; Botanic Gardens and a marvellous museum. Most of the rest of the day was spent at an Arts Centre which housed numerous craft workers--Pat had a field day!
Later we visited the Art Gallery which is a modern whose façade reminds you of the Sage in Newcastle Upon Tyne. There were interesting modern exhibitions and Scottish artists, Henry Raeburn and Thos/James? Guthrie (born in Greenock, Isabel) were represented. In the evening we drove up a hill in the outskirts and got a great view of the city which spreads over a wide area and was built on a swamp. There is a pollution problem but they are not having much success in persuading people not to burn coal and wood.
The following day we spent in the nearby Banks Peninsula, named after the scientist who was on Cook’s first world voyage. It is yet another volcanic crater and there is a spectacular Summit Road along the ridge. We took a diversion to Chorlton and Okains Bay, part of the road being unsealed--it was beautiful and traffic again light. The main obstacle was a herd of Angus cross bred cattle which was being herded along the road--it took aged to get past them. The cattle here are definitely smaller. We had another pleasant walk through brush and woodland to the highest point on the ridge but this time the path was quite slippy. We ended up at the main settlement on the coast--Akaroa--originally a French settlement but little trace of that now except in the street names which are all “rues”. The area also had some superb craft shops--the standard here is very high.
Our Christchurch stay ended on Saturday and we are very grateful to our hosts, Robert and Anna for their wonderful hospitality.
Pat’s 65th birthday was special with a cuddle, card (pecten shell picked up while diving) and present from Fiona! We spent the day in the Queensland Art Gallery which had a superb exhibition by school pupils, Fiona Hall who makes wonderful creations using metal from coke cans eg shredding them and making nests and Robert Moew (Pregnant Woman). There was a video on how he created his work and it must have taken months. Raeburn and D Y Cameron were the Scots represented. In the evening Fiona who had stayed at home, produced a wonderful barbie---beef, chicken, salmon and veg, followed by an enormous pavlova. It was lovely sitting out the back with garden lighting, palm trees and possums popping along the fence from time to time! Rob and 2 of her nursing friends completed a very pleasant day.
Hope this has not been too garbled!
Tom
