A good day out but quite a few kilometres in our pocket

Members of the All Blacks ready for a nights action before the start of the Rugby '7's in Wellington

We checked out of the ‘Aspen on King Motel’ this morning and had a good chat with David the owner of the Motel, which is very nice and a good place to stay, to decide which route we will take to Oamaru.

We decided, following David’s advise to take a big loop which would take us partly back the way we came to Timaru via Pleasant Point, Albury and Fairlie so that we could head in the general direction of Mount Cook and Lake Takepo

The journey at first was through flat pastureland and it slowly got more interesting with the hills getting larger and generally growing in to mountains.

We arrived at Lake Tekepo and spent a little while looking at the Church and also the nearby statue. The Church was lovely and constructed partly of timber brought in from the UK but carved locally. It is a multi denominational Church so whatever religion you fancy you can pray here.

We then departed for Twizel and passed by Lake Pukaki en-route and there we took some photos with Mount Cook in the background, we will be visiting Mount Cook later in our tour. We stopped for lunch in Twizel a nice little town where we shall return in the next few weeks.

We had also been informed of some Clay Caves which we were recommended to see. They were indeed quite impressive. They were on private land, so you are requested to pay a small fee and remember to close the gates behind you to stop the animals from escaping.

We then headed South East and passed by some beautiful lakes such as Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki.

As the traffic level was very low and the roads were fairly straight and fast we were able to use the cruise control and let the car do the driving.

We thought we would head in to town for something to eat tonight rather than do in-house cooking. The Motel tonight is not as good as last night and although they say it’s quiet on their Motel spiel it’s actually a bit noisy at the moment. Let’s see how noisy it is later.

Ashburton to Timaru

Dig that Internet Address

Woke up this morning to find out it had been raining overnight and by golly do they need it. It was not too much and the sun quickly cleared the clouds away.
We headed off from the Motel around 10 am, the Motel was OK, modern and clean but was a bit noisy from the main road.
We had decided to take a circular route to Timaru and so went out to the hills stopping several times for either a cup of tea, lunch and the odd town walk around. Our route took us West to little towns called Mayfield, Arundel and Geraldine where we stopped to buy lunch. We have seen lots of sheep and also Deer (venison to you) in the fields as we passed by. Geraldine was more of a tourist town which seems to rely on the coachloads of tourist passing through as there were many shops selling NZ touristy stuff. By mid afternoon we had arrived in Timaru which is not really famous for anything except it has a container port, lots of restaurants and bars all of which were open but empty however we had a good walk round and a glass of wine overlooking the bay. In the meantime the clouds had returned and so we walked back to the Motel to cook our evening meal.
On our arrival in to Timaru we had passed a large food store where we stopped to buy some Salmon and Shrimps which Jennifer will turn into a magnificent meal of Salmon and Shrimps with salad. In the store they were selling bottles of wine for NZ$ 5.00 very cheapo indeed however considering everything it was not to bad. Wine seems quite expensive here, with the cheapest bottles around 7 pounds Sterling, when you think they make the stuff here it should be cheaper and I can only assume its tax.

Akaroa to Ashburton 29th January

'The view from the rim of the Volcano on the Banks peninsular.'



After an early morning start, well around 0900 actually, we departed Akaroa after an excellent four days R & R and headed back to Christchurch. We used, what they call the 'Tourist Road', which takes you along the top of the ex Volcano with fabulous views over the harbour. We only took one photo as the camera cannot due justice to the views that are available. The road winds along the top with many opportunities to drive off the edge and drop a few thousand feet with no safety barrier, just a few trees to perhaps break your fall.
On our earlier visit to Christchurch a few days ago we purchased some tickets to go on the 'Gondola' up to the top of Mount Cavendish which overlooks Christchurch. The weather was not good then but as the weather today was better we decided to try it. There were some great views of the coast and the Banks Peninsular. Following this we headed off to the airport to find DHL to send back an envelope to the UK, and then off to Ashburton.
The direct drive to Ashburton is through the Canterbury plains and can be a bit flat and boring so we took a longer more interesting route via Darfield, Coalgate and finally Methven which is a favourite place for skiing but at this time of year there is no snow.
The journey was not mired by any traffic and there are few cars , however most of the vehicles we have seen on this route are Toyota Land Cruisers or other Japanese cars but very few Aussi Fords and Holdens.
We finally arrived in Ashburton at around 5 pm. It seems a particularly uninspiring town but suitable for staying the night after our journey. We are staying at the Ashburton Motor Lodge which is clean and nice but a little bit noisy as it's on the main road from Christchurch to Dunedin.
Most of the motels are quite well equipped with microwaves and even a two ring induction hob which allowed us to cook a great Sirloin steak and salad for dinner, but no wine as I am under orders!. (Rubbish! it was Noel's idea) However we had a beer which I don't think should count.(he is pretending that it's Friday by listening to Friday evenings Chris Evens show on the internet.)
And so to bed after planning our next days journey to Timaru.

Four nights in AKAROA 25-28 th Jan

Both Jennifer and I have looked forward to coming back to this place from the time we last visited here some 8 years ago. It is was worth the wait. Our travel plans that we made several months ago called for us to have at least 4/5 days R & R before hitting the road and this would allow us to get fully over our Jet lag and take it easy. We had spent a very busy time in Hong Kong and now is the time for us to take it easy for a few days. Our plan is to do pretty much nothing just walk around, take some photos and read a book or two and generally take it very easy until we head off next Tuesday and go South. We have now walked around the main street of Akaroa a couple of times (this is a five minute job) done some food shopping and sat on the front overlooking the bay and that's pretty much what we will do for the next few days and so this will be the last Blog until mid next week when we head off back via Christchurch en-route to Ashburton. Nothing much happens here, its a slow town in the summer and even slower, if not dead in the winter.
Property is still relatively cheap here and you can buy a very nice place overlooking the bay for around £ 200 K. New Zealand wine tends to be more expensive than you think and is roughly the same price in NZ shops as wines are back in UK - not good news but we will persevere.
There is an artist who lives in town who has turned his garden into an unusual design.
See below.
You may, or may not, be wondering why we have not mentioned the Piplin House development. Well since my sister and brother in law have taken over we are sort of trying to forget what is happening rather than worry about the details whilst we are away. We do sort of keep in touch but mostly allow the development to take place and we look forward to a surprise ( a nice one I am sure) when we get back. Well that's it for the moment, we shall be back on line mid next week when we leave here.
Finally, for anybody planning a New Zealand trip like Roger & Sue, our friends, this place is a must visit.
regards to all our readers and if you want to know more link with
http://www.akaroa.com/fpnew/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/204

Leaving for AKAROA

Following a quick breakfast we packed up the car and headed off down the coast in the general direction of Akaroa where we are planning to spend four nights R & R. The traffic was quite bad, four cars in the way, and then we found the cable cars to the top of the mountain by the side of Christchurch. As the weather was a bit grey we decided to miss out on the trip for the moment and perhaps do it when the weather is brighter later in the week. We took the side roads down past Governors Bay, from where we could see a very large Cruise Ship at the terminal and down along the coast to Diamond Harbour. Lunch was a quick sandwich and over the hills to AKAROA. The route so far had been on metalled roads but over the hill to the other side of the Banks Peninsular it was an unmade up road which was not too bad at first but then it deteriorated. More of that later. However we came across a truck which was blocking the road whilst they were loading sheep, you don't get that on the A 308, and we had a choice to either wait 40 minutes until they had finished loading or drive back about one hour and take a different route. So we waited. Eventually once we got going again the road went higher and higher and was getting quite narrow and with mountain on one side of the road and a 3000 foot drop on the other side we were beginning to think perhaps the RAV 4 would have been better. To turn around was not a good option with a much bigger car than we had planned. It started getting darker as we went in to the clouds/mist and soon we had some heavy wet mist and the roads were getting more bumpy . With that spirit of real adventure we carried on although our thoughts went back to a similar time when we went through snow to Lake Tahoe. Anyway finally we went downhill and obviously survived to be able to write this stuff. We arrived in Akaroa and found our Motel accommodation at The Akaroa Criterion Motel right opposite the sea.
The photo below is the view from our room
which is very nice and overlooking the sea. Dinner was from the local Fish & Chip shop which was packed but very good food indeed. And so to bed.

Our Second Day in Christchurch

A view of the River Avon in Christchurch, including punt.


After a good nights rest we picked up the hire car. This was a bit of a saga as we had ordered, as per their website, a new Toyota RAV4 only to be met with a 4 year old Rav 4. After heavy discussions they gave us a newish Toyota Camry instead.
This was followed by some brief shopping and then back to the Hotel to drop off the car.

We left the Hotel and walked through the park where we had our 'sarnies' for lunch then continued until we came to the Christchurch Botanical gardens. The trees and shrubs were fantastic and so was the rose garden.
There were some great trees including one Eucalyptus which was about 15 feet across and very high, see photograph of Jennifer by its side.
We walked around town and went on the Tram which runs around the middle of the City before walking through the middle of town.

The Street Buskers were back in force and we watched two black American guys from Los Angeles, called The Black Street Boyz' they were great and we even bought a DVD. Some of the humour was great and quite

direct,but not rude.

We had dinner on the main restaurant area overlooking the park, there was a great three piece band playing whist we were there and 'boy' could they sing. We tried to get back into the Venue where we were the previous evening for the Street Buskers, but it was full and so we went to the Cinema instead.
A good day out.

Look out Christchurh here we come

A very early 0530 call and we were on the way to the Airport after a heavy discussion with the Hotel staff about their poor Internet speeds. The Taxi driver to the Airport cost half what it cost to get to the Hotel and it took 10 minutes less. These so and so's Taxi drivers take us tourists for a ride (in the true sense) if you are not sure where you are going.
Arrived at the Airport on time and waited in the Emirates Airline Lounge and watched Tottenham Hotspurs thrash Arsenal live on the television whilst having early morning snacks. And at take off we noticed the Singapore Airlines Airbus A 380 parked at the terminal unloading about half a million people or about 450 ish.
The Emirates Business Class was very comfortable but not as good as Virgin however whilst eating my breakfast a steward rushed through and knocked it all over me. Wonderful.
Arrived in Christchurch and the weather had cooled down from 28 degrees yesterday to a mild 15 degrees today, lets hope it improves soon.
We are staying at the Hotel Chateau on the Park, we have stayed here before and it a very rest full almost country Hotel with nice gardens and ponds etc.
We went for a long walk followed by dinner in a nice outdoor restaurant on the park where we had our food cooked on a small hot stone, It takes four hours for the stone to get hot, the waiter from Bradford told us, so please wait for a few minutes before its ready?. As it happened it was a nice way of having some steak cooked very plain with vegetable with a couple of beers to wash it all down.
As we walked back to the Hotel we heard some noise and found out it was the Christchurch Street Buskers Annual show and for a massive entrance of a pound each we watched for a while but did not stay long as we had an early morning. We will however go back tomorrow evening.
Note ,,on the flight over I watched a new british comedy called Death at a Funeral. Its really good so my recomendation is to try and see it.

Please remember all our photographs are on the Phanfare Blog. see link on Blogger main page

Coogee Beach Sydney-We have arrived

After an overnight flight of almost 9 hours we arrived on schedule and zipped through immigration and Customs and was at the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach by 0830 only, of course, the hotel was full and we had to wait for our room. However it became fairly obvious that something was quite wrong as a lot of guests came and were immediately checked in after we had arrived. As it was getting near to 10.45 am I therefore had a good go at the front desk and it would appear they had given our room to somebody else whilst we were sitting waiting. B….y Great!! So they gave us an upgraded room with a view of the beach. So we went straight to bed before hitting the streets.

After a few hours res, and I must say the room was extremely nice and modern and with a great view over Coogee Beach. We went for a walk, realised we were both hungry and a place on the beach selling ‘Chish and Fips’ and so we bought a couple pack of ‘fips’ The views over the bay from the headland are very nice as you can tell from the photos. Tonight we plan a very casual dinner at a cheap BYO which sells fish, this time without the chips, and then a ice cream to finish it of.

So we have to be up early tomorrow morning, around 0530 to reach the Airport for our 0830 Emirates Airline flight to Christchurch. Lets hope they serve breakfast on the aircraft.

The Internet speed at the Hotel was appalling and I had to give up using it.

And so on to Sydney

We needed to pack for our evening flight to Sydney but we had been able to arrange a late check out and this would then enable to go to the Hong Kong Club again to sample the lunch time buffet. We did a little shopping on the side and then for lunch. The buffet is held in the Garden Room which is glass on three sides and so you can see all over Hong Kong and all the new and old buildings. A really great place to have lunch indeed.

Then back to the Hotel to check out and off to the Airport to catch our 7.30 pm flight to Sydney. There is a three hour time difference between Hong Kong and OZ and we are expected to arrive on time at 0730 or 0330 Hong Kong time. I guess we will suffer some time lag problems

Another busy day in the New territories

We woke late but decided to go out again to the New Territories and took the train to Lok Ma Chau where of course we could not stay as it was in the Chinese Border Area but it enabled us to take photographs of the China Border Area. We then took the train back to Shung Shui with the intention of taking a bus to the Hong Kong Wetland Centre near Yuen Long but we could not find the correct bus and resorted to a very expensive Taxi ride.

The Hong Kong Government must have spent a lot of money on this fairly recently opened tourist attraction and it was quite busy, perhaps more Chinese than birds!. The garden layout was great and there was also the salt water crocodile that was spotted in the marshes which they tried to catch and it took two years. They even paid for Steve Irwin from Australia (RIP) to have a go but even he failed to capture the poor animal. Now it has a small home in the Wetlands park and spends most of the day sleeping.

We stayed here for about two hours and then took the Light Train back to Yuen Long and then back to Mongkok to the Hotel. Dinner that night was at the The Hong Kong Club, Noel was a member for many years whilst in Hong Kong and they have an excellent absent member faculty. The food was top notch and prices, as always reasonable and surroundings were lovely indeed. This evening brought back many memories of distant past New Years Eve events at the Club which were unforgettable. And so to bed

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS OVERSEAS TRIP ARE ON OUR PHANFARE BLOG. SEE LINK ON MAIN MENU.

A day out to Lantau Island

There was a wedding party in the Hotel and we were woken to sound of a lot of giggling girls getting ready as bridesmaids, anyway they soon left.

We decided to go to Lantau Island and see the Big Buddha and so we left by the Discovery Bay ferry and upon arrival at Discovery we noticed how it had changed since our last visit. It was a new quiet resort, but not any more, it’s a vast housing area even perhaps a new town.
From here we caught the bus to Tung Che to catch the overhead cable car out to the Buddha. Noel is not happy on Cable Cars particularly as he was aware that some while ago a car fell of the cable but thank god nobody died. Anyway we went on it and there some amazing views of the Hong Kong Airport and Lantau Island, which is considerably bigger than Hong Kong Island, and you are really travelling very high up,very scary. Noel closed his eyes and drank large volumes of a medicine called Brandy. . We reached The Buddha and walked around the Temple before leaving for Tai O a small fishing Village. This was a very quiet place with usual hawkers offering boat rides etc to see the pink Dolphin.

We took the bus to Silvermine Bay(Mia Wo) and the ferry from there back to Central.
Dinner that night was with an office colleague of Noels and we went to Lan KwaiFong a busy nightlife area just above central and tested some xcellent Tapas

Tai O pictured below

A good day out around Hong Kong

Well we had a slightly late start to the day and just scraped in to breakfast before they stopped serving. We took the MTR to Central so that I could sign on at the Hong Kong Club as an absent member and use the facilities. This accomplished we headed in to Central, Queens Road area to look for any changes.
There is an escalator which runs up the side of the hill to Mid Levels and so went up and took a few photos. You can see the old and the new, side by side it was quite interesting.
After a walk through the old Western Market which was a food market when we were living there is now a mixture of shops and restaurants and I must admit they have a done a great job of improving it. We then went on a Tram ride from one end of the line to the other and ended up in Shau Kei Wan where we walked through the food market. The freshest food you could see was amazing particularly the fresh fish shops where the fish are alive until you need a bit. There was a tray of fish heads where one of the fish head was still moving, not for the squeamish!
A quick MTR trip back to the hotel and a cup of tea and in the evening we went out for dinner with some old friends and colleagues. It was great to Archie Da Silva and Wolfgang and his wife Gigig a we had a really great evening reminiscing about the earlier air freight years in Hong Kong and the tricks of the industry.
Following dinner we hit off a couple of bottles of wine in a bar nearby.
It was a really great evening and good to see Archie and Wolfgang again.
Made a note must have an earlier night tomorrow.

First full day in Hong Kong

A good breakfast in the Langham Place Hotel(see photo opposite) followed by a long walk from MongKok down to Tsim Sha Tsui about 3 miles I think. It was great to walk around the small market areas and down some of the older streets in Hong Kong. These guys were just hanging around in the Hotel
Mongkok had a reputation some while ago as being a dangerous place to walk in Hong Kong and also an area where the world's oldest profession was well established. Well know its a lot safer and newer and cleaner and nothing else has changed. We visited the Ocean Terminal complex where the Cruise ships tie up and it was in the past the location of my office in 1980. Its changed a lot since then when it was a warehouse downstairs and offices up stairs but now its mostly designer label shops. We then took the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Wanchai Ferry Pier and headed thought the shopping areas to the Excelsior Hotel for lunch. A further long walk from Causeway Bay area to Central and Noel went to the Office to meet some colleagues whilst Jennifer went on a shopping spree and purchased a large packet of tissues.
The evening was spent in a nice bar close to the office with a group of old colleagues and followed by Dinner in the 'Outback' Steakhouse. An Australian Chain, just to ready us for the OZ part of our trip
A quick trip home by the most efficient underground system called the MTR for Mass Transit Railway and a glass of wine in the lounge before bed. A long and tiring day but most enjoyable

We leave tonight

Well it was quite a busy Tuesday what with my sister and Brother in law arriving late the previous evening from there home in France. They are to stay in Piplin House to ensure the continuation of the development.
During the day we had meetings with the builder, the electrician, the plumber and many others involved in changing how the the house will look. It rained quite a bit so that it was not possible for the the glass people to finish putting the glass in the end 'orangerie' as we call it.
Whilst we were having lunch the staircase was pulled down and the boiler drained so no hot water for showers we thought.
Anyway after a hectic day we left early for the airport and or upper class trip to Hong Kong. This is really the way to travel. Apart from a highly organised check in and private security channel we were in the Virgin Lounge within 15 minutes of arriving by car. We had a couple of wines with our dinned in the lounge before boarding our flight. We were both quite tired and slept most of the way to Hong Kong.
We arrived on time at Chap Lep Kok airport and in the Hotel about 90 minutes later. An efficient Airport and transport system. Oh God we could do with the same in UK. We have booked at the Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok. Its a very good 5 star Hotel which has one many awards.

We had dinner in the Hotel at the buffet restaurant with all manner of goodies to tempt you before hitting the bed.

A New Year Dawns

Well the New Year dawns with a lot of things happening.
A lot of activity in the last few days what with the Cedar going up at the end of the house and also the framework for the conservatory now taking shape and only wait for the glass to be put in.
We are due to use the old utility room cupboards in the garage for storage and so we had to take them out of BIG YELLOW STORE so that they can be put up. All this was going on whilst we were continuing to clear Range Way of the contents. So many things to think of as we are leaving on a jet plane on 15th January until 5th April, visiting Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. My brother in Law and also the architect of the project is coming to Weybridge to take otver the management side. In the meantime we had a surprise visit from our old Japanese friends Aki & Miko Ryuji who had flown in to attend a funeral in Bournemouth. We hope to visit them in October 2008. Lets see how the money goes.



A couple more photos to show you whats happening with jennifer surveying the garage mess.

A quick reveiw of 2007

2007 was an interesting if not challenging year, it had its good and bad points. Unfortunately Jennifer's father passed away in early September after a long illness which he fought gallantly. His sense of humour and knowledge amazed many people including the Hospice staff. He will be missed by many and a lot by his family.


Cyril K Brown
1917-2007 RIP

We started our house rebuilding program in August, much later than expected and of course it is know running quite late. Which is a bit of a nuisance as Jennifer and I are planning to leave on an extensive trip to meet the 'Roos' and Sheila's in OZ and then watching the grapes grow on the New Zealand vineyards. Should be a good trip and it has taken a long time to prepare and I am sure we will have a great time.
We will travel via Hong Kong and are looking forward to meeting old friends and business colleges
Michael moved to Scotland with his partner in September and this has been quite an upheaval, new home, new job, new area, new colleagues and of course many changes in the way the Ambulance Service works. Amazing really one NHS and multiple practices.?
The caravan has been laid up all year, for reasons see first paragraph, but now we are planning to go to France in May 2008 for as long as we can. We have also booked tickets to see Elton John at Brooklands Museum on the 11th of July, so we may come home from France early or just fly home for a day or two, we are undecided at this point.

Christmas was spent in Scotland seeing Michael and Joanne came with us and we are able to have a dinner at the hotel for just the four of us, almost like old times, only more expensive.














New Years Eve was spent with good friends in Wey Road where we saw in the New Year clutching a glass of good bubbly, what a way to end this
year and so much to look forward to in 2008.