Ants Big 2004 Summer Adventure
Thursday, July 29, 2004
 
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I Do!!
Well, the last few days in Auckland were great, and the sun shone brightly! This was especially welcome on the Sunday, when Fi, Brad, Stephanie and myself took a trip in a DC3 Dakota plane (built circa 1943!), for a sightseeing trip around Auckland. It was a really great experience, and because the weather was so bright and clear, the views were fantastic!

Then it was off to the airport, to try and board an all together more modern plane for my trip across the Pacific to Los Angeles (and onwards connection to San Francisco!). Luckily for me the flight was not at all full, and so I ended up with a business class row of seats all to myself, and to cap it all off, it was on the top deck of the plane! Absolutely brilliant...great food...great wine...great service...and best of all, very comfortable seats! The flight was quite turbulent though, and as I find it difficult to sleep whilst travelling at the best of times, I didn't manage to get the sort of rest i'd hoped for, but still, it was infinitely better than being unable to sleep in Economy!!
Arrived in LA about 30 minutes late, and for a while it looked like I might struggle to make my connecting flight, but the customs guys got their act together, and I was able to check in on time! The biggest disappointment though was the text message I received from Julie, telling me that she had been unable to get on any of the flights she'd earmarked on the Sunday, and therefore had spent a horrible day at Heathrow. I felt so sorry for her, as it must have been awful getting her hopes up, and then having them dashed time after time.
I checked into our hotel in SF, which is really nice, and very handily placed, but I was feeling really down as Julie hadn't made it, and so didn't really feel up to doing much that day! I picked up a snack, bought a couple of books, and retired to the hotel room. The jetlag had begun to kick in as well, so I was in bed by 9:00pm!
I was woken at 2:30 by the sound of my mobile phone telling me a text message had arrived! I opened the message with everything crossed! Yeah-hay, Julie had managed to get on the 11:00am Virgin flight direct to SF!! It took me another hour to get back to sleep!
I was up at 8:00 the next morning, and had some breakfast (in bed of course!), got dressed and then headed off to go and pick up our car (a Chrysler Seebring Convertible!). Had a few nightmarish moments as I was unable to find my driving license photo card (Mel, no sniggering please!!), but eventually found it hidden in the depths of my wallet, and then I was off for my first tentative foray on the streets of SF! Next it was onto the freeway, and out to the airport to pick up Princess Julie of Kent! :-)
The plane arrived 35 minutes ahead of schedule, and after what seemed like an eternity, there she was walking out of the arrivals lounge, and into my welcoming arms! Fantastic!! :-) The poor girl had been through the wringer over the last two days, but at last things were back on track, and the holiday could begin!!
We tried to keep her going as long as possible, and took in a few of the sights in the afternoon...Fishermans Wharf...The Sealions...a few steep hills...and a ride on a tram (not the famous cable cars!), but the poor wee lass began to fade quite rapidly, so we cut things short to go and find something to eat and drink. We settled on a bar next to the hotel, and wolfed down some nosh before heading back to the hotel, where for the 2nd night running, I was in bed by 9:00pm!!
We had a bit of a lie in yesterday morning, and then made our way down the road to a diner for some brekkie, before heading out for a drive around town. The weather was not great, as the fog that can so often blanket this part of the world was in full effect, so most of the sights were not really shown off in all their glory. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge,

and then embarked on the sign-posted "49-mile" route that winds its way through most of the scenic splendour that SF has to offer. However, the fog was really playing havoc with the scenery, and therefore we ducked out of the route having only covered about 30 miles at best!
We decided a bit of retail therapy was in order, so the rest of the afternoon was spent cruising the many shops and stores around Union Square. We stocked up on a few cheap-ish CDs which will keep us rocking and rolling on our trip down the coast! Then, with stomachs rumbling, we headed off to find somewhere to eat, and eventually settled on an Indonesian restuarant that seemed to be well populated by locals which we took to be a good sign! The food turned out to be great, but, as is usual over here, the portions were too big for us to handle!! :-)
One thing that seems to have exploded over here is the number of beggars on the street! I don't remember it being this bad last time I was here, but there seems to be someone on every street corner trying to collar you for a dollar!! Also, the animals over here must be incredibly healthy, as you would not believe the number of down-and-outs we have seen over here holding up signs that say "Homeless Vet, please help!". (Some of you may need some time for this very poor taste attempt at humour to sink in!!).
Anyway, on our way back to the hotel, we were collared yet again by a guy who stopped us with the best one so far..."Can you spare 20 dollars, as i'm saving up to go to the Bahamas?". When we said "so were we", he came back with.."not even if I promise to send a postcard?". You've got to give the guy some credit for aiming high!! :-)
We stopped off for a cocktail in the hotel bar, before heading off for some well earned shut-eye.....please note it was 11:50pm this time!!
Up early today, to try and get out to Alcatraz. After a quick breakfast at another diner, we hot-footed it down to the cable-car queue, and were soon trundling our way up and down some impossibly steep roads on our way to the Blue & Gold Ferry terminal to try and get on a boat out to "The Rock"! "Next Available Tickets for Alcatraz...2nd August" read the sign! Damn those other tourists!!
Anyway, we had to settle for the next best thing, which was a cruise around the harbour, leaving in 15 minutes! It was a pretty good substitute, and took us under the GG Bridge, pretty close to Alcatraz, gave us a pretty good look at all the other sights to see around the harbour.
Next stop was the cable-car Museum, which kept us interested for about 45 minutes...okay, kept me interested for about 45 minutes, and Julie interested for about 4 to 5minutes!! :-)
A bit of lunch, and then it was back to the hotel for a bit of R&R (lying by the pool, before you ask!)..and a start at planning our route for the next few days. We're heading off down the Pacific Coast Highway, and eventually making our way to Las Vegas for a few days in the maddest city in a particularly mad country!! :-)
Ant
Saturday, July 24, 2004
 
The Bungy Monster Returns!!
Well, I went and did it again!! AJ Hackett, who I bungied with in Queenstown have a bungy pod attached underneath Auckland Harbour Bridge, and there’s a discount for anyone who’s bungied at any of their other sites. So with my eye for a bargain, I decided I had to do it! And here is the evidence!!

Apart from that, Auckland has been much more about relaxing after the exertions of Queenstown. I’ve still managed to see plenty of stuff, including a Gannet colony, where I of course felt very much at home!! :-)
Also had a look at Viaduct Basin, which is where all the Americas Cup activity took place when it was here in 2003. The whole area has been regenerated, and has a lot of great bars and restaurants.
Fi and Brad and I had a great evening down there on Thursday, starting with cocktails at the Hilton, with cool views out over the harbour. We finished off with a great meal in a local Italian restaurant!
Yesterday morning was mainly taken up with the bungy jump! I was due to jump at 10:30am, so Fi drove me down to the check in cabin on the south side of the bridge, where I was weighed (have put on an extra kilo since Queenstown apparently!), and kitted out with my harness. Fi had decided to come along and spectate, so she had to wear a harness as well! It was a 600m walk out to the jump pod, and because of rules imposed by the bridge owners, we had to be attached to the bridge by a static line. It was only when we started our walk out under the main deck of the bridge that Fi informed me that she got vertigo when having to walk on grill type flooring! However, she was very brave, and managed to make it all the way, albeit very nervously!
The whole experience this time was a bit less nerve-racking for me, and I was able to enjoy the view a bit morethan last time. I even look quite relaxed in the photos, and on the video! Before I knew it, I was standing on the edge of the big drop, and the 5.4.3.2.1 countdown started…I think I jumped on 1.5! The adrenalin rush was amazing as I hurtled towards the water, but yet again the cord did its thing, and a couple of minutes later I was back standing on the platform again! It’s a great feeling, and I recommend everyone try it at least once!
Last night (Friday) a group of about 14 friends and family went out to celebrate Brads birthday (which was a big surprise for him when he turned up at the restuarant, as he thought he was just going out for a quite meal with a few family members, whilst Fi and I were going out with Fi’s sister and her husband Chris.), and today has been a bit of a chillout and relax sort of day which I think we all needed really.
Last day in Auckland tomorrow, and it should be quite a cool one, as we’re going on a sightseeing tour of Auckland…..on a McDonnel Douglas DC3 Dakota! This is Fi’s birthday present to Brad. Should be a fantastic experience!
Then it’s on the plane to Los Angeles, and hopefully meeting up with Julie in San Francisico, providing she can get on a flight out of London!! Can’t wait!! :-)
Ant
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
 
Lamb Flaps!
Well, my luck has held out again, and I got on the flight out of Queenstown that I was meant to! I was met at Auckland airport by my very good friend Fi Stewart, and her lovely little rascal Stephanie (or Stiff-knee as it's pronounced over here!). First impressions of Auckland are that it is a very large urban sprawl, with lots of watery bits! Our first stop is the tree-less One Tree Hill. OTH is a very historic site which has great significance to Moaris. It used to have an obelisk and a pine tree growing on top of it, until one day a couple of years ago, when some bloke decided to attract attention to his cause by taking an axe to it (the tree not the obelisk!) and now it's only got an obelisk! It still has great views out over the city though, and I got to see my first Auckland (extinct) volcano crater as well!
Up reasonably early this morning and into the centre of town. First stop was the Sky Tower (230 odd meters high), which offers spectacular views over the city and the harbour! Apparently Jomah Lomu (famous NZ rugby player for all you non-sportys) was there at the same time, but I somehow managed to miss seeing him!
Next up was the Maratime Museum on the waterfront! loads of interesting stuff, including a room decked out like an 1800's ship bringing immigrants to the country, which actually rocked backwards and forwards like a real ship...quite neat! Lots of Americas Cup stuff as well which was little surprise as the last race was held in Auckland!
Caught up with Fi & Brad (Fi's fiancee) and we headed out to the local supermarket to grab some groceries. My attention was taken by a very unusual product, which I don't think has caught on in the UK yet!!
 

I've heard of sheeps brains, and goats eyeballs and even bulls testicles, but this is definitely a new one on me!! I was to embarassed to ask for too much detail about what these actually are!  The name does conjure up some very bizarre images though!! :-)
Anyway, lots more planned for the rest of the week, including ferry trips round the harbour and wine-tasting and a couple of other things which i'll fill in on nearer the time! :-)
Ant
Sunday, July 18, 2004
 
Ski-ing! Been there, done that!!
Well, my ski-ing is done, and i've handed back my skis, poles, and medieval instruments of torture (aka Rented Ski Boots!). They should be banned! It is such a relief at the end of the day when you flip those catches open, and feel all the blood begin to flow around your toes once again!
Having said that, it has been a real blast! The snow at Coronet Peak wasn't that great on Friday as it had become very icy in places, and therefore not much fun. I therefore spent Saturday and today skiing over at The Remarkables ski area which is a 45 minute bus ride from Queenstown! The road up to it is a very precarious dirt track, and although the views over the surrounding area were awesome, the bus driver seemed to want to make sure you got as close a view as possible, so there were a few moments where I had to close my eyes!! (On our way down this afternoon, we passed an ambulance and fire-engine going back up the mountain, and from what I gather, a 4WD vehicle had gone over the edge of the road and rolled quite some distance down the mountain! Glad i'm off to Auckland really!)
The Remarkables name comes from a range of mountains which are so called because they are apparently one of only two mountain ranges in the world which run due North-South! File that one away, as it's sure to come up in Trivial Pursuit (or National Lottery Jet Set!) sometime!
Anyway, the snow over there was much better (due to it's greater height, and the fact that it faces the sun), and i've had a great couple of days skiing. Managed to master a couple of the black runs as well, and also had a few spectacular wipeouts, including one monster where I had to walk 40 meters back up the mountain to collect both skis after I managed to - ahem - come adrift from them! I'd forgotten just how unpleasant an ear full of snow really is!!
Oh yes! Interesting fact! New Zealand is home to the worlds only Alpine Parrot....and it's reputed to be a sheep-killer!! Yes, I know it sounds like something from a Monty Python sketch, but it's true! It's called the Kea, and here it is!

It might not look very colourful, but when it spreads it's wings, it's got a large red patch underneath them! They are only found in the high mountains of the South Island, and have a reputation (undeserved!) of being sheep-killers!! Basically they are scavengers, and will feed off dead carcasses amongst other stuff, and as most of the dead carcasses around these parts tend to be sheep, locals have in days gone by put 2 and 2 together and got something other than 4, and hence the parrots "sheep-killer" tag! 
Anyway, if any of you ever make it down to NZ, I can highly recommend a visit to Queenstown! There are a huge range of things to do (Winter, Summer, Spring or Autumn!), and the scenery is absolutely stunning!
So it's time to pack my bags yet again, and continue on my travels! Next stop is Auckland which is situated towards the top end of the North Island! I'm spending a few days with another very good friend of mine, Fiona Stewart, and her daughter Stephanie and fiance Brad! It's amazing to think that i've been away almost a month already, i've seen and done so much and the time has really flown by! Hopefully there'll be lots more things to see and do over the next month as well!
Ant
Thursday, July 15, 2004
 
Adrenalin Thursday!!
Blimey! What a day!!
Had the day off from skiing, as the forecast was for cloud and rain in the morning! Spent a fairly leisurely morning, trying to get myself psyched up for the afternoons action!
First up it was the shotover river jetboat ride! Basically you sit in a boat with two jet propulsion engines. You hold on tight whilst the driver races at 70kph down the shotover river. There are a number of canyon sections with sheer walls and rocky overhangs, which you hurtle past with inches to spare. There are loads of 360 degree spins, and it's very wet! The whole ride last about 30 minutes, and by the end your heart is pounding!
Anyway, that was just for starters! Next up was the main event....the Ledge Bungy! Picture this, you take a gondola ride that whisks you 400m up the mountain above Queenstown. You make your way to the bungy centre to check-in...looking out of the window you see the bungy platform which seems to be made of very flimsy metal poles! It's at this point that you are offered the option of also doing the ledge swing for a mere NZ$50, so what do you do!? You sign up for that as well of course!!! :-)
Anyway, I made my way out to the platform...I have to say that by this point I was having serious doubts about whether i'd be able to do it! However, my group was made up of me and 4 young ladies, so there was obviously no option for pulling out! I tried the old "ladies first" routine, but they were having none of it! Anyway, I was handed my safety harness, which I nervously climbed into. It was at this point that the guy in charge told me that I would be doing the ledge swing first!
The Ledge Swing.....Imagine you are sitting on a swing, with your best mate pulling you back as high as he can, and then letting you go. OK, now imagine that your harness in the swing seat, the swing ropes are 30m long and connected to your harness. You are raised until you are level with the top of the swing (i.e. the bungy platform) and suspended in place. You have a release cable in your left hand, and guy-in-charge says "Whenever you're ready mate!". Before you realise what you are doing, you have yanked the release cable, and are swinging in a huge arc with the whole of Queenstown 400m below you. The adrenalin rush on the first few swings is awesome!
Once i'd finished swinging, I was hoisted back up to the bungy platform! The old legs were very wobbly, and my heart was pounding hard, and I still had the bungy to do!!!!! Sh!t!!
I was hooked up to the bungy cord, and walked to the edge of the platform to have my piccy taken. I made the mistake of looking down!! Then guy-in-charge says "Right mate, take 5 steps back, i'll count down from 5 and then I want to see your best forward dive!" Five steps back by me, and the I hear "5.4.3.2.1.go!!!", and despite your whole body and mind telling you not to do this, you suddenly find yourself running off the end of the platform into space!

Then you free-fall for a couple of seconds, and just as you're thinking the cord isn't going to hold you, IT DOES!! And then you rebound upwards, and free-fall again, but this time you know the cords going to hold you!! And then it's all over, and you're just hanging there suspended in space feeling absolutely fantastic!
And i've got a video of the whole thing, and a couple of awesome photos too! It wasn't exactly a forward dive...more like an ungainly jump, but what a rush!!! :-)
So tomorrow it's back to skiing! Should be great as they've had quite a big dump of snow up there today! It's going to be hard to get the same sort of excitement out of it though after todays exploits!
"Adrenalin" Ant
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
 
It's snow joke!!
Well, another day has dawned on the Ant Stansbie World Tour, and guess what!!! It's bright and sunny...Yawn, Yawn, this is getting boring!! I'm craving a dull grey morning, with just a hint of drizzle! :-)
Finally eased myself out of bed around 9:30, and made my way to my new local...The Vudu Cafe...for bagel and jam, muesli with fruit and yoghurt, and my now customary Latte Bowl! Yes, I have succumbed to the demon coffee again after a few years on the tea! :-)
Finally got my arse in gear and found the Ski-pass shop around 11:00pm, to be told that the last bus up to the slopes would be departing @ 12:00pm!!! Panic!! I therefore had 60 minutes to sort out my ski-pass, find some fools to rent me some ski equipment, get back to my room and get everything together for my day on the slopes! 20 minutes later I was ready!
Sat on the toilet for 10 more minutes trying to clear myself of as much bodily waste as possible (the skiers amongst you will know that the last thing you want is to be caught short on the slopes, as it is such a hassle once you've got all your gear on!), and then made my way to the bus stop. By 12:30pm, the bus was pulling into the car park at the lovely Coronet Peaks ski area, then it was into the ski-shop for some lipbalm and sunscreen which I slapped on all over, and I was ready for the slopes!
OK, first dilemma...do I ease my way in with a couple of runs on the nursery slopes, or do I give in to my urge to get on that quad chairlift to the top of the mountain? Well, you can probably guess which one I went for!......NO! NOT the nursery slopes..come on get with the program!!
10 minutes later this was me!

It's just like getting back on a bike!! Made my way down a couple of blue runs, it was all coming back to me....the swishing sound of the snow being thrown up by your skis as you gracefully (yes I can be graceful!!) carve your way down the slope, almost losing it as I hit my first patch of ice, the taste of strawberry lipbalm!!
Gaining confidence by the minute, I was ready for the first black run of the day! Handled it pretty well, with just a couple of hairy moments, but that's to be expected!
The scenery was absolutely stunning! Stopped for an early afternoon sandwich, and sat myself on the sundeck, soaking up some rays for a while, but once you've got the feel for it, you can't keep yourself off the slopes for too long, so it was back on the next chairlift, and a couple of more hours of hurtling down 1:5 slopes with two planks strapped to my feet, absolute bliss!
Had a couple of spectacular wipe-outs, but survived unscathed with just a mouthful of snow! :-)
Everything closes down at 4:00pm, but I managed to get the 3:59.59 chairlift back up to the top for one last run! Then it was back on the bus, and back to town! I have a feeling that my knees and thighs are going to be suffering in the morning!!
The weather is due to take a turn for the worse over the next couple of days, which is a bit of a bummer, but should mean that there's plenty of fresh snow for the end of the week and the weekend!
Oh well, I might have to try and sort out the bungy jump and river jet boat stuff for the next couple of days!! There's plenty of stuff to do round these parts!! :-)
Ant
Monday, July 12, 2004
 
Made it to Queenstown
Well, my stay in Wellington is over! Had a really great last couple of days! Sarah's big birthday drinks party was fab, and pretty well attended considering the All Blacks were taking on the Pacific Islanders on the same night! We're all obviously getting older as we were back home by 1:30am!
Sunday was very relaxing...thankfully!...as we (Sarah, me and her folks) took a drive up the west coast above Wellington to a small town called Paraparaumu where the family have a beach house. The town lies on a cusp of land which lies in the wave shadow of Kapiti Island which lies just off the coast. Most of the coast is subject to erosion, but this particular area is protected by the island, and therefore juts out into the sea! (See Sarah! I was paying attention!) :-)
Yet again it was a fantastic day, slightly cold (not by UK standards!!) but loads of sunshine! Apparently "You can't beat Wellington on a good day!" as the song goes!
Anyway, I was up early this morning to say my goodbyes to the Brown family. They've made me very welcome in their home, and have really made sure I enjoyed my stay in Wellington! I will be forever grateful!! :-)
Doug drove me to the airport to catch my flight up to Auckland. The check-in bloke turned a blind eye to the fact that I was a couple of kilos over my 30kg allowance, and the flight went very smoothly. We had a spectacular view of Mount Egmont (a dormant volcano, aka Mount Teranaki) on the way up. Apparently Tom Cruises latest film "The Last Sumarai" was filmed there, with the mountain being the double for Mount Fuji! It was even temporarily re-christened Tominaki in his honour!
My concerns over my very short transfer time in Auckland (35 minutes to get off the inbound flight, collect my luggage and get myself checked in for the Queenstown flight!) proved groundless as I was already sitting at the departure gate 15 minutes after we touched down! The plane I landed on was the one that we flew down to Queenstown on!
The flight down to Queenstown took 2 hours, and the view from the plane of the scenery below was stunning! Snowcapped peaks, and emerald coloured lakes!!
I'd been determined that QT was going to be one of the parts of my trip where I was just going to wing the whole thing, so I hadn't booked any accomodation or anything! 20 minutes at the airport information desk, and I was beginning to think i'd be sleeping on a bench in the local park as phone call after phone call produced the same negative response! I have apparently chosen a school holiday period! However, Margaret, the very nice info desk lady, eventually tracked me down a room at McFees (a local backpackers hotel, which also has a few single rooms) right in the centre of town!
On the trip into town, I quizzed the shuttle bus driver, and now have all the inside scoop on what's hot and what's not!
Queenstown itself is a very picturesque town nestled around the middle of the S-shaped Lake Wakatipu. It is surrounded by very scenic snow-capped mountains!
I was intending to take it easy for the first couple of days, enjoy the sites, etc., but the sight of all that snow has me drooling (at least I hope that's what's got me drooling!!), and so I think i'm going to head straight to the ski-hire shop tomorrow morning, to get myself kitted out! The Remarkables ski-area will probably be my first destination! It's very close to QT, and is mainly an intermediate area, but I think I need a couple of days to get my snow-legs back in gear before I hit some of the more challenging slopes (Treble Cone, Coronet Peaks etc.) later in the week! :-)
I also intend to fit in at least one bungy jump (well it did all start right here in QT, so it would be rude not to!), and hopefully one of the jet boat rides up the local rivers!
Anyway, that's all to tell for the time being! I should have some spectacular piccies to upload in the next few days, and the internet cafe i've found has all the latest USB, and imaging facilities necessary, so check back soon!!
Ant

Saturday, July 10, 2004
 
Wine-tasting, golf and Shrek2!
Well, i'm almost at the end of my stay in Wellington.....I head off to Queenstown on Monday!...and i've had a great time, been thoroughly spoilt, and met a bunch of new people!
Wellington is a lovely city, set in a great location, with hills and mountains behind, and a huge deep-water harbour out front. The views out over the bay are spectacular, and the weather has been great so far, with bright sunny days every day, although it does get pretty chilly once the sun goes down!
There's plenty here to entertain the solo traveller, with a couple of great museums, and loads of great restaurants, bars and cafes. The people seem great too...very unpretentious, and very easy going.
I spent my first couple of days here exploring the city, although I have to admit i've been struggling to get out of bed and up and out the door very early as it's just too cosy! Still, i've managed to take in a couple of museums, the cable car, the observatory, Shrek2 (a must-see by the way!!), a days wine-tasting in the Wairarapa region, a round of golf, along with various sessions at various bars, and a couple of meals! So that's not bad going!
Had my haircut yesterday at a hairdressers frequented by Sarah and her Mum. I had a 9:00am appointment, and got there at 8:55am. I pushed and pulled the door, but it didn't open, so I assumed they were still shut. I saw there was someone inside, but assumed that they were still getting themselves prepared. Anyway, 15 minutes later, and still no sign of the place opening. Then the postman turned up, walked past me and SLID the door open! Did I feel like a plonker or what! Doh!! Anyway, my hair has now been neatly coiffured by Holly, and my ears are again visible! :-)
Played a round of golf today with Sarah

Sarah Brown prepares to be tamed by Petone Golf Course!
and her friend Gina....although played may not be an accurate assessment of the way we hacked our way round the 9-hole course at Petone! Still it was all good fun, and at least the sun was shining! But boy did we stink!! :-)
Last couple of days in Wellington. Tonight (Saturday 10th) we are off into town for Sarahs big birthday drinks bash, which should be wildly entertaining, and then recovering tomorrow with a drive up the coast and some sightseeing. Then i'm off on Monday to Queenstown in the South Island for a bit of ski-ing, bungy jumping and whatever else the self-styled adventure capital of the world can throw my way!
Still no photos i'm afraid as I haven't managed to find a PC with a suitable USB port so far!
Ant
Thursday, July 08, 2004
 
Wellington News!
Have spent a very comfortable couple of days in Wellington so far! I'm staying with Sarah Brown...my ex-flatmate from my Chiswick days!...at her parents (very nice!) house in Khandallah which is a suburb of Wellington. Sarah has very kindly given up her room! I'm finding it very hard to get out of bed in the mornings as it is so cosy!
I think i've managed to scare of their cat though!! He apparently doesn't take to strangers to readily, and after seeing him dissapear through the cat flap at high speed on Tuesday, i've only seen him sulking around the garden since then!
Anyway, Wellington is a lovely city, easy to get around on foot, and with plenty to do and see. I spent yesteray afternoon at Te Papa (Maori for "Our Place"), which is the NZ national museum, which was very interesting. Wellington also has more restuarants per head than any other city in the world apparently, and we tried one out last night to celebrate Sarahs birthday! Lovely food and great wine!
This afternoon i'm off to explore the Wellington Cable Car,

and the observatory, and then I thinks it's more drink and food tonight....wine tasting tomorrow...followed by more food and drink tomorrow night....golf on Saturday....followed by more food and drink etc. etc.! I'm sure you get the picture! :-)
No photos to upload at the moment, but I hope to have something for my next post!
Ant
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
 
Bye Bye Sydney! Hello Wellington!!
Well, the Aussie leg of my trip is over, and I have now arrived in Wellington at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand. The NZ capital in fact! My good friend and ex-flatmate Sarah picked me up from the airport...slightly late, but we'll let that one go! :-) and we took the scenic route from the airport into the centre of Wellie. Sarah had to get back to work, so i've been wandering around the streets trying to get my bearings, and getting a feel for the place. One thing I can say for certain....it's a fair bit colder than Sydney! But at least the sun is shining, and it's a nice day.
My last night in Sydney was great. I met up with an old work colleague from Grosvenor, Jacqui Cho,

who now lives and works in Sydney. We spent a very enjoyable late afternoon / early evening drinking beer and cocktails in the bars around Circular Quay.
Next Jon and Peter and I headed out for a last night dinner. We ended up at a pub called the Four in Hand in Paddington. It was a strange place, because the front part was just like any other Sydney pub, with Aussie Big Brother and the footie showing on large screens, but you then went through a door at the back into a very small, but very nice restuarant. The food was out of this world (I had Sea Bream with Garlich Mash, followed by Vanilla Rice Pudding with red wine soaked pear slices....deeelicious!), and the wine was great too!
Jon very kindly dropped me off at the airport, and I duly rocked up at the staff travel desk where I discovered that my luggage had put on weight during it's stay in Aus, and was now 3kgs over the limit!! I quickly unpacked a couple of pairs of shoes which I stuck in my back-pack, and all was OK again. I have since posted my PADI diving manuals back to the UK!! I may have to pay further visits to the post-office in the near future!! :-)
Anyway, that's about all for now! I'm sure i'll have more Wellington tales to upload over the next few days!! :-)
Ant
Monday, July 05, 2004
 
Lifes a Manly Beach!!
Well, it's my last day in Sydney (and Australia for that matter). Off to Wellington NZ early tomorrow morning. Am a bit worried, because I was right on the weight limit when I flew out of London, and now i've got 2 thick PADI diving manuals and a new mask and snorkel to pack as well! :-)
Have taken up a suggestion by Jon, and decided to spend my last afternoon in Manly. It's pretty cool, because you can cross the harbour on the Manly Ferry, hop off, and stroll about 100m down the main street, and your on Manly Beach staring out over the Pacific!
Spent an hour or so strolling along the beach and catching some rays....it's 20c and bright sunshine here. Watched amazed as a coach load of Japanese tourists rolled up, got off the bus and stood around on the sand in a big group for about 15 minutes, took a few photos, and then a someone blew a whistle and they all climbed back on the coach and were gone! Most bizarre!
As usual, I couldn't resist the call of the internet cafe any longer (well, too much sun isn't good for you!!), so ducked into the first one I found!
Now my stomachs rumbling, so i'll have to head off to find some grub!
All the best!
Ant
Saturday, July 03, 2004
 
Nitrogen Narcosis!
You are reading the weblog of a newly qualified PADI Open Water Adventure Diver!!
I've just got back on dry land, and have still got my sea-legs on. This means that I have a permanent swaying sensation which is really weird! I'm told it will return to normal in about 24 hours, but i'm taking no chances, and will be downing a few beers at the post-dive party later this evening in an effort to create a beer-swaying sensation. Hopefully the beer sway will counter the sea-legs sway, and I hope to be able to walk normally. That's the theory anyway!! :-)
The reef was amazing! I'd forgotten how much fun it is messing around on boats! Such a simple life, no shoes, cosy bunk beds in rooms with barely enough room to swing a prawn, combined shower and toilet cublicles (yes you can sit down, have a sh!t, brush your teeth and shower all at the same time!), group meals in the galley, plenty of fantastic diving, and wonderful moonlit skies with the water lapping against the side of the boat. Magical!!
Highlights of the trip included...swimming with reef sharks....swimming along beside a green turtle....the amazing variety of marine life...the brilliant colours of the coral....watching our cookie Jo cleaning out her pots and pans on the duck board at the back of the boat whilst red sea bass and assorted other fish fought over the scraps of food. Some of them were almost throwing themselves onto the boat trying to snag a morsel of left over Chilli con Carne! You had to see it to believe it!!
We arrived at the reef around lunchtime on the Thursday, and were in our wetsuits and gear almost immediately, and before you knew it we were slipping into the sea. The first 2 dives were training dives, and so it was difficult to really take in the amazing scenes unfolding around us as we were being put through skills training which included a partial and full mask flood (fill your mask with saltwater, and then try clear it) and regulator recovery (spit out your air-supply, let it dangle by your side, and then try and relocate it and stick it back in your mouth!) amongst others. We were all exhausted by dinner time, but you could feel the sense of exhilaration amongst our group!

Ant prepares to go deep! Note the use of completely the wrong diving signal for OK! Thumbs up means head for the surface! Doh!

Day 2 started at 6:00am the next morning for a pre-breakfast dive! There was just enough time to smell a cup of coffee, and then it was into our wet wetsuits (not a very pleasant experience at that time of the morning!!) on with our gear, and into the water just as the sunlight was coming up!. The first two dives of the day were again training dives, but as most of the hard stuff had been done the previous day, we were able to appreciate the surroundings a bit more, and we were not disappointed, it was stunning. I have never seen so many different types of fish, coral and creatures in one place at one time!! If any of you have taken a trip to your local Wyevale or Aquarium shop lately, and marvelled at all the tropical fish in their tanks....I can only say that it just does not compare with the real thing in any way, shape or form! Totally incredible!
At the end of dive 2, we were all informed underwater that we were now qualified as Open Water Divers, and effectively were now free to scuba dive (with at least one "buddy"!) anywhere in the world.....but only to a depth of 18m! Dive 3 was were we got to go off in groups without an instructor being present, so that's exactly what we did. It was a bit weird knowing we were now responsible for our own safety from that point onwards (you always knew previously that if anything went wrong, your instructor would be able to sort it out). But it was an incredible buzz!

Ant about to head down to 25 metres, and obeying the 2nd most important rule in diving! "Always look cool!" (NB. the girl visible over my right shoulder is 14, and managed to complete the whole course despite being sea-sick for 2 days!)

Day 2 Dive 4 --- Night Dive!!
The apprehension was very noticable with this dive. 7:30pm, with only the moon to light the sea! We donned wetsuits, and all the gear, and stood on the duck board ready to dive into the ABYSS!! We each had a torch in our right hand, and a glowstick attached to our tank yoke. Everyone kept very close to Steve, our instructor. You get a totally new set of sea-life at night! Down we went to around 12m, and immediately spotted a reef shark gliding along the sand below us. We were guided to a clear patch of sand, and told to hold our torches against our chests. Total blackout!! Pretty spooky at first, but gradually your eyes get accustomed and your night vision takes over. It was quite a surreal experience, kneeling in the sand with about 4m visibility around you!
Back to the boat, and most of us stayed up drinking into the night discussing the days events.

Day 3
2 very quick dives!
Up again at 6:00am and in the water by 6:30am for our first deep dive! A few of us had decided to take up the offer of qualifying for the next level of diver training for an extra AUS150 which would allow us to dive to a recommended maximum depth of 30m.Down we went to around 25m, the main event was a nitrogen narcosis test. Apparently, the deeper you go, the more the body uses nitrogen instead of oxygen. When this happens, you tend to experience a euphoric sensation, and your reaction times are slowed! Can't say that any of us where particularly aware of anything unusual, but reaction times did seem to be reduced!
2nd dive involved underwater photography. The results were less than spectacular as you can see, but the photos do not do justice to the amazing scenery!

Those damn fish just wouldn't stay still for their photo!

Then, after a quick lunch, it was up anchor, and back to Cairns! Everyone was a bit subdued as we'd had such a brilliant time and it was all coming to an end. Most of us would have been more than happy to be marooned out on the reef! All of us were itching for more, but that will have to be another day! I'm now considering taking a dive with the Great Whites off Cape Town when i'm down there....well, now that i'm qualified, I may as well make the most of it!!

Anyway, if you're ever down this way, the company you want to use are Pro-Dive Cairns! (I get 10% discount on equipment if any of you sign up!!) Ask for either Steve or Paul as your instructors, their a great double act!
Ant

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