Saturday, February 6, 2010

Holidays - Oct 2009

Had a visit from my Mum, Step father Les and step brother Jack.
October 2009
Waitangi
Karangahake Gorge
Mount Maunganui
Piha
Paihia
Kerikeri
Russell
Auckland Zoo

Wellington 2008


Wellington City
11th - 13th Apr 2008




Went for a trip down to NZ's capital city.

LA Galaxy v Oceania All Stars - 2008


LA Galaxy v Oceania XI
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
6th Dec 2008

Had tickets bought for me for my birthday of this exhibition match where David Beckham & Co came to town. Oceania had Mark Bosnich, Edgar Davids and Christian Karembeu turning out for them.

All Blacks v Australia, Tri-Nations 2008

AB's v Wallabies
Eden Park Stadium, Auckland
2 Aug 2008






Tri-Nations time as i went to my second ever All Blacks game.

NRL Rugby League - 2008


Warriors v Eels
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
23rd Mar 2008




Opening game of the season as New Zealand Warriors take on Parramatta Eels.

Bon Jovi Concert - Christchurch 2008












Bon Jovi Concert, AMI Stadium, Christchurch
27th Jan 2008
Set List:
Christchurch, New Zealand - AMI Stadium - 1/27/08
LOST HIGHWAY

BAD NAME
RAISE YOUR HANDS
COMPLICATED
CAPT. CRASH
RUNAWAY
STORY OF MY LIFE
HAVE A NICE DAY
IN THESE ARMS
BLOOD ON BLOOD
BLAZE w/ Knockin On Heaven's Door
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
BORN TO BE MY BABY
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - RICHIE VOX
FAITH
SLEEP
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
PRAYER

ENCORE:
SUMMERTIME
WANTED
I LOVE THIS TOWN
TWIST & SHOUT
TREAT HER RIGHT

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME

Skiing On Cardrona - Aug 2007




Cardrona Ski Field near Queenstown
14th - 17th Aug 2007

Cardrona Ski field between queenstown and wanaka.

awesome!!

**will do a write-up when i have time**

Queenstown - Aug 2007



Queenstown
13th Aug 2007

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The town is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin lake shaped like a staggered lightning bolt, and has spectactular views of nearby mountains.

There are various apocryphal accounts of how the town was named, the most popular suggesting that a local gold digger exclaimed that the town was "fit for Queen Victoria". It is sometimes disparagaingly referred to as "Vegas by the Lake" for a perceived fixation on commerce-oriented tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism. It is popular with young international and New Zealand travellers alike.

The town is the largest centre in Central Otago, but for some administrative purposes it is considered part of Southland. According to the 2001 census, the usually resident population of the Queenstown urban area (including Frankton and Kelvin Heights) is 8535, an increase of 19.3% since 1996.

Its neighbouring towns and districts include Arrowtown, Wanaka, Alexandra, and Cromwell. The nearest cities are Dunedin and Invercargill.

A resort town, Queenstown is a centre for adventure tourism. Skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, mountain biking and tramping are all strong promotional themes.

Along with Mount Ruapehu, Queenstown is a major centre for snow sports in New Zealand, with people from all over the country and many parts of the world travelling to ski at the four main mountain skifields (Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone).

In recent years Queenstown's hostels have become a popular destination for young Australian and American tourists. Queenstown provides adventure tourism during the day and a vibrant nightlife scene during the evenings.

Locally, Queenstown has a reputation as one of New Zealand's wine and cuisine centres. Neighbouring, historic Arrowtown features excellent restaurants and bars, and Queenstown lies close to the centre of a small wine producing region, reputed to be the world's southernmost. Pinot noir produced in this area fetches premium prices.

Queenstown is connected to Auckland, Christchurch and Sydney all year round and Wellington, Melbourne and Brisbane seasonally via its airport; Queenstown Airport

Queenstown and the surrounding areas also contains many locations used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings
film trilogy.

Hobbiton, LOTR Movie Set Tour - 2007




Hobbiton a.k.a Matamata
5th Aug 2007

Not haven watched the films or read the books.. i still took the chance to visit the Hobbiton village which was used in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

only a three hour coach journey south of auckland is the once-sleepy town of matamata, which has been transformed by tourism since the filming of the hobbiton scenes from the movies.

went down there with my welsh mate vicky who was over in the country for a bit.

with most of the film set demolished since its filming back in 2000 there still stood 17 of the origainal hobbit holes, they have since been painted over white to make them more visible to tourists.. and to prevent the sheep going inside and settling they have been sealed off except for one which people are able to walk into and look out of the windows of which the movie cameras filmed. inside the hobbit hole its actually alot higher and you are able to stand fully upright.

one of the key features of the movie set was the bridge.. that was made to be put up quickly and taken down quickly, parts of it was made from polystyrene and painted to look like stone. quite impressive.. and also another key feature was the big tree which was used for the partying and the dancing around.. thats still there.

the tour was very good,the guide was very informative and enthusiastic and helped me get an understanding of the film and all the work that went into it...it was a huge project and a huge success.



background info of hobbiton:
in september 1998 peter jackson and new line cinema 'discovered' the alexander farm during an aerial search for suitable film sites. the fantastic views and rolling countryside of the farm closely resembled that of middle-earth as described by tolkien.
the farm was perfect. the large established pine tree later to become known as the 'party tree' was already perfectly placed in front of the lake. the surrounding rolling farmland was untouched by 20th century influence such as roads buildings or powerlines.

site construction started in march 1999. initially this involved heavy earthmoving machinery provided by the new zealand army. total site construction took nine months. throughout construction and filming all activity on the site was kept under strict security due to commercial restraints by the movie company.

filming commenced on 6th december (my birthday ) 1999 and continued for three months. at its peak 400 people were 'on site' including jackson, ian mckellen, elijah wood, ian holme, sean astin etc



how the hobbiton site was developed:
the nz army was contracted to build 1.5km (just under a mile to us britts) of road into the site and initial site development(diggers, bulldozers, loaders, trucks, rollers, graders and moxys).
barberry hedges and trees were brought in and gardens were nurtured throughout winter.
37 hobbit holes were created with untreated timber, ply and polystyrene.
mill and double arch bridge were built out of scaffolding, ply and polystyrene, glued and painted.
thatch on pub and mill roofs was cut from rushes around the farm.
oak tree overlooking bag end was cut down and brought in from near matamata. each branch was numbered and chopped, then transported and bolted together on top of bag end.
artificial leaves were imported from taiwan and individually wired onto the dead tree.
generators were brought in to run base camp and the film equipment(logistics of power, water and sewerage all had to be considered.
catered for up to 400 people per d
ay.

Christchurch - Apr 2007


Christchurch, South Island, NZ
27th - 29th Apr 2007

After an awesome time in the beautiful queenstown i was next onto new zealands very own 'garden city'..christchurch. i didnt really know much about chch apart from the rugby team the crusaders that came from here.. i heard it would be very green but also wet and cold. i wasnt proved wrong!

the scenic flight over the southern alps took me an hour away to the east coast, it was an evening flight so couldnt really do alot once i arrived aprt from hit the hay.
i managed to get conned into getting an expensive shuttle from the airport to my hotel so that was a good start!

my first full day on the saturday had one word for it..wet. it didnt stop all day, confiding me to the bare minimum. i went in search of the indoor go-karting raceway but the directions i was given by the locals didnt serve very helpful.. so to finish the day off i headed out to the bars to sink a few drinks. to be fair this little city here in the south island has got it going on when it comes to nights out, found some great places and they were all full of people having a good time. the good thing is theres alot within walking distance.

on my second full day it was jam-packed...

International Antarctic Centre:
on sunday there was no time for hang-overs as i had booked 'the big 5'!!
an early-ish bus pick up from the hotel took our organised tour firstly to the international antarctic centre, it was pretty impressive and i had no idea of christchurch's importance to the programme. there was plenty in there to see, and alot to learn about earths coldest continent.

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve:
second on the tour was this nice little reserve that housed pretty much all kinds of animals, my favourites would have to be the deer, they were really cheeky trying to snatch food out of peoples hands, also the monkies, lama's and otters etc, all types were here even wallaby's!

Wildlife Harbour Cruise:
next we were taken to the port area of Littleton, its the third largest in nz.from there we boarded our ferry and headed out into sea for two hours, passing by the busy port, the volcanic surroundings (even the bed of water we were on is a piece of volcano which slid away), we headed out into the pacific ocean in search of the hector dolphins, but unfortunately they didn't want to come out to play today,so many were lift slightly disappointed not seeing these amazing creatures. but still the cruise was lovely

Gondola Ride:
coming close to the end of the day we headed onto the gondolas, which take you right up to the top of a mountain overlooking the city of christchurch and even further with breathtaking 360degree views. there was a ride up there too where u learnt a bit about the history and how canterbury(the province which christchurch is in) was formed all the millions of years ago, basically all volcanic.

Tram Ride:
just as dusk started to set in it was onto the final part of the 'big 5' tour, an old fashioned tram ride around the city of chch, with commentary of all the key places/landmarks which we passed on the way around.

well today, sunday, had alot of things crammed into it. not alot of time inbetween but a day very much worth it. first impressions of christchurch were soon replaced with good ones
after this fine day.

Queenstown - Apr 2007






Queenstown, South Island
25th - 27th Apr 2007

Queenstown (Day One)

Escaping the mild autumn weather of auckland, i was off today to new zealands south island, to a place called Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world i am told.
managed to get a lift to the airport which was great and i checked in as normal and was on that 1+1/2 hour flight to almost the opposite end of the country.

Flying over the mountains coming into queenstown was pretty spectacular to say the least.. such extreme landscape and it was amazing to view.
stepping off the plane i could soon feel that extra bite in the air, considerably cooler down here, definately hoody weather!
got a bus to queenstown centre then walked a short distance to my hostel, yha. once there i thought bugger this, so i upgraded myself to my own room, good move!
got a nice little view and the hostel is central amongst lots of bars/pubs with it being so cold here most bars have open-logged fires...mmmm

i wasted no time and headed to the gondolas which take u right up the top of a mountain with the most amazing views i've ever seen... the gondola ride was steep and not for people with fear of heights. at the top i did one run on the luge. damn that was good fun. then i just took in the views, wow.

tonight it will be a few quiet drinks in the local as tomorrow i will be doing my triple challenge.. i must be mad getting in the river in this weather...freeze to death haha.
so now i wait for my triple challenge which includes the shot-over jet boat ride, a rollercoaster-hellicopter ride over some canyon then the white water rafting.... bring it on!!

Queenstown (Day Two -Triple Challenge)

Shot-Over Jet Boat Ride:
This is the worlds most exciting jet boat ride..it may only be my first but i do agree.
its a quarter of a million dollar version of a jet ski, it seats 15 people and you hurtle towards the canyon edges and speed around at upto 80kph! extremely fast and it was difficult to keep my eyes fully open with the cold air smashing my face haha. it was an adrenelin rush, the driver came close to hitting rocks and its signature move..the 360 spin was so good. it does a 360degree spin on the water and throws the boat around...class!

Rollercoaster-Helicopter Ride Over Canyon:
my first ever time in a helicopter, it wasnt a let-down at all. after the jet boat we waited for another group to come from the town and we all geared up in our wetsuits and life jackets etc...damn it was bloody tight, it was like taking a big deep breath that didnt end haha. yeah, so the helicopter ride was en-route to the rafting. we jumped out of the bus and onto the helicopter, we flew over some of the mountains they used in Lord Of The Rings and it was a great experience, when the helicopter took its sharp turns it felt very insecure like it was gonna go over horizontally.. damn it was a rush

White Water Rafting:
the end of the chopper flight dropped us off at the beginning of the rafting on the kawarau river. we got into our teams and got in the raft. it was a steady river, grade 4, but the rough bits were really bumpy and a good challenge trying to paddle through them. i didnt manage to fall in, instead i just jumped in the water, wasnt as cold as i thought. the current was strong. we managed to stay up-right and didnt end up capsizing which was a bonus. we went through yet more locations used on the Lord Of The Rings movie.. went through what they used as Aragons Gates, or whatever it was called (i havnt seen the movie) its where frodo was in the river apparently. anyway i was there a part of cinema making history hehe.. when the rafts caught upto eachother we would end up having a splashing fight and try drag someone in the water off the opposite raft. we also went under a bungee jump, the first bungee in the world, a 43metre drop. no-one jumped when we went under it tho. the white water sections were rough, was so much fun, the boat flipped backwards and felt like we were gonna loose it, but we stayed level.

at the end of the three challenges it was back to the rafting club where we had sausage rolls and a drink also hot showers and a sauna!! that was nice



Super 14 Rugby - Blues v Cheetahs 2007

Blues v Cheetahs at Eden Park, Auckland
6th Apr 2007

Went to watch my first 'super' rugby game on friday at eden park.. got some free tickets from amandas dad..so me,manda,dave n ruth went to watch the game. the ground was pretty full and atmosphere was good... it was the auckland blues taking on a south african team called the cheetahs... both teams had internationals on the pitch. the blues seemed to run away with the game.. and the cheetahs only managed to cross the line with a try once the final siren had gone on 80 mins.
we had good seats in between the 10 and 22 metre lines and about 20rows from the front.. the cheerleaders again were distracting me from the game but it was funny to see one of them loose her cool when a bottle got thrown at her.. a mexican wave circled the ground a few times and a sea of bottles and card just gets thrown up as it went around haha, cool sight! blues won the game in the end and stay top of the table..the in-form team.


NRL Rugby League 2007

Warriors v Eels
17 Mar 2007

Saturday night went to watch the vodafone warriors v's paramatta eels in the opening round of the 2007 NRL season at mount smart stadium.
had prime seats in the upper tier close to the half way line. went along with amanda, her mum n dad.
there was even some fireworks as the team ran out, it was an entertaining game with the warriors running away with it in the first half before the eel's came back with a few tries. the past four seasons the warriors failed to win on the opening round of the NRL..but this time was different.
in the end it was 34-18 win for the warriors, good start, good night!!

Heineken Cup Tennis 2007


Heineken Open Tennis, Auckland
10th Jan 2007

Went to the tennis comp with some people from work.. its a warm up comp before the australian open which is the end of the month. was a great night

Kelly Tarltons - Dec 2006


Kelly Tarltons Aquarium
29th Dec 2009

Today went to a sea world kind of place. had a really great day actually. saw the penguins, they are so funny looking...love em!! went on a snow car ride around the penguin enclosure and it was awesome, they try to show off in front of the visitors. also there they had stingrays which were sooo huge! massive scary looking things! and also sharks etc it was a cool day out...check the photos!!!

Cirque Rocks - 2006

Cirque Rocks
26th Aug 2006

The mcdonalds cirque rocks in auckland which i went to see last saturday night was at the trusts stadium, home of the NZ breakers basketball team! it was a nice venue and me and amanda went with my work as a social event that we do every now and then..
it was a combo of circus acts and rock music..hance the name!
good entertainment and a great night out. about 50 or so of us from work went to it, and we had our own little section where we sat..the only downfall of the night (apart from one of the chinese plate spinners' plates) was the fact that the rain came down hard as we qued to go in..so sitting in wet jeans for a few hours wasnt the most comfortable form of attire! neways..yeah the night had some classic rock anthems belting out..all performed live and with back up singers and choir/band etc..the acts came from circus performers from all over the world..but mainly china, there was bmx riders who had arrived in nz straight from the x-games in LA, these guys are awesome on their bikes..doin thier stuff, forward 360degree flips etc..and they are multi-millionairs,pro's at their best! also there was acrobatics, tight rope walking in which they did a 7-man pyramid on the wire! there was trampoliners, cage of death with motorbikes inside, a girl climbing some chairs with outstanding balanca and strength..she later failed to return to her hotel room so she didnt have to go back to china,so shes in search of a better life here in nz! lucky us!! yeah rite! i'll keep a look out for some chairs going missing and some girl trying to climb them..then i'll tip off the authorities..only for a reward of course haha also performing was jumping around russians etc etc all in all a great night

Rugby - All Blacks v Australia - 2006

At Eden Park
19th Aug 2006

This sat'nite goin to watch NZ take on aussie in the tri nations at eden park....more to follow
**so yeah, went to that game two weeks ago now..sorry for the delay in writing.. but we had an awesome spec, the rain held off and it was an entertaining game to the finish! ive watched a fair bit of rugby now!**

Auckland Zoo, Cricket & Rugby League


Getting Out And About In Auckland
Jan - Apr 2006

Was a while back now, but had a nice day down at auckland zoo last month. i've been to more zoo's in the past year than i have had hot dinners (being a backpacker and all that etc) and the zoo here was pretty good, nice for family day outs and also for just strolling around with the girlfriend..
its on the other side of auckland so it took about 30 mins drive by car, over the harbour bridge and by-passing the city on the way!

apart from that i have been a boring bugger just working and saving my dollars very hard for when i'm back in the UK. the jobs fine and the weeks are just shooting by, before i know it its another weekend already....and they r great! not to have to leave the house at 6.30am!
yeah, so thats the other big news, all booked and set for my flight to manchester... oh yeah, and i'm flying emirates...nice one!!!!!!!! should be a great 35 HOUR trip on the way! haha
i'll be touching down 17th june,just in time for a sat'night out on the town (gotta have your priorities right eh!)
hoping to do lotsa stuff when home and also catching up with old faces

i'm trying to get into a local footy team here at the moment too, my fitness is at an all time low though but i reckon a bit of time n i'll be fine!

also watched new zealand play west indies in the cricket, it was a 20twenty game, was very good! that was at eden park, also where the rugby is played, went with amanda, her bro ben n amandas ma + watched a rugby league game at ericcson stadium again too, warriors lost to melbourne storm....damn

*Happy Easter EveryOne*