Goodbye New Zealand
April 30, 2013 - 28 days and 4,000 kms later we finally said goodbye to NZ. This image sums it up but we've left bits out so that we've g...
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New Zealand Flag, Hilton Hotel, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - The NZ national flag was on display at the Hilton Hotel, which is designed in the style of an ocean liner and located on...
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Seagull Aerobics, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - No bird was injured in the taking of this photo - this seagull does have two legs and we have a series of photos before...
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Cityscape from Princes Wharf, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - Princes Wharf is where the majority of ferries serving the surrounding islands and suburbs of Auckland and leisure trips...
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Sail Boat Silhouette, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - Same boat but the silhouette version. Auckland is a pretty big port which is has a wide variety of uses including leisur...
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Out at Sea, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - This is one of the sail boats that takes visitors out and you can see the harbour bridge in the background.
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Paparazzi (again !) - Isn't that Gordon ?
April 30, 2013 - Noticed quite a bit of commotion inside this plush department store across from Elliott's Stables. Anyway while we're wi...
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Elliott Stables, Elliott Street, Auckland
April 30, 2013 - If in Auckland we recommend this place. It is a kind of cut above food court with small individual restaurants organised...
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Auckland Cityscape at night
April 30, 2013 - The tripod was out again and we went back to the same location in Wynyard Quarter to take this image. Quite a few people...
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Skytower or Oscar ?
April 30, 2013 - As the sun was setting it threw up this shimmering reflection of the Skytower, which looks very similar to a Hollywood o...
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Karaoke Fish, Auckland Fish Market
April 30, 2013 - Singing that song made famous by 'Big Mouth Billy Bass"........ Take me to the river. Too late for these ones as they we...
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Harbour Bridge, Auckland
April 29, 2013 - Not quite in the league of Sydney's Harbour Bridge but similar in that you can pay to walk up and over the top of the br...
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ASB Building, Wynyard Quarters, Auckland
April 29, 2013 - This ASB (Bank) building is still under construction but the exterior was very modern and eye-catching.
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Auckland Cityscape during the day
April 29, 2013 - This image was taken from the Wynyard Quarter with Auckland's famous Skytower on the right. Notice the long white cloud...
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Rolling hills, Northland
April 29, 2013 - The area north of Auckland, which includes the Bay of Islands is called Northland. The land is used for grazing, orchard...
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Auch Aye the Noo Toilets, Waipo Cove
April 27, 2013 - You'll recall in a previous post that we said that there is strong Scottish links in Waipo. Well, the Scottish heritage...
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Dog day afternoon at Waipo Cove
April 27, 2013 - Even the dog came along and when it's wee legs got sore the wain was turfed out the pram and the dog took up residence....
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Strangers on the Waipo Shore
April 27, 2013 - We just love silhouettes. With the sun twinkling on the water the conditions were just perfect.
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Lifes a beach - Waipo Cove
April 27, 2013 - Baby waves at this beach which were ideal for teaching the kids to surf. Could have stayed here longer but we had to get...
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Waipo Cove, Bay of Islands
April 27, 2013 - On the way to our final stop Auckland we visited Waipo Cove which is further down the East Coast. There are strong Scott...
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Aotearoa - New Zealand
April 27, 2013 - The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa; the land of the long white cloud. The above image is a perfect example.
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Toilet Humour, Paihai
April 27, 2013 - Literally.... these public toilets were entitled 'Paihai's Wee Toilet'. Do you see the steel toilet bowl planters on the...
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Historical ?....maybe not (Russell)
April 27, 2013 - Just about every building in Russell had a plaque on it commemorating its history. This notice was on the wall of a rath...
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Lifes a beach in Russell
April 27, 2013 - Russell has a stoney beach but picturesque nevertheless.
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Russell, Bay of Islands
April 27, 2013 - The boat dropped us off at Russell which is just a 15 minute boat ride across the bay from Paihai. Russell is a small an...
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Phew....Made it this time !
April 27, 2013 - I don't even look out of puff (ok I confess we did move in closer to the camera so I would make it this time hence no fe...
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Beat the clock ? NO !
April 27, 2013 - This is what happens when you don't get in place before the remote timer on the camera goes off. Sprinter I aint! There...
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Typical Scenery, Bay of Islands
April 27, 2013 - Rocky out crops, small islands and aquamarine water.....just wonderful. This was just at the entry to Otehei Bay on Urnp...
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Hole in the rock, Bay of Islands
April 27, 2013 - This is the famous hole in the rock but we didn't go through it as the current made it too dangerous that morning - good...
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Playing in the wake, Dolphin Cruise
April 26, 2013 - The dolphins are in the habit of following the boats wake when it sets off. It just had to be seen all these dolphins sw...
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Two for the price of one, Dolphin Cruise
April 26, 2013 - Apparently the dolphins were calving hence the reason there were so many in the water.
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Dolphin Watching, Bay of Islands
April 26, 2013 - We went on a cruise to see dolphins and visit the famous hole in the rock. The bottle nose dolphins, which were pretty b...
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Can I park my scooter here ?
April 26, 2013 - This caught Fiona's eye in the parking lot of Waitangi so it had to go in the blog!
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Queens Visit Waitangi
April 26, 2013 - The Queen visited Waitangi in 1953 and planted a tree - this exemplifies the importance of this area in the history of N...
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Exterior of the Maoiri Meeting House, Waitangi
April 26, 2013 - Every Maoiri tribe has a sacred meeting house and this is the exterior of the one in Waitangi and the following images s...
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Treaty House, Waitangi
April 26, 2013 - This is the building where the Maoiri leaders met the British leaders, which included Captain Hobson, and signed the tre...
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Carving on front of Waka, Waitanga
April 26, 2013 - Alan used flash to bring out the full effect of the carving on the front of the waka - pretty scary, eh! (the carving no...
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Front of Waka, Waitangi
April 26, 2013 - As can be seen from this image, the front of the waka has very ornate carving.
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Waitangi, Paihai
April 26, 2013 - Waitangi is the most significant Maoiri heritage area just 1 km outside of Paihai. This is where the Waintangia Treaty w...
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Seashells, Paihai Beach
April 25, 2013 - So many attractive shells, just had to take a photo.
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Autumn Colours, Orchard, Kerikeri
April 25, 2013 - Right in the middle of the orchard was this tree with its flaming red leaves - no photoshop needed to capture the true c...
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Fig Tree, Mission Station Orchard, Kerikeri
April 25, 2013 - Figs ripe for the picking as well - if only!
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Lime Tree, Mission Station Orchard, Kerikeri
April 25, 2013 - Looked good enough to pick but had to settle for a photo since warning notices abundant advising not to pick the fruit....
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Kemp Mansion, Kerikeri
April 25, 2013 - After spending 12 years staying in the Mission Station with his family, Rev. Kemp moved with his family into this mansio...
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Mission Station, Kerikeri
April 25, 2013 - This renovated building was the mid 19th Century Mission Station set up by the British missionary Rev. Kemp when he land...
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Haruru Falls, outside Paihai
April 25, 2013 - Located only about 3 kms outside of Paihai, is the horseshoe shaped Haruru Falls.
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Cormorant, Paihai Harbour
April 25, 2013 - This bird had tons of patience waiting for Alan to get the perfect shot!
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Multi-coloured Cloud, Paihai Sunset
April 25, 2013 - If you enlarge this image you will see this that this cloud had beautiful pastel colours through it as the sun was going...
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Hundertwasser Gift Shop, Kawakawa
April 25, 2013 - In keeping with the Hundertwasser styling with a botanic garden on the roof. Just another example of quirky New Zealand!...
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Wash hand basin area, Hundertwasser Toilets, Kawakawa
April 25, 2013 - Last toilet picture - the wash hand basin area with insert bottles to provide natural light. All you guys can now say th...
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Interior Hundertwasser Ladies Toilet, Kawakawa
April 25, 2013 - Suffice to say Alan couldn't take photos in the gents so Fiona took the following to give you an ideas of the attractive...
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Hundertwasser Designed Toilets, Kawakawa
April 25, 2013 - We read of these famous public toilets in our tourist brochure. Since it was just before our destination,Paihai, we gave...
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Famous Maori, Whangarei Town Basin
April 24, 2013 - There are two such sculptures, which we were struggling to determine what the differences were between them. Should have...
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Shell Sculpture, Town Basin, Whangarei
April 24, 2013 - This sculpture was made of marble.
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Eel Net, Whangarei Town Basin Walkway
April 24, 2013 - This piece of art is so big that children use it as a climbing frame. We liked it because of it's shape and shadows in t...
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Waka and Wave Sculpture, Whangarei
April 24, 2013 - Along the wharf walkway there are a number of sculptures which celebrate the sea and the Maori culture. This large stone...
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Lunch, Serenity Cafe, Whangarei
April 24, 2013 - This was why Serenity Cafe was the chosen lunch venue. Mild curry mussel chowder with garlic toast - Fiona's choice, and...
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Serenity Cafe, Whangarei
April 24, 2013 - We decided on lunch at the Serenity Cafe, which is the building with the green awning - the clock museum is to the left.
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Claphams Clock Museum, Whangarei
April 24, 2013 - Didn't have time to go in here but loved the building and sundial at the front.
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Whangarei Town Basin
April 24, 2013 - En route to Paihai in the Bay of Islands (Northland) we stopped for lunch in Whangarei's Town Basin, which is located al...
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Castle Spencer on Byron, Takapuna
April 24, 2013 - The plan had been on leaving Rotorua to drive to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove on the Cormandel Peninsula and stay...
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Maori Stage Performance, Tamaki Village
April 23, 2013 - This was the end of the staged performance. We then had a 'hangi' cooked food - this is the traditional Maori way of coo...
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Big Man in Haka Pose
April 23, 2013 - A stage performance including singing and traditional Maori dances followed the 'games' and this is part of the haka tha...
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Big Man - Tamaki Village
April 23, 2013 - This Maori had the full paid up equity card and was a big poseur when it came to his photograph being taken.
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Haka (or something similar)
April 23, 2013 - Four 'volunteers' were taken through the haka moves including the famous sticking out of the tongue.
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Maori Dexterity Games, Tamaki Village
April 23, 2013 - 'Volunteers' were invited to take part in traditional games that Maori's practiced to improve their dexterity. It was al...
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Tamaki Maori Village outside Rotorua
April 23, 2013 - We went to a Maori cultural evening at Tamaki Maori Village. Transported to the venue in an old bus along with another 8...
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Time for Golf, Rotorua
April 23, 2013 - Returning home to the golf season so have to keep our hands in. This is the 9 hole Government Gardens course, which is i...
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Chill-axing - Rotorua style
April 23, 2013 - This was the best thing about our accommodation in Rotorua (BKs Motor Lodge): two reclining armchairs. Add to this a fla...
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View from roof of Rotorua Museum
April 23, 2013 - Weather permitting you can go to an observation area on the roof of the museum. If it had not been so overcast this view...
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Old Bathtub, Rotorua Museum
April 23, 2013 - This is one of the bathtubs used to provide spa treatments.
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Entrance, Rotorua Museum
April 23, 2013 - When the building was a nightclub a mezzanine floor had been added in to provide a dance floor. This was removed when th...
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Rotorua Museum, Rotorua
April 22, 2013 - Perfect light made this a very attractive building to photograph. This building was originally a bathhouse opened in the...
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Waitukei Sculpture (another perspective), Rotorua Museum
April 22, 2013 - The previous image was the postcard shot. This is the arty farty one, where the setting sun and small puffy clouds made...
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Waitukei Sculpture, grounds of Rotorua Museum
April 22, 2013 - This sculpture is by a local artist. The male and female figures were inspired by the people of Rotorua and the rich mel...
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Gondola Skyline, Rotorua
April 22, 2013 - Not as high as the gondola ride in Queenstown but it has three different luge rides at the top. Done that so not doing i...
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Mud Pool, Wai-o-Tapu
April 22, 2013 - Outside the main thermal park is a mud pool that spits and plops constantly. Just for looking at mind you not for steppi...
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Devils Pool, Wai-o-Tapu
April 22, 2013 - This was the final pool in the self-guided tour. It was like a Dulux palette. We decided Dulux would call this 'screamin...
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Crater, Wai-o-Tapu
April 22, 2013 - The people in the background gives an idea of the size of this crater with boiling water in the base.
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Forest, Wai-0-Tapu
April 22, 2013 - Strange that next to all the geothermal activity that the forests flourish, however there was a distinct lack of flowers...
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Oyster Pool, Wai-o-Tapu
April 21, 2013 - We were fairly close to this on the walkway but as you can see all the warning signs make sure you don't go any closer....
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Champagne Lake, Wai-o-Tapu
April 21, 2013 - As you will see there are different colours of pools and this is down to the different minerals in that particular locat...
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Champagne Lake, Wai-o-Tapu
April 21, 2013 - We wish you could do scratch and sniff on the blog and you would be able to strong smell of sulphur. A wide angled lens...
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Walkway, Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Valley
April 21, 2013 - Boardwalks take you across some of the features with bubbling water at either side. Warning signs all over as you can im...
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Silver Fern (again)
April 21, 2013 - The ferns are so attractive it is hard not to keep capturing it in photos. These were in the forrest walk through the Wa...
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Lady Knox Geyser, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Valley
April 20, 2013 - One of several thermal parks just outside Rotorua. This geyser errupts at 1015 am every day. But how can the exact timin...
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Aratiatia Dam feeding into the Aratiatia Rapids
April 20, 2013 - Yet another place (further down) where you can go on a jet boat the rapids - it's okay Mum we didn't do this either!
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Aratiatia Dam
April 20, 2013 - The Aratiatia Dam opens up at 1000, 1200, 1400 and 1600 (in summer only) and contributes to NZ hydropower energy source.
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Rolling Hills en route to Lake Taupo
April 19, 2013 - After a two nights stay we left Napier in the rain to drive to Rotorua, our next stop, via Lake Taupo. Even in the rain...
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'Spirit of Napier' sculpture or Gilroy Fountain, Napier
April 19, 2013 - This bronze statue is also situated on the marine parade and would have been more impressive against a nice blue sky but...
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Art Deco Public Toilets, Napier
April 19, 2013 - Even the public toilets in Napier were decorated in an art deco style.
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After the Rain - Sunken Gardens, Napier
April 19, 2013 - While Alan photographs the NZ silver ferns at every opportunity, Fiona is attracted to 'snapping' the flowers, especiall...
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Sunken Gardens, Napier
April 19, 2013 - Part of the Napier marine parade/promenade.
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Classic Car Tour, Napier
April 18, 2013 - This is one of two classic cars that can be hired for a guided tour of Napier. The driver is in the full 'Bertie' costum...
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Superman's House, Napier
April 18, 2013 - Now you all thought Superman came from the Planet Krypton when actually he lives in a clapperboard house in Napier. Off...
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Typical Art Deco Building, Napier
April 18, 2013 - Alan loves the art deco style so was snap happy but only a 'small' selection are on the blog.
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Photographers' Gallery Hawkes Bay, Napier
April 18, 2013 - Napier is located in an area known as Hawkes Bay, which incidentally is another famous wine producing area. This gallery...
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Napier - 'Art Deco' Capital of New Zealand
April 18, 2013 - Our next stop-off: Napier. In 1932 Napier was destroyed in an earthquake. This gave the town planners an opportunity to...
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'Quaintsville' to Shacksville' ?
April 18, 2013 - A wee lick of paint and it’ll look like new
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Antique Shop, 'Quaintsville'
April 18, 2013 - Another typical shop in Woodville.
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A town called Woodville, Highway 2
April 18, 2013 - Or should we call it ‘Quaintsville’? Still enroute to Napier.
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Tui Employees of the Month
April 18, 2013 - And an interloper (in a dress too)!
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Tui Brewery Lunch
April 18, 2013 - Courgette and sweetcorn fritters and a chicken, apricot and camembert toastie. Filled a (big) space. Fiona couldn’t samp...
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Tui Brewery, Mangatainoka
April 18, 2013 - Back on the road again. En route to Napier on Highway 2 from Wellington we stopped at the Tui Brewery for lunch in the c...
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Night Scene Civic Square, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - Quite surprisingly Wellington is very poorly lit at night (or else they are on an efficiency saving drive) making the us...
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Cable Car, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - The cable car was off for scheduled maintenance all weekend but it came back on on Sunday afternoon – thank goodness did...
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Scottish Meet-up
April 17, 2013 - We met Karin McKenzie, daughter of our friends Alex and Anne from Bishopbriggs, for Sunday brunch in a place called Sout...
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Paparazzi Again !
April 17, 2013 - At the side of parliament building no. 3 there was a film or TV series being filmed which involved Nazi soldiers floggin...
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The 'Pineapple' Building, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - This is actually part of NZ’s Parliament buildings, the following images depict the other two buildings. All three build...
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Old Bailey Pub, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - You’ll not be surprised to learn that Legal House and the Old Bailey Pub are across from the Court.......how original!...
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Legal House ?????, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - This and the next image is for our friend Annette. How do you fancy a transfer, Annette?
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Old and New, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - There is a combination of old and new buildings in Wellington which not unlike Boston have been sensitively merged.
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Les Mills Gym, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - This is for all you gym bunnies out there. This is where Les Mills of Body Combat, Body Pump etc etc fame originates fro...
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Maori Image No. 1, Te Papa Museum, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - A large part of the museum is devoted to the heritage and symbolism associated with the Maori culture.
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Trolls from Lord of the Rings, Te Papa Museum
April 17, 2013 - Film fans will recognise these three guys.
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Lobby of Te Papa Museum, Wellington
April 17, 2013 - This perhaps gives the scale of the building. The next few images show some of the exhibits.
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Te Papa Museum, Welinton
April 17, 2013 - Te Papa is the National Museum of New Zealand – this museum quite rightly gets a reputation as being one of the best in...
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Civic Square, Wellington
April 16, 2013 - The City to Sea bridge connects Civic Square, where the Information Site, Wellington Council and the City Gallery are lo...
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City to Sea Bridge, Wellington
April 16, 2013 - In the North Island now (note the cloudy skies) and this bridge was just one example of the interesting pieces of archit...
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Leaving Picton Harbour & the South Island
April 16, 2013 - Picton's yet another place where you could spend more time especially on a nice sunny day.
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Interislander Ferry - Picton to Wellington
April 16, 2013 - This was the ‘small’ ferry we travelled as foot passengers from the South to the North Island via the Mount Cook Strait.
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Vines outside Picton
April 16, 2013 - Typical of the neat rows of grapevines in the famous Marlborough Wine Region, which produces about ¾’s of NZ’s wine. Win...
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Old Sneakers Fence on the way to Picton
April 16, 2013 - NZ is rather quirky so nothing surprises you. We had to stop on the way to Picton when we saw this fence decorated with...
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Fire-engine Bridal Vehicle, Mapau
April 16, 2013 - This old fire engine was parked outside the fire station at the wharf where the reception was taking place. Most of the...
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Mapau Wharf
April 16, 2013 - This small town is about 30 minutes drive from Nelson and the wharf area has some lovely cafes/restaurants and galleries...
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Street View Labretta's Cafe, Nelson
April 16, 2013 - This is a great quirky café where we had lunch. Highly recommended if visiting Nelson
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Butterflies Christ Church Cathedral Gardens
April 16, 2013 - This is for Fiona’s friend Sally
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Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson
April 16, 2013 - This art deco cathedral overlooks the Nelson City Centre on Church Hill (of course).
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Nelson Marina
April 16, 2013 - Nelson is the countries fifth largest town. It is home to a lot of artists which is reflected by the number of art and c...
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Returned to Kaiteriteri Beach
April 16, 2013 - Back on terra firma and a good view of the beach from an observation point.
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Baby Seals Playing on Pinnacle Island
April 16, 2013 - This was as close as we could get with our camera lenses. The baby seals were have great fun in a pool on the island as...
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Tonga Arches, Abel Tasmin Coastline
April 16, 2013 - These limestone arches are not surprisingly popular for wedding photographs.
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Taxi for Armour - Medlands Bay
April 16, 2013 - Now how's that for service.....a bit surreal actually. Bright and sunny but a bit cool for sunbathing
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Typical Cove Along the Trail
April 16, 2013 - Every so often along the trail you got glimpses of coves through the trees.
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Glasgow Stream
April 16, 2013 - You very quickly realise when travelling about NZ how many name places have been 'borrowed' from Scotland.
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Trail through the rainforest
April 16, 2013 - A well defined path lead us through the rainforest that bordered the coast line.
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Split Apple Rock, Abel Tasmin National Park
April 16, 2013 - We passed this on the way to the beach. It is limestone rock that has split due to a quartz fault line through it.
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Kaiteriteri Beach, Outside Abel Tasmin National Park
April 16, 2013 - We are now staying in the Nelson area. This is the beach where we picked up the water taxi to take us into Abel Tasmin N...
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Spot the faces in the Pancake Rocks
April 15, 2013 - Okay here's a test - how many faces, human or animal can you see in the rock outline? No prizes just a wee brain teaser...
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Twinkling water - Tasmin Sea, West Coast
April 15, 2013 - The Tasmin Sea is a beautiful colour but the sun dancing on the water is so appealing that it's a must take photograph....
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Pancake Rocks -Punakaiki
April 15, 2013 - Another strange rock formation so named because of the appearance of stacks of pancakes.
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Flat rock sculpture
April 13, 2013 - Fiona would only go as far as kneeling (no dedication) to take this. The flat rock artists from Lake Tekapo had been her...
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Dedication
April 13, 2013 - You lie on the sand and make sure the tide doesn't come in! (another pair of trousers for the wash)
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Images of the coastline
April 13, 2013 - Now how do you get pictures like this? The next image reveals the secret
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West Coast 'Apostles'
April 13, 2013 - We have the lady in Stewart Nimmo gallery in Greymouth to thank for recommending we take the longer coastal route to Nel...
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Hokitika, West Coast
April 13, 2013 - This is a seaside resort where we stopped for lunch. We had one of the famous NZ pies to do the Greggs comparison test (...
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Panorama of Mount Cook from jetty at Lake Matheson
April 13, 2013 - This is one of the best places in Fox Glacier area to obtain a reflective view of Mount Cook. Five photos were stitched...
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Cows in the mist - Lake Matheson
April 13, 2013 - This was quite an ethereal vision before the sun burned the mist away.
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The Web (no not the 'www')
April 13, 2013 - This was how cold it was in the morning in the area of Lake Matheson just outside Fox Glacier Village
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Old Bus, Fox Glacier Village
April 13, 2013 - Our eye was caught by this old bus which had been restored and being used for one of the many tourist activities in this...
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Wall of Glacier Ice
April 12, 2013 - Up close and personal with the glacier wall - you can even see the turquoise tinted water in the grooves.
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Glacier Valley - Fox Glacier
April 12, 2013 - At one point the Glacier filled this valley and there are striation marks are on the rock face where it forced its way t...
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Fox Glacier
April 12, 2013 - Like all the worlds glaciers, Fox Glacier is receding at a fast rate and sections can break off at any time. Hence acces...
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Fox Glacier Pathway
April 12, 2013 - Someone - we wish we could remember who - said that you could see Fox Glacier from the car park. Aye, combined with a 30...
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Riverbed stones
April 12, 2013 - This is an example of the moraine that is washed down by the glacier water and sits on the river beds. Like fingerprints...
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Roaring Billy Lake
April 12, 2013 - After about a 20 minute forest walk we came out at the river bed and lake where Roaring Billy Waterfall flows into. This...
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Rainforest Haast Pass
April 12, 2013 - The mountain range that goes through the middle of the South Island results in rain forests on the west coast and more t...
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Thundering Creek Falls
April 12, 2013 - Photos never seem to give you the height, power or sound of waterfalls - as they say......you would have had to have bee...
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Wanaka - give us a hand !
April 12, 2013 - I asked Alan to give me a hand - very funny Alan!
We stopped in Wanaka for lunch and while it is referred to as Queenst...
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Lake Hayes just outside Queenstown
April 12, 2013 - This reflective image was taken near the start of the long drive to the West Coast.
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Kevin Heights living
April 11, 2013 - We wondered what Kevin MacLeod would make of this property - it was like something out of Grand Designs. The inshot at t...
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Beach at Kelvin Heights
April 11, 2013 - There was a footpath from our hotel along to a place called Kelvin Heights. Judging by the houses this appeared to be a...
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Kawarau Hotel Managed by Hilton
April 11, 2013 - This has been our best accommodation to date. 9km outside of Queenstown in a place called Kawarau Village, which is the...
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Our Accommodation ?
April 11, 2013 - When we were shown to our accommodation we were not impressed but as the images show it was remarkably roomy inside.
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Chinese Settlement, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - Small numbers of Chinese miners came over to work in the gold mines at the end of the 19th century. Not initially welcom...
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Fir Cone - Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - Getting in touch with nature - it's so easy in New Zealand.
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Autumn colours, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - It probably happens in Britain but we haven't noticed it as much as in NZ where patches of a tree change to autumn colou...
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War Memorial, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - Overlooking the town is a war memorial. The surrounding trees were changing to their autumn colours, which against the p...
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Quaint Church, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - There are lots of small picturesque churches in Arrowtown - this one was particularly attractive and was shouting take a...
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Oldest Home, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - This old house is being rented out as a vacation home (hopefully with 20th century amenities).
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Main Street, Arrowtown
April 11, 2013 - Horses and carts would have been more authentic but you can see the original buildings are being used by restaurants and...
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Arrowtown, outside Queenstown
April 11, 2013 - A visit to Arrowtown, a mere 25 minute drive from Queenstown, was highly recommended by friends and is a 'must do' in al...
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Jet boating - Shotover Gorge
April 11, 2013 - It's okay Mum we didn't do this although it looked good fun if you don't suffer from motion sickness (that counts out Fi...
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Shotover Gorge, outside Queentown
April 11, 2013 - Now this water is not very deep yet as the follow image shows you only need a few inches of water to do jet boating, whi...
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On Top of the World
April 11, 2013 - Thought it was time you saw one of us together and where better than to be posing at the top of a mountain waiting to go...
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Not sure about this
April 11, 2013 - Fiona had the same look on her face - something about not sure the brakes would work. What a big woose! Ok that's enough...
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The Luge top of Queenstown
April 11, 2013 - Our friend Bob told us about this, although he described it as sitting on a tray on a track that was right at the edge o...
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Paparazzi
April 11, 2013 - The bride and her bridesmaids arrived at the top the gondola station by helicopter followed by the groom in a 2nd helico...
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Roads cutting through the mountains, Queenstown
April 11, 2013 - Practically all the roads in the South Island are single carriageways with passing lanes every so often. It has been som...
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View over Queenstown Pier
April 11, 2013 - This is the view from the top of the gondola. The sun was going down hence the shadow over the harbour/ pier area.
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Signposting Countries at the top of Queenstown.
April 11, 2013 - This was at the top gondola station served to remind us how far away from home we were and how many other interesting co...
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Old Puffer Earnshaw, Queenstown
April 10, 2013 - This is just one of the many cruises you can take across Lake Wakatipu but the steam boat HMS Earnshaw was the oldest by...
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Queenstown, South Island
April 10, 2013 - This is the pier in Queenstown, which sits on Lake Wakatipu. It is like a large alpine village with the town centre at t...
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No not again !
April 10, 2013 - Still driving back from Milford Sound and stopped at the traffic lights before the Hummel Tunnel. There's another one of...
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New Zealand Symbol
April 10, 2013 - The fern is as you know the symbol of New Zealand and is emblazoned everywhere. We wanted to get a good photograph of it...
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Who's a Cheeky Boy then ?
April 10, 2013 - We stopped at a scenic spot on the way back from Milford Sound called 'The Chasm'. In the carpark were 5 yellow crowned...
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Sleepy Seals - Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - Last image for Milford Sound are the sleepy seals that blended so well with the rock face that you could nearly miss the...
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Mini Water Fall - Mini Rainbow Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - These were everywhere and were so attractive.
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Stirling Falls, Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - It was quite dark on this side of the Sound but you can get a perspective on the size of Stirling Falls from the cruise...
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Bowen Falls, Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - We have many more images of this waterfall but this perhaps gives the scale of it. There are only 2 actual waterfalls in...
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Milford Sound Inhabitants
April 09, 2013 - This was the view from one of the observation windows. The pink fish are a type of perch and the white lacy type plant i...
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Observation/Discovery Centre, Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - Part of the cruise was visiting this centre which was built in 1996 and is some feat of engineering. Guided kayaking tou...
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Milford Sound outlet to Tasmin Sea
April 09, 2013 - This is the only day cruises on the Sound that enters into the Tasmin Sea. On turning the boat round to re-enter the Fio...
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Milford Sound, Steep Fiord
April 09, 2013 - As you can see from this image the sides of the fiord are very steep enabling the cruise ships to get in very close. The...
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Cruising on Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - This was the Southern Discoveries catamaran we were on for our 3 hour cruise and BBQ lunch.
Milford Sound is a Fiord (n...
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Mirror Lake, Road to Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - This was our second visit to this lake - a major fight between two ducks caused so many ripples the first time that it w...
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Eglinton Valley - on the way to Milford Sound
April 09, 2013 - The 2 hour drive from Te Anua to Milford Sound is spectacular so give yourself plenty of time to include photo stops....
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Kawarau Gorge & Gold Fields Mining Centre
April 09, 2013 - As you can see from this image the water here is emerald in colour. A bridge takes you over to a tourist attraction whic...
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Lake at Old Cromwell Town
April 09, 2013 - This was just to show you the pampas grass that grow wild everywhere on the South Island unlike Scotland where you have...
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Old Cromwell Town - vintage
April 09, 2013 - It was just crying out for a photoshop makeover!
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Old Cromwell Town -Street Scene
April 09, 2013 - This is the postcard shot - the next one is showing off on photoshop.
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Cromwell, Central Otago, South Island
April 09, 2013 - We've left Twizel and are on our way to Te Anua. On the way we stopped in for lunch at Cromwell and we visted a relative...
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Suspension Bridges - Hooker Valley
April 09, 2013 - There are two suspension bridges to traverse to reach the Hooker Glacier. The first one was quite solid, the next one wa...
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Hooker Valley - when it stops raining
April 09, 2013 - The water was a milky blue colour at the lower stages and clay coloured nearer the mouth of the glacier.
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Hooker Valley - Icebergs !
April 09, 2013 - Yes......icebergs that had broken off from a glacier further up the Hooker Valley. This was the first time we had seen i...
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Mouth of the Hooker Glacier, Mount Cook
April 06, 2013 - Ok Alan this is definately rain and high winds - we couldn't even see the glacier it had closed in so much. At this poin...
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Hooker Valley, Mount Cook National Park
April 06, 2013 - The weather at the Mount Cook village was bright and sunny. Not that much further down on the Hooker Valley trail the we...
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View of Mount Cook from Lake Pukaki
April 06, 2013 - An Alan 'special' photograph. We stopped here on the way to our accommodation in Twizel (yes it was called Twizel) becau...
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Together at Lake Tekapo
April 06, 2013 - It was a lovely 27 degrees C at Lake Tekapo (but this wasn't set to last) so we exposed our pilly wally arms to the sun.
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Lake Tekapo - monument
April 06, 2013 - All across the shoreline visitors had stacked flat stones and someone had very artistically created this arched sculptur...
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Low lying cloud - Lake Tekapo
April 06, 2013 - Low lying cloud is typical across the mountain ranges - it almost looks like white candy floss and is very slow moving (...
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Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
April 06, 2013 - We had heard about and seen photographs of Lake Tekapo but it was still a wow moment when we turned the corner and were...
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Arrived in New Zealand
April 06, 2013 - Arrived in Christchurch at 5 am on Easter Monday and that was after adding 2 hours on so we were wabbit! We just passed...
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Cow in tree, Docklands, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - The whole docklands area in Melbourne is being transformed into a restaurant and shopping haven and as is typical with M...
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Protest Sculpture, NGV
April 03, 2013 - This is by an Indonesian artist and becomes interactive every 20 minutes or so - quite a spectacle.
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The Thinker - Roddin, NGV
April 03, 2013 - This always reminds me of Alan, especially in black and white!
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National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - If you hadn't realised by now, Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia and being the culture vultures that we are...
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Akachochin Restaurant, South Wharf, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - These very colourful bikes made this Japanese restaurant very attractive to prospective customers - pity it was closed a...
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Boats in St Kilda's harbour
April 03, 2013 - Couldn't resist a shot of the harbour as the sun went down, the result was this atmospheric image of several small craft...
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The Pier at St Kilda's Beach
April 03, 2013 - No trip to the beach is complete without a visit to the pier and St Kilda's beach had really nice one. The old wooden st...
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St Kilda's Beach, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - This beach is just a 25 minute tram ride from the city center. This sand sculpture is what Fiona thought she would see a...
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Artisan Stall, Queen Victoria Market
April 03, 2013 - This stall proved that you can turn any item into a clock - there's those old record things, what did they call them LP'...
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Mussel Van, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - If only it had been nearer lunchtime Fiona was up for a bowl of mussels from this quirky van
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Fish Stall, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - I (Fiona) could have eaten the whole stall!
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Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - This is an icon in Melbourne and houses about 1,000 permanent stalls ranging from gourmet deli's, fruit & veg, meat and...
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Night Scene - Southbank, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - Melbourne has a nice city scape at night so it we were drawn to taking night shots.
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Night Scene - Flinder Street Train Station
April 03, 2013 - A slow exposure allows you additional 'painting with light' from car lights as they travel through the junction (and you...
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Night Scene - Federation Square, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - The newly acquired light tripod was put to good use.
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Alexandra Park, Melbourne
April 03, 2013 - This urban park is beautifully maintained and is easily reached from the city centre being just down from Federation Squ...
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Meet up with Mary and Graham
April 02, 2013 - For previous visitors to our website you may recognise Mary and Graham as being the bride and groom we photographed at C...
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Melbourne City Centre Lane
April 02, 2013 - The lanes were quite unusual with quirky features as this image shows.
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City Tram - Federation Square
April 02, 2013 - There is a fantastic free city tram that runs every 10 minutes on a circular route. The trams used are the original 1937...
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Federation Square and Flinders Train Station
April 02, 2013 - This has been taken from Federation Square - the orange coloured building is Flinders train station. This is also the lo...
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Paparazzi Dogs - Federation Square
April 02, 2013 - Alan had to get in on the act as well. They hadn't heard of Panoarmour Photography.... Alan showed them who was the bigg...
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Melbourne - Federation Square
April 02, 2013 - Federation Square is a hot bed of activity in the centre of Melbourne. It was very busy when we were there partly due to...
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