Rated 27th in the world and in the top 10 outside of the United States, I have finally circumnavigated the Cape Kidnappers Golf Course, with the weather perfect and slight warm sea breeze blowing in, playing golf or not doesn't really matter when all you want to do is bathe in such a spectacularly stunning place. This place is a must visit. Check out the course as well as the lodge which opened last week. Chur!!!
After a crazy number of days of fabulicious weather, the horizon looked grim late afternoon, with an imminent liquid downpour ready to pounce! But alas, the morning dawned to clear skies and another scorcher. Good weather does exist in this fair land, just not in Auckland! Haha. Not that I can laugh, I will be home sooner that not.
I see there are some cheap deals going at Club Med - Noumea at the moment!!!
Prey tell me who decided to give us the 9 to 5 working day, and then decided it was worth celebrating, giving me the chance to drink myself stupid 3 days in a row to make me feel as munted as I am now? Whoever it is......shame on you!
New Caledonia, put simply...... sublime! The Ile de Pins is defiantly the jewel of the Pacific. Quite unlike anything I've experienced before. The sand can only be described like flour in shade and texture, the water warm and translucent as if it had just fallen from the tropical skies and the aquatic life is.....friggin unbelievable. I am still flabbergasted and excited that there are still places on earth that are still true and 'almost' untouched by mans sticky fingers.
September is done and dusted. Friggin heck!!! 5 days till normality...
FINALLY, made it to Cape Kidnappers proper. Enjoyed the view of the Hawkes Bay on a truly stunning day and sat next to, literally, the Gannets that roost atop the Cape. The noise and mayhem the birds expel is quiet something. The ungainly way they stumble off the cliff and semi crash land into the nesting colony is amusingly entertaining. Once airbourne, they command the skies, circling and diving into the deep blue seas below. A must see....
Well it looks like my time here in the Hawkes Bay is coming to a close, The lights are dimming, the cats been put outside, the milk delivery suspended, the paper diverted, the moth balls distributed and the wind up begins. My life in the past few months has been somewhat chaotic and turbulent. Time for normality and a sense of homeyness needs to prevail. Looking forward to the next few weeks in getting ready to go to New Caledonia and finally making it home....YAY!!!
Saturday saw Ohakune smothered in thick misty cloud and intermittent periods of light rain scuffling between the buildings and trees. The mountain was hidden somewhere in the murk, the report for the slopes was all go, but the drive up the Turoa road seemed to show a different theme for the day. Arriving at Turoa base, the throngs of people were streaming onto the chair lifts and up into god knows what! As I grabbed all my rental gear and readied myself for a day of pain, the clouds split, the mountain unleashed all its beauty and the sun beat down hard on the thin base of snow. It was perfect! Although the snow seemed light, the snow machines and groomers had been working overtime to create a winter paradise for the masses. My success was lasting the day and wondering how the hell it was possible to ski the steep slopes at the top let alone the beginners slopes in which I spent the majority of my time picking myself up from. 4pm saw the close of the field and the curtains close on the mountain once again, as if it was in a play at the theatre. A truly magical experience and one I wish to partake in again soon.
It's a fond farewell to yet another month. Before you know it, 2007 will be done and dusted. SHIT!!!
It's been seven years in the making, the bright white of the lunar surface is transformed into a blood red orb as the earth throws its shadow over the alien surface above. And so, the eclipse will lie dormant for another seven years until the perfect alignment of the orbiting spheres is re-enacted like so many times before.
Lake Rotoiti, slung on the north west realms of Lake Rotorua, deep in the belly of the Bay of Plenty. The second most popular lake in New Zealand after Lake Taupo, its shores are strung with baches and jetties, boat sheds and 50's era pleasure vessels. It reeks of older times. The weatherboard dwellings are plastered with old family photos and drawers and cupboards overflow with battered cutlery, chipped plates and thick rimmed glasses and cups. Each room has the obligatory bunk bed and chest of drawers. The lounge has a splattering of couches, recliners and foot stools, while the rounded cream coloured fridge rattles in the corner. This is what makes New Zealand soo kiwi. Other countries have temples and castles, we have baches. Whether they served for fishing, skiing, beach or any other multitude of uses, they all have the cosy, comfy, come in, wipe your feet and play scrabble in front of the heater atmosphere. Hooraa for having a true kiwi cultural icon to call ours.
It's been a crazy few weeks, from grief to elation to positively weird. All is well and the weather has been fantastic. It seems the world has been overrun with facebook mayhem. It seems all and sundry are hooked. I'm slowly falling as well. If only time were endless! Hope you're all well. Kia kaha!
Finally A is firmly slotted into G! It's been a hectic couple of weeks both work and life in general. We've been basking of late in warm sunny weather, making life a lot less stressful on the job site. It seems latly, life has consisted of work, sleep, eat, work, sleep.....and so on. Although the last week saw me in Auckland for the majority of it, attending the funeral of Megan's Grandmother. It was a beautiful service, and may she pass in peace. Apologies to those in Auckland for not dropping in or letting ya know I was about, I'd dedicated myself to being with Megan and her family. So as the dusk slides in on the Friday and the impending weekend around the corner, I wish you all well and hope life is treating you fondly. Pictures etc should be back to normality from now on. Cheers.
