Travel
My first experience of foreign travel was a
trip to Norway via Denmark to stay with a college friend, following that further summer
holidays were spent in Jersey, Spain and Italy. Family life saw the usual
beach holidays to the Mediterranean and Canaries but since retirement I have
spread my wings and visited New Zealand (2006) and Australia this year (2008)
with hopes of visiting the good ole US of A in the future.
New Zealand 2006 (a
selection of photographs)
Click on the thumbnails to view the picture, then use your
browser back button to return to this page.
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The Sky Tower, Auckland
Great views form the top of the Tower, for the brave there is a glass floor to walk across - look down between your feet and see nothing beneath you except the street 193 metres below! |
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View from the top of the Tower
Splendid views over Auckland from the observation deck |
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People pay money to jump off the Tower!!
The operators take delight in halting the descent part way down - this young lady was requesting that they let her down (I think that's what she was shouting!) |
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Going down!
Seen from the street, rapid (up to 53 m.p.h.) descent of a participant. |
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Auckland Harbour Bridge
They operate a "tidal flow" scheme for road traffic; 3 lane inbound in morning and 2 lanes outbound. The two flows are separated by large cable linked concrete blocks and in the afternoon a clever machine shifts the blocks over creating 3 lanes outbound. |
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Kawakawa, North Island.
A typical small NZ town reminiscent of a "wild west" town. Note the railway running down the centre of main street giving the settlement its nickname of "Train Town". |
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The Hundertwasser Toilet
Kawakawa's claim to fame. Designed by the Austrian architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who lived in the town for 25 years. Fear of possible arrest prevented me from taking photographs inside! |
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Property for Sale
An estate agent with a sense of humour - now that's something you don't come across every day of the week! |
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Waipoua Forest
Tane Mahuta or "god of the forest". Giant Kauri tree 14 metres in circumference (picture doesn't do it justice) and 1500 years old. |
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Kiwis (the fruit)
Kiwi farm at Te Puke. Plants are frost tender and in the past the farmers have used a hovering helicopter to keep air moving to prevent frost damage. Huge fans on towers are now used. |
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Lady Knox Geyser
Erupts daily after being "stimulated" by tipping half a pound of soap powder down the spout. |
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There she blows!!
Convicts from a nearby prison discovered the geyser while washing their clothes in the warm water. The soap from the laundry produced an alarming effect! |
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Waiotapu Thermal Park, Rotorua
Hot steamimg pools and amazing colours caused by the presence of various minerals. |
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This IS water!
Believe it or not, the water is this colour (hot as well). |
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Maori Meeting House, Te Puia
Woodcarving at the entrance of meeting house where we saw a maori culture concert. |
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Tirau
Known as the Corrugated Iron Capital of NZ. A novel way of building the tourist information centre. |
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More Corrugated Iron!
Used a lot in roofing - rather noisy in a thunderstorm. |
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The Desert Highway
Road passes through the Rangipo Desert which is mainly used for army training (a NZ Salisbury Plain) |
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Low Flying Aircraft!
An old WWII DC-3 Dakota cleverly used as a restaurant in Mangaweka |
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Punakaiki Pancake Rocks.
Strange rock formations and spectacular vertical blow holes. |
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Franz Josef Glacier
Glacier as seen from the air. |
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Franz Josef 2
The Franz Josef Glacier is unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest.
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Head of Glacier
Its a strange experience to stand next to an ice mass the height of a house and not feel cold. |
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Franz Josef Township
As seen from the air. At top can be seen the river of melted glacier ice. |
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The Shotover River Gorge
This is where the famous Shotover Jet Boat operates (just visible in picture). |
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Jet Boat
Thrills galore as the boat skims the rocks and performs spin turns. |
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Arrowtown, near Queenstown
Old gold mining town which looks like a Hollywood film set (good fish and chips though). |
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Our Accommodation!
No, not really! Part of the old Chinese settlement from the gold mining days. |
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The Moeraki Boulders
Situated on Koekhoe Beach, the spherical boulders between 1.5 and 7 feet in diameter, are estimated to have taken 5.5 million years to form. |
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Dunedin
This isn't the local cathedral but the railway station - they don't build 'em like they used to! |
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Penguins
Juvenile Blue Penguins seen in their burrow. |
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Lake Tekapo
Seen framed by the church window. The brilliant turquoise colour is caused by the presence of minerals washed in by glacier water. |
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Where in the World.........?
Here's a clue,.........it's not Skegness! |
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Christchurch
Cathedral Square in the city of Christchurch - the most English of NZ towns/cities. |
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Trams
The old tram system has been partly preserved and provides a circular route for tourists. |
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The Modern.......
Since 2000 The Chalice, a large piece of modern sculpture in the form of an inverted cone, has stood in the square subverting the shape of the spire that rises above the cathedral. (That's what it says in Wikipedia!) Known by locals as The Waste Paper Basket.
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..........and the Ancient
One of the few remaining old colonial style houses remaining near the city centre. |
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Boat Sheds
Scene by the River Avon which runs through Hagley Park, Christchurch. |
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Punting in the Park
Punting on the Avon in Hagley Park..........so very English, it could almost be Cambridge. |
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End of the Road (and Country)
Bottom of NZ, next stop Antarctica |
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Australia 2008
(a selection of my 500 photos!)
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King's Park, Perth W.A.
A large park on the edge of the city where you can walk among many native trees |
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Perth City Centre
City skyline seen from King's park. In the foreground are eucalyptus trees (gum trees). |
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Galahs
Wild birds seen on outskirts of Perth. In this particular area they are used to people and will sit on an outstretched hand to take seed. |
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Koala
Our first Koala sighting in the wild in Yanchep national park. Often seen wedged in the fork of a gum tree where they spend 16 hours a day sleeping, 6 hours eating leaving 2 hours for indecision. |
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Wallabies
Smaller versions of 'roos. |
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Fremantle
Street scene in Fremantle, Perth's neighbour, known locally as "Freo". The fish and chips were great! - its the first time I have seen scallops on a chippie menu. |
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Jumping Crocodiles
Lumps of buffalo meat are dangled over the water which attracts the crocs. Certainly beats dangling a worm in the river! This particular one seems to have lost a front limb at sometime during his life. |
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Croc 2
Olympic standard jumping! Remember, never go swimming in the Adelaide River. |
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Aboriginal Rock Painting
Close to Nourlangie Rock which was the location for part of the first Crocodile Dundee film. Some of the paintings are very old but we were rather surprised and disappointed to learn that some were created as recently as 1964! |
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Small termite mound
Home to thousands of termites who live by consuming wood. |
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Termite damage to tree branch
This illustrates the damage done by termites. Branches hollowed by termites are used Aborigines to make didgeridoos. |
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Katharine Gorge
Spectacular rock faces in the gorge situated in Nitmiluk National Park. |
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Giant Termite Mounds
Also known as Cathedral Mounds standing up to 4 metres tall. Early settlers ground up the mound material (soil and termite saliva) with a little water and used it to produce a house floor. It set smooth and hard resembling a tennis clay court. |
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"Charlie the Buffalo"
Charlie had a starring role in "Crocodile Dundee" and lived out his days in a pen at the back of this pub in Adelaide River township. Following his demise he was stuffed and mounted in the bar. |
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Glen Helen
A cool oasis in the Western MacDonnell mountain range. It was here we discovered how important it was too wear a fly net! |
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The Olgas
Rock formations not far from Ayers Rock. |
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Ayers Rock (Uluru)
We returned in the evening for a champagne "reception" at sunset to admire the changing colours of the rock - unfortunately cloud cover blotted out the sunset!! |
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Brain anyone!!
One af many lumps of coral scattered on the beach of Normanby Island (one of the Frankland Islands) on The Great Barrier Reef. |
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Great Barrier Reef
View through the glass bottom of a semi-submersible. The water was a little murky following storms on the previous day. |
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Normanby Island
Not a bad place to be marooned - just watch out for the (large) spiders. |
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Kuranda Station
The railway took us down the mountain back to Cairns. Originally built for the gold mining industry but revived for tourists. |
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Bondi Beach
This had to be the biggest disappointment of the holiday - TV has us believe there are miles of sweeping golden sands. Not so, and the area to the rear is "tatty" to say the least. |
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Sydney Waterfront
City waterfront seen from the deck of a boat on the harbour water. |
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Sydney Opera House
The famous "Pregnant Oyster" seen from the water. |
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Opera House and Harbour Bridge
The two iconic symbols of Sydney. |
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One Sleepy Koala!
Seen in Featherdale Wild Life Park where it was possible to view a wide range of Australian animals at close quarters. |
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The Three Sisters
Well known beauty spot in the Blue Mountains. The latter get their name from the blue haze caused by oils eveporating from the gum trees. |
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Sunday Lunch Aussie Style
Ken and Pauline (sister and brother-in-law of one of our neighbours) cooked us a typical Aussie Sunday lunch on "the barbie" - huge slabs of lamb, I can almost taste it now! |
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Opera House at Night
Night view of the Opera House as seen from the Bridge; cruise ship in foreground. |
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Harbour Bridge at Night
Bridge as seen from Circular Quay. |
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Inside Parliament
The equivalent to our House of Commons in the Australian Parliament, Canberra. |
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Old Parliament Building, Canberra
The old Parliament building now used as an exhibition centre. Immediately behind where I was standing was an aborigine encampment from where they campaign for extended rights. |
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Dry Land Submarine!
A little surprising to see a submarine by the road side in Holbrook, NSW. The town was originally called Germanton (after the early settlers) but this was considered inappropriate in WWI so it was changed to Holbrook after a naval hero. The shell of HMS Otway was purchaed and erected as a memorial to Australian submariners. |
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Pub, Albury
The quirky Ettamogah Pub (complete with delivery lorry on roof) which is an exact copy of the pub drawn by Ken Maynard, of Albury, in his series of cartoons. Albury was originally to be known as Aldbury but when the station signs arrived the "d" and been missed out so it seemed simpler to call the town Albury! |
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City of Melbourne
View from a 55 storey high observation platform. The water in the distance is in Albert Park where the Australian Grand Prix (F.1) is held. |
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Another One!!
This time "in the wild" in Tower Hill Wild Life Reserve just outside Warnambool. |
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Umpherstone Sink Hole,
A spectacular garden created in the sink hole: created by the roof collapse of a large cavern. |
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The Blue Lake , Mt. Gambier
The colour changes from a sombre grey colour in winter to a brilliant turquoise in summer caused by light reflected off mineral particles in suspension. |
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Herbig Family Tree
Mr & Mrs. Herbig lived in this hollow tree and rasied two children. They then moved over the road into a "proper" house and had 14 more children!! |
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Adelaide
Our final stop prior to flying to sydney and on to Bangkok. This river is naturally dry in summer so it is dammed and water pumped in from the Murray River. |
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Venice 2008
This is a place that everyone should visit at least once during
their lifetime; it is truly a wonder of the modern world.
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The Grand Canal
Our first view of The Grand Canal by the San Toma vaporetto (water bus) stop. |
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Hotel Al Sole
Our hotel, a 15th century building belonging to the Marcello family and situated by the Tolentini Canal |
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The Tolentini Canal
Scene along the Tolentini Canal outside the hotel. |
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Hotel Al Sole
Our hotel seen from across the canal. |
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The Grand Canal
Seen from the water bus (vaporetto) as we journeyed along the Grand Canal towards Rialto. |
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Ponte Rialto
The Rialto Bridge |
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Rialto Bridge - 2
Shops on the bridge and market stalls etc. in the distance. |
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Rialto markets
Fresh fruit and vegetables about double the size of what we are accustomed to see. |
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Rialto Markets - 2
Anyone for octopus? |
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The Grand Canal
This busy main thoroughfare seen from the Rialto Bridge. Gondola station can be seen to the right. |
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Deliveries Venice style
Deliveries made to shops - no white van man here! |
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Local Architecture
Beautiful palazzo on the side of the Grand Canal |
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As they would say in Yorkshire.................How much??!!!!!
Four half pints of beer = £25.44!! Initial shock gave way to hysterical laughter especially when we saw a group on a nearby table being charged more than that for three cokes and a coffee! The lesson..............don't visit a bar within 500 yards of St. Mark's Square. |
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View across the bay
The view partially compensated for the drinks bill. |
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The Basilica and Campanile
Huge queues for both buildings especially as the lift in the Campanile had broken down. It would be a great place if it wasn't for tourists! This tower replaces the one that collapsed in 1902. |
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Basilica San Marco - 1
The remarkable Basilica of St.Mark is a glorious reflection of the city's Byzantine connection (that's what it says in the guide book!). |
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The Basilica - 2
I wonder why all those seats at the cafe/bar are empty? |
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The Basilica-3
Front of basilica showing the ornate architecture and 17th. century mosaics. |
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Mosaic
This mosaic shows the smuggling out of Alexandria of St. Mark's body, reputedly under slices of pork to deter prying Muslims. |
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The Bridge of Sighs
A 17th. century bridge rather spoiled by 21st century scaffolding |
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Island of Murano
Exhibit in one of the galleries demonstrating the skill of the glass workers. |
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Murano
Canal side scene on the island. |
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Murano - Street Feature
An unusual glass sculpture. Sadly one wonders what would be its life expectancy in an English town. |
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Murano
Canal scene off the beaten track. |
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Our Gondola Ride
Heading into the busy Grand Canal much to the consternation of one of our party. |
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Hard a Starboard!!
Great relief as we take a right turn down a quieter canal. |
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Al Sole Hotel
Our hotel seen from the Tolentini Canal |
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Traffic lights???
Yes, traffic lights on the canals. Actually they don't work anymore and the gondoliers just yell as they approach the junction. |
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View from gondola - 1
This certainly is the "real" Venice, probably hasn't changed in the last five hundred years. |
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View from Gondola - 2
More of the same. |
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St. Mark's Bay
The Campanile fades into the distance as we take the boat to the island of Burano. |
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First Stop!
A pleasant oral rehydration centre conveniently situated by the vaporetto stop. |
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"Leaning Tower of Burano"
The tower really does lean - it's not a result of the photographer staying too long in the previous location. |
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Pick 'n' Mix!
Venice style! - the "sweets" and their wrappers are made from glass. |
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Burano
The brightly painted cottages done in this style so that fishermen could locate the correct house in a fog. |
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Back Street, Burano
Very colourful street scene. |
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New Bridge
This bridge (not yet opened) was build to link the bus station (Piazzale Roma) with the railway station. Cost four times its original estimate of 5m. Euros and it isn't accessible by wheelchair users!!! |
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Everything by water
Here we see a water ambulance transferring a patient to a "land" ambulance for his onward journey to hospital. |
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