4. To Akoroa

UThe movan club has a property just south of ChCh called Weedons and we stayed there 2 nights with our friends Mary and Ian, and John and Jill. The bus stopped at the gate and we were able to get a FREE ride to town using our gold cards (good on ya Winston )or in my case ,my national trust card flashed quickly.

   Spent a morning at the wonderful air force museum. And it was FREE Martin, FREE! 

That night we had a knees up in the camp hall ,Ian plays a variety of instruments , and the next morning we said goodbye and drove out to Akoroa.

, Mon  Dieu, cest tres Jolie et tres francaise. But also bloody cold !

  We really liked it though and the local museum told us the history in a film. The highlights for Christine were the little churches ( surprise ) ,the highlight for me was the old tractor putting the fishing trawler in the water.

Oh , did I mention the FREE camping spot at the boat ramp? We won't mention the bread that costs $9 a loaf !

To Christchurch

As we wander south , passing the occasional Llama in Kaikoura, we stopped in to say hello to my mothers grandfather Henry Cleaver in the Woodend Anglican churchyard .

I never realised how bad Kaiapoi was until we stopped there for lunch. 100's of houses red carded , never to be returned to .

The boat club rooms lean 1metre. The houses opposite the dump station are part of the damaged ones.

Christchurch , and after seeing the buskers at Hagley park, we took the bikes around the centre of this sad and ruined place. My favorite busker was the blind singer of NZ folk songs . The bright spots were the shipping container shops, and the cardboard cathedral. 

South island 2014

We left Katikati on the 14th January with Tracy's 3 boys. First stop Matiere to deliver them home where I fitted a gas hob into the kitchen I'd installed a month before.

On the way to Taumaranui we liberated this goat which had been hanging around her house. Came across this King country traffic jamb!

We turned south after saying goodbye and headed for national park, stopping at the Tangiwai disaster site, and various sights along the way

Late in the day we arrived at Glen and Janes outside Feilding ,and had a lovely barbecue dinner with their family. We stayed the night here and nearly kidnapped their lovely little foxy ,

Rangi

Wellington to Blenheim

First stop after Fielding was Foxton. Known for its windmill and Trolley buses . They also take the prize for the worst hanging baskets in NZ

We had a lovely visit with Tony and Jenny and then had a noisy night on the wharf waiting for our morning ferry crossing

Theres a movan stopover at Blenheim racecourse where we stayed the night. In the morning we rode around this pretty little town and then up a cycle way beside the Taylor river

Back in New Zealand

It's 14hrs from Dubai to Melbourne, then another 3 to Auckland. It's certainly easier in the 380's ,being quieter and roomier. A few movies on your own screen, a little nap and you're there.

 This trip was mostly about the cycling and we achieved our goal of getting to the Danube. If you look at the map we started this time just east of Orleans and finished at the next dot east of Bale (Basel).

We had previously done the first stage from St Nazaire, and the next stage will be along the Danube to Budapest, perhaps even Belgrade.

  It could have been a disaster when we lost our money on the campervan scam, but thanks to the generous help from our friends Andy and Mandy, we had a great trip. Cheers guys

 

Traveling is every bit about the people you meet ,as it is the things you see !

  Now we're home ,it's back into the routine again. Christine's back into her garden and tennis ,

and of course, white baiting 

  Me, with all the kids and grandchildren coming home for Xmas,there's heaps to do ,so it's head down and arse up. 

Dubai

I'd heard Dubai described as everything from a hole , to 'fantastic'.

  Like it or loath it, it's amazing !  Too new to have slums. Clean ,gardens and lovely green lawns by the mile. Where the hell do they get their water from?This is a desert !

The old markets and traditional dhows on the "creek", that's the driver in the center,

We were lucky to have cousin Penny as a guide,our very own 'Arab' 

Penny is a food critic for a large magazine and knows some great places to eat out.

 We ate at an outside seafood place the first night ,right beside the fishing boats. You chose your fish and prawns at the counter, then it was cooked and bought to your table. With salad ,narn bread and drinks, 135 Durand ( about $40 NZ ) for 3 people

Most people come here for the shopping. The malls are mind blowing !

That's a ski field inside this mall, with a penguin enclosure! So funny to see women in full burkas in special snow clothes . Then in one of the cafes next to it, people sitting around fires , sipping their coffees . Hard to believe its a desert outside and over 40 degrees

Another mall had an ice rink, a 4 story high waterfall , a lake with a water show every night ,and boasted the Burj Khalifa.!  This is the tallest building in the world and you can go most of the way up to the observatory deck.

You can see part of the mall in this shot and the fountain piping. The next shot shows the metro and the air conditioned 

walkway to the mall. 

I especially loved the architecture of Dubai. Every building is different and some , quite beautiful works of art.

The malls are so big you can even get a taxi to take you around 

Public transport is good and very cheap. Taxis are cheap also,which is just as well as there's no way you'd want to walk or bike. Water is 60 cents a liter , but petrol is only 30 cents ! 

I skyped Dennis from the tower and he commented that it looked colorless . That's probably the best description so far ,but if you're ever lucky enough to pass through this way, allow at least a couple of nights to look around,as there really is no place like it.