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Post by Andrew on Jul 1, 2007 22:20:29 GMT
Hi Thomas, Wow!  What a fantastic selection of photos from your NZ trip... What breath-taking scenery! I guess those are the kind of scenes which Hayley pictures when she sings 'May It Be' and 'Pokarekare Ana'  Do you have some more which show some of the local amenities of Christchurch and the tramway? Great work Thomas- thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures with us. I can't wait to see some more! Andrew  |
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Post by thomas on Jul 2, 2007 21:37:36 GMT
The road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThe following day we made our way north to Greymouth. Fortuneately the weather wasn't very grey. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifA view on the coastline of the South Island's west coast.   I didn't take pictures in Greymouth itself. But north of Greymouth there is the Punakaiki National Park with its pan cake rocks. Really a place worth to visit.   After spending the night in another comfortalbe B&B we made our way back to Christchurch across Arthur's Pass. The rainforest is gone which means we're coming closer to the east coast.  That sheep was the only one as far as we could see. No idea where it came from.  The B&B's in NZ are the best I've ever been to. A cheaper way than spending the night in a hotel and most of the time also more comfortable than a hotel. In Fox Glacier we met a couple from the UK, also Hayley fans by the way , and they found all of their accomodations in a book called "Charming Bed & Breakfast". My sister noted some details of the book. I can post them if you like to order it. It might be a good idea when planning the trip. I'm going to buy that book on my next tour to NZ. Unfortuneately that might take a while.  According to Dave's wish I reduce the amount of pictures to a maximum of 6 in each post. I check some more pictures of Christchurch for the next post, Andrew. There should be some nice ones. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifTo be continued ... Thomas |
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Post by postscript on Jul 3, 2007 9:00:45 GMT
All your pictures are magnificent Thomas but the glacial ones are indeed very interesting and you are right, they certainly seem a 'must see'.
Peter S.
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Post by postscript on Jul 3, 2007 9:06:01 GMT
#27. That is the tour I had hoped to make but circumstances ruled that one out, so hopefully 2008.
Peter S.
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Post by tonyw on Jul 3, 2007 10:32:06 GMT
Hi Thomas Your photos are bringing back happy memories of a tour of NZ I did in Feb/March 2006. I went with an "organised tour" and spent a few days in Singapore either side of the tour . I hope to go again in 2009. Grant&Peter are interested in the photos of the glaciers in the Southern Alps of NZ. I was lucky enough to go on a ski-plane, which landed on a glacier, Franz Josef I believe, I took some aerial photos..   The url of the second photograph is too long for the forum software, so I inserted noubbc tags to display it.
Richard |
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Post by postscript on Jul 3, 2007 10:57:57 GMT
Charming Bed and Breakfast New Zealand (8th Edition) is available ... though other references call it '9th edition'. www.bestprices.com is one source but I have not tried amazon.co.uk yet. Amazon.de however records having the book but whether that is in English or German...? Probably English actually. Peter S. |
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Post by davemcc on Jul 3, 2007 13:37:35 GMT
Really want to go here now. My dad said we could have went last year if it were not for my sister and mum. As soon as I get enough money, this will be the first place I visit. What a cool looking place.
Strange sheep Thomas. Like Greymouth alot, as well as Aukland and don't forget Cristchurch.
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Post by thomas on Jul 5, 2007 21:11:50 GMT
Tony, these are great pictures from the glacier. Seems your weather was even better than ours.  When coming back to Christchurch from our South Island trip we still haven't seen a Kiwi (the animal i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif ) so we decided to visit the Willowbank Wildlife Park where they have a few of them. Though Kiwis are nocturnal animals we saw them in the Kiwi House in which it's almost dark. Photographing isn't allowed to avoid using flash-light. So we saw the Kiwis but we couldn't photograph them. But outside in the park there are lots of other animals like a baby wallaby.  And of course the other national icon, the Kea, doing its morning excercises and being very interested in every passing tourist. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif After we visited the park we went to the beach and there's a lot of beach in Christchurch. Two weeks before, on our arrival weekend, Belinda showed us the way to Summner Beach which is a nice place but unfortuneately it was to cold to check the water. Now, after visiting the Willowbank Wildlife Park we visited another beach: New Brighton Beach New Brighton is a very nice suburb as well.  Christchurch Pier on New Brighton Beach  Peter Donnelly, an artist from Christchurch, doing some work in the sand. Quite an amazing view from the pier.  Same art work 10 minutes later.  Later in the evening we met Belinda again on a concert in Hagley Park. Pictures of that event have already been posted HERE. That was our last day on the South Island and we had to say good-bye heavy-hearted. But we had a great time on the North Island as well. To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
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Post by Caitlin on Jul 5, 2007 21:53:22 GMT
Wow Thomas!
These photos are incredible. And I'm sure these photos are just a small portion of the entire trip itself. I'm amazed at the artwork in the sand.
Can't wait to hear more about your adventures!
<3 Caite
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Post by Gene on Jul 5, 2007 23:05:22 GMT
Your post raises a very interesting point Gene. Remember to look at the sky as well as the scenery! Viewing is not only for daylight! Peter S. I completely agree, Peter. Some of the best photos can be taken at night. With reference to my original post on the Milky Way Galaxy as seen from New Zealand, is there anyone in the Forum from NZ who has seen the cross-section of our galaxy across the NZ sky at night? I am told that it is not possible to view this spectacle in the UK or in many other places in the world. NZ is supposed to be the best place on Earth to view the Milky Way across the center sky. Anyone here from NZ ever take any photos of it? |
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Post by grant on Jul 5, 2007 23:27:14 GMT
Hi Thomas - Hope you and Simone are well and enjoying life!
More great pictures from your trip. I agree with Caite, the sand paintings are amazing. Can you tell us how he did them?
Best wishes
Grant
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Post by postscript on Jul 6, 2007 10:46:04 GMT
Oh Gosh, Thomas. Your Christchurch pictures and report, what an amazing tingling you caused to course through my veins. I was in three places at once!
1. Christchurch NZ where I wish to visit and hopefully see Hayley in CC Town Hall performing amongst her home crowd.
2. The mention of Brighton brings me home to the UK where my friend in the US visits frequently because his parents retired there and I always drove them there to stay and back to the airport, or visited them on those occasions he chose to hire a car. I still take him down for the day to visit neighbours when he comes over. What ever the weather we always tip a toe in the sea on principle and realise (isn't actually its France) across the way is his shorelline.
3. Brings me back to my visits to him in Plymouth(US) and the pier there. From your pictures I connect the diversity of emigrants from these isles and thinking in those days it was a 'final' decision to make a new home, hence bringing the names with them. In one direction NZ, in the other direction the US. Suddenly I have an insight into Hayley's homesickness.
Very interesting report, Thomas.
Peter S.
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Post by Gene on Jul 6, 2007 17:02:22 GMT
Thomas, simply amazing photographs! Obviously, the two of you enjoyed yourselves very much. It would appear that the weather cooperated too.
Ever since I was a youngster (many years ago...), I have wanted to visit New Zealand. I was very into photography at quite a young age, and NZ was the number 1 attraction for me at the time. Unfortunately, I never made it to that country, but I did get to Norway. Based on the many photos of NZ that I've seen in this forum, I think that it's safe to say that both countries are a photographer's paradise. They appear to both be quite similar in beauty. My "want list" includes a trip to NZ to photograph the people, the animals, the landscape and the Milky Way Galaxy!
Best, Gene.
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Post by thomas on Jul 6, 2007 19:19:07 GMT
Hi all! Thanks everybody for the response to my photos. Yes, Caite, that is just a small portion of our pictures. My sister and me took about 1700 photos altogether. Grant, Peter Donnelly is an artist from Christchurch who is basically famous for his sand art. I haven't known him before I saw him in Christchurch. He "combs" the sand with a big rake to create those magnificent pictures. HERE you can find some informations about him. Andrew, here are some more Christchruch and tram pictures for you. I took those during our arrival weekend. I thought I should post them now before switching to the North Island.     Hagley Park:  Cathedral Junction is the central station for the tram which drives through a little mall:  To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
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Post by Stephany on Jul 6, 2007 19:27:57 GMT
Hey Thomas! Thanks for the gorgeous pictures. I could print them and use the shots as postcards i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifI would love to visit NZ as everyone else over here I guess. If I go, I'll try to stay at least three weeks (ok, that will be in about 10 years!!).  One week is certainly not sufficient and I believe two weeks are not long enough either. Especially if I want to visit Australia as well Best wishes, Stephany |
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