Monday, September 13, 2010

The Move Down Under

Well Gemma has made it to New Zealand safe and sound. As I had been reading for the past 18 months she faired better than us from the big flight. I have written about her move on our blog at http://mishgeorgenz.wordpress.com/

In summary, all I read was correct. The dog is fine after the flight, Auckland airport is quite a faff, the dog recovers very quickly - far more quickly than us humans.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Goodbye to NZ

A shot of the Waikato at Hamilton



Georgina with Leo and Patsy the day before we left



The elusive Kenworth - we don't get these in the UK, and Chris and Sindy managed to find us somewhere we could get a photo. I'm a truck person myself, but Kenworths stood out during our trip as being rather special - a truck that looked like a truck. Workhorses that pulled articulated rigs, often carrying logs or containers.



Another shot of the Waikato at Hamilton



And that is all. Not all the photo's are in the right order, and only represent a snapshot of all we did and saw. I hope we can get to go back over this blog and update where necessary. It contains some of the happiest memories of my life.

Last days in NZ

Well, we left NZ nearly a week ago, and I'm not sure who was saddest - me or George. I had a wonderful time and met new people as well as seeing and doing things new to me. George's family were so good to me, and I can see why it is so hard for her to live in the UK so far away from those she loves and who love her. I'm starting to plan the next trip, and thinking of ways for the three of us (including Gemma of course) to get out there for more than just a winter holiday in mid-summer.

This is a picture of Mollie, who Sindy lent us now and then to help us relieve our pining for Gemma.



These were shops, believe it or not, at Tirau, made out of corrugated iron.
Sindy and George are standing by the tongue.





One of my personal quests was to get a good photo of the koru - this is symbolic of New Zealand, and as a symbol was used by the Mari before the Pakeha. At first these plants are unprepossessing, but the more you see them, the more they stand out. Capturing a photo that I felt happy with was elusive, and I have many that did not make the grade - then on our penultimate day walking by the Waikato River, I managed to take this shot. Of all the photo's I took, apart from maybe those of the whale diving, this is the one I am most pleased with. This symbolises new life and the power and beauty of nature as much as anything I have seen anywhere.



And this is the tree that produces this marvel, reaching out into the deep blue winter sky and white clouds that we were so fortunate to have with us on most of our days in New Zealand:

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Seals, Mountains, the Moon





Beautiful Creature



This was a video of a humpback whale blowing out water shortly before it dived in the pictures below. One of the most amazing things I have seen. Whale Watch were an incredibly professional company - and they delivered what they promised, plus a fantastic boat ride (even though half the passengers ended up throwing up and remaining in their seats - George and I loved it, and were amongst the last half-dozen still rushing out on deck to take snaps by the end).

The Whale Dive