Night Safari

Yesterday I went with one of my dorm-mates, Sarah from England, to see the Night Safari. We paid for a transfer, which was a great idea, as I really appreciated being whisked quickly straight home later in the evening. And Mohammed our driver was a very friendly guy.

Mohammed had a theory about the best way to do things, which was that you saw the show first, then went on the tram, as otherwise the 8.30pm show was often full. So we lined up in the queue for the 7.30pm show, only to have the heavens open at about 7pm. And open they did, in truly tropical style. (When we got back to the hostel in town, the people on reception were amazed as it hadn't even rained in town.)

So then we joined the zillions in the queue for a tram ride. But they had the trams rolling along quickly and the queue moved quickly, and before we knew it, we were on a tram. They have artificial 'moonlight' conditions. And it was quite wonderful rolling through the rainforest seeing all the animals alongside. They even had a few elephants, right near us. I noticed that they were feeding on green branches that I had seen being taken in on a truck a bit earlier. So the 'nearness' is kind of stage-managed, even though it doesn't seem like it. There was also a big bull elephant with the most enormous tusks. Unfortunately the person in front of us broke the rule (I think just because she forgot) and flashed her camera as we passed this. Yikes! But fortunately big bull elephant didn't miss a beat and carried on eating.

We thought we would be too late and the 8.30pm show would be full, but luckily there was still room. The person leading the commentary was entertainment herself, a real stand-up comedienne. Sure, a lot of her stuff was scripted, but she also ad-libbed with people in a few places and she was very very funny. A young English child next to us was taken up and used in an act, where an animal had to smell which hand she was hiding a grape in. And a 'macho male' - who turned out to be a very shy Kiwi- had to go up and get a huge python wrapped around him. And one poor unsuspecting family had been sitting on a bench seat that this python lay beneath- and they did a 'mock hunt' for it. The whole show was excellent and had quite a range of animals. It was fun!

The only 'downside' of taking the transfer, was that we needed to be ready to be picked up at 9.30pm, so lacked time to go walking on the trails. But as I was feeling quite jaded by then anyhow, I was quite glad to go. And amazingly, I enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep. I woke once at 4am, then went back to sleep until 6.30am. This is the quickest transition to normal sleep out of jetlag I can recall, all ready to give myself the next dose of it for Paris.

Oh, I did wake one other time. Just after 11pm, although several people in the room were sleeping, Ms Plastic Bag Torturer #2 began her act. I swear she had a whole pack full of plastic bags of an especially noisy variety! The thing is, she was still asleep at 7.30am when I came down to breakfast, so either she is panicking by now as she forgot to set her alarm for an early start.... or...

PS I am of course, Miss Sanctimonious. And I am now off to Jurong Bird Park, where it could well be quite warm!

Singapore History Museum

Once I got over the fact that I hadn't slept much I ventured out for the day. First I went to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd..... (Dean, tell Joseph I thought of him there!) I had forgotten how impressed I was last time by the really strong choir. Fans were going full bore in there the whole time, and they had this wonderful way of opening up the windows to get a bit of breeze through.

Then map in hand, I actually managed without too many wrong direction turns to find the Singapore History Museum, which was still being renovated last time I was here. They have done absolutely amazing things with the building. They have added on a huge extension out the back, with a modern link between the two bits, and architecturally it is all harmonious. I think it is amazing.

I arrived just as a free guided tour was leaving and I joined a small, very international group for it. What was best was that the guide was a 'local', well able to put a local slant on all she told us about the history. She was a volunteer, and this was her hobby to 'de-stress' from work. Seems like quite a busy way to spend time on Sunday morning to me!

After the tour I walked back in the heat... very warm by now, to the corner of Bencoolen and Bras Basah. Those are names I remember from the accommodation place, and 'eggs for breakfast' place, that Shona and I hung out in all those years ago. Names may be the same, but the streets have totally changed. Our sleeping building gave way to the wrecker's ball many years ago it would seem, and flash modern buildings are there now. But despite any sadness at the loss of old character, I would have to say that the food court on the corner was great, and it was easy to find something I liked.

I returned to the museum after lunch to see more of some of the exhibits, and wore their audio-guide. By the time I came out, the sky had threatening black bits, and I saw some fork lightning jump out of the sky. Fortunately it never came to anything before I got to the MRT stop, and I managed to get back to the hostel as well before any rain hit.

I have showered off all the sweat, and am now looking forward to my evening at Night Safari. But I can't close without sharing something from Auckland Airport that I forgot. The toilets in the gate lounge 'talk to you'. I am not sure what all the non-English speakers make of it - but it is totally bizarre in English. As you leave, the toilet says something like: "Please leave the door slightly open when you leave. Thank you. Please come again. " I mean..... I ask you..... which man dreamed this up!!!

Jetlag and plastic bag torture!

You will have to forgive me if I only half make sense! My body has determined rhythms of its own. Yesterday evening when I arrived here I was quite tired as it was past my bedtime NZ time. Then I perked up and was wide awake again. Then found my alarm clock with the 'old' time - 3am. So decided I needed to head off to bed as I might not be asleep long.

Hostel bed was very comfy and I slept very well... until 1.30am = 6.30am body time when I usually get up. Groan! Lay there quietly in the dark, feeling quite relaxed about being awake, which was good, as sometimes I am very 'wired' in these early morning times of jetlag. Now you see why I give myself three sleeps worth of stopover.... and I only tend to adjust by an hour a night, so possibly I will be awake 2.30am tonight. But let's hope not.

The other reminder I was away from home was the 'plastic bag torture' - a feature of big city hostels where people need to come and go at odd hours for transport - and something I last experienced in Sydney last year. You'd think that if you knew you had to get up at 4am, you would pack nearly all your bag the night before, and do the last few bits outside the room. Not hard eh!! Well, apparently it is! This one only lasted ten minutes instead of two hours, but she had a very 'special' bag that made the most exquisite noise for at least a full 30 seconds.

Hostel room is very clean, great aircon, good toilet facilities, and there are a bunch of friendly people in there. Unusual design gives us partly individual cubicles. Great amount of space to put all your gear, on a 'table' next to the bed, and in a lockable locker underneath, or even hanging up on provided hangers! Design was done on a computer without user-input though I think - thought of you Tim!!! - as it was a bit tricky to access the locker... ie you needed to crawl under the table area.

The hostel is in a wonderful neighbourhood. At the top of a hill above a small park. Very tranquil spot, but close to all the action, especially in Little India. I saw lots of people eating out down there yesterday evening as I arrived, so I know where to go eat already.

Okey dokey, breakfast time here, so must go indulge in the free hostel breakfast, and that should help me over some jetlag and reset my body clock a bit.

See you later! Margaret

Arrived in Singapore!

Well, it has been a long day and my body is telling me to get to bed already..... but I will do a quick post. I ended up with an aisle seat when I asked at the gate lounge desk... yeah... always happier if I can get up and walk around on a long flight. And interestingly, I am sure a daytime flight seemed longer than a night one! But a few time zones and quite a few hours later, I have reached the equator. Very friendly crew down our end of the plane which was very pleasant.

The hostel is lovely. Took the MRT here then had to work out which direction I needed to walk in from the Little India station. Once I had finally worked out where the 'carpark' was that I needed to cross diagonally I was home and hosed. It is the Hangout @Mt Emily (YHA) that I am staying in. It is just above a park, and involved a short hill climb to reach here. Amazingly tranquil, yet a hop, skip and a jump from all the activity in Little India and Orchard Rd. Great air-con. And very soon, it won't actually matter whether I find the bed is comfy or not, I am sure I will sleep well!

I have booked a transfer package for the Night Safari tomorrow evening at the Zoo. Possibly there are cheaper options, but this is all inclusive and easy! Now.... to sleep..... Night all!

Auckland Airport

Here I am at Auckland Airport. Early start from home, but got to see absolutely glorious sunrise at PN airport. Caroline gave up her first cricket-free morning to come and see me off so we had yummy hot chocolate drinks. Passed nearly over the top of Ruapehu, and saw Egmont to the left, its peak poking out but the bottom swathed in cloud. Thought of you all in Taranaki ;-) Got a wonderful view of the harbour as we came in to land, with all the mangroves in the little harbour fingers.
Was going to indulge in some McD fries but the service was so slack I gave up! Now about to go through security and passport control etc. It all seems very real at this stage. Jammed in a middle seat rather than the aisle I prefer, but at least they have those little screens to keep me entertained for ten and a half hours. Last time I amused myself making up a playlist of songs off all their CD collection and before I knew it 8 and a half hours had gone!

Catch you in Singapore probably! Love to everyone, Adventure starting!

One more sleep

One more sleep.

Taxi ordered for 7.15am.

Adventure is about to begin.

I should be getting some sleep in my account now before jetlag hits

but can't quite get the mind calm

strangely enough!

Geological Society Meeting

One of the good things about living in Palmerston North is that the RSNZ run an e-mail announcement service. Anyone can sign up to receive it, and they use it to advertise what their own meetings are about, and they also include anything of scientific interest for the general public in our area.

This week they advertised the geological society meeting, which I managed to get to after negotiating a rabbit warren at Massey. It was the "President's lecture", which Nick Mortimer, current president of GSNZ, is touring with, and was about "Cenozoic volcanoes of the SW Pacific."

It was really interesting, and not too technical for a geological hobo like myself. In my NZ fauna paper last year we had learned about how quite a large mass had rifted off Gondwanaland to drift away, largely sink, and end up as New Zealand. Nick had some wonderful satellite images that in effect stripped the sea away so you could see some undersea depths, and the extent of the "Zelandia" land mass was clear. Fascinating.

I hadn't quite realised how geologically distinct the northern and southern parts of NZ were/are geologically. A key factor in this was a basaltic land mass that got itself jammed up against the east coast, stopping subduction further south, while allowing rifting up north. So basins and volcanic arcs formed in the north, but not in the south. (Subduction has since resumed in the south, as the basalt has cooled in more recent times.)

It was a fascinating talk. Thanks to Nick and the Geological Society!

Congratulations!!

Warmest congratulations to my sister "f", and my friend "Trish H" who have shown incredible daring and a sense of adventure by working out how to comment on my blog! These two have won an incredible reward. Yes, they will be receiving the very first postcards I send on my forthcoming trip over the oceans in a big bird!
Who knows what original piece of post-card art they will receive!

Hmmmm I have a longish wait in Auckland Airport. So maybe they will get a postcard of that great modern kiwi phallic symbol, the Sky Tower!
But wait, there's more. They might even get a second postcard of our close rellies in Singapore Zoo. I am sure they are both waiting with bated breath and an almost unbearable sense of anticipation to see just what their prize will be!!
Meanwhile, sister "m" and others.... I have yet to see you crack the blogging-comment barrier! Reply now, soon, before my postcard-budget is all spent!
(Yeah I know M-------n - don't give up my day job!)

Old West- Turitea -Greens -Kahuterawa Circuit

I fondly remember the first time I walked this circuit as I began 'serious' training for the Camino. It was all "new" then , but now the route has become a bit of an old friend. With less than three weeks now before I leave home, I donned my laden pack for a walk that I think is about 22km. I have seen lots of Camino photos where people, who are obviously making early morning starts, delight in taking a photo of their shadow. This wasn't such an early start, at 8am, but as the end of daylight saving has been delayed here this year, the sun hadn't long been up when I started. This is the only time in my life I will ever look skinny!

When I went to Craig Potton's lecture the other night, he talked about how he always had about 40 different obsessions on the go at once in his photography. So I no longer feel any guilt about announcing that I have an obsession with taking photos of rural letterboxes!
This lovely old house on Turitea Rd has always intrigued me. Usually I have passed by much earlier in the morning when it looks all closed up, and there has not been enough light on it for a photo. But this morning, a window was open and curtains were back.
This photo shows the 'high point' along Greens Rd, before you descend down to Kahuterawa Rd. I felt really nostalgic when I reached here today. It has always given me a thrill to arrive here to see the sudden view opening out across the plains to the ocean. And I am not sure whether I will stand here again before I leave home.

So, all in all it went pretty well carrying my pack. It was the necessary water bottles that made it feel slightly too heavy at the start. And as I drank their contents, and then ate my lunch, it all began to feel quite manageable...

The Nerines

Today I bring you The Nerines - band extraordinaire!- performing in the Square.

Here they are being introduced.

It was hard to get a shot of Taig, drumming away in the back there... but he has so much energy and produces exciting rhythms.
Hie brother Drew is the front-man, and has bundles of talent. I could be accused of godmotherly bias here... but I assure you... he has talent plus.

The Nerines have made a thing of pink. You gotta ask... whose dress-up bag had these treasures hidden in them?
Great afternoon concert guys.... I look forward to hearing the Nerines again. (Next time I will bring the video camera!)

Old Photos

A cousin just gave me some lovely old family photos. So I was looking up some other photos and came across this one, taken about 1967. All I can say is, I am not the tallest one anymore!

Country Roads

I think you could say I quite like my summertime work-life balance! This morning was a gorgeous sunny calm morning. I climbed on my bicycle at a respectable hour (ie when most other people were already at work) and cycled out into the countryside to deliver my relieving details to a school where I know several teachers.

You can see that I had a nice easy ride... we are talking flat floodplains in this direction. You can also see how dry the countryside is: it has been a warm, dry summer that we townies have loved, but that is not so easy for farmers.
The hills in the background... that's the direction I walk in when I want my hill walking practice. But today.... a nice gentle bike ride was a greaaat way to spend a couple of hours!

UPDATE: And just to make you all the more envious - I have just spent a couple of relaxed hours in the armchair, looking at the Lonely Planet book for Paris that I got out of the local library, working out what I might do on my three (jetlagged) days in Paris. My list is already too long for three days of course!
And just to make you less envious. Tonight I loaded up my pack. The pile on the bed did not look very big, but it weighs a ton. Tomorrow morning I plan a 3-4 hour hilly walk with said pack on my back. Guess who will be finding some items 'non-essential' after the walk!!

Swimming kills me!

I have the audacity to think I am getting fitter. I can walk for 5-6 hours without feeling too much tiredness (though my feet are usually really glad to shed their shoes and hot socks at the end.) And I am not nearly so cumbersome as I was when climbing hills. I have noticed I can cycle quite far just enjoying the scenery, without it feeling like too much effort. (I still walk up the steep hills!)

But swimming provides a reality check. I have been swimming a few times lately in the outdoor pool at the Lido. And I love it. The sun is shining down, and I am immersed in the water, with little cooler currents every so often. And I swim for 40-60 minutes.... just really slow lane swimming... 'cos I simply do not know what fast swimming is..... and I love every minute of it.

But.... when I get home... phew.... I feel exhausted! Swimming makes me feel like I have run a marathon. Well, that is what I imagine anyhow... not ever having run a marathon.... and never ever ever intending to run a marathon..... or even a half marathon... there is a sister who can do that on my behalf.....

Anyhow.... now that I have actually been to a few schools to tell them I can do day relieving until my departure... I need to stop blogging and get myself to bed. Who knows when that inconsiderate phone will ring at some ungodly hour with some actual work to do!!!!

lane swimming

Somewhere back earlier last year, when it got darker and colder in the mornings, and study for my NZ fauna paper took all my early morning energy, I stopped going to the pool and lane swimming. And once stopped, it is one of those things that seems difficult to restart.

But finally I have restarted! I figure that cross-training should be the 'name of the game' now for getting fit before I depart. And this morning I jumped in for just over half an hour of lane swimming.

I was pleased to find that my current training, walking up hills, meant I wasn't short of breath at all, though my shoulders did wonder what was going on. My leg muscles loved the more gentle treatment they got waddling in the pool, using different muscles from my walking ones. (I do only waddle in the pool too... I have a hopeless kicking style that gets me nowhere fast!)

I got home and absolutely loved the 'alive' feeling my whole body had after the swim. A pleasure I had forgotten all about. So.... as I am only going to be doing casual, on-call work now until my departure... if the phone hasn't gone by 7.45am, I might well be off to the pool!

Rainbows and stormclouds

Set the alarm this morning.. was a bit mystified about what it was when it actually went off -that's holidays for you- but nevertheless was ready to start walking from my friend's place at the bottom of Kahuterawa Rd just before 6am.
It was noticeably darker than the last time I started this early, and though I could see quite clearly, cars had their headlights on.

For a change, I kept my light merino on for most of the walk today. I also resorted, for the first time walking this route, to wearing my raincoat in a few places, quite a novelty lately.

Up on Greens Rd there were wild blackberries growing in places. Most were still green, but this bunch were clearly on the red side. I will have to come back walking this way in just a few weeks time! It reminded me of the roadside blackberries I found in rural Ireland and even Jersey in July-August 2006... all the more delicious for their accessibility only to walkers!

The walk along Greens Rd was slightly crazier than I have previously experienced. Usually I am making sure I have enough sunblock on for the rest of the walk at this stage. But today there were some wild winds up this way. In some places the wind was at my back, pushing me forward; and in other places it was in my face, hindering me. Spits of rain were part of the wind. Three runners passed me as I headed up the last hill, and talked about how exciting the wind was. With all the bends in the road, and ridges on the hills, the wind was quite unpredictable.


Right at the top of the hill, I usually get a wonderful view out over the plains, but today I saw a rainbow, and could barely make out the features below.

As I descended from Greens Rd though, I quickly left the worst of the winds behind. Ahead of me, stormy looking clouds loomed, but they came to naught.

For the last hour or so, I finally got to take off my merino jersey, slap on more sunscreen, and keep my sunhat close to my face. As always, my feet felt tired towards the end - this walk must be close to 20- 22 km I think- and as always my feet felt relieved to see this last sign, which means only about 350m left to walk to my car!

Taylor's Mistake Walkway, Christchurch

My last day down south I wasn't flying out until mid-afternoon, and the kiddiwinks of the household, old and young, were away on varied exploits. So my friend suggested a walk to Taylor's Mistake. Beautiful walk, don't miss it. But try not to pick a hot sunny Canterbury day if you can manage it- phew!- did I drink a heap of water!!!
We parked near Sumner and headed uphill, getting a lovely view back over the suburb. First part of the climb was lovely and shaded too.

There was little shade on top, but the view as you walked around on the hills was magnificent. So dry everywhere though. (To think I thought it was getting dry-ish at home.)
The waters were quite rough, as you can see from these wave patterns down in the bay out from Taylor's Mistake itself. Somewhere along this last part of the walk I was desperate for more water.... but luckily, this was 'civilisation', and suddenly, I came across a drinking fountain! I drank a heap of water and filled my water bottle with more.

Down at the beach there were a lot of people in the water. The lifeguards were looking a bit nervous, as the water was really quite rough, with a big undercurrent dragging back out to sea. I hadn't taken my swimming togs, as I usually have an aversion to 'cold east coast currents'. But I paddled anyhow, and the waves soon had me wet up to my thighs. Lovely feeling on such a hot day! Great way to finish a trip to Canterbury.

Okains Bay Camping 2008

Here is a YouTube slideshow of photos from camping at Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula, January 2008. Plus just a few photos at the end from a walk to Taylor's Mistake.

Okains Bay part 2

Mostly I chose the early mornings to go walking, and climbed up to the far headland several times. Here I am looking back towards the camping ground... in the far bay. You can't see any campers as all the tents are well hidden within the pine trees, which gave shelter on the hot sunny days we had. At the time I was walking, you couldn't see many campers either as mostly they were still deep in their sleeping bags - unless of course they had young children!

From near little Okains Bay I took this photo of the little 'islands', from where you can hear lots of seabirds calling. One morning I got 'divebombed' by a seagull as I passed back through this bay... so I don't like your chances of getting close to the island, even at low tide!

But it sounded like the local Okains Bay museum should also be visited. This became my mission later in the morning on our last full day at the bay. If you left camp when the tide had gone out quite a bit, you could walk all the way up one side of the lagoon to the first bridge.

The historic nature of this area was apparent, with quite a few buildings dating from earlier times. The hillsides were very dry and barren. I was left pondering how much topsoil had been lost when the bush was all cleared from these hills.

There was a lot of bird life to observe walking up along the lagoon, and if you were cunning enough, you could also see some of the crabs before they heard you and scuttled back into their incredibly numerous holes.

Next, by crossing over the bridge, you came to a local metalled road that led all the way up alongside the riverbank, to a point just opposite the village itself. By using the Millennium footbridge, you could then reach the village.

The museum itself was quite amazing, with some very special Maori treasures inside.

There was an array of interesting old buildings, and I was especially taken by this wooden house.

There was a modern meeting house decorated with beautiful tukutuku panels and carvings, and a shed housed two waka that I was told are used on Waitangi Day.

Like many rural museums, there was an eclectic selection on display. One of the saddest display cases for me was one that contained five stuffed extinct huia. But there were a lot of beautiful Maori artifacts. If you visit Okains, make sure you get to the museum.

Camping in Okains Bay

Here is a bit more of a taste of where I have been in the last week. This YouTube video starts and ends with my flight out/in of Palmie and spends most of the time in Okains Bay on Banks Peninsula. At the end there are a few shots from my walk in 33C heat to Taylors Mistake. There are multitudinous shots of a tree I was fascinated by, up the top of a headland at the end of a walkway from Okains.
Soon I will get round to posting a bit more detail about what I got up to. Plus I have a bird for you to identify for me maalie... bound to be a common seabird but I am not sure which one! - will post a photo soon! Meanwhile, enjoy some views of summer down-under.

New Plymouth

OK for all you loyal readers - all two of you - who may well be getting tired of incessant photos from the Gorge and rural Manawatu - despite the fact that local walking really is my life currently!!- I bring you a diversion to New Plymouth. I stayed a couple of nights with my sister. Decided to visit the fossils exhibition at Puke Ariki, the local museum, and to walk there via the beachfront walkway.

After some discussion, we decided the best way for me to get onto the walkway from their place was to divert a short distance down to Nobs Line. I used to flat on Nobs Line, way back, way way back, before dinosaurs were even invented, in my first year of teaching. In fact I used to live on the above featured property, just up from the sea. And my bedroom was right at the front facing out over the ocean. I used to watch the sea in all weathers, and could just go out walking on the sand, literally any time of the day or night. (However, it is true I did not live in this somewhat ugly 'mansion': the simple, rather grotty, house we lived in was removed to construct this!)

As it turned out, it seemed 'meant' that I should go via Nobs Line, straight down onto East End beach. I ended up stumbling upon this newly erected seat, in memory of the mother of an old school friend. I sat there quite peacefully, remembering her.

Just a few people wandered along the sand from Fitzroy.
And just a few walked on the beach towards Paritutu- part of the lip of an old volcano.

And for maalie... when he gets back from his traipsing in Italy.... here is a pohutukawa, beside the sea as it should be.
They have done amazing things to develop the foreshore in New Plymouth, and the walkway was full of people walking. This section was a bit weird though..... the walls behind are so tall that you feel insulated from the land. It would be interesting to walk here when the sea is rougher.
There are a group of sculptors at work at present, using andesite to make their sculptures. Hard stuff this, and power tools much in evidence. Fascinating to stand by and watch their public progress.

I can't leave New Plymouth without showing you Len Lye's windwand. It is controversial and a talking point. Beside the sea, there is no doubt it is dramatic. It was quite calm as I walked this morning: it would be interesting to see what movement happened on a day with more wind.

My next pictures might also be from 'far away'. I am going camping in the South Island with some friends. See you when I get back!