New Zealand - South Island Adventure

Merry Xmas all and a Happy New Year! Belated, admittedly, but we have an excuse. We've been away in New Zealand for three weeks and only with very intermittent access to the internet. These are just some of the highlights, there are spectacular landscapes beyond count and untold adventure on the South Island. Enjoy!

Say hello to our lil' house guest

A reminder of why Ozzies keep their shoes upside down. This 'lil guy looks scary but is actually completely harmless. So far we've found at least three huntsman spiders in the house this spring :-)

2nd half done!

Helen completed the McLaren Vale half-marathon today, and improved on her time from Sydney, even with the route being much more up and down! Congratulations!

I had to sit this one out cos of a dodgy back, but provided essential support and encouragement without which none of this would be possible :-)

Sydney

A few piccies from our stroll to Sydney, pre- and post-half-marathon.
xoxo

Park Hyatt Hotel in Sydney Harbour - nice work if you can get it!

View of Sydney from the plane

Manly Beach

Wiggly kite on Manly Beach

On the Manly Beach ferry

Harbour Bridge from the Opera House - a ship passing under...

Inside the Sydney Opera House - Steve Hough, Dvorak Piano Concerto

Sydney CBD

Manly ferry

Making friends... a random baby showing interest in my food, at a Chinese in Manly Beach

Manly Beach

Opera Bar

View of Kirribili - where we stayed - from the Opera House

Night view of Sydney CBD from Kirribili (other side of Harbour Bridge)

A giant Moreton Bay fig

Opera House or Darth Vader?

View of Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay metro station

A very Manly Beach

Half done!

If you are going to do your first marathon - full or half - it might as well be Sydney. One more off the bucket list - half-marathon done! :-)

Got there in the end!

Under the Bridge

Over the finish line...

Ja volim globalizaciju / I love globalisation

Danas nadjem u lokalnom supermarketu ajvar, to ce reci 'ayvar' kako ga pisu za strance. Pogledam gde je napravljen i imam sta da vidim - u Brusu, ni 100 km od rodnog grada! A nije ni los za pojesti; kao sto se da videti, ja vec smaz'o pola tegle za dorucak. Ja volim globalizaciju! :-)

.........
Today I found ajvar - aka 'ayvar' as it is spelled for foreigners - in the local supermarket. I checked out the origin and lo and behold, it's from Brus, a place no more than a 100 km from my home town! And it's half-decent too; as you can tell, I've already polished off half the jar for breakfast. I love globalisation! :-)

Walkin

Chillin with the sunset














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Location:West Beach,Australia