Christchurch Cathedral Square
Some Words for The Class of '09
14 years ago
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Christchurch
The journey from Queenstown to Christchurch was a nice 8hr drive but It didnt actaully seem that bad as I managed to get some sleep and then after lunch we watched American Pie. We did make a few stop offs on the way for food and stuff and also to the sheep dog memorial haha!
When we got to Christchurch we checked into our accommodation and then went on the search for a cinema as we all wanted to go see War of the Worlds. We found a cinema right near the main square and also managed to get student rates which was kool and saved us a few dollars.
I had big expectations for War of the Worlds but I was left a bit dissapointed. The acting was really good and the effects were amazing, and the storyline wasn't too bad until the ending which really let it down.
I dont have many plans for Christchurch it doesnt reallt have much to offer apart from shops and Im not planning on buying anything. I have a few things to do before getting my flight tomorrow such as laundry, updating this, getting a new pin for my watch (I broke a pin while snowboarding) and getting some toothpaste so should keep me occupied.
Next time I update will be in Samoa if I can find somewhere that has access otherwise it will be on the 5th July when I get into LA.
Just to remind everyone It is my birthday on the 4th so I expect some birthday posts :D
When we got to Christchurch we checked into our accommodation and then went on the search for a cinema as we all wanted to go see War of the Worlds. We found a cinema right near the main square and also managed to get student rates which was kool and saved us a few dollars.
I had big expectations for War of the Worlds but I was left a bit dissapointed. The acting was really good and the effects were amazing, and the storyline wasn't too bad until the ending which really let it down.
I dont have many plans for Christchurch it doesnt reallt have much to offer apart from shops and Im not planning on buying anything. I have a few things to do before getting my flight tomorrow such as laundry, updating this, getting a new pin for my watch (I broke a pin while snowboarding) and getting some toothpaste so should keep me occupied.
Next time I update will be in Samoa if I can find somewhere that has access otherwise it will be on the 5th July when I get into LA.
Just to remind everyone It is my birthday on the 4th so I expect some birthday posts :D
Snowboarding
I was really looking forward to this as I had wanted to do snowboarding for soo long!! Me, Justin, and Christian had booked two days snowboarding, the first consisting of two 1 1/2 hr beginner lessons as we had never done it before.
We went and collected our clothing the night before and just had to collect out board and boots when we got to the slopes in the morning. The bus was at 8.30 so it was another early start and took about 40mins from Queenstown to get there. We had decided to go to Coronet Peak for the first day and the Remarkables for the next. When we got there we had just about enough time to get our passes, boots and board before our lesson started and met up with the rest of the group and instructor to do a few stretches. We just went through strapping ourselves to the boards and stuff first and then went up to the beginner area to practice.
The Instructor just started with the basics such as stance and then onto heel and toe turns. It didnt take me too long to pick up and by the end of the second lesson I was able to go down the slope and make the most turns in my group :D Snowboarding was so much fun I loved every second, I just couldnt wait until the next day to hit the proper slope!!
In the evening we all went out and didnt get in until quite late after hitting a few bars, which was pretty stupid seeing we had to be up to get the bus at 8am!!!! Anyway we all managed it even if we didnt feel that great in the morning but we thought the snow would be a good cure :) When we got to the bus stop Justin decided he didnt feel well enough to get the bus, so said he was going to get the 10 o'clock bus and meet us there (haha as if)!!!
So it was just me and Christian and we wernt going to lose 2 hours of boarding to lye in bed. When we got up to the Remarkables it was really windy and like a blizzard which was pretty harsh on the face, If I didnt have any goggles it would have been hell but luckily I did. We got all kitted out and went for a practice on the beginner slope before our leson started. Now this slope was really icy and was so hard to get a grip on so I ended up bailing a few times and just hoped the sun would make an appearance and soften the snow up.
Our lesson was really good and we went through what we had done the previous day as I had forgotten a few essentials so it was a good refresh. After everyone was getting there turns good enough we got on the chair lift and made our way up to the proper slope! When we got up there the conditions were awful and you couldnt see a thing but we went down anyway which did result in my taking a few slams which rather hurt, one of which resulted in my hat and goggles flying off which then got snow all over them and made my vision even worse haha. A few slams later I eventually got to the bottom and decided to go back to the practice slope for a while and wait for it to clear up a bit.
To make it a bit more fun instead of practising our turns again the Instructor showed us one of the easiest tricks you could do which is a 360 spin on the snow. Once he had explained what to do I was pulling a few consecutive 360 spins which was wikkid.
We then finished for lunch and went to munch on the ham and cheese rolls we had prepared yum yum. We had no more lesson now so it was just us and the slope and after a few attempts we were both getting a lot better and making it all the way down which only one or two falls which was all good. By about 3ish I was completely knackered and I could feel the strain on my leg muscles so decided to call it a day, the slopes closed at 4 anyway and it gave us time to get all our stuff off and catch the bus back. Justin never turned up which was a surprise not! The lazy git. When we got back we found he had stayed in bed until about 2.30 and had not long been up haha.
In the evening we all went to watch the Lions game which was soo much fun to watch as we won hammering the opponent 109 - 6!
Unfortunately I dont have any pics from snowboarding as I thought It was too risky to take a camera, though I wish I had done as the pics would have been amazing but nevermind!
We went and collected our clothing the night before and just had to collect out board and boots when we got to the slopes in the morning. The bus was at 8.30 so it was another early start and took about 40mins from Queenstown to get there. We had decided to go to Coronet Peak for the first day and the Remarkables for the next. When we got there we had just about enough time to get our passes, boots and board before our lesson started and met up with the rest of the group and instructor to do a few stretches. We just went through strapping ourselves to the boards and stuff first and then went up to the beginner area to practice.
The Instructor just started with the basics such as stance and then onto heel and toe turns. It didnt take me too long to pick up and by the end of the second lesson I was able to go down the slope and make the most turns in my group :D Snowboarding was so much fun I loved every second, I just couldnt wait until the next day to hit the proper slope!!
In the evening we all went out and didnt get in until quite late after hitting a few bars, which was pretty stupid seeing we had to be up to get the bus at 8am!!!! Anyway we all managed it even if we didnt feel that great in the morning but we thought the snow would be a good cure :) When we got to the bus stop Justin decided he didnt feel well enough to get the bus, so said he was going to get the 10 o'clock bus and meet us there (haha as if)!!!
So it was just me and Christian and we wernt going to lose 2 hours of boarding to lye in bed. When we got up to the Remarkables it was really windy and like a blizzard which was pretty harsh on the face, If I didnt have any goggles it would have been hell but luckily I did. We got all kitted out and went for a practice on the beginner slope before our leson started. Now this slope was really icy and was so hard to get a grip on so I ended up bailing a few times and just hoped the sun would make an appearance and soften the snow up.
Our lesson was really good and we went through what we had done the previous day as I had forgotten a few essentials so it was a good refresh. After everyone was getting there turns good enough we got on the chair lift and made our way up to the proper slope! When we got up there the conditions were awful and you couldnt see a thing but we went down anyway which did result in my taking a few slams which rather hurt, one of which resulted in my hat and goggles flying off which then got snow all over them and made my vision even worse haha. A few slams later I eventually got to the bottom and decided to go back to the practice slope for a while and wait for it to clear up a bit.
To make it a bit more fun instead of practising our turns again the Instructor showed us one of the easiest tricks you could do which is a 360 spin on the snow. Once he had explained what to do I was pulling a few consecutive 360 spins which was wikkid.
We then finished for lunch and went to munch on the ham and cheese rolls we had prepared yum yum. We had no more lesson now so it was just us and the slope and after a few attempts we were both getting a lot better and making it all the way down which only one or two falls which was all good. By about 3ish I was completely knackered and I could feel the strain on my leg muscles so decided to call it a day, the slopes closed at 4 anyway and it gave us time to get all our stuff off and catch the bus back. Justin never turned up which was a surprise not! The lazy git. When we got back we found he had stayed in bed until about 2.30 and had not long been up haha.
In the evening we all went to watch the Lions game which was soo much fun to watch as we won hammering the opponent 109 - 6!
Unfortunately I dont have any pics from snowboarding as I thought It was too risky to take a camera, though I wish I had done as the pics would have been amazing but nevermind!
Milford Sound
Today was a super early start having to get the bus at 6.50 ouch! The bus journey was a good 4 hours or so to Milford and we had a nutty driver who was obsessed with time. We did have a couple of stop offs on the way there but they were all pretty unimpressive.
The whole day was a good 12 hour round trip which basically consisted of driving to Milford Sound, having a 2 hour ferry cruise and then getting back on the bus to drive back to Queenstown. When we finally got to Milford we were handed our ferry tickets and then boarded the red boat. This boat could hold 300 people but there was only our bus on it plus a few other people so it was awesome. The first point of call was the Underwater Observatory which was actaully floating so it did rock a little. Inside there were stairs that led down to the observatory which was circular and had glass windows all around so you could see all the sea life. The guy there was saying they had to alter the boyancy of the observatory as so much marine life had built up over the past however many years making it a lot heavier.
There was a lot of activity around the observatory and you could see a lot of marine life had set up home on it. This was looking out into the sea so was not like looking at captive fish in an aquarium so it was really kool. After we had spent 10 mins down there everyone went back to board the ferry again and continue our cruise around the scenic Milford Sound.
Milford Sound has the label of being the most scenic spot in all of NZ and it certainly was very nice as you will see from the pictures. On a couple of occasions we spotted a group of bottle nose dolphins that started swimming and jumping along side to ferry which was awesome, definately a highlight of the trip.
It was then back to the ferry port and on the bus for the drive back. I thought Milford was really nice but I didnt really think it was worth the trip out there to be honest seeing as there was plenty of beautiful scenery all around you in NZ which more or less looked the same.
The whole day was a good 12 hour round trip which basically consisted of driving to Milford Sound, having a 2 hour ferry cruise and then getting back on the bus to drive back to Queenstown. When we finally got to Milford we were handed our ferry tickets and then boarded the red boat. This boat could hold 300 people but there was only our bus on it plus a few other people so it was awesome. The first point of call was the Underwater Observatory which was actaully floating so it did rock a little. Inside there were stairs that led down to the observatory which was circular and had glass windows all around so you could see all the sea life. The guy there was saying they had to alter the boyancy of the observatory as so much marine life had built up over the past however many years making it a lot heavier.
There was a lot of activity around the observatory and you could see a lot of marine life had set up home on it. This was looking out into the sea so was not like looking at captive fish in an aquarium so it was really kool. After we had spent 10 mins down there everyone went back to board the ferry again and continue our cruise around the scenic Milford Sound.
Milford Sound has the label of being the most scenic spot in all of NZ and it certainly was very nice as you will see from the pictures. On a couple of occasions we spotted a group of bottle nose dolphins that started swimming and jumping along side to ferry which was awesome, definately a highlight of the trip.
It was then back to the ferry port and on the bus for the drive back. I thought Milford was really nice but I didnt really think it was worth the trip out there to be honest seeing as there was plenty of beautiful scenery all around you in NZ which more or less looked the same.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Nevis
Today was the big one, the Nevis Highwire bungy. Me and Justin were doing this one (I managed to talk Justin into doing this even though he said he was never going to do a bungy!) plus the lucky git won free photos and a DVD so I guess that was a good incentive too. We went to check in and get weighed before the bus came to pick us up as the site wasa good 40min ride away. When we got on the bus the driver told us it was quite windy up there today and at the moment the wind was blowing in the wrong direction which would mean we couldnt jump but we were going to go up anyway and hope the direction changed. Luckily by the time we got up there it had changed so we were able to jump woohoo!
We put on our harnesses and then went to the viewing platform to wait for the cable car to come over and get us. Where you jumped from was a suspended cable car in between two big mountains so that looked pretty scary in itself. When I got out the the suspended jump car you could see all the way down as it had a perspex bottom and it was a damn long way down well 134m. When it was my turn to jump I had some safety things strapped to my legs and then went to sit in the chair to get hooked up. Walking up to the platform was the scary part as you couldnt move your legs and were more worried about tripping and falling over the edge!! When I got to the edge I just looked forward and waited for the quick countdown before making my jump and plumeting down in a 7 second freefall towards the ground below. It was such a relief to bounce back up, the jump was just unbelieveable! On the secound bounce up there was a cord to pull which released my feet and put me in a seated position so it was more comfortable when I was winched back up to the top. I can't wait to put the pics up but Im going to have to wait until I find somewhere where I can do it :-( hopefully it wont be too long!!
By the time we got back from the Nevis it was around 4pm and we had tickets to do the Luge so made tracks to get there fast as it closed at 5 and we had 6 goes. When we got up there the advanced track was closed due to the weather as it was snowing and freezing cold, Im glad Christian had a spare pair of gloves as me hands were frozen. We managed to speed around the scenic route really fast and had taken all of our goes with 15mins to spare which was pretty good going. I was really glad to get back into the warm though and stick my hands next to the fire for a while. The first Lions vs All Blacks test match was on in a couple of hours so we went to get ready for that and made our way to the bar to watch it.
We put on our harnesses and then went to the viewing platform to wait for the cable car to come over and get us. Where you jumped from was a suspended cable car in between two big mountains so that looked pretty scary in itself. When I got out the the suspended jump car you could see all the way down as it had a perspex bottom and it was a damn long way down well 134m. When it was my turn to jump I had some safety things strapped to my legs and then went to sit in the chair to get hooked up. Walking up to the platform was the scary part as you couldnt move your legs and were more worried about tripping and falling over the edge!! When I got to the edge I just looked forward and waited for the quick countdown before making my jump and plumeting down in a 7 second freefall towards the ground below. It was such a relief to bounce back up, the jump was just unbelieveable! On the secound bounce up there was a cord to pull which released my feet and put me in a seated position so it was more comfortable when I was winched back up to the top. I can't wait to put the pics up but Im going to have to wait until I find somewhere where I can do it :-( hopefully it wont be too long!!
By the time we got back from the Nevis it was around 4pm and we had tickets to do the Luge so made tracks to get there fast as it closed at 5 and we had 6 goes. When we got up there the advanced track was closed due to the weather as it was snowing and freezing cold, Im glad Christian had a spare pair of gloves as me hands were frozen. We managed to speed around the scenic route really fast and had taken all of our goes with 15mins to spare which was pretty good going. I was really glad to get back into the warm though and stick my hands next to the fire for a while. The first Lions vs All Blacks test match was on in a couple of hours so we went to get ready for that and made our way to the bar to watch it.
Queenstown / The Thrillogy
In the morning before leaving Wanaka we stopped at Puzzling World which had lots of puzzles in it funnily enough, a maze , some holograms and other visual tricks which were ok to pass the time but it wasn't anything special. The previous day a form had gone around for activites in Queenstown one of which was the AJ Hackett Bungies that I had decided to put my name down for!
There are three bungies in Queenstown, The Kawarua Bridge which is 43m and the original bungy site in NZ. The Ledge which is 47m and then The Nevis which is a whopping 134m being NZ's biggest bungy and the world's 3rd biggest. I thought I may as well do them all so paid for that along with photos from each one and a DVD of all 3 jumps! When we gt into Queenstown the Kawarua Bridge was the first stop and quite a few people from the bus had decided to do the jump. I had never done a bungy before so it was kinda scary though once I had seen a few people jump off it didnt seem that bad. When It came to my go I got strapped up, well they put towel around my legs and secured them together with a strap which at first looked really dodgy but once the strap was around it felt super safe. I was ready for the jump now and stood on the edge of the plank after having my photo taken, then it was a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown until I lept forward and made an elegant dive down heading towards the river below which I missed by about an inch!! The bungy guys said I was going to get a little dunk but I guess I must have done a big jump so the rope didnt stretch far enough :-) Once I had bounced up and down a few times it was all over and I got rescued by the raft on the river and made my way back to the top. I can't really explain the rush you get once you dive off the edge but Its amazing and even better once you know you have survived haha. My photos turned out really good and the DVD was brilliant so was all ready for the next jump that evening which was The Ledge.
When we got into Queenstown we checked into the Discovery Lodge Hostel and then went to book some more activites. I ended up booking a day trip to Milford Sound and two days Snowboarding so had the next few days all sorted. When It got to 6pm I made my way to the Gondola which took me to the top of a big mountain overlooking Queenstown and was also where I had to go for my next bungy jump The Ledge. By this time it was dark and the whole of Queenstown was lit up which looked amazing, there were a few other guys from the bus doing the jump as well so I met them at the top and made my way to the bungy site. This bungy was slightly different as instead of being attached by your feet you had a body harness and were attached to the bugy rope by your waist. This meant your legs were free and you had to take a running jump!!!
When I got up there I was still a little nervous while waiting but when It got to my go I was totally up for it and didnt bother me at all. After my countdown I took a nice long run up and made a good dive out which felt awesome. It felt like it was over so fast and I was being winched back up to the top. The photos from this jump looked amazing especially the side view just after I had jumped and Queestown is in the background all lit up and it just looks absolutely wikkid so I was really pleased with that.
Once I got back to the hostel I went and met everyone in the bar and ended up staying out until 3am so was quite a big night out and was really good fun. They have Teapots here which are basically teapots filled with a cocktail and you are given shot glasses so you can pour your own shots its a really kool novelty - more tea vicar!
There are three bungies in Queenstown, The Kawarua Bridge which is 43m and the original bungy site in NZ. The Ledge which is 47m and then The Nevis which is a whopping 134m being NZ's biggest bungy and the world's 3rd biggest. I thought I may as well do them all so paid for that along with photos from each one and a DVD of all 3 jumps! When we gt into Queenstown the Kawarua Bridge was the first stop and quite a few people from the bus had decided to do the jump. I had never done a bungy before so it was kinda scary though once I had seen a few people jump off it didnt seem that bad. When It came to my go I got strapped up, well they put towel around my legs and secured them together with a strap which at first looked really dodgy but once the strap was around it felt super safe. I was ready for the jump now and stood on the edge of the plank after having my photo taken, then it was a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown until I lept forward and made an elegant dive down heading towards the river below which I missed by about an inch!! The bungy guys said I was going to get a little dunk but I guess I must have done a big jump so the rope didnt stretch far enough :-) Once I had bounced up and down a few times it was all over and I got rescued by the raft on the river and made my way back to the top. I can't really explain the rush you get once you dive off the edge but Its amazing and even better once you know you have survived haha. My photos turned out really good and the DVD was brilliant so was all ready for the next jump that evening which was The Ledge.
When we got into Queenstown we checked into the Discovery Lodge Hostel and then went to book some more activites. I ended up booking a day trip to Milford Sound and two days Snowboarding so had the next few days all sorted. When It got to 6pm I made my way to the Gondola which took me to the top of a big mountain overlooking Queenstown and was also where I had to go for my next bungy jump The Ledge. By this time it was dark and the whole of Queenstown was lit up which looked amazing, there were a few other guys from the bus doing the jump as well so I met them at the top and made my way to the bungy site. This bungy was slightly different as instead of being attached by your feet you had a body harness and were attached to the bugy rope by your waist. This meant your legs were free and you had to take a running jump!!!
When I got up there I was still a little nervous while waiting but when It got to my go I was totally up for it and didnt bother me at all. After my countdown I took a nice long run up and made a good dive out which felt awesome. It felt like it was over so fast and I was being winched back up to the top. The photos from this jump looked amazing especially the side view just after I had jumped and Queestown is in the background all lit up and it just looks absolutely wikkid so I was really pleased with that.
Once I got back to the hostel I went and met everyone in the bar and ended up staying out until 3am so was quite a big night out and was really good fun. They have Teapots here which are basically teapots filled with a cocktail and you are given shot glasses so you can pour your own shots its a really kool novelty - more tea vicar!
Wanaka
After setting off from Franz Josef we stopped off for breakfast at a cafe near Matheson Lake where we went and got a nice photo of the lake with the mountains mirror reflection in it. As we were not going to be stopping off anywhere for lunch we were told to fill ourselves up so ordered a big backpackers breakfast, which consisted of a pot of tea, some orange juice, sausages, beans, toast, eggs and bacon so was a good feed. Justin just got a toasted sandwich until he found out we were not stopping for lunch so also ordered a big breakfast as well. As we were the last to order everyone else was on the bus waiting for us while we shovelled down our food so we were hurried along by the driver, this resulted in Justin having to make a quick exit off the bus five minutes down the road and fill a plastic bag!
After we had a good laugh at Justin all those people on the bus that didnt know him now did but he was better known as sickboy haha. We then had a nice scenic drive down to Wanaka where we stopped the night at a hotel, though it was no different to a dorm and we even had to pay extra for a duvet so I wouldnt really call it a hotel. After dumping our stuff in the room me, Justin and Christain went for a wander around the town and I went and got a plate of nachos with a nice thick milkshake even though the sun had just gone down and was now freezing cold. Wanaka Is only a couple of hours away from Queenstown which is the nearest place to the slopes so is becoming a popular ski / snowboard resort type place, though there's not that much else to do here. Anyway we ended up spending the evening at the hotel and watched Harts War on the DVD player they had.
After we had a good laugh at Justin all those people on the bus that didnt know him now did but he was better known as sickboy haha. We then had a nice scenic drive down to Wanaka where we stopped the night at a hotel, though it was no different to a dorm and we even had to pay extra for a duvet so I wouldnt really call it a hotel. After dumping our stuff in the room me, Justin and Christain went for a wander around the town and I went and got a plate of nachos with a nice thick milkshake even though the sun had just gone down and was now freezing cold. Wanaka Is only a couple of hours away from Queenstown which is the nearest place to the slopes so is becoming a popular ski / snowboard resort type place, though there's not that much else to do here. Anyway we ended up spending the evening at the hotel and watched Harts War on the DVD player they had.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
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