It's Nearly Time Again

Well its nearly time again, Mike and I have been in Queenstown now for 5 months. And while it has been good, I (and I think Mike) would like to move on again and see something new. So in 3 days, its HELLO DUNEDIN. We are both very excited about the move and cant wait to go. Mike has a job already. And me, well i have 2 places ringing me asking me when im going to get there. It's go go go... But lots has happened since last time i wrote so here goes. We decided to head to Wanaka again for the opening day of Wanakafest. So we had it all planned, first was the parade, then the stage show and rock on all night. We arrived around lunch time, and it was the most beautiful day, we walked up to the top of a lookout over lake wanaka, and wow! What a fantastic view, New Zealand is so beautiful. We got back to the room and started playing RISK, an army stratigic game. Because of this,time slipped away and we missed most of the parade. We managed to see the last 3 floats. We had to laugh. So off we went to the stage, a local school band was playing and they were quite good too. We crossed the street and watched it from a bar across the road, beer in hand. By this time we were getting a bit peckish so we thought we'd head off for some food and come back later and party on. Great feed, but when we walked out at 8.30pm everything was shut down. We couldnt believe it. We had missed everything we went there to see... We cracked up laughing, went to a little irish bar, had some drinks, a few games of pool and had a great night anyway. The next day we got in the car and drove, ended up at Treble Cone ski field. Mike had a ski. We both thought the Kea's were very cute and nice, until i noticed that they had pecked into the cover on my spare tire. I was not so loving after that, Mike on the other hand couldnt stop laughing at my distress. F**K'N BIRDS!!! Left them behind and headed home, only to find the hillside of Queenstown was all alight and burning bright. We had a great weekend. One of the best i reckon. I also took a quick trip home to see the family. It was great. I miss them so much. And they all look so well and happy. And Murial, well what can I say, she's great. Collette and I spent 2 days in the baby. Best thing ever, we reckon! I've finished work now and Mike and I have been out to a couple of farewell party's for others that are leaving too. Its been good. But new beginnings now... things to do, places to go and people to meet, cant wait!!!

Living in Queenstown

Queenstown is truly a beautiful winter playground to live in. However, Mike and I are missing the warm air of Australia quite a bit. It snowed again here yesterday, and i woke up to find that it had snowed over night as well to leave the ground with a light covering of snow, it just looks beautiful. We went on a day trip thru to Arrowtown last weekend. Arrowtown is little mining town from years ago. Its a tiny settlement of the gold mining days. To our surprise it has a couple of very nice cafe's where you can sit and warm up. Yep like Queenstown its cold... I think maybe colder to be honest. We did a little trail walk along thru the Chinese Mining Settlement in Arrowtown, it tells the story of the early Chinese miners etc... shows you some of the huts they use to live in. It was quite interesting. Our next planned trip is over to Wanaka again for the Wanakafest... We are both really looking forward to that!!! Mike is hoping to stop in at Cardrona Ski feild on the way home for a bit of skiing. Well im off to walk home in the snow, yeah!!!

Wanaka, puzzle world

What a great day out this was, we both had a couple of days of so decided to do a trip thru to wanaka for the day. We started to head up and over the hill,you get so high up that you are actually driving thru the clouds, I was very scared and at one point actually turned the car around. After I had pulled over and thought about it i decided to drive on and i was so glad we did. Wanaka is a quiet little town that sits on the edge of lake wanaka. Very tiny and quiet. Quite pretty too. We made our way to puzzle world. You sit in the Cafe and at all of the tables you have puzzles that you can solve, I managed to solve a couple. I was quite pleased with myself. We walked thru a leaning house, where water runs uphill, and you can enter a room where at one end you can touch the ceiling and at the other its about 3 feet higher than you, and yet it doesnt look like it should be. They have a room where all the faces on the wall follow you round, its kinda freaky. My most favourite part of puzzle world was the maze. It was the first time i had ever completed a maze, and i think maybe the first time i had actually ever been in a big one like that, I was always to scared. But this time i did it, and i went to all 4 towers. It was great. Mike says he went to all 4 but to be honest i only ever saw him at 2 of them,(i think he was telling fibs, ha ha ha ha). Anyway we had a great day. It was awesome.

Ice skating in Queenstown

Well it honestly feels like i've done nothing but work since i've arrived in Queenstown but i know this isn't so. As i look back thru my photos I had to laugh at some of them. Mike and I spent a few hours at the ice rink not long after we arrived her. As usual i was a bit wobbly on it. But as i grew more confident i managed to let go of the side rail and fly. Yep i even got up a bit of speed a couple of times. Mike forgot to tell me before we did it that he was able to skate quite well, sneakie bugger!!!! And at one time snuck up behind me and attempted to unbalance me, ha ha ha it didnt work. The Rink is the home to the Queenstown Rangers. I had a very enjoyable time and didnt end up on my back-side, like someone i know!!! Ha ha ha ha

Beautiful Queenstown

Imagine this, your flying in your plane and you gaze out the window and you dont know wether to be scared or awe struck by the beauty, as you find yourself flying between the mountain ranges. A light covering of snow on the tops, makes it the most beautiful thing you have ever seen... it's so amazing, then you start to panic as you realise your about to land and you see no runway, just mountains. I couldnt believe we were landing between the 'Remarkables and Coronet Peak. The weather here is chilly but its a dry cold, it's not damp and wet. I am lovin it. Mike and I have a small room at Reavers Lodge, on the top level, and when you walk out the door you get this amazing view of Queenstown nestled between the beautiful mountains. I dont think i could get sick of the view, thats for sure. I am working as a baker in Fresh choice Supermarket. There's alot of work to be done, but we are getting thru it. Its like starting a bakery from scratch. We are nearly at working properly stage now, yeah!!! Mike is still looking for work, i'm sure he'll get something soon. The snow season starts in about 4 weeks, yeehaa!!! Cant ski but i'll give it a go. Will be a good laugh for Mike if nothing else. Take Care, from the ski bunny.

Back to 'The Land of the Long White Cloud'

Yes I have finally made it back to New Zealand. And still not working. We had 3 weeks here before Mike's parents flew in, so for me it was a good chance to go and see lots of people back in Waihi and do the big catch up thing. I have caught up now with just about everyone i think, only a couple of really important ones left but i'm afraid now that i have just run out of time. So i will miss out on seeing Si & Murph and Pete & Helen. This is a real bumma for me, but my time just ran to short. Well we picked Steven and Annette (Mike's parents) up from the airport, unfortunately we were a bit late and they were already thru customs waiting for us. So not a good start. Mike was very happy to see them again. As usual, we stopped at the Autobahn on the way home and had breakfast. They found it hard to believe not many people drive German made cars here. And the Norfolk Pines was something they had never seen before either. After the flight they were buggered, so they went off to bed to get a couple of hours sleep. Mike made a beautiful roast chicken lunch, so we woke them at 2pm so they could join us. Then we all sat down so we could do their planning on what they wanted to see. We first went to the Waitomo Caves, I had never been there. I loved it, even though it was raining. Mike encouraged us to go on a bushwalk to a naturally-made cave look out. I did enjoy it. The next day they decided to head up to the Bay of Islands, I stayed at Collette's to give Mike some time alone with his parents. Collette and I got the VW out on the only fine day, and once again headed for Waihi to hoon around and see people. We had the best day. The car didnt miss a beat. We named her Murial. And to top it all off, ordered a new licence plate for her.

i'm beautiful
MURIAL
And its all purple.
Life Is Great.

Final Days in Oz

What a rollercoaster!!! We started to think that our poor little van wasn't going to sell. So this time we dropped the price to under $3000 and waited... This was when Troy entered the scene. We took the van around to his place and he offered us $2600. We said yes almost immediately, we were so happy. He got us the money straight away then let us use the van to clear out some of our stuff. Troy let us use all the things in the van until we leave to fly out to NZ as well. I helped Mike clean up the flat a bit, then it was my turn to get on the plane, heading for Brisbane. I felt a bit sad and guilty about leaving Mike to deal with the inspection etc... and just hope it goes well for him. I made it to Brisbane no worries. George met me at the airport, we hired a car and hit the road heading for Lisa's. It was great to see her again, she looked so much more relaxed and the happiest i've seen her for a long time. Met Liz, she's great and the 4 of us got totally sloshed that night, so am now convinced that i will be off the booze for quite sometime. The next day after a bit of recovery from us all, the 3 cousins headed for Southbank. What a fantastic area. So pretty. Then back to the house for a very quiet night for me. The next day George and I went to Dreamworld. I let George do "the giant drop" and "the wipeout" by himself. I've done them before and was quite happy never doing them again. But managed to go on every other thrill seeker ride i could find... it was great. George dropped me off at Brett and Amanda's, so now i am just really chillin out until my flight on Saturday. Its great to get back into that family atmosphere. The girls (Ella and Macy) are growing so fast and are just fantastic. And Amanda, just as beautiful as ever. Bretts not back till Friday so looking forward to catching up with him. Life's good, as usual...

AFL Geelong Cats Vs Adelaide Crows

My first Ozzie Football Match and im so excited i cant sit still. Unfortunately Mike had to work so im going by myself to this one. Geelong vs Adelaide in the NAB Cup Final. This is the final of the pre-season games. Caught the taxi at 6pm, and was at the ground by 6.15pm. Walked to gate 1 and got my ticket, $23.00, yeah!!! The stadium is massive and all the terrace seats are full. It was like going to see an All Black Game. I knew nothing of the game and the guy next to me explained most of what was happening thru the game. A huge roar from the ground when the Adelaide team entered the ground, almost deafening. The game was amazing, i loved it so much. Punching the ball to the next player, kicks then marks, then everyone diving for it when it was lost, then a backward kick over his head and he scores a goal. It left me thinking "how the hell did he do that..." They play in quarters not halves. And there are these people dressed in bright fluro clothes that run all over the feild giving orders from the coach to the players, but they are not allowed to interfer with play. Shit it looked funny. I had the best time, and yes(to all the girls out there) they do wear those tight little short shorts... ha ha ha ha...
Yeehaa!!! The Geelong Cats won in the last quarter of the game. Gooo the Cats!!!

Hahndorf

Hahndorf, what a pretty little village. Its just one quite long main street. And there are oak trees growing all the way along the road, their branches meet hight over the centre of the road so it is like you are driving thru an arch way. Hahndorf was one of the first german settlements in Australia. There are alot of eating place where you can experience german cuisine. Mike and I went to a shop called 'The German Cake Shop'. We ordered a platter type meal. You get 2 different types of wursts(sausages), kassler(this is either meatloaf or pork chop, sorry i cant remember) & sauerkraut and also pretzels. Proper bread pretzels. I must admit i quite enjoyed all of it. The sauerkraut had a orange flavour to it. I also found a shop where they can tell you about your family name and where it comes from, and give you a picture of you coat of arms. I got one for myself and one for Mike as a present. As you can tell they have cut outs that you can poke your head thru and take photos. Yer i know, we look GREAT!!! Ha ha ha ha...

Adelaide

Well we finally made it to Adelaide, thank you to our wonderful little van. It sure has been worth it's weight in gold, not breaking down even once. The first thing we did when we got to Adelaide was book into a camp ground right on the beach and go swimming. It was lovely. Not big waves but it was great anyway. Mike loved it, me, well im still not to confident in the sea. The next day we got the papers and rang up about some jobs. We both had interviews the next day and lucky for me i landed a job that day. I am working in a hotel (Cross Keys) as a kitchen hand. I put dishes into a dishwasher, take them out and chop up veges. And for this they pay me $19 hour. I love it. I work 3 days a week and get $400+ in the hand. Cant argue about that i reckon. Mike had a job the following day so things were just all coming together for us. We went and visited Aunty Grace. She's nearly 90, 88 i think, and shit she is onto it. I hadnt seen her for around 20 years and she knew who i was and loved to hear how the family was doing. Aunty Grace let us park the van in her driveway for a week, until we moved into our flat. And even now she lets us go around and do our washing, she's great. Well as I said we got a flat, 500mts from the beach, in a suburb called Semaphore. We love it. Its just one bedroom but its all we need and only $120 week. Quite a bargin. Now all we need to do is sell the van, so fingers crossed it sells soon.

It's a long way to Coober Pedy

Hours of driving, straight roads, no cars for miles, unbearable heat in a non air-conditioned van... And then... Spit, spit, spit, spit, YEEHAH!!! IT'S RAINING!!! Not just normal rain but fair bucketing down. On goes the brakes, off come the clothes and out into the rain we danced, all this on the main highway between Alice spings and Coober Pedy. We must have looked mad, yahooing in the rain. But who saw anyway... It was great. And from here it got a bit more exciting. We crossed the border and we also saw our first 'Big Red' kangaroo on the side of the road. Miles along the road we saw another one and got photos of it. We pass the famous 'Dog Fence', Mike couldn't resist and had to mark his territory. Then in the distance, white hills, pure white hills, yep we had made it to the opal mining capital, Coober Pedy. We stayed in a motel called 'The Underground Experience'. The Motel is dug into the earth and you can walk thru alot of the old opal mines. We stayed in a room 20m below ground where the tempature is a steady 21 degrees all year round. It is very dark when you turn the lights off so in the morning you sleep late cause you just dont see any sun come up. It was fantastic. In the town we saw 'The Big Winch', A space ship from a movie filmed there(it looked like it was out of Star Wars), and we took a look thru some of the opal mine museums. And you can even buy moon rocks, ha ha ha. We both loved Coober Pedy but once again the sea was calling so... our poor little van once again carried us on.

On The Road Again To Ayers Rock

Well we are on the road again, Ayer's Rock here we come. It was very exciting. Yet again, we got another blow out on the way. Seems rather fitting tho, since we got one the last time we tried to go to Ayers Rock as well. We got there and jumped straight in the pool at the camp ground, it was another hot hot hot day. Refreshed, we took off to see the sunset at the rock. $25 for a 3 day pass into the National Park. The Sunset was beautiful, Mike jumped on the roof of the van and got some fantastic photos. We were up early after a sleepless night from the heat, to watch the sunrise, just as nice i reckon. Then walked the 10km track around the rock. Its a big rock, but its not the only attraction in this area so we headed for The Olga's. We stopped at the look-out and got some more great pictures. By this time tho the day was getting hot and all we could think of was the beautiful beaches of Adelaide that awaited us. So at the suggestion we hit the road, well lets just say we couldn't drive fast enough. Our poor little van!! It's done us proud!!!

It's Goodbye Time

It's time to say good-bye. The day has finally arrived. Yes we leave Alice Springs tomorrow. Not only that, we are leaving the fantastic house we have been sitting as well. For the past 4 weeks we have lived in 2 houses. Kim let us stay in his over christmas while he went back to NSW. And for the last 2 weeks we have been house sitting for Teresa and Joe (Mike's Boss). They have 2 dogs which we had to walk, Bailey and Kelly. They were very easy to look after. And all the comforts. Its been great coming home and not having to worry about a thing. We cooked meals nearly every night, no take outs for us. It was great being able to use an oven again. And to come home and dive straight into the pool was just heaven. It has been the best part of my stay in Alice. I said goodbye to all the girls at work, Kate, Ange, Michelle and Holly. I have got my shirt (uniform) as a momento. And if you think i'm sad, well... , your wrong!!! I still cant wait to get outta here. Bring on Ayers Rock. Yippee!!!!

Race Day in the Alice

Saturday 14th January and its race day in Alice Springs. Yeah!!! I had plans to meet up with Ange and Kate there, have a couple of drinks and enjoy my last Saturday in Alice Springs. And I did. I was very excited, i love going to the races. I should have guessed what it was going to be like when i read it in the local newspaper that there was only 5 races and only 6 horses in each race except for the last race which had 8 horses running in it. But i was to excited and never gave it another thought. Mike dropped me off, right at the gate (another clue). I found Ange and we went and got a xxxxgold (beer) and sat down at a table with an umbrella so we weren't right in the sun. They were about to start so i shot up and put a bet on. Yippy i got 3rd, raced up to get my money, 'Sorry we are only paying out for 1st and 2nd'. Shit i thought. So went and sat back down and had another beer. It was then that i looked around a bit. Now i'm not lying when i say i counted 40 cars in the car park and only about 35 people. It made me laugh when Ange said 'well they got a few people here today'. At least you didnt have to crowd at the front fence to get a glimpse of the horses galloping by. Quite a bit different to the 1000's we get at our race days. And thats when i noticed it. The horses dont run on grass, the run on dirt covered in oil. Yep, that's right, dirt covered in a layer of oil. I wish i had of had a camera there. We had a fantastic day out. I won a little and then as usual lost it on the last race. But it was great. An absolutely georgous day in the sun at the races, it's very hard to beat it. Nana would have loved it!!!