Day 8 - NZ

Cookie says...
Whilst we weren't game to head to Cardrona today, we weren't too keen to be stuck in the unit again after yesterdays effort so we headed out and about. First stop was to get some brunch from Fergbaker and on to some Frisbee golf. We were all equally ordinary at it, especially when the disks aren't the same disks you use when playing ultimate disk, so the end result was pretty close.

I was at a distinct disadvantage but I still won!

After a bit of a break back at the base, we headed back out for a spot of mini golf. Mikey had been itching to visit this place ever since Luke had raved about it so it was time to see what the fuss is all about.

No surprise this was my favourite hole.

It was certainly one of the most detailed of courses but it wasn't suited to my putting skillz. I might have lost but I prefer to think that I got better value for my money.

It was a long game...

For dinner it was Fergburger and it was busy as usual.

Mikey says...
Today was golf day. Frisbee Golf and then Mini Golf. I was pretty much amazing at both but held myself back to make the others fell not so... loserish.


I looove my super-slow-mo.

Dinner for me was a roast pork belly burger. Delish!!! Hopefully tomorrow we're all off to Cardrona and not just off.

Mim, Mikey has a confession to make!

Also hoping that we make it through the rest of the trip too as the food poisoning has given Cookie gas that is almost levitating him from the ground. Luckily none of us smoke or our doom would be almost certain.

Pilty says...
I still wasn't feeling the best, so wasn't going to be hitting the slopes today anyway. Was nice of the other guys to hang out with me instead (even if it was just to cover their softness). The day did however get better (unlike my stomach) with a couple of different versions of golf (which in itself I find very boring).

They let anyone busk with anything these days!

I had also been wanting to visit the indoor mini golf after doing some pre-trip research. I had also heard rumors that there was a second mini golf course on the other side of the road but it didn't look as good (perhaps next time?).

Fergburger food is sooo tasty! I choose a larger burger just to make up for the lack of eating yesterday. No wonder it is such a popular place.

Time to make up for yesterday!

Day 6 - NZ

Cookie says...
After a day off, it was good to get back on the snow. We headed back to Remarks today although it was an overcast day which meant flat light making it tricky to see the detail on the snow. Around lunch time a window of an hour opened where the sun broke through to allow some quick runs. Mikey had fun having a crack at some of the park boxes while Pilty loitered around the green runs.

Once home and showered, Pilty pretended to be domesticated and put on a load of washing before heading for dinner. Went to a seafood and steak joint for dinner. It never ceases to amaze me how odd Mikey can be. We sat down and after a while he started making the table creak and move the drinks and candle around. Very peculiar man.

Pilty putting the finishing touches to his new business.

Tomorrow Cardrona awaits!

Mikey says...
Back to the Remarkables today. It was pretty cloudy but not a bad day. I tried to do some of the fun boxes on the slopes and they went great until the end bit where you have to get off with out stacking it. Couldn't really get that bit down pat.

At this point he looked like things were under control.

Mikey showing off his skillz.

Dinner at HMS Britannia tonight. It was all we could manage as I was dressed as a chav and it was the only place that accepted chavs. Apparently it's not a restaurant but a real ship!!! The wooden table even creaked in the waves and the candle and glasses slid from side to side with the roll of the ship. Simply amazing!

Mim, I think Mikey's flaunting your rules!

Pilty says...
I managed 1785 vert metres today. No idea what that really means, but I went up and down a mountain 17 times. I also felt brave enough to try out the tunnel which was a step up for me. There is photo evidence of this occurrence and as far as I'm concerned, means I'm better than Cookie as there is no evidence he has achieved such a feat.

Pilty causing a traffic jam in the tunnel.

Day 5 - NZ

Cookie says...
Another blue bird this morning but unfortunately we're not heading up the hill. On these trips it's usually a team effort and doing it my way but this time the majority ruled so we went for a drive instead. First stop was Arrowtown for the Chinese settlement, a stroll up the street and pies for morning tea.

Arrowtown.

Previously I had been recommended a venison pie after I'd finished a steak and mushroom but this trip I made up for it and I have to say it was probably the yummiest pie I have ever had.

There are some concepts that Pilty just doesn't get.

Next stop was the Kawarau Bridge to watch some bungee jumping however the only other tourists there were a bunch of Asian's and as expected, they took a stack of photos even though no one was jumping. As with the last trip we headed for Puzzling World on the edge of Wanaka. This time I managed to get to the green tower which we'd missed last time but we were still beaten by a Rodda.

The return home was via the Crown Range with a stop at the Cardrona Hotel for lunch. We had burgers which were okay but don't have anything on what Fergburger creates. I ducked into town for some supplies after getting home and it was soup for dinner followed by watching the Bledisloe Cup match between us and the Kiwi's.

Mikey says...
Day off today. Pilty and I could tell Cookie wanted a day off but just couldn't bring himself to say it so we took one for the team to help him out. Went to Arrowtown and had a lamb and mint pie... well I had almost all of a lamb and mint pie. Cookie took a... Cookie size bite out of it before I realised that the pie I was holding had a V on it for venison and his had an L on it for Lamb. Mental note will have to watch my food from now on to make sure Cookie isn't turning into the Cookie monster and start eating everything on site.

Mikey ordering a 14 and 27 in the Chinese Settlement.

Then on to Puzzling World. I finished the maze first even though Pilty and Cookie didn't realised that it was a competition. Mim will be proud as I just kept turning left, then left, then left again, and again, and again, and then left, and then... ALL OF A SUDDEN... I turned left. Oh yeah it takes brains to do this sort of stuff.

All blacks match tonight. Come on All Blacks!

Mikey discovers that water can flow uphill.

Pilty says...
For some reason I have a really sore neck, so Cookies suggestion of going for a drive was quite convenient. I had been starting to wonder why they called this country the land of the sheep; I now have had my doubts alleviated. Puzzling World was quite fun and I think I won the maze challenge because I found the towers in the correct order. Union tonight; I still don't understand the interest in such a boring, stop/start game, no wonder Cookie hit the sack before it finished...

There was a queue for the public toilets.

Day 8 - NZ

Cookie says...
Another day with lots of two things. For me it's driving and for Mim it's brown signs. Seriously, the woman is addicted! Anyway, after a walk to check out the glacier we exited Frans Josef and made good time throughout the day.

Mikey distracted himself from the glacier and started building some rock piles
that people start building all over the place.

We managed to leave our accomm with a quarter of a tank of fuel and were worried about finding a town large enough with the petrol we needed. The positive thing was that it helped keep Mim's addiction in check and we made it to a major town with 22km's to spare.

Mim photobombing another of her brown sign locations.

The next challenge was to travel through Arthur's Pass without losing too much time to brown signs. We did stop a few times to keep Mim happy but a few of her ideas turned out to be duds (she'll deny this though). The Pass was pretty good, free of ice / snow issues and only a couple of slow vehicles to pass.

We checked in, had some Thai and if we weren't full already, we had dessert at another joint.

Julie says...
The statements to sum up the day;
1. Mikey's singing should be outlawed.
2. No Mim, not every brown sign is worth stopping for.
3. Really? A sock museum? Are kiwi's really that bored? and
4. NZ shall no longer be known as 'The Land of the Long White Cloud', and shall henceforth be known as 'The Land of the Giant Green Hedge'.

Mim says...
There's nothing wrong with being addicted to brown signs.

When he looked up,
he worked out where it was jammed.

Mikey says...
Long day of passengering today. Made the drive easier for everyone by singing and telling cracker jokes. Mim and I were excited about visiting the sock museum at Hokitika even though Cookie and Julie were ... less than enthusiastic. However Cookie unknowingly parked right across from it! Woo hoo! So we went and had pizza and then went to the sock museum only to find out it was closed. Mim and I were understandably devastated, now I will never know the secret history to the sock.

The Rodda's were unhappy that this place wasn't open.
Seriously!

Day 7 - NZ

Cookie says...
We've discovered that the trip from QT to Frans Joseph was longer than we'd thought and it wasn't the earliest of starts due to light and ice concerns. They were probably a little unfounded and we made okay time. The road is generally pretty scenic with transitions from rugged ranges to farmland to rain forest encrusted with snow. Mikey managed to take a thousand photos and a few of them even captured some scenery.

Mikey has a unique way of learning photography.

The main stops we wanted to make were Blue Pools, which we found early on, and Fox Glacier later in the arvo. A few more stops here and then we'd made it to Frans Joseph.

Pilty, you'd be proud of Mim's photo bombing skills.

We finally found something that Mim could do (clearly pregnancy doesn't agree with her in that it's too restrictive to her lifestyle!) and dunked ourselves in some hot pools.

One of Mim's more successful brown sign sights,
Thunder Creek falls.

Dinner was at another bar sponsored by Speights where we once again over ate. We've also found out that we can't watched the third Origin match at home and the bar was going to close before it finished. Fortunately we're recording it at home so hopefully we don't hear what the result is from others.

Julie says...
Hehehe, I had a little giggle to myself when Mim found out she wasn't allowed on a glacier. I know that sounds mean but if you'd heard her go on and on about her looking forward to it, you would've had a little sadistic giggle yourself! It's ok though, she found it slightly humourous and then went searching amongst her 50 million brochures to find other things she could do...

Mim says...
So annoying that they wouldn't let me climb on the glacier due to being pregnant!!

Blue Pools was just loverly.

Mikey says...
Loved looking at all of the mountains as we drove to Franz Josef. So far have only tried slow motion movie caption of Cookie driving, it's like normal driving but SUPER SLOW MO! And don't tell Cookie and Julie the origin score! Pilty that means you!

No points for guessing what he was saying...

Day 6 - L

Cookie says...
We pick up Mikey today which is good as Mim hasn't stopped counting down the number of sleeps until he arrives. Mim was pretty crook today so after heading to the pharmacy for her, we then went for a stroll around QT. Julz was chuffed that Frisbee Golf was setup in the gardens and is now obsessed with finding one in Brisbane.

I showed her where Fergburger is (it's a required pilgrimage) and next door they've opened the Fergbaker so I had to have a pie!

When you're onto a good thing, diversify!

Wineries were next on the list however after wanting to check up on Mim, we only made it to Amisfield. Mim was a lot better, we read for a bit and then went and found Mikey at the airport.

Before dinner we ducked up the gondola to check out the view.

I tried telling this guy the real view in front of him was better!

This is the stereotypical view he could see.

Dinner was at the Bunker on the recommendation from one of the girls from work and we were all wrapped with the setting and meal. After an awesome meal, it was time to sleep it off.

Julie says...
Go Frisbee golf! Too bad we didn't have a Frisbee - Cookie would've been embarrassed though when I whopped his butt at it. The pilgrimage to Fergburger.... it is a requirement of the visit to QT, and is definitely worth it. Not only are the burgers enormous, they are tasty as well. Noisy-pants Mikey finally arrived on the scene. I wonder what wildlife he will scare away tomorrow...

Oh the irony!

Mim says...
Bed all day (3 movies plus sleeping), picked up Mikey then gondola. Really delicious food.

A really nice dinner, nice warm setting and great company
makes for the perfect night out.

Mikey says...
Finished work at 2am, got home, packed my bag, slept for 3 hours then to the airport! Bought a camera at Brissy airport and it's got a SUPER SLOW MOTION MOVIE setting. Hmmm what to video super slow mo...

Day 5 - NZ

Cookie says...
Breaky was the fourth meal at Baileys and the place was getting a little tiring.

Wouldn't want to get wost!

We made for Queenstown and saw our bus guide from yesterday plying his trade. The drive was another drive full of great scenery and fortunately there were no ice issues.

A mini hydro plant.

We didn't drive directly to QT as we headed to Wanaka via Cromwell. We stopped in at the Bungee jump bridge on the way and then invaded Puzzling World in the way into Wanaka.

Lunch was a must and after that we checked out the illusions section which was interesting. We had a bit of fun with the maze which introduced the third dimension. The A-A's would have like this place.

After driving over the Crown Range, we dropped into Arrowtown where we checked out the main street, Chinese Settlement and Mim managed to find the old Gaol. Back on the road, past Coronet Peak and the Shotover Jetboating spot and then into QT.

Too old for some of you to get.

Our accom wasn't too far our of town so we walked in for dinner at Winnies. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it. Mim wasn't feeling the best so we headed home.

Julie says...
Puzzling World is very cool. I'm just reinforcing that, so that Bec and Luke know the awesomeness they missed out on.

One of the illusions at Puzzling World.

It was a little chilly in Arrowtown but the thermometer refused to go below zero (I had a bet with Mim about the temp). For years now Cookie has raved on about this place called Winnies, and homages to it exist all over our house. I never really knew what all the fuss was about.... now, I can - some of the best pizza ever.

Mim says...
I was the only one that completed the maze properly - found all four corners and then found the way out. I was paranoid about slipping on ice as we were checking out the rebuilt Chinese settlement at Arrowtown so of course I did slip over but thankfully didn't hurt myself.

Another stereotypical image from NZ.

Day 4 - NZ

Cookie says...
I liked today as there was no driving! After breaky we were picked up for the shortest pick-up ever, across the road! There we waited for a bus to take us to Milford Sound. The driver could talk under water but he was alright. Te Anau was under a blanket of fog but by the time we made it into the Fiordland region, it was clear skies.

Children!

On the boat we had lunch and cruised the sound for an hour or so. On the way back I snoozed (driving is clearly tiring regardless of whether I'm behind the wheel or not), we ate in at the hotel again and then hit the hay.

This place was stunning but it still had a bath ring!

Julie says...
Today was pretty cruizy - just sittin on the bus and boat watching the scenary go past.

So pretty!

Mim says...
We saw wildlife - a brief glimpse of dolphins and a more sustained view of sea lions. Also got to meet a cheeky Kea (bird that's basically a fat parrot that likes to eat anything). Julie and I got to have a mini snow fight.

Mim was in her element!

Day 26 - CH

Cookie says...
We were off to the transport museum this morning and it was pretty good. It's really hands on to keep the kids occupied and it has a few other neat things to see. It even has a model railroad which represented a section of their network which was almost up to the standard of the Miniatur Wunderland models but built over fifty years ago.

Imagine the carnage Hollywood could come up with this.
It throws snow up to 100m!

This should be familiar to the folks back home.

We went in search of the Lion Monument and lunch, scoped out a spot for some time-lapse and then walked along the base of the old town wall (the walls and towers are only open during summer).

Pilty isn't the biggest photobomber out there...

Yes... it's a cat...
A genuine Swiss cat...
You should have seen them with their cameras out!

We returned to a spot for time-lapse, proceeded to freeze, snapped some extra photos and then headed to an English pub for dinner. I did find it amusing that an I, an Aussie ordered an American burger from an Indian in an English pub in Switzerland - we live in a global village now.


Here's a rough cut of the time-lapse.
Julie says...
Oddly enough, in a country obsessed with banks, it took us ages to find an ATM so we could buy lunch. The Swiss must carry thousands of Swiss Franks with them everywhere (we can only assume that they are all merchant bankers).

They must think nothing of carrying
truckloads of cash around with you.

Otherwise it was a pleasant day walking off all the food we have eaten these past few weeks. Hopefully my muscles burnt a lot of energy as I shivered with hyperthermia during the obligatory time-lapse.

I risked frostbite for this photo!

Day 21 - FR

Cookie says...
We woke to find the outside world white. In Cam McKellar's words, it had puked all night. The girls had arranged to meet Georges-Alan at Les Houches so I was happy to check it out while Pilty piked. It would be interesting to see how we all go. The girls went for the lesson and Georges-Alan sent me down a run full of fresh powder and devoid of people. Those that I did see where skiers and I found out why - the return was the worlds longest pommel lift.

The weather was pretty ordinary even if it gave the best conditions to ride. I managed to come across the girls half way down a blue run which heads to where we started, so I joined them for the last 30 mins of their lesson.

I found Wally!

Julie says...
Today I skied through a blizzard on my way down a rather large mountain. On multiple occasions, I gaped at Georges-Alan with a "you want me to ski down there..?" look.

Vini, vidi, vici.

But, after 3 hours of thigh-burning "skiing" down the runs (I'm sure those around us would question whether we were actually skiing... maybe surviving was a better description), I felt awesome when I made it to the bottom. If could purchase a new pair of thigh muscles at the ski lift, I so would have done it all again!

A well deserved drink.

Sarah says...
Everything hurts. The End.

Pilty says...
I'm not sure if I'd class today as a successful day or an unsuccessful day. While the others went off to conquer some slope a bit further down the road, I set off to reach the summit of Aiguille du Midi. I was really looking forward to experiencing temps of between -18°C and -20°C and winds between 60kmh and 100kmh, but alas for me, the cable car that takes people to the peak at 3842m was closed for the day

On the other hand, I enjoyed walking around while it was snowing heavily, making snowballs (although no one wanted to have a war with me), built a snow man and even made (or is it became?) a snow angel. It's amazing how soft and dry snow is here.

Achievement unlocked!

Bronwen says...
Les Houches, you had your butt kicked by B. Pyle, J. Cook and a little bit by S. Pyle. After a blizzard, the world's longest pummel ride, a red run and a couple of spectacular dives into mounds of fresh powder (with a group of French girls shouting down from the chair lift to see if I was ok...granted I was lying in a pool of snow, looking a bit dead but laughing so hard I couldn't get up), we hit the final slope back into the village. I had a feeling of exhilaration as we had made it all the way down the front of the mountain...a fist pump like I had just won a medal at the Olympics...even despite Georges-Alan telling me that I looked like a skiing chicken on the last slope. We are Georges-Alan's skiing angels!!!

Gorges-Alan and his ducklings.

Day 12 - NZ

Cookie says...

Well, as they (who are 'they' anyway?) say; all good things come to an end. As with most trips, the last day is more a commuting process than anything. We woke, packed, checked out and headed to the airport where we had breakfast and waited for our flight.

Once onboard and in the air I couldn't help but try something. In the last few years there has been a question floating around the internet that has caused more forum closures, banned users and internet outages than the number of people who died from the black death in the middle ages. The origin is rumored to have been in an aeronautical engineering exam and is simply a question about whether a plan will take off or not. So I figured now was as good a time as any to send this question to the pilots as they are experts and surely have nothing better to do other than play cards and snooze whilst the autopilot does their dirty work.

I think some 'turbulance' was really a cockpit disturbance
while the pilots 'discussed' this question

Ten minutes later the air hostess returned with the question and said that the pilots agree that the plane would not take off. This was concerning as this was the wrong answer and I was on their plane. I think that the navigator was actually right but the pilot who figured that the navigator was wrong because it's his job to navigate the plane and not fly the plane so he pulled rank on him.

In reality, it's a trick question because the wheels and runway don't have any inpact on what the plane is doing because the engines push against the air to propel the plane forward and ultimately into the air once lift is generated at the wings.

I also discovered that while it nominally takes three hours to fly from Queenstown to Brisbane, it is also the amount of time it takes to educate 150 passengers on aviation theory and how I am right and the experts are not.

Sadly Gurti's, friend's, partner didn't make it through customs

Back to the commuting and we landed, picked up our gear, headed to my place and then I dropped people hoome.