Cute sign in English and Maori

Hi saw this cute sign as I was walking along Breaker Bay the other day and thought I'd snap it on my camera phone. I've seen a few of these blue penguins about - they swim like torpedos underwater but look kind of silly when they try to walk!

Rab Burns night

Although we are far from home, we continue our traditions.

We had a Burns night and asked quite a few non-Scots along. Lots of fun was had watching the foreigners poking the haggis around their plate and being bemused by the Address to Haggis from the Ginger Headed Scotsman.

We finished the evening with some Cherry spitting contest (suggested by Helen in place of a proper Highland Games). I managed to land one in our neighbours garden and won the contest!

Ian

Wedding anniversary!

Wow the blog has been going strong since 2006, and so has our marriage! We had our second wedding anniversary in very pleasant surroundings.

Trying to keep the trip a secret from Karen was difficult, but it was worth it in the end as she was most pleased with what I had arranged! A long weekend near Abel Tasman national park. A short flight on an eight seater Cesna jumped us across the Cook Straight, and then we hired a car to drive up to Kimi Ora health resort at the northern tip of the South Island.

A beautiful resort run by two Germans, they have installed a variety of water treatments (such as a vibrating sauna and a steam grotto!). We spent most of the time by the pool, but also ventured out on a guided sea-kayak trip up the beach-lined coast of Abel Tasman. The guide took us and four others to Tonga Island (a seal sanctuary), where the seals played around by doing co-ordinated spins in front of our kayak!

Not far from one of the beaches was Split Apple rock (a large split-boulder peaking out of the sea). I swam out to this so that Karen could take my photo from the beach. She fell asleep - I shouted from the rock to wake her up but to no avail, I then had to make the 10 minute swim back to shore and wake her up, and then swim back out for the photo. So you can see pictured (very far away) a very tired Ian wedged between the two bits of boulder - the photo involved 40 minutes of swimming!

Lake Te Anau at sunfall

Here is a nice photo Karen took of an old pier on Lake Te Anau at New Year. The sky always looks interesting in Fjordland because of the constant changes in weather systems coming across at us from the Tasman!

Rob Roy walk photos

Rob Roy has his name all over places in Mount Aspiring national park where we went walking with friends at New Year - perhaps he tried some sheep rustling down here as well?!

At the top is a photo of Ian at Rob Roy's Glacier.

Then there are some photos a walk up Roy's Peak (beside Lake Wanaka). You can see views of the Lake with some of Fjordland (including Mount Aspiring) in the far distance. On the group photo (from left to right) we can see Dominic eating his lunch, Lawrence, Carloyn and Ian straining his neck to get in the photo.

It was sweltering and we needed to put on a lot of sun block to keep ourselves from changing ethnicity as we progressed on our walk.