Lyn Hang-gliding

This was something I had wanted to do since I was 50 (years ago!), so I wanted to go first.I loved the take off and landing, the view was stunning while we were up there and it took a while to get used to the feel of it. We seemed to be a long time in the air and I was told it was because the clouds were so good, eg there were lots of them and they sucked us up even higher than when the plane let us go. So, if there are a long line of clouds (called a street) it allows the hangglider to keep moving up with each cloud. I did get a little nervous wondering when would be a good time to ask if we were going to stop climbing at some point!
Great experience and lovely pilot and crew.

Emily hang - gliding

Well, what can I say?! It was pretty amazing, you can see for such a long way, it was like the view from an aeroplane window but you were actually in the air. Just a bit fantastic :). I did feel a bit sick though, so that wasnt so great!

Steve Hang-gliding

Tuesday Jan 20th - Really cool - esp take off and landing - felt a bit sick tho after circling in a thermal for a while. The pilot was a really nice guy and had done a 12h hour glide once going from thermal to thermal.
Great views over the bay, and when landing we just dived right down doing a couple of turns and smoothly landed on the grass - awesome as they say a lot round here!

Hang Gliding

Tuesday 20th Jan - went hangliding today - pretty awsome and Lyn has wanted to do this for ages.
They tow you up with a neat little plane and then let you go at 3000ft - then either you glide down - takes 30 - 40 min all together, or if weather is good you can catch thermals and keep going up and stay up for longer - people can sometimes glide all day
Lyn got good thermals and was up for ages

Skywire

Sat 17th - The longest Flying Fox in the world - 3 km long! We were driven up to the top of the hills which took for ages and there was a logging hauler / ski lift kind of arrangement and you sat in an open cage. The cable went right across the valley to a turntabe at the other end You were then let go, and when at the bottom hauled up the other side and released again backwards.
strange at first as we expected to go really fast but it just seemed to get very windy. In fact we got up to 90 kmh, but because we were so high above the forest you didn't get the feeling of speed until you got closer to the ground at the other end. at some points all you could hear was wind and cicadas.
The operator was full of chat, and gave us a second ride as there was no one else about. Great fun and different view of the forest. That night Emily slept for 12 hours!

Horse Trekking

Saturday 17th
Went for a horse trek - Surprisingly challenging for beginners - 3 1/2 hrs along the river then up to top of the hills looking down over cable bay for choccie biccies and snax, then down the other side. Lyns horse did some jumping over the river which was fun to watch if not for her! Em's horse was quite energetic with a mind of its own, and mine needed a rest and had a sore back when I'd finished.
The guide was great and had problems with her own horse being a bit frisky. all in all a really good ride with fantastic views and sore bums the next day

Then straight on to the Skywire!!

Nelson

Wed 14th - Arrived at Nelson and stayed at Tahuna Beach Camp in Tahunanui. huge camp, but plenty of space and we had some good neighbours who live in Christchurch - may look them up later - small kite festival nearby and we spent a day horse riding and went on a skywire - see other posts

Pelorus Bridge

Wed 14th - On way to Nelson we stopped at Pelorus Bridge and discovered it is a popular spot for swimming. Lovely clear water, people jumping in from rocks and kyaking

Picton

Tues 13th Jan - Arrive Picton pm and found campsite - and steve had a guinness in an Irish bar in the evening.
Small & pretty harbour - we had a coffee on an old laid up sailing ship - for sale if anyone interested. Saw a Maori family singing,
Stayed just the one night and moved on to Nelson. Stopped at Pelorus Bridge en route

Ferry Crossing Wellington to Picton

Tues 13th
Caught ferry at Welly and crossing was pretty smooth - nobody sick. Weaved through the sounds coming into Picton, fantastic scenery.

Carterton

We explored the area around Greytown and unfortunately, it rained for two days which meant we were limited to indoor activities. THese were a bit limited in this area. We looked at Schoc, in Greytown which made chocolate in many flavours including Earl Grey, lavender and rose. We opted for roasted sesame, which is delicious.
We also went to Paua World and saw the beautiful paua shells transformed from shell fish to jewellery.
We also went down a track to see some more SCENERY! This time it was a gorge. Em stayed in the van!
As part of the scenic route, we saw a handwritten sign which we thought reflected the `Tell it like it is` attitude of the Kiwis!

Plimmerton

We stayed here for nearly a week with friends of Steve`s, Sandy, Miles and Zoe. They were so friendly and welcoming, I didn`t want to leave! Em got to stay in a bedroom of her own with a BED!
They live in a great house with a view of the bay and surrounding hills.
Steve had a ride on Miles` motorbike and relived `Easy Rider` fantasies.
Em and I painted the van and as soon as it rained, the paint turned frilly which made quite a nice pattern.
We got up early one Saturday and had a look round the Polynesian market. Lots of interesting cooking herbs and plants which we didn`t know what to do with.

Fielding

We stayed at Fielding to break up the journey to Plimmerton. We saw lots of beautiful scenery on the way. Unfortunately, Em has had enough scenery, so we don`t always stop long to look!
The campite at Fielding was very strange and it would not have looked out of place in `Psycho`!
There were caravans there which looked neglected but still used, a TV which was about 12"x12" for all the campers and some parrots in a cage including some trapped sparrows. Very wierd.

Hot Water. Taupo

Near our campsite, there was a point where some hot springs met the river and this was a perfect place to swim. We sat in the river and felt hot water on our backs from the spring and cold water on our feet from the river.Lovely.
Lots of locals go there and as this was New Years Day, it was quite busy. I talked to a local girl who said how quiet it used to be and we both moaned about the bloody tourists!

New Years Eve

There was a free music concert in a nearby park where a local band played until midnight. They were very accomplished singers and musicians but although they played covers all night, Em only recognised two! They played their own version of Pink Floyd`s `brick in the wall` which was interesting. There were great firewoks at the end which we did stay and watch even though it had started to rain at that point.
A very Happy New Year to all our readers!

Huka Falls, Taupo

We walked along the river to see the Huka Falls. These were fantastic and in one picture there is a boat at the bottom which shows the size of the water. We even persuaded Em to come on this walk with us!