Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The wheels on the bus go round.

After leaving France Joseph the next stop was Makaraura or something to that effect. After dinner we did some Karaoke. It was a fun night hanging out with every one. Back on the road and a short stop in Wanaka for lunch. Then off to JB Hacket which is the first bungy jumper in the world. I've never had a strong desire to go bungy jumping but if I do it I will do it here in Queenstown where it all started. One last night with the gang from the bus before we split up. I have a few days here in Queeenstown.

I've started watching the weather back home and am glad to see it is slowly improving. I would be happy NOT to see any snow when I get back. Look forward to doing some flights on my own.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Friday would have been my last day but it rained so we didn't work. Saturday was a going away party for Fiona from sky dive. A few of us were leaving so it was a bit of an all in one party. It was a fun get together one last time with every one before setting out on my trip home.

Sunday I hopped on the Stray bus and we made our way to Barry town. Barry Town is a hotel and a few houses. It's a big party night and the theme for the night was dirty pirate hooker. You could dress up as any of them or combination of two or all three. It was a fun night getting to know every one. Four of us got up early to do some jade carving while the rest got to sleep in until noon.

Then we were off to France Josef Glacier. It was an early night as every one was up early today to do a hike on the glacier. The weather was perfect this morning for a hike. After lunch I've been trying to catch up on Internet stuff but getting very frustrated. The Internet connection in this country is brutal. managing to get a few things done.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Another Party



Launching rounds into the neigbours yard.



Roasting the pig.


We had a birthday party for Lee on the weekend. A friend that lives here in Mot. The guys were out pig hunting a month ago and got a small wild bore. Pig hunting is very common here. They normally go out with dogs and a knife and that's it. The pig was frozen until Lee's party and then thawed and roasted on a spit. It was very tasty. The theme for the party was Camioflauge which I didn't know until I got to the party. Didn't have any to wear any way. The guys set off, what seemed like a lot of fire works. Considering what we pay for them in Canada it would have been very expensive. They must pay a lot less for them here. The cops had been by three time before 9:30 to ask us to keep the music down. Seemed kind of early for people to be complaining As they boys got their party on they figured arm wrestling would be fun. Turned out not so much. Lee broke his arm and the ambulance came and took him into Nelson. He didn't even get any wild bore before he left. That will ruin his rugby season:( I headed home early as I had to work on Sunday. I only got a little lost walking home. Only a few weeks left before I head back to Canada.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

East coast tour.

I've added some pictures to older posts. My last day's off I headed out to the east coast. I started off going to Hanmer Springs. It's a nice little city that has mostly newer buildings. The area around town reminds me a lot of the Kamloops area. They have some hot springs there which I spent a couple hours in relaxing. They have lots to do including bungy jumping, jet boating, quad bikes, rafting, horse trecks and more. I was going to do a trail ride in the morning but it was raining so I just hit the road. My next stop was at a seal colony. Can't remember how to spell the name of the town. I almost stepped on a seal which jumped up and barked at me from two feet away. Scared the crap out of me. After grabing some garlic shimp for lunch I headed north up the coast to Bleimner and did some shopping before heading back west and home.

They look a lot scarier from a couple feet with there teeth showing.


A few seal facts.


Most bridges here are one lane. They jump off this one.


Typical narrow Kiwi road but fun to drive.
Mariua falls created from a big earth quake in Murchison.

Number two all time.

I took a Brazilian girl for a tandem flight the other day. I will rank her as the second most scared person I have taken so far. I picked her and three others up in Nelson. Once we got to the hanger she was vocal about the fact she was scared. It's common that people are nervous but I didn't realize how nervous she was until we were putting on the harness. She was breathing heavy and nearly in tears. She had taken a fear of flying course before she left Brazil in order to get on a plane. She started screaming as we started rolling and didn't stop until she ran out of breath. She was calmer once we were up a few hundred feet which I had suggested as we were getting ready. She was still nervous but relaxed enough to enjoy the view. A short burst of panic set in again once we let go of the tug and you get that dropping sensation. Lucky for us the air was smooth and she did enjoy the flight. After landing she was very excited. The funny thing is she is from Rio which is the biggest tandem site in the world. I'm not sure she would have been able to run off the ramp in Rio. Aero towing has it's advantages. I think the over under harness makes them feel more secure as well.