Inverness

The early part of the week was spent getting over some jet lag (Denise) and a bug (Harry) but we both had something to look forward to as Marion and David were in the Cotswolds for a few days before heading to Spain for their bus trip.  They are keeping a blog as well so we had caught up with the early part of their holiday before meeting in Tetbury for the evening.  (Seemed quite surreal when I had met Marion the week before in Astoria, Wellington for a coffee).  We spent a few minutes wandering around the town enjoying the daffodils and tulips before finding the two of them in the local hotel where we decided to settle for the evening. At first glance this was not quite where I wanted to eat (Cottage Pie Pizza on the menu sort of set the tone), but the atmosphere was nice, company good and the seats comfy and food turned out quite good afterall (didn't try the pizza). The week has also been full of election news with the 3 parties vying for position and the Leaders debates on tv.  We continue to find it amazing that we are allowed to vote but will be exercising that privilege next week.  The week was quite short cos on Friday afternoon we set off to the airport for Inverness (no problems with the volcanic ash though the end of the long weekend saw Edinburgh and Dublin airports closed due to a change in wind direction - we didn't know anything about this until we got back to Bristol).  I don't know what it is about Scotland but I definitely feel emotionally pulled towards this country with its beaches, lochs, little villages, mountains, snow and somewhat inclement weather.  We've had a great weekend in the Highlands (apparently the least populated area in the UK which we did remark on as we drove for miles without passing a house or a person) and we were lucky enough to get reasonably good weather (a little bit of mist, a few drops of rain, some amazing cloud scapes, a bit of a breeze and some sunshine to bask in on a couple of occasions). Our weekend has certainly made us look forward to our road trip in September. Like many of the places we have visited it has had its share of heartaches.  As soon as we had landed we were off exploring and on the way to our hotel (well just a little detour) was Culloden - but first the viaduct.  Framed in a lovely cloud scape with daffodils and green fields this railway viaduct was built in the late 1890's of pink sandstone - it shortened the circuitous route through the country to Inverness quite significantly they say. 

The battle between the Jacobites and the Government was the last battle on Britain ground and the scene is now a memorial to those who lost there lives.  The museum showed both sides of the story of this one hour battle in 1746 where 1500 Jacobites (hoping to restore the Stuart monarchy who had previously escaped to France led by Bonnie Prince Charlie) lost their lives (men, women and children) and the Government (King George ll army who included some Scottish clans and led by Prince William the Duke of Cumberland) was the stronger. The poor Jacobites had no chance of winning, they fought for their cause in a swampy, marshy, rain sodden ground (a bit like a wintry Desert Road with a bit of scottish heather, lots of peaty marsh and puddles and perhaps some snow thrown in). They were tired and hungry from days of marching through the cold and windy environment and greatly outnumbered and ill prepared for the surprise attack on the Duke's men - it was hard to imagine the fight - less than hour and the devastation afterwards - only memorial stones show the clans lost families.  From a historical perspective it is pleasing to see that after centuries of draining the moors for agriculture the owners are now leaving the environment to return to nature so visitors can see just how difficult it was for the Jacobites - they lost their line of attack when they tried to go round puddles too deep to walk through (this enabled the opposition to come in from behind).  To this day, visitors have seen ghosts of the soldiers on the anniversary of the battle ie 16th of April - I think we were glad it was the beginning of May and we could not hear the cries of battle and the clash of steel except in the audio visual (which incidentally operated using sat nav). There is a story that birds do not sing in this area - and after reading that I do not recall hearing any though that means very little as I had one ear near the audio visual and the other covered by my woolly hat!! So, in the aftermath the government took control, dismantled tribal society by depriving chiefs of their legal powers and confiscating weapons - they even banned the kilt (we did wonder why the kilt is a national dress given the climate and were sure we weren't the first to wonder this) as well as the clan tartans and oh no, the bag pipes (I wonder if people tried to play them secretly while in hiding).   Prince Charles Edward Stuart returned to Europe and his story of his escape made him a hero - but that didn't last long and soon the French expelled him and he moved to Rome where he took to drink, and lost not only his wife but also his followers.  

Defence of the country didn't stop at Culloden and not long after on the coast only a stones throw away from the battlefield Fort George was built as a response to this war - the defence mechanism seems to have worked as there has been no more wars on British soil.  The fort is large, but it was still hard to think how 400 troops could be housed within its walls - but I guess conditions weren't quite as good as what we would expect today.  The fort was initially built to defend the land but then later the sea as the French flotilla began to float a bit too close for comfort. It is still a working barracks and as we wandered around with our audio guides and map we passed a number of armed forces out for their smoko or daily constitutional.  Like most places like this I enjoy the views more than wandering through the buildings (though the chapel with the bag pipe playing angel was unique) and this fort didn't disappoint me as we looked over the Firth of Moray hoping for a sight of a few dolphins dancing (no luck there) and spotting where we had had a coffee the day before.

On the other side of Fort George, or should I say across the Firth of Moray, are a number of little seaside villages that we drove through, or stopped at for a coffee or a glimpse of rural life. Here we quickly wandered through a museum detailing the lives of the Picts (a group of Celtic tribes living in eastern and northern Scotland). And then on to Cromarty - a little gem of a fishing village (if I ever write a guide book it would be very different to the ones we have as Cromarty only took up 3 lines on the page but took us 4 or so hours to explore). From the cobbled streets and cemetery perched high on the hill with a memorial to Hugh Miller you could see the oil rigs berthed in the Firth for maintenance. We found a leaflet that took us around the village pointing out the buildings of historical interest like the ice cave (a local told me as a boy he went down to the lakes to cut the ice and take it to the caves - but lately he hasn't been able to - I assumed this was because of the green house effect rather than old age but didn't like to ask) and we spent some time in the houses where Hugh Miller grew up and then lived as an adult - now a museum. I am sorry to say we didn't know anything about Hugh Miller (or recall ever having heard his name) so here is a bit of history of this very famous Scotsman. He lived in the first half of the 1800's and was born in Church Street Cromarty (it seems every village in the UK has a street called Church Street - we live near one, and I work on the corner of one). He was a famous geologist, writer, editor (of the Business News I think) and naturalist but started life out as a young man who did not appreciate the standard type of education so left school early (expelled actually) and then became a stone mason (but to marry his loved one he needed his Mum in laws permission and that meant bettering himself so he took up a bit of work in a bank and then became an editor). I liked some of his quotes which show that curiosity and inquisitiveness displayed by so many famous people. "Let it be my business, I said to know what is generally not known" and " Let me qualify myself to become an interpreter between nature and the public".

We also explored Lochness - well the dry parts of it - we didn't do any diving in the Loch to try and find the home of Nessie mores the pity. The day started off a bit misty - bit too misty for photos - but the right atmosphere for a spot of Nessie hunting but then the weather cleared and all warm and snug in our coats and hats we enjoyed the day exploring Urquhart Castle, little villages along the way, the Caledonian Canal and Foyer Falls. But first of all it was a few stops in parking bays (as recommended by the guide books) to see the views and a stop at the exhibition centre telling us how scientists have looked and looked for Nessie to no avail - many still believe that he is hiding somewhere in those deep dark depths of the Loch (considering it holds more water than the rest of the UK it is entirely possible that he is enjoying life down there undisturbed!!). We wandered down from the top of the hill to the Foyer falls, where we had a bit of culture along the way - on stones carved and strategically placed near the path (where a rest could be had) was the poem of Robbie Burns written on his visit to the falls.  What a clever man looking at that water and coming up with some fitting words - I just stood in awe at the brown water tumbling into the deep dark pool beyond. 

 “Among the heathy hills and rugged woods

The roaring Foyers pours his mossy floods,
As high in air the bursting torrents flow,
As deep recoiling surges foam below,
Still through the gap the struggling river toils,
And still below the horrid cauldron boils,
Till full he dashes on the rocky mounds'
Where through a shapeless breach his stream rebounds.”

Like many beautiful parts of our environment they have often been spoilt by industry and in this was once the spot where locals and visitors protested the building of an aluminium factory.  It apparently became one of the first ‘environmental battles’ (late 19th century).  Protests included letters and partitions but to no avail and it was not until 1967 that the aluminium factory was closed and nature was again allowed to dominate in this picturesque part of Scotland. 

There is heaps to do in Scotland if you are energetic which we didn't particularly feel this weekend.  Brochures showing white water rafting, mountain climbing, horse riding, skiing, hiking, biking (does it all sound familiar?) were all available for us to read - and think 'in September'.  Our hotel was right outside a golf course and in the mornings when Denise was trying to sleep she got a running commentary 'those three can't find their balls', 'ooh he missed that easy hole', 'he is in the rough', 'that shot landed in the bunkers', 'he's just hooked it' need I go on!!  The only advantage was that Harry could use the golfers as a gauge to the temperature outside which helped me decide what to wear. We didn't get long in Inverness itself (except we did go to an evening of accordian and guitar folk music in a local pub which was great - ate Thai food while listening) and we wandered around the castle but didn't go into it.

These photos were taken on the way to Beauly where we sat in a caravan park and had lunch one day.  Beauly Priory - another ruin from the past and was a nice way to spend 15 minutes before heading further up the coast.

And wherever we go there always seems to be an air museum.  Harry enjoyed this one - it was an enthusiastic volunteers place with lots of bits and pieces of engines and cockpits scattered around.  He was detained as often happens by the enthusiastic volunteer - the only one manning the museum this day - with a detailed history of the planes and his career in the armed forces.  I stayed in the car and spent an hour happily reading my book.  The photo is of a Vickers Valiant cockpit.

Sydney

I left a nice sunny day in Wellington and arrived in a warmer Sydney evening.  I couldn't believe that I had thought Sydney wouldn't be as warm and so here I was in boots and polar fleece jacket - but thankfully had some cooler clothes in my suitcase.  It was a long queue past the pleasant and welcoming customs officers and a longer walk to the train which I caught into town.  During the flight I had watched "The Castle" - a bit of a "take off" of Aussiess and as I stood around in queues and walked to the train I kept smiling about some of the anecdotes in the movie.  Mike had said "Get off at Wynyard Station" which is what I did but on arrival I had to phoned him because there was more than one exit. We all found each other (that's Mike, Sharon and Aaron and me) outside a burger place and we went to see Gradconnections' offices - very central, just a few doors up from the station.  Mike gave us all Gradconnection tee shirts so you might see the bright lime green shirt appearing in photos sometime or Bristolians just might see a flash of the phlorescent colour pass them as Harry and I head for work.  Then we were off on the bus ride home to Rebecca - where we had a few hours of catching up and a few hours of sleeping.  Saturday dawned warm again and Rebecca and I went to Coogee Beach while Aaron and Sharon went to meet Sophie and Mike caught his ride to rugby.  I had a lovely time lunching with Rebecca near the beach and then we decided to walk to the university where Mike said the field was - it was a long 10 minutes - and we ended up catching a taxi so that we could at least see some of the game.  We sat in the stand and watched the second half of a rather close game (difference in scores is that the opposition managed to put over a few conversions) in brilliant sunshine and talked to the opposition supporters.  Then with Mike dragging behind (sore knee, 90 minutes of running around field didn't lend itself to a happy chappy walking for another 30 minutes) so we waved down another taxi and were back at the car in no time.  Over the bridge, and well rested and showered we then went for a short walk to the Indian restaurant hailed as one of the best in Sydney by the locals (Mike and Dave).  Then off to Kings Cross for the night (well Rebecca and I decided sleep was more important) but the others were keen to catch a bit of Sydney night life.  Sunday morning saw lots of sleepy heads as we kicked everyone into action - after all we had rented a car for the weekend to go to the Blue mountains.  With the promise of a yummy picnic lunch and some sleep in the car off we went.

It was a shorter trip than I remembered and the roads were more like motorways than the narrow windy roads I recalled (it was after all 30 years ago when I last rode these roads).  We stopped for a drink at Leary (a nice little town and a bit less touristy than further into the mountains) and then Katoomba where we spotted the 3 sisters along with thousands of other tourists. These rocks are to Australia just like Milford Sound is New Zealand - it seems they are the photo on all of the tourist brochures. Anyway, the three sisters are each just over 900 metres tall and if you stand at the top you would be standing about 3000 feet above sea level (which we didn't do). Like all famous places there is a legend. The Aborigines call the tree sisters 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo'. The sisters were members of the Katoomba tribe and were beautiful. But they had fallen in love with three good looking brothers from the near Nepean tribe - star crossed lovers - tribal law said 'No way' to marriage. The brothers were so in love they hatched a plan - lets fight for them - so off they went presumably with some reinforcements. Not sure why, but a witch doctor decided that the three sisters were in danger and so he turned the three sisters into stone to protect them. The spell was going to be reversed when the battle was finished, but unfortunately for the sisters who were now rock solid and for the brothers who were still in love the witch doctor was killed and no one else could reverse the spell.

Lunch was on the grass verge by the car before heading to the worlds steepest railway and cable car near the site of an old mine and town. The scenic railway was once part of a network of tram lines built to bring coal and kerosene shale from mines down below up to the top of the hill. In 1882, a loading platform and from there the network of tramways began to develop - it is now known as the Scenic Railway but before that as the "Flying Fox". It is pretty steep and we held on tight as we went down a near vertical cliff to the bottom. The mines continued for a number of years until the depression really - offering miners a place to work and a life down at the bottom of the cliff. The mine, railway and cable car then turned into a tourist venture and in the late 1920's the first person was taken for a 'tourist' adventure. Now it runs regularly, every 10 minutes or so, except in storms and takes over 800 tourists to the depths below.  I had a great time in Sydney with my family - it was all over too fast.

New Zealand

I was soon over my jet lag.  After a lazy Saturday afternoon relaxing with Sharon and Aaron and giving Tabby cat lots of attention (she recognised me and gave me lots of hugs which was quite impressive as last time Harry was the only candidate for her affections).  We went for a little wander and had a late lunch and then Sharon and Aaron dropped me off at my hotel.  It was a good idea to stay one night in a hotel - I went to bed as soon as they left at 6.30 and woke up again for good at 9.15 the next morning.  Fairly refreshed but not totally.  I would have been lousy company for any of my friends or family if I had stayed with them.  In the morning I ate a leisurely breakfast and had a long chat to a waiter from Russia.  I think he was pleased when he knew I understood about the difficulties of living overseas, when some times are good and other times are just not so good, how it is a bit harder making friends when you don't sound like the locals and when there is a pull towards home even when you are having a great time.  Sharon and Aaron came and picked me up right on the dot of 11.00 - a number of alarms had been set so that the two party goers woke up in time.  We went for a nice walk around Oriental Bay and then had another late brunch. We then went home and I had my first go at playing wii games - a bit of tennis and some bowling - I can see how you can get quite fit - once you get the hang of it and don't swing your remote too near the television. Then I caught up with Jill and Graham and Rachel, Clare, Gareth and Mya for the evening.  Which was great fun - friends that you can not see for ages and then when you do it feels like only yesterday are so special.  I had such a treat when I learnt that Jill had taken the next day off and so we had a leisurely breakfast and then got dropped into town to get my drivers licence.  This is a long story about red tape ... to keep it short... when we applied for our English licence the authorities insisted on taking our New Zealand one and destroying it.  No reason - but we couldn't have the English one unless we gave it up and if we didn't give it up we couldn't drive.  When doing some research to see if I could drive in NZ I found I had to have a current NZ one, do have but no proof of that in my little hot hand.  So, Harry and I duly filled out lots of pieces of paper and sent the papers and cheque over, but not in time to get our new licences.  So, I had to go and get a temporary one from AA and thankfully there were no problems otherwise Mum and I would be walking to Eketehuna.  Incidentally Harry's licence has not yet turned up. Jill and I caught the cable car and then walked back up to Karori with my new temporary licence in my bag and stopped for a coffee and cheese scone (not common in the UK).  The morning went by far too fast and in no time it was out to pick up Mum.  It was lovely driving along familiar roads - not particularly busy.  I drove past crumpled hills rather than the rolling English ones and they appeared so much smaller than I remember - probably because we always tell the English they don't have hills only little bumps in the landscape.  Down through Pukerua Bay I drove and along the coast road which is one of my favourite places - not the road really but the cliffs falling into the sea below and waves crashing over the rocks and sometimes the road.  Another revelation - I always thought our roads were quite narrow but actually most of them aren't much narrower than the English ones - just a whole less busy.  Autumn is coming, just a few golden leaves falling and the weather is surprisingly warm for this time of year.  Cheryl had borrowed a horse float for me to sleep in and so that was my bed for the next couple of nights - no horses thankfully.  I am sleeping in the caravan area wedged between the cab area and the horse sleeping area - a bit like a static caravan really but with an engine.  Lucky me - it was fun.  The first night I slept up top but the skill it takes to climb up and down during the night with arthritic knees made me rethink and the second night was down below in a bed Marty kindly made through taking the table out and extending the seats and legs.  Harry will be really surprised but I was up before everyone else (except Marty and his dogs who went off to work) and so I went for a walk along the road and got some lovely photos of cows, sheep, dogs and the valley waking up on an autumn morning.

Once everyone else rose we went for a drive to Woodville and Pahiatua.  The Lavender farm was closed for day and so was Fantasy Land (a place that the Tourist Information person told us was absolutely worth going to) but we managed to go to a little doll and bear museum and then onto the cheese cake shop. We needed that cheese cake and coffee after wandering about the museum.  I took photos of Mum and Cheryl sitting with an 85 year old bear and 45 year old cat.  We had a long chat with the lady who's hobby had become what looked like a full time job and she told us how she had bought the old house and organised it be moved to their farm before telling her husband - her message was 'tell secrets quickly and get it over with' because she kept putting off the 'telling' almost until the house arrived.  Just imagine the story in the pub - and I came home and there was a house sitting in my backyard!! We also had a wander through an art gallery which had some fabulous paintings (on canvas and car bonnets) and photos (a bigger bag and I would have come back with a book of black and white photos!!).  I am rather annoyed with myself cos I have lost the name of the gallery, and there is a neat story about how the photographer and painter met on the beach at Kapiti.

Cheryl has an interest in history and we enjoyed learning in the evenings a little about some famous New Zealanders that I hadn't heard of before.  We did a bit of geneaology looking as well - as many of our family originates from England (not surprising) and she has managed to dig up some interesting things about our Maori family as well. Monday night was stormy - windy and wet.  The horse float rocked and swayed in the night and I was reminded of our camping expedition in Wales.  The next day we visited Mount Bruce with Jodie and I enjoyed watching the feeding of a young tuatara.  At first, I thought he was plastic, but plastic tuataras don't blink and certainly don't eat  vitamin coated grasshoppers and slaters.  I think we were surprised at how fast this little creature could move when food was on the horizon - fairly natural when you think about it. The rest of the week was spent with Jim and Margot catching up with them in the evenings (and a bit of glow worm spotting in the dark) and lots of other friends during the day. Weather still great and between coffees, nibbles and chats I enjoyed the sun at the harbour, visiting the art gallery, wandering up and down Wadestown Hill and the rose gardens, revisiting Katherine Mansfield's house, and wondering how many Weightwatcher muffin bars, Marmite, choccy biscuits and Watties Indian Spiced Tomatoes I could fit in my little bag - not enough was the conclusion.  Then it was off to Sydney to see Mike and Becks and that is the topic of another blog.  Getting back from Sydney was long...10 hours in fact...and I managed to let Jan know I couldn't meet her but thought I had enough time to still meet Heather for dinner.  Well, we were on the plane and that very very long flight path and an aborted landing meant I was very late for our dinner date but we still caught up over food in Petone and I had a great time chatting and eating ... then it was off to pick up Sharon and Aaron from the airport.  It was about this time that I began to think about starting a diary 'The Adventures of a Stranded Passenger' as the flights to and from Europe were stopped due to the Iceland volcano have a temper tantrum.  After a day of thinking about this we all came up with plans on what I could do (like go and stay with Jan in Napier, have more cups of coffees, dinners and walks with friends, perhaps buy a house) and besides missing Harry I thought I could cope quite well with being stranded (when I arrived back at to work - my work mates were quite sympathetic about me not being delayed!!).  And all too quick the time had gone - and I was saying goodbye to Mum (after spending the night with her, having a nice dinner in Raumati with her and Sharon) and then waving goodbye to Sharon and Aaron at the airport.  It was very hard saying goodbye and I shed a few tears in the plane loo - before drying my eyes and hatching my next plan to return back to this little island in the big ocean.  My only regret is that I didn't take enough photos of my friends and family ... not sure why ... but I think it was simply because it was too good talking and we had so much to catch up on.  I did take some photos for Harry though and the game is 'Where was I standing when I took the photos?'.  He did quite well at this quiz.

24 Hours of Trivia

On Thursday 8th April I said goodbye to Harry and I was on my way to New Zealand.  We both felt sad that he wasn't coming but I was comforted by the fact that I would spend 48 hours in the air and he would be busy in the weekends doing lots of interesting stuff.  To pass the time and to help him realise he wasn't missing too much I decided to record details about my flight to Wellington via Hong Kong and Auckland.  It is pretty boring stuff and the only time I will ever do this so worth recording for posterity.

13.42 pm - Said goodbye to Harry at the bus station.  Felt quite sad at saying goodbye rather than being able to say hello to all our friends together.

13.46 pm - I double checked with the officials that the bus did actually go to Terminal One at Heathrow because the board mentioned all terminals bar One.

13.48 pm - We were told that the bus would be a tad late (5 or 10 minutes) as there was a traffic hold up and the bus was coming from Swansea.  I had never thought of catching a bus when on work down there but might consider it some time.

13.50 pm - I decided that it is going to be a long 5 or 10 minutes and sit down with lots of others with various sized bags.

14.11 pm - The official says the bus will be a bit later - the M32 is closed and traffic is being diverted around Bristol as someone is trying to jump off the M32 bridge.  I was reminded of the programme 'On the Buses' as the man with grey hair and wearing a yellow security jacket paces up and down explaining with his hands the reason for the delay. 

14.14 pm - This is when I am reminded that we are all quite selfish - little thought was given to that distraught creature planning to end their life - some were concerned about missing their plane, others wondered why he couldn't just jump and then the traffic could just run over the body.  After giving a thought to the person responsible for this I decided I was glad we had booked an early bus for me - I had 7 or so hours to wait around.

14.20 pm - I text Harry just to let him know I hadn't yet left.

14.49 pm - The bus arrived and everyone piled on.  I passed my bag to the driver said 'thanks' etc and he said with a smile 'My bus is full of foreigners today' to which I replied 'Aren't you lucky' but wished I could think of something smarter to say.

14.51 pm - We are on our way, but not before some safety and toilet instructions.

15.12 pm - We head along the M32 with some delay from crawling along the Bristol streets missing the diversion (Harry told me later that the police managed to talk the man down from the bridge which I was good news). 

15.13 pm - I wonder if the bus drivers hours will be up before we arrive at Heathrow.

Are you bored yet?  Well I was so I made up a game.

15.37 pm - I watched a few truck drivers (being in a bus gives a much better view than in a car).  One was eating a burger, another on his cell phone, another leaning on the wheel as though he was about to fall asleep.  But my game to prevent boredom was "Could I determine if the driver had a tattoo on his right arm by the shape and colour of the vehicle?".  The answer was not easily - my success rate was low, but when I decided most of the tee shirt covered drivers did have tattoos regardless of what vehicle they drove my success rate shot up.

15.53 pm - I started to get real bored and fidgety (Harry knows all about that) and took a panadol because my neck started to hurt.  I was still looking at tattoos, muscley arms and truck shapes though.

16.27 pm - We arrived in Reading at the shopping mall outside a telephone box with broken glass and where I read that if I didn't have the money I could type in the word 'reverse' on my cell phone and this would be a collect call for the lucky person at the other end.

16.46 pm - Caught in traffic on M4.  But nothing too serious.

17.00 pm - Arrived at airport.  Easy peasy to check in as no queues and well signposted to the Air New Zealand stand.

17.48 pm - Wandered through customs after having my jars of cream etc tested once again (what is it about my little plastic bag of goodies that says 'test me test me' all the time?) and looked for a bookshop to find a book and a paper and then to a coffee shop where I was taken to the back of the cafe to a row of tables specially designed for the single traveller. 

18.00 pm - Happily sitting reading paper and listening to the guy at the next table sporadically talking in English and German and eating a very unappetising ploughmans lunch (I almost ordered it but glad I didnt).


18.10 pm - Enjoyed my cup of tea more than the burger.


18.51 pm - Asked for the bill and wandered over to the departures board.  No gate number yet so sat somewhere strategic so I didn't have to get up and down to look at the board all the time. Where is Harry I thought - telling me what Gate I would probably be at, what type of plane I would be on, whether I would be sitting in the middle row of seats or not.  At least I thought some surprises in store for me.

19.25 pm - Told to go to Gate 40. And after a 20 minute walk arrived there.  Talked to some people flying to Seoul for holiday.


19.53 pm - Doing a Harry working out if it would be a full flight or not - but not having much luck cos I didn't know how many were travelling on the new Asiana airline leaving from the next gate and how many my plane would take.  It was getting dark outside and I hoped for some stretching space on the plane.


20.30 pm - Boarded the plane - rather tardy in joining the queue as I would after all be about 24 hours on aeroplanes.

21.05 - Kiwi captain - how I recognise that accent now I live somewhere else amongst lots of other accents.  He said we were leaving on time - there were some empty spaces up front but they were cold as the heating had broken down - we could move there after we had taken off.  I presumed we had to sit in our allocated seats for take off and landing just in case there was an accident and it would be easier to name bodies strapped into their allocated seats. 


21.15 - Settled down to watch Crazy Heart - but it didn't grab me as a film - the 'excellent country music' was the attraction but the story line a typical 'down and outer' meets success story.  I never got past the first seedy motel.


21.45 - I moved to my 'bed' for the night.  Was given 4 extra blankets to help keep out the cold but didn't need them.  But being a 777 the arm rests don't go all the way up.  What's more mine fell down so while lolling around watching movies and trying to sleep I kept pushing them back up to be more comfortable.


22.00 pm - Dinner was served and I watched 'Have you heard about the Morgans' movie which was passable but I was pleased that I hadn't paid for the privilege of watching it.  Highlight during dinner was dropping my glasses so I had to move the tray over to my other 'chair' to pick them up. 


23.00 pm - Finished watching Morgans and went to bed on my 3 seater couch.  Much more comfortable with the feet up.  You can imagine there will be a few 'loo' stops during this trip but I have decided not to mention how many times I have to go in 24 hours. 


23.30 pm - Well I must have dozed a bit but really am awake now and so settled down to watch another movie.  Then got up after a few minutes and tried those travel sickness pills the phamacist recommended to help me go to sleep.  They just might work - but somehow I doubt it because by ...


03.27 am - I had finished watching 'Young Victoria' which was quite a good movie.  Got up and looked in the mirror 'Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the woman looking so haggard?'  When I arrived in Hong Kong I sent Harry a text to say all I needed was a broom stick and pointed hat - reminiscence  of this moment infront of the mirror.  He tactfully asked me how the trip went.


1.50 am - Next movie was Lovely Bones - but must be tired cos even a film purported to be great didn't hold me.  The doziness from the pills had worn off  a bit.  Boredom settled in (no Harry to annoy which made it worse).


3.00 am - I went to sleep and woke up 2 hours 20 minutes later - that is very impressive for me on any flight - maybe the pills work after all.


6.15 am - Breakfast time - probably would have tasted good in another environment with some sleep and I set about watching 'Devil wears Prada' which was a good movie and saw me all the way to ...


2.55 pm (Hong Kong time) and we started our descent and I moved back to my allocated seat.


3.05 pm - Saw a bit of the view by leaning over the person near the window but not a lot to see except some high rises peaking out from the smog.  We arrived one hour ahead of schedule.  So, one more hour to wander around the transit lounge in Hong Kong.


4.20 pm - We were off the plane and back through security where my plastic bag of goodies escaped further inspection for once.  I talked to an English couple who looked just as tired as I felt - they are volunteers in an organisation that goes and looks after children in orphanages in Romania.  However, this flight they were going to Auckland unfortunately to her mothers funeral but then were having a holiday with family.


4.40 pm - I worked out I had $23 in Hong Kong money and offered to buy the couple a cup of tea - only to find that a cup of tea was $25 so I paid for it on my card.  I managed to knock over one of the cups which seemed to go for a long way across the linoleum and the man bought himself another one probably wondering what on earth he had found here!!  


5.35 pm - Standing in the queue again with my boarding pass and transit card.


5.55 pm - Back on the plane - same seat and no hope of a bed further up the cabin.  The English couple are behind me all the way and I take note not to spill any more drinks.  I took the grapes and chocolates out of my bag for munching on during the movies.


6.20 pm - We are all on the plane ready to go except we aren't going anywhere.  I sneezed and bit my tongue which is incidentally very sore because I have been doing that trick all week.


6.25 pm - Started to watch Rock and Roll Pirate but that didn't grab me either but just as the song 'Judy in the Skies' came on the plane began to taxi (no joke). Oops it is actually 'Judy in Disguise with Glasses' - must have been tireder than I thought.


7.00 pm - I filled out the arrival card for New Zealand and had trouble remembering what countries I had been in during the last month, after careful consideration I wrote Wales, England, Czech Republic.


7.10 pm - Attendant bought around water and I mused on the fact that Air New Zealand is now employing a number of middle aged men to do the 'hostess' bit. By now Harry would have kindly suggested I should readjust my watch.


7.20 pm - The dinner menu was announced - I could have chicken or pork and I wished I had organised vegetarian as they always get their meals first.


8.00 pm - Got up for a drink and talked to 2 English woman who are travelling to Nelson and Wanaka.  I made some suggestions about what they could do on their one day in Auckland (they were helpful suggestions!!).  They talked about the hospitality of New Zealanders - a common theme that seems to come up where ever we go.  I looked out the window once they had gone back to their seat and saw lots of little lights glittering below so figured we were somewhere above Australia or perhaps there was a party of boats somewhere.  Went back to seat.


9.50 pm - I woke up.


12.30 pm - I watched the film Hachikito which was one of the better ones on offer.  Incidentally the 777 has touch screen controls so I didn't have to use the remote.  Drank 2 cups of water and went for another wander.


1.50 pm - Woke up again and went for another walk and had another discussion with the English woman visiting Auckland, Nelson and Wanaka.


2.15 pm - Started watching A Single Man - which I did finish watching but can't remember much about.  


6.50 am (NZ time) - Breakfast was announced - I could have omelette or noodles and the choice of a fine selection of NZ wines.


8.35 am - we began our descent into Auckland and we were told that Air New Zealand has been voted airline of the year (not sure by whom but they were proud of it and so they should be). 10 minutes later I went onto the tv to see what the programme on Wellington was like - all about shopping and restaurants.


9.05 am - landed in sunny Auckland. The captain came out to say goodbye.  Customs officers were polite and said hello with a smile.  You can electronically get checked through customs if you have a chip in your passport which I don't.  Walked a long way to the exit where volunteers at Auckland were helping lots of tired tourists go to the right places and directed me to the right place to drop my bag.  


10.10 am - Walked along the blue line to the domestic terminal.  It was sunny and I enjoyed it.


10.20 am - Bought a coffee and sat with a number of people travelling to Wellington that were on the plane from Hong Kong.


10.30 am - I text Haz to say I had arrived and Shaz to say 'see you soon'.


11.10 am - I am aboard another plane this time bound for Wellington. Saw the 'body paint' security announcements and tried to answer the quiz questions on the screen - but not up to date with Shortland Street so didn't know some of the answers.  Great view over the South Island.


12.10 pm - Arrived at airport and met Sharon at the luggage carousel - I have travelled a long way for that hug...


If you have got this far you have done well. I hate to say it but I suspect Harry wouldn't have got bored doing what I have just done and has probably enjoyed reading this account as it reminds him of how much he enjoys flying.


24 hours of flying and as you can see not a lot happened - the planes were on time and I managed to get some sleep.  For most of my travels that has always been the case.  However, I did have a few other adventures during my flying time around the globe eg it took me 10 hours to fly from Sydney to Wellington (airconditioning problems, long flight plan up to Brisbane and across to Norfolk, aborted landing in Wellington).  Then the possibility of a longer time in NZ due to the volcano with the unpronouncable name (I wouldn't have minded having a few extra weeks over here and in fact began to look forward to it).  In Auckland when returning we spent more than 90 minutes sitting on the tarmac as the crew attempted to sort out a passenger issue finally asking about 12 wait listed passengers to disembark (felt very sorry for them as they were probably some of those who missed their flights due to the volcano).  I arrived back safely in England after a great holiday but wishing I could have stayed longer (forever perhaps?).