Fred and Laura on Tour

I love the smell of Napalm in the morning....but bacon smells better.

2007-04-19T09:35:00.000+01:00

Life in South East Asia is good. We have been in this part of the world for 3 weeks and, sadly, have only 2 to go. Bangkok, Thailand was our first stop and we were immediately shocked by exactly how hot it was, and how cheap it was. It has been fantastic to go from shared Hostel rooms to a Double Hotel room for under half the price, bathroom and sky tv included. Result! The heat really is intense and has really taken it's toll on us, 40 degree heat was never meant for walking around in! After the madness and many sites of Bangkok, we headed North to Chiang Mai for a little bit of relaxation. It was quieter up there but by no means cooler...a hotel with a pool is essential.
A flight to Luang Prabang, Laos was next, and we spent 3 days in this Northern town. We both agree that this has been our favourite place so far; a relaxed pace of life, quaint, peaceful surroundings, a little cooler than down south and the locals don't hassle you to buy things. Also, Luang Prabang is refreshingly untouched, and so for the first time on our travels we experienced a more basic way of life. Here we visted waterfalls, swam in small lagoons, ate great food, drank great beer and got soaked by kids as part of their new year celebrations. If you end up in Asia make sure you visit Laos, brilliant country.
As time is not on our side for this leg of the travels, 3 days was all we could afford there and we flew into Hanoi, Vietnam with a great deal of anticipation to see the capital. Hanoi was a completely different experience for us. It is so busy and, due to the volume of mopeds, is really polluted. Traffic lights really mean nothing in Asia but I don't know why they even have them in Vietnam....never obeyed. We managed to take in a lot of sights in and around Hanoi; Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Water Puppetry and a 2 day cruise to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island were the highlights among others. What you learn quickly about Vietnam is that everyone will try and make money out of you and attempt to sell you something every minute of the day. This can be quite annoying at first but it soon becomes easier to cope with.
Hue was next for us and after a 14 hour overnight train journey "first class" (not what you may think) we arrived sore and still tired. We nabbed a great hotel for the pricely sum of 4 pounds a night and managed to spend a couple of days wandering aimlessly and avoiding cyclo drivers. Hue was a nice wee place, quieter than Hanoi but with the same aggressive sales techniques. From there we flew to Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh City and it is from there we type this post.

So far we've checked out the Cu Chi tunnels and the War remnants Museum which have been equally fascinating for completely different reasons. Some of the images in the museum were harrowing and hard to take. Hanoi was the busiest city for us until we came here, this place is insane. You really do take your life in your own hands crossing the road, it has to seen to be believed. Leaving tomorrow for Cambodia and will be staying in Phnom Penh for a few days to see what that has to offer. Although it has taken a lot of getting used to and has been a massive culture shock, we are loving our time in Asia and wish we could stay for longer. That said, we are now looking forward to getting home and catching up with all the news from the past 14 months....can't believe the time has passed so quickly!

Our apologies

2007-04-01T15:50:00.000+01:00

Dear anyone who is still kind enough to check in with this blog, we are sorry for being so completely rubbish at updating our page! Our excuse is only that we have been moving about so much that we never seem to have the time - pitiful I know.

Anyhoo, we are now in Thailand. Actually....let me rewind a smidge.... Australia was really really great! We did Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne because that was all we could afford (OZ aint the cheapest of places considering our backpacker budget). All cities where great in their own ways but I think that we both favoured Sydney the most. Highlights from these cities were:
Sydney - opera house, harbor bridge, handfeeding a kookaburra
Brisbane - Australia zoo
Melbourne - neighbours night and Ramsay St, St kilda, Philip Island penguin parade.

So yeah, we're in Thailand now, slowly adjusting to intense climate, different culture and overpopulation. But we love it! Plus its so cheap too - uh oh may need to buy another suitcase! We are off to Northern Thailand in the next couple of days, then Laos shortly after, so are constantly on the go. May be a while before our next post but we shall try our best to keep you informed.

Toodles for now!

7 days and counting...

2007-01-24T23:22:00.000Z

Yes indeed folks, we only have 7 days left in our beloved flat. Hard to imagine we've been there for 6 months, we cannot fully convey to you how quickly it feels like the time has passed. We are aware that our posting has dried up lately, this is due to lack of access to computers, time and money constraints and also simply because the weather has been so good recently, we don't want to spend all our time in a smelly internet cafe. We have literally hundreds of pictures to show you all and have many activities and outings to report on (including our night out for New Year and the travels of Mum, Bill and Carla which will be posted asap), it's just finding a decent amount of time to do it.

So to tide you over, here's a wee update on our lives. The weather has finally turned into proper Summer weather, we are getting sun almost everyday, and even when we don't it's still really warm so we can finally get some use out of our shorts. This has also meant we can spend a lot of time outdoors and have been enjoying lounging about on our deck and wandering the city and town belt. We recently went up to Auckland for The Big Day Out music festival, which was a great day, saw a number of bands including Evermore, Kasabian, Muse and The Killers and met up with Bryan (another fellow Bunac-er) who we hadn't seen in ages. We have also been heavily planning our travels in Oz and Thailand and are really looking forward to getting on the road again. However, it will be sad to leave the flat as it has been an amazing place to live for our first flat together. Laura's sister Ann-Mhairi and her boyfriend Wil touched down in NZ yesterday and arrive in Wellington today, they're in NZ for about 3 weeks so they'll be travelling at the same time as us which will be great. I'm off to a Burns Supper tonight with another 9 scottish lads i've met over here, football chat, food and booze...you cannae beat it! We've got quite a busy week ahead, sorting out bills, furniture returns etc so will try and update the blog before we leave Wellington. We've added a couple of posts, Christmas and my Birthday (which is a couple down the page), but stay tuned for more coming soon.

Take care, and we hope you're all well. Below are pictures of Laura and I on a trampoline for your amusement.

Christmas time first...

2007-01-04T02:40:00.000Z

What a strange feeling to wake up and it be Christmas 13 hours before the rest of your friends and family! Our morning started with some breakfast snacks and drinks on our decking, it was pretty warm so we just sat out in our pjs and enjoyed our first (and probably only) christmas morning outdoors.

Not long after that we all got stuck into opening our presents, with some jolly christmas music in the background, and some champagne to help us get through the excersions of pressie opening. Everyone was really pleased with their gifts and we want to add a thank you here to everyone who sent out presents from back home, it was really appreciated and they were fab!

Next we got dressed and headed to the beach, after having collected Andy, Caroline and Kt. It was a little less sunny than we would have liked, and a little more windy, but it was a beach none-the-less and we were determined to stay on it for at least 10 mins. That we did, and here's the proof!

Back in the flat the turkey was cooking, the potatoes were roasting, and the veg was boiling. We all owe Veronica a huge debt of gratitude for doing the lump of the cooking, and a thanks to Carla for her scrummy stuffing too! Dinner as a whole was a group effort, and a tasty one it was too, so well done everyone!

Later in the eveing we amused ourselves greatly with music games, charades, and even some ceilidh dancing lessons! Of course the alcohol was constantly flowing, as were the tunes. Check out our groovy christmas hats too!
As far as Christmas' away from home go, this was a fantastic effort!

"Are you ready...are you ready for Elton?..yes I am!"

2007-01-03T03:40:00.000Z

A little delayed this post but I still wanted to share the experience with you.

As most of you probably know, Elton John made a pit stop in Wellington on his tour, and Kt and I jumped at the chance to boogie to some of his classics!

The weather was pretty good for it which was great as it was held in the Westpac Stadium, and we had some really cracking seats. After an annoying first half hour where other people at the gig clearly thought they were at a festival rather than a concert (walking around heaps and just basically getting in our way - hmph!) it all settled and Elton was allowed to shine!

He started off with the slower numbers then brought the house down with a quick up-beat tempo change in Crocodile Rock! It was fantastic, everyone was up on their feet, it was dark so all the colourful lights were flooding the stadium, and Kt and I were singing our wee hearts out..."laaaaaaaa-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaaa". Following Croc Rock there was a barrage of fabby up-beat songs to take us through to the end of the concert.

Elton was amazing, he sang and played non-stop for 2 hours. Kt and I were most chuffed as he played all the songs we wanted. Well done Elton! Bravo!

Now... a little puzzle for you.
See if you can spot the difference between these two pictures of us below....

Well....we found it funny!

Happy Belated Birthday Fraser!

2007-01-02T05:16:00.000Z

For my first Birthday on foreign soil I banded together as small group of friends and went for an Italian to see in my 25th. Great night with good food and good company. However, the best was yet to come. On the Saturday following my birthday, I had made up my mind to do karaoke, so karaoke we did. The day began with some afternoon drinks, follwed by a bit of Buzz on the playstation, then onto town where many a song was to be performed/murdered. The choices varied widely, and "The Thong Song", "The Neverending Story" and "Paradise City" among many were belted out to the adoring crowd. As you can see from the photos below, everyone had a cracking time and the group ensemble of "Don't Stop Me Now" was a particular treat. There have been rumours circulating of me hogging the microphone but those are completely unfounded. Anyway, it was my Birthday and I'll hog if i want to (even though i didn't). I had a brilliant couple of nights so thanks to all involved for such a great laugh.

Mark belting out "I just called to Say I Love you". Priceless.

Laura and I duetting "The Neverending Story". A beautiful moment.

The group (Craig, Kt, Andy, Bri, Me, Tom, Caz & Lucinda) doing Queen proud.

We were born to rock.

No idea what the girls are singing here but they own the stage don't you think?

I'm a bit wasted i think, at least Laura looks good.

Drunken fools.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T03:21:00.000Z

First of all let us wish you a Merry Christmas! Hope you all had a great time. A post showing our festive antics will follow shortly, but for those of you who can't wait, visit Kt's blog for a wee preview. We are currently preparing for our New Years night out in Wellington, hope you all have a cracking time, whatever you may be up to. We'll keep this short and sweet for now, but will be going post crazy in the New Year to update you all on the last month or so. Best wishes to you all for 2007!!

To the Pinnacles...and beyond!

2006-12-07T00:13:00.000Z

On a wonderfully sunny Saturday morning, a day trip unfolded…..

Courtesy of Mark and Jillian, Fraser and I found ourselves the guardians of a 6-seater van for 2 weeks. Not ones to miss such an excellent opportunity as this, we planned a day trip with chums (a.k.a. Caz and Kt). We wanted to venture somewhere we’d never been before, combined with a little Lord of the Rings location exploring, so off we went over the beautiful rolling Rimutakas, headed for the Pinnacles!

It took about 2 hours to get there, but the drive was glorious. The radio was playing some ace golden oldies; this combined with the gorgeous sunshine and wonderful scenery had us in great spirits right from the off!
Upon arrival at the Pinnacles we got stuck right into our packed lunches and then planned our route (as there were 3). One of the most fantastic things about the whole experience was that the route we took meant we were hiking up a river bed! Which you can kinda see in some of the pictures below.

Here we are at the start of our journey (and standing in the river bed)...

....and this is Kt and Caz hiking toward the magnificent pinnacles.
This was a much needed recoup half-way up, oh and it's also the start of our 'movie style' b&w photos too.

Here we have a wee 'dare-devil' up in-between a rather precarious pinnacle!...

Also, Fraser found the location used for a scene in "Brain Dead" and so we had to get a picture there.

We also found the location used to film the 'Dimholt road' in the LOTR's and so did our own superb scene there, and a great many others, as every turn we took looked like it was used for filming parts of the movie! There was an absolute peach of a scene that we did, where Frodo and Sam are hiding under Frodo's special cloak by the black gates (so they end up looking like a rock). Fraser came up with a gem of an idea of how to film the soldiers approaching this rock menacingly, but in such a way that we could not identify them...confused? Ah but that's the beauty of it, you'll have to wait and see the finished product! Har har!

On our return leg, back to the car and down from these mystical pinnacles, this was our view...

Gorgeous I think you will agree! It was one of the best days we've had out here (and there have been many of those) as it combined so many things that we all love to do. There is something so special and vibrant about tramping into the wilderness of New Zealand that is hard to explain unless you have done it. So come on guys!...get yourselves out here!

Night out with the girls..feat. Fred

2006-12-05T00:27:00.000Z

I thought it was about time you saw some silly night out pictures, and in a desperate attempt for those pictures to look stylish rather than urksome, they were taken in sepia - oh yeah...its cowboy time!

So, after a week of hard working, us girls decided enough was enough, and a night of dancing accompanied by a small amount of alcohol was on the cards. Not to mention the fact that an email buddy of Caz's was in town (an Aucklander indeed) so we had to show him and his friend the delights of a night out in Welli.

The evening commenced at la casa Grafton, where wine and beer was free flowing, and J.T was enticing us to cut some rug! I should mention here that Fred was at the boys flat at this point in the evening, soon to join us on Courtney place.

After a taxi and bus ride we found a comfy spot in 'Jet' where we were able to sit nursing our booze and mix between the dance floor and chair boogying! Then to our extreme pleasure and surprise the dj suddenly plonked a bowl of sweets (shaped like jets) in front of us! Fred had joined the motley crew by now and looked on in horror/shame as we flew our jets into one anothers.......

see how he looks on at us in such dismay........ poor boy! Though, in our defence, we had had quite a bit to drink.

A fun night was had by all, as music was good and company was fab, see look........you can even see Fred getting into the spirit of the sepia night now too!

Sepia rules!

The best gig in the world..........ever

2006-11-29T03:52:00.000Z

As you all know, the sole reason for me going to Sydney was to see Pearl Jam in concert. A long way to travel, but on reflection, worth every single minute and every single penny. I arrived at Olympic Park a couple of hours before they were due to go on, so just ended up chilling outside at a bar beside the arena. The bar had a covers band playing so I listened to them whilst watching the sunset (below) with a few cold beers. Missed the Kings of Leon, who were supporting, but didn't mind as it was a beautiful night and the atmosphere outside was brilliant.

Went in about 8.20 and Eddie Vedder came on stage about 8.50, I think, and kicked off with Betterman on his own. The crowd sang the first verse and chorus then the rest of the band came on and started the tune again, an awesome start to the concert. Both the crowd and band were both really up for it and the atmosphere was incredible, it was a massive arena but at the same time it felt quite like a small gig as the stage was so small and the crowd were so close to the band. I had a really good seat as well, off to the side but only about 8 rows from the front, superb! Didn't take many pictures as my camera wouldn't work properly, plus I spent most of my time jumping around like a madman, but here's the couple that I did get.

It was definitely the best gig I've ever been at, and probably will ever go to, it was absolutely phenomenal in every respect. Eddie Vedder was superb, he drank at least 1 bottle of wine during the set and was still able to belt out the tunes near the end.

They played for 2 and a half hours and the full set was:

Set 1: Better Man (Save it for Later), Last Exit, Animal, World Wide Suicide, Corduroy, Severed Hand, Given To Fly, I Am Mine, Green Disease, Even Flow, Marker In The Sand, Gone, Daughter (Beds are Burning), Grievance, Comatose, Rearviewmirror.

Encore 1: Soon Forget, Inside Job, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Last Kiss, Alive.

Encore 2: Jeremy, Lukin, Do The Evolution, I Got You, Smile, Rockin In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter.

Fred's Oz excursion

2006-11-29T03:22:00.000Z

Well I have been back 'home' in Wellington for a wee while and thought it was about time I reported on my trip over the Tasman.
I touched down on Australian soil at 5.30pm on Friday, and after getting the double-decker train to the city centre I spent the evening settling in to the hostel and wandering around the city. I stayed in the Railway Square YHA which I can highly recommend, friendly staff, pretty clean, good showers and right beside the station which is brilliant. All in all a nice relaxing first evening for a weary traveller.

Luckily for me I awoke on Saturday to blistering sunshine, blue sky and stifling heat, very different from Wellington believe me, so I decided to head for the Botanical Gardens to spend the day in the sun. Took in the sights of Hyde Park en route, and visited the Anzac Memorial (below).

When I reached the Botanics I had the whole afternoon to wander round before going out to the concert. The Botanical Gardens are fantastic, really peaceful and almost like a small paradise. After stopping at the opera house for a few pics I lay in the sun for a while. I saw many wonderful sites during my time in the botanics, including fruit bats/flying foxes, a weird old scrappy cockatoo, plenty of plants and flowers and loads of weddings.
After a cracking afternoon doing very little in the sun, I returned to the hostel and then caught the train to Olympic Park where the gig was on. A report on the gig will follow seperately, needless to say it was superb. Saturday was definitely one of the best days I've had since I've been away.

On Sunday I took the ferry to a small town called Manly (above) on the recommendation of a few friends. It's got an awesome beach so i chilled there for a while (nice), watched a bit of Woman's Beach Volleyball (nicer) and had lunch and a beer by the beach (quality). On my return to central Sydney I got snap happy and took many pics of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Enjoy a couple of them.

Had to check out at 11am on Monday and since my flight wasn't til 6.30pm, I wandered the city again. It really is strange walking through a city centre decked out in Christmas decorations when it's sunny and the temperature's in the 30's. Bought chocolates for Sally as requested from the Lindt Café (hope you got them ok Sal) and relaxed in Hyde Park for a few hours. It was then time to make my way to the airport and signal the end of my Oz excursion.
I had the best time in Sydney, the weather was tremendous the whole time, (I think the lowest the temperature got was high 20's, it was roasting) and I can't wait to go back with Laura in March.

Here's to you!

2006-11-29T02:48:00.000Z

Congratulations!!!!This is a small dedication post for my sister Mhairi who has just graduated, with a distinction no less, from her Masters in International Relations. Woo hoo for you!!!!!
We are all really proud of you, well done baby!

Bella Vino! 'specially Pinot!

2006-11-23T05:24:00.000Z

For those of you who love the odd tipple of wine every now and again....prepare to salivate!

Sunday the 19th saw the start and end of the Toast Martinborough Festival. Now this involved myself, Kt, and 8 other lovely people (too many to write all their names) heading over the Rimutaka's for a day of walking from vineyard to vineyard in the scorching sun - its a hard life! The best bit was that the wine glass was hung around your neck....can you imagine a more alcoholic look on a person? There was live music played at nearly every vineyard and delicious food, which served as an excellent cusion for the next glass of pinot!

The red wine was really really good, as was the atmosphere. We got pretty burnt though, my burns were the most rediculous as they were in the shape of triangles! (it was my top) I can't go swimming now for fear of people pointing and laughing at the girl who has triangular tans on her shoulders.

I cant really comment on much more apart from letting the pictures (stolen from Kt's blog as I didn't take my camera) speak for themselves and echoing the fact that it was such an amazing day enjoyed by all!

Cheers!

Tour du Pryde

2006-11-20T05:17:00.000Z

Helloooo! I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past month, but I have been mucho busy o' lovely ones, and I don't have an internet access priviledge at work (sniff!).

Now....where to start?? Ah, with the arrival of Bob and Ann (a.k.a. mum and dad). On the 25th Oct, after our much awaited "hello's" and hugs, I crammed them into the rental and we took off for the Coromandel Peninsula without a hint of a problem.........ok......so we got a little bit lost coming out of the city centre, but at least they got to see the real Auckland (i.e. industrial estates and ghetto's). The drive to Whitianga was really pretty, as was the weather, so it was a really nice start to mum and dad's holiday.

After 2 days in Whitianga we headed Southwards for Rotorua. Oh, I think I should mention here that I was awesome at driving! (don't worry, i'm patting myself on the back). Rotorua was action packed with visits to see Kiwi birds, Polynesian spa's, geothermal parks, and Mitai hangi's - yum yum! Thoroughly enjoyed by all three of us!

Then we had the long drive back to Wellington, with a stop-off in Taupo for good measure. The weather was turning sour (as was mum's ability to stay awake - bless!) so dad and I shared the driving. Once in Wellington, we all flaked out and watched some good Kiwi films. We spent 4 days in Welli so I could show mum and dad what the Capital was all about (and of course do a few Lord of the Rings things). They loved it, and they loved our flat. Dad was especially funny giving us all running commentaries about the aeroplanes taking off and landing on the air strip, which can be clearly seen from our front window and decking. "Yes Dad....I can hear the engines roaring"...."oh really....is that another one taking off" Bless him he was loving it!

We then crossed the Cook Straight, headed for the South Island. This was pretty special as I'd not been to the South either, so smiles all round.

In the South we went to Kaikoura (above - stunning!), Christchurch (tram rides and punting on rivers), and Dunedin (climbed the steepest street in the world!). We spent 2 days in each place and got up to all sorts of shinanigans. The weather was a mix of scorching and cloudy, but mum and dad still got nicely bronzed for going home.

Before they flew back to Auckland (which can be seen in the picture to the right, taken from our decking) we all had a scrumptious meal at 'Mac's Brewery', a perfect way to end their travels as all who have eaten there will agree! It was very sad to see them go but I was really happy knowing they'd had an amazing time, and that they now know what it is like for me living here. It was so great to have them out here, it was like having a little piece of home in NZ for a while - fantastic!

That Friday Feeling....on a terrible Tuesday

2006-11-09T23:15:00.000Z

Laura has now returned from her jaunt in the South Island and her Mum and Dad have made the long journey home. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in New Zealand and we’ll miss them now they’ve gone. Laura will give you a detailed account of their escapades when she gets a free minute or 10.

I actually started this post on Friday but didn’t finish it until today, hence the title. We both had a day off yesterday so had a relaxing time enjoying the lovely weather. I also played football for my mate’s work indoor football team and we won 12-1, get in!
Still on footballing matters, our Sunday 5 a-side team got their first win the other day, an emphatic 14-1 victory.
Finally, I fly to Sydney on Friday and will be seeing Pearl Jam on Saturday evening, you have no idea how much I am looking forward to it! Laura will also be busy at the weekend as she is heading North with the girls for 'Toast Martinborough', basically a day of visiting vineyards and wine tasting, so i'm sure she'll be fine.

Not much else to report from me I’m afraid so I’ll leave you with 4 humorous photos of Laura and myself for you to enjoy chuckling at.

Bye for now.

I'm either doing a Maori greeting or a "Waaaaasssuuup", depends how you look at it.

Laura doing a great impersonation of a sign at the zoo.

The hamster wheel, what fun!

Tucking into the Brewery's delicious Lamb

At last....a post!

2006-11-03T05:18:00.000Z

No, your eyes do not deceive you, this is indeed a new post from Laura and myself. We have been pretty lax with the the old posts recently as we've been so busy and a bit skint. Firstly, I shall update you on what's currently happening in our lives....

I'm now working for the ANZ bank doing mind numbing work for not a great deal of money. The office is at a good end of town for bars though, and Laura and almost all my mate's work in the same area, so the social side of work is good.

Laura's Mum and Dad are over in New Zealand at the moment and it's been great having them over. Laura has taken 3 weeks off work to take them on a whistle stop tour of NZ. They're currently in the South Island enjoying the scenery and beautiful weather. I wish i was travelling with them.

That's the now, now for the then.......

Wellington has been a confusing city to live in of late, as the days either start off with beautiful sunshine that deteriorates into gale force winds and rain, or vice versa. At the moment the weather is beautiful so hopefully we'll get a couple of games of football this weekend.

I've met 3 other scottish guys to booze and play football with, in that order, so we have a wee scottish contingent now that is getting well known around Wellington. We actually all met when we tried to watch the Scotland v France game but couldn't as the tv guide got it wrong. So we did what any other scottish fans would do on a nice sunny day….went and got hammered in beer gardens all day long, getting sunburnt for our troubles. Great day though.

Watched a lot of films recently and am currently going through a western phase. Saw Talledega Nights the other week and it is hilarious….roll on Borat!

Since we last posted I've also tried to sneak into a nightclub that Peter Hook (New order) was dj-ing at, we had to climb out a mate's window and scale the roofs of some shops and then onto the balcony of the club but someone grassed us up to the barman and we got turfed out of the club without seeing Hooky.

We've been for a drive up the Kapiti Coast for Sally's birthday, encountering a human hamster wheel and one of the best adventure parks ever....fear not, there are photos that will follow at a later date.

There is a lot more we've been up to and Laura will update you all on her side of things when she posts on her return to Welli. We're still having the best time out here and are still in the flat, so for those of you that have the flat number, feel free to give us a buzz......just remember the time difference is now 13 hours! Otherwise just drop one of us an email, always good to hear your news. Thanks to those who have phoned, has been great hearing from you.

Also, Happy Birthday to all of you that have become a year older recently, I'll be joining that club in a months time so feel free to send cards/presents/money over!

Take care, and we'll post some photos soon, promise.

Love Fraser and Laura x

Skiing, Filming and Leaving

2006-09-15T02:08:00.000+01:00

On our 2nd days skiing the sun came out again and as we were all a little more confident, we decided to venture further up the mountain to some better and tougher slopes. Laura and the girls took a more advanced lesson while I decided to wing it and just chuck myself down the hill hoping for the best. So glad I did as I had an amazing time despite the many falls. Was such a brilliant feeling to just hurl yourself down the slopes and stop whenever you wanted to just chill in the sun, absolute bliss and we wished we could've had a few more days up there.

On the way home to the cabin we stopped on the slopes of Mount Doom to continue our filming tribute to Lord of the Rings.
As there were only 7 of us remaining for the Tuesday night, the boys cooked dinner and we all polished off the cake. Fantastic. The next morning Rhys left early to get back to work and we took our time packing up and leaving the cabin.
In case you were wondering, the white shape above the cabin is indeed the mountain we skied, incredible view eh?

On the way home we stopped once more for some filming, this time at the point where Smeagol chases the fish down the river. I (Fred) re-enacted this but did not venture into the water, as i would get wet. There's suffering for your art, and then there's suffering for your art if you know what i mean. (That's Kt's finger on the pic by the way).

The trip back was quicker than the journey up and we were lucky to have good weather for it. Below is a pic of the Kapiti Coast from the van.

It was then bye bye to the Bongo and back to reality for the weary skiers. An excellent time had by all involved, and Laura and I can't wait to do it all again.

Happy Birthday Laura!

2006-09-15T01:39:00.000+01:00

We awoke on Monday morning to glorious sunshine, cockerels crowing and news that the mountain was open to skiers again, result! As it was Laura's Birthday a relaxing morning was had by a few of us and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast of OJ and freshly made pancakes courtesy of chef Sked. Here is the birthday girl relaxing in the sun on our deck.

The mountains were looking amazing and we couldn't wait to get up there and throw ourselves down them.

Once the pancakes had been munched and ski attire organised, we ascended the slopes. The drive to the ski field was very picturesque and we got some nice snaps of the Tongariro national park and mountains that the Tongariro crossing is made up of. These were the mountains used to represent Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings!

As we'd arrived at the ski field quite late, we took our free scenic trip up the mountain to get some more snaps and enjoy the views. What views they were!

Then it was onto our ski lesson and we did fantastically well considering Laura hadn't skied before and I hadn't been on ski's in 13 years. We loved the first day and couldn't wait to get back up there and hit some higher slopes. On return to the cabin we witnessed a beautiful sunset

before we headed into town for Laura's Birthday meal at the Powderhorn, a brilliant recommendation by Rhys. The food was awesome and very much needed. After this feast the 10 of us ventured back to the cabin to continue the celebrations and tuck into the mammoth cake we'd bought.

Laura here now!....I just wanted to say that I had an amazing time and thank you to all who were there and helped to make it a memorable and special day! Also thanks so much to friends and family back home for their texts, presents and phonecalls!

The Journey North

2006-09-15T01:13:00.000+01:00

On Sunday the 10th we set off in our Bongo van, nicknamed Bazzacacca by the girls, and headed for the slopes of Mount Ruapehu/Doom. We decided on the scenic route as the mountain had been closed for the day meaning no skiing could be done, and after roughly 6 hours and a few scenic stops, like this waterfall, we arrived at the cabin.

The setting for the cabin was absolutely perfect, we were in the middle of nowhere and were surrounded by woodland and, as you can see, some amazing views.

Once everyone had arrived we made a short trip into Ohakune to pick up some food and booze, and spent the rest of the evening cooking dinner and chilling out by the log fire (there was opportunity for us to chop our own wood, but after Fred nearly chopped the washing line in half with the axe during an almighty swing, this idea was swiftly abandoned!), all the while we were hoping the weather would improve so we could take to the slopes the next day.

Pearl Jam!

2006-09-14T02:24:00.000+01:00

No idea how i forgot to mention this on the last post but somehow it slipped my memory. I now have my ticket to see Pearl Jam in Sydney on Saturday 18th November! Am so excited and cannae wait to go. Have been wanting to see them for about 10 years and now only have 2 months to wait! Just need to book my flights now and then it's all systems go.

The weeks that were

2006-09-06T06:32:00.000+01:00

Life in Wellington is as great as ever and we've been real busy over the last couple of weeks. Laura had an interview with the Ministry of Education Special Needs section and......she got a job! She's working in a kindergarten 2 hours every morning with a young somalian boy and she says he is beautiful. It's really great that she has a job in this line of work as she needs experience working with kids to get onto a course when we return home so Well Done her, now she's just trying to find a job for the afternoon as well. My job at the Police is coming to an end on Friday and I've been looking for another job, although not too enthusiastically I must add.
Have decided to take the next week off and be a man of leisure as we're going skiing on Sunday. We booked a Log Cabin up north at Mount Ruapehu, or Mount Doom for you LOTR fans, and 9 of us will descend on the slopes for some not so graceful skiing and snowboarding. It's Laura's birthday on Monday so we have coincided the trip with that and are all looking forward to it so should have a rocking time. Kt has returned to Welli and we helped her move in to her new pad (which you can see if you visit her blog, the link is on the right) and it is great to have her back. We (Kt, Laura, Elaine, Rhys and I) finished 3rd and 4th in a couple of pub quizzes and scooped a $40 bar tab for 3rd spot, that got us a couple of bottles of wine and some sore heads. In other news, I caught a fever last week......a faver for karaoke that is! Had a leaving do for someone at work and it was at a karaoke joint, what a riot. Did 5 tunes in total; Maggie May, Raindrops keep Falling on my head, Hotel California, Leaving on a Jet plane and Suspicious Minds, i think i was pretty terrible but had a great time anyway.
We now have a nice, chilled Sunday routine of afternoon Jazz at the Hummingbird (accompanied by a couple of amazing vodkas for me) and, when she's on, seeing Elaine play in the evening. You can find a link to her site on the right as well, check it out as she has a couple of tunes uploaded and she is an amazing singer/songwriter.
Laura and Kt have Salsa dancing tonight so I've got the place to myself, an evening of junk food and Rockstar Supernova methinks, superb. We will try and email you all soon and are also in the process of getting a phoneline installed so will let you know the number when it's all done. Hope you're all well, bye for now!

We could be Pirates, just for one day

2006-08-26T05:00:00.000+01:00

Due to various contributing factors we have found ourselves warming to the Pirate life since arriving in New Zealand. Be it Sally's enthusiasm for them, attending the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere or finding Pirate lager in the supermarket, we now love pirates. But we always felt something was missing, our very own Pirate names. So imagine the delight when this week at work I found a Pirate name generator!
Click here to find out your Pirate name.
The 2 people you once knew as Fraser Sked and Laura Pryde have now become 'Disembowlin' Palgrave Straw' and 'Pirate Beth the Pink' respectively. Give it a try and once you've obtained your Pirate alias, let us know in the comments section.

Lord's of the 'Bling'

2006-08-10T23:59:00.000+01:00

As you all probably know, Fraser and I do enjoy old P.J's masterpiece. What better way to spend some of our travelling time than to visit the odd location or two where filming went on. We thought we would share some of these visits with you.
Firstly, lets take a look at the man himself:

and now lets take a look at where some of the creative genius occured, his house:

This guy is a legend, he's worth millions and yet he's happy to live in this lovely, but not very grand, house and he has two of his oscars in clear view. One is leaning against the toilet window and the other against what looks like an office window. We have visited Seatoun about 3 times, and each time we had to make a pit-stop at the Chocolate Fish Cafe for some small-town gastronomic delights. The chocolate cake is particularly palatable!

Here are Sally, Kt, Fred and Laura showing you how fantastic the chocolate cake is with a cheeky family fortunes wave! The green building to the left is the Cafe...

The Chocolate Fish Cafe is essentially Pete's local cafe and as a result the cast and crew would go there for food and drink, during their time-out from film discussions. The cafe is very sweet and has no air of grandeur even though it has played host to a number of famous actors. The staff are delightful and are more than happy to have a chat about their encounters with the cast. Generally though, it's just a local cafe that is bursting at the seams with business.

The first 'Lord of the Rings' encounter we had in New Zealand was Hobbiton.

It was a fantastic day made even better by the perfect sunny weather. Just like the Shire! We were taken to Hobbiton in a van named ' Sam' by a driver named David. He was very cool and made sure our every need was met, he even stopped on the way there so we could try New Zealand's award winning steak pie, which truly was a treat in itself! Afterwards he took us to the 'Shire's Rest' which is a little cafe dedicated to the movie, he opened it up and had layed on a little spread for us saying "I've gotta look after my little Hobbits'". We really loved it there and didn't really want to leave once the tour was over, it was such a beautiful little place you could totally imagine Hobbits living there.

Alas, we did leave and this brings us to the next part of our Lord of the Rings expedition, The Lord of the Rings Exhibition at 'Te Papa' museaum in Wellington. Sadly pictures were not permitted so you'll just have to take our word for it that it was amazing! The detail that went into the costumes, props, and mini scale buildings etc. was incredible. A lot of blood, sweat, tears, and love went into these movies thats for sure!

We did mangage to get a picture of the miniature pirate ship that Aragorn et al arrive on in the final installment of the trilogy, it was in the foyer so we got snap happy....

....and here are me and the girls after the exhibition, pleased as punch!

Living in Wellington we were able to take full advantage of some of the nearby scene locations, which is precisely what we did. Just across the road from one of the hostels we were staying at, stands the magestic Mt Victoria. This is where they did the filming of the "Get off the road!" scene in the first film and the running from the Ring Wraith scenes. After an exhausting climb and much deliberation of where the location actually was, we were finally pointed in the right direction by Kt and Sally (what would we have done without their words of wisdom!).

Finally, we arrive at the best bit....the spoof filming! We decided to mark Kt and Sally's last weekend in Wellington with a little filming of our own. Kt and Sal provided the camera, the 'bling' (our version of the one ring - a diamond encrusted beast), and the trusty multi-purpose fishing tool. We provided the location guide and the map. Then with a hop-skip and a jump we were on our way to the car rental place. Here we adopted 'Lurtz' for the day, so named because he was a big, black, mean, machine.

Do you see the likeness???

The weather was wonderfully cooperative and we were soon on Highway 2, sunglasses on and the tunes blasting out of Lurtz. The first stop: Rivendell (Kaitoke National Park)

It was slightly drizzly when we got there, but I cannot convey the complete tranquility and gorgeousness of this national park, and sadly I don't think the pictures captured it either. A little imagination was required to picture the sets just as they appeared on film, although there were a couple of boards up depicting what the set was like when it was active.

Here we have a picture of me at a point where Legolas stands to look all serious (as he often does)...

...and here is Fred masterfully acting out Frodo lying in bed after the weathertop stabbing, in the exact location where Frodo's recovery room was filmed.

And this is a few warm up shots of us getting into character!

Let me introduce the cast:

Fraser - Gimli, Pippin, and of course...Gollum

Laura - Frodo and Aragorn

Kt - Legolas, Merry, and Boromir

Sally - Sam and Elrond.

So, our first day of filming included the moment where Frodo and Sam meet up with Merry and Pip again after weathertop...brings a tear to even the most macho eyes and includes an impromtu 'Dashing White Sergeant ' reel. Soon after this was the moving scene between Frodo and Bilbo (a character position quickly filled by Sally) when they meet for the first time since Bagend.

Then we have the dramatic 'Council of Elrond' scene where all characters were tried and tested to the limit, including some spritely character hopping from Fraser and some aggravated table thumping by Kt as an extra off camera. This is also the scene where all props were utilised. Not to be missed is Gimli trying to destroy the 'bling' with his multi-purpose fishing tool!

After only one take (such professionals) we loaded ourselves back into Lurtz and were whisked off to the next location: The river Anduin where we filmed the 'breaking of the fellowship'.

Unfortunately we were so consumed by our roles that noone had the presence of mind to take pictures, but take my word for it...it was moving stuff! The scene where Sam is chasing Frodo into the water at the end of the first film is touching, now we didn't actually go in the water, although it was such an intense moment there were occasions where Sally and I nearly did (damn those slippy rocks!).

After a little character change, as I morphed into Aragorn, I was joined by Legolas and Gimili for the emotional and quite motivational "you mean not to follow"....."then the fellowship has failed"...."not if we stay true to each other"............."lets go hunt some orc!!! Raaaaaaaaar!!!"

Here endeth the first day of filming.

The next day was kick started with a wee trip to Eastbourne where Fred, Kt, Sally, and Elaine went to take in the pretty views of the South Island's snowy mountains. Can you see them?? right in the distance....

....and here is Fred trying his hand at skimming some rocks...bless!

After I had finished work I was collected by the crew and we headed for Mt Vic and our final section of filming. On route to the film location we did a quick shot of Gimli and Legolas running (because they did it a lot in the film!) including a comedy moment with Gimli having a moan mid stride. Then when settled, we did the scene between Gollum and Sam with the "what's tatters?" moment over a hot stove (or maybe just a shopping bag filled with leaves). Both actors deserved an oscar for this, Fraser for his impression which was amazing as ever, and Sally for staying in character and keeping a straight face whilst Kt and I cracked up behind camera!

Below is a picture of us just after we had filmed the scene where all the hobbits fall over the edge after being chased by the farmer (involving the camera being balance on a tree - very hightech), closely followed by the "get off the road" moment, the hiding from the ring wraith under a tree root scene, and the running through the forest heading for Buckleberry ferry. In the last few scenes laughter got the best of quite a few of our high grade actors, but its good quality footage so we kept it, it is a spoof after all.

It was an absolutely fantastic couple of days, enjoyed by each and every one of us, full of laughter and some crackin acting I must say! Now we're just waiting for that phone call from Pete with the job offers.

And thats a wrap!

Wellington Grand Prix

2006-08-08T05:31:00.000+01:00

Much like Wellington buses on a Saturday night, you wait for 1 post and 3 come along at once! Now that we're almost settled into the flat, and have some money again, we've been getting out and enjoying ourselves. Saturday was indeed a full day; after the necessity of shopping was completed, we met up with our companions and the 8 of us headed out to Petone for some Go-kart action.

The Go-karting was a wee farewell night for Richard who is returning to the shores of Blighty, we wish him all the best and will miss his presence in Welli...who's gonna organise the bowling nights now? Although Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher will not be quaking in their boots (or whatever racing drivers wear), a cracking time was had by all. Karts were exhausted (Rich went through 2), crashing was frequent ( I may have bumped a couple of people), rivalries were formed, bruises inflicted and many appropriate theme tunes were hummed. When the dust had settled we still had no idea who'd won, but I think Rich may have had the fastest lap. As you can see from the pictures below, the action was intense and the driving of the highest quality.
Apologies for the poor quality of pictures but the lighting in the arena was not the best.

Laura expertly taking a corner

Me cruising home after my final lap

'Twas then back to town for a few farewell drinks in Kitty's and then to bed to nurse our sore heads and legs.

The Final Curtain

2006-08-08T04:47:00.000+01:00

Alas, the 2006 Wellington Film Festival has now been and gone. However, I did manage to head in armed with red wine and ice cream to catch the following 6 movies before it drew to a close on Sunday.

Thank You for Smoking - A black comedy about the life of a lobbyist for Big Tobacco cigarettes. Fantastic film with one of the wittiest scripts I've heard in a long time. If you haven't already seen this, rent it.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is another recommendation. Quite a slow film but stick with it as Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper are excellent.

American Cannibal: The Road to Reality - A documentary about 2 budding American sitcom writers who stumble into the surreal world of reality TV. Engaging and humorous probably for all the wrong reasons, worth catching though.

13 (Tzameti) - A french thriller, very french, very stylised, pretty good. Didn't have a comfy seat for this so that probably hampered my enjoyment. I reckon it'll be picked by Hollywood for a remake in the not too distant future.

Brick - Probably my favorite film of the festival, Film Noir with an American High School spin. Absolutely loved it, this is a must-see for everyone.

Finally, The Science of Sleep - A Michael Gondry film (he of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame) which revolves around how 1 man confuses reality with his dream world. Still trying to get my head around this as it's completely mental. That said, it was a hilarious, surreal couple of hours.

Top 5 I'd recommend you see - Once in a Lifetime, Thank you for Smoking, Brick, The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang and The Science of Sleep.

Watch and enjoy.

NZ Film Festival

2006-07-24T23:23:00.000+01:00

The Wellington Leg of the NZ Film Festival started on Friday and being the film geek I am, I'm taking full advantage of this and catching as many films as I can. So far I have managed to watch quite a mix, both in theme and quality;
Water - set in Colonnial India 1938, a girl becomes a widow at the age of 7 and it follows her time in a widow's commune. It's really about how Ghandi changes the attitudes of people in India though and I quite enjoyed it despite it not being something I'd normally go to. Mind you the ticket was free.
Once in a Lifetime - A documentary about how Warner Communications mogul Steve Ross attempted to turn Football (Soccer) into a major sport in the US in the 70's and for a few years it succeeded, before it all fell apart and the league was disbanded. Fantastic film and well worth catching for any Football fans.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story - Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon british comedy, quite surreal but very funny, especially Steve Coogan doing an impression of having a hot chestnut down his trousers (has to be seen to be appreciated). Missed the last 5 minutes of this though due to a fire alarm but got a free ticket for another showing after complaining. Bonus.
From the Outskirts of Nothing to the Suburbs of the Void - This was a terrible, terrible film and the worst thing I have ever seen. It was basically just a series of pictures that very, very slowly blended into the next one while noise played over the top. Worst hour of my life.
Luckily A Scanner Darkly an hour later was a vast improvement. It's "a rotoscope animation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel about government surveillance, fractured identity and dope-fuelled paranoia." Fantastically weird and wonderful film, Robert Downey Jnr is excellent and Woody Harrelson is back to his comic best. The scene about the number of gears on a bike is a classic (again, needs to be seen to be appreciated).
The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang - Went with Andy to this one and it is a brilliant movie, I would highly recommend it to everyone. A few geeky kids find some tracks that they think belong to the Sasquatch (bigfoot) and it snowballs from there. The film is shot from various character's involvement in the story and it's geeky in the same way Napolean Dynamite was. Really funny though and stupid at the same time.

5 more films to go so verdicts will be posted once I've seen them.

Finally, we have a flat!

2006-07-24T23:17:00.000+01:00

After months of searching and many nights spent at the wonderful YHA and the amiable Cambridge, we have found ourselves a flat. It is situated in Hataitai, which is a 5 minute bus journey from the city centre and the other side of Mount Victoria. We moved in on Wednesday and have had to frantically organise furniture, bills, and general flat stuff. It's a cool little place. When I say cool...i mean that in the literal sense too...its freezin! We've purchased a good few heaters and are looking into getting the fire in the living room up and running. We are in such despair as to why Kiwi's haven't cottened on to the glorious invention known as "central heating" or "double glazing".
We are really pleased with our first little flat together though, its a gem.

The Recap

2006-07-19T06:47:00.000+01:00

Firstly, let us introduce the Bunac group, top left to right: Chris G, Chris W, Jillian, Mark, Caroline, Sally, Ryan, and Bryan. Bottom left to right: Dan (Kiwi Experience driver), Liam, Fraser, Laura, Nazema, and Samantha is at the front.

On the 2nd of March we boarded our flight and left London for Hong Kong where we would spend 3 days sightseeing, eating, battling jet-lag and getting to know our other 11 travelling companions. The time flew and before we knew it we were touching down in New Zealand with a little turbulence to see us on our way.

After a week of exploring, bungy jump spectating, and drinking in a bar made from ice, we left Auckland...

...and set off North to the seaside town of Pahia. Ah!...the sun, sand, clear ocean water, and general laid back attitude in the Bay of Islands consumed us for a full week. The week's activities included viewing the Huka Falls, a Dolphin watching trip won in a pub game, and a trip to the tip of the North Island where we saw the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting (very informal it was....no handshakes at all!).

Soon after that we threw ourselves down a 20ft sand dune on a very small board - fantastic! That little dot below, on the left, is Fraser hurtling down the dune. The wipping wind didn't help the uphill climb, nor did it aid in the battle to keep the sand off our sun-tan lotioned faces - sand beards galore!

We then made our way back on the Kiwi Experience coach to Auckland where we stayed with Jenny (Fred's family friend) for a couple of days which was bliss. However, this stop was a short one as we hitched on our rucksacks again, heading for the east coast and Whitianga. 3 days of glorious hostel company (crazy but fun woman from New York - horrendous snorer though!), cycle treks, and the best chocolate fudge brownie in the world!

Next was a 2 day stopover in Tauranga which was nice, but given the number of spiders that were in our hostel room (12!) I (Laura) was not settled one bit. We hear that Mt Maunganui is beautiful though, so will be making a return journey.

Rotorua was next on our list and although the town smelled of eggs (Fred seriously struggled!) it was a great week well spent! We relaxed in a Polynesian Spa, visited a Kiwi bird sanctuary, walked around the geothermal pools in the park, and on our final evening we attended a 'hangi' (a feast cooked in the ground) in a Maori village. It was a fantastic night filled with entertainment, haka's and food! There we were joined by Caroline, Sally, Gilly and Suzie (Gilly is our friend from Aberdeen, she was travelling round NZ with her chum Suzie).

Just a short coach ride to Taupo for our next stop; Taupo was beautiful and it was here that Fred and I threw ourselves out of a small plane. We had Caz and Sally to keep us company in the little sardine tin-can, and there's no need to tell you how amazing it was as you've all had lengthy emails covering the topic! Here we are before (looking slightly nervous):

And that's Laura to the right and Fraser to the left, plunging ever southward.....woooooohooooooo!!!

The day was only made more special when Chris W. came up with the genius idea of making our way to the hot springs for a midnight dip...so we did, with beer, wine, and crisps in tow. It was probably one of the best days of our whole adventure so far! But the highs came with the lows when it was soon time to say a farewell to Gilly and Suzie as they made their way back to Bonnie Scotland. It was so great to have you out here Gilly and we missed you the minute you left!

Wellington was calling us, so after a great week in Taupo we were headed off on the Inter City again, destination: South. After Auckland, Wellington came as a refreshing and quirky change. Lots of character and filled with friendly people. We were both shocked that for the Capital city there were hardly any people and that you can walk from the CBD to a beautiful harbourside walkway in about 5 mins. If you wanted to, you could lose yourself in the suburbs within a matter of mins - what a gem of a city! On this short visit we met up with Kt and Sally (friends from Aberdeen too, who had been out here for about 3 months) and they took us under their wing and showed us around. The Lord of the Rings exhibition was in town and we managed to spend a few hours engrossed in the displays, for fans of the film it's a must see.

After a few days in Welli we were due to start our house-sitting stint for Jenny, just outside of Auckland, so we boarded the Inter City again for what would be the worst coach ride of our lives! 11 hours overnight...need I say more? Jenny was so good to us though and really made us feel at home, so for that we are very grateful to her. Being back in Auckland allowed us to meet up again with some of the Bunac crew (Caroline, Sally, Bryan, Ryan and Nazema) who had their own travelling tales to share.

After 2 weeks of luxury we hitched on our trusty rucksacks again (wince!) and hot-footed it to Wellington just in time for Kt's birthday - fab! Since then we've been going out and having fun, registering with temping agencies and getting work, doing a little sightseeing of Welli and the surrounding area, and having crazy fun some more! Its great to have Sally and Caz in Wellington too, they've got themselves a flat in Roseneath which isn't too far from ours. Also Kt is still here! Sadly Sally is on her way back home after her big adventure - toodles Eddie old chum, we'll miss you! We've made other friends out here too, some locals, and some imports like us. But on the whole we're having the best time.

There....phew!....thank you for accompanying Fraser and Laura on their whistle stop tour, we hope you enjoyed the ride, y'all come back now ye hear!

Hello and welcome

2006-07-17T04:12:00.000+01:00

Greetings one and all, and welcome to our Blog. Laura and I decided to set this up on a whim the other day as it'll probably be an easier way of keeping everyone updated with events over here in New Zealand, and in turn you can let us know how things are with you. We're going to kick it off with a massive recap of what we've done so far on our trip, so watch this space for a whistle stop tour of our last 4 months.

The recap will actually take a little longer to post than we expected as we've realised we have in fact done quite a lot over here and the photo's take ages to upload. Stay tuned though, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.