Merry Christmas for Yesterday!

Hi All,

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and an ace New Year! So I spent my Christmas day with my folks hanging out at Huka Falls. Huka falls involves a large volume of water being shoved down a narrow waterway then exploding out the other side... NZ is certainly not short of water, like Victoria's waterways.

American Country Music, Penut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches with a Sprinkling of Volcanoes

The weekend brought amazing weather for NZ, warm, sunny and clear skies. Add a friend I met in Fiji and her friend (both Yanks) + a 20km, 8 hour tramp along the Tongariro Crossing and that is my weekend in a nut shell.

Tongariro National Park was the 4th Park in the world to become an National Park. It ws the first National Park in the world to be gifted by the country's indigenous peoples. The area is famous for Mt Ruapehu - the highest point in the North Island, Ngauruhoe - famous for it's appearance in Lord of the Rings as Mount Doom and lastly there is Mt Tongariro. All three mountains are active volcanoes. Last year a guy lost his legs when a boulder was spat out of, I think, Mt Ruapehu.

The Tongariro Crossing is considered one of NZ's Great Walks and considered one of the best day walks in NZ. I had an awesome time, it was an amazing landscape - from barren Mars like to lush forrest. There was steam seeping through the pores of the Earth, the ground was warm to touch, there was snow and abrupt mountains of Volcanoes! Downside... heaps of people, I love my nature space to be sparce of people. There were rare times where the only sound were our boots rattling the volcanic rock.

Well, some pictures I hear...

Mt Tongariro off picture to the right, the steep Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu tucked under cloud in the background.
Steam seeping from the Earth and, yep, me

Emerald Lakes

Classic!
Nothing but rock and snow!

Wellington Outdoor Sculpture

Of the seven people I know in Wellington all seven people are artsy or/and play music. Wellington is full of actively creative people... it is ace! Wellington has some great outdoor sculptures and awesome spaces, so the photos are a couple I've come across...

This is 'Solace in the Wind' by Max Patte - perfect for windy Wellington.

Solace man and me both pulling very strange faces.

Right: the city is dotted with concrete slabs and text...

I Gots to Go Sea Kayaking

On my way to work Wellington Harbour was in rare fine form, there was no wind and the harbour was glassy. Amazing. All day I thought it would be a great idea to go sea kayaking, come 5:30 there was no wind... but is was flippin choppy! I went out anyway, with a group that goes every thursday evenings. It was a great view of Wellington city and fun at the same time.

Windy Wellington

The windy city it is...

Men! Abstain from Sex or Suffer Painful Consequences!

Hey All, just a cheekly little photo I spotted on my little walk back from Lyall Bay

Finally Some Photo's

So, the first photo is of the plane leaving Aussieland - Gippsland Lakes

The second is a little walk I did from Mount Victoria (Wellington's version of Mt Dandenong) to Oriental Bay (Wellington's Version of St Kilda). So we have Wellington City in the Background - I'm not trying to poo, it is bloody windy and that is what I look like trying to take a photo of myself and wind almost pushing me over!

The last picture is of the shop after three long days setting up.

Words Of Wisdom From A Solo Traveller

Travelling by yourself has many benefits:

1. When eating really yummy potatoe wedges, you can double dip the really yummy herb sour cream.

2. When you are eating chips you can eat ALL the really crunchy ones

3. You can go where you want, when you want - no questions asked

4. You are more open to meeting new and really cool people - like the chinese guy who could barely speak any english who sits and fishes off the bridge using his bamboo rod.

5. You realise it is okay to be by yourself, go out to dinner with yourself, listen to live jazz music by yourself, have a beer tasting plate ALL to yourself... in fact it is all very self induldgent!

Hi All! I am in windy Wellington! The plane into Wellington was shaking and skating from the windy conditions. The look on my face must of said it all as the person next to me stated 'this is pretty normal'.

Wellingtonites might not agree, but, Wellington is like a very mini Melbourne with less people and great mountains surrounding it. Lots of great places to eat and drink. There was almost silence as I sat outside eating my lunch in the CBD.

I've been working 12 hour days to get the store looking tip top for our opening, two days away. I am very much looking forward to a day off to explore this beautiful city. Once I find a place to live, which hopefully has internet, I will upload some photos... yay!

Travel must do's and must not do's

Tell me, my pretties... if you have been to NZ what are the must do's and the must not's! The more I talk about it the more I get excited about going... 3 weeks to go! (to comment you need to be a google member ie sign up to gmail for free)

My First Blog

Welcome family and friends to Little Monkey's Travel Blog! This is for those who don't have facebook (or you would like to know more than what facebook provides) but still would like to spy on me and hear about all my little adventures and see all my little photos!

My first journey is to New Zealand. I'm heading over there to work for 5 months then 1 month of travelling. I'll be based in Wellington from around the 8th or 9th of November until the 15th of March 09.

As the New Zealand journey unravels I'll, hopefully, post pictures and write about what the haps is in my world!

Keep ya posted