tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post3365704518997485896..comments2024-01-11T21:42:53.282+01:00Comments on Snooker in Berlin: Planning... again?Snookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684505561658711584noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-80257773460193316922009-02-05T02:22:00.000+01:002009-02-05T02:22:00.000+01:00I know nothing about NZ...but I can tell you that ...I know nothing about NZ...but I can tell you that any trip that required any sort of camping AT ALL would be nixed by me,pronto.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05049511202014141182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-63365546728426533742009-02-04T17:54:00.000+01:002009-02-04T17:54:00.000+01:00Ladies of a Certain Persuasion like golf, don't th...Ladies of a Certain Persuasion like golf, don't they? <BR/><BR/>Lake Taupo is a volcanic crater which may well be the world's deepest lake. I say "may well be" because no-one has reached the bottom of it, yet. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, there's a driving range on the shore, and you hit your balls onto some kind of floating platform---or is it the other way around? In any case, if the ball is lost in the water, um, you've REALLY lost it.<BR/><BR/>I spent a few days in Taupo many years ago when I was best man at a wedding in Wellington. Wellington is boring, but a necessary stop-off point to get to the South Island, whcih is where all the really spectacular scenery is. <BR/><BR/>Most NZ cities are pretty dull, but there are two exceptions. <BR/><BR/>Christchurch, on the south island, was planned by the same visionary surveyor as Adelaide, in South Australia, where I grew up. Gorgeous late-Victorian architecture, sprinkled along wide, gracious boulevards. Neatby Queenstown is a middling-chic ski resort that would be out-of-season in November--if you could bring your vacation forward to early Sept, the skiing would be spectacular. <BR/><BR/>Napier attracts architecture buffs. It was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake in the nineteen thirties, rebuilt in an art-deco style. Some of the details have been lost by insensitive renovation, but enough remain to make it fascinating to those who like such things. <BR/><BR/>The geysers, steam-holes and mud-pots of the North Island are pretty interesting, but probably won't keep your attention for too long if you've been to Yellowstone.<BR/><BR/>That said, somewhere on the North Island is an underground geyser that empties onto a surf beach--so it's known as Hot Water Beach. Apparently you can swim, maybe ecen surf, in a warm ocean. <BR/><BR/>I understand it's not too far from Auckland. I've never visited Auckland seriously, though I have changed planes there on the flight between Melbourne and Los Angeles more times than I'd care to remember. <BR/><BR/>Speaking of planes... It doesn't matter if you're up the front munching on canapes, or down the back queuing for the lav, by the time you reach New Zealand, you will hate airplanes. All airplanes. Trust me.The Honourable Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05234119524600114890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-83244963773509891972009-02-04T15:15:00.000+01:002009-02-04T15:15:00.000+01:00It does sound like an exciting trip (minus the cam...It does sound like an exciting trip (minus the camping part). I've never been to that part of the world and will be curious to know what you all come up with.Diane Mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00059365308496711788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-68239674010818396922009-02-04T09:22:00.000+01:002009-02-04T09:22:00.000+01:00@ Goofball - Bali!!! OOOO! No, we've never been th...@ Goofball - Bali!!! OOOO! No, we've never been there. But the dive magazines are always full of beautiful pictures which have inspired us to put Bali on a "must go" list. <BR/><BR/>@ Cowgirl - You, H.E. and little guy really need to go to AZ. What a beautiful place... in the winter and spring that is.Snookerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17684505561658711584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-83479698366516083082009-02-03T22:42:00.000+01:002009-02-03T22:42:00.000+01:00New Zealand...Arizona...I'd take either one...seri...New Zealand...Arizona...I'd take either one...seriously, you're making me jealous :)Caffienated Cowgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03762389337951910204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-74298925359427700782009-02-03T21:25:00.000+01:002009-02-03T21:25:00.000+01:00sounds like a great trip.Ever been diving in Bali?...sounds like a great trip.<BR/><BR/>Ever been diving in Bali? that's where we are heading this yearGoofballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11155032632164828945noreply@blogger.com