UK/Europe Trip
The pics
Friday, August 07, 2009
Part Five – London’s Burning
We ‘only’ had a week in London, so we were going to make the most of it. This started as soon as we got into London on Friday night. Quickly dropping off our gear back in Putney, we meet up with Todd & Nic for dinner before heading out to meet some of the crew on the other side of town in Shoreditch. Somehow, after a few drinks at a pub, we found ourselves in cabs heading to a pub called the Birdcage. Sold to us as a real East London pub, it didn’t disappoint on that front. It was karaoke night and it was a big hit with the locals. I’m not sure we fitted in – conversation was pretty tough as I could hardly understand them – but they were certainly having a good time. The night carried on, as they do, and Anna, Kellie and I found ourselves coming home in a taxi at 6am in the morning!
Not surprisingly Saturday was a bit slow. We managed to pull ourselves out of bed eventually, as we were meeting at the pub to watch the All Blacks game. It was also meant to be a big night, but after the night before that was no longer on the cards, but we still manage to stay up until 11pm before crawling off to a much needed sleep.
Well rested (or at least better rested), we organised what we thought would be a lazy Sunday at another old favourite – The White Horse on Parsons Green. But again we had forgot what a Sunday Session in London can turn into. Lunch and drinks turns into lunch and lots of drinks, and we didn’t leave The White Horse until 10pm. Well, the others left, as I went to the toilet and found that everyone had left. I had to follow them back to Todd & Nic’s on my lonesome! Sensibly, being a Sunday of course, we decided to have a few more drinks at Todd & Nic’s, and didn’t end up leaving until 2am. That was OK for us, we didn’t have to go to work the next day. But we were woken up in the Monday by the first lot of hate texts we got that week…
We had talked up making the most of everyday we had before we left. But in the interests of lasting the week, we called a truce and let everyone have the night off. And it was the Great British Beer Festival the next night, and I wanted to make sure I was in form for that. It also meant that I could feel good enough to go for a few runs during the week, along the old stomping group of the Thames path.
To say that it was just by chance that the Great British Beer festival was on when we were in London would obviously be a big fat lie. I decided I wanted to go on the first night to make sure I had a good chance of getting to the ales I wanted. And the strategy didn’t disappoint, getting to try the Champion Beer of Britain – the Rudgate Ruby Mild – and it didn’t disappoint! Nor did “Britain’s Biggest Bratwurst. Jabs and I had gone in search of the sausages we saw people eating and were about to order the 9” Bratwursts when we saw them throw onto the grill these massive 20” Bratwursts. It was a challenge too good to refuse and we promptly changed our order. Si got a bit of a shock when we arrived back, and it probably took us a good half an hour to finish them. And being the healthy event that is a beer festival, we had already devoured a few bags of pork scratchings and pork pies. It was definitely our night. Earlier in the evening someone had given us a good of vouchers for free beers, and then just as we were thinking of earning, someone came over and gave us £20 worth of vouchers. Score!
After a bit of shopping on the Wednesday, it was one last trip to the Bricklayers Arms and a few Timothy Taylors. Jabs took me out for lunch in Soho on Thursday, and Thursday night we had organised for our final dinner at the Queen Adelaide. True to form, London put on a stunning last night for us, stunningly wet. It was a massive downpour all night, which acted as a lock in. We only left the pub by midnight, and sensibly again stop in at Todd & Nic’s on the way home. A 2am finish again, and again hate texts in the morning. But we knew everyone would miss us, just maybe not their livers…
Our livers were certainly looking forward to a holiday, though we were not looking forward to ours ending. Being in London again was awesome, and wandering around Putney (and even riding the tube) just felt like being home. It’s just so much fun!
We ‘only’ had a week in London, so we were going to make the most of it. This started as soon as we got into London on Friday night. Quickly dropping off our gear back in Putney, we meet up with Todd & Nic for dinner before heading out to meet some of the crew on the other side of town in Shoreditch. Somehow, after a few drinks at a pub, we found ourselves in cabs heading to a pub called the Birdcage. Sold to us as a real East London pub, it didn’t disappoint on that front. It was karaoke night and it was a big hit with the locals. I’m not sure we fitted in – conversation was pretty tough as I could hardly understand them – but they were certainly having a good time. The night carried on, as they do, and Anna, Kellie and I found ourselves coming home in a taxi at 6am in the morning!
Not surprisingly Saturday was a bit slow. We managed to pull ourselves out of bed eventually, as we were meeting at the pub to watch the All Blacks game. It was also meant to be a big night, but after the night before that was no longer on the cards, but we still manage to stay up until 11pm before crawling off to a much needed sleep.
Well rested (or at least better rested), we organised what we thought would be a lazy Sunday at another old favourite – The White Horse on Parsons Green. But again we had forgot what a Sunday Session in London can turn into. Lunch and drinks turns into lunch and lots of drinks, and we didn’t leave The White Horse until 10pm. Well, the others left, as I went to the toilet and found that everyone had left. I had to follow them back to Todd & Nic’s on my lonesome! Sensibly, being a Sunday of course, we decided to have a few more drinks at Todd & Nic’s, and didn’t end up leaving until 2am. That was OK for us, we didn’t have to go to work the next day. But we were woken up in the Monday by the first lot of hate texts we got that week…
We had talked up making the most of everyday we had before we left. But in the interests of lasting the week, we called a truce and let everyone have the night off. And it was the Great British Beer Festival the next night, and I wanted to make sure I was in form for that. It also meant that I could feel good enough to go for a few runs during the week, along the old stomping group of the Thames path.
To say that it was just by chance that the Great British Beer festival was on when we were in London would obviously be a big fat lie. I decided I wanted to go on the first night to make sure I had a good chance of getting to the ales I wanted. And the strategy didn’t disappoint, getting to try the Champion Beer of Britain – the Rudgate Ruby Mild – and it didn’t disappoint! Nor did “Britain’s Biggest Bratwurst. Jabs and I had gone in search of the sausages we saw people eating and were about to order the 9” Bratwursts when we saw them throw onto the grill these massive 20” Bratwursts. It was a challenge too good to refuse and we promptly changed our order. Si got a bit of a shock when we arrived back, and it probably took us a good half an hour to finish them. And being the healthy event that is a beer festival, we had already devoured a few bags of pork scratchings and pork pies. It was definitely our night. Earlier in the evening someone had given us a good of vouchers for free beers, and then just as we were thinking of earning, someone came over and gave us £20 worth of vouchers. Score!
After a bit of shopping on the Wednesday, it was one last trip to the Bricklayers Arms and a few Timothy Taylors. Jabs took me out for lunch in Soho on Thursday, and Thursday night we had organised for our final dinner at the Queen Adelaide. True to form, London put on a stunning last night for us, stunningly wet. It was a massive downpour all night, which acted as a lock in. We only left the pub by midnight, and sensibly again stop in at Todd & Nic’s on the way home. A 2am finish again, and again hate texts in the morning. But we knew everyone would miss us, just maybe not their livers…
Our livers were certainly looking forward to a holiday, though we were not looking forward to ours ending. Being in London again was awesome, and wandering around Putney (and even riding the tube) just felt like being home. It’s just so much fun!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Part Four – Oop North
Flying back late in Gatwick, we had one of those London experiences we had forgotten about. Making good time out of the plan and picking up our bags, we made it to the train platform 2.5 seconds after the doors of the train closed, only to then find out the next train isn’t for another half an hour. Oh joy.
Though the next day, we experienced the other side, as we caught the train up to Leeds to spend a few days with James & Petra. What would be a painful 4 hour drive in New Zealand is an easy 2 hour trip on the train. That evening we headed into Leeds to visit some cools pubs and have a traditional Yorkshire curry. The curry was good, but not as impressive as the naan, which were massive and served on the end of large hooks. And we only got the normal size - the “family size” was big enough to provide overhead shelter for a small scout group.
The next day the English summer finally caught up with us good and proper – it rained all day. Which put a bit of a damper on our excursion into the Yorkshire Dales. Nevermind, that just meant more pub time and less walking time. This included visiting James & Petra’s wedding venue – The Craven Arms pub, with a medieval barn attached to the rear. The pub also has its own local microbrewery, which is going to brew a special beer for the wedding. It’s enough to make me want to get married there!
The next day we drove up to the Lakes District – via some select pubs of course – to stay our final night with Petra’s parents, who live in an awesome renovated slate house at the end of the very remote Kentmere Valley. It is a classic Lake District valley – apparently it is the setting of Postman Pat – and was a real treat. And Petra’s parent’s place was no typical cottage, her old man is a technie-nerd. There were three TVs in the house, including the Den with its projector screen. We even had our own ensuite room about the garage – it was like staying in a B&B. Not only that, but Petra’s mum treated us to a three-course meal as we did a taste off of the wines James & Petra were trialing for the wedding (Kiwi Sav and Argentinean Red).
The weather improved for our final day up north. Enough for me to go for a run with James around the valley. Hard work for someone who has spent the last 3 weeks drinking and eating his way around the Czech Republic and Croatia. Especially as James is a serious runner, competing in National and European meetings and running 5kms in around 14min20secs. He took it easy on me.
It was an awesome few days catching up with James & Petra – and a shame we didn’t have more time.
Flying back late in Gatwick, we had one of those London experiences we had forgotten about. Making good time out of the plan and picking up our bags, we made it to the train platform 2.5 seconds after the doors of the train closed, only to then find out the next train isn’t for another half an hour. Oh joy.
Though the next day, we experienced the other side, as we caught the train up to Leeds to spend a few days with James & Petra. What would be a painful 4 hour drive in New Zealand is an easy 2 hour trip on the train. That evening we headed into Leeds to visit some cools pubs and have a traditional Yorkshire curry. The curry was good, but not as impressive as the naan, which were massive and served on the end of large hooks. And we only got the normal size - the “family size” was big enough to provide overhead shelter for a small scout group.
The next day the English summer finally caught up with us good and proper – it rained all day. Which put a bit of a damper on our excursion into the Yorkshire Dales. Nevermind, that just meant more pub time and less walking time. This included visiting James & Petra’s wedding venue – The Craven Arms pub, with a medieval barn attached to the rear. The pub also has its own local microbrewery, which is going to brew a special beer for the wedding. It’s enough to make me want to get married there!
The next day we drove up to the Lakes District – via some select pubs of course – to stay our final night with Petra’s parents, who live in an awesome renovated slate house at the end of the very remote Kentmere Valley. It is a classic Lake District valley – apparently it is the setting of Postman Pat – and was a real treat. And Petra’s parent’s place was no typical cottage, her old man is a technie-nerd. There were three TVs in the house, including the Den with its projector screen. We even had our own ensuite room about the garage – it was like staying in a B&B. Not only that, but Petra’s mum treated us to a three-course meal as we did a taste off of the wines James & Petra were trialing for the wedding (Kiwi Sav and Argentinean Red).
The weather improved for our final day up north. Enough for me to go for a run with James around the valley. Hard work for someone who has spent the last 3 weeks drinking and eating his way around the Czech Republic and Croatia. Especially as James is a serious runner, competing in National and European meetings and running 5kms in around 14min20secs. He took it easy on me.
It was an awesome few days catching up with James & Petra – and a shame we didn’t have more time.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Part Three - Becalmed in Croatia
Arriving a bit later than planned – we first had to make our way through the onerous Croatian customs. That was sarcastic by the way…kids we running back and through the custom desks and I don’t think the customs officer actually looked down at my passport. We then made our way to the marina Therapy was berthed at, just north of Dubrovnik.
Unfortunately, our first day was stuck in the marina as the winds were too strong. However, we set out the next day for a sail and to rendezvous with Si & Kellie later that night. However, departing the marina was full of drama. The marina was situated up a long river hemmed in by steep cliffs on both sides. Being in a river, manoeuvring the boat needs to take into account both the river flow as well as the wind. We were in a tight spot and it was tricky work getting ourselves out. It was squeezing out of our berth that we lost control of the boat momentarily and we knocked, of all things, the very expensive looking lacquered speedboat. And the speedboat belonging to the gin palace berthed next to it, which itself had Russian owners, absent at the time. Marty had to head back to purvey the damage with the staff (who had just been polishing the speedboat that morning), but it was so small to be of little consequence. But that didn’t stop us ribbing Marty that it had to be wary of Russian Mafia and concrete gumboots.
We eventually took off to anchor up in one of the many sheltered coves and for the first of many swim and lunches. That night we anchored outside Cavtat, a handy location to the Dubrovnik airport, to pick up Si & Kellie. The next day we headed up North, planning to island hop our way up to Korcula. Si & Kellie quickly made themselves at home – perhaps getting too comfortable. Their pasty white London skin wasn’t quite prepared and for the rest of the week Si wore a permanent white singlet.
Over the next week we had awesome weather. For a couple of hours one afternoon we saw some cloud, but apart from that it was only blue sky in all directions. The only downside was a distinct lack of wind. We got a decent sail a couple of times, but most of the time was spent under motor. But the anchoring spots made it all worth it. Horseshoe bays that were so calm it was sometimes difficult to remember you were on a boat. And crystal clear water, that perfect temperature to be both refreshing and comfortable. So we settled into the rhythm of swim-beer-swim-eat-beer-swim-beer. Si especially took to this and quickly claimed the title of “Sloth”.
Our turnaround point was Korcula – an awesome walled-town (on the island of Korcula) occupying the end of a peninsula. We wandered the tight streets one late afternoon and enjoyed some cocktails at a bar that sat up the top of a turret. There was a ladder to get to the top, and your drinks arrived by a pulley system.
We made our back with more of the same, spotting a couple of dolphins for a change of scene. As Si & Kellie’s last day arrived we had to head into the Dubrovnik marina again, as the non-existent winds turned in a strong gale – a weird symmetry with the start of the week. This was Si & Kellie’s first visit to a marina, as we had anchored every night they had been on the boat. We all headed into Dubrovnik before Si & Kellie’s flight, for a couple of last beers sitting at the bars on the rocks outside Dubrovnik’s walls. For Anna and I, the next day was our last as well. Just enough time to head out for one last swim-eat-beer before catching out flight back to London.
Being on a boat in Croatia was a much different experience to Southern France. The lack of sailing weather is noticeable, but this is more than offset by the awesome anchoring spots that make marinas hardly necessary. It was a very relaxing 10 days – something we probably needed after our last week in London rather than before. But more of that to come…
Arriving a bit later than planned – we first had to make our way through the onerous Croatian customs. That was sarcastic by the way…kids we running back and through the custom desks and I don’t think the customs officer actually looked down at my passport. We then made our way to the marina Therapy was berthed at, just north of Dubrovnik.
Unfortunately, our first day was stuck in the marina as the winds were too strong. However, we set out the next day for a sail and to rendezvous with Si & Kellie later that night. However, departing the marina was full of drama. The marina was situated up a long river hemmed in by steep cliffs on both sides. Being in a river, manoeuvring the boat needs to take into account both the river flow as well as the wind. We were in a tight spot and it was tricky work getting ourselves out. It was squeezing out of our berth that we lost control of the boat momentarily and we knocked, of all things, the very expensive looking lacquered speedboat. And the speedboat belonging to the gin palace berthed next to it, which itself had Russian owners, absent at the time. Marty had to head back to purvey the damage with the staff (who had just been polishing the speedboat that morning), but it was so small to be of little consequence. But that didn’t stop us ribbing Marty that it had to be wary of Russian Mafia and concrete gumboots.
We eventually took off to anchor up in one of the many sheltered coves and for the first of many swim and lunches. That night we anchored outside Cavtat, a handy location to the Dubrovnik airport, to pick up Si & Kellie. The next day we headed up North, planning to island hop our way up to Korcula. Si & Kellie quickly made themselves at home – perhaps getting too comfortable. Their pasty white London skin wasn’t quite prepared and for the rest of the week Si wore a permanent white singlet.
Over the next week we had awesome weather. For a couple of hours one afternoon we saw some cloud, but apart from that it was only blue sky in all directions. The only downside was a distinct lack of wind. We got a decent sail a couple of times, but most of the time was spent under motor. But the anchoring spots made it all worth it. Horseshoe bays that were so calm it was sometimes difficult to remember you were on a boat. And crystal clear water, that perfect temperature to be both refreshing and comfortable. So we settled into the rhythm of swim-beer-swim-eat-beer-swim-beer. Si especially took to this and quickly claimed the title of “Sloth”.
Our turnaround point was Korcula – an awesome walled-town (on the island of Korcula) occupying the end of a peninsula. We wandered the tight streets one late afternoon and enjoyed some cocktails at a bar that sat up the top of a turret. There was a ladder to get to the top, and your drinks arrived by a pulley system.
We made our back with more of the same, spotting a couple of dolphins for a change of scene. As Si & Kellie’s last day arrived we had to head into the Dubrovnik marina again, as the non-existent winds turned in a strong gale – a weird symmetry with the start of the week. This was Si & Kellie’s first visit to a marina, as we had anchored every night they had been on the boat. We all headed into Dubrovnik before Si & Kellie’s flight, for a couple of last beers sitting at the bars on the rocks outside Dubrovnik’s walls. For Anna and I, the next day was our last as well. Just enough time to head out for one last swim-eat-beer before catching out flight back to London.
Being on a boat in Croatia was a much different experience to Southern France. The lack of sailing weather is noticeable, but this is more than offset by the awesome anchoring spots that make marinas hardly necessary. It was a very relaxing 10 days – something we probably needed after our last week in London rather than before. But more of that to come…
Friday, July 17, 2009
Part Two – Czech’ing it out
Though we flew into Prague Airport, that was as close as we got, as we had already been to Prague many years ago. This trip was about touring a bit of the Czech countryside and, surprise surprise, visit some fine Czech Breweries with the Good Beer Guide: Czech Republic in hand.
It was certainly an interesting trip. Straight away it was clear it was a strange country, where you are offered a choice between a Mercedes-Benz and a Ford Focus as your rental car – pretty easy choice that! And the roads themselves were very interesting. There seems to two trucks to every car on the road, the result being that the roads themselves are in pretty bad shape. The right-hand lanes of the motorways seem to be one endless series of potholes.
The Czech drivers themselves seem to be of two breeds. One breed seems to be perfectly comfortable driving 60km in a 90km zone. The other seems so concerned to check that their steering is working, they have to change lanes or overtake every 2 seconds, and seem intent on reading the maker’s name on the screws that are holding your license plate to the bumper!
But out in the countryside it is very scenic, with bright green rolling hills studded by attractive little towns (that’s where there isn’t some hulk of a Communist concrete block towering above them). The Czech countryside reminded me of how intensive livestock farming and forestry have ruined much of NZ’s countryside. The Czech people seem to take advantage of this as well – with plenty of hikers and cyclists about. Though this is in sharp contract with the rest of their lifestyle – which involves a lot of smoking (especially in pubs and restaurants, which is difficult getting used to again) and not what you would call the healthiest of cuisine’s. Stodge, stodge and more stodge. I love a dumpling as much as the next man, but after 5 days of them it was admittedly getting a bit tough. Not that it seems to be slowing down reproduction, there seemed to be newborn babies everywhere.
And there is also lots of water. Every town seems to have to have a pond or lake of some description – most of them dammed. You wouldn’t swim in them though. Perhaps they are used to farm Carp, which is on the menu everywhere, but has to be the top nomination for the most flavourless fish around.
So our first destination was Telc in South Moravia – a beautiful Renaissance town that was probably the pick of our trip. We had a room overlooking the town square and I got my first taste of some good Czech beer (Bernard) – though what stunned me more than anything was the price, about $1.80 for a pint!
The next day we criss-crossed our way across southern Czech Republic, arriving at Ceske Budejovice for lunch and the famous Budejovicky Budvar – famous for being the original “Budweiser”. I was able to sample two of their beers that are not as commonly available – the krouzkovany lezak (which is “yeast beer”, where a dose of young beer – fresh yeast and wort – is added after lagering), and the svetle vycepni (which is a lighter version of their Premium beer).
After lunch we drove through South Bohemia up to our destination of Plzen (we skipped the awesome Ceske Krumlov, as once again we visited it on a previous trip), stopping by at a couple of breweries, and though their beers were OK, not worth a special mention. Plzen itself is nice enough (it is a big student city), but the main reason it was our destination was because it is home to Pilsner Urquell Brewery, and also the opportunity to taste their amazing kvasnicovy (yeast beer again). The citrus sweetness combined with the yeasty dryness to make it very moreish.
After walking around the grounds of Pilsner Urquell Brewery the next morning, we made our way out to the small town of Dobrany just outside Plzen to lunch at the Modra Hvezda brewpub. This was a real find, as we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed one of our better meals on our trip. They had a range of four different beers on tap, and I couldn’t find too many faults with any of them, the tmavy (dark lager) and a stronger bock particularly good. Anna also had her first taste of what we saw a lot of people drinking – Birell, a 0% alcohol beer. The Czech Republic is a zero alcohol level for driving, and these Czechs enjoy their beer so much (they have the highest beer consumption per person in the world), they knock back this 0% beer in large amounts. I guess is was OK for what it was – but I was happy that Anna was doing the driving...
From Dobrany we were just making the relatively short trip to Chodova to the brewery/hotel/restaurant/spa, where we were both staying and taking in a massage and beer bath. Yes, that’s right, a beer bath! In a warm, brick-lined cellar, a steel tub-for-two was filled with a 50:50 mix of mineral water and a specially brewed low-alcohol bathing beer, at a temperature of 34 degrees. Admittedly it was a bit weird. The water was pretty murky and full of little bits, which I am assuming is some of the mash. But it was hard not to enjoy when you just sit back and get passed glasses of a light Chodovar lager. But then things got weirder…
After 30 minutes we were ushered out of the bath – the woman didn’t seem fussed that we were naked – and led to another even warmer room where we were swaddled with blankets and told to lie down on a chaise-lounge. It didn’t take long to get a big sweat on – and I guess that is the point, a bit like a poor man’s sauna – in the midst of the sweet malt and spicy hop aroma rising from your skin. It was difficult to decide whether to relax or laugh.
After that experience, later that night we ate at the Chodovar restaurant, which is set within lagering caves from the 12th century. While the setting was cool, our fellow diners were not. It seemed that a couple of busloads of pushy German tourists had also turned up without reservations and intent on squeezing in on our table. Even Anna’s evil-eye didn’t seem to work on them.
The next day we drove around the northwest Bohemia, famous for its spa towns. They are bizarre affairs, very opulent, but now also very touristy. The towns were made popular because of their mineral waters, which people were prescribed for various ailments. Now it seems tourists buy the ridiculous porcelain mugs things and drink the sulphury tasting water, the irony of also smoking a cigarette lost on many of them. We could only take so much of these spa towns, so decided to pop over the border into Germany for lunch – Bavaria no less, so it would have definitely been rude not to – and found the very nice town of Waldsassen. I relief at eating a meal not involving goulash or dumplings could probably be heard back in the Czech Republic as we enjoyed schnitzel (of course) and venison, as well as a couple of local brews, including a delicious Hefeweizen.
Back across the border and we only had a short trip to Loket – where we would be spending our last night. This fairy-tale town, perched on a mountain ridge with a river that serpentines it way around it on three sides, is also known for featuring in Casino Royale. We stayed at the brewpub/hotel, where their one beer was one of the best of the trip.
Our last day brought something new on this trip – rain. Until then, we had had beautifully warm and sunny days. Driving back towards the airport and with time to peruse the Good Beer Guide, I found one last brewpub that I wanted to visit – and it was only 15 minutes from the airport. And what a great call that was, as it had the best beers of the trip. The Chyne beers were absolutely stunning, my favourite was their cerny (dark lager), but the potomavy (half-dark) and svetle (light) were equally good. It was with much regret that I had to pull myself away – and even more so when we got to the airport, only to discover that our flight had been delayed for three hours.
It was a very enjoyable 5 days in the Czech Republic. There might not have been the wow factor, but a very enjoyable place to travel around. It was only the cuisine that we tired of; you can only take so much stodge – even me. And on the beer front there were some real finds. Though not typically beer styles I warm to, when they are brewed with such skill as were on offer here, it is hard not to be impressed by the bittersweet qualities of the variety of Czech lagers. A fine education for a Yeastie Boy.
Though we flew into Prague Airport, that was as close as we got, as we had already been to Prague many years ago. This trip was about touring a bit of the Czech countryside and, surprise surprise, visit some fine Czech Breweries with the Good Beer Guide: Czech Republic in hand.
It was certainly an interesting trip. Straight away it was clear it was a strange country, where you are offered a choice between a Mercedes-Benz and a Ford Focus as your rental car – pretty easy choice that! And the roads themselves were very interesting. There seems to two trucks to every car on the road, the result being that the roads themselves are in pretty bad shape. The right-hand lanes of the motorways seem to be one endless series of potholes.
The Czech drivers themselves seem to be of two breeds. One breed seems to be perfectly comfortable driving 60km in a 90km zone. The other seems so concerned to check that their steering is working, they have to change lanes or overtake every 2 seconds, and seem intent on reading the maker’s name on the screws that are holding your license plate to the bumper!
But out in the countryside it is very scenic, with bright green rolling hills studded by attractive little towns (that’s where there isn’t some hulk of a Communist concrete block towering above them). The Czech countryside reminded me of how intensive livestock farming and forestry have ruined much of NZ’s countryside. The Czech people seem to take advantage of this as well – with plenty of hikers and cyclists about. Though this is in sharp contract with the rest of their lifestyle – which involves a lot of smoking (especially in pubs and restaurants, which is difficult getting used to again) and not what you would call the healthiest of cuisine’s. Stodge, stodge and more stodge. I love a dumpling as much as the next man, but after 5 days of them it was admittedly getting a bit tough. Not that it seems to be slowing down reproduction, there seemed to be newborn babies everywhere.
And there is also lots of water. Every town seems to have to have a pond or lake of some description – most of them dammed. You wouldn’t swim in them though. Perhaps they are used to farm Carp, which is on the menu everywhere, but has to be the top nomination for the most flavourless fish around.
So our first destination was Telc in South Moravia – a beautiful Renaissance town that was probably the pick of our trip. We had a room overlooking the town square and I got my first taste of some good Czech beer (Bernard) – though what stunned me more than anything was the price, about $1.80 for a pint!
The next day we criss-crossed our way across southern Czech Republic, arriving at Ceske Budejovice for lunch and the famous Budejovicky Budvar – famous for being the original “Budweiser”. I was able to sample two of their beers that are not as commonly available – the krouzkovany lezak (which is “yeast beer”, where a dose of young beer – fresh yeast and wort – is added after lagering), and the svetle vycepni (which is a lighter version of their Premium beer).
After lunch we drove through South Bohemia up to our destination of Plzen (we skipped the awesome Ceske Krumlov, as once again we visited it on a previous trip), stopping by at a couple of breweries, and though their beers were OK, not worth a special mention. Plzen itself is nice enough (it is a big student city), but the main reason it was our destination was because it is home to Pilsner Urquell Brewery, and also the opportunity to taste their amazing kvasnicovy (yeast beer again). The citrus sweetness combined with the yeasty dryness to make it very moreish.
After walking around the grounds of Pilsner Urquell Brewery the next morning, we made our way out to the small town of Dobrany just outside Plzen to lunch at the Modra Hvezda brewpub. This was a real find, as we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed one of our better meals on our trip. They had a range of four different beers on tap, and I couldn’t find too many faults with any of them, the tmavy (dark lager) and a stronger bock particularly good. Anna also had her first taste of what we saw a lot of people drinking – Birell, a 0% alcohol beer. The Czech Republic is a zero alcohol level for driving, and these Czechs enjoy their beer so much (they have the highest beer consumption per person in the world), they knock back this 0% beer in large amounts. I guess is was OK for what it was – but I was happy that Anna was doing the driving...
From Dobrany we were just making the relatively short trip to Chodova to the brewery/hotel/restaurant/spa, where we were both staying and taking in a massage and beer bath. Yes, that’s right, a beer bath! In a warm, brick-lined cellar, a steel tub-for-two was filled with a 50:50 mix of mineral water and a specially brewed low-alcohol bathing beer, at a temperature of 34 degrees. Admittedly it was a bit weird. The water was pretty murky and full of little bits, which I am assuming is some of the mash. But it was hard not to enjoy when you just sit back and get passed glasses of a light Chodovar lager. But then things got weirder…
After 30 minutes we were ushered out of the bath – the woman didn’t seem fussed that we were naked – and led to another even warmer room where we were swaddled with blankets and told to lie down on a chaise-lounge. It didn’t take long to get a big sweat on – and I guess that is the point, a bit like a poor man’s sauna – in the midst of the sweet malt and spicy hop aroma rising from your skin. It was difficult to decide whether to relax or laugh.
After that experience, later that night we ate at the Chodovar restaurant, which is set within lagering caves from the 12th century. While the setting was cool, our fellow diners were not. It seemed that a couple of busloads of pushy German tourists had also turned up without reservations and intent on squeezing in on our table. Even Anna’s evil-eye didn’t seem to work on them.
The next day we drove around the northwest Bohemia, famous for its spa towns. They are bizarre affairs, very opulent, but now also very touristy. The towns were made popular because of their mineral waters, which people were prescribed for various ailments. Now it seems tourists buy the ridiculous porcelain mugs things and drink the sulphury tasting water, the irony of also smoking a cigarette lost on many of them. We could only take so much of these spa towns, so decided to pop over the border into Germany for lunch – Bavaria no less, so it would have definitely been rude not to – and found the very nice town of Waldsassen. I relief at eating a meal not involving goulash or dumplings could probably be heard back in the Czech Republic as we enjoyed schnitzel (of course) and venison, as well as a couple of local brews, including a delicious Hefeweizen.
Back across the border and we only had a short trip to Loket – where we would be spending our last night. This fairy-tale town, perched on a mountain ridge with a river that serpentines it way around it on three sides, is also known for featuring in Casino Royale. We stayed at the brewpub/hotel, where their one beer was one of the best of the trip.
Our last day brought something new on this trip – rain. Until then, we had had beautifully warm and sunny days. Driving back towards the airport and with time to peruse the Good Beer Guide, I found one last brewpub that I wanted to visit – and it was only 15 minutes from the airport. And what a great call that was, as it had the best beers of the trip. The Chyne beers were absolutely stunning, my favourite was their cerny (dark lager), but the potomavy (half-dark) and svetle (light) were equally good. It was with much regret that I had to pull myself away – and even more so when we got to the airport, only to discover that our flight had been delayed for three hours.
It was a very enjoyable 5 days in the Czech Republic. There might not have been the wow factor, but a very enjoyable place to travel around. It was only the cuisine that we tired of; you can only take so much stodge – even me. And on the beer front there were some real finds. Though not typically beer styles I warm to, when they are brewed with such skill as were on offer here, it is hard not to be impressed by the bittersweet qualities of the variety of Czech lagers. A fine education for a Yeastie Boy.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Part One – London’s Calling
Woohoo, a month away. Surely the best way to use a year’s worth of annual leave. Though of course it starts with the dreaded long haul all the way to Heathrow. And on the first leg it seemed it was going so well.
We were on one of the new Air NZ planes to San Francisco. They definitely have more legroom, and the seats seem that little bit wider. And in what seemed like a full flight, we also seemed be fortunate enough to have the one spare seat next to us. Of course, we should have known that this would balance out somewhere else…
We had a four-hour stop over in San Francisco. Not enough time to head into the city, but just enough to track down the Anchor Brewery Bar and have their very good brews. So despite getting no sleep on the first leg, I was feeling good about the second leg to London. That was until we boarded our Virgin Atlantic flight. It had the old style seats, which we had forgotten how little they “recline”, staffed by what seemed a select sample of the Chav population out of Essex. And then…my personal entertainment system didn’t work. And with the flight completely full, I couldn’t move anywhere else, and the staff didn’t seemed to care anyway. So I had to go the whole sleepless 12 hours to London with nothing to do.
Of course, at least I had the treats of London awaiting us. Deb meet us at the airport and from there it was back onto the tube (with my old Oyster card which still had money on it!) and into Putney. After a couple of groggy showers, down we headed to The Bricklayers Arms to meet up with all the crew. The Bricklayers was still as good as I remembered it, all the Timothy Taylors range, plus a couple of additional handpulls they have installed for more guests. But I only had eyes for the Dark Mild – and it wasn’t disappointing.
It only took a few pints to throw off the grogginess and it was like old times again in London. Later on we wandered down the road to another old haunt – Putney Tandoori – where I was greeted like a long lost son (though the stroking of my hair seemed a little weird!). Somehow Anna and I found ourselves back at Todd & Nic’s, going strong until 1.30am when we finally thought we should try and get some sleep (I had gone some 60 hours without any by then) – and sleep we did.
Sunday was meant to be a lazy afternoon up at The Telegraph – a pub up in Putney Heath that had been the talk of the town ever since I left. It calls itself a “country pub in London”, and that is a pretty accurate description. I’m not sure how it happened, but next thing I know it is 11pm and I am only just leaving the Coat and Badge after an all day Sunday session. Not a bad start of the holiday!
We only had one more day before we flew out to the Czech Republic, so we dragged everyone out again for a drink after work before Anna and I went out to dinner with Deb and Carl to Gordon Ramsey’s Murano. For those of you who know (or care) about these things, Murano is headed by Gordon Ramsey’s protégé Angela Hartnett. I think this is the third time we have eaten at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint, either the palate or the wallet. At £215, it’s not cheap, especially in NZ dollars, where it converts to $lots!
It had been a great first weekend in London to kick the holiday off – though didn’t help to shrug off the affects of jetlag – and it was great catching up with everyone. Next stop, the Pilsners of the Czech Republic…
Woohoo, a month away. Surely the best way to use a year’s worth of annual leave. Though of course it starts with the dreaded long haul all the way to Heathrow. And on the first leg it seemed it was going so well.
We were on one of the new Air NZ planes to San Francisco. They definitely have more legroom, and the seats seem that little bit wider. And in what seemed like a full flight, we also seemed be fortunate enough to have the one spare seat next to us. Of course, we should have known that this would balance out somewhere else…
We had a four-hour stop over in San Francisco. Not enough time to head into the city, but just enough to track down the Anchor Brewery Bar and have their very good brews. So despite getting no sleep on the first leg, I was feeling good about the second leg to London. That was until we boarded our Virgin Atlantic flight. It had the old style seats, which we had forgotten how little they “recline”, staffed by what seemed a select sample of the Chav population out of Essex. And then…my personal entertainment system didn’t work. And with the flight completely full, I couldn’t move anywhere else, and the staff didn’t seemed to care anyway. So I had to go the whole sleepless 12 hours to London with nothing to do.
Of course, at least I had the treats of London awaiting us. Deb meet us at the airport and from there it was back onto the tube (with my old Oyster card which still had money on it!) and into Putney. After a couple of groggy showers, down we headed to The Bricklayers Arms to meet up with all the crew. The Bricklayers was still as good as I remembered it, all the Timothy Taylors range, plus a couple of additional handpulls they have installed for more guests. But I only had eyes for the Dark Mild – and it wasn’t disappointing.
It only took a few pints to throw off the grogginess and it was like old times again in London. Later on we wandered down the road to another old haunt – Putney Tandoori – where I was greeted like a long lost son (though the stroking of my hair seemed a little weird!). Somehow Anna and I found ourselves back at Todd & Nic’s, going strong until 1.30am when we finally thought we should try and get some sleep (I had gone some 60 hours without any by then) – and sleep we did.
Sunday was meant to be a lazy afternoon up at The Telegraph – a pub up in Putney Heath that had been the talk of the town ever since I left. It calls itself a “country pub in London”, and that is a pretty accurate description. I’m not sure how it happened, but next thing I know it is 11pm and I am only just leaving the Coat and Badge after an all day Sunday session. Not a bad start of the holiday!
We only had one more day before we flew out to the Czech Republic, so we dragged everyone out again for a drink after work before Anna and I went out to dinner with Deb and Carl to Gordon Ramsey’s Murano. For those of you who know (or care) about these things, Murano is headed by Gordon Ramsey’s protégé Angela Hartnett. I think this is the third time we have eaten at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint, either the palate or the wallet. At £215, it’s not cheap, especially in NZ dollars, where it converts to $lots!It had been a great first weekend in London to kick the holiday off – though didn’t help to shrug off the affects of jetlag – and it was great catching up with everyone. Next stop, the Pilsners of the Czech Republic…
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Taupombledon 2009
The competitive spirit was warmed up for the second time this (in)famous tournament was to be played on NZ shores with the great linguistic Taupombledon vs Taupimbledon debate. The o's won it, for no more reason than it rolls off the tongue better...and it's printed on the scoreboard.
Friday was accompanied by the usual bemoaning of the Wellingtonians about the drive up - you all choose to live in that hemmed in backwater ;-)
But normal order was quickly restored once the keg was tapped and the beer was flowing. A nice little surprise for the Friday night - a half keg of Kid Chocolate left over from the Auckland beer festival. The traditional bacon sarnie fry-up was held sometime after midnight, and the last of us trickled off to bed at - a probably unwise - sometime after 3am.
Despite the forecast for some showers from the summerless south, Taupo managed to put on another perfect day for tennis - not too hot, not too cold. A new element to the tournament was unveiled, creche corner - where more athletic ability was probably displayed than on court. Of course, the tennis once again took a back seat to the real purpose of the day - the drinking - a keg of Emersons Pilsner for the boys (perhaps a little too hoppy to accompany a day of tennis), and punch for the girls (minus 2).
But there has to be a winner on the day - and this year, finally, Rae & Tom managed to pick up the title to their own tournament. I think they were quietly chuffed, and there might have even been some subtle fist-pumping at the back of the court. Of course, the final game of tennis does no mean a halt to proceedings, as the trophy quickly becomes the object of attention with a game of "tennis-ball-soccer-header". This may go down as one of the best games ever, extending to a marathon 7 sets.
Post the BBQ dinner, the night finished much earlier this year - perhaps the influence of the kiddies, perhaps the extra strength in the Pilsner, perhaps we are all just getting older...
But still another great Taupombledon weekend.
The competitive spirit was warmed up for the second time this (in)famous tournament was to be played on NZ shores with the great linguistic Taupombledon vs Taupimbledon debate. The o's won it, for no more reason than it rolls off the tongue better...and it's printed on the scoreboard.
Friday was accompanied by the usual bemoaning of the Wellingtonians about the drive up - you all choose to live in that hemmed in backwater ;-)
But normal order was quickly restored once the keg was tapped and the beer was flowing. A nice little surprise for the Friday night - a half keg of Kid Chocolate left over from the Auckland beer festival. The traditional bacon sarnie fry-up was held sometime after midnight, and the last of us trickled off to bed at - a probably unwise - sometime after 3am.
Despite the forecast for some showers from the summerless south, Taupo managed to put on another perfect day for tennis - not too hot, not too cold. A new element to the tournament was unveiled, creche corner - where more athletic ability was probably displayed than on court. Of course, the tennis once again took a back seat to the real purpose of the day - the drinking - a keg of Emersons Pilsner for the boys (perhaps a little too hoppy to accompany a day of tennis), and punch for the girls (minus 2).
But there has to be a winner on the day - and this year, finally, Rae & Tom managed to pick up the title to their own tournament. I think they were quietly chuffed, and there might have even been some subtle fist-pumping at the back of the court. Of course, the final game of tennis does no mean a halt to proceedings, as the trophy quickly becomes the object of attention with a game of "tennis-ball-soccer-header". This may go down as one of the best games ever, extending to a marathon 7 sets.
Post the BBQ dinner, the night finished much earlier this year - perhaps the influence of the kiddies, perhaps the extra strength in the Pilsner, perhaps we are all just getting older...
But still another great Taupombledon weekend.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
City Chasing
On Saturday Tom and I took part in the inaugural ANZ City Chase. It drew more than 300 teams into an adventure which ranged from the North Shore's Devonport to the eastern waterfront's Okahu Bay.
The event was the first in New Zealand and the 300 teams made it the largest first time event per capita for any country that has a City Chase event. The winning team completed ten of the twenty chase points in 2hrs 9mins - a fair bit faster than Tom and I. But we were just in it for fun, and we had plenty of that.
Teams must travel only by foot or approved local public transport - bus, ferry or train, and stay within 25m of each other at all times. Any other methods of transportation, including any form of private transportation, bicycle, car, taxi, motorcycle, rollerblades, hang glider, magic carpet, camel and rickshaw were strictly prohibited
Tom and I finished down the pack in what was still a respectable 3hrs 40mins, well inside the deadline of 6 hours. Our biggest hindrance time-wise was heading over to Devonport to claim the chased points there - all of the top teams stayed on the southern side of the harbour. However, as a result they missed out on the best task of the day.
The Chase started off down at the Viaduct with an impromptu task. You couldn't get your Clue Sheet until you brought back two of - an ATM receipt, some foreign currency, or a coin from 1993. This set off a mad dash by all competitors, with every tourist (or anyone who looked like a tourist) hassled for change. This too longer than you think - even more frustrating that I had been to an ATM just 20 minutes earlier - but of course, no receipt.
Finally, with Clue Sheet in hand, Tom and I thought the best plan of attack would be head across to Devonport, where 5 of the tasks were located very close together. We weren't the only ones, as the first ferry was crowded by other teams with the same thought. Though the short trip gave us an opportunity to strategise - and also call Anna to google some of the clues.
Our first chase point proved simple enough. At Devonport Chocolates, we simply had to wrap a couple of chocolates to their approval - and we got to keep the chocolates.
Close by was our second task, which was to paint each other's faces to match the pictures. We choose what look to be easiest - the Dalmatian. Mistake was to let Tom go first, he was trying to make my face perfect and absolutely caked my face with paint. After looking at what some of the other efforts were given approval, I realised all I need to was randomly put some white and black paint on Tom's face and it would be fine.
Caked in paint, we headed off to the next stop, which was the "special ANZ Chase menu". This proved to be rolling a dice and having to eat a grub or insect. They were quite small so ended up pretty easy, the worst seemed to be the crickets and fortunately neither of us rolled those.
We now had a bit of a march to North Head where a queue had built up waiting for buckets. Fortunately I had a VIP pass, which enabled us to jump the queue - go to be some benefits working for the sponsor! We had to carry two buckets of water from the beach to the top of the Head and then complete a mental task with the water. I had seen it before, so it proved quite easy. However, the combination of all this running and and the sun meant we had quite a sweat on - not that great when you have a paint face!
We not just had one last task in Devonport - and this was the best of the day. We had to head in the Naval Base, where we had to done overalls and life jacket - all to the orders of a young drill sergeant. We then boarded the frigate Te Mana and had to leap from the side into the harbour, and the scale the ladder up the side back onto the frigate. It was absolutely awesome and if I had thought about it then, I would have done it again. It's not every day you get to jump off the side of a naval frigate.
With 5 Chase Points down, we were pretty chuffed with ourselves, and even had enough time for a pie and a coke before the ferry left to go back into the city (what we didn't know was that the winning team was finishing as we were chowing down!).
Back in the city, a short sprint to Britomart, where we soon found ourselves trying to find a stranger to sing Split Enz's I See Red with us.
It was then a short wait to take us up to Parnell, where we had to find a park to answer some questions about the ANZ Netball Championship and then shoot some hoops.
We then thought we were making our way across to the Parnell Rose Gardens, which we thought were an answer to another clue. However, on arriving we quickly realised we got that one wrong and there was no one else in sight! Fortunately, this was en route to the Parnell Baths anyway, which was definitely a correct answer. This involved swimming a length of the Parnell baths herding blow up sheep. A little unusual, but Tom and I aced this, even having to wait for a couple of young guys who we caught up, who couldn't control their sheep.
We were on the home straight now and only had two last Chase Points to collect, with plenty of options Downtown.
At the Ice Bar, there was the simple task of bobbing for of ice cubes. Though a little surreal with some tourists drinking cocktails out of ice glasses next to you (though why they are in the Ice Bar in the middle of the day, I do not know?).
Our tenth and last Chase Point was then just across in the Maritime Museum, which we had to scour for answers to a question sheet. Then it was a sprint (more a half-walk/half-jog by that stage) of about 200 metres to the finish at O'Hagans pub - and a much welcomed beer.
It was an awesome event and I cannot recommend it more highly for anyone who wants something fun to do next year.
On Saturday Tom and I took part in the inaugural ANZ City Chase. It drew more than 300 teams into an adventure which ranged from the North Shore's Devonport to the eastern waterfront's Okahu Bay.
The event was the first in New Zealand and the 300 teams made it the largest first time event per capita for any country that has a City Chase event. The winning team completed ten of the twenty chase points in 2hrs 9mins - a fair bit faster than Tom and I. But we were just in it for fun, and we had plenty of that.
Teams must travel only by foot or approved local public transport - bus, ferry or train, and stay within 25m of each other at all times. Any other methods of transportation, including any form of private transportation, bicycle, car, taxi, motorcycle, rollerblades, hang glider, magic carpet, camel and rickshaw were strictly prohibited
Tom and I finished down the pack in what was still a respectable 3hrs 40mins, well inside the deadline of 6 hours. Our biggest hindrance time-wise was heading over to Devonport to claim the chased points there - all of the top teams stayed on the southern side of the harbour. However, as a result they missed out on the best task of the day.
The Chase started off down at the Viaduct with an impromptu task. You couldn't get your Clue Sheet until you brought back two of - an ATM receipt, some foreign currency, or a coin from 1993. This set off a mad dash by all competitors, with every tourist (or anyone who looked like a tourist) hassled for change. This too longer than you think - even more frustrating that I had been to an ATM just 20 minutes earlier - but of course, no receipt.
Finally, with Clue Sheet in hand, Tom and I thought the best plan of attack would be head across to Devonport, where 5 of the tasks were located very close together. We weren't the only ones, as the first ferry was crowded by other teams with the same thought. Though the short trip gave us an opportunity to strategise - and also call Anna to google some of the clues.
Our first chase point proved simple enough. At Devonport Chocolates, we simply had to wrap a couple of chocolates to their approval - and we got to keep the chocolates.
Close by was our second task, which was to paint each other's faces to match the pictures. We choose what look to be easiest - the Dalmatian. Mistake was to let Tom go first, he was trying to make my face perfect and absolutely caked my face with paint. After looking at what some of the other efforts were given approval, I realised all I need to was randomly put some white and black paint on Tom's face and it would be fine.
Caked in paint, we headed off to the next stop, which was the "special ANZ Chase menu". This proved to be rolling a dice and having to eat a grub or insect. They were quite small so ended up pretty easy, the worst seemed to be the crickets and fortunately neither of us rolled those.
We now had a bit of a march to North Head where a queue had built up waiting for buckets. Fortunately I had a VIP pass, which enabled us to jump the queue - go to be some benefits working for the sponsor! We had to carry two buckets of water from the beach to the top of the Head and then complete a mental task with the water. I had seen it before, so it proved quite easy. However, the combination of all this running and and the sun meant we had quite a sweat on - not that great when you have a paint face!
We not just had one last task in Devonport - and this was the best of the day. We had to head in the Naval Base, where we had to done overalls and life jacket - all to the orders of a young drill sergeant. We then boarded the frigate Te Mana and had to leap from the side into the harbour, and the scale the ladder up the side back onto the frigate. It was absolutely awesome and if I had thought about it then, I would have done it again. It's not every day you get to jump off the side of a naval frigate.
With 5 Chase Points down, we were pretty chuffed with ourselves, and even had enough time for a pie and a coke before the ferry left to go back into the city (what we didn't know was that the winning team was finishing as we were chowing down!).
Back in the city, a short sprint to Britomart, where we soon found ourselves trying to find a stranger to sing Split Enz's I See Red with us.
It was then a short wait to take us up to Parnell, where we had to find a park to answer some questions about the ANZ Netball Championship and then shoot some hoops.
We then thought we were making our way across to the Parnell Rose Gardens, which we thought were an answer to another clue. However, on arriving we quickly realised we got that one wrong and there was no one else in sight! Fortunately, this was en route to the Parnell Baths anyway, which was definitely a correct answer. This involved swimming a length of the Parnell baths herding blow up sheep. A little unusual, but Tom and I aced this, even having to wait for a couple of young guys who we caught up, who couldn't control their sheep.
We were on the home straight now and only had two last Chase Points to collect, with plenty of options Downtown.
At the Ice Bar, there was the simple task of bobbing for of ice cubes. Though a little surreal with some tourists drinking cocktails out of ice glasses next to you (though why they are in the Ice Bar in the middle of the day, I do not know?).
Our tenth and last Chase Point was then just across in the Maritime Museum, which we had to scour for answers to a question sheet. Then it was a sprint (more a half-walk/half-jog by that stage) of about 200 metres to the finish at O'Hagans pub - and a much welcomed beer.
It was an awesome event and I cannot recommend it more highly for anyone who wants something fun to do next year.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Kai Iwi Lakes (Northland)
Photos here
Ever since Brad & Shaz mentioned stumbling upon this awesome lakes when they tripped around Northland last year, I've been wanting make my way up to the Kai Iwi Lakes. With a long weekend on offer because of Waitangi Day, Anna and I headed up with Rae & Tom to check them out.
Resisting Rae & Tom's urge to leave before the sun came up "to beat traffic", we left at a reasonable hour and got up there in less than 3 hours. We first travelled along the new Northern Gateway Tollroad, which has received a fair bit of press since it opened. What a load of kerfuffle though. It is brilliant - cutting off at least 15 minutes (and probably more on long weekends such as this) with the bypassing of Orewa - though I wonder if the Dairies and Service Stations of Orewa are so thrilled by it. And for those idiots who complain about the queues to pay by the cash toll booths (though there weren't any when we went through) - you should try making it to the 21st century and pay by internet, it's so damn easy.
Skipping the thrills and sights of the infamous Kauri Museum (Anna and I are still scarred by the experience of having to follow Julie many years ago as she inspected every bit of timber and Kauri gum - and trust me, there is a lot of it), it was just a brief stop at Dargaville (and you don't want it to be any longer than 'brief') and we dropped off our stuff at the bach we had hired at Omariri Beach, just 10 minutes from the lakes. It didn't take us long to get to the lakes from there, and it didn't take us long to be wowed by the lakes themselves.
The Kai Iwi Lakes are lakes that have been formed by rainwater in depressions of sand dunes. This combines to make what is for me the best swimming spot I have ever been to in New Zealand. The lake is crystal clear and surround by soft sand, and the main swimming beach is just superb. It has a shelf that is waist deep which stretches out for 50 metres before suddenly dropping away steeply. The shelf is perfect for mucking around - and especially for throwing and catching a tennis ball (which Tom and I engaged in for hours). A group of guys had also erected scaffolding (not OSH approved that's for sure) right on the edge of the shelf with about a 5 metre jump into the deep. And if you got bored of that, you could simply go for a proper swim off the shelf.
The strange thing - to me anyway - was that the lake wasn't busier. Sure, there were plenty of people there - but I was surprised it wasn't packed. And it seemed that most people there seemed to be tourists (and mostly English tourists at that) - the lakes obviously must be on the Lonely Planet trail. Now that I know they are there, I will be definitely planning return trips whenever there is weather that is as good as we had that weekend (it was hot and we hardly saw a cloud in the sky the whole time).
So three days up north, and three days spent at the lakes. Though in the Saturday we did go for a drive further north to Hokianga Harbour, stopping in to check out Tane Mahuta - which Rae hadn't seen before. All in all, a great long weekend away. We arrived back on Sunday afternoon to an Auckland that was still baking, so had to head to the beach straight away. However, this has been followed by a week of weather as humid as I can remember - including the hottest temperature recorded in Auckland for over 100 years, and sticky nights where the low one night was recorded at 22.1 degrees (not comfortable). If only I could pop down to the lakes...
Photos here
Ever since Brad & Shaz mentioned stumbling upon this awesome lakes when they tripped around Northland last year, I've been wanting make my way up to the Kai Iwi Lakes. With a long weekend on offer because of Waitangi Day, Anna and I headed up with Rae & Tom to check them out.
Resisting Rae & Tom's urge to leave before the sun came up "to beat traffic", we left at a reasonable hour and got up there in less than 3 hours. We first travelled along the new Northern Gateway Tollroad, which has received a fair bit of press since it opened. What a load of kerfuffle though. It is brilliant - cutting off at least 15 minutes (and probably more on long weekends such as this) with the bypassing of Orewa - though I wonder if the Dairies and Service Stations of Orewa are so thrilled by it. And for those idiots who complain about the queues to pay by the cash toll booths (though there weren't any when we went through) - you should try making it to the 21st century and pay by internet, it's so damn easy.
Skipping the thrills and sights of the infamous Kauri Museum (Anna and I are still scarred by the experience of having to follow Julie many years ago as she inspected every bit of timber and Kauri gum - and trust me, there is a lot of it), it was just a brief stop at Dargaville (and you don't want it to be any longer than 'brief') and we dropped off our stuff at the bach we had hired at Omariri Beach, just 10 minutes from the lakes. It didn't take us long to get to the lakes from there, and it didn't take us long to be wowed by the lakes themselves.
The Kai Iwi Lakes are lakes that have been formed by rainwater in depressions of sand dunes. This combines to make what is for me the best swimming spot I have ever been to in New Zealand. The lake is crystal clear and surround by soft sand, and the main swimming beach is just superb. It has a shelf that is waist deep which stretches out for 50 metres before suddenly dropping away steeply. The shelf is perfect for mucking around - and especially for throwing and catching a tennis ball (which Tom and I engaged in for hours). A group of guys had also erected scaffolding (not OSH approved that's for sure) right on the edge of the shelf with about a 5 metre jump into the deep. And if you got bored of that, you could simply go for a proper swim off the shelf.
The strange thing - to me anyway - was that the lake wasn't busier. Sure, there were plenty of people there - but I was surprised it wasn't packed. And it seemed that most people there seemed to be tourists (and mostly English tourists at that) - the lakes obviously must be on the Lonely Planet trail. Now that I know they are there, I will be definitely planning return trips whenever there is weather that is as good as we had that weekend (it was hot and we hardly saw a cloud in the sky the whole time).
So three days up north, and three days spent at the lakes. Though in the Saturday we did go for a drive further north to Hokianga Harbour, stopping in to check out Tane Mahuta - which Rae hadn't seen before. All in all, a great long weekend away. We arrived back on Sunday afternoon to an Auckland that was still baking, so had to head to the beach straight away. However, this has been followed by a week of weather as humid as I can remember - including the hottest temperature recorded in Auckland for over 100 years, and sticky nights where the low one night was recorded at 22.1 degrees (not comfortable). If only I could pop down to the lakes...
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Downhilling it at Tongariro
It was Auckland Anniversary weekend and we headed down to National Park for some mountain biking with the pub quiz crew from Auckland. Heading down there on the Saturday morning, the weather couldn't have been much better.
That afternoon we road down the Fishers Track - which starts just out the back of National Park. It is 20-odd km of mostly downhill, some of it dirt and some of it grass. The first part took is through chutes of Toi Tois before having to navigate quite a tricky slippery mud and rock path. This then opened out into mostly grassy paths that were heaps of fun. The most amazing part of the track was that it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, with awesome views over native bush. The track itself involves a 500m descent, but fortunately you are not required to ascend back up (though you could if you wanted and were crazy enough). The alternative (and very wise it is too) is to book the pick-up bus to meet you at the end and take you back up to National Park where a much needed beer awaits.
The next day we got up early to ride the 42 Traverse. This again is a mostly downhill ride of around 45kms, though with a couple of descent climbs. This time you get dropped off at the start by the bus and again get returned from the bottom. Most of the trail is a mix of fire breaks and track and again surrounded by nothing but native bush. The downhills are long and pretty quick, and your hands and feet are pretty sore by the time you get to the bottom of them. There are also some stream crossings at the bottom of the descents - where admittedly Anna showed me how it is meant to be done (though, in my defense, I got some bad advise beforehand).
But it wasn't all fun and games. With no clouds in the sky and little wind, the climbs back up were a good workout. But at least this gave me the chance to get one back on the more experienced mountain bikers, as I left them behind churning up the hills - they left me behind on the downhills, so had to get them back somewhere. It was still damn hard work though, and at the top of the two hills we all needed well earned breaks and to cool down from boiling point. The reward at the end is a dip in a swimming hole - freezing cold melt water from Ruapahu just what the legs need after a good ride. The bus arrives just at the right time, this time with beers on board - you beaut!
And all this is done with enough time to drive back to Auckland that night. A damn fun and easy weekend away, we'll be doing it again. Especially now that Anna has since ditched the hire bikes and bought herself a shiny new MTB.
Some picks from the two days here.
It was Auckland Anniversary weekend and we headed down to National Park for some mountain biking with the pub quiz crew from Auckland. Heading down there on the Saturday morning, the weather couldn't have been much better.
That afternoon we road down the Fishers Track - which starts just out the back of National Park. It is 20-odd km of mostly downhill, some of it dirt and some of it grass. The first part took is through chutes of Toi Tois before having to navigate quite a tricky slippery mud and rock path. This then opened out into mostly grassy paths that were heaps of fun. The most amazing part of the track was that it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, with awesome views over native bush. The track itself involves a 500m descent, but fortunately you are not required to ascend back up (though you could if you wanted and were crazy enough). The alternative (and very wise it is too) is to book the pick-up bus to meet you at the end and take you back up to National Park where a much needed beer awaits.
The next day we got up early to ride the 42 Traverse. This again is a mostly downhill ride of around 45kms, though with a couple of descent climbs. This time you get dropped off at the start by the bus and again get returned from the bottom. Most of the trail is a mix of fire breaks and track and again surrounded by nothing but native bush. The downhills are long and pretty quick, and your hands and feet are pretty sore by the time you get to the bottom of them. There are also some stream crossings at the bottom of the descents - where admittedly Anna showed me how it is meant to be done (though, in my defense, I got some bad advise beforehand).
But it wasn't all fun and games. With no clouds in the sky and little wind, the climbs back up were a good workout. But at least this gave me the chance to get one back on the more experienced mountain bikers, as I left them behind churning up the hills - they left me behind on the downhills, so had to get them back somewhere. It was still damn hard work though, and at the top of the two hills we all needed well earned breaks and to cool down from boiling point. The reward at the end is a dip in a swimming hole - freezing cold melt water from Ruapahu just what the legs need after a good ride. The bus arrives just at the right time, this time with beers on board - you beaut!
And all this is done with enough time to drive back to Auckland that night. A damn fun and easy weekend away, we'll be doing it again. Especially now that Anna has since ditched the hire bikes and bought herself a shiny new MTB.
Some picks from the two days here.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Day at the Tennis
Courtesy of the shareholders and customers of a certain bank, I spent the day court side at the finals of the NZ Heineken Open. The tennis was good, the beer was pretty bad.
The men's single final involved top seed and number 9 in the world - Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro - versus namesake American Sam Querrey. With Del Potro playing, this gave me the chance to dust off my faux Puma's top and go a bit latino.
As you can see, the view from the corporate box wasn't too bad - though with the sun out it got pretty hot. What to do...give the wave and order more drinks. Though things didn't go so smoothly around lunch time. Having just been served our lunch towards the end of the 1st Set, a first serve fault very nearly rebounded straight into my crispy pork belly. Before I knew what had happened, a work colleague behind me tossed the offending ball back onto court. Problem was, the second serve had just been sent down. This didn't do much to endear us to Mr Del Potro, who was at the receiving end at the time. Mutterings of Spanish were quickly sent in our direction - probably just as well that they appeared to be outside my five and a half word Spanish vocabulary. Fortunately my pork belly wasn't threatened any further in the match, and Del Potro won comfortably in two sets, 6-4 6-4.
Once the tennis was finished, we retired to the 'Base Line After Party', which included a pretty awesome set from Liam Finn, and a whole lot of terrible middle-aged dancing.
Courtesy of the shareholders and customers of a certain bank, I spent the day court side at the finals of the NZ Heineken Open. The tennis was good, the beer was pretty bad.
The men's single final involved top seed and number 9 in the world - Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro - versus namesake American Sam Querrey. With Del Potro playing, this gave me the chance to dust off my faux Puma's top and go a bit latino.
As you can see, the view from the corporate box wasn't too bad - though with the sun out it got pretty hot. What to do...give the wave and order more drinks. Though things didn't go so smoothly around lunch time. Having just been served our lunch towards the end of the 1st Set, a first serve fault very nearly rebounded straight into my crispy pork belly. Before I knew what had happened, a work colleague behind me tossed the offending ball back onto court. Problem was, the second serve had just been sent down. This didn't do much to endear us to Mr Del Potro, who was at the receiving end at the time. Mutterings of Spanish were quickly sent in our direction - probably just as well that they appeared to be outside my five and a half word Spanish vocabulary. Fortunately my pork belly wasn't threatened any further in the match, and Del Potro won comfortably in two sets, 6-4 6-4.Once the tennis was finished, we retired to the 'Base Line After Party', which included a pretty awesome set from Liam Finn, and a whole lot of terrible middle-aged dancing.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Thursday, December 25, 2008
It's a Posso Christmas
Foregoing the usual Christmas demands, I have stayed back in Auckland this year all by myself. Marvellous!
After a few drinks out in Ponsonby last night, it was a bit of a sleep-in before heading out on an 80km morning ride. Returning, I began preparing a Posso Christmas feast - a Christmas Curry. First course was Squid in a spicy spinach sauce. This was followed by a Paresee Chicken Curry, served with brown rice and paratha. Both were delicious, and washed down with a taste-off of 2007 and 2008 vintages of Cooper's Strong Ale. I'm just savouring the last of the 2008 vintage right now.
And I'll be heading off later to join some fellow Christmas orphans (though these are legitimate ones - most are all from the UK) to have a few more drinks.
The perfect Posso Christmas - no tree, no presents, , no travel, no fuss, no stress. Marvellous!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Gatts Stag Do
A long time coming, but time has been in short supply of late.
Mike's Stag started off sedately enough, as 25 likely lads (and some more senior lads) congregated at 7 Cuba Street for a nourishing breakfast of beer and bacon sarnies. Everyone look respledent in their whites, and Mike especially in the special outfit acquired for him - grandpa pants, walk socks, and sandal; topped off by his pink 'drinking-gumboot' he was to drink from during the day.
Prior to hopping on the bus at 11am, Mike had one last task - one last bacon sarnie and beer. The twist was that this bacon sarnie and beer was combined in the food processor. Looking like a 'delicious' brown sludge, Mike took his medicine like a true man...in small sips. In a show of support, Steve and I tried to help him out, and I can report - it wasn't good (JT had gone overboard with the BBQ sauce and the bread was still lumpy).
Rounded up on the bus along with a good supply of liquid refreshments, we took this party over the hill to the Wairarapa. Destination...Greytown Bowling Club. Suprisingly for the Wairarapa the weather was overcast and drizzly, but this didn't deter us all from getting out on the green. The old boys from the Club were pretty excited to have us there and did their best to get us into some kind of order. Hastily organising into teams - with the brief embaressment of fortgetting to include the man-of-honour - we set about a mini tournament for the afternoon. It bowls itself was of mixed quality, with a few wrong biases thrown in for good measure. I can't remember who the winning team was, which is as much to say it wasn't mine.
There was a breif intermission as the weather turned a bit nastier. Perfect timing though to stop for the BBQ that the bowling club boys put on for us - complete with potatoes, salad, the works. They really did go out of the way for us. It was at this stage that Mike also finally got the chance to relieve himself - he wasn't allowed to go until all 24 for us gone at least once - Joe being his nemesis for some time. The bowling wrapped up around 4.30pm and we bid the old boys from the bowling club farewell.
Next stop was the 'Top Pub' in Greytown, where they had said they would put on some snacks in return for our patronage. With the sun finally coming out and a few beers already under the belt, it looked as if things were going to slow down. But sitting along a long bench table, someone had the bright idea to have a boat race. One boast race turned out to be a best of three, as male pride took over. Different styles were clearly evident - from the Ian Poss pour it down my top, the Daygs sip it like it is a hot cup of coffee, to the John Albertson now you see it now you don't single gulp. There's nothing like a bit of competition to lift male spirits, and soon enough the Stag was in full swing again.
After a final stop off at the Tin Hut - which is a lot more upmarket than it once was and probably not the best destination for a Stag Do already 9 hours into it - we finally made our way back with a very grumpy bus driver behind the wheel. Making a fee drop-offs on the way, we finally reached Courtenay Place with about half of the original contingent, who wisely or unwisely were continuing on. By this stage I was amazed the Stag was still standing, let alone able to carry on. He had taken a bit of a hammering earlier in the afternoon, and by my count must have been made to have 10 shots by then. I'm sure the rest of the night must get pretty fuzy for Mike from then on...
Probably just as well, as the story goes something along the lines of visiting an establishment of the sort that is predominantly of male partonage and having his chest stripped and lit on fire by a modestly dressed young lady. But if you can't remember Mike, did it really happen?
The Stag finally clocked out around midnight, a damn fine showing. I think he even started feeling human again by the Tuesday...
A long time coming, but time has been in short supply of late.
Mike's Stag started off sedately enough, as 25 likely lads (and some more senior lads) congregated at 7 Cuba Street for a nourishing breakfast of beer and bacon sarnies. Everyone look respledent in their whites, and Mike especially in the special outfit acquired for him - grandpa pants, walk socks, and sandal; topped off by his pink 'drinking-gumboot' he was to drink from during the day.Prior to hopping on the bus at 11am, Mike had one last task - one last bacon sarnie and beer. The twist was that this bacon sarnie and beer was combined in the food processor. Looking like a 'delicious' brown sludge, Mike took his medicine like a true man...in small sips. In a show of support, Steve and I tried to help him out, and I can report - it wasn't good (JT had gone overboard with the BBQ sauce and the bread was still lumpy).
Rounded up on the bus along with a good supply of liquid refreshments, we took this party over the hill to the Wairarapa. Destination...Greytown Bowling Club. Suprisingly for the Wairarapa the weather was overcast and drizzly, but this didn't deter us all from getting out on the green. The old boys from the Club were pretty excited to have us there and did their best to get us into some kind of order. Hastily organising into teams - with the brief embaressment of fortgetting to include the man-of-honour - we set about a mini tournament for the afternoon. It bowls itself was of mixed quality, with a few wrong biases thrown in for good measure. I can't remember who the winning team was, which is as much to say it wasn't mine.
There was a breif intermission as the weather turned a bit nastier. Perfect timing though to stop for the BBQ that the bowling club boys put on for us - complete with potatoes, salad, the works. They really did go out of the way for us. It was at this stage that Mike also finally got the chance to relieve himself - he wasn't allowed to go until all 24 for us gone at least once - Joe being his nemesis for some time. The bowling wrapped up around 4.30pm and we bid the old boys from the bowling club farewell.
Next stop was the 'Top Pub' in Greytown, where they had said they would put on some snacks in return for our patronage. With the sun finally coming out and a few beers already under the belt, it looked as if things were going to slow down. But sitting along a long bench table, someone had the bright idea to have a boat race. One boast race turned out to be a best of three, as male pride took over. Different styles were clearly evident - from the Ian Poss pour it down my top, the Daygs sip it like it is a hot cup of coffee, to the John Albertson now you see it now you don't single gulp. There's nothing like a bit of competition to lift male spirits, and soon enough the Stag was in full swing again.
After a final stop off at the Tin Hut - which is a lot more upmarket than it once was and probably not the best destination for a Stag Do already 9 hours into it - we finally made our way back with a very grumpy bus driver behind the wheel. Making a fee drop-offs on the way, we finally reached Courtenay Place with about half of the original contingent, who wisely or unwisely were continuing on. By this stage I was amazed the Stag was still standing, let alone able to carry on. He had taken a bit of a hammering earlier in the afternoon, and by my count must have been made to have 10 shots by then. I'm sure the rest of the night must get pretty fuzy for Mike from then on...
Probably just as well, as the story goes something along the lines of visiting an establishment of the sort that is predominantly of male partonage and having his chest stripped and lit on fire by a modestly dressed young lady. But if you can't remember Mike, did it really happen?
The Stag finally clocked out around midnight, a damn fine showing. I think he even started feeling human again by the Tuesday...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Aussie Trip
Here are some pics from our two week trip in Australia at the beginning of December.
Pics
We flew into Melbourne for two days there - and I will always begrudge Qantas the two hour delay that robbed me of at an awesome beer pub we went to on the first night - also catching up with Vicki. We then picked up our hire car and spent three days driving along the Great Ocean Road - where the scenery was spectacular, and the small towns quiet (we were just beating the summer holidays rush). We then had two days in the Grampians National Park, where we did a couple of hikes.
We then crossed over to South Australia - destination the wine regions around Adelaide. First was a couple of nights in the Barossa, and a lot of money spent on food and wine. We then had a couple of nights in the more picturesque McLaren Vale, where we stayed in an old chapel. We had our last two days in Adelaide - where we showed our typical knack of bringing rain to parched places, they had their first full day of rain for over a year.
It was a great couple of weeks - saw some awesome scenery and spent far too much money. We haven't missed the flies though - they drive you bonkers. Kangaroos and koalas are meant to be the national animals, but it should be flies and magpies!
Here are some pics from our two week trip in Australia at the beginning of December.
Pics
We flew into Melbourne for two days there - and I will always begrudge Qantas the two hour delay that robbed me of at an awesome beer pub we went to on the first night - also catching up with Vicki. We then picked up our hire car and spent three days driving along the Great Ocean Road - where the scenery was spectacular, and the small towns quiet (we were just beating the summer holidays rush). We then had two days in the Grampians National Park, where we did a couple of hikes.
We then crossed over to South Australia - destination the wine regions around Adelaide. First was a couple of nights in the Barossa, and a lot of money spent on food and wine. We then had a couple of nights in the more picturesque McLaren Vale, where we stayed in an old chapel. We had our last two days in Adelaide - where we showed our typical knack of bringing rain to parched places, they had their first full day of rain for over a year.
It was a great couple of weeks - saw some awesome scenery and spent far too much money. We haven't missed the flies though - they drive you bonkers. Kangaroos and koalas are meant to be the national animals, but it should be flies and magpies!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
2 times as fun
Yeah right!
Some of you will be aware that Stu and I took on the crazy challenge of doing the Round Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, not just one, but twice. Known as the Enduro, it involves 2 laps of the 160km course.
Work, children (Stu's, not mine!), and laziness conspired to leave us typically under prepared for such an undertaking. Though it is difficult to know how much training you do need for such an event. Plenty of time on the saddle of course, though too much training and you would only leave your legs tired for the big day. Both of us only managed one ride over 200km, and were at best riding three times a week. So maybe on a bright note, our legs were well rested. And who really wants to go for training rides in the middle of the night anyway?
Not that we could avoid it for the ride though. A 1.30am start makes for difficult preparation. Was good to receive the text's of good luck, though not so much the ones sent after 8pm! I'm starting at 1.30am people, what do you think I'm trying to do....
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Alarm went off at 12.30am, after a wonderful 45 minutes sleep (that's sarcasm by the way). Bit of a surreal feeling really, trying to take down some 'breakfast') is it still breakfast at that time and think that you've got a big ride ahead of you. JT and Steve got up to see us off (well, JT didn't have a choice seeing he was sleeping in the lounge), as Stu and I headed off in our layers and lights. Down at the start line there were about 50 entrants or so. Some crazy guy was doing his 20th Enduro, and Colin Anderson, the doyen of the Taupo Cycle Challenge was there also (he's done 48 laps of the course in all, or something like that). Blissfully, we couldn't have asked for better conditions. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, plenty of stars, and very little wind. At the start, it was difficult to know what to do. Some guys took off, obviously going for a time, and I quickly learnt that there was no point trying to look behind to try and see where Stuey was, as you were just blinded by the lights.
Stu and I quickly found ourselves in a good group (which was of much relief), maybe of about 25 riders, which pretty much stayed together for the first 100kms of the first lap. It set a good pace as well, and certainly helped the night to pass quickly. The first 20kms is pretty much a steady climb, and this quickly got the body temp up. In fact, Stu and I thought at one stage that we had perhaps over dressed. However, once we got around the back of the Lake and down into a few misty vales, the cold really started bite. Especially on the downhills, when I really rued forgetting my long-fingered bike gloves as my fingers turned to popsicles.
I did have a small problem when one of my rangi lights started to come off my handlebars. Wasn't an issue though, as I hardly needed my lights anyway. Some of the riders seemed to have attached car lamps to their bikes they were giving off so much light. So Stu and I chatted away and spent quite a bit of time at the front of the group. The only difficult thing to contend with was trying to eat every now and then - a sports gel isn't that appetising for your stomach at 3am.
The split in the group finally came down the hill towards Turangi with about 50kms to go. Stu and I found ourselves going off the front with five other riders. For some unknown reason the seven of us decided that we were going to push hard (four of us really, we did the work as the other three sat behind and took the benefit). For the next 30kms to Hatepe Hill we would have averaged 35kph - maybe it was a wave of delusion at the sight of sunlight? Arriving at Hatepe we were buggered - and we only had ourselves to blame. It was a pretty slow crawl up there, and Stu and I both felt rubbish for the last 20km down into Taupo - not how you want to feel knowing you have to do it all again.
Though going past lots of riders in Taupo as they headed to the start line peaked the spirits, especially their reactions when you explained to them that you had already done one lap. We were both very much looking forward to a bit down and a change of clothes though. The lap clocked in at 5hrs37mins - around half an hour faster than I thought we would do it in. Back at the unit, we faffed about a bit. We both had a feed and Stu had a shower (I decided to give that a skip as thought it might throw out the body temperature a bit). The couch got a little comfortable for a while there, so we didn't finally get out again until after around an hour.
The downside of all that faffing though was that we missed meeting up with Anna at the start line. That meant we had to chase her down for the first 20kms. Not what the legs had wanted. And probably not want the riders at the back of the field want, seeing yellow-capped Enduro riders going past them. It was much to our relief when we finally did catch up with Anna. We then settled down into a comfortable pace and tried to enjoy the second - much warmer and sunnier - lap.
And it was enjoyable. Stu and I both could have gone faster - but we would have felt pretty average to have done so. We often found ourselves riding at the front of a group and a comfortable pace, ensuring Anna was getting a good draft. Admittedly, towards the end of the second lap the backside was getting pretty tired - but it had spent 12 hours on the saddle by then, so it is fair enough.
The final near mishap came just before Hatepe Hill. I had noticed since Turangi that my back wheel seemed to be sliding around a bit. It got worse and worse as I approached Hatepe, but I wanted to ignore it as the only thing I could think it might be was a slow flat, and replacing a tube was the last thing I felt like doing (it was sticking hot by now). But I eventually had to stop and told Anna and Stu to go ahead and I would catch up. Sure enough, the back tyre was pretty flat by now. But with 25km to go, I decided to just try and pump it up and hope that it was just a slow leak. Jumped back on and chased Anna up Hatepe Hill. I felt surprisingly good (the flat coke was kicking in now), and I must have passed hundreds of riders up the hill (they must have been thinking "what the....!"). Meet up with Stu and Anna at the top of Hatepe and happened to see someone with a floor pump. Hooked it up to my back tyre and it was only inflated to 40psi! Managed to pump it up a bit more, but no more than 60 psi, and decided to hope for the best.
And it all worked out. We enjoyed the final 20km down into Taupo (apart from some little kid who kept on trying to take us out), by now all three of us were high on flat coke, so we probably felt the best we had all day. We crossed the line together, Stu and I clocking up 13hrs19mins - though with only around 12hrs of actual riding.
And Anna - she clocked in at 6hrs36mins, an awesome time for her - I had been thinking around 7hrs. She didn't enjoy the first half - but then no one does the first time, those hills just keep on rolling - but by the end she was wanting to come back. Brad also did awesome for his first time around, at5hrs15mins. And looks like we have a few more interested for next year - with Sharon and JT on the look out for road bikes.
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And will I be doing the Enduro again? Well, definitely not next year. I actually enjoyed the ride, though I wouldn't half done so half as much without Stu's company the whole way. It is the training that is tough. So will be pack to the single lap next year, train with Anna to get her under 6hrs, and maybe look to go under 5hrs myself for the first time. At the very least I'll be looking forward to getting up at reasonable times for training rides.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Paparazzo Posso
You might remember our trip to Motuihe Island back in June. Not long after that trip, I saw that the Motuihe Trust was running a Photo Competition and I entered a few of the photos I took from that day. Well, it turns out that this photo of ours won the Landscape category. And it was only taken with our small Canon digital.
Apparently we have won a Ricoh digital camera - a funny prize considering we obviously already have a digital camera. But pretty cool to know that a photo I took was selected.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
U17 Women's FootballOn Saturday I took the opportunity to attend a game of one the more significant sporting tournaments to be held in NZ...the inaugural U17 Women's Football World Cup. And well worth it was.
The NZ girls were playing their second match against Denmark - after narrowly losing 1-0 to Canada in their opening match. And after having 13000 spectators turn up for that game, there was an incredible 12000 turn up for this second match. Amazing numbers when you consider that recent rugby matches haven't been able to pull anything near those numbers. And the girls didn't disappoint.
Considering these girls were under 17, the skill level was very impressive. They may have not had the speed or the weight on some of the shots and passes, but there was a lot of skill on the ball. But most of all, it was enjoyable watching athletes who were playing their game for the love of their sport. There was no theatrics, no show-ponies, no prima donna's. The game was free-flowing and competitive, not based upon constantly-changing and over-complicated rules.
Unfortunately the NZ girls lost the game 2-1, though they were very unlucky (as in their first game), not to tie it up in the frenetic final 10 minutes. The only disappointment was on the final whistle when - as after their first game - most of the NZ team broke down. It wasn't so much the tears that disappointed me - these girls are only 16 after all - but the lack of congratulating of the other team. But again, this probably just reflects the passion these girls had for their sport, something we don't usually see on our rugby fields these days.
So a very enjoyable afternoon of spectating - and I walked away think rugby could learn a lot from this tournament - both in terms of the quality of sport on the field, and also the treatment of the fans (a game played in the afternoon, and tickets only $10). For those of you who bothered to watch the - from all accounts - boring rugby test later that night, you should have switched your TVs on 6 hours earlier.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Auckland-to-Hamilton: The Hard Way
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/new-zealand/ponsonby/237143783170
And by "hard", am I referring to the fact that I biked it the long way - 170km in all - in preparation of the Lake Taupo Enduro (2 laps = 320km)? Is it the fact that I left at 5am to get some nighttime riding practice in? Am I referring to several showers I got caught in on the way down? Maybe the several freshly laid sections of chip seal that I had to ride over (one at least a couple of km long)? Or perhaps I am referring the attach of the magpie, who I just managed to because it's pre-dive squawk made me look up with enough time to duck as it zeroed in on my head? Could it also be when my back light came off after riding over a railway line, and subsequently just before I went to pick it up, some van drove straight over the top of it? Was it my aching shoulders and back? Or even worse, the welts on my backside from the stitching on my bike pants (despite having wearing the same bike pants on many occasions and never having a problem with them)?
No, it was none of those...
The main reason this ride was "hard" was because, despite living in a land that is supposedly dominated by winds of a north-westerly persuasion; and heading on a ride that will particularly benefit from such favourable climatic conditions; I had to spend most of the six and a half hours plowing straight into a bloody southerly! Not only is it physically tiring and slows you down (I could only just manage 20kph on some straights), but worst of all it drives you bloody bonkers. In the end I let Anna rescue me from my torment, picking me up 5km from my destination.
Of no relief was Stu's text telling me it was "character building". I'll be reminding his advise as I sit on his wheel as he plows into the wind coming off Mt Tongario at 4am on the morning of November 29!
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/new-zealand/ponsonby/237143783170
And by "hard", am I referring to the fact that I biked it the long way - 170km in all - in preparation of the Lake Taupo Enduro (2 laps = 320km)? Is it the fact that I left at 5am to get some nighttime riding practice in? Am I referring to several showers I got caught in on the way down? Maybe the several freshly laid sections of chip seal that I had to ride over (one at least a couple of km long)? Or perhaps I am referring the attach of the magpie, who I just managed to because it's pre-dive squawk made me look up with enough time to duck as it zeroed in on my head? Could it also be when my back light came off after riding over a railway line, and subsequently just before I went to pick it up, some van drove straight over the top of it? Was it my aching shoulders and back? Or even worse, the welts on my backside from the stitching on my bike pants (despite having wearing the same bike pants on many occasions and never having a problem with them)?
No, it was none of those...
The main reason this ride was "hard" was because, despite living in a land that is supposedly dominated by winds of a north-westerly persuasion; and heading on a ride that will particularly benefit from such favourable climatic conditions; I had to spend most of the six and a half hours plowing straight into a bloody southerly! Not only is it physically tiring and slows you down (I could only just manage 20kph on some straights), but worst of all it drives you bloody bonkers. In the end I let Anna rescue me from my torment, picking me up 5km from my destination.
Of no relief was Stu's text telling me it was "character building". I'll be reminding his advise as I sit on his wheel as he plows into the wind coming off Mt Tongario at 4am on the morning of November 29!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
World Famous in New Zealand
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4717117a13.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4717117a13.html
And if that looks like a big grin, that's because it is about the 50th I have had to pull! Taken at the "commercial launch" of Pot Kettle Black, at Bar Edward in Newtown (Wellington). Was a successful night, the first keg on the Yeastie Boys went very quick, and we weren't far off going through the second. And it was tasting delicious off the hand pump again.
Plenty of inquiries from the article - which was seen as widely as Marlborough and the Hawkes Bay, as well as being feature article in the Business section of the Dominion Post. Not a bad start for the Yeastie Boys...
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