Happy New Year

Greetings from a hot and sunny NZ and we send best wishes to all readers for a very happy and peaceful 2008. We celebrated the turning of the year at one of our favourite restaurants 'Mecca' with yummy prawns, chargrilled salmon and pan fried snapper. We supped on a very excellent Hawke's Bay 'Church Road'. Then down to the beach with the rest of Devonport to watch the fireworks from Auckland's Sky City - great fun and warm!!!

So best wishes from us both

Phileas and Fogg

Trying with photos again!!

Hi from Phileas

I am experimenting again in the Library at Devonport with my new gadget, the card reader. I managed to lose a whole load of Fogg's photos when I posted them from our house so I thought I'd try this way. OK I can't the computer won't let me. I'll have to try a different Internet place.

Anyway while I am here I will tell you what we have been up to recently. Well actually what Fogg has been up to. Yesterday he sailed on NZ 40 which was one of the boats that was entered in the Americas Cup when it was held in San Diego in 1995. It was a beautiful boat and maybe I'll be able to put some pictures up later. I'll leave him to tell you all about it.

I decided not to go with him so I sat on the harbour wall and filmed the boat and took some photos. Then I succumbed to a rather good blueberry icecream and my latest Barbara Trapido novel. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon!

Today we have been back to Rangitoto to take pictures for my colleagues in England (see previous blog on succession). Brilliant walk to the top, exhausting but well worth it for the views and satisfaction. Heading off now to the pool so over to Fogg.

Hi. A brief note from me. Fogg. Yesterdays trip on NZL40 was awesome. I was involved in the sailing of the boat. I manned the 'grinders'. A kind of winch that pulls the ropes attached to the sails. 'Painters' I think the ropes are called. I took the helm and put the boat about. 'Tacking' for those that don't know the language! A large sailing boat. We had 350 square metrs of sail flying. A spinacker when the wind was behind us. That increased the sail area a lot. The boat weighed 27 tons and the keel alone weighed 18 of those. The hull was made of carbon fibre. There were five professional crew on board and the rest was made up of people who just bought into the trip. It takes about 20 people to sail one of these so you may imagine that most were kept busy. It was fantastic and I want to go again. There is a n opportunity to engage in a race as there are two ex America Cup boats in the harbour. who knows? So, an excited Fogg who realised yesterday had not lost the call of the sea and the ability to handle a boat although the technology is much different that when I last sailed. Loved it. Lots of unused miscles used yesterday. Today I climbed a Volcanoo. Wow! So lots of love and best wishes to you all.
Fogg

xx

Hi
This is Fogg. You will have received a Blog from Phileas. My turn whilst Phileas is out booking a trip to another local Island. Forgive me if I repeat anything. Christmas is now over . It was strange being on a beach eating breakfast on Christmas day and swimming in the Pacific but a wonderful experience. We watched Gannets diving for fish and looked across to Rangitoto an extinct Volcanic Island that we have visited. Prior to Christmas we travelled to the top of North Island for three days and stayed in a backpackers hostel, which was quite an experience in itself. Some time since I did that. About 40 years. The whole trip was wonderful. At the very top end. A very sacred place for the Maori. We watched the Tasman and Pacific oceans meet. A quite extraordinary sight seeing two great seas crash against each other. The landscape as we travelled was just stunning. Great hills punctuated with trees and ferns which created great areas of beautiful textures and colours. A textile artist's delight. We also visited one of the three remaining Kauri tree forests and saw the 'Biggest' tree in New Zealand. It was massive and majestic. Visiting the Kauri tree museum was a plus and gave us an insight into the historyof this magnificent tree. The Europeans and Maoris were very keen on it and logged, seemingly at will, until only 3% of the original coverage of New Zealand remains. I did not believe a tree museum could be so interesting! Whilst back at our hostel eating at a local restaurant one night we spotted Johnathon Porritt (past president of Friends of the Earth. Other highlights for me were a trip along '90 mile' beach on our coach. Driving at high speed along a deserted beach sounds odd but it was fantastic with marvellous views both out to sea and inland. We stopped occasionally and at one we dug for Tua Tua shells which we cracked open and ate the contents. A bit like mussels and a little slimy but I liked them. Phileas did not try! I also attempted to 'surf' a sand dune. This dune was well over 300 feet high and very steep. I was carrying a board to slide down on. I have to report I did not make it to the top as my legs just would not carry me. But I did manage a short slide down from about half way up. It was seriously difficult. But I am glad I had a go. I have to say I felt a bit knackered for the rest of the day! Tomorrow I take a trip on a large racing sailing boat which was used by NZ in the Americas Cup a few years ago. I shall report on that when I have done it. How excited am I? So after a very relaxed Christmas and Boxing day we are begining to get going again and have some serious experiences. We only have another week at Devonport and then fly to South Island on the 4th Jan where we will be staying at an ex colleagues house for ten days and then we are completely on our own, but hope to visit friends and relatives of Phileas whilst there. So our adventure continues. I have even managed to do some drawing maybe to illustrate our words when we get back? So this is Fogg signing out and I wish you all a very happy New Year.

Well that was Christmas!!!

Hi from a warm, but breezy Devonport. It's December 27th and as far as I can see for New Zealanders Christmas is over. We had a very low key Christmas as you can imagine, but nonthe less enjoyed ourselves enormously. We had received some cards from the UK which was wonderful and I had been anticipating the Day through the Advent calendar that my dear aunt and godmother had sent me.

We had decided, Fogg and I, that we did not need any gifts to each other and so we woke on a bright sunny Christmas morning to a much greater gift, a beach. We took a breakfast picnic to one of our local beaches, Cheltenham, which is a 10 minute walk away. It was quiet with only a few people out cycling or walking but there were one or two families already on the sand with their boogie boards and picnics.

The sea was warm and we had the most wonderful swim followed by croissants, cherries and strawberries!! What more could you wish for?

Back at the house we set about getting ready for our bbq lunch of prawns and salmon with a rather nice bottle of NZ fizz. We had timed it just right as soon after we finished eating the heavens opened (as forecast) and we had to move indoors. Doctor Who back to back through the afternoon kept us amused and we phoned home to the UK to speak to family and friends as the light was fading. By 10pm it had stopped raining and so Fogg had a quick swim in the pool before bed!

Boxing Day in NZ is no different to the UK. The sales start and in Auckland there was horse racing and one day cricket - the Black Caps against Bangladesh. The Black Caps are not doing very well at the moment but seemed to be coping with the opposition quite well. We have become afficiendos of NZ sport as it is often the lead story on the 6pm news. We took a short swim in the pool and then set off for a walk up one of our local volcanoes, Mt Victoria. It was an important Maori site and since the arrival of the Europeans a lookuot and communications point. There is a gun embedded in the top of the volcano which was placed there because of the Russian threat in 1899! This fortunately did not materialise but the gun is still there. As are stunning 360o views of Auckland, the Islands and Devonport. Back down to the village for a coffee and home for fizz and smoked salmon. The evening was warm and sunny so we walked back to Cheltenham beach where we watched the gannets diving and the rainbow growing as the rain moved in! Boy can it rain in NZ, but we found a pukutakawa tree and sheltered until it passed.

My 30 minutes at the library is nearly over so I will sign off. Fogg will be on later when another computer is available.

With very best wishes

Phileas

Where two oceans meet

Greetings from a hot and sunny Devonport. Fogg and I have just returned from a short break to the top of New Zealand where we learnt a lot about Maori culture, the Kauri tree and life as a backpacker. We would like to tell you all about these things but have to use an internet cafe so time is limited.

Suffice to say at this stage that we have met some wonderful Maori people, listened to some beautiful stories about Maori myths and legends and some evocative songs.

The Kauri tree was very important to the economic life of New Zealand but it was over forested and now is only found in a few small forests. I did manage a good hug of one!! It is related to the Redwood, is a soft and suprisingly light wood and has an enormous number of uses.

Backpacking in NZ is very well organised. We travelled with a company called Magic and stayed in a very clean hostel in Paihia on the Bay of Islands. We met some lovely young people and we may well try another one later, hostel that is not young people!!!

Time is running out so seasons greetings to you all.

Phileas and Fogg

thoughts

Some people might be pleased to know that it has been raining quite heavily today. Luckily we had not planned a major outdoor event, just a shopping trip to our local town Takapuna.

We took the bus, the 813, that runs between Devonport and Takapuna every half hour. It is a well used service, particularly by older people and the young. It winds its way through the residential areas which are not quite as charming as Devonport. The area up to Takapuna has been developed in the last 40 years or so and the architecture relies more on brick and concrete rather than wood as we have in Devonport. Takapuna is a busy town with a small shopping centre housing all manner of small shops and Body Shop and Crabtree and Evelyn! We find the local art suppliers where Fogg stocks up and a Trade Aid shop that has excellent Fair Trade chocolate.

It is strange being in a country where familiar brands and shops are common. We have Coronation Street on the TV and the Christmas TV guide has the Coronation Street panto advertised on the front. NZ television seems to be based on UK and USA programmes. I watched Doc Martin last night and Michael Palin the night before. Yet the local news is totally unlike the BBC or ITV. Auckland news is first and it's usually politics/crime or sport. International news gets a small mention and there are adverts all the way through. I have to log onto the BBC news site on the web to find out what is happening in the world.

For me the most confusing thing is Christmas/December with temperatures in the mid 70s. The gardens here are full of English flowers - geraniums, marigolds, nasturtiums, summer jasmine and roses. There are sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, kingfishers - kingfishers? - yes, sitting on a telegraph wire completely unphased by the traffic and people passing it by and mynah birds. Unlike Singapore the Christmas decorations are muted, this is the main holiday period and most families are concentrating on their summer break. There are trees in windows and lights strung round verandas but for the date you really would hardly think that it was nearly Christmas day.

Ab Fab has just started!! so I'll say goodbye.


Best wishes

Phileas

islands,succession and competition

I am, as you can imagine, quite excited about the fact that I have uploaded 5 images from our recent island journeys. What of course I should have done and will remember to do next time is to put one up at a time and that way I will be able to title them all!

The first 3 are of Rangitoto Island which is very close to us. In fact when we are on Cheltenham Beach we could almost swim to it. The last 2 are of Tiritiri Matangi which is about an hour by ferry from Auckland.

I have been so excited by these 2 islands and my Biology and Geography colleagues will understand why. On a personal level they were both incredibly beautiful and visually exciting but for someone who teaches succession, speciation, competition, transpiration etc they were a living classroom.

You can see from the pictures that they are very different and Fogg has described their history briefly I think. Rangitoto is hot and unforgiving, the black lava is hard and dry and it would be hard to imagine anything living on it let alone the massive pohutukawa tree. Yet over time (geologically and biologically a very short 400 years) mosses and lichens have covered the lava and when they died their remains have filled the nooks and crannies between the lumps of lava. This has provided a foothold for ferns and grasses, whose spores and seeds have blown in from neighbouring islands. The roots of the grasses have held the embryonic soil and allowed larger flowering plans and shrubs to get a foothold. Finally there has been soil enough for the trees which now cover an enormous percentage of the island. In places, however, the succession is still in its early stages and the only organisms visible are mosses or grasses. There is no water on the island, the lava is very porous and the rain water runs straight through to form a freshwater reservoir on top of the seawater under the island. On these open areas of lava temperatures rise as the black rock absorbs the sun's energy and so there is very little animal life except small birds which can shelter in the undergrowth and feed on the seeds and the few insects that are available. The survival of the pohutukawa also depended on the eradication of the possums and wallabies that had been introduced to the island in the 1880s.

Tiritiri Matangi is not a volcanic island and has plenty of running water. It has supported both Maori settlements (Kawerau and later Ngati Paoa) and European farmers and all of this occupation and farming resulted in most of the original bush being lost. When it was made into a sanctuary a massive amount of work had to be done to replant and reintroduce birds who could breed and survive without predation by possum, rats, cats, stoats etc. This has now happened and the rules about entering the island are very strict to ensure that no stray predators get back. The same applies to seeds of plants (weeds) that would compete too strongly with the indigenous plants. The plant life on the island is lush and green and allows the visitor to walk through shady tracks and boardwalks and listen to the birdsong and spot some of the most endangered species of birds in New Zealand. It is a magical place as you can see from the pictures and the birds are beautiful. Some special ones to mention are the Stitch Bird, The North Island Saddleback, The North Island Robin, The Whitehead, The Tui and of course the Takahe and The Kokako. Unfortunately we did not see the latter or the Blue Penguins which nest on the coast but we were so pleased to have spent such a wonderful day that it did not matter.

I leave you with this picture (as with all I must credit Fogg) of Greg. He is not the prettiest bird in the world, but because he is a Takahe one of the most endangered and therefore one of the most significant that we saw on Tiritiri.

With very best wishes

Phileas

Its Saturday 15th December and Phileas and Fogg have been exploring. We have been to two of the islands off the east coast of North Island, Rangitoto and TiriTiri. Both amazing . Rangitoto is an extinct Volcano and it only stopped erupting 400 years ago. (It started 600 years ago and took 200 hundred to form itself into the island.) so there is a lot of cascades of larva interspersed with trees and foliage and lichens which very much excited Phileas from the scientific point of view. Visually I have never seen anything like it. We took a tractor to near the top and climbed to the summit and hence we walked round the rim of the crater. The views were magnificent over the isthmus and towards Auckland. The second island was TiriTiri an ecological masterpiece with the most amazing range of birds. We saw all manner which I will not list here. Suffice it to say it was very exciting. The views were again spectacular. The trees were fantastic. The colours textures and shapes were inspiring. I have got to get drawing. We are doing so much I have not really had time. It was a hot day yesterday on TiriTiri and we got back late (6pm) and went straight into the pool followed by a really good glass of Chardonnay. What bliss. Our 'hosts' go to England today so from now on we are on our own, really for the first time since we have been away. We have done more than an 8th of our journey already! Having walked round our adopted home of Devonport for a month this morning I have seen people in Father Christmas costumes, girls with antlers, Christmas lights and trees in peoples front rooms, all in bright sunshine. All very surreal. We are going to the Bay of Islands at the end of next week and will be staying away for a couple of nights. We have joined a backpacker's group and will be spending a couple of nights in a 'hostel' although they have let us 'old folks' have the studio so we do not have to share a dormitory! More about that later on. So this is Fogg signing out and sending you all my love and best wishes.

I'm just practising!!

This is a purely random photograph that I am using to practise putting photos on our blog. As you can see it is a picture of a scooter with 2 pigs in a cage on the back. This was a very common sight in Vietnam, we saw horizontal pigs (not sure whether they were alive or dead); ducks; chickens; wardrobes and assorted vegetables. How on earth they balanced I will never know!!

Phileas

In Auckland

Hello all

I have now just about woken up since arriving in Auckland and am getting my bearings. Phileas is sitting and chatting with our new hosts and since it is now raining very hard is a good opportunity for me to 'Blog'. I mention the rain since I do not want you to think it is wall to wall sunshine. I have even got a jumper on! Phileas and I however braved the elements and went for a good walk round Devonport where we will be based for the next month. It is a delightful place. As a friend who lives on south island observed Devonport is very 'Anne of Green Gables'. Phileas's comment as we were walking round was that it is almost too good to be true. Very clean and healthy. It is a small place with a range of shops and good bars and restaurants. We have tried a couple already! The people are very friendly and helpful. The youth seem to be happy and there is very little crime. Unemployment is about 2%. There are two ways of getting here. Over a large road bridge situated some distance away from Devonport or over by the ferry. If a crime is committed here the police just close the bridge or wait for the ferry to dock. Of course boats could be used but they are not. The beaches are clean and safe and when the weather clears we will be down there with the locals swimming, although the pool at the house is great. Phileas has had a dip! The pool takes up most of the garden which has a border of trees and shrubs with a huge gas fired Bar-b-q in the corner. We had a Bar-b-q yesterday with our hosts Jim and Wendy and Wendy's children. Very pleasant indeed. Having just about recovered from jetlag we are now looking to go exploring further afield to the north of north island where there is wildlife in abundance to see. So Phileas and Fogg's big adventure is well underway. It seems a width of beach measuring a 'Chain' (22yards) (about 7 metres) known I think as the Queens chain goes all round both islands. It is 'owned' by our very own QE 2. It is a way of ensuring that people who have properties overlooking the beach here do not claim rights down to the waters edge and that beach use is available to all. Property here is lovely. Most are raised off the ground and a large storage space is created underneath. Cars are kept on an adjacent driveway. All houses have a ground floor outside terrace. Its the kind of terrace one sees on the films with 'old folks' sitting on in a slowly rocking 'rocking chair'. I must have a go! We saw a poster today for candle light carol singing on the 13th. We shall go to that and try a little to 'integrate' with the local community.
So, until the next Blog this is Fogg signing off . Thank you to those who are sending us emails. It is good to hear from you.
Fogg. x

On the kindness of strangers

Fogg and I flew into Auckland yesterday and having adjusted our watches twice by 3 and then 2 hours forward felt totally zapped. Despite having flat bed seats on the plane we had only had time for a few hours sleep and had been constantly disturbed by turbulence and some fluid snoring from down the aisle! Our hotel had harbour views and we were delighted to be able to sit on our balcony on what was a balmy evening watching some serious yachts come into the marina. Auckland is the biggest city in NZ and amazingly is home to early a third of the population. We will certainly spend some time exploring the city, today just time to find the bank, somewhere to eat and enjoy watching the boats.

For the next four weeks we shall be based in Devonport, across the water from the city and easily reached by a 10 minute ride on the ferry. We are met by Wendy whose house we will be living in. She takes us on a brief tour of what is a delightful settlement, the feel of a village with the facilities of a town. Charming turn of the century clapperboard villas, a range of restaurants, cafes and shops, a beach just down the road. From just about every turn their are views of the sea and the surrounding hills and beaches. These are particularly good from the viewpoint of the 2 extinct volcanoes North Head and Mount Victoria. Our host and her partner Jim have made us so welcome. We will spend the next few days recovering and then explore Devonport before taking short sortees into the North of North Island. We shall of course have to sit guard over the swimming pool and check the temperature of the water occasionally whilst savouring the bouquet of a rather nice and pleasantly inexpensive New Zealand wine!!

Fogg is fast asleep on the reclining chair so he will post later.

With best wishes from Phileas

Hi. Actually not asleep. Merely resting eyes.

Fogg.

Singapore and pedicures

Hi again

We have been in Singapore for the last three days. What a place. A whole country which seems just like a city crammed into about 26 miles by 12 miles, much of it including our hotel on re-claimed land. Such a huge contrast to where we have been in Indo-China which was for the most part is so poor compared to this country, which for the most part is so rich. It is however a fascinating place and we have visited in our short visit some wonderful places including the famed Raffles Hotel where we of course had a Singapore Sling in a blistering 32 degrees on December 5th surrounded by Christmas decorations and santas and fake snow, and as phileas has just reminded me Christmas carols. Not bad for a country which is mostly Buddhist and does not often go below about 25 degrees, ever! We fly today to Sydney and a quick transfer and hence on to Auckland when we will Blog again. It is proving already to be an outstanding venture although from Foggs point of view will be quite happy to chill for a short while to catch breath and break out the sketch book!. I have however already taken about 400 photographs. Mostly in Indo-China. So, this is Fogg signing out. Very best wishes to you all. Will be in touch again soon.

Three cheers for tourist buses which show you the main sights when you are only in a city for a short space of time. I am hanging on to our ticket which will give us a discount at when we next want to ride in Great Yarmouth or Sydney or Los Angeles!!

The ride took us to the Botanic Gardens, much recommended to us by our fellow travellers in IndoChina. They were right, a beautiful place, not cool unfortunately, but great to be away from the noise and shops. A beautiful Orchid collection too, an extraordinary range of plants.

On then to Orchard Road, Singapore's equivalent of Oxford Street. Great for the air conditioning!! No purchases.

In Hoi An I had a pedicure from a tiny Vietnamese girl called Ha. She was from the country and have moved to the town to be near her fiancee. It was lovely to talk to her and hear about her wedding plans - no party, they want a honeymoon if his parents will allow. It wasn't a brilliant pedicure so today I took myself off to the hotel spa where I was pampered (reflected in price). My girl this time was from the Philipines and had been in Singapore for 6 years. Work is hard to find at home and so she works to send money home to her family. She only sees them 2/3 times a year, but she is paying for her son to go through college. I had told her about our journey but I told her too that I thought that she was much braver than me. I could go home whenever I wanted.

So we leave this amazing part of the world this afternoon. We are sorry to say goodbye to some delightful people but are looking forward to completely unpacking our suitcases at least for a few days!!

Phileas

farewell to IndoChina

Well, after a whistlestop tour we leave this amazing area tomorrow and fly off to Singapore. I hope to come back to talk more about the places that we have visited and the things that we have seen. For now just some brief memories.

The people, there are lots of them, particularly in Vietnam. A population at the end of the war of 40 million has grown to 84million. A lot of young people. The charming way in which the people that we have met have interacted with us; courtesy and time taken makes such a difference. Wonderful smiles.

The poverty of so many, particularly in Cambodia. Yet we have been staying in luxury.

The noise of the motorbikes and scooters - over 40 million in Vietnam.

The food, what a range of fruit and vegetables. Vietnamese food is very subtle, not heavily spiced like food from Laos and Thailand.

The history and culture, so many beautiful buildings capped today by Angkor Wat which is definitely one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

We finish this evening with a meal for all the members of our group and our guide Harry.

Au revoir from Siem Reap

Phileas and Fogg