pantone801

Simpsons Gift Donut to Springfield NZ

// June 30th, 2007 // No Comments » // Travel

Springfield is a tiny town in the South Island, which is set to receive a massive iced Donut. The Donut is part of a PR campaign to promote the new Simpsons Movie.

It is great that this tiny town with a population of 300 can now join the big league of other towns with big icons such as Paeroa, which has the giant L&P bottle, Taupo has a giant trout, and Ohakune has the massive carrot.

Springfield, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Alps’ is a tiny rural township, nestled amongst stunning alpine peaks. The town has a strong identity as a railway settlement, with the local railway dating back to the 1880’s. Whilst farming is predominant these days, the TranzAlpine train stops at Springfield daily, giving visitors the chance to stop in at the restored train station, which houses the Springfield Information Bureau, a cafe, and shop selling local crafts.Springfield is the closest town to a choice of five of Canterbury’s popular ski fields.

Springfield also has a highly recommended cafe called “Yummy Homemade Food Cafe”, I have it on good authority from someone who reccomended this little place over all the cafes he visited on the 6000kms he traveled in NZ. Apparently there is no menu, you get told what is on when you arrive and the service is great.

Via Hema Maps, The Spare Room, and RGS

My Five things to do in Hong Kong

// May 11th, 2007 // 2 Comments » // Travel

My friend Juergen who live in Ireland is planning a trip to a few Asian cities, and he asked me to do a post on his site about my favorite spots in Hong Kong.

View From Victoria Peak

Peak Tower

Tourists atop the Peak Tower

Peak Tram

View of the South China Sea from Victoria Peak

1. Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram. Victoria Peak, or The Peak as it is know to locals is the tallest mountain in Hong Kong at 552m. The highest part of The Peak is used for telecommunications and is closed to the public. The peak is best accessed via the Peak Tram which runs from the Central District to the Peak Galleria via the mid-levels. The peak tram is the second best bargain you will get in Hong Kong after the Star Ferry. The peak Galleria is a garish wok-shaped building atop the peak that offers great views of the city from the roof, but my advice is to grab a refreshing ice-cream and leave the building for a soothing along the Peak Circuit which offers amazing views of the city on the northern side, and of the South China Sea on the southern side. Hong Kong is a noisy, dirty, bustling city home to 7 million people covering every inch, except for the top of Victoria Peak. I found this to be a deserted, relaxing area, with milder temperatures than the rest of the city. I recommend spending half a day here towards the end of your Hong Kong stay, try and pick a clear day too get the most of the views.

Nathan Road, Kowloon

Kowloon at dusk

2. Kowloon. In modern day Hong Kong Kowloon refers to the area made up by the Kowloon Peninsula. The name Kowloon means nine dragons represented by the eight peaks in the district. The district is famous for it’s markets and eateries. Nathan Road is the main road that runs north toward the New Territories, off Nathan road is the very popular Temple St Night Markets and Ladies Markets. At these markets you can test your bargaining skills and taste some amazing food from the street stalls. Nathan road is littered with bright glitzy electronics shops, and if you do buy any electronics, make sure it is covered by an international warranty. In most cases bargaining is not done at department stores, but at smaller markets this is expected. When I was in Kong Kong I stayed at a cute boutique hotel called Mingle Place in Kowloon.

Tea Shop, Luoho Commercial City

Tourist Souvenirs, Luoho Commercial City

3. Luoho Commercial City in Shenzhen. This shopping centre is not in Hong Kong, but just over the border in Mainland China. The shopping centre right on the border, and is easily accessed by train. You will need to obtain a visa at the border. Luohu Commercial city is six levels of shopping heaven, with tiny shops selling shoes, clothes, souvenirs, and electronics. Most of these are rip-off’s which can’t be sold in Hong Kong. Keep your wits about you, and do not buy anything off anyone who is not in a shop. I had a funny experience buying a pair of shoes that I liked, after we had agreed on the price, the seller asked me if I wanted them in Lois Vuitton, so I asked to have a look. This kid then scrambled up the shelving like a monkey, removed a few roof tiles, and starting throwing down pairs of fake shoes. I really enjoyed this, but found the haggling and people pushing their product on you very exhausting. One peaceful haven I did find was a quite tea shop (pictured above). I really recommend a trip to a peaceful temple after experiencing the madness of Luohu Commercial City.

Star Ferry, with Hong Kong island in the background

4. Star Ferry. The ferries run back and forth across the harbour between Kowloon and Hong Kong every 10 minutes. The star ferry network carries 26 million passengers a year, and is also the most cost effective way to cross the harbour at only HK$2.20 each way. The Star Ferry is the cheapest tourist attraction in Hong Kong. My favorite trip was at sunset watching the city light up.

Local chili snails. Yum

Food Market, Nathan Road

5. Food. I am an adventurous eater, which made Hong Kong the perfect travel destination. Kowloon offers street stalls selling Dim Sum which is a staple of Hong Kong culinary culture. I also enjoyed the many Chinese bakeries selling traditional pastries, great if you are on the run. Hong Kong also offers many fine dinging options, with both traditional and western foods available. Tsing Tao, a Chinese beer made to a German recipe is best enjoyed in the Felix Bar which is at the top of the Peninsula Hotel with glittering city views. The men’s restroom is also not-to-miss experience. On my first night in Hong Kong, i was really daring and ordered a plate of local chili snails with a cold beer. They were delicious, but I am glad that I did not get sick because the rest of the trip would have been terrible.

Me Playing Soccer

// May 8th, 2007 // 3 Comments » // Fun Stuff, Travel

I played a game of virtual soccer at CeBIT Sydney2007.

Street Art & Graffiti in Wellington

// April 19th, 2007 // No Comments » // Travel

I got to spend a couple days in Wellington last week for work. I also managed to photograph some of the great graffiti in the capital.

I was at first a bit disappointed with the amount of Graffiti. The main graffiti style in NZ is definitely tagging, I personally am not a fan of this style, it is mostly illegible, and taggers often ruin other works by scribbling their tag over them. Tagging in general reminds me of dog who like to pee on poles to leave their mark. I did however spot a couple tags that I liked:

There were also a few great large-format pieces, again these are not my favourite style, bit I like them nonetheless.

There Few a few sticker traders about, but not nearly as many as I expected from Wellington. I really like this for of Street Art, it is not permanent, and something you really have to look for, I love finding an intricate sticker in an obscure location.

And finally my favorite- Stencils. Again I was diappointed with the quanity of stencil artwork, but I managed to find a few, and the few that I did find were awesome.

I also came across a couple funny messages posted:

Easter 2007 – Sailing at Whangaroa Harbour

// April 11th, 2007 // 8 Comments » // Travel

What and awesome Easter! Mum, her partner Rob, his daughter Elyse, and my two bros Greg and Doug spent the long weekend sailing Whangaroa Harbour.

The drive up was great and surprisingly we did not get much traffic, we had dinner at the Big Game Fish Club at Waipapa, and then headed off to Whangaroa to meet mum who was eagerly waiting with fresh “Rusty Nails” a cocktail made from equal parts Scotch and Drambuie, and lots of ice.

The rest of the trip was spent fishing, lazing about reading books and mags, a spot of sailing, kayaking, drinking (we ran out of beer- even though we took 7 dozen on board).

The real highlights of the trip was the awesome weather- the best Easter weather I have had in NZ ever. We only had 1 afternoon of rain, that did not last long and it was a welcome break form fishing so we headed into the cabin to read and relax with the sound of the rain up above.

Doug caught the fish of the trip- a 12kg stingray the put up one hell of a fight. Mum carved the wings off and we had it for dinner, baked in a cream sauce, it was delicious.

The trip home was easy too- again no traffic? Where was everyone? Maybe they all called in sick. We headed back into Auckland to a great sunset so after we dropped our stuff off I headed to the North Shore under the harbour bridge to take some pics.

I am now in Wellington and head home to Brisbane tomorrow, I have really missed Mark and am really looking forward to seeing him. Wellington is awesome, I would love to live here, I spent a few hours this morning photographing some local graffiti- but I will post more about that later.

Heading Home

// March 28th, 2007 // 1 Comment » // Travel, Work

I am heading back to NZ next week for 10 days. I have a few days of business in Auckland, and then am heading to Whangaroa Harbour in the Far North with Greg and Doug for Easter on Mums yacht for four days. I am then heading back to Auckland and flying to Wellington for a few days of meetings down there.

Finally Home

// March 25th, 2007 // No Comments » // Travel, Work

I spent Friday at a forum in Sydney called the BRW digital media leaders forum. The content was fantastic, and I have come away with a better understanding of where the web is going, and how to make some money from it.

The trip was a bit of a disaster because on the Brisbane to Sydney leg, the plane ascended to it’s cruising altitude very quickly and I ruptured an ear drum from the sudden pressure change, it was one of the most painful experiences I can remember. I then arranged for the hotel to call a doctor to have a look at it, and she advised me not to fly home that night and to see an ENT specialist.

So I canceled my flight and Gavin booked a train that leaves Sydney at 7am, and arrives in Brisbane at 9.30pm (with a coach transfer at a small town called Casino). The Swiss hotel where I was staying was booked out so I found an internet cafe and booked a night at the Mannor House Boutique Hotel on Flinders St.

I then spent the evening at St Vincents hospital and saw a ENT Specialist who said it was OK for me to fly because the drum is ruptured the pressure would not affect it. So I then got Mark to book me a morning flight and canceled the train.

The next morning I checked out of the hotel, and the manager suggested I sit and have a coffee while I wait for the cab to take me to the airport, as I was about to start my coffee the Taxi arrived. The Taxi driver then forgot to start the meter because he got all excited because I looked like his long lost Italian friend. At the airport I bought another coffee, and headed to the waiting lounge to enjoy it. As I was about to take a sip they announced that we were boarding. Then this cow from Qantas confiscated my coffee because I was not allowed it on the flight, she also tried to take my box of Krispy Kremes off me too, but I was not having any of that! Also a guy behind me with a baby managed to get his coffee past her because she was too busy going ga-ga at the child.

The plane then taxi’d down the runway and then after a long wait headed back to the terminal because of technical problems with their navigation unit (I could have loaned them my GPS). After an hour wait we eventually took off, and I still had not had a coffee.

I arrived home an hour later than planned, Mark picked me up and we went directly to Brown Dog for our usual Saturday morning breakfast, and one of the best coffees I have ever had, made by Christian, who got a Kirspy Kreme in return.

Presscheck in Adelaide

// March 14th, 2007 // No Comments » // Map Stuff, Travel, Work

Last week I was in Adelaide press-checking a series of 4 touring maps. I arrived in Adelaide on a red-eye flight Thursday AM, and as per usual the printer were running behind schedule so I had to spend the morning entertaining myself. The after lunch the press-checking began, and it went on to the week hours of next day. To make things worse, I was really run down and tired after Mardi Gras, and had an infection in my left eye. The press check went really well and the maps looked great.

After that i cabbed back to my upgraded suite hotel room for a few hours kip, woke up, the infection had hopped over to the other eye. I checked out, and headed back to the printers in the morning for the final presscheck. And a coffee with the print rep.

The afternoon was spent touring the beautiful Clare Valley McLaren Vale wineries with my friend and fellow cartographer Pam. Which is always fun. But I wish I had more energy. I lost my sunglasses at the airport and then headed home on an evening flight with a screaming child behind me. Thank god for noise-cancelling headphones and iPods.

I was really stuffed when I got in, and headed to be and did not wake until 1pm the next day. I am not as young as I used to be… but then when I was younger I would always sleep in till 1pm on a Saturday.

Mardi Gras 2007

// March 8th, 2007 // No Comments » // Partying, Travel

Last Thursday we dropped the cats off at the cattery for a ‘holiday’ at 8am and headed down the New England Highway. We stopped off at Glen Innes to see Australia’s Stone Henge called Standing Stones. It rained most of the way and we arrived in Wollongong at Doug’s at 10.30pm. Doug was great, but a bit shook up because he wrote his car off the night before (not his fault and no-one was hurt).

Friday was a busy day which started with a bit of shopping and then catching up with Marks Wollongong mates. Lunch with Maureen at her Versace inspired Tuscan home, and then we headed to North Gong beach for a coffee with Sonya and her daughters. The cafe at the beach is perfectly situated right in front of the showers at the beach, and we all had a great view of the local talent. A quiet BBQ at Doug’s for dinner and in bed by midnight- tomorrow is the big day.

Saturday Christine, Sonya’s daughter booked us in for a spray on tan at a local salon, I was really nervous about looking too orange and she put the tan on very thick. We then headed up to Sydney. First stop Bruno Banani in Newtown to look for something to wear (and photograph some awesome stencil graffiti) and I picked up a cute tank top. We then headed to our hotel in the Cross and checked in. This was followed by a spot of frantic shopping to find Mark an outfit to wear, and I picked up a leather harness- I decided to go with a ‘leather look’ to the party.











The parade was amazing, the crowd was much bigger than last year and there were some amazing floats. We bought 4 milk crates and stacked them 2 high, which made an awesome viewing platform above the rest of the crowd. Have a look at my pics from the parade here. See all my pics on Flickr here or a slide-show here

The Party was huge, and we had a blast. We hung out with Christine and also caught up with Janine and Amy form NZ. We finally got home on the wee hour of the next day- and did the walk of shame back to the Cross.

Sunday was spent chilling out and recovering from the night before.

On Monday morning we started the big drive home along the Pacific Highway to Kempsey to catch up with Gai, Marks mum, and had the usual delicious local Chinese for dinner.

Tuesday was the final leg home, which was started off by doing some touring arounf Hat Head and South West rocks and sightseeing at the Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape Lighthouse.

We got home in the early evening and had driven over 2,300kms in total, most of which it was raining.

Whakaari/White Island may blow its top

// February 15th, 2007 // 1 Comment » // Map Stuff, Travel

Image courtesy Flickr user Simon Clayson

Geologists have warned that Whakaari/White Island near to blowing it’s top. The water temperature of the crater lake is 74°c, the hottest ever recorded, the level of the crater lake has plunged buy 6m, signaling a possible imminent eruption.

The Island is almost 50km off the coast of a small town where I used to live called Whakatane (pronounced fuck-a-taney), circular in shape, about 2km in diameter, and is only 321m above sea level [Yahoo! Maps Link]. However this is only the peak of a much larger submarine mountain, which rises up to 1600m above the nearby seafloor. When I lived in Whakatane I could see it from my office. Major eruptions between 1981–83 altered much of the island’s landscape and decimated the extensive p?hutukawa [wiki] forest. The large crater created after the erruption time has become a lake. White island last erupted in 2000. After the eruption a plume of ash and steam could be seen from the island for many years, but the crater lake since has filled up with water and mud, capping the volcano, causing a pressure build-up.

The island is remotely monitored by Volconologists by Surveilance Cameras, Survey pegs, magnetometers and seismograph equipment for early earthquake warnings via radio have also been installed on the crater walls. The island is usually on an alert level rating of 1 or 2 on a scale of 1–5. In may 2004 John Callan of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) wrote the the New Zealand Herald column Sidswipe.

Some wag has glued a pink dinosaur in front of our digital camera on White Island in the Bay of Plenty. The camera takes a pic of the White Island crater every hour and puts it on the GeoNet website – for all to see. A number of people have been emailing us asking what the dinosaur is all about. I advise them that ‘Dino’ has assumed the role of White Island mascot and protector of our volcano monitoring equipment. We at GNS hope Dino sticks around for a while, but we doubt he will have the staying power of his ancestors. The acid environment on White Island gives plastic a fairly hard time.”

The camera can be viewed on the GeoNet webcam, and dino is still there.

Image courtey Flickr user Xole

Attempts were made in the mid 1880s, 1898-1901 and 1913-1914 to mine sulphur from Whakaari but the last of these came to a halt in September 1914, when part of the western crater rim collapsed, creating a lahar which killed all 10 workers. They disappeared without trace, and only the camp cat (named Peter the Great) survived. Some years later in 1923 mining was again attempted, but learning from the 1914 disaster, the miners built their huts on a flat part of the island near a gannet colony. Each day they would lower their boat into the sea from a gantry (a kind of tripod with a boom) and row around to the mining factory wharf in Crater Bay. If the sea was rough they had to clamber around the rocks on a very narrow track on the crater’s edge. Sulphur before the days of antibiotics was used in medicines as an antibacterial agent, in the making of match heads, and for sterilising wine corks. The miner’s diggings were handled in small rail trucks to the crushing and bagging process in the factory built on the island. Unfortunately, there was not enough sulphur at Whakaari and so the ground up rock was used as a component of agricultural fertiliser. Eventually the mining ended in the 1930s because of the poor mineral content in the fertiliser. The remains of the buildings can still be seen, much corroded by the sulphuric gasses.

Whakaari is privately owned and was declared a private scenic reserve in 1953 and is subject to the provision of the Reserves Act 1977. Visitors cannot land without permission or remove or disturb any wildlife and must leave only their footprints.

However, it is easily accessible by authorized tourist operators. Weather permitting a luxury motor launch leaves Whakatane daily for a six-hour day trip. Children should be aged over eight years. Helicopter trips are also available from Rotorua and Whakatane.

Some of the info in this article is from Wikipedia and the New Zeland Herald.