Australia...the re-entry

Well we arrived to Australia and approached the inevitable immigration cross check, I was tempted to quote Oscar Wilde "I have nothing to declare but my genius"..then the frowning eyes making sure the pictures asked and then 2 colleagues muttered 'Christina' to each other and some other code language...then the words 'It's all OK, BUT immigration would like to ask you guys a few questions'. In fairness they were actually decent to deal with, this guy was using the friend approach to squeeze answers out of us, he took us to a booth and photocopied our passports and asked when we were leaving: "I replied October 12th", he wrote it down on the back of the copies of our passports beside some obscure reference number.

Next stop was the Bio Security, we made sure to declare everything after watching many an episode of 'Nothing to declare / Border Security', the queue was massive, that big I thought it was the queue for U2 tickets! We reached another immigration official and were sent to a queue with about 30 Asian people and us..odd enough, the guy that xrayed our bags was pretty sound and asked what was in our bags and took our word on it and sent us on our way. So fortunately I will not be appearing no TG4 or whatever station screens Nothing to Declare back in Ireland! I may make a cameo when leaving the country.

Brisvegas here we come! I got a steak, chips and a pint for $10!! That's 6 euro in our money and the steak was actually a nice decent one...I might be back!

Ode to the Van

A solemn ode to the van that transported us 4000kms across New Zealand and also sheltered us from the elements...

We've had our ups and downs, a $250 Windscreen and 2 non starts that pushed our patience and MacGyver mechanical skills! We stuck with you and in the the end you delivered us to the finish line and with an odometer of 320,000 + you really can't fault the Japs!

The Plane above NZ

Some images from our seat as we rose above NZ:


.....and landed to the welcoming arms on Oz Immi :)

Christchurch

Decided to climb the 130 or so windy steps to the top of the cathedral...when I reached the top what I wanted more then anything in the world was a scope with a crosshair on it, not to shoot someone but the sheer sniper factor (a gap in the market perhaps!)..As you can see from the pictures it's a nice height up.

We did meet the best street performer I've ever seen, some mad guy in a straight jacket on a unicycle he was hilarious, he even chased the tram like he was an escaped mental patient!

Other examples in this blog include the NZ Police car....see how less lame it is in comparison to an Irish cop car!


ALSO Bailies Irish Bar.Cathedral Square, A shout out to you guys for the WORST Irish pub I've ever been in...you could smell the urinal cakes from my seat, not a bad pint of Guinness...pity about the price and the place..0

Christchurch

What can be said about this city only its the nearest place to Dublin...from Dublin!...Well except the Cathedral is in the City Centre as opposed to a Junkie Cesspool!

Akaroa to Christchurch

A short trek of 75kms to Christchurch, our final resting place. Today is absolutely stunning and there was a few great postcard style photos to be taken on the way out of Akaroa. I thought New Zealand was supposed to be a cold country???

The Road to Akaroa

Making our way to the town of Akaroa I couldn't help be swayed by the sign 'Tourist Drive'..which my girlfriend told me not to go...lets say the roads were interesting and down right dodgy! [much to the delight of my girlfriend]

Nice views however:

Akaroa

Nice town even though it does have a huge french culture :)..I was tempted to paint 'Henry Le Cheat' all down the main street! Jokes aside it is a wonderful place and hosts a beautiful bay. We had a great view from our accommodation coupled with a clumsy one legged duck for entertainment!