Nov 2007

'I think the world is a beautiful place'
'With mountains, lakes and the human race'
'And this is what I wanna do'
'And this is where I wanna be'

Krafty by New Order

Hello from Queenstown in New Zealand, the adventure capital in the world and surely one of the most beautiful places in the world. The natural beauty of New Zealand's South Island is staggering. Read on to find out what we have been up to.

Saturday 24th November
Lynn and I got up and headed into Christchurch Town Centre for a walk around before hitting the road to Mount Cook National Park, while Lynn's parents opted to stay in Christchurch for a Tai Chi festival. We left Christchurch just after 11.30am and the drive to Mount Cook was very pleasant. The mountains loomed in the distance and we zig zagged our way across the country towards them. In the afternoon we stopped at the staggeringly beautiful Lake Tekapo, a truly beautiful turquoise blue lake, surrounded by mountains. We stopped on the banks of the lake beside a tiny church called the Church of the Good Shepherd. We went inside, it must seat a maximum of 50 people, and the views across the lake were worth going to church for. I can't imagine many people falling asleep at a service in there! I was going to go in swimming, but it was so cold so I stopped for a good old Scopttish paddle instead

We continued our drive in the sunshine, stopping again at Lake Pukaki to marvel at the size and colour of the lake. Another deep blue lake that looked like it had been painted into the valley. The scenery was truly memorbale and Dave Taylor's compilation cd's featuring Radiohead, Sigur Ros and Mercury Rev provided a suitable soundtrack, while other tunes by Prince, Deacon Blue and They Might Be Giants! had us singing along. Dave's taste in music also included little gems by King Creoste, Fionn Regan, Neil Young and more.

We checked into a campsite on the banks of Lake Pukaki at around 5pm and decided to walk down to the lake. We had to jump over several small streams on the way and use stepping stones to get there. It was a very pleasant walk in an absolutely gorgeous part of the world. Unfortunately on the way back Lynn tried to jump a rather large stream and slipped and fell on our camera. It can still take pictures but we can't view them on screen anymore. We've now bought a fab new 8 megapixel camera and hope that Lynn's Mum can claim for the cost on her insurance!

We had pasta for dinner and then watched the classic 80's film 'Stand By Me' featuring River Phoenix on our portable DVD player that came with the campervan. They don't make films like that anymore. One of my faves.

I got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and caught the snow capped peaks of Mount Cook glistening in the moonlight, lovely.

Sunday 25th November
We woke early after a good sleep and after a light breakfast we packed up and headed closer to Mount Cook to go trekking, or tramping as Kiwi's call it. The first tramp was a 3 hour tramp taht was really good. We had to cross a couple of rivers using suspension bridges and the majority of the tramp was by rivers and streams. The wind really picked up as we got to the end and grey clouds swooped over us and a light drizzle came down. We sheltered behind a rock and ate our sandwiches before heading back to the campervan.

The second tramp was a light 40 minute round trip to the top of a small hill to view a submerged iceberg. On the way back we took a short detour to view the blue lakes, that actually look green, and I had a refreshing dip in one of them.

With that it was back on the road and we headed towards Queenstown. About 40km ahead of us we spotted another Ezy campervan and wondered if it was Lynn's parents. We soon caught up with the van and discovered it was. What a small world.

We headed into Queenstown and checked into another Top 10 campsite and had a wander round town and a bite to eat.

Monday 26th November
Well if you are a regular reader you will know from the previous entry that Lynn and I did a canyon swing on this day. It's one of the best things we have done, providing a natural rush that I have never experienced before. Absolutely class.

Tuesday 27th November
After yesterday's high it was back down to earth, well the water, as Lynn and I had signed up for River Boarding. River Boarding basically involves hurtling down rapids on a body board. If only I could find the words to describe what it is truly like! It's now Thursday and Lynn and I still have aches in our arms and legs from the River Boarding. It's the most physically demanding thing the two of us have ever done. Absolutely crazy. Grade 4 rapid after grade 4 rapid comes up in your face, there are whirlpools, rocks and currents.

At one point I was hanging on for dear life and in no control of my board, hurtling straight towards a rock face when out of nowhere came on of the guides to pluck me to safety. This happened on at least 3 occassions. The guides were amazing, I don't know how they can take people down the river twice a day as it is incredibly strenuous and demands high levels of fitness that few people must have.

Our group consisted of another 11 people, all of varying ages, fitness and size. We left the River Boarding office at 8am and were back around 12pm. The hours between were the craziest I have ever experienced. We got suited up and had the 3 point safety briefing.

1) Always follow the lead guide - if only it was that easy!
2) Always stay in the middle of the river, away from rocks and in the fastest current - if only it was that easy
3) Look, point and kick in the direction you want to go - if only it was that easy!

The guides left us in no doubt that this would be among the hardest thing any of us ever did. They were right. In fact that was a massive understatement! We jumped into the water on our boards and had a little training session before starting for real. We had been warned that the fist 800 metres was pretty crazy. It was. White water all the way!

We all kicked into the side of the river for a rest after that. Lynn and I were both shattered. We'd been hanging on for dear life, kicking to stay on the board and directing our arms to steer the way we should be going. After 5 minutes we were off again, hurtling into the rapid section known as 'Roaring Meg'. Waves crashed over me again and again, I went under and up, under and up, finally coming out the other end and being relieved to spot a guide nearby. Lynn later told me that she got caught in a whirpool at this section and didn't think she was going to get out. She was under water and needed to breath and took in a mouthful or three of water before the whirpool spat her back out.

We were at the mercy of the rapids and I can only imagine what would have happened to us without the guides. Although this is a massively dangerous activity, the guides experience and fitness levels really do mean that anyone can do it. Or at least try it.

We all got the end in one piece, a little shattered mentally and physically though. Lynn and I were too exhausted to have a go on the water slide and rope swing!

We got back into town and went straight into the campervan for a sleep. Later on we woke and went into a crackinh Irish Bar with a roaring fire and I had a lovely pint of Guiness while Lynn had a large glass of Pinot Gris - look out for this wine back home folks, it's fab.

Lynn's parents met us for a drink and we had dinner in a Fish 'n' Chip shop. Ideal!

Wednesday 28th November
It was another early start as the alarm went off at 6.40am. We had booked a trip to Milford Sound for Lynn's Dad's 60th. He wanted to fly over the mountains to the Sounds, taje a cruise and then fly back again. This was rather than the bus, cruise, bus option that would have meant 8-10 hours on a bus to get there and back.

The flight was at 8am and we were picked up at 7.20am and driven to the small local airport. Our pilot was called Cilla (Surprise, Surprise) and she immediately set about settling Winnie's nerves. Winnie is scared of heights and flying.

The plane was a small 5 seater, with 2 seats in the front for the pilot and co-pilot. There was no need for a co-pilot, so it was just the 4 of us and Cilla. We headed up out over Queenstown, passing over mountains with lakes sitting in their peaks. Crystal clear water, pure white snow, the valley below. It was stunning.

We landed at Milford Sounds airport in 45 minutes and were on the 9am cruise. That's what I call service! Milford Sounds is 70,000 hectares of raw, rugged beauty. Mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers, lakes and the ocean. The cruise was brilliant and we saw dolphins, penguins and seals, not to mention the scenery.

After 2 hours it was back to the shore and the short drive to our plane. The flight back was just as memorable, if not more so, than the flight there. The skies didn't have a cloud in them, we couldn't have picked a better day for it. We were back just after mid-day and we all got a bite to eat at the Queenstown bakery.

Lynn and I tidied our campervan as it's going to be our home until around 12th December while Les and Winnie headed to Arrowtown on the 1.05pm bus. We arranged to meet them later and we got the 2.05pm bus.

Arrowtown is a historic little town that formed as part of the gold-rush back in the 1800's. We walked by the river and Les attempted to pan for gold with no success. We had a couple of drinks sitting in the sunshine outside some great wee pubs and then headed back on the 6pm bus.

We had dinner on the campsite and Lynn and I watched the Harrison Ford classic 'The Fugitive' before falling asleep at 11pm.

Thursday 29th November
We slept late after a busy 3 days and we still have aching arms and legs from hanging on to our body boards and kicking for our lives when we went riverboarding. In the afternoon we lay in the sun outside our campervan and read, while Les and Winnie headed back to Arrowtown to watch the NZ Golf Open.

Late afternoon we got a cable car up the top of a hill overlooking Queenstown and went on a luge ride - basically a modern go-kart - and we hurtled down an 800 metre course. The views over Queenstown, across Lake Wakatipu and the Walter Peaks were gorgeous.

We've had a nice lazy day and tomorrow we'll head north towards the Franz Jospeh glacier.

Catch you soon
Murray and Lynn
xxx

'Might as well JUMP, go ahead and JUMP' Van Halen, Jump

Hey all

About 2 hours ago Lynn and I leapt off a 103 metre platform above Shotover Canyon in Queenstown New Zealand. That is higher than the 93 metre tall Statue Of Liberty, just to put it into perspective.

The good news for you all is that you can watch our canyon swings on YouTube by clicking on the links below. We've also uploaded the official photos on to www.flickr.com/photos/murrayandlynn along with a load of photos from the end of our travels in Australia and the start of New Zealand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjjVXJ8TeyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glVfsv1x-sU&feature=user

Lynn's film is the first link and I'm the second.

The Canyon Swing was unbelievable. A rush and a half. The buzz was enormous and I've still to come back down completely. Tomorrow Lynn and I are doing more crazy stuff - River Boarding, leaping off cliffs into rivers and rope swings. If we survive that we are going to Milford Sound on Wednesday with Lynn's parents and then we may have a day to rest on Thursday. You can check out more details about the swing at www.canyonswing.co.nz

Phew. I'm out fo breath just thinking about it. A full blog update of what we have been up to will follow in the next few days. I'll sign off for now by saying that New Zealand is top notch, the scenery is amazing and the people are so friendly.

Live forever
Murray and Lynn
xxx

'Are we etched in stone or just scratched in the sand, waiting for the waves to come and reclaim the land' Tightrope by Stone Roses

Hello all. Stand by for a very speedy update as we are in the South Island of New Zealand and we have lots that we want to see and do.

Saturday November 17th
My cousin Peter drove us to Piha beach via the hills around Auckland where Peter and I went for a refreshing dip while Lynn lay on the volcanic sand and slept in the sun. Peter is currently sporting a rather funky moustache (wrong spelling I think) in homour of 'Movember' where Kiwi's men grow tache's to raise money for Prostate Cancer charities. After the beach we drove into the outshkirts of town where the area known as Grey Lynn was having a free festival in a park. There were stalls and 3 stages with bands playing. The sun was out in force and we enjoyed some nice Paella and watched a couple of bands. I also bought George Harrison's epic 'All Things Must Pass' on triple vinyl for only $10NZ (around 3.50) from a record stall.

On the way home we popped in to see my Great Aunt Betty again and we had a great chat about Hamilton, where my Mum was born. I can't believe how good my Aunt Betty's memory is. She talks about the 20's and 30's like it is yesterday and it has been fabulous to see her. We then bought fish 'n' chips and went back to Peter's to watch the World Cup netball final between New Zealand and Australia with his Mum. Australia won an epic encounter

Sunday 18th November
OK, so you may have read my previous update on the Scotland game. We lost 2-1 to the Italians and a dodgy referee. We got up at 5.30am to watch the game and then went back to bed for a few hours. When we got up I phoned my friend Ian to discuss the game, forgetting about the time difference. Thankfully Ian and his wife Kerry were still up!

Peter drove us to the airport to pick up our hired jeep and we then went on to pick up Lynn's parents - Les and Winnie. We discovered that their flight was delayed for 10 hours, so we headed into town and checked into our funky boutique hotel - The Quadrant. Funky studio apartment style rooms in the heart of the city at a great price. We wandered down High Street, full of cafes, bars and cool shops, got a sandwich, read for a bit (I bought the Ronnie Wood autobiography) and then headed into the airport for 11pm.

Lynn's folks eventually got through customs at 12.30pm and we were safely tucked up in bed at 1am. It had been quite a long day.

Monday 19th November
Les' luggage had gone missing thanks to Emirates so Lynn's folks headed into the shops to get some essentials. We all headed out at 12pm for lunch at an Irish pub in Vulcan Lane, a lane full of nice bars. We then walked a fair distance to Auckland museum. Lynn and I paid an additional $15NZ to go and see the Charles Darwin exhibition and we both really enjoyed it. What a fascinating guy, a real explorer!

Lynn's folks were understandably knackered so they went for a kip and we met Lynn's Mum at 8pm in the hotel bar. Les was feeling tired and a little run down so he decided to stay in as the three of us headed for dinner. We had Tapas at a lovely little restaurant off High Street with a beautiful bottle of Pinot Gris wine. Wine conniesseurs should check it out.

Tuesday 20th November
I got up early and headed into town for a $10NZ haircut and to visit an opticians as my prescription sunglasses are starting to look their age - almost 3 years and considering I wear them every day they have almost reached the end of the road. I ordered a new pair and will pick them up when we return to Auckland mid-December. I'll get my moneys worth out fo them in South America.

I got back to the hotel and Lynn had surfaced and packed. We checked out and drove 3 hours South to Rotarua, arriving at 2pm. We had a great lunch at a funky bar/cafe called Fat Dog Cafe and then checked into the Ambassador Hotel, opting to share a room for the bargain price of $150NZ. The Motel had 4 thermal pools, so we had a relaxing afternoon bathing. Lynn's parents were tired at night and opted for a night in while Lynn and I went to a Thai restaurant.

Wednesday 21st November
Quite an active day. The alarm went off at 8am as we were heading to the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. It's recommended that you arrive for 9.45am as the Lady Knox geyser erupts at 10.15am every day, with a little help from some surfactant. The water bubbled and steam rose before the water burst 10 metres into the air.

We then went on the 3km walk around the park and saw hot streams, bubbling mud craters and colourful pools. The different colours are caused by different mineral elements. We took a heap of pictures, I hope they do it justice. Speaking of pictures, it will be anotheer few days before I get round to updating our flickr site.

We had a drink and snack in the cafe and headed back to Rorarua via some mud pools. We all had a 1 hour power nap and then Winnie, Lynn and I walked to the Polynesian Spa, booking in for the $35NZ outdoor pools. You could choose between 4 pools, all of varying temperatures - 36, 38, 40 or 42 degrees. We spent most of our time in the 38 and 40 pools, looking out to the lake. It was a very relaxing few hours.

We got back to meet Les who was feeling better but still not 100%. Winnie and I went to the 9 ole golf course nearby and I played my first ever game of golf, shooting a 56 to Winnie's 50. I did lose 3 balls though! After and active day we all went to the Pig and Whistle pub for some top notch pub grub.

Thursday 22nd November
Lynn's Dad's 60th birthday. Unfortunately he still had a bit of a cold. We had a chilled morning and drove back to Auckland, stopping at a retail park for Les to by some more clothes as the luggage was still missing. We got back to Auckland and checked back into the Quadrant. Lynn's folks went for a nap while Lynn and I went to see my Great Aunt Betty again. She was delighted with the Harvey's Bristol Cream we bought her as a present. She gave me a loan of a book to read while we travelled round the South Island entitiled 'Tea At Miss Cranstons' featuring recollections of a bygone era in and around Glasgow.

We got back and headed out to meet Peter, his brother Andrew and Mum Jennifer at the Loaded Hogg pub down in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour area. We then headed next door where Peter had booked a table for 7 under the name of James McFadden! We all killed ourselves laughing when a Scottish waiter came to take our order,he had been hoping it was the real James McFadden. The waiter was hilarious, the food was excellent and the wine went down a treat. The restaurant is called Soul and I'd recommend it to anyone after a good meal in Auckland. An All-Black was eating a few tables away so it must be good!

Friday 23rd November
We checked out of our hotel, dropped the car off and went to the airport to fly to the South Island and Christchurch. Still no news on Les' bag, it's not looking good. The flight was only 1 hour and when we landed we picked up two campervans from Juict Campers. We then drove to the Top Ten campsite, 5km from the centre, checked in and immediately headed into the centre. Christchurch immediately struck me as being a beautiful place with lovely old churches and a stunning cathedral. We had dinner at a hotel in the town square and headed back to sort out our campervans for the coming weeks. We also went to a supermarket to stock up on some food to take around with us.

So that is you all up to date. Lynn's Mum and Dad are hanging around Christchurch today to go to a Tai Chi festival while Lynn and I head to Mount Cook for some trekking. We will then meet up in Queenstown tomorrow night where we have booked into another Top Ten camp site for 3 nights. Will Lynn and I take part in some crazy sports in Queenstown? Bungy, canyon swing, white water rafting...stay tuned for an update.

While driving around we have been listening to 3 cd compilations our good friend Dave Taylor has made. Dave has a fantastic and varied taste in music and the cd's reflect that well. Thanks Dave, we were all singing along to Deacon Blue one minute and then rocking out to Neil Young the next.

Love and lemonade
Murray and Lynn
xxx

Well it was perhaps more in hope than expectation that I rose at 5.30am in New Zealand this morning to watch Scotland take on Italy, but a rousing rendition of Flower Of Scotland (lyrics below) woke me up and fired a belief in my heart that the lads could do it. Barry Ferguson looked like his breath had been taken away from the crowd rendition of the classic Corries song, adopted as a national anthem. The song was led by Ronnie Corrie himself, sung with a gusto and passion that almost brought a tear to my eye.

Something else that almost brought a tear to my eye was the shocking start made by Scotland's defence who were caught ball watching as Italy sped to a 1-0 lead within 2 minutes. That lead nearly doubled a few minutes later as Scotland struggled to hold on to the ball and the Italians seemed at ease with the big match occassion. It took until midway through the first half for Scotland to exert any pressure on the visitors goal and a succession of corners saw Alan Hutton go close. Just towards half-time David Weir had a header cleared off the line as the Italians seemed unable to cope with high balls into the box.

I predicted a change at half-time, but Alex McLeish stuck by his first eleven and after a shaky start he was rewarded by a goal from Barry Ferguson from a James McFadden free-kick. The free-kick was a result of a surging run by Alan Hutton who was arguably Scotland's best player on the day, he was certainly excellent in the second half. The goal naturally gave Scotland a new hope and a new belief. The Tartan Army shook Hampden with a famous roar and cheered the team on with dreams of summer holidays in Austria next year. The belief sparked a Scottish surge and McFadden went through on goal after an excellent display of Scottish passing in the build up. Alas he chose to shoot rather than curve it across goal towards onrushing Scottish support. Minutes later McFadden had an even better chance to put Scotland ahead, sliding in Gascoigne-esque from Euro 96 and putting it past the post when it looked easier to score.

To be fair it was harder than it looked initially and it's difficult to criticise James McFadden as he has had a great campaign for Scotland and at only 24 his best is yet to come.

Just as I was wondering if NZ satellite would show the Ukraine v France game on Wednesday night Italy pushed forward. The ball went to their right wing and Alan Hutton raced across to clear. An Italian shoulder charged him as Hutton cleared the ball and Hutton was sent flying. Free-kick to Scotland, or a good old fashioned shoulder-charge? The replay seemed to indicate a free-kick to Scotland and the commentator agreed with my opinion, or did I agree with his? Anyway, that is irrelevant as the next minute it appeared that Italy had the ball and were taking a free-kick down near the corner flag where the incident had occurred. As I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and listened to the commentator say 'this would be really cruel if Italy were to score from this' the ball was floated in and Italy scored, ending any hope of Scotland invading Austria next summer.

To say that the referee will never be welcome in Scotland again is an understatement. What a complete and utter tosser. I hope McLeish and the SFA submit an official complaint to UEFA about this guy and is unconceivable decision. To lose against Italy is by no means a disgrace but to lose in that way after playing so well against a team who we ran off the park was an injustice that I am finding hard to swallow.

So to cheer me up and any Scottish supporters reading this, check out the following YouTube links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puuOA2mqny8&feature=related
- McFadden magic against France with commentary to make you smile. There are several versions of this with great links to BBC and Sky commentary but check this one out, the TV has been overdubbed with Radio Clyde commentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqJFq0dFeY&feature=related
- ha ha the Tartan Army are in full cry and one lucky fan captures them exploding with joy at McFadden's wonder goal.

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

The Hills are bare now,
And Autumn leaves
lie thick and still,
O'er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

Those days are past now,
And in the past
they must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

0 Flower of Scotland,
When will we see
your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

'When you hear the noise of the tartan army boys we'll be coming down the road' - Scotland's Tartan Army

I'm writing this at 9.50am NZ time on Saturday 17th November, Scotland's date with destiny, or at the very least a date with the world champions Italy at Hampden Park. The game will actually be on at 6am tomorrow morning so I'll be getting up to watch it. Can Scotland do it? We'll certainly give it our best shot. COME ON SCOTLAND.

As I try to pre-occupy my thoughts with something other than football, here is an update on what we have been up to since I last wrote. We arrived in New Zealand yesterday so read on for details...

Monday November 12th
We got up at 8am and phoned Lynn's Mum to check on her flight times to New Zealand. Lynn's folks are coming out to meet us for a couple of weeks for Lynn's Dad's 60th. After that we booked some internal flights in New Zealand to get from the North Island to the South and also a couple of campervans to get around in. Should be good.

We then got the bus to Bondi Beach and had brunch there before hitting the beach. The waves (surf) were incredible and there were loads of Aussie's surfing and bodyboarding. Lynn and I made do with jumping in and out of the sea and being knocked over by the huge waves that crashed in to the shore. At one point I swallowed most of a wave and ended up being sick, lovely!

After a few hours of lying on the beach and jumping in and out the sea, we went for a shower and caught the 3pm bus back into town to make sure we had enough time to get to Sydney Harbour Bridge for our 5.15pm bridge climb. We were booked in on the last day climb at 5.05pm, after that there are dusk and night time climbs. We had a safety briefing, got changed into Ghostbuster style suits. were breathalysed and harnessed up. Our group consisted of 2 Aussie couples, an American Mum and daughter, an Englisg guy and two other Europeans. It was a good group and our guide was pleased that we were all up for a laugh.

We left the office and change area and climbed into the bridge, up through some beams and on to the arch closest to the Opera House. The climb was surprisingly easy and we stopped regularly to take in the views, listen to our guide and ask questions. Sydney Harbour is absolutely beautiful and with the sun high in the sky we took it all in. The whole experience lasted over 3 hours, so despite moaning about the cost we both felt that it was excellent value for money. You were not rushed and you had plenty of time to take in the scenery. The view of the Opera House was spectacular and we got some official photos taken. If the bridge climb was good value I have to say that the photos were a bit of a rip off as we were charged $65AUS for getting 4 photos on to a cd. You're not allowed to take your own camera up so we were left with no choice but to buy the official photos. You'll be able to view them at www.flickr.com/photos/murrayandlynn very shortly.

By the time we were changed and out it was after 8.30pm. We walked 100 yards along the road to the Glenmore Hotel and went up to the rooftop bar for some pub grub and a couple of beers. The prices were surprisingly reasonable considering the view of the Opera House from the top. Sadly our photos just don't do it justice, but it didn;t stop us taking a few. We then walked along George Street to our backpackers hostel, 790 George Street, recently refurnished and with good quality double rooms at only $76AUS per night.

Tuesday 13th November
Got up at 8am after a good sleep and walked the short distance to Central Station to catch the 8.55am train to the Blue Mountains. A 2 hour scenic rail journey from Sydney. Our train tickets were only $25 for the pair of us, pretty good. We walked to our backpackers, Central Blue Mountains and checked into our room. Central BP's is a boutique backpackers and it was $96AUS a night, but it did mean that we had our own bathroom and shower for the first time in Australia. We decided to book in for 2 nights so we could take our time seeing the sights and enjoy some of the many walks on offer.

We dumped our bags and headed to the trolley shop in town and booked a couple of two day passes. We then hopped on the trolley(bus) to Scenic World, caught the Skyway over the valley and had lunch at the Cafe overlooking Katoomba Falls and the 3 Sisters. After lunch we got the Scenic Railway down to the valley floor, quite a steep ride and it played the Indiana Jones them tune on the way, and had a good walk around the boardwalks, about 4km. We then got the Cablecar back up and walked along to Echo Point to marvel at the view across the valley and the Blue Mountains, so called as the Eucalptus Trees give of a blue haze in the sun. We then got the trolley back into town for a much needed shower, only stopping for Belgium Waffles on the way. We went out for dinner to a Thai restaurant, bought some food for breakfast and lunch the next day and headed for an early night.

Wednesday 14th November
Got up at 9am and had breakfast and made a packed lunch as we intended to do a fair bit of trekking (which we did). We got the trolley bus back to Scenic World and walked to Katoomba Falls, then along to Echo Point and the 3 Sisters. It was then quite a trek to the Leura Cascades and we were both quite tired at the end of it. It was steep at parts but very enjoyable and we both felt all the better for it. We'd walked for over 3 hours with only a few 10 minute stops on route so we were quite tired, due to the distance and the sun. We caught the trolley back to Katoomba and had a shower before catching another trolley to the next village - Leura. By this point it had started to rain quite heavily, so we didn't spend long in Leura, deciding to head back to The Edge cinema in Katoomba to see the Robert Redford film 'Lions For Lambs'. The Edge has one of the biggest cinema screens in Australia! The film was excellent, featuring superb performance from Redford, Meryll Streep and Tom Cruise. It's well worth going to see. After that we got a takeaway pizza and a couple of beers and went back to the hostel to eat and drink and play pool.

Thursday November 15th
Our last day in Australia. We got up and had breakfast and caught the 10.26am train back to Sydney. We checked back into 790 George Street and had an hours kip before heading down to Sydney Harbour via a walk along Pitt Street. We sat at one of the bars near the Opera House and had a few beers in the sunshine, taking in the magnificent views for the last time (at least for now). We then wandered round to the rocks area and found a German Bar. We ordered food and I had an outstanding leg of lamb with mashed potatoes, gravy and cabbage. Yummy! With our stomachs suitably lined we headed along George Street to a venue called Metro to watch a band I like called Cut Copy www.myspace.com/cutcopy

The venue was pretty cool, although we both felt a little old as the place was swarming with supercool and trendy Aussie teens. With one eye on the clock (we knew we would have to get up at 4.30am the next day for our flight to Auckland) we watched the band from near the back of the venue on raised steps and limited our beer intake. The gig didn't finish until 11.30pm so by the time we got to bed it was midnight.

Friday November 16th
The alarm went off at 4.30am and we rolled bleary eyed out of bed and stumbled to the shower. We checked out precisely 15 minutes later and walked to Central to catch the train to the airport. We quickly checked in and had some breakfast and by 7.35am we were speeding towards Auckland, both of us sound asleep.

We woke about 20 minutes before landing and after picking up our bags we were met by my cousin Peter Oxley. It's always nice to be met by someone you know at an airport, we experienced the same feeling when we saw Ken and Gwen in the PhilLipines. We headed off in Pete's retro car, complete with spiders web to visit my oldest living relative, my Great Aunt Betty who is 92!

She was in top form and I felt quite emotional at meeting her. As Betty herself says 'The doctor says I still have all my marbles, but my body's getting on a bit!' It was great to see my Mum's, Dad's sister and listen to her chat about everything under the sun, including David Beackham and Posh Spice. She is very up to date with the latest celebrity news!

It was then a short drive to Peter's Mum Jennifer's house. We crashed for an hour or so and then got up to find that Jennifer was having a big BBQ in our honour. She had invited some of her close friends and we had quite a feast. Great Aunt Betty came along and we had a great chat about World War 2, Hamilton Accies, St Andrews and family history. Peter has been researching the family tree and has some great stuff tracking our family back to the early 1800's.

After watching New Zealand beat Jamacia at netball, the world championships are being held in Auckland, to set up a final against Australia, we headed to bed.

Lynn's folks arrive on Sunday and it will be good to see them. We fly down to the South Island on the 23rd where we will also meet an old school friend of mine, Chris Chung.

I'll update the blog soon. COME ON SCOTLAND!

All the best
Murray and Lynn
xxx