Queenstown, New Zealand (via The Great Barrier Reef)

OK - we're back now so can't continue to gloat via the net! But here's the trip in words and pictures...

The Chicken goes Sub Aqua in Oz

This year we were all lined up for another visit to Bali, but in the end only the Chicken was able to make it for the first leg, and for one reason and other ended up taking the long multi-hop trip to Cairns (after 5 take-offs and landings I'd had quite enough of planes! - Left 3pm Monday, Arrived 7am... errr... some day or other?).
Last year we managed to 'forget' to see the Barrier Reef, so this year's mission was to get out and take a look at one of the 7 wonders of the natural world. Day 1 - cold, windy and cloudy. Not looking good - in fact it was colder and grottier than the sunny weekend in Brighton I'd just left!
Day 2 - up at 7am to get the shuttle into town for the 8.30am Super Cat departure. This is a dive boat of the fast no-nonsense get-you-there-quick variety; on the 90minute trip to the outer reef we fill in the usual sign-your-life-away forms. I opt for the trial dive rather than the snorkelling (the wind was still there, although it was clear and sunny - more like the tropics anyway - but a bit bumpy looking for messing around on the surface!).
Under the water - well, very colourful odd fish, soft looking rock-hard sharp coral. Can YOU tell the mouth from the arse of a sea cucumber? Then the nice instructor chap makes a signal he hadn't told us about - puts his hand on his head pointing upwards (a bit like a dorsal fin...?) and points behind us. Hmmm - didn't need to look to know what he meant! OK - it was only 2.5m long, but a shark is a shark! Beer was called for on the way back in!
Day 3 was spent recovering and making a nuisance of myself at the Bungy site where the crew were practising for their trip to Singapore for some bungy demonstrations.


 

Then to Queenstown!

We attempted to come here this year for the skiing and snowboarding, but our timing was as perfect as ever, and AJ Hackett Bungy opened a new bungy jump whilst we were here! We ended up being the first paying customers to jump at the Nevis Highwire (4 days before the launch date!) - test pilot T-shirt Nos. 40, 42 and 45 came home with us. 1-39 belong to the Hackett crew who jumped in the few days before us.

Anyway - the repeat of last year's silly trip involved some skiing, boarding, crashing (ski freestyle wrapped in safety fencing + luge shunting!), scary gravel road driving up mountains (they don't believe in tarmac here!)(who put those cows there?), Jet Boating and serious eating and drinking. Then some more eating and drinking (Fatz Cat was one favourite!).

Thomas's Hotel is an excellent base - this was our room view! The Skyline Luge is fairly tame looking, but can be amusing when wet! Nobody actually died by following Chunder on his kamikaze snowboard, except his board that is, but I don't think we managed 3 whole days in a row without taking time off to repair bruises and pulled bits! If there are any of you interested in coming SKIING rather than boarding (fashion victims the lot of them!) - let me know!

Things we didn't manage (again): Paragliding, Fly-by-Wire, Heli-skiing, river-boarding etc. So still things left to play with there! Anyone ready to book up for next time?