Home Away From Home (pt ii)

The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, PNG. Viewed from the front and back. Its hot and humid as predicted.



Here is Kokomo, the resident Papuan Wreathed Hornbill, who has been here since a chick. Capable of loud squawking early in the morning and occasional outbursts that sound like something out of a horror film.



Out back is the lovely Nagada Harbour



Resident frog. Resident dog, Mangi.



My room. It has a fan :)

Taste Jazz

What better way to spend a Sunday than sat with a glass of chardonnay on a lawn at a chilled out jazz festival?



Nacey Haines Samson Trio, me, Courtney Washington (she did a great version of 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper), Pacific Underground




The crowd (some were sat on hay bales)



Naomi Feguson, Stu Buchanan Quintet (the leader [flute] was hilarious and extremely talented)



Eric, a Swedish guy I met at the hostel who came with me; girl with father, young lovers




A clock tower, Christchurch Cathedral with a pleasing brownish sky




Jailhouse Backpackers, an actual jail from 1887 converted to a hostel where I stayed

hat etc.

Thanks Donk for explaining the pancakes. And well remembered, you must have a photographic memory. And yes, Kate, I do have a wide-rimmed hat with chin strap, however, the big winds would catch hold of the rim and flap it violently into my face hahaha, oooh how I would laugh at such moments!

Vis-a-vis the hat: this morning I bought a new one AND its exactly the same!

To my favourite Belgian potato disease expert: unfortunately I will not be visiting glaciers or wetlands, but I might do a little nature-watching cruise around Christchurch. I'm a bit sick of moving about all the time so am looking forward to being in one place for a while. That place will be the Binatang Research Center, Madang in New Guinea, which I'm now getting quite excited about. Apparently, if the local flight from Port Moresby to Madang is delayed, it is often cancelled due to the possibility of sucking any of the flying foxes that swarm over the town at dusk into its engines! Already it sounds exotic and poetic. Also, on a slight digression, in my humble opinion the pork scratchings in NZ are inferior to those of the UK.

Panacke Rocks and the TransAlpine Train

Having successfully tunneled through a particularly unpleasant bout of depression, no doubt enhanced by a full moon, I was bound for Greymouth in fine spirits despite shite weather. The bus stopped at pancake rocks, which were quite impressive.




Apparently, noone can satisfactorily explain the pancakeyness, we just have to accept it. No sooner had I finished reading that did my hat blow off. I liked that hat. It was brown and said 'New Zealand' on it. I considered chasing it, but it would have meant certain death and, as I was in a good mood, I was not open to the certain death option.



The TransAlpine train commenced in the pissing down rain, thus the photos are all quite bleak (unlike my mood [at the time])



Look at all the waterfalls caused by the rain



It was still impressive scenery once the fog lifted a bit and on the east side of the mountains it was fine





There was an impressive sky as the sun went down

Photos

My memory card got infected by a worm so I lost all my recent photos - the ferry crossing and Marlborough Sounds, some herons in Motueka, and a jaunt in Abel Tasman National Park - very bloody annoying! There was a 'spot Pip' photo though, very upsetting.

Anyway, enough about me, how are you?

Putangirua Pinnacles

Driving back down south and look! Two days later and the Tararua's are clear as a bell and sprinkled with snow - Mt. Holdsworth the highest peak on the left.



The Putangirua Pinnacles or, alternatively, what Bobo the complex dwarf saw when Uncle Gollum rubbed his magic teapot.






They are fossiliferous muddy sandstones and siltstones of the late Miocene age that have been gradually eroded by rainwash and wind.