Random update

So it’s been a while since I last wrote about life in NZ. So here is a rundown of everything we’ve been up to that was remotely interesting.

After a crappy couple of weeks when I was ill thanks to a the nasty bug I picked up in Nepal returning we have been trying to get out and do things with the free time we’ve had. We had a day out mountain biking (by my standards not Danny’s) which was a gentle cycle thought he woods and then up along the beach. I must say I was totally pathetic as a mountain biker. I can’t stand riding through mud as I’m scared that I’ll slip and fall off. This of course would be the end of the world as I’d then be muddy. I can climb rock faces but not cycle through mud… the ride on the beach in the sunshine was great though.

The following week was really busy for me at Uni as I was out in charge of organising this year’s Uni for Kids program at the HITLab. Three days of intensive teaching in 3D modelling and Augmented Reality for fifteen 10-13 year olds. I had a great team to help me deliver the content but by Friday we were all ready to drop. It’s so much harder to deal with 10 year olds than 18 year olds. Kidsfest Photos

I was also offered a permanent part-time position at a local Design college, Natcoll. I’ve been working here for a couple for months as a relief tutor but now I’m going to be doing a couple of days a week teaching Graphic design and Digital media. It’s not as intense as the work I did at Leeds Met and I really have no admin to do which is great.

Last weekend we finial got to skiing at a local field about an hour and a half away. It was really busy by NZ standards as it was the kids’ holidays but we got quite a few runs in. I was very rusty and it took me most of the day to remember how to ski, but I’ve still not mastered the art of stopping.

Danny was his usual capable self and when I decided to rest with an Irish coffee he went off over the top of the mountain to get in a few of the Black runs.

Danny has been climbing a new mountain on his day off in the week and still week he headed off up Arthur’s Pass with his friend from work, Artur, who’s Brazilian, to climb the 2nd highest mountain in the pass. Artur hasn’t done any mountaineering before so Danny was teaching him as they went. They had a great day with good conditions and as a consequence they managed to get all the way to the summit. He will write his own blog with a more detailed account for all those climbers out there. Since Danny has been climbing these mountains and running around doing all his other stuff our food bill has jumped by a $100 a month as he now never stops eating, but he’s happy and that’s what counts.

Yesterday we headed out to climb a smaller peak as I’m now learning the art of mountaineering. But when we got up the pass the weather was claggy and wet so we drove over the pass and down into Castle Hill valley. The weather was dry and the sun came out so we had an explore of the boulder fields up there. The area is limestone and as the valley has been eroded you get these lovely rock formations appearing out of the earth. It’s a climber’s paradise and Danny was little a kid in a sweetie shop running from boulder problem to boulder problem in glee. We’re now looking forward to the summer bouldering.

Finally, last night we were invited to a little gathering of HITLab students for a Christmas party. As it’s the middle of winter it feels like there should be a Christmas somewhere. All of the guys from the northern hemisphere were feeling the lack of a winter festival so James and American student and his house mates made a Christmas. We even had decorations and Santa hats and a great Christmas pudding. We also had a little too much wine and a slight headache this morning.

So that’s all the news from down here on this side of the world, maybe we’ll have more to report in couple of months…

A Day at The Beach

Today we mainly been pissing about at the beach...

Well having just found out that i yet again didn't get funding for my PhD, and after a week of nasty anti-biotics for the recuuring bugs i picked up in Nepal, we decided to head towards the beach.

The day was wonderful with warm sunshine and clear sky's for the fist time in weeks. We cycled through the woods before we got to the beach and i was totally pathetic and wouldn't rie through the mud because it was slippy. Danny as usual was far ahead and gone into the distance.

So here is a little video of the most enjoyable bit of the day. Hope you like it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm7r980HjBM