Friday, November 10, 2006

12,000 Miles From Home: Pt. 2

 
Emirates hostess girlie managed to get another layover in Auckland so it was up to the city for another night of fine dining and alcoholic excess. It was a really good night and it's had me thinking, where are the rest of you? Make an effort! :P I'm only 24 hours away on a plane so take a weekend and come visit. I promise i'll show you a good time and I might even buy you dinner if you're lucky... :D With the exception of Gillian and Steve i've had no visitors from home for the entire time i've been out here. Oh, and Dody. But apart from that no-one else. Get it together people! Posted by Picasa

Scenery 101

 
Say what you will about the North Island being the ugly cousin of its southern neighbour but there are still loads of places up here that will take your breath away. It's a pity I only managed to take this photo at high tide on a day with terrible weather. The beach stretches unbroken for over fifty miles... :D Posted by Picasa

Auckland City Scenic

 
Finally had a chance to fly up to and over Auckland City. Great fun even if the weather was horrendous... Posted by Picasa

The Death Flight

 
This one almost made me religious... Flew up to Auckland for a bit of a sight-seeing flight and almost didn't make it back to Hamilton. The weather deteriorated rapidly and Alan and I found ourselves trapped between the Auckland International Airport control zone and a range of hills with very low cloud and rainshowers overhead. As we were forced lower and lower we started to think we might have to land at Auckland but in the end the legendary controller in Auckland tower helped us out. He vectored us through the zone whilst keeping us clear of a couple of big jets that were making their approaches. Very exciting stuff and definitely a big confidence booster too. Posted by Picasa

Pilots!

 
Ladykillers one and all! Posted by Picasa

The Coromandel

 
The North-Eastern part of the North Island is called the Coromandel Peninsula. Damien and I took advantage of some decent weather last week to take a trip up there in one of the Katanas and we were not disappointed. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Posted by Picasa