Pictures from Belfast

3 pictures from my last visit to Belfast at the start of May:

1. Me canoeing - I'm meant to be steering here, but I'm doing a pretty bad job of it... Note the attractive riverbank foliage and, um shopping trolley...

2. And a shot of the other occupants of the canoe...
3. This wasn't taken in the canoe, but in Hazlebank Park. Do you think we're warned to keep out because of the dangerous wildlife?

Dunedin details and Otago Peninsula pointers

So many things happening, so little space to fit them into a blog.

1. Dunedin models itself on a certain Scottish city and is probably the most Scottish city in New Zealand (there's a statue of Robert Burns in the Octagonal city centre). This was the view from the rooftop garden of our YHA hostel. Apparently it's also home to Bell tea which Gazman and I have been drinking a lot of for breakfast. Given Brett Lee is doing wonders advertising Weetbix, maybe these guys should see what Belly's up to...

Photo: Dunedin and big Bell Tea building. Model: Gazman pointing excitedly

2. Nearby on the way to the Otago peninsula from Dunedin, you'll come across Larnach castle. The only castle in New Zealand. Obviously built as protection from the ferocious brown kiwis...??? Apparently built in the late 1800s by a very rich New Zealander of Scottish descent. Much of the stuff was imported from the UK so must have cost a fortune. Worringly, it also has a 'dairy dungeon' - Probably where cows were imprisoned if they didn't meet their milk quota.

Photo: Larnach Castle.

Still, if you're going to build a castle anywhere, you might as well build it with this view...

Photo: Otago Peninsula viewed from Larnach Castle. Model: Da_Tonester

3. Finally, the Otago peninsula is home to a lot of wildlife. From the spotted shag, to fur seals basking on the rocks, to common sea gulls (though Albatrosses also frequent the area) wandering around the car park, there's a fair amount of bird life here to complement the views. Penguins abound as well, but didn't see any since they're only around in the morning and at night.

Photo: Spotted Shag

Photo: Fur Seals basking on rocks

Photo: seagulls in the carpark. Model: Da_tonester reading map (but seagulls seem to know where they're going)

Sydney (again??!!??) 3 paragraphs of explanation

1. Having finished Adelaide (thanks to Nathan and Julie for their kind hospitality, and enabling us to tick off Koalas and emus from the 'Aussie Wildlife seen in wild' checklist), Gazman and I headed over to David and Kathryn's wedding in Auckland before I returned to Sydney.

Photo: 'The bush' in Adelaide, Model: Kute Koala

2. I'm now in Sydney until 7th Feb. As a result, don't expect too many interesting new places to appear in the blog. However, it will give me a chance to catch up on elaborating a bit more about some of the places I have visited to date (but I suppose limiting myself to 3 points a blog has meant that pretty much everywhere I've visited could probably do with more detail!). Well, what the heck, the blog could probably do with more photos - including one of the aforementioned Koala. Well, sorted the koala picture out with an update to this blog. Gazman's blog has got another picture of the Koala.

3. So, expect more crazy random thoughts from me over the next couple of weeks, but if you want to find out more about various different countries or read more interesting blogs, suggest you check out Gazman, MattandJules and Caillie's blogs.