Mala, Peter, Ajay and Kris visit Mary and Mike and the girls and travel around New Zealand!

(Click on the image for a larger picture)

 

Off we go! Coming into land at KL

 

Our lovely suite in KL!

 

View from the window over KLCC

 

Aj and Kris on holiday... in KL!!

 

Petronas twin towers and KLCC

 
 

Mala and the boys enjoying the sweltering heat!

 

My twin towers!

 

A quick dip to escape the heat

 

Aj hanging loose

 

A warm welcome in New Zealand!!

 
 

Great Endeavours....The Griffith's hut in Hamilton...we stayed in the upstairs bit!

 

Breakfast at Mary's

 

Mary's rare visit to the kitchen area

 

Mala having to help out again...more bolognaise please!!

 

Aj and Kris confined to barracks..enjoying Ellie's hospitality

 
 

Serious pest issue in the boot...the Griffo's space wagon

 

Easing gently into our holiday...downtown Hamilton. Feel the vibes!

 

Aj & Kris experience the elation of being in Hamo

 

What a beautiful office block..and some bird from Bebington

 

Peter has this ability to make friends wherever he goes...

 
 

Municipal puddle in Hamilton...you have to remember it was mid summer there!

 

The boys mucking around in Hamo

 

Group photo in Hamilton town centre...Kris, Aj, Ellie, Anna, Alex, Mala and Mary

 

That group of scallys again

 

The bowling centre in Hamilton, overlooking the beautiful Waikato River

 
 

Los dos cavaliros!

 

The beach at Raglan! Mary kicked the ball all the way to Oz!

 

Alex sunning it up

 

Gorgeous beach at Raglan

 

Steel sands

 
 

Who's that gut lord! Nice beach....

 

Excellent surf

 

Back from the beach and two tired boys

 

Off to Taupo for the weekend...Mary next to the Waikato river

 

Ellie and the boys next to the river

 
 

The river, with our lovely Blue Barn in the background.

 

Splashing about in Lake Taupo

 

Ellie trying on some new glasses

 

Kris enjoying the lake

 

Here comes the floatplane!

 
 

The Usual Suspects...at the Blue Barn in Taupo

 

The stairs are actually still in one piece

 

Aj, do you have a licence for that?

 

Fueling up for a sightseeing tour

 

Ready for take-off

 
 

Airborne over L Taupo

 

Beautiful views

 

Mala capturing the moment on video (I prefer slides you know...)

 

Aj and Kris chatting in the back

 

View-tastic

 
 

Geothermal powerstation near Taupo.....

 

....awesome.

 

Geothermal hot steam! They call this one Craters of the Moon. I don;t remember the floatplane going that high but I was quite excited at the time

 

Huka Falls

 

Another view of Huka Falls

 
 

Off to the local Jousting competition (how v European!)

 

Quick detour on the train to nowhere

 

Through the hoops, hup!

 

Mad Mike and the Devils

 

Me chopper (what?)

 
 

See why he's called Mad Mike!?

 

...with crazy Pete driving the boat! What a splash.

 

Gud golly, what a mess, totally soaked...

 

And over in the slow boat... the ladies take it easy on the water

 

Later that night in the Blue Barn, after a barnstorming barbie (NOW we are talking New Zealand)..it's scattegories and Ajay wins by a margin

 
 

Kris hungover at breakfast

 

OK, it's that nutter again, this time we caught him and put him in the stocks

 

Ellie is firts to miss....just 'cos it's ur dad!!

 

Kros has a good go...but it's the guy with the yellow bucket that drenches Mike!

 

En masse on the grass

 
 

Oh my lord, a long line of leggy legionaires!

 

Take that!

 

Mala and Ajay get a lecture on the Hurdy Gurdy. Originating from southern Scandinavia in the seventh century...

 

Mala takes a shower in a tributary to the Waikato River just out of Taupo...

 

...let's get this straight, the water is boiling hot!!!!

 
 

Downstream the tepid tourists relish the geothermals

 

And our crowd get a hot bath too!

 

Did we mention Peter did the Taupo bungy?

 

Huka Falls, from closer up.

 

Huka Falls

 
 

Huka Falls falling, lots of water.

 

Huka Jet!! Great fun spinning over the water and getting sprayed!

 

Back in Hamilton and P&M explore the Waitangi Day celebrations. One of their natonal holidays, celebrating the treaty of Waitangi.

 

Mala at Waitangi day in front of Hamilton lake.

 

Hamilton Lake. Right near Alex and Anna's school!

 
 

Cut to Queenstown, on the S Island. Hotel room, home for the next week.

 

View over Lake Wakatipu from out hotel room.

 

Up the Gondola to get our bearings. Birth of the "applaud loudly in the cable car" tradition!

 

Mala and the boys going up

 

At the Gondola terminal above Queenstown

 
 

The Elliotts

 

View over L Wakatipu

 

Great view over Queenstown from the top of the gondola, Remarables in the bacground

 

The quickest way down...luge!

 

Ajay takes the racing line

 
 

The beach at Queenstown

 

The Beach Boys!

 

All aboard the parasailing boat!

 

See you Mala...hey, who's goona feed the kids?

 

Come back ere!

 
 

Right, we're all going up!!

 

Winch us up, scottie!

 

Nice breeze today, what?!

 

Kidnapped by a tribe of wild tourists!! Poor Kiwis. Hiwi Haka atop the gondola. Mala did the dance with the poi's!!

 

Driving along Lake Wakatipu toward Glenorchy

 
 

Quick stop for some olympic stone skimming

 

Still at it!

 

Cool hire car!

 

A warm day for a round of mini golf with the boys.

 

Paddle time! Queenstown beach.

 
 

Off for a trip up to the Remarkables...the quick way

 

Kawarau and Shotover Rivers valley north of Queenstown

 

Pilot explaining the landmarks

 

Boys somehow escaped from the chopper

 

But we got them again. Landed next to the remarkables

 
 

Mala dn the boys with a great view of L Wakatipu

 

Frankton and Queenstown

 

Taking off again for the return journey

 

Driving south to Kingston we stumble upon a beautiful old loco, the Kingston Flyer (as opposed to the Birkenhead Flyover)...

 

Kris loves trains as well...

 
 

Southern arm of L Wakatipu at Kingston. All to ourselves, so a quick dip was in order1

 

The boys going native

 

Bakc in Queenstown, Peter helps out the street entertainer

 

Shotover Jet!

 

Beatiful Shotover River. Second richest for gold after the Klondike.

 
 

The jet boat returning...

 

...and racing past!

 

Rafting on the Kawarau River

 

Trev lets the boys take us over the waterfall...aaaah

 

Go for it lads! 360!

 
 

Back in Queenstown

 

Quick trip to Glenorchy

 

Glenorchy

 

Glenorchy at the western end of L Wakatipu

 

Aj and Kris at Queenstown Gardens

 
 

Off for a bike ride

 

Fantastic work lads, all the way along the Frankton arm!

 

Time for a break and some diary work at Frankton. Made friends with a little dog and had a minor crash on the way back...show 'em your scars Aj!

 

Outside the Heritage hotel at Queenstown

 

Oustide the hotel again. Great pool and spa!

 
 

View from the luge cable car

 

View back over Queenstown

 

Aj enjoying the view from the Gondola restaurant

 

Ajay looking angelic!!

 

Mala and Kris digging into the buffet!

 
 

Wonderful dinner at the gondola restaurant on our last night in Queenstown

 

View from the restaurant

 

Queenstown

 

Mala enjoys an orange...Ajay!!!

 

Caught someone bungy jumping...crazy kid!

 
 

Peter after dinner

 

Mala in the gondola cafe

 

Mala gen

 

Ajay reveals the scars of a major cycling pile up!!

 

Auntie Mary

 
 

Back in Hamilton and it's straight out for a meal on Valentines night...and a quick flutter at the casino!

 

See previous photo etc...

 

Day trip to the eats coast. Met up with Mala's relatives at katikati then stopped at Wahi beach, fantastic place! The water was warm.

 

Waihi beach

 

Well done uncle Mike!

 
 

Rope swing on the beach

 

Pete doing the geology bit. There were loads of spiral shells on the beach here.

 

Great family car! This is just outside the gold mine north of Waihi.

 

Off to Rotorua for the day. Mala goes for the "never ending ice cream"!

 

Double portions!

 
 

Eveyone rushes to help (after having a good laugh)

 

Maori guided tour at Te Puia in Rotorua

 

Maori carving school

 

Maori traditional village set up

 

Mala with a tradional Maori reed shirt

 
 

Peter outside the main building

 

Inside

 

Thermal springs at te Puia

 

Mud volvanoes in the thermal valley..smelly!!

 

Hotel overlooking the mud pool

 
 

Geyser at Te Puia

 

Fantastic geyser...and Peter

 

Thermal vent

 

Mala and Peter in front of the geyser

 

Thermal vent

 
 

Mike near the Cooking Pot

 

The Cooking Pot

 

Long shot over the thermal valley

 

Kiwi haka at Te Puia

 

Anna with more info...look at the length of the name on the notice board

 
 

Elliotts in front of a Maori carved arch

 

Kris near gthe lake at Rotorua

 

Rotorua lake

 

Another gondola ride! This time at Rotorua. There's no excuse for that, Kris

 

Gondola-tastic

 
 

Where there is gondola, there is...Luge! This was great fun!

 

Doing about 150 kph...

 

View over Rotorua

 

Another view...smile you there on the cable car!

 

Aj tucking into a strawberry at the gondola restaurant

 
 

Aj and Kris feasting at the gondola restaurant

 

Our last big meal out, at the gondola restaurant in Rotorua

 

Back to Hamo and the boys do some diary work

 

Quick trip to Hamo zoo...what a hot day!

 

Rhinos, don't you know

 
 

On our way home now, stop off at KL hotel and pizza in bed!!!! Thanks for having us NZ!

 

 

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