Okayama

Rode on the Shinkansen to get here - 300km/h

VOLCANO ADVENTURE, THE JAPANESE EDITION

LOTR locations.Glenorchy - Isengard, Lothlorien, Amon Hen, Misty MountainsCloseburn - Amon HenTwelve Mile Delta - IthilienThe Remarkables - Dimri...

LOTR locations.Glenorchy - Isengard, Lothlorien, Amon Hen, Misty MountainsCloseburn - Amon HenTwelve Mile Delta - IthilienThe Remarkables - Dimri...

LOTR locations.Glenorchy - Isengard, Lothlorien, Amon Hen, Misty MountainsCloseburn - Amon HenTwelve Mile Delta - IthilienThe Remarkables - Dimrill...

Now, now. To all those who said they would never speak to me again if I EVER went skiing in New Zealand, all I can do is say "I'm sorry from the bo...

Towards Milford Sound - Mirror Lakes, Te Anau Downs, Homer Tunnel, The Chasm, Humboldt Falls.LOTR - Rainbow Beach Reserve (River Anduin),  &nb...

Curio Bay to Niagra Falls (very big laugh here! A trickle of a waterfall). Then onto Slope Point which is actually the most southerly point in New ...

Dunedin to Balclutha to Kaka Point to Nugget Bay to Tunnel Hill (scary hand-dug rail tunnel. Pitch black inside though you can see the end. But sin...

Gore to Balclutha to Summer Hill to Toko Mouth to Milton to Dunedin.

Clyde to Alexandra to Raes Junction to Balclutha to Raes Junction to Gore.

Oamaru through Trotters Gorge to Palmerston to Kyeburn, up the Dansey's Pass to the hotel, then back down again (closed due to snow any further and...

Onto Fairlee and Geraldine and Waimate and into Oamaru.

From Twizel to Mt Cook and the Tasman Glacier (very cool glacier lake - frozen with icebergs. You could hear the boom of ice moving or falling)...

From Wanaka to Tarras, through the Lindis Pass to Omarama to Twizel.Lake Ohau is beautiful. Hopefully go back here to the skifield if they ever get...

Through the Haast Pass, passing lots of waterfalls and Lake Hawea before reaching Wanaka.Just staying the night. The Wanaka experience is for later...

From Franz Josef to Fox Glacier. Then to Gillespies Beach and Lake Matheson (too cloudy to see the reflections of the mountains in the lake). O...

Hokitika to Lake Kaniere & Dorothy Falls, to Hokitika Gorge. Onto Rima then to Lake Mahinapua to Ross to Lake Ianthe to Franz Josef.Did Glacier...

From Christchurch. Via Arthur's Pass - through Springfield having a Simpson's moment at the huge donut. Onton Lake Brunner at Moana. Up to Stillwat...

Will be back and forth to Mt Hutt so will put all Mt Hutt photos here rather than separate date-entries.Via Methven.

Coolest hostel In New ZealandStraight Down From Kaikoura. Stopping At Pukeko Junction for some rather good food. (Near sign for Leithfield Beach, o...

What a way to spend an afternoon. Sitting in various hot pools, looking out at the snowy mountains. *sigh* This is the life...

TO Greymouth. TO Blackball To Waiutu (Historic mining town) TO Reefton

Westport - Cape Foulwind, Seal Colony. TO Punakaiki - Pancake Rocks

Nelson TO Nelson Lakes (To much rain to see anything) TO Murchison TO Westport TO karemea. Karemea - Walks at Oparara Basin and the...

(Harwood's Hole) - Chetwood Forest. Saw The ONE RING. Huge.... But just a gold wedding band......Didn't Know Sauron had married! Met up with a fr...

(Otaki Forks) - Outer Shire. (Wellington) -        Get Off The Road      Chocolate Fish Cafe ...

(near Taihape) - River Anduin otherwise known as the Rangitikei River Gorge

(Whakapapa Village) -           Mordor.           Emyn...

Not really all that similar to Ulster murals!!!!

Only expected to spend 2 nights here. Spent 4. They were booked out otherwise we'd have stayed another....at least! www.endlesssummer.co.nz/  

Some home references on the photos coming up over the next few entries!

Tuol Sleng (S-21) - I have other photos, photos of photos, but I don't think they are 'family-friendly'. Tortured people, skulls & bones, mostl...

So after confusing the check-in staff at Hong Kong airport that I had a ticket to another country (she eventually thought I was going by boat to ...

So from Shanghai I got the overnight train to Hong Kong. Ok, it was 26 hours or something. Luckily there was another guy (Irish!) getting the sam...

Hmm. Thought the train was supposed to arrive at 8am! It was 10am before we were in Shanghai! Met up with Maria outside the carriage and we said ...

The bus journey from Yichang was fine. Along highway mostly. Could have been driving down the motorway in England somewhere (admittedly on the wron...

While on the boat we did see another cruiser run by Victoria Cruise Line. Tried to get a photo but it was moving too quick :-(We arrived in Yic...

Got up at what I thought was nice and early to realise that on my way back from the shower that the hostel staff was just about to rap my door. H...

Hot Humid and very Smoggy pretty much describes Chengdu. If you're out walking it isn't long before your eyes start to sting from the bad air. Actu...

 Another overnight train ride. Hard Sleeper. Was ok. Anyway am still suffering from the cold so I jsut want to curl up in bed and try to get r...

Not such an easy place to get to. Actually that is not quite correct. It just requires a change from the train to a bus.  Since a number of us...

Up early and on my way to the train station.  That's the easy bit.  Asking for a ticket to Vladimir is fine too until the cashier starts ...

The flight from Berlin to Moscow Vnukovo was pretty normal and I slept most of it anyway.  It took a while to get through passport control at ...

How to see Berlin in a day - go on a walking tour!  Lasted about 8 and an half hours.  Very sore feet now.  Hopefully i'll be ab...