John's Blog » New Zealand http://johnbain.org/blog Entrepreneurship, travel and life Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:10:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Sailing in Auckland Harbour http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/12/22/sailing-in-auckland-harbour/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/12/22/sailing-in-auckland-harbour/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:20:29 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=746 Last time I was up in Auckland we went for an afternoons sail around Auckland Harbour. Thanks to Simon for organising everything.

Just as we were coming in we passed loads of boats going out for an after work sail

Other boats sharing the water

Me taking the helm with Auckland in the background

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/12/22/sailing-in-auckland-harbour/feed/ 0 Scotland v Romania – Rugby World Cup 2011 http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/11/scotland-v-romania-rugby-world-cup-2011/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/11/scotland-v-romania-rugby-world-cup-2011/#comments Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:11:01 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=692 Team standing and singing Romanian and Scottish national anthems

Singing the national anthems. The Romanian one sounds very communist

Scotland near the Romanian try line

We won 34 - 24 but it was touch and go in the last 15 minutes. Not quite the decisive victory we were expecting

We came well prepared for a cold and wet Invercargill day, felt like Scotland.

Celebrating in a bar in Dunedin watching the France v Japan game

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/11/scotland-v-romania-rugby-world-cup-2011/feed/ 0 Skiing (and Bhav goes ice diving) http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/05/skiing-and-bhav-goes-ice-diving/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/05/skiing-and-bhav-goes-ice-diving/#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 06:49:15 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=676 Bhav has recently got back into Scuba diving and jumped at the chance to go ice diving in Lake Alta near Queenstown. I didn’t jump into the water but was the trusty cameraman and support crew.

The next day we went skiing, a much warmer and enjoyable past time!

Lake Alta, Queenstown

Bhav and I at Lake Alta

Scuba diver going under the ice

Bhav descending into the water

Scuba diving near Lake Alta, New Zealand

Bhav about to submerge under the ice

View from Remarkables ski lift

Ski lift

Bhav skiing on day two

Having not done it for 12 years and never on real snow, it only took a few hours to remember how it's done

On the beginner slope at the Remarkables

Bhav mastering the beginner slope

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/09/05/skiing-and-bhav-goes-ice-diving/feed/ 1 Mt Eden, Mt Maunganui and Paeroa http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/08/04/mt-eden-mt-maunganui-and-paeroa/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/08/04/mt-eden-mt-maunganui-and-paeroa/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:14:25 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=700 Some pictures taken during a recent work trip to Auckland and Tauranga. We took our hire Holden Commodore to see the sights.

View from Mt Eden, Auckland

Looking towards Mt Maunganui

The beach at Mt Maunganui

The Lemon and Paeroa (L&P) bottle in the town of Paeroa where the drink was created

Lemon and Paeroa (or L&P) is New Zealands equivalent of Irn Bru. The bottle in Paeroa, where the drink was first created is picture every tourist takes

Lemon, Holden and Paeroa

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/08/04/mt-eden-mt-maunganui-and-paeroa/feed/ 0 Wellington http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/07/25/wellington/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/07/25/wellington/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:17:30 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=665 I’ve been to most of the South Island of New Zealand and a few places in the North but until recently not the capital, Wellington.

Beehive building in Wellington

The Beehive building at the New Zealand Parliament is one of those kiwi icons that I'd expected to be a heck of a lot bigger than it was. Bhav and I went on the tour and really enjoyed walking around a beautiful and small complex. If only that could be said in Edinburgh.

This building was down next to the water and I couldn't resist taking a picture. I really like the geometry in the steps and how it ties into the building.

Cable car arriving at the top station in Wellington

Again, Edinburgh could learn a thing or two from Wellington with it's cable car. Ok, it only goes like 628m up one hill but if you do the maths it would cost NZD$49m and I'm pretty sure if they were to rebuild it now it would come out cheaper.

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/07/25/wellington/feed/ 0 Easter weekend at the bach http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/04/23/easter-weekend-at-the-bach/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/04/23/easter-weekend-at-the-bach/#comments Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:49:28 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=583 We spent the night at our landlords camp/bach on the Otago Peninsula. They’re really lucky to have such a quiet, peaceful and beautiful place to retreat to.

Bhav and our flatmate Andrew on Victory Beach, Otago Peninsula. Named after a shipwreck and the longest beach on the Peninsula at 3.5km, we had the entire place almost to ourselves.

Papanui Inlet

Victory Beach

The Pyramids behind Victory Beach at Papanui Inlet. They're what's left of ancient volcanic plugs. We climbed the little one on the left and were rewarded with great views.

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/04/23/easter-weekend-at-the-bach/feed/ 0 Otago Central Rail Trail http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/20/otago-central-rail-trail/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/20/otago-central-rail-trail/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 08:16:58 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=534 Last weekend Bhav and I did the Otago Central Rail Trail, a 150km (93m) cycle track which used to be part of the branch line from Middlemarch to Clyde in Central Otago.

It was Bhav’s birthday present and something she’s always wanted to do. We took Friday off and cycled for 3 days, stopping off in Waipiata where we stayed at Peter’s Farm, a lovely late 19th Century mud brick farm homestead which we had all to ourselves (and enjoyed a hearty BBQ) and Lauder where we stayed at the Railway School and enjoyed their spa pool.

Great weather, great scenery, great company and a challenge accomplished.

 

One of the many bump bridges

Ranfurly Station, one of the few remaining stations on the old train route

One of 3 railway tunnels near Lauder

The end of our journey at Clyde Railhead

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/20/otago-central-rail-trail/feed/ 0 New Job http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/01/new-job/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/01/new-job/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:35:08 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=526 Last week I started my new job as a business analyst with MTF, a vehicle finance company. It’s a big step up in my career and should see me help develop the IT systems of a very successful business.

 

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2011/03/01/new-job/feed/ 0 Taieri Gorge Railway http://johnbain.org/blog/2010/12/11/taieri-gorge-railway/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2010/12/11/taieri-gorge-railway/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 09:19:49 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=502 The Dunedin train station is a magnificent building and like many in the town, a legacy of it’s prosperous Victorian past. Nowadays the only passenger train that leaves from here is the Taieri Gorge Railway, a scenic train that explores the coastline and the Taieri Gorge for which it is named. Mum and I took the coastal train and had a great day.

Train on the Taieri Gorge Railway

Dunedin Train Station. The pillars along the front are made from Aberdeen granite!

The scenery of the South Island of New Zealand never disapoints

Another windswept but beautiful beach

The train on the way back to the station

]]> http://johnbain.org/blog/2010/12/11/taieri-gorge-railway/feed/ 0 Auckland http://johnbain.org/blog/2010/11/30/auckland-2/ http://johnbain.org/blog/2010/11/30/auckland-2/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:03:48 +0000 John http://johnbain.org/blog/?p=511 We had a weeks holiday to Auckland to show Mum more of the country.

It's Christmas on Queens St in central Auckland

In the current job market people have become creative in landing that elusive job. I met this guy on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD

This is the hothouse in Auckland Domain. As buildings I think they're fascinating expressions of the Victorian excitement for exotic lands wrapped up in an ordered industrial box bathed in light.

What hot house wouldn't be complete without water lilies?

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