Day 180 - Miles 175-178

Our last day in New Zealand sees us in Christchurch, and as we will spend most of tomorrow on planes we decided to come out into Christchurch centre for a bit of a wander.

Walking in we decided to go to Drexel's for breakfast, an amazing America Diner which we visited coming through on our way to Queenstown (great recommendation from our taxi driver). After filling up with breaky we walked leisurely through the city, taking in the Art's Centre, the numerous churches, the river Avon with Gondolas on it and the botanical gardens on our way back to the hotel.

Christchurch is very pretty and seemingly very English with it's quaint little shops and cafes. I think that it was built with Cambridge and Oxford in mind. They have a private school here too which is the Eton of NZ.

Back to the hotel we are looking forward to the Jacuzzi after our whistle-stop tour of NZ! It's been great and I love it here...... will definitely be back soon!

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 177- Miles 172-174

WINTER FEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Deb and I arrived in Queenstown (after a very long coach journey), just in time for the opening of Winter Fest. This is a celebration of the snow coming and the ski-season that follows. They had had 3 weeks of snow before we arrived so it looked amazing when we arrived, even though it was night. This did mean that we could sit on the balcony and watch the fireworks!

We decided to have a day in Queenstown without having to rush of anywhere, exploring the town and the mountains. We took in some of the sights via the Gondola and Luge to get down part of the mountain! I can not describe to you just how beautiful Queenstown is, on the lake with the snowy mountains above, I just hope the pictures do some kind of justice.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 174 part 2 - Miles 170-171

After driving south we arrived in Paraparaumu to visit my Uncle Pete, Nadine and Ruben. It was early afternoon so Nadine, Deb, Coco the dog and I went for a walk along the beach to a local cafe.

We headed down to the beach and after only a few moment, Coco ran into the sea, and zoomed over and knocked me down! Major wet leg for me for the rest of the walk, plus hilarity for Deb and Nadine!

I can see why Pete and Nadine had settled here in Ramuti beach as it is so beautiful and you can see out over to a nearby Island and the south Island on a clear day! There was enormous amounts of drift wood on the beach, but we can not take any back to Australia with us as they are VERY strict about taking in items.

After a quick coffee we made our way back to the house before being treated to going out for a really lovely dinner - thanks guys!

Being spoilt over the last few days by friends and family we headed over to the South Island the next day for more adventures!

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 174 - Miles 164-169

Being made very welcome staying with the lovely Unwin's in Palmerston North. We arrived the night before to an amazing family home cooked dinner.

Deb used to live in the same street as the Unwin's in Manchester when she was little and it was an opportunity not to be missed to catch up with them while we are here in New Zealand. After catching up and looking at old photos, Brenda told us that she normally does out for a walk in the morning after James goes to work. Deb suggested that we go to......

So at 730am we were up and getting ready to go for a pre-breakfast walk around Palmerston North. Along past the lake, and down to the river there were several people out, jogging and kids cycling to school. It seems a very safe place to be.

We finally ended up walking through the Botanical Gardens and taking a peek at the aviary. Lots of squalking birds as the sun was getting higher in the sky. We thought we were out for a little stroll but it ended up being part of a walk that Brenda does with 'The Strider's Group', so 5 miles later we got back to their lovely house to have breakfast and showers before saying bye and heading further south to Paraparaumu.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 173 - Miles 162-3

2nd day in Rotorua and Deb and I head for the Polynesian spa!!! Can't wait for a bit of relaxation!

Deb was very sluggish getting out of bed and for some reason I let her be in charge of the map from the hotel to the spa - will I learn? We headed out into the town, following the red line on the map and ended up in the Government gardens. Very beautiful entrance, lots of flowers, trees and great buildings. It was only at this point that I questioned Deb's route! It seems she was just following the line on the map - which turned out to be a circular walk back to the hotel!

Oh well, not to worry, but we were getting hungry as we hadn't even had breakfast and it was nearly 11am. We finally winded our way through the streets to the Polynesian spa via the Blue Baths - the first recreational spa in Rotorua.

Lovely time in the baths after breakfast with a birdie, helped by the fact that they are in such a beautiful location - see the pictures when I upload them.

After our relaxing session we walked back to the hotel through the centre of the town - a much more direct, if less pretty route, before our mammoth drive south to Palmerston North to visit some family friend's of Debs.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 172 Part 2 - Miles 159-161

Arriving in Rotorua, after a couple of hours drive, Deb and I were fairly tired and we had a Maori Experience night booked for that night. After checking in Deb collapsed on the bed and announced that she needed to have a nap. We had been up exceedingly early, trying to make the most of our days, so I left her to it and went for a jog.

I jogged out of the hotel and along to the park to where there were lots of hot gyesers, steaming hot pools and exploding mud pools. It was really hard to run as the air is so full of sulphur smells that it was hard to breathe! I kept having to run through blasts of hot air from the pools which completely steamed up my glasses and made it hard to see.

I made my way back to the hotel via the lake shore and Ohinemutu, a lakeside Maori village. The lake was steaming as the sun was going down, not sure I'd be able to swim in it, but the birds seemed to be not bothered about it!

Pictures show the steam well and the beautiful surrounding of Rotorua!

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 172 Part 1 - Miles 156-158

UPDATE - sorry I've not had time to blog for a while been so busy enjoying ourselves, so I'll try to get as up to date as I can now.

We arrived in New Zealand and spent the first few on the Island of Waiheke with Deb's partner's Auntie Barbara - and had a really giddy time. We didn't do any walks, but we did take part in the mid-winter fancy dress dip - not really a swim though so you'll just have to look at the photos.

On the 21st of June, Deb and I (as well as the All Blacks) were staying in Hamilton. A lovely town which seems to have a bad reputation. We really enjoyed ourselves though and made the most of our time there. We had planned to do a hot air balloon ride but it was far too windy! Oh well, I have coped til this age without one..... a few more months won't hurt!

We did a morning walk before heading south to Rotorua. Along the river, with lots of ferns and trees, to the Waikato Museum of Art and History where we saw lots of exhibitions about Tainui Maoris, coming across a rather random brick built stage coach??????

Walking back through the town (everyone telling us the All Blacks were around), we stopped off for the best donuts and coffee - healthy lunch eh!

Will upload pictures when I get back in Perth!

Love Iona x

Day 168 - Miles 148-155

Sydney!

Deb and I are visiting friends in Sydney en-route to New Zealand. Darain, who went to Uni with us and his boyfriend Andy have both lived in Sydney for years now and love it here.

We stayed with them last night, and while they were at work today, Deb and I hit the city. Walking from their apartment in Elizabeth Bay, up to the Australian Museum and through the parks to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

The Australian Museum was interesting but a bit badly laid out. i am sure we have missed so much of what it could have offered us, but we did make the more of the Aboriginal stories, and the Animal exhibitions. Deb was very excited about the dinosaur exhibition and the skeleton exhibition.

Passing though, grabbing coffees, we finally hit the Opera house and the Harbour Bridge as the sun was going down. A perfect time of the day for photo taking, being able to take some in the daylight and some magnificent night pictures. Deb loves cities so you'll notice some cityscapes will creep in!

Heading back into town to meet the boys after work for a great Thai meal, I took the opportunity to get some pictures of the light installations that are all over the city at the moment. Experimenting with the camera, lights and the shots that these create. Will upload as soon as I can.

Hope you are all enjoying life at the moment, don't forget you can drop me a line to the email address below.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 165 - Miles 145-147

It's Monday and Deb and Todd have gone to work, so I decided to do some swimming before I come home and bake for their tea.

Deb collected me about 11 and dropped me at the pool, so that I could swim and then walk home. It's weird swimming at at new pool, I always feel like something will catch me out, I'll do something wrong, or end up in the men's room. This fear has somewhat lessened as I have got older, but this is due to the prescription goggles I now own rather than my sense of direction!

After the receptionist gave me clear instructions to the changing rooms, I found myself in a small changing room, no lockers, a couple of showers and a couple of toilets. Very perplexed I asked a lady next to be if there were any lockers (why is it ok to talk to someone you don't know when they are just in a towel if you are at the pool). Thankfully she didn't find it odd and told me where they were and that no one uses them and just puts their stuff on the side of the pool.

As I walked out onto the pool side - goggles on - it all became clear. The lockers looked like you needed an engineering degree to use them so I went with the crowds and left my stuff on the bench with everyone else's. I say crowds but there was no more than 30 people in the whole pool (YES!!!).

As I started my first length I became aware of the Elderly group doing Aqua-Aerobics, a few people swimming lengths and 2 divers in the deep end. I couldn't stop smiling and I swam my mile - a lane all to myself I concentrated on stroke practice and breathing, counting as I went.
With my earplugs in and goggles on the elderly group seemed to be a mute version of a dance, all I could see are legs underwater. The swimmers were a mixed bunch, 2 leisurely swimmers and one serious one and the divers, well they just seemed so peaceful and happy under the water, if a bit out of place!

I sneaked a few photo's before heading back to Deb's. The walk home was nice, following my instructions from Deb, looking out for nice photos for you. Lots of roses here, and the birds seem more confident with people. It was a quiet walk home, with only me and the elderly out today.
Lovely! Check out the pictures here.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 162-163 - Miles 143-144

Well, here I am writing to you from Perth, Australia. I am here visiting a very good friend Deb, her lovely boyfriend Todd and her family. Katy is in charge of the house in Leeds - so hopefully we have lots of sunshine and rain and the garden will be blooming when I get back!

I decided to count the miles I did on the way here. Obviously not air miles (cheating somewhat I feel), but the miles that I walked through the airports. I didn't realise that I would make 2 miles. I thought one maybe!

So, from Manchester, via Dubai, I arrived here in Perth. The photo's tell this story well. Check them out here.

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 160 - Mile 142

Mandi and I were both yawning before swimming tonight, so we didn't think we'd be up to much! It was 25m widths tonight as well, so the lanes feel more full, and people generally get on my nerves!

We swam in a busy lane for the first 32 lengths, and then moved over to a lane that had become empty...... it was bliss, like going from a traffic jam to a clear motorway. We were able to pick up the speed a bit too, at least for a short while until other people joined us. Why don't the other people know that Mandi and I like a lane to ourselves..... they are so inconsiderate!!!

We didn't make bad time either after all the to-ing and fro-ing, 38mins and not sure how many seconds.

Some crazy diving from Lois before I headed home, to be greeted by lots of Iris blooms that were just starting to peek through this morning - how lovely. See the pictures here....

Off on my holidays on Friday... I'll try to keep blogging and uploading pictures, but it may be a bit sporadic!

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 158 - Miles 140-141

After a great weekend of weddings and christenings, it was back to work today. Trina and I arranged to go for a jog after work, but as it took me 1 and a half hours to get home I was knackered so we just went out for a walk instead.

We headed up to Otley Chevin for a bit of a stroll, but Trina decided that we should go off the normal track. Probably not her greatest of choices as we nearly ended up on our bums several times, but we did laugh quite a lot, and had a good work out trying to stay upright!

The woods looked beauriful tonight though, after the rain of the afternoon, and in the misty haze that was still hanging around. Proved good for photos - see here....

Love Iona x

365milesin365days@googlemail.com

Day 151 - Miles 137-139

After a day full of jobs and sorting the garden, Trina and I went for a jog along the canal. Both of us were knackered, but we decided that we should go really.

I'm really pleased that we went as we jogged more than we have ever jogged, and there was some lovely sights. Plenty of people enjoying the bank holiday, cycling, walking, and even boating and bbqing by the canal.

Spring is turning into summer as the seed pods appear on the trees and the ducklings are learning to swim and feed in the canal. If you are a regular reader though, I have some bad news. Mummy swan seems to have lost an egg..... hope she has more on the nest as she seems to still be keeping something warm. Updates will follow......

Pictures here...

Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com