Melbourne prepares for the Grand Prix...

A view across Albert Park to the City...

All the preparations are under way for the Grand Prix in 4 weeks. The start/finish line and team garages...

The stands... 

A tyre wall... We'll be sitting up there for the Grand Prix. At the top of the pit-straight. 

Hoping to see something a bit faster than bicycles going round the track... 

New Zealand - The North Island - Part 3

Next stop was the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal 'Wonderland'. Again I'd love to explain but you can look at the pictures and read more here... http://www.waiotapu.co.nz/

At 10:15am the Lady Geyser erupts...

On Thursday morning we went to the DeBretts Spa Resort in Taupo and enjoyed our own naturally heated 38 degree spa...

We then headed up to the 'Craters of the Moon' for more geothermal areas...

We then headed over to see the Huka Falls. They are the largest falls on the Waikato River and the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand. The Waikato river is one of New Zealand's longest rivers and it drains Lake Taupo, the largest freshwater lake in all of Australasia...

We moved down river to the Aratiatia Dam. At 10am, 12pm and 2pm everyday the water is released...

The dam gates open to allow a surge of water to pass down at a rate of up to 90,000 litres per second. After 30mins, the spill gates are closed and the water recedes, leaving behind a dry riverbed...

On this Friday lunchtime we were lucky enough to watch a helicopter filming the rapids in 3D for a certain film due out at the end of the year... think New Zealand... think Middle Earth... ---> THE HOBBIT!!!

http://www.greatlaketaupo.com/new-zealand/Aratiatiarapids/

We then drove across the North Island to Waitomo and on Saturday visited the Ruakuri Caves...

http://www.waitomo.com/ruakuri-cave.aspx 

Then we visited the Glow Worm Caves (http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx) and went on a boat ride in the dark caves, the ceilings all lit up with glow worms...

In the afternoon we headed back into Auckland. We visited the Auckland Museum...

Which includes many Maori artefacts as well as a whole floor devoted to natural history and another floor for the war museum and memorials...

Lastly we visited Auckland Town Hall before heading back to the Harbour to sit in the sun with a nice cold Stein lager...

New Zealand - The North Island - Part 2

On Wednesday morning we left Thames and drove down to the Karangahake Gorge. This was the site of a gold rush in 1875. Apart from the swing bridges and river walk, the main highlight was walking a VERY dimly lit 1km tunnel...

We then drove down to Rotorua and visited the Whakarewarewa Forest containing magnificent, towering Californian Coastal Redwoods...

We then visited the Buried Village. Mount Tarawera erupted in June 1886 burying an entire village in mud, rock and lava. Excavations have since revealed a number of the wood and stone buildings preserved in the mud... 

We then went into Rotorua and walked around a Maori village including the meeting hall...

In the evening we rode the Rotorua Skyline...

We had a buffet dinner watching the sun set over Lake Rotorua...

The full moon lights up Lake Rotorua, formed from the crater of a large volcano...

On Thursday we visited the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. We followed the crater walkways throuhgh Waimangu's steaming landscape and many geothermal features... I'm not going to try and explain the features so you can look at the pictures and read more here... http://www.waimangu.co.nz/  

One more for the album...

Part 3 will include Wai-o-tapu, Taupo and Waitomo.

New Zealand - The North Island - Part 1

On Saturday morning we flew to New Zealand and drove up to Whangarei, 2 hours north of Auckland. On Sunday morning we visited the Whangarei Falls and then Ruapekapeka Pa Track (the site of the the last battle of the Northern Wars, fought between British colonial forces and northern Maori).

Then we drove up to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. We went on a boat trip through the Bay of Islands. We saw dolphins playing in the water...

More dolphins...

When we left the pod, some of them followed the boat...

The boat moored at Urapukapuka Island Reserve and I climbed the hill for a great view of the Bay...

On Monday (Waitangi Day - a public holiday held on 6 February every year to commemorate the signing of New Zealand's founding document - the Treaty of Waitangi) we drove down to Auckland going over the Auckland Harbour Bridge...

We then went up the Sky Tower for views over eastern Auckland including the Auckland Museum and Parnell district where we spent the night.

and a view out across the harbour toward Rangitoto Island...

No trip to Middle Earth would be complete without My Precious at the Weta display inside the Sky Tower complex...

A walk around Auckland Harbour....

On Tuesday morning the sun came out and we climbed to the top of One Tree Hill, one of the numerous extinct volcanoes circling Auckland...

A view of Auckland from Mount Eden, the huge crater and extinct volcano...

We then drove out to Thames in the Coromandel Area. We drove up into the Kauaeranga valley where Sarah had time for a swim...

and we climbed up to 'Lookout 76' for a stunning view...

More to follow in Part 2 including Rotorua, Taupo and Waitomo.

Marvellous Melbourne...

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/marvellous-melbourne-rises-in-visitor-appeal-20120212-1szpd.html

"Melbourne has become a magnet for overseas visitors, accounting for almost half the entire growth in visitors to Australia over the past decade."

"Surveys by Tourism Victoria show that Melbourne is the biggest attraction: 80% of foreign visitors to the state never spend a night outside the capital. Fewer than one in 10 even visited the Great Ocean Road"