Fancy some me time??

.. and you don't know what to do with your husband/partner?? Drop him here:

Bailies Bar, Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Foggy morning

I spent the weekend in Christchurch, which is becoming a home away from my Sydney home, blame it on rugby! When I emerged from the hostel on Saturday morning I was greeted by a fairly thick fog and you could hardly see anything.

Chalice, a sculpture celebrating the new millennium and the 150th anniversary of the founding of Christchurch and Canterbury. The official ceremony was help in September 2001.

Christchurch Cathedral

Luckily, the fog cleared fairly quickly to make way for some beautiful weather, though a wee bit chilly.

Mind the gap

Remains of London Bridge (now called London Arch)

Two tourists (un?)lucky tourists have a good story to tell their kids/grandchildren as they had to be rescued by helicopter after the middle part collapsed in January 1990!

Then there were.. just a few left

Great Ocean Road's main attraction: the 12 Apostles. Well , not quite 12 now as the sea eroded those limestone giants. Quite an amazing sight!! On my first trip to the 12 Apostles I treated myself to a helicopter flight and seen from above it is even more breathtaking.

The arch

This arch is located near Loch Ard Gorge, named after the clipper Loch Ard that was wrecked here in 1878.

If you happen to visit the site soon you might not recognise this site as the arch collapsed earlier this month!! Two unconnected rock pillars remain and have been officially named Tom and Eva after the two teenage survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck.

Artwork

Apologies for not posting yesterday. I came home very late and got punished by Blogger, it wouldn't let me post.

We are still on the Great Ocean Road and still in Apollo Bay where the creative souls of the area meet.

From the http://www.greatoceanroad.org/ website:
Twenty-four sculptures adorn Apollo Bay's Creative Village on the foreshore in the centre of town. Started in 1995, the artworks were created by nine separate artists and range from seats and fountains to decorative sculpture poles. This exhibition provides a permanent exhibition of local artists' work.

Showing the way

What can I say??? I love signs :)

Rainy days

We've had quite a fair bit of rain lately in Sydney but the sun is coming back!

The tower

The shadow in yesterday's shadow was that of the Black Mountain Tower, a telecommunication tower with an indoor and outdoor observation decks, great for panoramic views of Canberra and beyond!

Aerial view of Canberra (6)

Wonder what is that shadow on the trees?? All will be revealed tomorrow!

Aerial view of Canberra (5)

This is probably Canberra's most famous landmark: the Parliament and its flag mast on Capital Hill. I'm not terribly interested in politics but I was quite happy to take part in a guided tour, not on this trip though. The highlight of that tour was standing on the grassy roof of the building and enjoy Canberra from another (high) point of view!

Aerial view of Canberra (4)

You are not looking at a spaceship that has just landed in Canberra, this is the National Museum of Australia. I quite like the quirky architecture and it's a great museum too!

Aerial view of Canberra (3)

This is the National Library of Australia. On the shelves you will find - amongst other things - every single book published in Australia. Oh... how I'd love to be locked up in there for days and days!! And sooner or later this is the kind of storage space I will need for my own collection of books :)

Aerial view of Canberra (2)

Here's a closer view of the War Memorial.

Aerial view of Canberra (1)

The heart of the city, and the War Memorial in the top left hand corner.

Pawprints

A wallaby was here....

Licence plate

Australian Capital Territory ... that's where I'm spending the weekend!

Dewy succulent

Ocean drive

The Great Ocean Road is a scenic road between Geelong and Warnambool along the Bass Strait that separates the Australian mainland and Tasmania.

Waterfall

Mural

Marina & pier

Barbarian invasion

I celebrated My Australia Day with a rugby game. June marks the start of the international test season and the The Wallabies kicked off theirs against the Barbarians - in this picture - and I wasn't going to miss it! Plenty of entertainment as the Wallabies won the game 55-7.

The Barbarians (also known as the Baa-Baas) are an invitational team based in Britain but the players are a mix of English, Irish, New Zealand players, even with a couple of French and South African players. They share the same black and white jersey but the players keep the socks of their home club.. check them out!

Australia Day

I don't mean the official Australia Day, which is on 26 January.. I'm talking about MY Australia Day. 3 years ago I was landing on these shores, super excited about this new adventure and not deterred by the pouring rain that greeted me.

How many more Australia Days will I celebrate?? Who knows?? Maybe one day I will swear allegiance to this coat of arms! You might wonder why a kangaroo and an emu were the chosen ones to represent the nation. Well, they are a symbol of progress because they only move forward, never backwards.

Weeping willows

Avon River, Christchurch

Layers

Let me introduce you to the Punakaiki Rocks also known as Pancake Rocks (West Coast of NZ's South island). Funny name isn't it?? If you haven't guessed why, these limestone rocks resemble stacks of.. pancakes :) When when the tide is high the water surges through blowholes here and and there. I wasn't lucky enough to see that but still.. the place is pretty amazing.

Footprints

Camera shy?

Looks like the Opera House doesn't want to be seen and is blending with its B&W surroundings..