New Zealand Pics

It's been a long time since my last post and in fact I've just realised I still need to post some photos from May (which I will do very soon, and in such a way as it looks like they have always been there!). What have I been doing? Working ...

So along comes December and despite our best intentions all we have managed since May is 1 walk in the Pentlands. 2009 was a terrible year for our walking. But all that was about to change. With our legs having forgotten how to climb up hills we were about to set off to NZ to visit family and, in between, do some serious walking. It was tough, but we managed it and here are a few mountain pictures to prove it!

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best mountain I have ever climbed is Ben Lomond (Queenstown as opposed to just outside Glasgow). The views from the top are remarkable (pun intended).

Ben Lomond

View to the Remarkables from Ben Lomond

Surrounded by mountains wherever you look ...

Now many mountains in New Zealand are simply too big for the average person to climb, so I resorted to the good standby of getting close and photographing them!

The iconic Mount Aspiring at sunset

And the even more iconic Aoraki Mount Cook

But it wasn't all hard work

Surfer at Piha on Boxing Day

Piha beach

A Pied Shag

A final word of warning: "Avalanche Peak" is exactly what it says on the tin. Little did I think I would be in a blizzard in summer and restricted to the route I could take because of severe risk of avalanches. But then I forgot, this is New Zealand where place names can be very unimaginative, but generally very accurate!