A weekend of walks, Antarctic experts and fine red wine.

Monday morning in Christchurch and it's about - 5 oC, and as I post this, I have just seen Spain win the  World Cup Football final. Viva la Espanol ! Commisserations Netherlands!

I have enjoyed the weekend with two long walks round the hills and coastline on the outskirts of Christchurch, visited a few good friends, and sampled some wonderful NZ red wine. Here are a few photos of the weekend:

On Saturday I went for a long walk from Taylor's Mistake beach to Boulder Bay. Above is Aroha with Diva,



From the track looking back at Taylor's Mistake Beach.







Sheep eat, oblivious of the stunning backdrop.
 
Looking down at Boulder Bay and some small baches (holiday homes)

The coastline back to Taylor's Mistake

Taylor's Mistake village at the end of Saturday.

On Saturday night I watched the All Blacks vs Springbok rugby test with Colin and Betty Monteath. Colin and Betty run one of the world's leading Mountaineering and Polar photo libraries  http://www.colinmonteath.com/Colin_Monteath/Welcome.html

Colin (l) and I (r) looking at his latest book on Antarctica.

Colin has the largest Himalayan book collection in New Zealand and a huge Polar, New Zealand and Asian collection.

A view from Sugarloaf to Governors Bay. Last year I visited the Margaret Mahy, one of NZs famous writers who lives there.

From near Sugarloaf,  a view down to Lyttelton and the entrance at Godley Head. It was from this port, the gateway to Antarctica, that Scott, Shackelton and Byrd left for Antarctica.

At New Brighton, I watched young surfers riding the waves in below freezing temperatures.

I popped in to see another Antarctic expert, researcher and writer, David Harrowfield.  'The Call of the Ice' is a classic, a history of  fifty years of New Zealand in Antarctic, written by David.