Hamilton Zoo

As it is the school holidays again we decided to visit Hamilton Zoo.

It's quite a small zoo but set out very nicely in picturesque grounds and keeps you occupied for a good couple of hours. We did seem to spend quite a lot of time peering into cages that didn't have anything in them but the chimpanzee house is very entertaining and you get a good view of inside their enclosure.
The zoo has 2 large tigers who looked at us with total disdain as only felines can. This one stared straight at us and you can almost hear it thinking 'I could rip you to pieces in one go, if I could be bothered"
The giraffes are the definite stars of the show, they really are huge elegant creatures.
After heckling the rhinos for a while we decided to move off when the calf started to make a meal of its mothers' droppings - nice. We then headed for the cafe for a very good coffee and walnut cake.
Hamilton town is the 4th biggest town in New Zealand (I think!) and has a very good museum which we had a browse round. Of course we managed to get lost and ended up riding in a lift which was for staff only but we were eventually politely pointed in the right direction by a very helpful lady.
Anyway, the Maori carvings in the museum are excellent.
On the outskirts of town there are some great looking garden walks with sculptures and exhibits to look at but as it started to rain we decided to head home but will definitely return sometime.

Another birthday

April seems to be a month of birthdays. Our friend Norman turned 21 again last week so we invited him and Linda round to ours for a meal and a few drinkies. We went into town for a couple of pre dinner drinks first then wandered back home for the meal. Of course we all ate far too much and probably drank too much (well one glass of wine for me nowadays is too much!) but the chat was good! Normans philosophy on life is happiness must come first and if you have happy positive thoughts then happy positive things will happen to you and you will achieve all the things you desire in life health wise and wealth wise. He is a great believer in the motto "what goes around, comes around' That is a very good outlook on life and one which we should all adhere to. He also believes that a Turbo Bentley parked on his drive would assist in these happy thoughts. Well, maybe next year Norman!

Testing your self

It has been very sad reading the tragic stories of the 6 teenagers and their teacher who drowned on a school camp here last week. They were out on a trek with a qualified instructor, and part of this trek involved climbing down a ravine then walking through a shallow river. But the weather was so bad that the river swelled to a raging torrent within minutes and they were swept away over a dam and drowned.
What another pointless waste of life! Whoever is to blame for the event doesn't answer the question why? Not why did it have to happen but why were they led down a wet slippery ravine, risking their lives for fun?
Some people would say that it is character building to take risks and achieve tough goals which is true up to a point, but surely you don't have to put yourself in unnecessary danger to do this.
When I was at school I don't remember ever doing anything so dangerous that I could drown in a swollen river or slip down a 100 metre ravine in an attempt to feel challenged. Our Geography field trips were about walking up hills and locating land features and enjoying the thrill of being away from home. The feeling of independence at that age was character building enough for me.

birthdays and communication

Its a strange fact that I communicate more with my brother and sister now that I live in New Zealand than I did when we lived just a few miles apart. We used to meet up for special occasions such as birthdays or sometimes a coffee in town but we just took for granted that we were there and that was it. Now that I have moved to the other side of the world I chat with my brother on an almost daily basis on the computer via Skype and exchange emails with my sister at least twice a week plus texting. I am more up to date with their lives than I ever was!

Modern communication is great but one item I have never been a big user of is the humble telephone. I don't know why. I much prefer texting, and emailing and talking face to face than using the phone. So as a surprise I thought I would give my sister, Shirley, a call on her 50th birthday at her work. And she was surprised! We chatted about a few things as sisters do and the conversation got round to TV and how useless it is in New Zealand with all the commercials. Shirley asked if we paid a TV licence here. No we don't. I had forgotten about that lovely bill that used to arrive each year, how you were terrified not to pay it as the man in the detector van would know if you hadn't paid and he could knock on the door in the middle of Eastenders with a fine of 2000 pounds. The TV licence is now 130 pounds! So I am now quite happy to use the VCR and fast forward the commercials!

We also discussed age, as you do on your birthday once you get past 21. She recons her 40's went by faster than her 30's so does that mean she will be 60 before she knows it. What a thought - life speeding up as you get older. Some people are obsessed with how old they are, which is crazy because there's not a lot you can do about the passing of time. I must admit though I keep forgetting how old I am. Is that a good sign or just a sign that I'm losing my memory? Keeping fit and healthy and happy is the best cure for the onset of old age plus believing that you are still only 25.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Shirley.

rips and bodies

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of the ocean. Too many man eating creatures and evil things lurking. Also these rip tides which are so dangerous. I had never heard of a rip before coming to New Zealand but to Kiwis its all part of their upbringing to know about them. They are caused when the tide is changing and the drag out to sea is stronger than the flow to the beach so if you get caught in the drag you are literally sucked out to sea. These rips are formed just yards off the beach and surfers use them all the time to take them out to the next wave. But for the inexperienced they can suck you under and roll you over and over under the waves. There are a few signs to spot a rip tide like smooth water, waves that don't break on the sand straight but apart form that it is down to experience. The water can swirl around so strongly that it can dig deep holes in the sand which are nicely disguised by shallow water, the perfect trap for you to fall into. So if these things are so common why is there not more signs along the beach warning people and giving advice? Over the summer months the life guards mark out safe areas to swim but obviously they can't patrol the hundreds of miles of New Zealand beaches.

Anyway, we had a tragic event here last week when a British tourist, a 19 year old boy, went for a play in the sea with 5 of his mates. Apparently the area they chose to swim in is renowned for dangerous rips (local knowledge - no warning signs) They quickly got into trouble and were all helped back to shore by some surfers and other passerbys apart from this one boy. The rescuers just couldn't get to him and he was sucked under. His friends had the trauma of waiting on the beach for him but the search had to be abandoned until the next day. His body washed up on the shore 2 days later. This happened on a part of the beach just 10 minutes from our house. They were only having a bit of fun just 20 yards out. What a waste of life.

Take a look at these pictures and see how close the rips can be to the beach, and be warned the sea is a mighty force not to be messed with - I for one will enjoy paddling up to my ankles but no further!