After an 11 hours flight on our way to New Zealand from Stockholm we had a 14 hour stopover in Kuala Lumpur.
Since the children had watched tv-series and films the whole flight (night) they fell asleep all the time so after some hours of siteseeing we went back to the airport to rest before starting the second 'leg', to Auckland.
The children didn't sleep during those 10 hours either so when we had arrived at our backpackers we forced them to climb the nearby Mt. Eden, a vulcano, to get a nice view of 'The City of Sails'.
The next day we spent at the Auckland Zoo, first watching a lot of animals and then a concert with Tim Finn as start attraction.
After a couple of days in Auckland where we also did some shopping and went swimming at Waiheke Island we flew to Christchurch, rented a car and drove out to the Banks Peninsula.
We stayed at Half Moon Cottage, a lovely backpackers at Barrys Bay.
It was surrounded by flowers which of course made Malotte happy :-)
Channa reading in the garden.
From there we went on hikes in the area.
Noak is admiring the view of Akaroa harbour. Half Moon Cottage is situated just by the water.
One day we took a dolphin boat trip, arranged by the nice Le Bons Bay Backpacker.
First we saw only seals. Apperently the dolphins were feeding under water.
But then they showed up and started circling the boat.
Malotte even jumped into the water and swam with the dolphins although the water was only 17 degrees.
After the boat trip we continued to Okains Bay where Noak enjoyed the sea.
As it was Waitangi Day, New Zealand's National Day, there was some festivities going on there, among them a competition between traditional Maori war canoes. Above are the winners.
After our lovely time on Banks Peninsula we spent a couple of days in Christchurch and then drove across the country. First the great plains and then across the mountain range sheilding off the west coast. This area was used as filming location for both Lord of the Rings and Narnia.
On the way we stopped at a place where you walk through the mountain in a mostly rather narrow but high ceilinged cave formed by a stream for 600 meters, all the time in water. It is pitch black of course so we had torches.
We couldn't take any pictures so if you want to see it follow this link - http://www.castlehill.net.nz/castlehill/cavestream/cavestream.htm
When we arrived at Greymouth on the Wet, sorry West, Coast it rained!
But we had a nice jacuzzi outdoors under a roof made of a sail.
We stayed at nice African Village backpackers with a lot of etnic inspiration.
After some days we continued up north, passing the Pancake Rocks, so named since they look like stacked pancakes.
We stayed at the Old Slaghterhouse Backpackers in Hector. You had to climb up a steep track up the hill for 10 minutes to get there but the view was of course fantastic.
From Hector we did a day trip to Karamea and the Oparara basin, kmown for among other things beatiful limestone arches.
We had a flat tire on the way but managed the change to the spare.
There is also a Mirror Lake as can be seen above if you tilt you head.
It was very green, can it be because of the rain?
On our way home we passed this cute lama.
The next day we drove back towards the east coast and then up to the northenmost part of the south island, Golden Bay, where we stayed at The Nook backpackers at Pohara.
As you can guess there are nice beaches there :-)
We did some hikes here as well, for example to Wainui Falls.
Can you guess what this is?
It is a cut-off fern tree.
And this is a fern in creation.
After a couple of lazy days in Pohara we walked into Abel Tasman National Park.
We stayed on the right of these boats who make up Aquapackers, a budget 'all-imclusiv'e where the dinner was a barbaque, with the same ingredients, every night. There were 8 bunks in each of the catamarans hulls.
It was nice on the beach.
The second day we did a loooong walk up a valley to get to a pool where Eddie the tame eel lives.
We fed him with sausages leftover from the previous evenings barbeque. He ate FOUR large saussages, we where afraid that he might die from eating too much! But the owner of Aquapackers assured us there was no danger,
We saw a lot of the New Zealand speciality, fern trees.
Channa, Noak and Malotte took the way south out of the park, kayaking part of the way, while Björn had to go back up north, pick up the car, drive ~100 km around the park and meet the rest at the south entrance. Strangely enough we all arrived there at the same time.
After a couple of days in Nelson (where Malotte bought a ring made by Nils Hansen, the jewellers who made 'The Ring') it was time to leave the south island. Although we missed the boat which we had booked we were lucky enough to be squeezed in on the train deck on the next (fully booked) ferry.
The passage through Marlborogh Sounds is really beautiful.
We arrived at Wellington late in the evening and then drove in a rush 1/2 hour north to the nice Moana Lodge where we stayed.
The next day we drove back to town and 'did' Wellington.
We went up Mt Victoria where you have a nice view of the town.
We then went into the surrounding park where they filmed the scene in LOTR where the hobbits first hid for the Black Rider, We probably didn't find the exact spot but it was interresting to realize that it actually was filmed almost in the centor of the capital.
We also visited the great Te Papa, a museum where you can learn almost everything about New Zealand.
We got back to Moana Lodge in time for some beautiful sunset pictures.
The next day we drove to Wanganui and strolled around town.
Anyone in for a fish head for dinner?
The next day we drove up to Pipiriki where we got on a speed boat that took us up Wanganui River to the Managpurua Landing,
From there we walked for 40 minutes up along a sidestream until we came to the Bridge To Nowhere.
The bridge was built by farmers given land in this valley after World War 1. Of course they planned to build roads to it as well but the land turned out to be to hard to farm and was abandoned a few years later. Now all the remains is the bridge...
Going back the speedboat let us off part of the way and we canoed the last part.
Malotte and Channa managed to enter one of the few difficult jets and got soaked but since the guide had said it was impossible to not become overturned in that jet and they didn't they were quite proud anyway. Although Channa wanted to paddle with Björn afterwards.
Lazy Noak is letting Malotte do the paddling.
We then continued to Tongariro National Park and saw Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom) hidden in clouds.
The slopes of Mount Ruapehu where the scenes in Mordor where filmed.
Next we came to Rotoroa, the sulphur smelling city. Where they obviously drink a lot of beer...
There is a lot of thermal activity in the Rotorua area.
Here is some boiling mud.
The water and the deposits takes all kinds of colors.
It was very hot walking around with the sun beaming down and the heat rising from the ground.
Note the steam rising from the water.
We found a 'refreshing' stream, with hot water of course.
It was so hot that even Björn dared to take a dip.
Rotoroa is also a center for the Maori culture on New Zealand.
From Rotoroa we continued north, up to the Coromandel Peninsula, where we stayed at Buffalo Beach at Whitianga, facing Mercury Bay.
Close by is the Hot Water Beach where there are two hot springs (around 60 degrees C) just below the sand. So you go there at low tide and dig a hole in the sand where the hot water soakes up and mixes with the ocean waves to create your own little spa.
At high tide the water is too high and ruins the pools.
We were a little unlucky with the timing of low tide, the water was also extremely high so the springs were only accessible for a short while.
We tried to go back a couple of times, once even in the pitch dark with pouring rain but the water was too high. At that time we did however find a group of musicians practising in the only place with a roof, the loo beside the beach!
Channa relaxing on Buffalo Beach.
And playing football with Björn (and Noak out of sight).
Otama Beach, the most perfect of all the beaches we saw, and more or less deserted. The sand was like powder, making strange sounds when you walked in it, and we played for hours in the waves.
Close the Whitiaga is also Cathedral Cove, a great natural cave which was used when filming the childrens return to Narnia in the second film, Prince Caspian.
Noak playing in the waves.
We also visited a little winery where we ate under growing ranks of kiwifruits and bought liquer made on local fruit.
Crossing Coromandel on our way back to Auckland we made a stop at some kauri trees. Before the Europeans came to New Zealand the island was covered by these giant trees but almost all of them were taken down by greedy colonists without any environmental considerations. The 'baby' trees, only 600 years, in this groove where spared by chance.
There is now an ongoing effort to regrow kauris but it will take a while until they get big.
A last picture of the beatiful New Zealand landscape before we turned homeward bound.
We had a four day stopover in Kuala Lumpur on our way back.
We stayed at a hotel close to KL Tower with a nice view of the Petronas Twin towers.
There was a rooftop pool where we spent the hot hours.
There was also a trendy pool bar that was open in the evenings.
When we didn't sit by the pool we went shopping. Here in Petaling Street, also know as Chinatown. You could by cheap copied designer stuff but the selection was quite limited.
Petronas Twin Towers was for a while the highest building in the world. Standing below them at night you almost get a Star Wars feeling.
That was (finally?) the end of the pictures from our trip. Although we have of course a lot more if you're interested ;-)
Channa and Noak celebrating May 17th, Norways National Day, in Skansen as usual.
And then it was Summer!.
Midsummer was spent on the island Nässlingen with a group of friends, here joined for the traditional midsummer lunch.
The others have had this as a tradition for many years but this was the first time we were there. The children liked it a lot so we booked a cabin for next midsummer before leaving!
Here Noak and Otto enjoys the afternoons games. The fierce look on Otto's face is because his mother Lollo is participating in a competition where 7 people connected to a plank try to walk as fast as possible, see below.
They won :-)
After midsummer Dagrun came for a longed for visit.
Disa is contemplating going for a dive but decides against it.
In the beginning of July Noak participated in the Dalecarlia cup. His team didn't win the tournament but they won the All Fair Price for best behaviour on and off the fotball field.
Malotte and Channa went for a three day trip to Paris after having received the sad news that Malotte long time friend Nan was terminally ill. She was kind enough to let them visit her every day even though she was very weak. She passed away the week after, at her home, with her family by her side. Malotte, who has stayed with her for almost every visit to Paris for the last 22 years (for example with the whole family in 2003), feels that Paris will never be the same again.
As usual Channa refused to be photographed but she did take some photos of the tourist attractions.
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 Malotte spent a lot of time during summer tending the flowers in the garden at Ingarö. |
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When we were back in Sweden we went to Hovenäset to visit grandma AnnMari, here on her balcony.
This year Björns parents and his sister IngerLise with family was there as well.
Here Noak is with cousins Noah and Sander in grandma's boathouse.
Channa sitting in the sun on the jetty outside the boathouse.
We also went swimming of course. Noak is thinking about jumping from the 5 meter tower at Reso.
And he decided to do it.
Even Malotte did!
Heating up afterwards.
Back in Stockhoms we were bystanders to one of nature's dramas. Actually we didn't manage not to intervene. We killed the snake and miraculously the frog escaped intact.
Garden in bloom.
Disa sitting in Noaks lap during a boat trip.
One day we visited Hölö together with Malottes siblings Malin and Mattias and their families, here Juni, Malin, Felix and Fredrik.
There were jump activites going on there as well.
Noak also.
Then there was a boat trip to Mattias' island.
Greta, Ella and Gali posing on the jetty.
Noak on the jetty.
And jumping into the water there as well.
Another day they came and visited us on Ingarö.
Here the girls playing cards in the fore of our boat.
An attempt to catch all the cousins at the same time at the jetty.
And another one back at the house.
This years project for Björn was to finish the pavilion he started last year. Now the carpentor's work is done, only the climbing flowers are missing.
Disa in the garden.
After the summer came a long (and early!) automn when no photos seems to have been taken.
It must have been all work and school.
In December Björn and Malotte attended a charity concert where among others Robyn performed. She sang accompanied by only a piano and was really fantastic.
Christmas was spent in Bergen with Björn's family, here the Chrismas tree at Inger Lise's house.
Guitar Hero was the favourite pastime.
Most of the family gathered outside Inger Lise's house on our last day.
We came home for New Years Eve, spent at the home of the Fransson family together with a number of friends.
Here too Guitar Hero, expanded with a drum set, was a favourite.