malcstravelogue

[New Zealand] Northland: Natural Wonders

2008-03-31T05:48:21Z

Back in January, Morgue and I went on a weeks camping trip up through the North Island to Northland. I've been a bit remiss in not actually sorting out photos thus far. So here are a few. Mostly of some of the varied natural wonders seen on our meanderings through the north.

Mt. Ruapehu, Central North Island

Mt. Tongariro, Central North Island

Whangamata Beach, Coromandel Peninsula

Te Matua Ngahere, Northland
Photos just don't do justice to the kauri, the giant trees that used to blanket the land. Te Matua Ngahere (The Father of the Forest) is just incredible, a vast living thing that, literally, just appears as you round a corner in the path. If you're ever in northern New Zealand, go and visit the kauri. They are the most incredible living things I've ever had the priviledge to see.

Tane Mahuta, Northland
The biggest of the kauri, Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) is no less incredible that its near neighbour Te Matua Ngahere. It is an amazing and wonderful thing to stand in the presence of something that has been growing on this spot since before the time of Christ.

Cape Reinga, Northland
The northern tip of New Zealand, where two oceans come together and, according to Maori belief, the spirits of the departed last touch the land of the islands before their long journey across the sea.

Doubtless Bay, Northland

Uretiti Beach, Northland

[New Zealand] Hokio Beach: Hogmanay

2008-01-21T06:25:25Z

Keeping things in order, and prior to the photos of my recent trip around the Far North, I thought I might mention the recently past Hogmanay. Spending new year on a beach, with sunshine, barbecues, cold beers and frisbee throwing is a somewhat different to being wrapped up like a Norwegian lorry driver in Falkirk or Edinburgh. It made the entire things feel somewhat un-Hogmanay like. That's not to say it wasn't immense fun, but any standard it was a brilliant couple of days.

Friends in Wellington had kindly loaned us their bach at Hokio beach, about an hours drive from Wellington. The bach is something of a New Zealand cultural tradition, a small, Spartan beach house for holidays with family and friends. As a sidenote, the traditional bach does seem to be under threat through lesgislation and big-money beach front development throughout New Zealand, which is a great shame. Ruth showed great kindness in allowing us to take over their property for a few days. We installed ourselves the day before Hogmanay, complete with amps, speakers and DJ decks provided by Damon (with Damon and I being desegnated music-meisters for the event). Many friends from Wellington and the surrounding area turned up, people I'd never met before but had the pleasure of now getting to know were in abundance.

There was music, dancing, drinking, food, sitting on the beach, browsing the bizarre and eclectic book collection, chat and the first Grand Downhill Dune Racing Championships (Sam, with aggressive and strong play being crowned the inaugural winner).

Hokio Beach, cloudy evening

An early heat of the Dune Running

StartMaster Morgue gets the competitors (Michelle, Damon and Sam) ready for the grand final.

And Sam barrels in to his historic victory, narrowly missing Adrian in the process.

The party in full swing, with ghosts.

More ghosts. And real people.

Cheers
Malc

[New Zealand] Wellington: More Tomfoolery

2007-12-06T03:27:03Z

Since I first posted about The Bike, it's evolved a little. Some bits needed replaced, others I fancied changing for something a bit different.

Unless you are me, Rab, Josh or Kit, the rest of this probably won't be very interesting.

So, and this will doubtless come as a shocker to Mr Robertson, I opted to change the bars from the very slightly upturned ones that I got with the bike to a set of alloy DMR Wingbars. This also meant a new stem, but luckily, Adam The Guy From The Bike Shop was taking his dirt jump bike to bits and selling off the parts. So, I got a rather sweet (and exceedingly short) Thompson Elite DH stem for way less than you'd normally pay. Went out to see how it all felt: great! Felt much more controllable, joy to the world. Then the chain snapped at the bottom of the hill from Kilbirnie to Newtown. Bah.

Now, the bottom bracket was a bit stuffed, the front derailleur was not in the best of conditions and the rear mech was making suspicous noises and stealing money from my wallet during the night. So, auf weidersehen front mech, to be replaced by an FSA 34T single front chain ring and an e13 chain guide. The bottom bracket was beyond buggered, so that got replaced with a second hand (but in good nick) one that the bike shop gave me for free. The rear mech bit the dust as well, hence the rather fawncey Shimano XTR Shadow (with carbon fibre bits, no less!) that resides at the back. Again, bike shop gave a pretty decent discount, I must say.

So, I've just been out giving it all a trial run and I pronounce it good!

And, the obligatory photos:

And, if you are ever in ellington and need bike bits or general advice, then I would heartily recommend Penny Farthing Cycles on Courtenay Place.

Cheers
Malc

[New Zealand] North Island: Small Things

2007-11-19T09:50:34Z

A collection of photos taken on the recent Rotorua/Waitomo/Taranaki/Otaki trip. Two updates in one day. Heavens.

Tree roots on the lower slopes of Mount Taranaki

A lit-up waterfall in the nature park, Rotorua

Another little lit-up stream, again in the nature park.

Lichen hanging from a tree, Mount Taranaki.

Driftwood on the beach at Otaki.

A lichen covered branch at the Waitomo geothermal park, Rotorua.

Cheers
Malc

[New Zealand] North Island: 101 Dangerous Things

2007-11-19T02:21:14Z

Over the last week, Cat and Sadhbh have been visiting from Australia. So for the first time since I arrived here, I ventured out of the immediate Wellington area and into the wilds of the North Island. Travelling North from Wellington, we crossed the desolate (but really rather wonderful) Desert Highway, past Mount Ruapehu, through square miles worth of Army testing range.

In a very 'American Werewolf In London' kind of way, we were encouraged not step off the road! Big signs at intervals along the way warning of unexploded munitions, live firing and an assortment of inimical hazards placed there by firing them out of a cannon. Thankfully, the danger of being crushed beneath the tank tracks of the NZ Army passed relatively quickly we sped down towards Lake Taupo and on towards the tourist mecca of Rotorua.

Rotorua has two notable attractions:

1) Geothermal activity
2) Dangerous stuff

The two might seem closely associated, but in reality, there's a big distance between the "Ooh! Aah! Isn't nature grand!" responses that hot springs, mud pools and crystaline formations provoke and the "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Shiiiiiiiiiit!" reactions that flinging yourself off of suspended platforms provokes.

Yes, here's me about to fling myself off of aforementioned suspended platform.

And this is the act itself.

We also took part in the exciting activity of Zorbing. In brief, it pretty much consists of climbing inside a giant plastic hamster ball and rolling down a hill, laughing madly. Or trying not to vomit, depending on your preference. Oh, did I mention the inner sphere was partially filled with water? Well, it was. How we laughed.

This is the hill.

And these are the hamster ball things that you hurtle down in.

On a more sedate note, we also visited the geothermal things at Waiotapu, which were extremely scenic and interesting. Some of the craters display the most amazing colours, like this one full of water, sulphur and assorted salts. It's probably the most eye-wrenchingly luminous colour I've ever witnessed in nature.

And what tourist adventure would be complete without the party standing, grimaces on faces, in front of a steaming pool of hot water?

On the way back down the Island, we stopped off at Waitomo in order to go caving. Yes, we wrapped ourselves up in rather fetching wetsuits, helmets and big boots and ventured underground for a couple of hours, alternatly splashing, crawling, swimming and tubing through the depths of the underworld. All good fun, but no photos of it. Because cameras weren't allow in the caves. Which was a fair point.

Our caving exploits were replicated above ground by our trek to see Mount Damper Falls. Little did we know of the precipitous, unsealed nature of the roads that awaited us. Sweaty palm moments ensued. But the falls were cool.

In fact, here they are.

And finally, on the way back down, we stopped off at Otaki to pick up Morgue. Lovely beach.

Here's the sunset over Kapiti.

Next: pseudo-art photography from the trip and other such stuff.

Cheers
Malc

[New Zealand] Wellington: Lord of the Chain Rings

2007-10-23T02:08:09Z

I'm here, in Wellington. Well, I've been here for nearly three weeeks now. And what a great city it is. The greatest thing, however, is the fact that I get to see mr_orgue again! Heaped on top of that, Morgue and Cal are very generously allowing me to stay in their lovely apartment in Newtown while I'm here. I even have a room of my own! So far, it's been great, getting shown the city, checking out the nightlife, meeting people,gaming, seeing bands, mountain biking, wandering, playing Ultimate Frisbee (I'm now in a team!), cooking, writing and generally having a great time.

I've even been on the spiritual pilgrimage to Lower Hutt (appropriate hand gestures to be made). I should also recommend two fantastic musical acts that I've seen so far:

The Dukes of Leisure

Group Five

Not only is the music great, but the Dukes and Andrew from Group Five are thoroughly excellent people to hang out with. Oh, and the 80's music party hosted by various band members on Saturday was a rocking affair of much greatness!

I also now have a bike upon which to explore the many trails in this area. And for getting in an out of the city. As this is probably only of interest to Rab and Josh, I'll hide the photo and technical gubbins behind a cut.

It's a DMR Trailstar 16" steel hardtail. The only new bits on it are the Rock Shox Revelation 07 front forks, which I got at a pretty good price from the local bike shop because the new 08 range will be in stock next week, and a new set of Maxxis High Roller tyres. Other than that, it's got Shimano Deore XT rear mech, SRAM front mech, Raceface bashguard, Truvativ cranks, DMR V8 pedals, wheels of unknown provenance and a bizarro disc brake setup of a rear Hayes 9 and a front XSIV. Oh, and Scott Pilot FR riser bars.

All in all, it's a fair old hodge-podge of different bits and pieces. Still getting used to how it handles on the rough stuff. The Revelation shocks are fantastic, with 100 - 130mm u-turn adjustable travel and pop-lock lock out for cycling on roads or going up hill.

That's the bike anyway.

Cheers
Malc

[USA, Retrospective] Western Mass.: Northampton State Hospital

2007-10-11T22:11:29Z

In this entry that I made whilst staying with Josh and Carrie, I briefly noted that I had visited the remains of the Northampton State Hospital. Well, I've finally had the chance to go through my photos and select the ones that I like the most.

Sadly, the main Kirkbride Plan building was in the 'piles of rubble' stage of demolition when I got there, which was a great shame, as I would dearly love to have the chance to explore one of the Kirkbride asylums. This time, it was not to be.

However, one of the ancillary wards was still standing on the main site. In addition, on the other side of the road was what I assumed to be (at least partially) the childrens section of the asylum.

Access through a very dark basement. Interestingly, the entire asylum had a hugely extensive tunnel network beneath the buildings. If you've seen Session 9, you will know exactly what they look like. Coincidentally, Danvers State from Session 9 was also one of the major Kirkbide asylums.

The childrens asylum building.

This is entirely an assumption based on the number of wall murals of clowns and so forth. The assumption makes some kind of sense based on the isolation from the main body of the asylum, but can in no way be considered anything approaching authoratative!

Cheers
Malc

[Japan] Miyajima: Ascent

2007-09-18T11:17:44Z

Miyajima ('Island of Temples') is regarded as having some of the finest and most classical views in Japan. Not only of the famous 'floating torii', but also from the summit of Mt. Mizen, the highest point of this lovely little island.

As it's only a short tram ride from Hiroshima, not to go would be foolish. The journey was made in the affable and amusing company of two fellow hostel stayers, Neil from Wicklow in ireland and Willem from Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Arriving at the island, we took in the views of the famous torii:

After a tasty lunch of katsudon (deep fried pork with rice, cabbage and miso, my current favourite dish in Japan), we decided (perhaps with less foresight that may have been possible) to dispense with the cable car and take on the tropical forests of Mt. Mizen ourselves. So, loaded up with water and re-hydrating beverages, we set off. In all fairness, there is a path all the way up and a lot of it is ancient stone steps, but in 35 degrees of heat and 90% humidity, us northern Europeans were finding it hard going. To be fair, so were the locals.

However, the ascent through lush sub-tropical forest rewards you with some marvellous scenery (including the largest dragonfly I have ever seen in my life) and great views from the top:

The top is a jumble of huge boulders, some with small shrines carved into them, others with shrines simple constructed in caves and gaps. The final route to the top was through narrow natural passages ways and rock arches:

And needless to say, I was very pleased to actual reach the summit:

In addition, some other (rather fresh looking, I believe they may have taken the cablecar and been slightly appalled at our dishevelled state) visitors kindly took a photo of the summit party. From left to right as you look at it: Neil, me, Willem:

The descent was by another, even steeper route, that was nonetheless very beautiful, with tiny shrines and cairns round every corner.

So, Miyajima was lovely, tiring but very rewarding. We retired to Hiroshima and partook of a generous meal!

Cheers
Malcolm

[Japan] Hiroshima: Hypocentre

2007-09-18T11:04:49Z

Having spent a few days in Hiroshima, I can say that's it is a vibrant, exciting city with lots to offer. But, all of that pales into insignificance when you are standing looking at ground zero of the first ever atomic weapon fired in anger.

The Peace Museum was a very moving and difficult place. An unbiased, balanced account of the bombing, of Japans aggression in World War 2, of the aftermath and the long process of recovery and reconcilliation. It is a testament to the people of this fine city that they have used their experiences to try and do something better.

There's not really much more you can say. I guess these two photos say everything I can't.

The A-Bomb Dome

The Peace Memorial

Cheers
Malcolm

[Japan] Osaka: Pressure drop

2007-09-17T07:53:05Z

This is a very short post, merely a quick note to say that it is very odd to be sitting in a coffee shop in Osaka, sipping Italian espresso, watch the crazy congestion outside and having The Specials, Toots & The Maytals, Prince Buster and other assorted old school ska playing in the background.

This is indeed a country of great contrasts.

Cheers
Malcolm

[Japan] Tokyo: Thoughts On

2007-09-11T05:40:04Z

I'm actually in Kyoto at the moment, but more on that later.

Spending a week in Tokyo was exciting and fascinating. It is without a doubt one of the greatest cities I've ever visited: vibrant, chaotic, noisy, colourful, everything you expect Tokyo to be. Things that really caught my attention were little details, like the graceful, ritualised gestures and movements of the subway attendants on the Tokyo Metro as train arrive and depart from their station. Seeing scores of dragonflies hunting in the sculpted gardens of the Imperial Palace. Walking through Aoyama Cemetary at 7am after a night spent in a club very deep under Shibuya.

Tokyo is a truly wonderful place, somewhere I would urge everyone to visit. The caveat to this is that if you don't like crowds, then it might not be the best place for you. The pedestrian crossing outside of Shibuya train station is the busiest in the world. When the lights turn and people are allowed to walk, it's like watch armies coming together on the field of battle. Very polite armies, mind you. There's no antagonism of heated jostling. Just thousands of people.

And the people here have been great. My impression of the Japanese nation so far has been one of unfailing politeness and helpfulness. Even with my halting, phrasebook Japanese, I've not yet failed to get a meal, a drink or what I want in a shop. Even just starting speaking in Japanese is a big help, people seen even more keen to help after that.

The food here has also been wonderful. Strangely, I don't think I've ever eaten as healthy as I am at the moment. Lots of vegetables, noodles (in many different varieties), rice, katsu and so on. Eating out has been both cheap and very, very good. I've not had a bad meal since I arrived in Japan.

A graceful and lovely tree near the Imperial Palace

Aieee! Gamera will destroy us all!

The ever cheerful cosplayzoku in Harajuku

Dingy but excellent and ancient yakitori shop squeezed into the pedestrian walkway under the railway bridge in Ginza

Akihabara by night

Cheers
Malc

[Japan] Tokyo: A championship of some kind

2007-09-04T08:30:44Z

My first actual, full day in Japan. What better way to introduce yourself to Tokyo than head for colourful, vibrant Shinjuku. And I arrived at an interesting time! For little did I know that the All-Nippon Facial Wipe Handing Out Contest & Symposium was in full swing. Had I known such a major national event was going to be taking place, I would have come better prepared (although how better prepared than seating a lot you could possibly be, I'm not so sure. In that regard I was superbly well equipped.

The rank outsiders in this contest had obviously been banished to locales with limited potential for coming out for the win. So, the young gentleman at Minowa Metro station (the first contestant I espied) was, althoguh having good technique, never going to hit the bigtime. Upon reaching Shinjuku, we found the big hitters giving it their all. Along Shinjuku-dori and Yakusuni-dori, the judges were stern and the contestants skilled and steely.

As much as I can judge, I could not decide to award the first prize to the young lady outside of one of the fancy department stores on Shinjuku-dori (quick responses, eye catching style, good handoff of the facial wipe package) or the gentleman in the well-cut suit at the far end of Yakusuni-dori (determined but friendly gaze, clean cut looks, agreeable manner).

After this display, I also managed to negotiate lunch. Even with my limited Japanese, it all seemed to go rather well. A hole in the wall noodle bar, big bowl of udon and a glass of Kirin. Remarkably easy.

Let's hope this lasts.

Cheers
Malcolm

[USA] Western Mass: Swimming Holes & Asylums

2007-08-22T18:00:17Z

Updates have been few and far between over the past couple of weeks. A combination of having fun, a lot to do and general hecticness have contributed to this. However, this post (and the subsequent one) will hopefully let people know what I've been up to.

Western Massachusetts was, in a word, wonderful. The hospitality and generosity of Joshua and Carrie was marvellous, from charcoal cooked steak and mushrooms on the night of my arrival to swimming in the river, everything about the place and the people was great.

It's also a beautiful part of America, with verdant forests, meandering rivers and charming towns like Northampton, Florence and Amherst. Unlike the equally lovely Georgia, everything here seemed more compact, at least in terms of getting around. There was cycling and walking to be done, very refreshing in the summer sunshine.

Then there were the preparations for Gen Con. It must be said that Joshua is a far more practical man than I, so my contributions consisted mostly of hammering, holding and standing back looking proud at our handiwork.

Anyway, on to the photos of my time in Western Mass.

My wonderful host, Mr Joshua Newman, proudly holding the first copy of the v1.1 version of his game 'Shock: Social Science Fiction'.

Of course, if there happens to be an abandoned asylum in the vincity, can you expect me not to visit it? Of course. There will be an entry dedicated to photos from this place at some point.

One of the great things about staying here were our regular visits to the swimming hole. Most refreshing.

Mr Newman shoots the rapids.

And a more peaceful section of the river.

So, Western Mass was wonderful and I can't thank Joshua and Carrie enough for their generosity.

Cheers
Malcolm

[Canada] Montreal (and surrounding area), Le Photographie Touristique!

2007-08-07T14:12:48Z

Last day in Montreal. It's a lovely, but as I've said before, somewhat crazy city. There are many splendid museums, art galleries and places to visit. The people are, in the main, very liberal. Kat and Derek have been amazingly generous hosts and it's been great to see them in their new home.

So, a final smattering of photos, of a distinctly touristy feel, before heading for the backwoods of New England.

The impressive (and more modern than you'd think) Abbey of St Benoit du Lac (I think that's what it's called):

A revered building of a somewhat different stripe, it's the famous Molson brewery:

And, significantly for me, the pitlane of the Circuit Giles Villeneuve here in Montreal. Walked round the entire circuit yesterday, taking many photos of bits of tarmac that probably won't interest many people. But, it's great you can just wander round the place. It's strange in that it's like a scenic park where someone has accidentally dropped a motor racing circuit. A pitlane with not cars or bustle is a quite a sad, forlorn place.

But while walking the circuit, I met a little friend. He's a marmot (or groundhog), who was wandering down the other side of the track. He fixed me with a quizzical eye on more than one occasion. I name him Giles, for obvious reasons.

Took a trip to Trois Rivieres, once a centre of the paper and pulp trade, bustling port and so forth. They also have some odd puvlic art scattered about the place, like this chopped down ships screw:

Finally, from the balcony of Kat and Dereks apartment, Montreal by night:

Cheers
Malcolm

[Canada] Montreal: Trouble at Mill!

2007-08-02T18:26:06Z

As Robin Williams might say: "It's so damn hot I saw one of those little guys in the orange robes burst into flames." It is indeed very warm in Montreal at the moment, takes some getting used to for a cold weather type like me.

Arrived at Kat & Dereks a bit earlier than expected. Perchance a few beers were had before retiring.

Today was just spent wandering the city, getting bearings, working out where everything was and so forth. I was quite surprised to see an abandoned building of this size so close to the city centre:

Security seem pretty on the ball though, even when taking external photos in close up in an oh-so-innocent tourist fashion. They were very friendly though ( think they were just worried I might wander from the piblic paths into a dangerous area). I guess with something that size, you want to keep a close eye on it.

Across the water were some of the most bizarre dwellings I've seen in a while:

Gibson-esque arcology, anybody?

And the more traditional architecture of the Hotel de Ville:

Breakfast today was in a rather nice little cafe with a view of the HdV and the waterfront.

Montreal is quite a lovely city, but it amazes me there are so many abandoned, boarded up or derelict buildings within the city centre.

Anyway, looks to be interesting. Off to the local games shop with Derek tonight. Some things never change!

Cheers
Malc

[USA] Georgia: Lost Dogs & Gravy

2007-07-30T18:16:56Z

Wandering through random strangers back yards certainly serves as a good introduction to a place. Actually finding the lost dogs was something of a bonus. Georgia has proved to be a friendly, generous place (especially Brian and his parents, whose hospitality has been unstinting).

There has been a lot off food. Man, has there been a lot of food. Witness the giant chicken:

There's also an abundance of history and natural splendour to discover. The Kennesaw Civil War museum was most interesting, as was Mount Kennesaw itself (one of the Civil War era cannons still on the mountain is shown below).

There was also the very impressive Stone Mountain, a single, huge lump of granite that rears up from the Georgia woodlands. Briain and I hiked up (not an incredibly hard task, but hard going in this heat).

On a good day, you can see downtown Atlanta and Kennesaw Mountain from the summit, but such was the haze and heat, that not much was to be seen in the distance.

And for those who are interested: yes, downtown Acworth does have a main street and yes, it is what you expect from an American town:

There have also been night in the pub with a whole crowd of good people, lots of good eating (particularly the biscuits and gravy) and some lovely scenery.

Next stop: Montreal

Cheers
Malcolm

News soon

2007-07-30T14:00:48Z

I'm in the pocess of doing my first post. A couple of people have asked why nothing so far. So, news coming soon.

Cheers
Malc