Auckland & Greater Region - New Zealand

[suplado! 23]

cool mansion...huge garden and great nature surrounding...and thats a lot of staff, total salary of the staff every month is... lol

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Hiya folks - sorry I can't do personal replies just at the moment but thanks heaps to all the repliers and to the lurkers ...(I love you all dearly...)

We are off on Sunday to go visit that volcano...  hopefully get a day skiing in and live to tell the tale...  I will take some pictures and if you are all very good then I might just post some...

See you all next Saturday...

Please do feel free to chat amongst yourselves until I get back.

I am leaving WackoJak in charge...

 

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Off to the volcano, eh? I guess you will be doing the slalom track, swerving around all of the igneous rocks* and such!

*This science moment sponsored by The Schulman Science Institute. SSI, the world leader in Simtropolitan Science

So, WJ, now that you are in charge...

let's go raid Craig's kitchen and get all of his sweets! Then, let's go watch television and put out feet up on the furniture!

(Craig, you did NOT see the line above)

[jacqulina 162]

have fun my friend see you when you get back

[politicman 1]

It's lokk very nice Keep it up !

[WackoJak 0]

Sounds good to me, Bruce! Bring lockpicks just in case.

[Zelgadis 638]

Ah, this is the CJ I was trying to post in when my internet connection was going up and down...

Well, anyway, that's some manor that you have built there.

ISF

[ky72x 13]

Hope you have a good time, and I can't wait till you get back! I think I should actually have some time this weekend (well at least on Sunday).

- Kyle

[WackoJak 0]

Just a Welcome Back in advance, Craig. I'm off to Australia on Friday so I'll get in a post to say...

1) How was your skiing?

2) Were you even skiing at all?

3) if you answered 'No' to question 2, were you instead Lahar Surfing?

Ill reply to whatever updates you make after Im back on Sunday week, and hopefully I will have a shiny new australian CD drive to start my own CJ!!!

(cross fingers) but of course It'll take me a while to get the fanbase you've pent up. (those hopeless losers... hehehe... oh wait, im one of them...)

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Well helloooo

I am back - it seems that WackoJak is gone, unless he is clever enough to find a working computer across the ditch...  now that would be cool posting on ST from another country....  do they have the internet in Australia?

I have got photos and stuff I just have to sort them out but here is the first lot that I have uploaded to Photobucket....

The Ohaaki Geothermal Powerstation.  The big chimney thingy is actually a cooling tower and it supplies about 3% of NZ's power.  The hot water is reinjected into the ground when they are done with it and apparently it is all very environmental and culturally appropriate...















Now that would make a cool BAT... 

Edit:  OK I will squeeze in a couple more pics on this post....

This is Lake Taupo a large fresh water lake in the middle of the North Island...  the wind was blowing straight up the lake from the mountains in the background...  quite chilly.  The waves were almost big enough to surf on... not bad for a lake! 


...and an hours drive further down the road, to the other end of the lake and around the corner you find this...  Mt Ruapehu, yes that's the one that erupted slightly, a week and a half ago.

There was a fresh fall of spring snow on Tuesday so the sooty black ash covering on the top was all covered over by the time we got there...

This photo is taken half way up the skifield road,  called Scoria Flat...  the area to the left is often used as a chain fitting area, as the road gets fairly steep from this point onwards.

Whakapapa skifield is just to the right of the Pinnacles (left in shadow) in a valley.  Whakapapa skifield was used for shots of Mordor and  Emyn Muil for those of you who are LOTR fans...

My son Ethan decided that the mountain looked like cookies and cream icecream... 





Around to the left you get a view of Mt Ngarahoe (the cone) and Mt Tongariro.  Mt Ngarahoe was also used as a stand in for Mt Doom...  



Well I think that will do for this post...  I am off to post some scenic river shots in Paradise Falls... 

[penguin007 27]

New zealand is such a beautiful place I didnt know about that mountian being used for LOTR nice bit of trivia that

Will

[Zelgadis 638]

Hey! I see Frodo!

ISF

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Cookies & Ice Cream Mountains??!!! I AM SO THERE!! [runs off to pack bags...]

[...breathlessly returns with bags in hand]

Geothermal, says you....

looks like good ol' nuke to me!!!

[Hester 700]

ARGGGH! That vehicle is on the wrong side of the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

[scotty222 549]

Cool pics makes me wish i was there, oh well ill go next year

mmmm cookies and cream ,im hungry off to get some ice crem

[jacqulina 162]

hello craig my friend and welcome back sounds like you and your family had a great time,wonderfull pics great cooling tower,great scenery as allways,thankyou for posting those beautifull pics in my cj.

[suplado! 23]

cool pics...and very nice mountains...

[KingTitan 6]

Craving to see more simcity content.......

[ky72x 13]

Nice to have you back Craig. Those pictures are very nice. Wow, that's pretty cool that you went to a powerstation. I know I would enjoy that lol! Amazing scenic pictures as well! The views look stunning. It looks like you had an excellent time!

- Kyle

[WackoJak 0]

AAHHHHH I is back also!

Yeah they have internet in Australia, but they don't have any computers more advanced than the Apple II so theres no point really...

Anyway, my dear mother refused me the financial acquisition of a CD-Drive, instead offering ordering one through Dick Smith Electronics a much more safe idea.

I did get the new Zelda game for my DS though, which is quite good and I would recommend it as such. Ergo, concordantly, vis-a-vis.

Lovely pics you have there, I may have to slip in some of my own.....

And also: Schulmanator says "looks like good ol' nuke to me!!!"

NZ is nuke free my friend! Thanks to good old Ex-Prime Minister David Langhe! Poor guy died last year however.

Regards and stuff, WJ

[Zelgadis 638]

*Taps foot impatiently*

We're waiting!

ISF

[Hester 700]

*Throws hat in* "anybody home?" :-)

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

*coughs* well err um... yes....

Would you all believe the "RL has been really busy lately" line.... No? Well it has ... *sulks*

BUT! I am here... well just... and I will try and get something cranked up in here and HEY! I really so love you guys and thanks for being patient.... *puppy dog eyes*....

(Maybe I could fob them off with some replies... heck I am soooooooo behind...)... but then even that would take effort...

Ever get the feeling you are having one of those Gollum / Smeagol converstations with yourself....?

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Originally posted by: zelgadis *Taps foot impatiently*

We're waiting!

ISF

quote>

 

Well ~Zel~  I have just realised something....  that you are my 500th replier... now if this was Schulmania or something you would be in for a super huge award or something equally grand ... but... I will just have to do the best I can (with the help of Google Image search) ...  OK I confess.... that I have no idea what this actually says, (and I really hope it is not rude or anything...)  but it looks like a pretty nice Japanese Award so ....

*throws caution to the wind* 

here you are....

Congratulations on being Auckland's 500th poster...

[WackoJak 0]

hrmmm, 15 what, i wonder?

15 cars? 15 years? 15x 33.33333333333 replies maybe?

[Cleaner475 151]

lol, what an award. If only people knew what it said, lol

can't wait for an update, you know how to keep people anxious ,

Richard

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

I think it might have been something to do with organic chemistry... but you would have to check out the source website it came from.... Oh well as long as Zel likes it ... that is the main thing... Otherwise I will be up Mt Fuji without a kimono... and THAT is chilly...

Anyone got a Japanese / English dictionary handy?

[penguin007 27]

Well done on 500 posts cant wait for the next update

Will

[Zelgadis 638]

I'm not sure what it is exactly. But I can tell it was awarded in the year Heisei 15 on the Japanese calendar. (I think the current Japanese year is 17 or 18 now.)

Anyway, thanks very much!

ISF

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Nice award. I want a golden cat trophy!