| Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman's New Zealand tour October 2003 |
| A few shots from NZ 2003... |
 This is Devonport from the ferry - you can just see the Bunker (a very famous venue) at the top of the hill |
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 Auckland's skyline from the ferry |
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The Sky Centre is visible for miles, and looks quite odd from this angle... |
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 The view from the Wellington ferry terminal at 08.30 on October 15th |
 Queen Charlotte Sound... |
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About 90 minutes of the 3 hour crossing is spent going down this absolutely beautiful channel - it's a truly stunning place. |
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Halfway down the coast to Christchurch is Kaikoura, a well known centre for whale watching. It's quite unusual to see snow capped mountains and the Pacific in the same place... |
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Isn't this the cutest venue? The
old church in Cardrona, (left) between Wanaka and Queenstown, was the venue for the
October 17th concert. |
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Kaikoura railway station is the centre for the whale watching trips. Some 20 miles offshore we saw four whales and (a real bonus) a huge wandering albatross... |
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The drive from Nelson to Picton gave us the opportunity to take Queen Charlotte Drive, a very scenic route that snakes around the coast. |
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| One thing you often see in New Zealand is old British cars in beautiful condition. I spotted this immaculate Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire in Picton, just before getting on the Wellington ferry. |  |
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Sunset over the south island taken from the Cook Strait ferry October 23rd... |
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Wellington, like Sydney, San Francisco and a few other cities, is positioned on a beautiful harbour. |
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Wellington festival (Wellyfest) had its 39th birthday this year. Great fun had by all, especially whoever was responsible for the weather...it was somewhat chilly to say the least. The marquee (left) was heated as was the café (right), a popular spot for a tune ot two. |
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| Here we have one of the festival's highlights - a Byrds tribute band fronted by a gentleman with uncommonly long hair. (They actually sounded great.) |  |
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If you insist on drinking 57% proof whisky, this is what happens to your beard. (If you don't already have a beard, you'll soon acquire one after a few slugs of this stuff...) |
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Sue Ikin (responsible for our being here at all) with husband Kevin, who bears an uncanny resemblance to a rather more hirsute gentleman I saw this weekend |
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CN & Máire with Libby & Davy Stuart from Christchurch at the festival Monday October 27th. Davy was running sound for much of the weekend - a break from building guitars! | |
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| On October 31st we visited the Waimangu Valley near Rotorua. We were last there in 1995 - it's an extraordinary place created as a result of a volcanic eruption in 1886. It's well worth a visit- amazing to touch the ground and feel heat. | ||
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| A very typical scene on Route 1 - the main highway through the country | The summit of Crown Point near Queenstown | Participants at the guitar workshop held at Puriri Grove on November 1st |
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Here are a few more people who helped make this trip so enjoyable: |
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 Kay and Martin Curtis (Cardrona) |
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Mike Moroney (Dunedin)
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| Erica & Rob Green (New Plymouth) with Davy Stuart (Christchurch) | Mike Considine (Christchurch) |
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| Bob & Evey (Nelson) | Marcus & Anne (Dunedin) |
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| Helen & Don Burns (Hamilton) | Hilary Worsfold (Auckland) | Roger Giles (Auckland) |
Old
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