The Lost world

New Zealand is used for loads of film locations now, because they can provide almost any kind of scene - countryside, coastline, forests, lakes, mountains........

From the air you can see how the volcanos have shaped the landscape. The hills and forests just seem to go on and on - the little island on the right hand picture is an ancient mauri burial ground.

Boiling lake

Again, taken from the air this is a lake of volcanic water.

Deep impact

This is a huge crater made by a metior strike on New Zealand.

I took the photo from our plane and the pilot said many people say it looks like a map of the world.

Can't see it myself, but we'd need more than Bruce Willis and his team of hardened metal workers to save us if one this size hit again.

Budget airline

This was easily the best flight we took on the whole trip. Even though we spent a total of 53 hours on aircraft during our travels - the flight in this small sea plane was totally different.

It's hard to understand how airlines have made something so exciting become such an uncomfortable chore.

This was like flying in a transit van but a really enjoyable experience, partly cause the scenery below was like the lost world. This part of NZ is really great to look at, expecially when we went over the volcano.

wimpys of the world!

Pinar wanted to pose with yet another wimpy - this time in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Regular readers will remember her other wimpy pictures from south africa and Australia.

I had no idea that the special sauce was such a global concept.

Back to the travels

With everything that's been going on we've sort of forgotton about our pictures from the trip - which was the reason for having a blog in the first place.

Here's another mud-pool from NZ. We did have a bath in a specially adapted one, but this one would have been too hot.

Apparently you can cook eggs in these and they're considered a delicacy in Japan, although having been to Japan that's not saying much. I still have bad dreams about the Jellyfish and cows tounge I ate their!

We are Blyth

Grassroots football at it's very.....worst!

Could have been a decent game but the fog made it a bit more difficult and some of the players froze in front of the 2,000+ crowd.

Still some amusing moments and plenty of the enthusiam and warmth that's missing at St James these days.

£6 a ticket is a bit steep though.

In at last

After weeks of sepculation, point and counter-point we're finally into the new house. they aren't joking about the stress involved. I though organizing a wedding was supposed to be the most stressful thing, although I did cheat.

After lugging everything here I think the worst part is unpacking everything and getting it all set-up.

Goodnight and goodluck

Good luck to Quent and Nic who are going back to New Zealand via a bit of traveling.

We're very jealous , as our travelling days are probably over for a while now. Good leaving do on Friday apart from the £4 an hour parking charges in London (until 11pm).

You're best off out of that place before it sucks you completely dry!

Enjoy the deep fried locus and you'll be having beer for breakfast in Fiji - they won't let you have it any other way! Top tip -stay off the tuk tuks!

Here we are aboard the Aurora a long time ago, getting ready for some hard drinking and furniture throwing - deck chair overboard.....

Pinar's new car

S2020004, originally uploaded by rosswigham.

As we've now got the house Pin had to get something a bit smaller.

Ross's 30th Birthday

It was Ross's 30th Birthday on the 11th September, as we were in Cyprus at the time, we didnt get to post anything on...

We had a lovely day at the beach and drinks at the harbour then a lovely meal of every kebab you could think of, im not talking about a horrible kebab when your drunk, but a posh meal.

Hen pictures

You can see all the pictures by clicking here

Pinar's [very] belated hen

SSA40221, originally uploaded by rosswigham.

Pinar had her hen night on Saturday, even if it was nearly five months late!

From what i heard - and saw the next morning when I was the taxi driver - I think a good time was had by all

Flag day

The TRNC and Turkish flags carved into the hills near Nicosia.

Escape

This area, as well as having an amazing beach, is where the Turkish Army landed in 1974. Here's Pinar with a tank.

Belly dancer

Pinar's dad shows me how it's done.

I couldn't get the money to stay in - but that's another story.

The way of the gun

Here I am all tooled up and ready to get into action.

I went shooting with Pinar's dad and all the kit, including the gun is borrowed.

What you can't see is the extreme heat and the panic behind my eyes as I slowly realized that the person showing what to do doesn't speak English.

Probably the most dangerous thing you can do is give me 50 bullets, a gun and no instructions. Luckily all went well and although none of the other blokes spoke English they kept me right and were very keen on my England cricket sunhat.

sunset in kyrenia

was nice to see Pinar's home land, but I'm sure you'll agree the beaches don't really have much on Blyth beach.

Northern Cyprus

Pretty unspoilt and very, very hot.

next destination

Cyprus. Looking forward to a week in the sun. Probably no updates as I'm not sure the web is quite up to it in the Turkish repubilc of Northern Cyprus, but we'll see