Having seen images posted recently of the Little Owls in residence at a Holcombe I thought as its only a few miles from home I'd have a go getting some images. I'm still suffering from a virus picked up on the long flight from the recent New Zealand Lions Tour so this will be my first trip out in some five weeks
Arriving where I thought the owls are located I quickly pickup a Little Owl sat on a rock, a quick scan reveals a single juvenile along with an adult bird. As I start to unpack the gear the adult decides to departs....that's birding for you!....gear ready I move into position and wait to see if the parent bird returns
It's now over an hour later and I now quite close to where the juvenile bird is sat, with camo netting draped over me and the gear, local walkers must be wondering whats going on. Eventually the parent bird returns with the juvenile content to half sleep in the sometimes sunshine but always keeping a watchful eye on me. Eventually after around twenty minuets the parent bird departs followed shortly after by the juvenile....time to call it a day.
As a Welshman and avid rugby supporter I had the opportunity of a once in my lifetime trip to tour and support the British & Irish Lions rugby team in recent 1-1 drawn series to New Zealand. Although this is primarily a wildlife blog I thought I publish some images and a brief account of the trip.
Three weeks to go before the big trip down under and look whats turned up...
The series trophy.....can the British & Irish Lions bring the cup back home ?
After travelling over 30 hours we finally arrive in Wellington, New Zealand, having left on Tuesday and arrived on Thursday...zzzzz.
Our arrival, Jan doesn't much like this image but its one of the few images we have in the airport arrivals hall.
The airport main hall is full of Maori cultural carvings and paintings and has a giant eagle with Gandalf on board suspended from the roof.
After a nights sleep, It's Friday morning and we've arrange a trip around WETA the props department of the film production company WingNut partly owned by Peter Jackson that made the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and King Kong. WingNut is now a major player in world film production with involvement in recent productions such as ...Avatar, Ghost in a Shell, Power Rangers, Tintin and many others.
Many of the original props remain at the studios but cannot be photographed as they remain in the ownership of the company that funded films. Surprisingly filming of a new production was ongoing at the time of the visit but no one was prepared to revealed what the film was, but I did manage to grab a pic of the largest green screen in the southern hemisphere.
WETA workshop tour complete with shop....you can purchase a replica of Boromir sword for £4,500.00 !
The Pale Orc....
Golum.....
Gandalf...
Orc's.....
We also had the opportunity to visit the miniturised set of the Thunderbirds which was remade for ITV.
Insert image..........
Film production company green screen...top secret !
With the afternoon free it was time to explore Wellington which is a lot smaller than you would think especially for a capital city with a population of only 200.000. After a walk around the city centre including a visit to the Te Papa Maori Museum, it was up the cable car to the botanical gardens and the Carter Observatory with spectacular views of the city and coast line.
On our way back down, you could also walk down !
dh Lambton Harbour, Wellington, New Zealand
William Trethewey's Kupe Group sculpture (1999) was unveiled at this spot in March 2000, but has a long history before this date.
The original work titled "The Coming of the Maori" (1939) greeted visitors at the Centennial Exhibition 1939-40. it stood at the end of a pool, and was constructed of painted plaster.
After the exhibition, the piece was moved to the Wellington Railway Station where it suffered decades of vandalism. In 1986 it was moved to the Wellington Showgrounds and then eventually to Te Papa. The original was cast in bronze in 1999.
The piece consists of Kupe Raiatea, the great Maori explorer and discoverer of Wellington harbour, his wife Te Aparangi and tohunga Pekahourangi.
The splendid New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum.
At the time of our visit there was a major Gallipoli exhibition taking place, the upper floors are all dedicated Maori culture and history and highly recommended visiting in its own right
Check out the Te Papa Tongarewa web site......https://www.tepapa.govt.nz
Time to get ready for Fridays eve of test match event in the New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Museum.
Guest speakers as you can see include Dan Cater, BOD, Graham Henry & Richard Hill. Plenty of food and drink...and its all free, well you have to !
It's Saturday and another Lions event, this time the pre-test match event The Lions Den held in the events centre on the water front, the whole area is washed with red, amazing how many people have made the trip down under to support the Lions.
Scott Qinnell doing his mega funny stand-up, you can guess what he's saying by viewing the signer on the right of the stage !!
As you can see it's choca at the official Lions pre-match event, free food, beer and wine for all attendees....I'm feeling a little sick....hick !
Match time, and its a mass walk of Lions of about thirty minuets to the stadium.....a must win match!
On the way Sky Sports Lions Fan Van parked up in the stadium carpark, no sign of Scotty.....
We are one of the first supporters in the ground, well you don't want get stuck outside missing some of the action....Lions Lions
Here we go...the All Blacks doing the Haka
The Lions win 21-23 with a penalty in the 78 Minute, only Lions supports remained after the match still chanting....Lions...Lions, what a mega result
With second test match over its time to make our way up to Auckland with a couple of stopovers first in Tuapo and then Rotorua
Lake Taupo from the road leading to the town
This is a view from the hotel of the still active Mount Ruapehu volcano painted red in the early morning sunrise...
View from the hotel room showing steam rising from the ground, this area has considerable volcanic activety
Whilst in Taupo for a little bit of excitement we went on a boat trip.....
Click to view video
Part of the Haka Falls.......passing a 100 tonnes of water per second, the entire contents of lake Taupo over time passes over these falls.
The river was used extensively in sequences in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films
Volcanic mud pool..
After Taupo its time to hit the road again and make our way to spend some time in Rotorua the centre for Maori culture and where the Lions played the Maori All Blacks a couple of weeks earlier
Rotorua Government Building
Maori Entrance Gate to Government Gardens
Te Puia Cultural Centre, Rotorua
Te Puia spans 70 hectares within the historic Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, on the edge of Rotorua. Home to the world famous Pohutu geyser, mud pools, hot springs and silica formations. You will also find the native Kiwi bird and the national schools of wood carving, weaving, stone and bone carving.
Te Puia is well worth a visit with an active wood carving and weaving centres, also recommended you take in the Maori performance on site which was far better than the one we attended later that evening.
Check out the web site.......https://tepuia.com
Maori wood caving
Maori cultural performance including a Haka
Te Puia Cultural Wood Caving Centre
Maori long boat
I am informed historically this is how they stored food
Te Puia Maori Centre and Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley
The geyser is named Pohutu, erupting approximately every 45 minuets
The actual New Zealand Silver Fern, it supposed to look silver in certain light
Arriving in Auckland on Thursday afternoon the evening was free to explore the sights and sound of New Zealand premier city. We make our way down the main shopping street of Queen Street eventually finding our way to the venue of Saturdays Lions Den located on the water front Shed 10 Fan Zone, a well deserved beer and just in time for a forum hosted by former All Black John Kirwan....should be interesting !
The All Blacks panel comprised, John Kirwan, Huraiana Manual women sevens rugby, Michael Jones retired, & Steven Luatua who has just signed by Bristol. The panel discussed where there All Black were superior predicting the AB's to score 30 points and win by 15, not the sort of conversation a Lions supporter wants to hear. The AB's have an impressive win recored so perhaps were confident a home win is a formality.
With five days in Auckland we head to the water front to explore.
One of Team New Zealand's earlier America's Cup Yachts now used for commercial pleasure cruises. If you look close you may see Richie McCaw and current All Black's Barret Brothers
The whale watching trip that never happened due to rough seas
Auckland......from the ferry coming back from Devonport
Sir Peter Blake's yacht Seamaster now renamed Tara.
Sir Peter Blake, a New Zealander is a two time winner of the America's Cup, when he retired he went on a five year round the world trip to promote environmental issues, whilst sailing the Amazon river in 2001 he was attacked by pirates and shot dead. The yacht makes its return to New Zealand after 16 years for repairs
Lord Auckland
In 1840 Governor Hobson named this city after Lord Auckland from whom he had received command of H.M.S Rattlesnake when Lord Auckland was First Lord of the Admiralty in 1834. Lord Auckland served as Governor-General of India from 1835-1842 and the statue stood in Calcutta from 1848-1969 when it was presented by the Government of West Bengal to the City of Auckland.
The transportation of the statue to Auckland and it's erection on this site was arranged and financed by the New Zealand Insurance Co as a gift to it's home city.
Wahartoa Arch
"Wahartoa" is a seven metre high gateway and stands at the entrance to Aotea Square, transforming it into a mare or meeting place, and Aotea Centre into a meeting house.
Created by Selwyn Muru, "Waharoa" is one of a series of pieces commissioned for the Aotea Centre.
Sky Tower
Sky Tower though the hotel lobby
Here's one lucky person bungee jumping from the Sky Tower...err no thanks
Views from the top...my legs have gone !
Eden Park in the distance where the first and third tests will be played
Every now and then you will see a bungee jumper flash past...scary !
You can even see through the floor, which if you are wary of heights can't be a good idea
And even worse the lift floor is glass
Viaduct Harbour....
The night before the deciding test match, we are off the official Lions pre-match event
The Viaduct Events Centre for the pre-test match even on Friday night, no queuing straight in..
Irelands Shane Byrne some times seen on ScrumV and Englands Peter Winter bottom
Former Gloucester and England & Lion Phil Vickery
England & lion Alex Corbisiero who was working for NZ TV and SQ doing a bit of rapping !
We've just been drafted in to replace Sony Bill Williamson after his Wellington mishap !
Entering the Lion's Den in The Cloud on match day....
Ryan Jones & english born former Irish centre Rob Henderson
Ben Kay trying to drum up support for his new song....
The official Lions supporters at the pre-match event the Lion's Den, held in the water fronts The Cloud.
There were quite a lot of other Lions groups and independant supporters outside in the Fans Zone, but entry to this event was only for the "Official Lions Tour Supporters".....free food & drink, Lion's rugby legends, England rugby singer Laura Wright and live music by the band Fifth Element..
Couple of images with the Lions and Wales Legend Scott Quinell (SQ)
The first image was taken by Jan who's pretty good with a camera phone.....NOT !
And the image taken by me, I even managed to remove the drinks stain from Jan's top on Photoshop !
Alan Quinlan and Martin Williams...
Laura Wright leading the Lions supporters in song, click the video.....Oasis Wonderwall
And so we are now at Eden Park, the building looks very historic and obviously built some years ago but modernised to the best world stadia
Maori cultural statue...Rongomatane
A famous "Original" All Black captain Dave Gallaher
Michael Jones scoring his first try in his first game for the All Blacks in the first match of the 1987 Rugby Work Cup held at Eden Park.
The stadium..
The ground starts to fill up..
Anthems and fireworks, the ground must be half full of lions supporters, and thats smoke from the fireworks not low cloud and rain...
Thats it, the Lions have made history with a 15-15 draw, and a drawn series in New Zealand
The New Zealand Lions Series Cup is shared, but I did note Sam Warburton had the trophy at the airport on the way back to the UK so I guess New Zealand didn't want it
And thats it from me and Jan, looking forward to South Africa in four years time..
