TokyoNewZealandFiji

We arrive in Tokyo after an uneventful flight, feeling jet lagged we set off to get a feel for the place. view from the top of our hotel.	first stop has to be a park and shrine.	Jules gets all Shinto and gets a hand cleansing.	beautiful Japanese gardens	was a bright winters day, sun shining through the trees and off the alien architecture.
thousands of prayers hanging around a sacred tree	we spend our 1 day stop over like wide eyed tourists marvelling at the more Japanese strangeness, including the "lovin hut" fast food van.	no visit to Tokyo would be complete without a visit to the electronics district. mental. 1million different iPhone covers.		crazy foreign power/data/karma grid
some great food	the restaurant was the inspiration for the fight scene in "Kill Bill" (great film if you havent seen it)	tasty nibbles on sharpened bamboo	360 view from the 57th floor	great sushi lunch in a local conveyer restaurant
a grave yard, looking like a miniature cityscape.	24 hours of Japanese weirdness and we just get a feel for the place before we are whisked off to New Zealand. touchdown, pick up wheels, head into Chistchurch for epic breakfast.	wander up the coast to Kaikuura location of many different types of wildlife encounters.	a walk around the headland and come across sun bathing seals, stretched out on the rocks.	great colours in the kelp
fantastic views across the bay to the mountains, felt like a million miles from anywhere.	back a bit	beach pebbles experience a brief pom/solar eclipse	huge beaches stretching for miles and not a single person (except Jules)	next day we don our wet suites and head off for a close encounter with large marine predators.
must be mad	Jules not taking any chances with the cold water!	just as they guide said get quietly into the water Stu does a backwards roll and splash!	once we are over the shock and the water in our suites has warmed up we find ourselves face to face with the locals	they seem cute at a distance and surprisingly big from 2m away.
we can get right up to them, keeping close to the water so we dont appear as a threat.	Stu gives getting a photo of one in the water his best shot but they are bloody quick	just keeping an eye on us/lunch	easier to photograph anemones, they cant swim away.	Jules hitching a ride with our guide
found a starfish in a lobster pot on the bottom	at last a seal poses for the camera	for a while we hang head down together flippers in the air.	been a tough morning entertaining the tourists, time for some sunbathing and a snooze.	something other than a seal
ok, its your rock, Ill back away.	after a hard day in with the sea critters we set about eating some in the green dolphin	Marlborough wine region, we have the bright idea of touring the vineyards by bike so we can sample more of the local brew.	us half way round, looking a little rosy cheeked, not much spitting out going on. Gibson bridge boutique winery.	the fine art of wine making + a little science.
next day we head towards Nelson, on the way we decide to walk some of the Queen Charlotte track.	great walk, through amazing Jurassic fern forests, gradually climbing to revel amazing views over the sounds.	seems weird having whole forests of ferns.	Davie bay, water numbingly cold but lots of people were in swimming, Stu managed a paddle!	new fern unrolling into life.
Jules leading the way as usual. she shall now be known a Gonzales	huge landslides washed the path away, taking massive trees down the mountain with it, wouldnt want to be here in the rain.	one of the many outstanding views	us	fern
resting our weary feet	a trip to NZ wouldnt be complete without some sheep	settle into Nelson, a rather nice town with a funky arty feel. then its off to Matt and Karens wedding, Jules gets frocked up, even Stu makes an effort	he girls	the chairs
us, again.	last moments of freedom	mother of the bride, getting a bit excited.	Karen veil under full sail	married and still smiling :)
mr and misses	the venue was a very cool winery.	my kind of wedding cake, cheese.	everyone got home made relish, Jules had an additional in joke.	the cutting ceremony.
the banoffee cake was my favourite.	the girls	the dancing		next day we head to Karens parents for BBQ recovery and get weird clouds, like cotton wool balls.
next leg of the adventure, bid good bye to NZ and hop from Nelson to Auckland, then to Viti Levu -Fiji, then to Taveuni via cool small plane.	not much headroom	get to sit behind the pilots and look out the front window, at least we can see the pilots faces to check they are still smiling as we hit the turbulance.	great views as we buzz over islands	coral reefs
more reefs	marvelling at the amazing turquoise colours	almost the smallest airport, did have a separate arrivals and departures gates. bit quicker to clear than Heathrow.	short taxi to the beach
wade out to the boat then off across the waves to Metangi island	getting into island vibe and havent even arrived yet	as we round the point and see Metangi for the first time its surrounded by a rainbow, pretty special.		welcoming committee singing us onto the island
arrive as the sun is setting, have a quick orientation paddle before crashing out.		breakfast in the open dining room, we seem to be the only ones in the resort but then notice one other couple. feels like we have the whole place to ourselves. everyones very friendly.	amazing beaches out side our door	the pool
the view	the gardens	the gecko		condensation on Fiji water bottles
we opt for the walk around the island to get our bearings, not quite realising how hot it is.	many stops and excuses to pose for cheesy photographs	we hack our way through the lush jungle		view from the cliff top above the the small resort.
our intrepid guide, Sala, also the local health worker it transpires.	butterflies, you will notice a bug theme	best view on the island is from Beverly hill, next stop Holly wood.	view out over horse shoe bay, (on someones list of things to see before you die)	us, posing, again.
and again.	no hand rails here, just slippery rock and mud and alarming drops far from medical attention, just the way we like it.	jungle	so much to look at, all so different an alien.	few nice big spiders, Sala tells us they arent poisonous but we give them a wide birth just in case.
after Jim and Emmas Pig story couldnt help including a shot of the Pig sign. scattered along the path are various funny signs like person falling off cliff, beware the pig, etc.	vampire vine	us again	horse shoe bay from half way round, its about now we wish we had bought more water with us.	termite nest clinging to the hole in the tree.
us again, with "red bull" island in the background.	tropical beach goats	almost home	the great communal room	great food at Matangi
view of the snorkelling float, bit health and safety	lots of great corral on the reefs, have to leave the lagoon and get beyond the surf to find the best snorkelling		often wondered where the strange green round things you find on the beach come from, then found one still attached to its shell	rain storm over neighbouring island, had a few warm showers while we were there but were over in seconds.
papaya tree?	lots of great sunsets
long exposure	brain shaped brain coral
nice soft corals		nemo
	bright blue tailed lizard hanging out round the pool	rain shower	big moth ~5cm	tiny gecko in the flower bowl
us, cocktails	101 ways to eat a coconut	cute fruit bats came down to eat in the trees every evening. big things, but fascinating to watch.	continuing the bug theme, found some hermit crabs in the flower beds, this one was using an old light fitting as a shell
bugs		one of the daily snorkelling trips		cool black thing, not sure if it was a plant or animal
blue spotted ray	the drop off		practising the free diving	oci tentacles, mmm
	while watching the sun set after a hard day we spot some fins sticking up in the bay, turns out to be a large ray swimming through the shallows	Stu with his "angry Fijian" cocktail.	locals put on a song and dance show for us	theyve stopped eating the enemy but the sticks are still very pointy
		Jules showing them how to dance	orchid
view from the pool to our "buro"		planet pool	old hobby cat in the flower bed
love the sound the bubbles make as they escape the snorkel on the way down	trying to measure the size of the coral		working on perfecting the underwater panorama photos
	returning from one of the snorkelling trips	the food drum. would get bashed at tourist feeding time.	its a hard life	came across a cute spotted eagle ray just off the local reef
hung out fr ages rooting through the sea bed	fantastic flying motion under the water, could really move once it spotted me.	Sala demonstrating the versatility of a coconut.
loan coconut	view from one of the tree house rooms
				on our last day it didnt look there was going to the usual evening shower so we had dinner on the beach watching the sun set.
				frog night, loads of them around this one night.
another room gecko, at least they eat the skitos	last day :( we go for a kayak round to horse shoe bay	moment of fun paddling through the surf at the edge of the reef. the big ocean swells were cool in our tiny boats	found where the fruit bats hang out, preening in the morning sunlight
time to go after a fantastic 5 days on Metangi, would highly recommend the place, everyone made it feel like home from home.		watching our ride arrive
few interesting showers on the way back to the mainland. next stop England!

Tokyo, New Zealand, Fiji - 2011