A View from Kinloch to Queenstown from Maverick the flying Kakapo

This view is from Maverick the once flying Kakapo who accompanied the family on our family trip around the world in 2015.  He is quite an opinionated old boy, though has seen an awful lot of change in his 50 years and is quite excited being able to see some potential change around the world.

Maverick

Until 24 March I watched as my family became busier and busier.  Running the family and the businesses at the Head of the Lake was one long grind with endless craziness with flooding roads, people coming from everywhere expecting everything and not being satisfied with dirt roads and sandflies. The family drove everywhere trying to get the kids to town for everything, to bring food for the business, driving miles to get the rubbish out and everyone just was in constant turmoil.  The times I came to Queenstown we would sit in traffic for hours, have to park a thousand kakapo claws from where we needed to be in town and feeding the big kids became a logistical, expensive and unsatisfying time.  There was no chance of finding fresh nuts for me or native flowers in a comfortable place to sit.... it was all about the tourists.  It was one big rush and this was in the most beautiful city in the world.

Sitting at home with the family, I have had some great Kakapo chats with all the lovely folk here in bubble number one and have plenty of time to reflect on my 50 years of life thus far, on what in my Kakapo opinion we really should do now in our beautiful Wakatipu.

Mavericks Opinion on What Queenstown is and What it wants to be:

My family tell me Queenstown is the tourism capital of New Zealand.  People come to do lots of crazy things from jumping off bridges and out of planes, to roaring up rivers, canyoning down them, eating and drinking and adrenalising - not sure that really is a word, though I quite like it.  What it means for me as a well-rounded Kakapo is the city is about tourists and not the people that choose to be here and to live here.  Now that the tourists aren't here, we can make this the best living city in the world.  Well at least in my Kakapo world.  The one thing I wonder is rather than all these crazy people flying here from around the world to be here for just two weeks, why don't we make it the best place to be and attract the best of the best (whatever that means though best brains and hearts come to mind) and create an inspirational hub for people and birds to live and work in.  As a bird that really shouldn't in theory fly, I know how far it is from New Zealand to the rest of the world.  Being a studious bird I also made sure I fully understood the CNN quiz on sustainability so even if people don't fly here, the cost of freight is really really huge for the environment so we need to think really carefully before we export lots of things to faraway lands!  Now a little bird told me we have superfast fibre so if we were the best place to live, surely some incredibly bright people might come here that need fast fibre.  I'm thinking a Bird biz Dodo I mean Dojo!  Instead of teaching English, maybe we can be a hub for coders like Python (that sounds scary) no snakes in NZ, please.  Seriously, we have all this knowledge in the world and people really want to live here.  Let's leave a little birdseed (Jacinda please) for them to come in for.  Perhaps the birdseed could be swapped for a Knowledge, research and development outpost, inspirational office space where we research and develop AI (BI - Bird Intelligence is pretty good) though I understand that we really do need AI, how about genetics and bioengineering and how to engineer the worlds best living city.  Let us teach new politics and economics, social science and new city planning.  Doughnut anyone? A little bird told me that World College was on the cards to come here at some stage....that tells me as an old Kakapo that we are probably a good place to educate some of the worlds finest bird brains and human ones too. So Let's build the best city in the world.

Bird style living

In my opinion, humans are so wasteful.  You never pay for the true cost of anything!  Now I've said it and I will get off my Birdbox.  When we live in the bush we reuse everything.  Why do we have to send everything away to be recycled?  What do we need to do to use it all here?  The magpies reckon that there is so much we could use in our waste piles - it is just so jumbled up.  If it was my chance to reinvent things I would start with waste.  I can't believe all the food that is thrown away.  How about a big churny thing to make new earth from all our newspaper, food, tree bits. Please Jim and David P? Next, we need a way of sorting all the rubbish that gets thrown out. Now, I am thinking that there must be a really clever way to sort all this out and the magpies agree!  After the clever sorting has taken place the raw materials could be used in our local 3D printing plant to make all the clever parts we need locally.  My bird brain is thinking about how there could be an industry in pre-sorted materials (think Ray's job in Star Wars) and extra birdseed could be earned by local families and kids prepared to sort valuable things properly.  Where there's muck there's birdseed as my mum used to say.  Now there is a cool chap called Martin who knows a lot about 3d printing of super-duper special parts from knees to plane bits and he would be a great person to consult with.  He really quite likes it in the Wakatipu.  In my bird brain, I can see lots of things being designed in Softworks and being printed ready to be built right here in town.  Now before we leave waste I want to talk about poo!.  The bottom bits are great - we should celebrate them.  Let's just get this to the right place and think of this as a resource and not disgusting waste.  Anything new that needs to be built should be built to regenerate the best gardens and the richest soil.  Now talking of gardens.  If we don't need all that runway at the airport perhaps we could do a bit of a waste transfer an create a dream garden growing food for Queenstown away from the shade of the mountains.  Why are some of the best gardens on high priced property areas?  The value is in the soil folk.  Any bird brain knows that.  Time to keep these amazing places going where they should be.  Crystal Gardens of beautiful leaves for healthy birds like me. 

What do people do all day:

Aviation

Air New Zealand was definitely my favourite way to fly as one of the worlds first flying Kakapos.  Now, they have been quite clever and have been joining with Wisk to fly electric air taxis.  Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to maintain roads, could stop the noise in my poor kakapo ears and fly to all sorts of places like Milford in an Air Taxi?  Now, Jim, we need to make provision in the district plan to land these things and other than thinking this is a solution to all the erosion happening onto these expensive roads, I don't know what they need to land!  So aviation of a different kind and something that isn't frightening to us birds.  I hear electric planes can fly nearly 1000 km now - how cool is that!  As quiet as a bird - well except for those noisy tuis!  Where could we land some of those?  We need to fly our residents in and out after all.

On the lake

The craziest thing about our lake is that to my bird brain it seems like a no brainer, though I have been told how crazily hard and expensive it all is.  When the Kinloch wharf was no longer viable, John Glover (one of my humans) had to organise a new wharf quick smart to be able to land people safely when they came to Kinloch by boat as well as bring the children to Glenorchy for school.  It took a week of Rene's time and a bit of number 8 wire and recycled timber to build a suitable new one.  It was sturdy enough to be used on many occasion for civil defence emergencies and yet, to in theory do it properly it is a gazillion pounds of birdseed in consultants fees, designers etc.  Let's get down and dirty together and build some wharves so everyone can get around by lake and not worry so much about these expensive roads.  Perhaps we could have the pontoon variety so we can move them when things get a little crazy with rivers filling up our beautiful lake.  Talking of pontoons - and talking of bubbles.  Electric Sea bubbles are in production with the first 40 coming this year.  Go Orange could Go Green and run Sea bubbles around the Queenstown area to Lake Hayes, Shotover Country and beyond.  Electric ferries could run the length of the lake.

Before the birdseed has been laid there will be time to kill, as the tourists aren't here to grind us down and we need things to do.  Let's link our communities further with more cycleways and pedestrian areas. Let's get into the backcountry, learn about our nature deeply and really work on conservation and pest control. Let's grow our community with all the links we have now and more so we can become lifelong learners, focus on our best physical and mental health.  Travel Agents can become lifestyle agents helping people link with the things that will fulfil them through sport, wellness, education, social and love.  Let's pioneer new ways of connecting.  Let's not use Booking.com and Expedia.  Let's create a new Queenstown or NZ hub and a new NZ media hub that links us with other kiwis and then unite to spread our message to the world on other networks as the best place to live in the world.  Let's keep great media alive by linking this with the NZ based booking channel.  Let's make this the hub for online shopping, media, travel and all other services.

Medicine and Well-being

So what about staying on one's perch?  Now it seems to me we have some really forward-thinking medical and wellbeing minds in Queenstown. Perhaps as we become the worlds best livable city we also have a nest to perch healthcare system to keep everyone chirpy.  Really liking that Southern Cross hospital is on its way.  Talking of forward-thinking I think Emma Harts idea to test the town to come out of lockdown early is a great one.  (I'm no medico and I am sure there are people will know if this idea has claws). We need a medical hub that works on wellness and is known collectively as the best place to live for wellness.  Genetic medicine, traditional Maori herbal and spiritual healing, integrated healthcare.  Living wellness should be another part of Queenstown and one of the reasons that people come here whether it is to retreat to the head of the Lake, the Wellness capital to do physical boot camps, integrated family holidays that help people connect in the outdoors, forest bathing and reconnective therapy.  New hotels unable to be completed can become wellness centres.

Building

Queenstown is filled with people who reimagine our space, though what say the brief included making and sourcing all material from the area.  How do we use the wilding pine?  As a bird, I much prefer to be in our beautiful natives, though I could use some of the pine material for nesting.  Kakapo nests are generally hidden away in tree trunks though we always have plenty of stuff to snuggle on.  Pine Needles aren't much fun when they prick your butt though there must be a use for the stuff.  Now the trees really know something and I think we need to follow the trees. James Cameron understood this when he created the tree of souls.  Let's work out how to listen to the trees through their mycorrhizal network and understand how to grow and use in a way that preserves my forest home.  Let's focus on making our buildings so smart that the cost is in the build and the running cost is virtually nothing.  Let's work out how we can integrate solar networks to back up our sustainable hydro.  Let's make sure the water we use is reusable when it leaves our properties.  Let's science the hell out of the building industry.  Thanks, Andy Weir!

Communication and currency

Talking of Andy Weir.  I happened to listen to Artemis and here they were using Gizmos.  What is the next thing after the mobile phone and do we really really want to use these germ-infested things? Let's reimagine something we don't need to touch all the time.  Let's have a watch we can ask questions to and glasses as our screens.  Let's stop touching things.  Then there is currency.  Could we have a dual currency?  One for the basic needs that we receive our UBI in and then the street currency we use to choose and pay credence to our favourite artists, bands, musicians, speakers and imaginers.  A currency that has kudos and is earned through passionate pursuit.

Our village collective and social spaces

Every accommodation type, family, group areas need their social spaces.  Let's build social spaces for each area connected by Sea bubbles that everyone can come together to.  Where art, dance and music classes can be held and collective learning and socialness can take place.  What space do we need in our homes for our personal wellbeing?  Let's make this a science, let's turn to Biomimicry to find the answers and not try and reinvent the wheel.  Let's pay for dance and music with our kudos currency.  Kudos consultants can help with communications and the building of personal brand - Thanks David Glover Don't worry about the Robots!

Governance

Well, interesting times are ahead.  Now we can all watch ORC meetings live and more entertainment lies ahead with QLDC meetings recorded and available on YouTube.  If I was a magical bird like a phoenix I would ensure these were popularised and a running poll was taken for the council to ensure we constantly had the best people for the job.  People who consistently behaved badly, were self-serving and not a good pick for the job could be automatically ousted when their ratings remained low for 3 months and new people could come in based on upvoting of candidates willing to serve.  Let's keep our council honest and highly communicative.  Imagine being able to oust that carrot top twerper in the US this way!

Well, the bird brain is tired and I need to get this done so I can sit in the sun and birdseye glaze across the lake to Glenorchy.  I wonder what those pigeons are doing in Pigeon Place.  Time to tweet and see.

Understanding Why There is a Glenorchy Case in the Environment Court this Week.

It is only possible for a case to reach the Environment Court when the Court considers there are real issues to be appealed or considered.  The case this week presented by a Glenorchy Community member has met this criteria.

The Glenorchy Community has a very clear vision for the entranceway for its town.  The vision was drawn up a number of years ago after a very thorough and detailed Community planning process.

The vision is for a wide open approach through the town with a tree-lined avenue, grassy verges and clear open views.

Since then much has been done to implement the vision.  Council changed the rules in the District Plan for Glenorchy, strips of land have been taken for planting and a fair number of trees have been planted by the Community in accordance with the landscape plan in the Glenorchy Community vision.  New buildings that have been built have all been set back 5 metres from their front boundary.

The Environment Court will be asked this week to modify Pounamu’s plans for ‘Camp Glenorchy’ that were approved by Council so that the Glenorchy Community Vision Plan is adhered to and the hard work and effort put in by the Community to date is not compromised and importantly it still remains possible to implement the long term vision.

If the Glenorchy Community Vision Plan was adhered to the following would be in place:

• ·       Buildings would be set back 5 metres from the boundary.
• ·       There would be a deciduous tree-lined avenue with wide open grassy verges.Providing wide open views.
• ·       Un-impeded access for horses and pedestrians.

Plans approved by Council that are being appealed in the Environment Court.

• ·       Buildings are right up to boundary onto the reserve.
• ·       Three quarters of the public reserve is being fenced off as a front garden for the cabins.
• ·       Existing avenue of trees cut down.
• ·       Replacement with dense clusters of beech trees that cause shading and frost hazards.
• ·       Access along the reserve on horseback no longer possible.

Glenorchy’s vision plan and the rules in the District Plan state that buildings on Oban Street need to be set back 5 metres from their front boundary.  The plans approved by Council allow the cabins to be built right onto the boundary.

The Reserves Act requires planting schemes etc. to be drawn up between Council and the Community and in this case the expectation is, Council would base their plan on the Glenorchy Community vision.  Instead Pounamu approached and were given permission by Council, without consultation with the Community and contrary to the Community plan, to fence off significant parts of the Reserve.  This effectively annexes it to their site as a front garden and access to the cabins, and allows planting of the Reserve in a way that is completely at odds with the Glenorchy Community plan.  The approved planting will also cause safety hazards, shading and frosting of the roads in the winter and make it impossible to pass along the Reserve on horseback.  Plans for Camp Glenorchy show cars parked along the road in front of the cabins where children cross to go to school.

The first drafts of Pounamu’s plans for the site that were widely circulated through the Community showed the cabins setback “to comply” with QLDC requirements and the Glenorchy Community plan.  Along the way, more and more buildings and structures have been put on this site and the cabins have been pushed forward right up to the boundary foregoing the required 5 metre setback.  Pounamu’s lawyers have argued this does not apply to them because of the poor wording in the District Plan.  i.e. making use of a loophole.  The Environment Court is being asked to re-write the setback rule to remove the claimed ambiguity that is in the existing rules and to confirm the outcome of the clear decision made by the hearing panel when Council changed the rules at the request of the Community  i.e all buildings setback 5 metres from the beautification strip along Oban Street.

The beautification strip is public Reserve and what happens there or is planted or built-on it must be agreed after an open, Council lead consultation process.  In this instance Pounamu were given permission to undertake landscaping works without any reference to the Community before being given that permission.

Under the guise of protecting planting three quarters of the public Reserve will be enclosed by a fence.  The landscaping will make it impossible to use the reserve to pass along on horseback.  The intention is to plant a significant number of beech trees (50).  This will cause shading, frosting, loss of views from properties on the other side of the road and is contrary to Councils own tree policy*

The existing deciduous trees that were planted by the Community in accordance with the vision plan, don’t cause shading or frosting in the winter.  The trees that are planted on that Reserve represent the first steps in achieving a tree-lined avenue along the entranceway to Glenorchy and this work has been further continued as can be seen by the individual trees planted between Campbelltown and Glenorchy.

The proposal to remove these trees and replace them with dense plantings of beech and other natives totally undermines any chance of the Community long term vision of the entranceway being achieved.

There has been a lot of implied criticism by some in the Community, of the court action and resulting delay in the construction of Camp Glenorchy. At the end of the day if the plans for Camp Glenorchy met with the rules in the district plan there would be no case in the Environment Court.

It is a very daunting and un-rewarding job to stand up to the unlimited resources of developers and the continual obstruction by Council. It shouldn’t be too much to ask that Council follow the due process that protects the rights of the Community as a whole.

 Having strong-minded individuals in our Community who stand up and speak for what they believe to be right is part of what makes Glenorchy what it is. It will be a sad day when we lose our integrity and self-belief. It is a sad day when we are prepared to sell out our integrity and our beliefs to the highest bidder.

Glenorchy is undergoing rapid growth and change.  There is no point in the Community producing visions if we allow them to be overturned at the first opportunity.  If they are, Glenorchy will be a much poorer place as result

The hearing is in Queenstown in the courtrooms at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday 21 October and is open to the public.

Paris Sewers 4 Aug - Maverick scribed by James

We woke up to a brand new day in Paris. It wasn't the most enjoyable night we heard arguments and someone even got robbed and they where yelling thief in French. Also someone was tagging a building with spray paint (luckily not ours) . Finally Paris went quite for at least ten minutes and I fell asleep unexpectedly

Well back to our morning James and Sam got dressed then packed up the sofa bed. To find that John had gone to a bakery brought some pastries and bread all fresh from the oven and smelling delicious. Breakfast was delightful with cereal ,Nesquick , pastries and toast. How could life be better. John made it even better. He said we are going to the Eiffel Tower. Yippee Eiffel Tower here we come.

Sadly there was a delay to our visit to the Eiffel Tower. In stead we did more sight seeing. John or Toni had heard of something called the Paris Story we visited to see when they play the next video and they bought tickets. This gave us sometime to get a coffee or a drink.
We visited a cafe to have a drink but all of had to have a drink and John and Toni wanted a coffee. All of us had have something to drink or order something if we wanted stay. Instead all of us left. Sammy really needed to pee and was being miserable. We came across another cafe which seemed good and no problems. Sam went to the toilet John and Toni had there coffee and all was well.

After the coffee we walked around and saw amazing churches and famous buildings and lots of pigeons. There was this one rumour that spreader round and apparently we're going to visit a sewer.

Yay time to see the Paris Story hmm I wasn't expecting head phones with different languages. Do you think they speak kakapo?
 We had to change channels to change languages and yet they still interfered also only one side was working. The story was great with lots of info.
Did you now the Eiffel Tower was going to get disassembled but instead got turned into a radio communication tower?
The thing that keeps the Eiffel Tower today is its reputation and the tourist with selfie sticks (which really get in the way).
Another fun kakapo fact is that, did you know they built quarry's under Paris which made the ground unstable and turned it into a catacomb?
There's still more facts like, Paris started off on a island on the river Seine and there's a famous church called Notradam there.

After the movie I was in an odd mood about the sewer. I didn't want to go in the sewer museum but I'm also curious about the sewers like of it was really true each tunnel had a street name or road on it.

I was fifty fifty about going down the sewers. When I smelled the stench of the sewers I kept my feathers on but only for the ways of science and curiosity so I stayed quite. Man I thought kakapo poo stank instead humans top the chart for smelliest poo. I thought this holiday humans where clean and just flush away their business. I thought it was so clean compared to kakapo ways now I know where it goes yeuch.

Is that a staircase a head and is that day light. Yippee where free from that horrible stench and now dirty Paris smells so clean compared to the last half hour. So where up now to find lunch and I'm glad I didn't have lunch before the sewers because I might of lost it. Time to find a cafe for lunch.

Ooh yes a pavement cafe perfect prices ant to high check, decent amount of customers 

check and a spare table for five and a kakapo under the table check. Hmm this seems fit the job. Lucy and James had burgers. Sam had a club sandwich. Toni had duck salad. Ohh poor duck. John had steak and frites  and I ate scraps. Apart from the duck.

After lunch we set out for the Eiffel Tower and see how many stairs we can climb. Where here and it seems bigger in the movies. Still impressive and my bird eyes are deceiving me there are massive queues for the elevators I mean come on how many people don't like stairs and every single person in that queue has to pay 15€ each easily over a hundred people where queuing thats a lot of money. We took the cheap way 2€ each to climb the stairs to the second floor that may sound very little like the second floor. The truth is that was masses of stairs like half an hour to the second floor it was easier on the way down though. The views where incredible you could see as far as Europe smog would allow you to. We are going down now and I'm allowed in the luxurious stabilised hand bag which I'm enjoying. Where down the Eiffel Tower and are nearly down it seems really high up when your there. But when you down on the ground it looks really easy.

We are going to the tube station and waiting for the tube to arrive 3 2 1 here it is. Where now standing up all the seats are taken and I'm living life in the hand bag. Near are station people got off where a bit out from city centre so lees people where on but still very little seats. Ahh where here time to get off and head back to the apartment.

Time for cocktail hour I just had juice while the kids had Oringina. It wasn't very long until Toni announced for more blogs the kids didn't look very happy. Sam mainly read most of the time. While Lucy and James where being productive.

Dinner time ooohh  more left overs of cold chicken in wraps or sandwiches. Which didn't last long hmm everyone was hungry. Foods over time to relax James and Sam also got ready for bed and Sam and James argued about who made the bed which Sam made very poorly and James had to remake the bed. Well that's the end of the day and it's time for another noisy night I'll ask Sam to close the window tonight thats all kakapo out.

Paris to London 6 August - Maverock scribed by Sam

 Hello it's Maverick and you caught me a little bit late because we are already leaving to have breakfast we walk around looking for a restaurant. Ahh ha here is one that looks nice I think We might eat here. The food is great and just on time to get the tube to the main railway station.
The place is huge we head up to the security with our tickets. It's strange that there is a ticket machine for the big train. We have an hour until the train comes, a lot of time to burn. Where on the train and were going 300 kilometers per an hour that is a kilometer ever 10 seconds. Finally we go under a big tunnel and suddenly were in England we get out of the station and to be picked up by Toni's old friend Mike. We hop in his blue car and nobody is stuck together we all have a seat. We get stuck in a traffic jam but finally we keep on going. We are dropped off at Bucking ham palace we wait for Mike because he has to find a place to park. He arrives and we visit all the Bucking ham palace state rooms we are given head sets to tell us about the palace I learnt a lot about Bucking ham palace. I can't remember all the names of the state rooms but there was 15. Now it's time to get back in the car to go Toni's other friend Velda to stay the night. We spent the afternoon messing about in the garden playing Giant jenga. It is time to have a BBQ yum meat on a BBQ delicious and dinner a picnic dinner making seats out of jenga we spent the rest of the night in the lounge up to 12 well good nightHello it's Maverick and you caught me a little bit late because we are already leaving to have breakfast we walk around looking for a restaurant. Ahh ha here is one that looks nice I think We might eat here. The food is great and just on time to get the tube to the main railway station.
The place is huge we head up to the security with our tickets. It's strange that there is a ticket machine for the big train. We have an hour until the train comes, a lot of time to burn. Where on the train and were going 300 kilometers per an hour that is a kilometer ever 10 seconds. Finally we go under a big tunnel and suddenly were in England we get out of the station and to be picked up by Toni's old friend Mike. We hop in his blue car and nobody is stuck together we all have a seat. We get stuck in a traffic jam but finally we keep on going. We are dropped off at Bucking ham palace we wait for Mike because he has to find a place to park. He arrives and we visit all the Bucking ham palace state rooms we are given head sets to tell us about the palace I learnt a lot about Bucking ham palace. I can't remember all the names of the state rooms but there was 15. Now it's time to get back in the car to go Toni's other friend Velda to stay the night. We spent the afternoon messing about in the garden playing Giant jenga. It is time to have a BBQ yum meat on a BBQ delicious and dinner a picnic dinner making seats out of jenga we spent the rest of the night in the lounge up to 12 well good night

Barcelona 1 August - Maverick scribed by Sam

Hi it's Maverick and I'm in Barcelona and today were going to the Goudi cathedral we have breakfast and head out to the Goudi cathedral as we get closer to it I'll tell you a bit about it. It was started more than a hundred years ago and it still isn't finished. They said it will be finished in 2026.
We got there and it was strange but impressive we did a circle around it and headed of to go shopping we get some things and then we go off to find Toni's friend that she went biking around the world with. We go to the Mexican restaurant that they said to meet up at. I never knew how much I like Mexican food it was great.

We wonder around with Toni's friend and decided that we would meet up tomorrow morning and have breakfast. So we get the metro to a park it was done be Goudi is well they had a cave with toilets and outside I see loads of parrots Squark I tried to communicate with them squark squark we walk for a little bit and head out for dinner, after dinner we take the metro to the {~Magic fountain~} it was amazing all its patterns and lights were really COOL!!! After 45 minutes of this super cool mist spraying fountain we go home and have a nice sleeZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Viella to Barcelona 30 July - Maverick scribed by James

We rose from are beds all fresh and ready for the new day.

To find Valerie and Jacque up and drinking coffee.

We started breakfast to find the, chocolate croissants that we should of eaten yesterday. I found the fresh bread all soft and tasty. Valerie drank tea out of the biggest cup I've ever seen it was huge. It was a bowl with a handle crazy right.

Sam and James where picking up all there paper planes that flew off. They found a total of eleven. One was missing. Where could it be?

Finally we where packed and ready to set off for our two hour car ride to Toulouse.

James slept most of the way there while Jacque swore at his GPS. We stopped at a Hard Ware store on the way to go toilet. James didn't enjoy waking up.

We finally got back on the road and James resumed his slumber. We arrived at Toulouse and we had to navigate through Toulouse to the station.

We've arrived at the station and we parked are cars in the multi storey car park. We dragged along the marked foot path to the elevator and found a huge elevator. The elevator could fit Toni''s TOYOTA IQ in there. That car could hold twenty Kakapo's with comfort in there. If you really wanted to.

Where saying good bye and I'm out of the bag yippee and I'm saying good bye to Valerie and Jacque. I liked there garden it was big and plenty of trees to climb and perch from.

We boarded are train and its sadly not a bullet train. We went all the way to Barcelona. Out the window we saw fields, lakes, salt pans, hills, mountain trains, and castles. That's right we saw a castle, an old fortification.

We have finally arrived and we're in Barcelona and hunting down a taxi that can carry the six of us. We gave the driver our location and he drove almost to the door but instead to the drop off point just down the road. We met the person who rented his apartment hour us. Hmm not another apartment. It was ok . The elevator looks like a toilet cubical and that can only take 1 person and all the bags. He showed us the apartment and showed us around then finally left. We decided to settle in.

To our luck another problem came Lucy left her tiny Emirates kid back pack some where and it had her iPad, phone and all mums emails and so forth. That made Lucy upset then grumpy she had nothing to do. We searched the apartment, the lift, the ground floor and that meant the only other option according to Lucy was the taxi.

Finally we went to the police. Why'd Lucy have to loose her bag? We queued, then put in what was the situation, then talked to an officer and finally showed them our pass ports. What a pain. I call it the Gooses law.

Lucy was lying round and being pouty, it's still gooses law. Mum offered Lucy her tablet and that made her at least cooperate.

Finally after the gooses law was over I was out of fuel. We went on a hunt for a tapas bar and eat. Lucy still had a slight bit of gooses law left and was upset about her loss. Then food arrived it was really tasty and never really lasted long. We walked back and with sleep on our minds that's what we did.

Venice 25 July- Maverick scribed by James

We woke to a satisfying morning and had breakfast. We where talking all about getting lost. John managed to find the longest boat ride for Eur 7.50. He managed to get us all the way round to the other side of Venice.

On the boat ride we watched big boats, little boats, and police boats pass by. We passed a military barracks or something but we peeked in as we passed there dock and we saw a submarine.

We got to the end of our boat ride and arrived at St marks square. We saw waiters playing music serving food and entertaining it was really nice the we spotted NZ in Venice they had set up in an old library with paintings still on the roof and they where lovely. They had talked about security or something it was quite an odd collection that I really didn't get.

Finally we did what we came for we got lost we turned random corners hit dead ends turned corners and crossed canals. Squeezed through little streets and then it was lunch time and we came across a supermarket. The natural thing to do is get food. So that's what we did. We brought some nectarines, 4 bananas and some pastries.

We walked for ten minutes in the direction of the apartment and then stopped for lunch. We started eating fruit then continued to the pastries which was tasty. We ate are food on the steps to a minor canal and watched the boats go by.

Lunch was finished and we walked on to the apartment. We hit a few more dead ends and kept going in the direction of the apartment. To my liking we got there pretty quickly. We where all exhausted and we're ready to rest we lounged about for the rest of the day.

We got the sausages for dinner and we all enjoyed dinner. Apart from the squeaky because he had tofu.