Singapore - the start of our Asia exploration

We were sorry to leave New Zealand after 6 months, but we are excited to be continuing the adventure in our third continent: Asia.

48 hours in Singapore was the first stop... A great fun city of sky scrapers and stifling humidity.

Some of the architecture is really innovative, such as this hotel/casino in the shape of a cruise liner perched on top of three towers.

There is an eclectic melting pot of buildings and cultures. The people of Singapore represent four main ethnic groups: Indian, Malaysian, Chinese and other minorities. It was really positive to see the integration throughout the city.

Then there is the colonial history and associated architecture. We were going to grace this famous hotel for a Singapore 'Gin Sling' cocktail but we had heard it was full of Riff-Raffles!

Instead we headed to the busy streets of China Town to soak up the atmosphere and night markets.

Next stop Cambodia and the ancient temples of Angkor Wat!

Central Otago Rail Trail - 176 km's (109 miles) - 4 day cycle trail

Unbelievably, we are into our last week in New Zealand - still time for one final challenge though! On this one the hiking boots got a rest, as we hopped on the bikes to complete the 150km original 'Rail Trail'. As usual Team Yates packed in as many side trips as possible, taking our total to 176km's.

Having sold 'Holly' our beloved van/home, the rail trail, with B&B's along the route, was the perfect way to make the most of our final days. It was a welcome novelty to have a shower and a glass of wine at the end of each day! 

Originally a train line linking gold mining settlements in the area, this track has been converted into a tourist bike trail since 1990. Many relics from the old days remain, including stations such as this ladies' waiting room. Mel, speed daemon, waited for some ladies to arrive - Dave turned up eventually!

Much of the trail was over rough stone, resulting in pretty sore backsides during the first couple of days. The many bridges' wooden slats were so bumpy standing to ride across was essential! 

You may have noticed Mel is getting very cheeky in her old age, so she had some time in the local jail to reflect on her behaviour - it's not made a scrap of difference!

The town of Ophir has the oldest working post office in NZ.  It was just one of many cool old buildings that gave character to each town along the trail.

We passed through several long dark tunnels...

... they were pitch black so we needed to dismount and walk through via torchlight, constantly vigilant in fear of Shelob the spider!

Architectural features such as this viaduct provided points of interest to break up the rolling hills and valleys along the trail.

One of the highlights of the journey was staying at the tiny village of Naseby, home of the NZ International Curling Centre - unbelievably situated given the size of the village! 

We had a go - it's safe to say that we are unlikely to get a call up from the GB Olympic squad any time soon! Good fun though, and another first for Team Yates.

Dave tried the slide technique that the professionals use - he managed to stay upright but that's about  the only positive we can report on that one.

The following day it was a privilege to ride through scenery inaccessible by road.

Each evening we stayed in family-run accommodation, often the only establishment in the 'town'.

Hyde station signalled the last day of our rail adventure.

We made use of the leftover railway 'props' to take some snaps: 

We will give you a 'heads up' - Dave is Hyde-ing in this photo... so this is like Where's Wally? 

On reaching Middlemarch, the trail end, we took this obligatory photo and headed for a cushioned seat and a cuppa. Once again a fantastic challenge and a fitting way to end our NZ backcountry exploration.

To return to Dunedin we caught the scenic Taieri Gorge train from Pukerangi - it is listed as one of the top 10 train routes in the World.

Meandering through the gorge over rickety viaducts and through blackened tunnels it was a great ride.

Hakatere Conservation Park - Mt Sunday (aka Edoras)

Mt Sunday is a stunning site with expansive views of the Rangitata River and the surrounding mountains... enough about the geography, this is the filming location of the city of Edoras in the kingdom of Rohan - The Lord of the Rings!!!

The small rocky outcrop in the foreground is Mt Sunday itself, the surrounding Southern Alps encircle the valley creating an impossibly beautiful theatre.

Only recently bought from private ownership by the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC), the mountain itself is now accessible without having to pay for a private tour...Yippee!

As it was, we virtually had the valley to ourselves.

Hiking to the top of the peak, the views were breathtaking... so was the climb (we thought with all this tramping, these walks would be getting easier?)

The photos just don't do it justice, it was fantastic!

We have visited some awesome LOTR locations and plenty of awe-inspiring NZ landscapes, this one incorporated the best of both. It has been a great start to Dave's birthday weekend.

Elephant Rocks - North Otago

Today took us to another weird and wonderful world of rocks... so called 'Elephant' as some are supposed to resemble sleeping elephants. We're not sure about this, but what we are certain of is that this place was pretty cool.

As usual Team Yates had a great laugh messing around with photos, Dave running along this 'trunk' route had both of us giggling.

Jumbo rocks littered the valley.

We didn't mind acting like Dumbos as there was no one else around (as usual).

Some of the rock formations were really interesting and provided strong graphic shapes to photograph.

Otago Peninsular & the Moeraki Boulders

Making our way north along the east coast brought us to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsular. The city has a Scottish feel to it: don't be fooled by the weather in this pic, this was the one moment of sunshine sandwiched between ferocious wind and hammering rain... like I said, a Scottish feel!

The stormy weather persisted as we reached Moeraki, a small costal town famous for it's spherical rocks wallowing in the sandy beach.

The black & white image gives a better feeling of the gray stormy atmosphere!

After heading to the hills for a walk we returned to Moeraki for a well earned rest: 

Finally some blue sky...

... and some sunshine again.

The temptation to hang around as the tide crept in was too great... the result: swirling waves lapping the base of the rocks and some very wet shoes and socks!

Another on New Zealand's beautiful natural phenomena.