From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #74 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, March 26 2007 Volume 13 : Number 074 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] australia and new zealand question [gordodo@optonline.net] a couple of my stations are online if you need something to listen to :) [gordodo@optonline.ne] Martha Berner? [neal copperman ] Re: australia and new zealand question [Sander ] re: Tori Rarities [kerrywhite@webtv.net (kerry white)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 03:00:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ******************** Valerie Nozick (valerie@smoe.org) ******************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Valerie Nozick Thu March 25 1971 Aries Tom Proven Sat March 27 1971 Eat at Joe's Jennifer Albert Wed March 30 1966 Aries (w/Cancer rising!:) Warpaint Mon April 01 1991 Brilliant! Michael Pearce Wed April 03 1946 Pegasus Michael E. Bravo Mon April 05 1971 Dandelion Wine Brion McIntosh Sun April 06 1958 Aries Marcel Kshensky Thu April 06 1950 Aries Bill Mazur Mon April 06 1953 Aries Sun/Cancer Rising David Dixon Tue April 07 1970 Aries Heidi Heller Mon April 08 1974 Aries Jill Hughes Sat April 09 1955 Aries Klaus Kluge Sun April 10 1960 Unicorn Steve VanDevender Sun April 10 1966 Racer Art Liestman Fri April 10 1953 Repeat Stephen Golden Sat April 10 1971 Jokey Michael Bowman Wed April 11 1962 Aries Wolfgang Ullwer Fri April 11 1969 Widder Janet Kirsch Thu April 11 1974 Aries Kristen Scallion Fri April 12 1974 Aries Jerry Tue April 13 1971 Aries Stuart Myerburg Mon April 14 1969 Aries T-Bone Wed April 15 1992 happy cat Jeff Hanson Sat April 16 1966 Aries Michael Klouda Mon April 17 1967 Aries Noe Venable Tue April 20 1976 Aries Harry Foster Sat April 21 1956 NiceGuy Kjetil Torgrim Homme Thu April 23 1970 Taurus Jeff Burka Thu April 24 1969 GoFlyAKite Christine Waite Tue April 25 1972 Taurus - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:17:07 +0000 (GMT) From: gordodo@optonline.net Subject: australia and new zealand question I'm in the process of booking my honeymoon for this december to Australia (4-5 days in sydney) and primarily New Zealand... We managed to book with frequent flier miles (what an incredible pain in the arse...) and have the bounded dates to sydney and are trying to work out the details for NZ in between - leaving nyc on december 8th, getting to sydney december 10th (i think?) and then flying home on december 31st from sydney (we were going to fly from sydney to NZ sometime around the 13th and fly back to sydney around the 28th or 29th) I think there are a few New Zealanders (and people who have been there) lurking around ecto and just wanted to get some advice in terms of , places in NZ that are essential to see, what is overrated, how to best use our time, whether it is advisable to get a local travel agent in NZ to help book/arrange things, etc... Any help or advice would be appreciated! - -Jason np melanie horsnell - the adventures of (she is the singer in that JC Penney's commercial...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhM1RM5VfMA [i cant stop listening to her album] PS if anyone local there is interested in saying hi, grabbing a beer (my treat ;) ), catching a show let me know :) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:34:29 +0000 (GMT) From: gordodo@optonline.net Subject: a couple of my stations are online if you need something to listen to :) I've got a couple ecto-friendly radio stations up on lala if anyone wants to give them a listen (you dont have to join to stream...) Beautiful and Fierce (almost 6 hours, includes Lamb, The Dresden Dolls, My Bloody Valentine, Psapp, mirah, and lots more) http://www.lala.com/frontend/action/imadj?stationId=7572R8&userToken=7572@10479 Thunk's Junk in the Trunk (almost 9 hours streaming - Carina Round, Elysian Fields, Feist, Ane Brun, Kate Havnevik, and thats just in the first 6 songs) http://www.lala.com/frontend/action/imadj?stationId=7572R8&userToken=7572@10479 Let me know if you listen and if you like :) Jason ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:53:09 -0600 From: neal copperman Subject: Martha Berner? Has anyone ever seen, heard or know anything about Martha Berner - from Chicago? Thanks! neal np: http://www.myspace.com/marthaberner ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 23:32:14 +0200 From: Sander Subject: Re: australia and new zealand question gordodo@optonline.net wrote: > I think there are a few New Zealanders (and people who have been > there) lurking around ecto and just wanted to get some advice in > terms of , places in NZ that are essential to see, what is overrated, > how to best use our time, whether it is advisable to get a local > travel agent in NZ to help book/arrange things, etc... > > Any help or advice would be appreciated! Ooh! *cracks knuckles* I answer questions like this about weekly on a travel message board - http://www.travellerspoint.com/ - highly recommended for more advice - but it's a pleasure to be able to do so here on ecto for a change. :) I'm not a kiwi local, but travelled the country extensively for nearly a year, and since then returned twice for short whirlwind tours of the best the country has to offer. So let me see - we have 17 days to work with (13-29 dec). That's slightly on the short side - especially as I imagine you really don't want to rush things on your honeymoon, but it should be enough to see quite a bit of the country. December is a weird month of the year in New Zealand - it can be absolutely gorgeous late spring weather - or it can rain, rain and rain. (To a degree this is always true over there, but in my memory it was especially so in December.) There's one main thing to come to New Zealand for, and that's stunningly gorgeous nature, so I'm assuming this indeed is something you care for. With that in mind, here's a suggested itinerary, offered not so much as something to follow slavishly, but more to give you an idea of what kind of route is possible, and what to do at the various locations. Dec 13: Arrive in Auckland. Wander through the city. Stock up on CDs from kiwi artists (Anika Moa, Bic Runga, Hayley Westenra, Brooke Fraser, ...) at real groovy - http://www.realgroovy.co.nz/ - (check their basement sale). Go up on the skytower - http://www.skycity.co.nz/skycity/index.cfm?5FB84201-50BA-1DC3-6503-2FD86214423F - - or http://tinyurl.com/8y4p5 - for dinner (reserve far in advance!) and to watch sunset and shiny lights coming on all over the city. (Or if dinner sounds more expensive than it's worth, just do the latter.) :) Dec 14: Walk the coast to coast walkway (pick up a map at the tourist information center at the bottom of the skytower) - http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/walkways/coasttocoast/map.asp - - or http://tinyurl.com/3cbqgx - which will take you past three of Aucklands 70-odd volcanoes (the Auckland Domain, Mt. Eden and One Tree Hill) and in between show you a lot of what the city has to offer. I think the walk is estimated to take four hours, but I recommend instead making it a very leisurely all day stroll, and detouring into Parnell from the Domain, to browse the shops and have lunch at the little chocolate boutique cafe there - http://www.chocolateboutique.co.nz/index.html Alternatively, if you're not feeling like such a long walk, take a ferry up to Devonport and explore that. A short walk to the top of North Head (another volcano, this one complete with secret base inside it) is highly recommended. Dec 15: Have a late start, pick up a rental car (I'm assuming renting a car throughout this itinerary, but it should all be possible with Intercity/Newmans buses as well) and drive to Matamata (~2.5 hours) for the Hobbiton tour - http://www.hobbitontours.com/ . Marvel at the hills really being _that_ green. Drive on in the late afternoon to Rotorua (~1.5 hours) to spend the night there (make certain to book a hotel that advertises clean smell, as that place stinks - quite literally). Dec 16: Visit Wai-o-tapu (~30 minutes out of Rotorua) - http://www.geyserland.co.nz/ - a "thermal wonderland". Explore that. Drive to Whakapapa (~3 hours) in the middle of Tongariro National Park. Dec 17: If you're feeling up to it, and the weather is good, head out really early in the morning to the start of the Tongariro Crossing - http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/trackandwalk.aspx?id=36028 - the "finest one-day walk in the world" (having done it, I think they might just be right). You need to have a reasonable level of fitness for this, as the climb up to Red Crater is pretty steep and the wind can be freezing cold - but you'll be rewarded with some of the most stunning views in existence, get to walk right past Mt. Doom (otherwise known as Mt. Ngauruhoe) - http://juima.org/events/pic.asp?picid=1500 - and just generally experience awesome valconic landscapes with unreal colors. The entire walk takes about 6-8 hours, depending on how much you exert yourself. If you don't feel up to it, or if the weather is bad, there's a lot of shorter walks in the Whakapapa area, featuring waterfalls, variously colored streams, and views all around to the three big volcanoes of the area. Dec 18: Drive down to Wellington (~5 hours), explore the city. If you enjoy greek food, I can recommend Theo's Green Taverna - http://www.theosgreektaverna.co.nz/ - for dinner; the best greek restaurant I found on the southern hemisphere (and I sampled _a lot_ of them). Although I see on their website they're under new management, so I don't know if that's affecting the quality of the food and atmosphere. Dec 19: Take a ferry to Picton. Eat some dutch buttercake at the Village Bakkerij. Tell them I sent you. :D Take a watertaxi to the Mahana Homestead - http://www.mahanahomestead.com/ - and stay there for the night, enjoying a wonderful homecooked dinner (chocolate cake for dessert if you're lucky), and seeing free glowworms (as opposed to the really expensive ones in Waitomo) right behind the lodge at night. Dec 20: Lounge about in hammocks the following morning, or go hike up to Eatwell's Point (really long and steep climb) for awesome views over the Queen Charlotte Sound. Take the watertaxi back to Picton at the end of the day, or stay a second night if you can arrange the watertaxi back early in the morning of the next day (not certain about that). Dec 21: Drive to the Punakaiki area (~4.5 hours). - http://www.punakaiki.co.nz/ - Be there at high tide to watch he blow holes perform. Accommodation in Punakaiki is pretty limited, so you might have to count on driving on to Greymouth for the night, which makes the total day's drive pretty long. If high tide is in the morning, opt for staying in Westport instead, and stop at Punakaiki the following day. Dec 22: Drive to Franz Josef Glacier (~3.5 hours), marveling at the beautiful west coast coastline. Stop to buy jade jewelry in Hokitika if you care about that. Dec 23: If you have the budget, and the weather is good, take a helicopter flight over the glaciers and Mt. Cook, or even landing high on a glacier. Otherwise do a glacier walk, or just walk up to them. Make certain not to miss the mirror calm of Peter's Pool at the start of Roberts' Point Track (which is a walk I can highly recommend, stunning in its greenness). Dec 24: Drive to Queenstown (~5 hours), stopping at the various waterfalls in Haast Pass, as well as for a better view of the green blue waters running through the Kawarau Gorge at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge - http://www.ajhackett.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/17 - the world's first commercial bungy bridge - but if you don't feel like jumping, you can access it just to look, too. :) Note that the parking space for the bridge isn't signposted very well coming from that direction, so you'll need to make a pretty sudden right turn in order not to miss it. If you do miss it, you'll come past it again on the way out of Queenstown. Dec 25: Explore Queenstown. Shop for souvenirs, eat some hokey pokey icecream. Or stay in bed. :) If you're not yet tired of walking, I can recommend the One Mile Creek track - http://www.experiencequeenstown.co.nz/the-experience/walks/ - following the old waterpipe up the mountain. (If you're as insane as I am about walking, you can then continue on up to Ben Lomond, but note that's a pretty hard walk again, if with awesome views.) *looks at the date* Oh wait, it's Christmas. :) There should definitely be lots of nice restaurants for Christmas dinner here, but I'd advise booking ahead, as Queenstown is always very busy. Dec 26: Take a daytrip to Milford Sound. Note, this is a very long day (13 hours total between departure and return). Don't even think about driving it yourself - you'd only be stuck behind the tourbuses anyway. I took tourbuses there twice, and slightly preferred travelling with realjourneys - http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/MilfordSound/ - although I don't think there's too much difference with the competition. Book at least several days ahead. You could also do an overnight cruise here, but that runs from the evening till the following morning, and so you'd be stuck waiting both for departure and for the bus out afterward, and there's nothing much to do in Milford except for swatting at the literally millions of sandflies, honing those reflexes and teaching your brain that no, they're really not fruitflies and they won't be shaken off and in the time you're trying they'll have bitten. (We hates them, nasty sandflieses!) Dec 27: Drive to Mt. Cook National Park (~3.5 hours). Stay at the Hermitage - http://www.hermitage.co.nz/ - cross your fingers for a rare day with blue skies so you can sit on the balcony and marvel at the stunning views of Mt. Cook towering over it all. If you're still not tired of walking, the Hooker Valley track is a great walk. Dec 28: Drive to Lake Tekapo (~1 hour). Be stunned by the vivid blueness of the lake. Walk up to the top of Mt. John for 360 degree views of eternity, bordered on one side by the Southern Alps, all snow capped. (If you're not into walking, and have ignored all my other recommendations for which walks to take, at least do this one. It's a fairly easy 1-1.5 hour stroll to the top, and the views are absolutely worth it.) If you had budget, but the weather was bad in Franz Josef, and isn't here, do a helicopter flight around Mt. Cook and over the glaciers from here. Have dinner at Pepe's for some of the best pizza in existence (I recommend the carbonara pizza). :) Dec 29: Drive to Christchurch (~3.5 hours). Drop off the car. Explore the city and especially the botanic gardens. Sit back while being punted about the Avon river for those extra romance points. Fly out. That really is half a day short at the end there - Christchurch deserves a full day - but otherwise it fits pretty well. I guess if I had to drop anything from the itinerary, I'd reluctantly get rid off the mahana homestead stopover from Picton, or perhaps have a long day in the car going from Auckland straight to Whakapapa, stopping at Matamata but bypassing Rotorua and wai-o-tapu on account of it stinking. :) Or you could remove the stop at Mt. Cook (maybe only drive up for lunch on the way to Lake Tekapo). If it all sounds good but just feel like too much being on the road (which I can easily imagine), what I'd do is to completely drop the North Island. Instead fly into Christchurch, spend a day or two there, take a daytrip up to Kaikoura for whalewatching, and then from Christchurch head over Arthur's Pass to Franz Josef Glacier, spreading out Dec 22 through Dec 29 from my itinerary over the full 17 days with much more time spent lounging about everywhere. I hope that helps. Feel free to ask me specific questions (I guess those should be taken off list). New Zealand is an absolutely gorgeous country, so I suspect you'll have a wonderful time there. I just wish I knew as much about music and good artists as I do about worthwhile places to see in New Zealand. *g* Cheers, Sander ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:21:45 -0500 From: kerrywhite@webtv.net (kerry white) Subject: re: Tori Rarities Hi, Are the 'rarities' I offered easliy downloadable? Should I dig around for something not as accessable? Bye, Kerry KrW I'm Peter Pan! I'm perpetually young!! OW!! What's wrong with my back? ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #74 **************************