updating..

About my last post...after watching the news:
The NZ government gives money to help ministers who don't have properties in Wellington (capital of New Zealand). But some of them are claiming this allowance despite the fact that they do own a property in the capital. They come up with different excuses...one of them has said that his 2 bedroom apartment is too small. So he's renting it out! He then gets the money from the rent PLUS the allowance.
The minister of finance(!) has a $1.2 million house and still gets NZ$900/week.
John Key, the prime minister, is defending his ministers but at the same time acknowledges that there are some inconsistencies in the system and has promised a review by the end of the week.
I hope so!

What!?

Have just got home and watched one of those 30 secs 'news update' on tv saying that the New Zealand minister of finance gets NZ$900/week to help with his accommodation. That's an extra aid valid for ministers who DO NOT live in their own home. But that's not the case! Will find out more info about it an let you guys know...

Mud Pool

That's also an attraction in Rotorua! You see this mud pool in the Maori Village Te Whakarewarewa.

Rotorua

I was today (again! :-) in Rotorua, North Island of NZ. Was a beautiful day and this picture gives you an idea of what you can see once you are there!

Bungy Jump!

Well...that's me having some fun! This was in Queenstown, South Island of New Zealand. This Bungy is not really high: "only" 43 meters high!

The British girls again on the news...

The British girls I've talked about in a previous post are going to be set free this afternoon. For the ones who don't know, they were the girls who tried to scam their travel insurance business pretending that they were robbered in Rio. The charges are still on and if they are found guilt they can get a jail sentence for up to 5 years!
Here is the news (in Portuguese).

Moeraki Boulders

Now the explanation in Portuguese:
Essas pedras enormes sao os chamados 'Moeraki Boulders'. Ha 60 milhoes de anos a Peninsula de Otago (Ilha Sul da Nova Zelandia) estava de baixo d'agua. Essas pedras se formaram e se desprenderam das montanhas que hoje estao ao longo da praia, mas que estavam tambem no fundo do mar no passado.

Moeraki Boulders

These spherical stones are huge! They are called 'The Moeraki Boulders' and are found along Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, on New Zealand's Otago coast. They were formed when the Otago Peninsula was under water some 60 million years ago. They are grey-coloured septarian concretions which have been exposed through shoreline erosion from black mudstone coastal cliffs just by the beach.

The boulders weigh several tonnes and are up to three metres in diametre.

Maori legend tells that the boulders fell off into the water from the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru.

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