Oamaru to Lake Tekapo

First thing I went back out to the Elephant Rocks with much more success with batteries this time. Apparently this area was used in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The rest of the drive was through Omarama and Twizel on to Lake Tekapo. As usual, the scenery was stunning with the snow capped mountain ranges of Mount Cook dominating the entire way.

Even now as I look out from the back of my little mobile home, I can see huge pine trees, a blue lake and mountains covered in snow. Picture perfect.

Tomorrow I’m heading in to Chrictchurch which marks the beginning of the end. Lucida gets handed back on Thursday morning and I’m back in Sydney on Saturday for a 10km fun run on Sunday. Nooooooo….. I wonder if Monica will mind that I’ve forgotten how to run?.... Might be more of a 10km waddle :o)

Portobello to Oamaru

Nice sleep in and leisurely drive today. I left the windy peninsula in search of the boulders of Moeraki and stumbled on a lovely cheese factory on the way. The boulders were pretty interesting and I had an old german couple telling me how they’d been there 20 years ago and could see the difference as some of the boulders had cracked apart.

On to Oamaru after this with a quick detour to the Elephant Rocks just out of town. I’d been looking forward to this one all day and then after traipsing out into the field my camera batteries died. Just as well I’m coming this way again tomorrow huh?
Tonight me and a zillion other tourists were at Bushy Beach in the hopes of spotting some yellow eyed penguins which are apparently very rare. Finally about 90 long minutes later two little fellows came waddling out of the water up to the protection on the cliff base. Soooo very cute but we were all too far away to get a decent picture :o(

Queenstown to Portobello

Some georgous driving scenery again from pisturesque Queenstown to the windy Otago Peninsula town of Portobello. Stopped off at the other AJ Hackett bungy site along the way. This is the one I could have gone to but was too chicken...





On the peninsula I drove around looking for somewhere to spot a penguin and ended up at Lanarch Castle. Nothing like the awesome ones in Scotland but it was a nice walk around the grounds anyways.

Queenstown

What an unforgettable, incredible, panoramic and adrenalin packed day.

We start with the picturesque flight to the Milford Sound and subsequent cruise and flight home. The flight was pretty bumpy - (silly pilot - for those who know my previous quotes about pilots and bumps you'll understand) - but otherwise the views were enough to distract the white knuckle gripping of anything available (and thats a good thing considering I was in the front on the way back...).
The cruise was breathtaking and we even saw a few penquins and seals. Given the amount of rainfall they get in the Milford Sound, we were very lucky to have a reasonably sunny day.
Upon my return and a light lunch, I gondolla'd up the hill, soaked up the view and somehow managed to point my feet in the direction of the AJ HAckett platform for my bungy jump and swing...

Let me just say - skydiving was a zillion times easier!

For the bungy once I was strapped into the harness I had to run and jump... The fall was only approx 40 metres but I tell you what - those few seconds were very, very long!!!

The bungy was then followed immediately by the swing which is much the same as the bungy cept its a swing and you have to pull a pin to make it release... I found this much harder than the run and jump method but survived it all the same.

Needless to say once I gondolla'd back down the mountain, I made my way straight to a pub and partook in a few bevvies before locating Hells Pizza and discovering the best flavour pizza in the world - chicken, camembert and cranberry!!
Anyways, I need to start having a look at some maps now to find out where I'm going tomorrow. I'm thinking south again but there's a couple other interesting options popping up which I need to investigate.

Franz Josef to Queenstown

Another day of jawdropping scenery and landscapes again on my drive southwards. Today I meandered through forests and hills with alpine streams and more one lane bridges you can poke a stick at.

Now I am in Queenstown psyching myself up for some adrenalin pumping fun tomorrow. I start with a nice tame flight over to Milford Sound with a wee cruise before the return flight and then I'll be off to AJ Hackett land for a gondola ride, a freefall swing and finally a bungee jump and more than likely a few celebratory beers!

Should be good fun....................

Franz Josef Glacier

Another beautiful day in an awesome landscape.
Today I went for a little wander up Franz Josef Glacier and it was spectacular!
The tour company gave us overpants, jackets and crampons and off we went. The walk to the base of the glacier from the car park took almost an hour and then we went up a wee little goat track on some shale for another 20 minutes but then we clamped on our crampons and were walking on solid ice!

We crawled through a worm hole and squeezed through a cave and finally got to our target black barrel about two hours later. Our guide was doing track maintanence as we went which slowed us down a little but given the ice moves about 1-2 metres a day, it was understandable that he had to ensure our path was clear and secure. Great fun - definitely worth the time!

Tomorrow I'm heading towards Wanaka but could end up in Mount Cook or Queenstown. To be decided on the way I guess...

Westport to Franz Josef

Feeling much better today thanks to a night in a cabin, some good tummy bug drugs and plenty of sleep and kicked the day off with a wander down to check out the locals at the Westport Seal Colony – all three of them… Mustn’t be seal season I guess – or maybe it is... :o)
Anyways, I continued on through Greymouth and cruised around Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks before some shopping and a very late lunch at Hokitika and finally rolling in to Franz Josef late this arvo.
Its amazing the amount of campervans you see parked up at sites and parks yet the roads have been pleasingly empty when it comes to traffic. Its also fantastic to see (and partake in) the culture of slower traffic (trucks etc) simply pulling over for you to overtake and the grateful beep-beep you hear afterwards from the passing party. Considering the amount of windy roads and blind corners here, it is definitely a smart way to drive. This just isn’t done in Australia – everyone is in such a rush!
Tomorrow I will be slepingin in (woohoo!!!) before clambering up Franz Josef and playing on the glacier. Fingers crossed I have regained enough energy as I wasl still feeling pretty weak today after my tummy troubles yesterday…

Blenheim to Westport

Drove from the east coast to the west coast today going via Kaiteriteri and some pretty sections of Abel Tasman. Unfortunately I woke up with a nasty tummy big so plans for kayaking or doing anything physical were scrapped and a few easy walks were taken instead.

I'm now in Westport and will be heading southwards towards Franz Josef. It's gonna get c-c-c-c-c-cold....

Still in Blenheim

Yay - two days in one place and I didnt drive today. Instead I went on a winery tour aound the Marlborough region. We went to about 7 wineries including Forrest, Saint Clair, Framingham, Tuia, Hunters and Allan Scott and polished it off with a chocolate producer and some schnapps. All soooo very good. I managed to only buy one bottle of Bouldevines Pinot Noir at the last winery and am looking forward to it keeping me warm when I'm at Franz Josef!
Tomroow I'm heading off towards Nelson and Abel Tasman for some kayaking and then will keep heading south along the west coast. Hopefully I'll be glacier walking in a couple days :o)

Hastings to Blenheim

Only a few hours driving today to get me to Wellington to catch the ferry from the North Island to the South Island and now I'm sitting in a pretty little van park in Blenheim munchin on a yummy dinner and waiting for my laundry to finish.
The drive down from Hastings was much the same - green, green and more green with the occasional section of river or ocean although the ferry ride over gave us about three hours of ocean and very spectacular views as we came through Marlborough Sound.
Tomorrow I'm off on a winery cruise and will be staying in Blenheim again before heading off in the direction of Nelson (not too far away) and on to the West Coast to play on some glaciers :o)

Rotorua to Hastings

Two words people… SKYDIVE TAUPO!! Yeeeeehaaaaaaah!!!! 15000ft, one minute of freefall and an incredible view! I even had a pink plane to jump out of!! Choice Bro!
Other than that I went to the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland on my way out of Rotorua and now I’m in Hastings after a beautiful drive along the Thermal Highway.

Tomorrow I’m thinking of getting to Wellington before heading over to the South Island and right now I have some time and net access so am gonna try get some photo’s – on Facebook at least :o)

Kerikeri to Thames and Thames to Rotorua

Kerikeri to Thames (Thursday)
Another pretty long driving day today but had a wander round Kerikeri and a few others along the way. Tonight I’m in Thames which is on the Coromandel Peninsula and I’ve actually met up with the Belgians from Whangarei, one of whom was on the dive boat with me. Not so lonely in the communal areas when ya know someone :o)
There’s no network here at Thames unless I pay for the van parks access but as I’ve already paid for my own, I’ll hold off until mine kicks in somewhere else.
The weather has turned super windy and mega cold. I reckon that extra blanket I got yesterday will come in handy!! All I need now is some winter clothes – I thought the weather would be nice over here :o(
Planning to cruise around the Peninsula tomorrow and end up in Tauranga. In theory there’s not too much driving time in that and it’ll be a good launching base for the following day.

Thames to Rotorua (Friday)
Absolutely frikkin glorious day today. The weather has cleared up and I’ve enjoyed the majestic Coromandel Coast. Rolling hills, coastal drives and forested mountains have dominated the day. The roads are so curvy and twisty they’d easily give the Bolivian Death Road a run for its money! I’ve also just checked out cathedral Cove and the surrounding bays of the Hahei area. Truly beautiful.

I’m currently in Waiti deciding where to head to tonight. Most likely Rotorua – depending on how long it takes to get there.

Whangarei to Kerikeri

Now, before you smarty pants tell me I haven’t driven very far today (approx 90 km’s) bear in mind the fact I drove the long way round along the Twin Coast Discovery trail which took me to Dargaville, Waipoua Forest, Kiakohe, Kaitaia, Mangonui, Taupo Bay and then into Kerikeri. All up the day took about 8 hours relaxed driving – well except for the 50km’s I had the fuel light on with no petrol station in sight… Reckon I only just rolled into that heaven sent Shell but then again something heaven sent surely wouldn’t be charging $1.89/litre, would it??? Ouch – should have checked the cost of petrol before disembarking on this voyage…
Anyways, I’ve had a lovely day with spectacular scenery of trees and hillsides and mountains. All very green on this side of the world.
Two special mentions… One – Tane Mahuta (Maori for ‘Lord of the Forest’) is the largest known kauri tree in the world. 51m tall, 14m round, 1500 years old. When I got there a local maori was singing to the tree (its his job apparently). Such an outstanding and moving voice it gave me shivers.

Two – Taupo Bay – absolutely gorgeous. It’s off the main road between Mangonui and Kerikeri and is a little beach snuggled between huge rocky outcrops. It’s so special its even got its own Tsunami Plan! :o)

So tonight I’m in Kerikeri and will head in the direction of Tauranga tomorrow. Another big drive but its come to my attention I have no where near as much time as I’d like… But on the other hand that just means I’ll have to come back again… :o)

Dive Tutukaka – Poor Knights

Brilliant day. We were on the water by 9am, had a silky smooth boat ride out to the islands and were in for our first dive at 10.30am. What a beautiful site!! Loads more fish than the barrier reef and much more plants than coral too. Plus – theres loads of little transparent jelly fish and what looks like eggs too. I’ll have to goggle that one to show what I mean. Between dives and during lunch we went on a little cruise around the islands and to another site rightly called the Tunnel. Definitely something to experience as you really are diving through a tunnel so its pretty dark but theres also a huge drop off underneath which makes the whole thing pretty scary. Must say I loved every minute of it – even the rough seas on the way home thanks to the wind picking up - alot!!
No idea where I’m going tomorrow yet… Will have a look at the guide books and maps tonight and head somewhere north for a couple more days before I start my southward journey. One of the guys on the boat said we’re in for some super cold weather (ie snow!!) so might have to drop into a good sammys and pick up a blankie or two. Last night in Lucida was surprising comfortable and warm but I’m not too sure what will happen when it gets colder :o)

New Zealand so far...

Well, I've been here for three days and I'm absolutely loving it...
I flew in on Friday night after LAN Air cancelled my flight and put me on an Air NZ flight - at least thats what they thought they did... turns out I had to have a bit of a tanty between LAn and Air NZ to be able to get on to the promised flight but all was good in the end. Upon landing a lovely random I'd been chatting to on the plane about the meaning of life offered me a ride in the taxi his work was paying for. Schweet!!
Saturday I just wondered around Auckland and got my bearings with the city. Its a lovely city just to walk around and soak up the sights and thats exactly what I did. Such a very pretty little city.
Sunday I took a tour over to Piha on the west coast to join in a learn to surf class. What an experience. The water temp was about 16 but very bearable in a wetsuit. The waves were nice and small which were perfect for my 8'4" board. It took me about 30 minutes of frustrating trips, slips and falls before I figiured out how to hold my balance and then it was all on. Sooooo much fun once you've gotten past that initial hurdle but boy do I hurt today... Must of used a lot of dormant muscles... Ouch...
And today I picked up Lucida - my little Jucy Toyota camper van. I think its seen better days and makes some funny noises but so far she's been treatin me right. We drove from Auckland up to Whangarei today and plan to go diving at Tutukaka's Poor Knights tomorrow. Fingers crossed my aches and pains get better and I sleep well in my new mobile home :o)

Cairns (update from New Zealand)

Well, Cairns was a blast. We went to Port Douglas, Kuranda, the Tablelands, Tully, the Barrier Reef and lots more. We saw lots of land and water life, waterfalls, landscapes and people. I loved the diving but must admit I was disappointed with the reef. It's pretty much dead so if you go expecting to see bright colours, you'll only see them on the fish :o(
The weather in Cairns was super humid most the time and when it got to raining point it was only a light shower for a few minutes til the sun came out again. Not once did we really need an umbrella or raincoat!
Sadly a week wasnt enough. I could so easily live up there if it wasnt so damn far away from everyone and everything... D'oh...

five hours to kill til jen gets into cairns... what to do?...

I know - I'll do some more blogging... I've been inspired (not sure if thats the right word) by my Newcastle to Brisbane and Brisbane to Cairns flights today and while I wait for Jens flight to get in at 4am (yup!!) I've wandered over to the international terminal for some peace and quiet and would like to make some comments on some very simple etiquette...
Lets start with people flying with children. Its no secret that I'm not a little people person and would rather stick a skewer through my eardrums than have some screaming child pierce them for me but is it really that difficult for a parent to realise that their hysterical brats shrieking is not soothing music to my ears, particularly on a late night flight? And would they like me to sit behind them and kick the back of their seat for the duration of the flight? Come on folks - its not brain surgery I'm asking you to perform here...
And what about the bloke who gets up to exit before the seat belt light goes off and already has an unlit ciggie dangling from his crusty lips coz he just cant wait those extra 10 minutes til he's collected his baggage and can join the rest of his feral mates who wont come in the front door coz heaven forbid they'd have to put their ciggies out?...
And now what about my wonderful peace and quiet being shattered by 15 foreign teenagers? I can honestly say the poor fella's sleeping about 20 metres away didnt think much of it...
Anyways - that'll do for my grumbling today... I need to start figuring out what the hell Jen and I are gonna do when she gets in - at 4am :o)

here we go again...

Yes folks, I'm on the road again :o)

This new adventcha will take me to Cairns for a week before traipsing all over New Zealand for three weeks and then wrapping up with 7 days in the beautiful Whitsundays!!

I'll keep ya's updated as often as possible provided I can drag myself away from whatever bar or pool or beach or dive site or whatever is keeping me captivated over the next 6 weeks... and maybe even after that if I am so inclined... :o)

so.... watch this space....