We arrived in NZ and caught the bus to Christchurch and our cells for the night. The hostel we stayed in was an old prison. The owners had converted it into the hostel and called all of us in-mates. They told us about the comedy buskers festival in town and we went to see a show that night. It was great.
The next few days we just chilled out around Christchurch watching more buskers shows, walked around the botanical gardens and the Cathedral. We loved Christchurch, its had a great feel and the people we really really nice.
We decided to hire a car and drove north to Kaikoura, the drive was beautiful up the coast. We didn't stop to whale watch but the town its self was just chilled. The sea was really rough and we decided there was no way we were jumping in. The following day we drove through the spectacular mountains to Hamner Springs. After a long drive we relaxed in the thermal springs and afternoon sun. We decided to have a BBQ that night in our hostel and got talking to an Aussie and a Scottish girl.
After here we drove to Akaroa, it was a miserable day, but a beautiful drive through the hills and around the green fields down in the valley of Akaroa. After a walk around and a hot chocolate to warm us up we headed back to Christchurch as all the hostels in Akaroa were full.
Back in Christchurch we booked our hot air balloon ride over the area. Bumped into Sheree the Aussie from Hamner Springs. We decided to book a car for our 6 weeks in NZ. So we're set for a great time in NZ. But we do have to be up at 4am tomorrow for the balloon ride......
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Crazy, fun camping with the Paddies 13th Jan - 25 th Jan 2008
After a very heavy night/ morning we had to drive to Bao and drop off our stuff, then drop off Rocky, to his new owners. In the state we were in, we ended up dropping it off at about 6pm instead of around midday. But we didn't care that much. We said a teary good bye and had to catch the bus and the train home, in the rain and thunder storm.
We spent the next couple of days chilling out at Bao's, then headed back the campsite, were Eugene and Lisa had given us use of their tent for the week. Which was really cool of them. By the weekend the rain was starting to pour, so we fixed some tarp over their van and the tent to make a MASH set lookalike area. We then set about enjoying the weekend with masses of beers, food, films, chatting and more drinking and hangovers. Through the weekend, we ended up pulling in our other neighbours from Canada (Mike and Jen). They joined us and we had a great time getting to know each other.
We decided not to stay around Sydney as we had sold Rocky, the jobs thing was annoying and the accommodation in the hostels was silly money. So we are going to New Zealand next week. We wanted to say good bye and thanks to Bao, so we met him for dinner at a German bar/restaurant. Hannah tried chocolate beer in there too.
On one of our days out in Sydney we visited the Sydney Zoo and had a great time, We saw everything but Hannah's favorite was the Giraffes.
We also had a great time at the Opera house when we went to see Cinderella, even though we thought we'd missed the beginning and if you miss the beginning you can't get in until the half time interval. But we made it there 25 minutes early, had a drink in the entrance hall and looked over the harbour. The seats were excellent and the performance was brilliant.
After a late night we had an early start, we stretched our legs and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We got our jump suits on, looking very attractive and our guide took us up to the top of the bridge where we could see all the way to the Blue Mountains. The views were spectacular.
We packed our backs ready to leave at 5am, had a few drinks and said our good byes to Lisa, Eugene, Mike and Jen to only find out at the airports in Australia don't do stand by flights....so back to the campsite. We booked a flight for the following day. We then had another leaving do with the gang that night too and said our good byes again.
Jen and Mike
Jen and Lisa
Eugene
We spent the next couple of days chilling out at Bao's, then headed back the campsite, were Eugene and Lisa had given us use of their tent for the week. Which was really cool of them. By the weekend the rain was starting to pour, so we fixed some tarp over their van and the tent to make a MASH set lookalike area. We then set about enjoying the weekend with masses of beers, food, films, chatting and more drinking and hangovers. Through the weekend, we ended up pulling in our other neighbours from Canada (Mike and Jen). They joined us and we had a great time getting to know each other.
We decided not to stay around Sydney as we had sold Rocky, the jobs thing was annoying and the accommodation in the hostels was silly money. So we are going to New Zealand next week. We wanted to say good bye and thanks to Bao, so we met him for dinner at a German bar/restaurant. Hannah tried chocolate beer in there too.
On one of our days out in Sydney we visited the Sydney Zoo and had a great time, We saw everything but Hannah's favorite was the Giraffes.
We also had a great time at the Opera house when we went to see Cinderella, even though we thought we'd missed the beginning and if you miss the beginning you can't get in until the half time interval. But we made it there 25 minutes early, had a drink in the entrance hall and looked over the harbour. The seats were excellent and the performance was brilliant.
After a late night we had an early start, we stretched our legs and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We got our jump suits on, looking very attractive and our guide took us up to the top of the bridge where we could see all the way to the Blue Mountains. The views were spectacular.
We packed our backs ready to leave at 5am, had a few drinks and said our good byes to Lisa, Eugene, Mike and Jen to only find out at the airports in Australia don't do stand by flights....so back to the campsite. We booked a flight for the following day. We then had another leaving do with the gang that night too and said our good byes again.
Jen and Mike
Jen and Lisa
Eugene
"Us"
We got on the flight to NZ after a little messing around in the airport booking exit flights from NZ, as they won't let you fly in with out confirmation of an exit flight. So we booked our Fiji trip, Yeah!!
Sold Rocky and met some crazy paddies 5th Jan - 12th Jan 2008
We were staying a place just south of the city in Rockdale. Over the next couple of days we started to focus on 1. selling rocky and 2. getting a job in Sydney. We jumped on to the train and went in to Kings Cross to have a look at the car market. The whole area was dodgy and the car market was too. I nicknamed this area "crack whore" street due to the people on the them. We decided never to venture here again and jumped back on the train about an hour after we had gotten off. Back to safety!
We joined an agency that had the perfect jobs for Hannah and I, well that's what they said at the time, but after 2 weeks we still hadn't heard back from them.
We started getting a little bit bum'd, because we keep getting calls about the van, but nobody wants it after we tell them its done over 550,000km. And still no calls about jobs.
We've booked Cinderella tickets at the Opera house, we're going on the 22nd Jan. We're going to be in the main opera theater and its the original, in Italian. We really can't wait, I've never seen an opera, we're going to have to get dressed up for that.
We had a day off from thinking about selling the van and job hunting and decided to see some more of the sights in Sydney. We visited the museum, which was free and very interesting. We saw an exhibition about Otis the iceman found in the 1990's. It was a great display and we learned loads. Later on in the afternoon while looking for something to eat in Darling harbour, we got call about the van from a guy, who really was interested and wanted to see it today. We didn't want to spoil our day and arranged to met him tomorrow.
Which is Otis and which is Neil?
We ended up selling Rocky for a good price and we were really happy, because we could start our next adventure, what ever that's going to be?
Our last drive in Rocky
The night we sold Rocky we were meeting up with Scott's friend from in Sydney, called Bao. We'd met him in Melbourne and he said we could stay with him for a few nights as we didn't have Rocky as from the next day. We invited our new neighbours out with us and got really drunk, staggering in at about 5am.
We joined an agency that had the perfect jobs for Hannah and I, well that's what they said at the time, but after 2 weeks we still hadn't heard back from them.
We started getting a little bit bum'd, because we keep getting calls about the van, but nobody wants it after we tell them its done over 550,000km. And still no calls about jobs.
We've booked Cinderella tickets at the Opera house, we're going on the 22nd Jan. We're going to be in the main opera theater and its the original, in Italian. We really can't wait, I've never seen an opera, we're going to have to get dressed up for that.
We had a day off from thinking about selling the van and job hunting and decided to see some more of the sights in Sydney. We visited the museum, which was free and very interesting. We saw an exhibition about Otis the iceman found in the 1990's. It was a great display and we learned loads. Later on in the afternoon while looking for something to eat in Darling harbour, we got call about the van from a guy, who really was interested and wanted to see it today. We didn't want to spoil our day and arranged to met him tomorrow.
Which is Otis and which is Neil?
Our last drive in Rocky
The night we sold Rocky we were meeting up with Scott's friend from in Sydney, called Bao. We'd met him in Melbourne and he said we could stay with him for a few nights as we didn't have Rocky as from the next day. We invited our new neighbours out with us and got really drunk, staggering in at about 5am.
New Years in Sydney 31st Dec 2007 -
So we woke up in our extra comfy bed, got dressed and caught the train into Sydney. We were going in the city to see what was happening and where we could go. We found a boat in Darling harbour, celebrating new years with a party and free bar. It all looked too good to be true. As its was only the first place we found, but it over $250 each and then we found out the boat didn't move up to the Sydney harbour bridge at new years.
So we went into the tourist information and found the perfect spot in Sydney ,opposite the bridge with the best views of the fireworks. The spot looked directly at the bridge with the Opera house behind it. Great......only problem was that the guy said we should go there now, as most people would have camped there last night or moved in for the best spots around now. It was still only about 2-3pm and we were not dressed for the festivities, so what were we to do?
Sue said she would go to find us a spot and patrol the perimeter until we returned about 1 to 1 and half hours later, guarding it with her life. We were to return to the hotel, get new clothes and food and met back at our hot spot. The only problem was that, we missed the train by minutes and had to wait. Then coming back, we had to get a ferry from the city to the other side of the river. All to easy, apart from the boats never came back, we were told it was coming. Sue started to ring us and was worried we might not make.
Well we did make it but after leaving Sue at 2-3pm we met up with her again at about 7-8pm. So Sue had been in the hot sun all day and with not shade and only a little water, but she did get the best spot ever! Thanks Sue.
Well lets just say the atmospheres was brilliant, the fireworks were on at 9pm and midnight, which were amazing and we all had the greatest night, but after that it all gets a little hazy, as do most good nights that involve beers and vodka ;-) ....................we'll tell you in more detail at a later date.
New years day was also a little hazy and we did pretty much nothing. We all had a sleep in the afternoon, I had blisters from stupid footwear and walked like an old man. We ended up having lunch in a fast food joint and dinner in the hotel.
We had some great weather in Sydney, we explored the city, the harbour, the opera house, the botanical gardens and sailed on a ferry under the bridge. We also drove out to the Blue mountains to see the "3 sisters and explore the mountain range. On our day trip we found a lovely little cafe for breakfast to get us ready for the day. Then we went on a walk from the 3 sisters to the other side of the valley. Part of the walk took us down a nearly vertical cliff side of the 3 sisters, on really small steps and not much of a hand rail. Once at the other side we decided to take the easy way back up. We jumped on to the Indiana Jones nearly vertical train ride. Sue didn't really enjoy that as she screamed all the way up. After that we treated ourselves to some of the best ice cream we've ever had. Yum yum! On our way back we stopped off at Gordon falls and weeping rock from Princes rock lookout. Our last stop before going home was to see the wild kangaroos and 1 of them had a baby in its belly, coz we could see it moving.
On Sue's last day we drove to Bondi beach , were we had lunch then sat by the beach until we had to take Sue to the airport. We said our good byes and Sue jumped on her plane and we found our campsite that was going to be our home for the next couple of weeks.
So we went into the tourist information and found the perfect spot in Sydney ,opposite the bridge with the best views of the fireworks. The spot looked directly at the bridge with the Opera house behind it. Great......only problem was that the guy said we should go there now, as most people would have camped there last night or moved in for the best spots around now. It was still only about 2-3pm and we were not dressed for the festivities, so what were we to do?
Sue said she would go to find us a spot and patrol the perimeter until we returned about 1 to 1 and half hours later, guarding it with her life. We were to return to the hotel, get new clothes and food and met back at our hot spot. The only problem was that, we missed the train by minutes and had to wait. Then coming back, we had to get a ferry from the city to the other side of the river. All to easy, apart from the boats never came back, we were told it was coming. Sue started to ring us and was worried we might not make.
Well we did make it but after leaving Sue at 2-3pm we met up with her again at about 7-8pm. So Sue had been in the hot sun all day and with not shade and only a little water, but she did get the best spot ever! Thanks Sue.
Well lets just say the atmospheres was brilliant, the fireworks were on at 9pm and midnight, which were amazing and we all had the greatest night, but after that it all gets a little hazy, as do most good nights that involve beers and vodka ;-) ....................we'll tell you in more detail at a later date.
New years day was also a little hazy and we did pretty much nothing. We all had a sleep in the afternoon, I had blisters from stupid footwear and walked like an old man. We ended up having lunch in a fast food joint and dinner in the hotel.
We had some great weather in Sydney, we explored the city, the harbour, the opera house, the botanical gardens and sailed on a ferry under the bridge. We also drove out to the Blue mountains to see the "3 sisters and explore the mountain range. On our day trip we found a lovely little cafe for breakfast to get us ready for the day. Then we went on a walk from the 3 sisters to the other side of the valley. Part of the walk took us down a nearly vertical cliff side of the 3 sisters, on really small steps and not much of a hand rail. Once at the other side we decided to take the easy way back up. We jumped on to the Indiana Jones nearly vertical train ride. Sue didn't really enjoy that as she screamed all the way up. After that we treated ourselves to some of the best ice cream we've ever had. Yum yum! On our way back we stopped off at Gordon falls and weeping rock from Princes rock lookout. Our last stop before going home was to see the wild kangaroos and 1 of them had a baby in its belly, coz we could see it moving.
On Sue's last day we drove to Bondi beach , were we had lunch then sat by the beach until we had to take Sue to the airport. We said our good byes and Sue jumped on her plane and we found our campsite that was going to be our home for the next couple of weeks.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Aussie Christmas 17th- 30th Dec 2007
Once we were ready, Hannah, Sue and I drove towards Wilson's Prom south-east of Melbourne. This is where we were all going to spend Christmas. As we were driving, a huge rain cloud past over us and it started to pore down with rain. Strange for rain in Oz summer, but we carried on until we had to pull over because the rain was that bad we couldn't see out of the windscreen. So we pulled in and watched the rain get harder and harder, until the road was a river and the water was as high as a car wheel.
The rain stopped after about 20 minutes, a freak storm we thought, any way off we went. We stopped for essential supplies, mainly beers and wine, as we had shopped for all our Xmas food earlier. We arrived at the house Sue had rented and it was a villa/cottage over looking the sea. We moved in and Hannah set up all her Xmas decoration and we made it Christmasy. Us 3 went exploring in to the local town over the next couple of days and the Scott, Joanna and her sister Nicola arrived over the next couple of days. On Christmas eve we went for a walk in Wilson's Pron National park, were we had some lunch then relaxed in the evening.
Then on Christmas day we roasted our turkey and set up the BBQ, while Scott and Joanna prepared the veggies. Scott, Joanna and Nicola and Sue went for a walk, while Hannah and I just chilled out watching Christmas TV. We had dinner in the afternoon and yes we did have a sunny Christmas and threw a few prawns on the barbie, they were great.
On boxing day we packed up and we all headed into Wilson's Prom again. We booked in to the campsite with Sue for the evening and then met the others in the car park. We walked out in to the wonderful park and enjoyed the sun shinning down, the blue ocean and the green trees and bushes. After our day in the Prom Scott, Joanna and Nicola drove back to Melbourne and we set up camp with Sue. We cracked open the beers and Sue started to love the relaxed campsite life. We sat and chatted for ages and then made dinner which was beers and party food left over from Christmas. That night we all we walking to the toilets with the torch, we heard something next to us on the grass. We shone the torch and saw our first ever wild wombat, just there about 1-2 meters away, not bothered by us, eating the grass.
Over the next couple of days we drove up to Sale and spent the next night there in a campsite with Sue. We tried to find a restaurant, but it was a holiday and the only place we could find was a Mexican. It was really really good food and Hannah and I enjoyed not having to cook. The next day Sue caught the train back to Melbourne as she was flying to met us in Sydney and got to spend a little more time with Scott and Joanna. While we continued the drove over the New South Wales border and arrived in Sydney on the 29th Dec. Sue arrived the following day, we picked her up from the airport and we checked in to a great hotel with spa pool bath. This was by far the best thing for us in the whole room, as we had only had showers for the last 8 months. So the first night I filled the bath and turned on the spa and just soaked. Hannah then followed suit straight after me. After we were clean we had a meal in the local Chinese and chatted about what were doing tomorrow. Tomorrow is New Years eve and we have no plans as yet and we're going to play it by ear.
The rain stopped after about 20 minutes, a freak storm we thought, any way off we went. We stopped for essential supplies, mainly beers and wine, as we had shopped for all our Xmas food earlier. We arrived at the house Sue had rented and it was a villa/cottage over looking the sea. We moved in and Hannah set up all her Xmas decoration and we made it Christmasy. Us 3 went exploring in to the local town over the next couple of days and the Scott, Joanna and her sister Nicola arrived over the next couple of days. On Christmas eve we went for a walk in Wilson's Pron National park, were we had some lunch then relaxed in the evening.Then on Christmas day we roasted our turkey and set up the BBQ, while Scott and Joanna prepared the veggies. Scott, Joanna and Nicola and Sue went for a walk, while Hannah and I just chilled out watching Christmas TV. We had dinner in the afternoon and yes we did have a sunny Christmas and threw a few prawns on the barbie, they were great.
Over the next couple of days we drove up to Sale and spent the next night there in a campsite with Sue. We tried to find a restaurant, but it was a holiday and the only place we could find was a Mexican. It was really really good food and Hannah and I enjoyed not having to cook. The next day Sue caught the train back to Melbourne as she was flying to met us in Sydney and got to spend a little more time with Scott and Joanna. While we continued the drove over the New South Wales border and arrived in Sydney on the 29th Dec. Sue arrived the following day, we picked her up from the airport and we checked in to a great hotel with spa pool bath. This was by far the best thing for us in the whole room, as we had only had showers for the last 8 months. So the first night I filled the bath and turned on the spa and just soaked. Hannah then followed suit straight after me. After we were clean we had a meal in the local Chinese and chatted about what were doing tomorrow. Tomorrow is New Years eve and we have no plans as yet and we're going to play it by ear.
Sunday, 23 March 2008
On to Melbourne to arrive on the 17th Dec2007
So we had a big drive in front of us. Its about 1500 miles and the heat across the Nulabor this time of year is the hottest at about 40'C. We were a little worried about Rocky and really did want anything to happen to us, as most people we have spoken too has warmed us about it. So we drove south to the most south west part of Oz and had a something to eat in the last restaurant (a fish and chip shop) before you reach the south pole. After that I climbed a tree over 61 meters in Pemberton. The tree didn't have a lift, I climbed up pegs that have been hit in to the sides of the tree. Its was really cool and the views were great. Hannah thought it was scary and just filmed it and took photos as I climbed into the clouds.
Also the bottom of WA towards the border we stopped at Albany and bumped into Mike and Sarah again. Then we started to cross the Nulabor. People have said that this is one of the worst drives in Australia and it has has a lot of nothingness again. It also has the straightest road in OZ, its 90 miles long and has a sign to tell you its the longest, so we got a few photos. We crossed the border at border village and we made it to Ceduna in only 2 days. The drive was really good and the temp was strangely low at about 20'C. So we were happy and Rocky had no problems at all. Along the way, on this trip, Hannah started making our Christmas decorations and sticking them to the windows on the van, making us really festive.
All the way to Melbourne we started doing more free camping at rest area, we used the water we carried to wash and brush our teeth. After starting our South Oz exploring we crossed Spencer gulf to Adelaide by ferry. Once there we visited the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley both well known winery regions. Hannah tried a few and we bought some more wines and spent the afternoon in Adelaide, we strolled around the famous "Central market". For you mum, we visited "Jacobs Creek" while in the Barossa Valley.
After Adelaide we climbed the hills surrounding the city and started our last bit of the drive to Melbourne. We stopped in Victoria at the Grampians. A mountain range with Aboriginal and European history. We did a few short walks and explored the area for a few hours and then drove in to Melbourne. We arrived around 5pm and got stuck in rush hour traffic again, but at last we're here. Sue, Hannah's mum was in and waiting for Scott (Hannah's Brother) to get home from work, so was surprised to see us. Yeah!!! Christmas can start now!
Also the bottom of WA towards the border we stopped at Albany and bumped into Mike and Sarah again. Then we started to cross the Nulabor. People have said that this is one of the worst drives in Australia and it has has a lot of nothingness again. It also has the straightest road in OZ, its 90 miles long and has a sign to tell you its the longest, so we got a few photos. We crossed the border at border village and we made it to Ceduna in only 2 days. The drive was really good and the temp was strangely low at about 20'C. So we were happy and Rocky had no problems at all. Along the way, on this trip, Hannah started making our Christmas decorations and sticking them to the windows on the van, making us really festive.
All the way to Melbourne we started doing more free camping at rest area, we used the water we carried to wash and brush our teeth. After starting our South Oz exploring we crossed Spencer gulf to Adelaide by ferry. Once there we visited the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley both well known winery regions. Hannah tried a few and we bought some more wines and spent the afternoon in Adelaide, we strolled around the famous "Central market". For you mum, we visited "Jacobs Creek" while in the Barossa Valley.
After Adelaide we climbed the hills surrounding the city and started our last bit of the drive to Melbourne. We stopped in Victoria at the Grampians. A mountain range with Aboriginal and European history. We did a few short walks and explored the area for a few hours and then drove in to Melbourne. We arrived around 5pm and got stuck in rush hour traffic again, but at last we're here. Sue, Hannah's mum was in and waiting for Scott (Hannah's Brother) to get home from work, so was surprised to see us. Yeah!!! Christmas can start now!
Margret River, wine country 11-14th Dec 2007
So we stocked up on food and fuel, called into FBH to see everyone, one last time, collect our payslips and off we went not before calling in at Chantal's house to see her and Ebony. It was a sad affair and we then felt we didn't want to go, but we had too. We drove south towards Mandurah, where Anita lives (Beck's friend from the UK), but we were unable to catch up with her, but she told us about the Xmas festivals stuff going on in town that night. So we headed down and saw the towns parade with Santa and the elves and all the local children, we saw a few Xmas stalls and then drove around Mandurah. We were told its a retirement town but it seems to us that they is lots of new building such as apartment blocks by the river and they looked great. We like the look of and feel of Mandurah.
We arrived into Margret River in the afternoon and stopped at our first winery. Hannah tried some of the wine and we ended up buying a nice Rose. While we were there Hannah got attached to their dog, he looked like her dog Sam and his name was also Sam. After that we called into a micro brewery next door. We tried their 5 different beers but we didn't really like them too much. We spend the rest of the afternoon driving around and Hannah tried a few more wines but we got the feeling from the way the owners were that we shouldn't have been there. So we found a campsite and got talking to a couple from Ireland called Mike and Sarah. They had traveled around Asia and were now starting there trip in Oz. So we exchanged the best places to see in each country over a beer.
We arrived into Margret River in the afternoon and stopped at our first winery. Hannah tried some of the wine and we ended up buying a nice Rose. While we were there Hannah got attached to their dog, he looked like her dog Sam and his name was also Sam. After that we called into a micro brewery next door. We tried their 5 different beers but we didn't really like them too much. We spend the rest of the afternoon driving around and Hannah tried a few more wines but we got the feeling from the way the owners were that we shouldn't have been there. So we found a campsite and got talking to a couple from Ireland called Mike and Sarah. They had traveled around Asia and were now starting there trip in Oz. So we exchanged the best places to see in each country over a beer.
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