Wellington to Christchurch

We arrived in Wellington just before dark and pulled into the first rest spot we saw with a toilet.  The lay-by was squeezed between the main highway and the only train line in the country so this spot was less than ideal however it gave us a short journey to the ferry in the morning.  As we made dinner the rest stop started to fill up, not with fellow campervaners but with men in yellow jackets.  We watched the growing collection of construction equipment and men in hard hats gather until the point we were blocked in and without much debate we made the decision to move.  We found a quieter spot 20km further down the road, again next to the main road but this time next to a pretty waterway and no construction workers in sight.  Also there was another campervan in situ so we felt more relaxed.

The next morning we made our way to the ferry terminal for 07:00 to catch the 08:25 ferry to Picton.  The weather was bad again with low cloud giving very poor visibility, so we loaded the van onto the ferry and found a spot to catch up on some sleep rather than trying to spot Wellington through the cloud. 

The ferry travels 95km in 3.5 hours by crossing the Cook Straights and travelling up Charlotte Sound.  We woke after an hour or so and found a spot at the bow of the ship to watch the final part of the crossing between the north and south islands.  The bow had a windows running the width of the ship and with cinema type seating it gave the final journey through the fjords a very cinematic feel.  As we arrived at Picton the low cloud that had plagued us for the past few days peeled back like the curtain on the second act of a play, tantalising us with what was to come on the south island.

We have three weeks to see the south island and with enough mountains and high adrenaline activities to keep even a Kiwi happy we made haste and headed for Kaikoura some 150km down the east coast.  Kaikoura is a coastal town famed for its whale watching and the seal colony that frequents a beach close to town.  The colony was large with around 20 adults and 4 babies all lounging around on the rocks trying to sleep and only occasionally looking up with contempt at the hordes of tourists all taking pictures.

From Kaikoura we headed inland towards Hanmer Springs to hopefully find a good spot for the night.  The road was quiet with very few vehicles but again twisted and looped its way through the start of the mountains.  Dropping into a deep gorge we spotted a secluded spot down by the river next to a bridge.  This stop had no toilets, but a little bit of roughing it won’t do us any harm and it helps with the budget.  That’s what freedom camping is all about.  We pulled in and setup for the night. 

Next morning we headed for the Alpine resort of Hanmer Springs where in the winter it’s a ski resort and in the summer it’s a mecca for mountain biking and walking, but all year round people come here to bathe in the volcanic hot springs.  Still paying my debt to Emma for the caving experience we spent the afternoon lounging in the different temperature pools (41 degrees being the hottest) and smelling the sweet aroma of sulphur.  With my debt now fully repaid and a nice hot shower to clean ourselves after all the freedom camping (honest, the smell in the pools was the sulphur) we headed for our first proper city experience in NZ, Christchurch.

Christchurch is the largest city on the south island and is said to have been modelled on Cambridge.  It even has a river running through it with punt boats taking tourists for a ride.  The city has unfortunately recently become famous for the 7.2 earthquake that struck the city 9 weeks ago.  As we drove towards the city limits we were waiting with baited breath as to what we were about to see.  We drove for nearly 30km before we saw anything that would indicate something had happened.  Most of the buildings in the area were single story with the older ones being built out of wood and the more modern ones being built from metal and glass.  However, not surprisingly it seemed that the worst hit were the few brick built buildings that sadly were some of the oldest and most historical.  The first of which we saw was a two storey detached house, of the type built in the 1930’s which is very common in the UK but uncommon and large by NZ standards.  Most of the left hand side of the building was sitting on the pavement exposing the internal rooms to the elements, making it likely that this one was earmarked for demolition.  As we drove further in the more you could start to see the damage, broken windows, buildings fenced off and propped up, spires and steeples strapped up to stop further damage. 

Our visit to Christchurch was a day after a 5 magnitude aftershock and the day after we left was another!  Since the first earthquake they have had over 1800 aftershocks, 11 of which have been over 5, and they think the aftershocks will continue for at least another year!  We happened to see a news article showing the damage and how they where repairing it but it seemed by what we were seeing that they had already done a lot of work, only leaving the larger more unstable buildings to work out what to do with.

Once we got to the city centre we parked up to go for a wander and to do some shopping.  With someone’s birthday coming up very soon we decided to split up for an hour so Emma could hit the shops.  It was the first time we had been apart for longer than a toilet break in nearly 7 months and it felt weird wandering the streets aimlessly alone, so I filled my time window shopping in the plethora of outdoor shops.  I have to say that the centre of Christchurch is not a pretty place, the old buildings were nice however small in quantity and clumped close together near the botanical gardens.  The city centre looked like Coventry with most of the buildings seemingly built to a 1960’s design which was not at all what I was expecting.

After meeting up again and a bite to eat we headed for the Botanical gardens where we took a leisurely stroll looking at the blooming flowers and enjoying the wonderful spring sunshine.  As we looked at the different plants and trees we came across a cherry blossom and realised that the start of our journey in Tokyo was also in spring and that we had pretty much followed its progress through the southern hemisphere with the odd dip into summer in Vietnam and a small dip into winter in Western Australia.

To complete our visit to Christchurch we headed to the coastal suburb of Sumner and took the drive up to the extinct volcano of Mt Cavendish which provided us with incredible panoramic views of the Southern Alps, Christchurch and the coast stretching north back the way we had come.  My first impression of Christchurch was disappointing but once you get out of the city centre you can the see the place has a certain charm and with the mountains and long coastline close by it is an ideal place to enjoy what NZ has to offer.

Our next destination was to head back inland towards the highest mountain in New Zealand, Mt Cook.  We stopped again for the night beside another bridge down by the river, but this time the weather was turning wintery.  The weather report on the radio said that a southerly storm was heading our way bringing high winds, rain and snow down as far as 300m!  This could make things interesting.

Cape Reinga to Wellington

We left Cape Reinga and headed the only way we could, south.  We have just over 4 weeks left (as of 10 Oct) and the intention is to hightail it to the South Island before returning to Wellington for the final week to cover the rest of the North Island.  As we journeyed south the rolling green hills, sheep and cattle and the very windy roads reminded us of Wales just without the Welsh.

The plan was to head to Piha a coastal town west of Auckland in one day, however instead of taking the most direct route we took the coastal road down the west side of the island.  The road was very windy and seemed to have been designed to follow the ridge of the mountain tops wherever possible thus making it slow going.  We reached the ferry dock at Rangiora just after 13:00 meaning we had to wait for the next ferry at 14:00.  As we sat and ate our lunch watching the growing collection of cars also waiting, a blue 4x4 came round the bend and continued up the road towards Motukaraka with a youth hanging out of the passenger window wielding a hand gun!  It could have been an air pistol however it was still not a good advert for the country.

As we crossed on the ferry we realised that we were still hundreds of kilometres from Auckland let alone Piha.  Our error was that we had applied the driving distances that we had achieved in Australia to New Zealand and they were not even close, especially as on some of the roads you are only able to drive at a maximum of 40km per hour.  After another hour or so we called it quits for the night and pulled off the main road towards Lake Wikere which had a sign showing that there were campsites.  The 11km road was a dead end and only went to the lakes and a small smattering of houses.  As we approached we saw that both the lake campsites were closed due to logging activity.  Tired and with the weather turning bad we found the toilets, parked the van and spent the night on the side of the road.  We both remarked that it would have been useful if they had signposted this back on the main road!

During the night the weather did indeed turn bad with high winds and torrential rain.  The wind was so gusty it shook the van like we were on an old fashioned wooden rollercoaster, unfortunately disrupting an otherwise good nights sleep.  We woke in the morning to a continuation of the nights weather and quickly got back on the road.  Driving the van along mountain roads in high wind is no fun especially one so high (both road and van) making it more like sailing a boat than driving a van.  I should have turned off the engine and tacked across the road….it would have been much easier.

We finally arrived in Piha 4 hours later with the rain easing but the wind still very gusty.  As we descended the mountain into the cove where Piha is established, we were presented with one of the most incredible sights we had seen so far.  A small(ish) bay with part of the ancient cliff remaining as a rock column in the middle of a tempestuous sea, surrounded by a beautiful black beach (the sand here is volcanic) and a stormy/sunny sky above.  Aided by the high winds coming off the sea, it gave the place a really dramatic edge to it.  The surrounding hills were filled with large expensive properties owned by the rich and famous of Auckland.

Piha is famous for three things, home to one of the brothers from Crowded House, the most dangerous beach in New Zealand due to the rip tides and just along the coast the beach that was famously featured in the film Piano.  If you come to New Zealand it’s a must see place!

We left Piha with a heavy heart wanting to stay longer and soak up more of the bracing atmosphere that this place exuded, but alas more adventures called.  We skirted around the suburbs of Auckland and got onto the southern motorway to head for the Waitomo Caves.  Waitomo is a small town in an area approximately 100x100 km square blessed with over 1000 caves, 300 of which have been mapped and 20 of these opened up for commercial operations.  After a quick look around at the different types and difficulty levels of the various adventures we finally settled on the TumuTuma TOObing with Waitomo Adventures as this would give us the most of the must see in one trip.  It also had the least amount of squeezing through tight spots as Emma suffers with a little bit of claustrophobia, so caving probably not the best thing to do then!  After a sleepless night for Emma we returned to the caving centre ready for our adventure.  Our guide Chris was an adrenalin junkie with dreadlocks from the South Island and the only other people on the trip were a couple from the US.  We got kitted out in our 15mm thick wet suites, hard hats with head lamps and white Wellington boots (yes, very fetching indeed) and walked to the cave entrance a few hundred metres up the hill.

The cave entrance was in a hollow in the hills covered with trees and was smaller than a man hole cover.  All you could see was a small hole and the top of a ladder.  This was Emma’s first big test and she came through with flying colours however a little less cursing next time would be nice!

Once properly in the cave it opened up and allowed you to walk freely without having to climb over things or stoop, more of that came later.  As we made our way down the tunnel our guide would pick out things to look at and explain how they were created.  Eventually the dry flat bottom began to give way to a rockier and wetter course as the river that flows through this cave system started to find its way.  It wasn’t long before we were up to our waists in cold, sandy water.  We then reached what seemed like a solid wall and a barrier for the water.  To the left was a small hole running horizontally into the cave wall, Emma’s second test.  The tube was about 3m long, had a kink at the end to return you to the main tunnel and was just wide enough to get your shoulders through.  There was a plan B if you did not want to do it, but wanting to conquer some of her fears, Emma decided to go for it.  Well after a little coaching and shouts of encouragement from all in the cave she got through.  They say a picture tells a thousand words and you would not be wrong when you look at this one as she emerges from the tube.

Once through Chris asked us to make a chain and put our hands on the back of the person in front and turn off our head torches.  He then walked us a few metres along the dark tunnel round a corner to be presented with what looked like a clear star filled sky, but were in fact thousands of Glow Worms.  The tunnel opened up into a wider and higher chamber still filled waist high water and even more tiny green lights on the ceiling.  As your eyes became accustomed to the dark the little blighters gave out just enough light for you to be able to start making out the sides of the cavern, the others in the group and the light shimmering on the water.  There were lots of ooohhs and ahhhs from the group as we looked upon this quite remarkable sight - really amazing.  We stayed in the dark for about 15 minutes fully taking in the grandeur of this secret place and the tiny creatures living down here.

Next we made our way further into the cave clambering over rocks and through more tight spots to where the water became an underground river.  Here, instead of wading through it we pulled ourselves along on a rope whilst floating on rubber rings, doing this again with the head torches off.  The narrow tunnel this time had what looked like a vaulted roof with the millions of glow worms randomly taking up space on the high roof giving the place a Christmas lights feel about it.  With the adventure nearly over we had one final obstacle, a 15m swim along a very deep part of the river and then out to freedom and the fresh air.  We spent nearly 2 hours underground seeing this magnificent place up close and personal and loved every minute of it.  Emma was a trooper and realised that she had actually enjoyed it once she was warm and in the sunlight again.  As a treat that night’s meal was a posh dinner and bottle of wine in one of NZ’s top restaurants, Huhu which just so happened to be next to the campsite where we were staying. 

The next day we left Waitomo to drive the 400km to Wellington where we would be catching the ferry to the South Island and where the real mountains are….very excited!  Thankfully, this road was much straighter and faster and so we were able to make good headway with little to distract us along the way.  The only sight worthy of note was as we motored round Tongariro National Park and we got our first view of three active volcanoes which briefly presented themselves through the thick low cloud.  This area was used as Mordor in the Lord of the Rings and you could see why.  We reached the outskirts of Wellington that evening ready for our ferry crossing at 8:25am the next morning.

Auckland to Cape Reinga

New Zealand, the youngest country in the world is home to more sheep than people and one of the most rugged and diverse landscapes on the earth.  And due to the dramatic nature of the landscape is why it was used as the filming location for the Lord of the Rings trilogy or as it has now become known, the New Zealand tourist board publicity film!

Our adventure starts in Auckland after a 3hr flight from Sydney.  We had a nights stay in a hostel before picking up the van so we booked into one close to the airport as the rental company was located close by.  This was a stroke of genius on our part for a change as the city is 20km away making airport transfers expensive and the hostel happened to have a great curry house just down the road.

Next day we collected a brand spanking new Toyota Hiace just like the others we had in Australia however this one only had just 940km on the ODO….it won’t by the time we hand it back!  The van is identical in everyway except that the interior has a lovely brown and red colour scheme rather than the blue we had become accustomed to and no electric windows!

We now had two choices - North or South?  With the weather still just about cold enough in the south for skiing and with no heater in the van we decided to head North for a few weeks to allow things to warm up a bit.  We headed out of the city after a few unintentional detours to a National Park campsite at Shakespear (yes, this is spelt correctly as far as the Kiwis are concerned!) National Park which overlooked the city of Auckland.

The campsite was right on the beach again and was a toilet only affair.  After our now mandatory first night meal of Spag Bol we settled down to sleeping in a campervan again after our 7 nights of luxury in Sydney.  I woke at 23:00 and for some reason looked out of the window to see a set of lights making their way along the beach.  After a while they turned inland and headed for the car park stopping 50m from our location.  Whilst I was watching the lights they were joined by a red and green light and started to do a strange pattern.  With no other light around I really couldn’t tell what I was looking at.  By this time Emma had woken up and we were both peering out trying to work out what was going on.  After about 15 minutes the lights went out and a car pulled out of the parking place and made its way up the road towards us.  As it past us it stopped, reversed back level with our van and after a few seconds pulled away disappearing into the night.  Very strange and slightly ominous but we soon fell back to sleep.  At 01:00 I woke again to the sound of a car pulling into a parking bay closer to us next to another fellow camper.  Car doors slammed and their were muffled voices.  Again we both peered out, this time to the other side of the van and after a while the torches reappeared.  In the pitch black it took a while for us to realise that there were two people in florescent jackets circling the other van and seemingly looking for something.  We concluded it was police doing a drug or weapon search….what a lovely spot we had picked!!  Thankfully, we did not receive a late night visit.

The next morning we woke to find that the vehicle that had been searched was gone with no sign of the nights drama.  I wonder if they found anything?  We continued our journey north sticking to the coast road whenever possible and made our way to Tutukaka.  Tutukaka is one of the top dive sites in the world due to its caves, lava tunnels and marine park packed with fish due to a long term fishing ban.  We enquired about doing a dive but felt that being beginners that we would not get the best out of this location, so the next day we made our way north up the coast to the Bay of Islands and its main port of Paihia.

The Bay of Islands holds an important place in New Zealand’s history.  Not only is it a bay with 104 islands contained within it but its also the place that Captain Cook first landed in 1769 when he discovered this part of the world.  It is also the place where the treaty between the English and Maori people was signed and its first settlement, the town of Russell.  To see the place at its best it has to be from the water so we booked a sailing trip on a catamaran, the trip hopefully also involving swimming with dolphins.

The boat left at 9:30 and we sailed towards to one of the bigger islands looking at the multi-million pound houses built on the private islands and watching the penguins duck and dive in the water trying to escape the gaze of the tourist boats.  As we got closer to the middle of the bay a pod of dolphins came over to the boat and began swimming around us putting on their show for the tourists.  The pod contained 3 adults and one juvenile.  With the adults being up to 4m in length and about 50kg in weight, in the clear turquoise water they looked huge especially when they breached the water or stuck their heads up to have a look around.  Due to the rules that are in place around swimming with dolphins, we were unfortunately unable to swim with them because they had a baby with them (any dolphin under the age of 3) so once again Emma missed her chance to swim with the marine life.

We moored up just off Robertson Island (Motuarohia Island in Maori) for snorkelling, lunch and a hike to its highest point.  The water was still very cold from the winter so only a few brave people decided to take up the opportunity to snorkel, definitely NOT us.  Instead we walked up the lovely beach and hiked to the top of the hill for incredible views of the bay, the island and the actual beach where Captain Cook first landed. 

The boat tour ended with more exploring of the bay this time under sail and back to the harbour for mid afternoon.  As soon as we landed we raced back to our van to drive nearly 100km to another government camping site on the Karikari Peninsula.  The drive was again along the coast offering spectacular views of this rugged and at times violent coastline.  As we neared our stop we came over a hill to be presented with Doubtless Bay, so named due to Captain Cook’s proclamation when he saw it “It is doubtless that this is a bay”.  My use of the vernacular was less eloquent but yes, it is certainly a very large bay!

Our stop for the night was as usual epic in its location, a small bay hemmed in by rock bluffs with the campground taking a commanding view over the beach a few metres below.  All for the princely sum of £7.  Next morning saw a few hours drive to our intended target, Cape Reinga which is the tourists most northerly point of New Zealand.  The actual most northerly point goes only 3km further north but is a 3 day hike from the nearest road to get there, so we made do with second place.  We have both seen some incredible coastline on this trip most notably in Australia but it never fails to take our breath away when you are presented with rugged cliffs, massive sand dunes and beaches that go on forever.  Cape Reinga was also spectacular because you were able to see the actual point where two oceans meet and the churning caldron of water that’s created by this phenomena. 

Our nights stay was a few km round the coast in another national park run campsite, another small bay this time with a tidal estuary completing the picture postcard view.  We woke to watch the boar from the incoming tide race up the estuary and by the time we left, the previously empty mud flats were once again full. 

No longer able to go further north, we turned on our heel and headed south in our quest to now reach the most southerly point in New Zealand.

Next:  The journey to Wellington

6 Months in.

Believe it or not, we have already come to the 6 month point of this epic journey and it just keeps getting better.  Australia has been the high point so far, ironic considering it was never high on my must see list.  Emma has raved about Australia since the early days of planning this trip and has even called it her second home (before MK can you believe it!)

Our journey has taken us the length of the west coast from the very north to the very south, which was no mean feat considering the distances involved.  We have also travelled the more populated east coast and see a very different Australia ending in the heart of Australia - Sydney.  The people we have met along the way have made this part of the trip especially rewarding for us and the Ozies definitely win the award for the friendliest people on the planet.  Yes, I know that most of them are drunk most of the time but even the ones that are not are just as friendly.  I have always wondered why so many people from England emigrate out here and after our short visit I can understand why.  Australia is an incredible place leaving a lasting memory for me and a place we will have to come back to explore the bits we missed.

The final stage of our trip before we return for Christmas will be 6 weeks in New Zealand and a final weeks holiday in Fiji before the long flight home.  New Zealand is a place Emma has also visited before and has been top of my must visit places.  We are still excited about the trip and can’t believe how quickly its going, however funnily enough we are also excited about coming home to see family and friends and the next adventure of trying to find a job.

We hope you’re still enjoying the blog as much as we enjoy writing them, keep reading not much more to go now we promise!

Sydney

The day had finally come to return the van and become normal people again, sleeping in a proper bed and not eating Spag Bol every fourth day.  We cleaned the van and did the final bit of packing seemingly having more stuff than we started with and left to drive the remaining 2 hours into Sydney.  We headed for one of the suburbs a little way out of the main CBD to one of Emma’s old friends who had emigrated out here some 8 years ago and kindly offered us a bed for a few nights.  The plan was to stay with Matt, Sara and their 2 year old Vigilin Freddie for 3 days and then move to a hotel closer to town and prepare for New Zealand.

We dropped the bags at the house and made our way to the airport to drop the van.  With the usual inspection over and done with and no issues found to threaten our deposit, they did the grand reveal of how many kilometres we had driven…..another 4500 km since Cairns.

For me Sydney has been a place I have always wanted to visit, for Emma it’s a place she knows well having visited it several times and lived here for 3 months.  So for our visit we tried to do new things that Emma had not done before, as well as her showing me the sights.

First on the agenda was to see the place that Sydney is famous for, its spectacular harbour with views of the Harbour Bridge and the iconic Sydney Opera House.  We took in the sights of Circular Key, the Rocks and Darling Harbour taking way too many pictures and had the odd stop for a cheeky glass of wine (it was hot and we were getting dehydrated).  We also wandered the general CBD.  This area is a mix of tourist entertainment, more restaurants than you can shake a stick at and business offices.  The city itself still has a number of historical areas left reminding us that it was one of the first places in Australia to be colonised, but also has the large modern buildings that make Sydney the business centre of Australia (the capital and political centre is Canberra).

Next was a famous coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach.  We caught the bus to Bondi from the CBD and as we stepped off, Emma proudly presented “And this is Bondi”.  I replied “Is that it?!” as it was much smaller than I had expected.  Like everyone else who has seen this iconic place on the TV, I imagined it to be something special, but to me it looked like Weymouth just with better surfing.

We spent the afternoon walking the 5.5 km to Coogee taking in the diverse and spectacular scenery along this coast - amazing really considering this is now essentially a suburb of Sydney.  It beats Romford by some margin.

The day finally came to attempt the Harbour Bridge climb.  At nearly $200 each its not cheap but its just one of those things you have to do and as Emma had not done it before she felt it was about time she did.  The climb is so popular they take a group of 14 every 10 minutes, every day of the year except the 30 and 31 Dec when they are prepping the bridge for New Years Eve and the iconic firework display.  The tour itself takes 3 hours including the time to get prepared.

We had planned it for the Thursday morning as the weather was predicted to be good and lo and behold, it was!  We arrived at the bridge climb centre and got given the obligatory disclaimer form to fill in which basically says that if you die its no ones fault….don’t you just hate signing those forms.  Next all lose items had to come out of your pockets and no metal objects were to be taken up including watches and cameras.  Finally we were given a very unattractive romper suit to wear and made to go through an airport style metal detector to make sure we were not carrying any nail clippers or forks.

Once everyone had cleared security we met our guide, Ronan, an Irish gentlemen who had been guiding for nearly 10 years and been in Australia for 20 years, however had not lost the typical Irish wit.  Can someone do us a favour next time they visit Ireland and see if there is anyone left in the country as they all seem to be in Australia!

Next we kitted up with the safety equipment, two way radios and hats and gloves to keep warm.  Then it was time to face the Bridge simulator.  This sounds much more grand than it was, basically a set of metal stairs that are the same as those on the bridge which showed you how to use the tether that kept you from falling or jumping of the bridge (not sure which).  Once everyone had successfully negotiated the simulator we finally entered the airlock and made our way onto the bridge.  Before we go on to the next bit of the blog, I have to explain that all the pictures you will see were taken by our guide as we were not allowed to take a camera with us.

First we made our way underneath the elevated section of road that brings the traffic up to the actual bridge.  The route was a narrow metal path hung from the deck above and provided unrestricted views of the nearly 50 m drop to the streets below.  Next you made your way through the columns that suspend the suspension bridge and to the ladders that take you to the arch.  There are four in all and are very steep being only a few degrees from vertical.  As we approached the first ladder a lady with her two teenage daughters began to freak at the idea of climbing these ladders over what looked like open water.  After a few minutes of coxing by Ronan she was escorted to a lift and taken to the arch to rejoin us there.  The climb up the arch is not as steep as it looked from the ground but provided spectacular views of the city, the bay, and of course, Sydney Opera House.  We were on the bridge for nearly 2 hrs having photos taken and just staring at the view.  The weather held out with clear skies but at nearly 150 m above the water a fair breeze was blowing making it quite cold.  It definitely lived up to our expectations and we were glad we did it.

Its funny how some people love cities and hate the outdoors, whilst others hate the hustle and bustle of cities and much prefer the solitude of the countryside.  I think we are unusual (those who know us would say we are strange but that’s for another time) as we love both.  After our outback adventures it was nice to return to the modern world and so with Matt and Sara we planned our first proper dress up night out on the town.

It was a Friday night before a bank holiday weekend and it was the football (that is rugby, football here is called soccer) final weekend between two Sydney teams, the first time in years so the town had a buzz about it.  We met in the Sydney Opera bar, spectacularly situated next to the harbour on the quay next to the opera house.  After a few drinks with the growing crowd of business people who had finished work for the weekend, we made our way a short distance to the public library which on its top floor housed Café Sydney, one of the best restaurants in Sydney which just so happened to also have the best view of the Harbour Bridge.

We sat outside on the patio to enjoy the best views with blankets for our laps and patio heaters to warm the cold air and had one of the most spectacular meals either of us had ever had (company, food and view).  After we had a few nightcaps in Woolloomooloo and then a much needed walk back to our hotel.

Our final adventures in Sydney included a ferry to Manly (another beach suburb of Sydney) which was short lived due to the weather….rain, rain with a short burst of rain, a really pleasant coffee and catch up with another of Emma’s friends also called Sara and some amazing pizza with Sara and Matt (thanks both for such a great time and looking after us!)

     Sydney is a city built for wandering and this is just as well because most of the time you need to work off the fabulous food and drink from its many varied restaurants and bars.  For good reason Sydney is one of the great cities of the world and after our very short visit I can see why.  We loved our time here and wanted to stay longer, but alas that was not to be.  New Zealand calls and the final 7 weeks of our trip.

The road to Sydney.

As we had just over a week to get to Sydney we decided that we would do some more of our “little” detours and so turned off Highway 1 and headed inland along the Waterfall highway (H78).  This 124 km road climbed steeply back into the tableland mountain region that had run for nearly 2000 km from Cape Tribulation.  The road was steep and winding and as before the weather was bad with low cloud and constant rain - we were having Cape Tribulation deja vu.  We headed out to another free overnight stop in the very small mountain town of Ebor.  It took us a few minutes to find the campsite even though the town only comprised of about 3 houses and one hotel (pub) and it was probably the worst place we had stayed in all of Australia.  The campsite (probably fairer to say free rest stop) was essentially a piece of waste land next to a sports field.  The ground was extremely wet due to the copious amounts of rain and we were running the risk of getting the van stuck, so we headed for a random block of concrete much like a parking bay that was slap bang in the middle.  It was extremely strange and there were no other bays apart from this one.  Thankfully, we were the only ones there so parked the van on it for the night.  After half an hour not seeing another soul go past it felt like we had entered the set for some horrendous horror movie and that in fact this single parking bay was a trap set by the hicksville locals to lure their next victims.

Next morning we woke with relief after a quite nights sleep and headed towards Armidale planning to stop on the way at several of the waterfalls which was the whole reason for making the detour.  However after the second stop and second failed attempt to see anything due to the low cloud we gave up on the idea and just drove into town. 

With the weather on the coast bad and the weather in the mountains bad we needed to work out what to do as driving around the country randomly was not working for us.  So with no information to help us make the decision we decided to return to the coast and with a little luck some sun.  We re-supplied the van in Armidale, had some lunch and then turned the van easterly again.  As we left Armidale the weather started to clear and at last the sun came out, so we tried one last time to see a waterfall and stopped at Aspley Falls.  We finally got to see a beautiful waterfall dropping into a deep canyon.

We then drove the 200 km back to the coast in beautiful sunshine and down a stunning road that wrapped its way around the mountains as we descended.  We headed for Port Macquarie, a small coastal town again famous for its surf.  We found a campsite a few kilometres out of town and next to a very nice pub and a short walk to a secluded bay.  The weather had finally turned spring like and the sun was out and it was hot.  Now with only 200 km to Sydney and still some 6 days to go we decided to stay for a few days and hope that the sun stayed out.  We walked the coastal path back into town visiting secluded bays and beautiful sandy beaches and ate fish and chips on the beach, so with no jobs that needed doing we actually chilled out and enjoyed the weather for a change (everybody say aaahhhh).  Whilst we rested we had a look at the Lonely Planet guide and came up with a plan for the final few days before Sydney.

From Port Macquarie we drove nearly 250 km to Cessnock, the centre of the Hunter wine valley.  We arrived mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day visiting three wineries and tasting the many varieties of wine they had on offer.  Actually when I say we I mean Emma as I was the designated driver.  I finally dragged her out of a closing cellar door at 17:00 clutching a cheeky little chardonnay begging to visit just one more.

The next day we headed into the mountains again via Highway 69, 240 km of mountain road which twisted its way up through the tableland region and into the Blue Mountains.  We headed straight for a local tourist attraction the Jenolan Caves.  The decent to the cave complex was a test of man and machine as the road was narrow and had been cut out of the cliff face as it descended some 500 m into the valley.  As the road reached the bottom it went through a small natural tunnel through the rock to a isolated valley with a large Victorian hotel plonked in the middle.

The Jenolan Caves are a network of some 12 very large caves that were discovered in the 1800’s and soon after opened up to inquisitive Victorian holiday makers.  The hotel was built because back then it would have taken some days travelling through the Blue Mountains by horse to get there.  We managed to get on one of the last cave tours running that day and clambered through the Chiefly cave which also had been the first cave in the world to be lit by electricity.  The cave had the usual rock formations but because of the fresh breeze that had been passing through this particular cave the formations looked like they had been plastered over and it was very different to the other caves we had visited on our trip.

The next day we made our way to our final campsite in Australia at Katoomba, just 150 km west of Sydney.  Katoomba is the gateway to the Blue Mountains and sits on the escarpment overlooking the mountain range and the impressive valleys.  So why is it called the Blue Mountains?  Well, many of the trees that fill the valley are Eucalyptus trees and in a cretain light the leaves look blue giving the whole valley a blue hue.  We spent a fantastic 2 days here walking the trails in and out of the valley and enjoying the incredible scenery. 

We also took a ride on the scenic railway which is an old mining railway and reputed to be the steepest train line in the world.  It was that steep that the seats in the carriage on the flat are reclined so much you feel like you are lying down only to find yourself completely upright once it hits the slope.  It took us nearly an hour and half to walk down and just 5 minutes to get back to the top using the railway.  After a torturous climb on a walk just the day before our legs were much relieved!  

Next:  Saying goodbye to yet another van and hello to Sydney

Brisbane

After our adventures on Fraser Island we decided that we would spend another day in Hervey Bay  soaking up the lovely weather and doing nothing.  The following day we packed up yet again and followed the coast 80 km south to Noosa Heads.  Noosa Heads had been recommended by other travellers and as it was on our way we decided to do a drive through and get some lunch.  Noosa is positioned between some large hills, the congregation of several rivers and of course more amazing beaches.  The town centre definitely had an up market feel with lots of expensive clothes shops, coffee shops and up market restaurants.

We were now heading towards one of Australia’s largest cities, Brisbane.  With still some 100 km to go the scenery changed from happening upon occasional towns to a constant suburbia of homes, shops, restaurants, car showrooms and industrial estates.  We headed for another free camping spot just outside Coboolture which turned out to be a lay by next to a highway which was very popular although made us feel like gypsies.

The next day saw an early start to visit Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo.  Before his untimely death he had set up a zoo mainly to show off the Crocodiles that he had captured and to show the Australian public the merits of looking after the environment, something the Australians don’t do very well.  Since his death the zoo has become a shrine to his work and is even more famous than it was before.

In most zoos the animals are kept behind fences but here you could walk through the kangaroo enclosure feeding them and stroking them, and the same with the koalas.

Obviously it was not the case for the croc enclosure.  We spent a good half day watching the demonstrations, looking at the animals and me trying to stop Emma from steeling a koala which she became very attached to.  It was a great place and very well done without the normal problems of zoos and disturbed animals.  Kids would love it.

We left the zoo at 14:00 and decided to high tail it into Brisbane even though it was a Friday afternoon as so likely to be a tricky drive in.  Our book had listed a campsite close to the centre of town, unusual even in Australia and we headed in the general direction.  I have to say that it’s a testament to navigator Coates but since we landed in Oz we have not got lost once, impressive in over 10,000 km of driving.  We found the campsite first time and planned a Saturday in the CBD (Central Business District).

Brisbane is a big place compared with Perth and far more built up with lots of old buildings to compliment the modern high rises that seem to populate all central areas these days. 

As we walked around the shopping district I was struck by how familiar it looked realising that it looked exactly like, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, etc.  We walked down to the river and again I stood looking feeling like we had been here before.  In front of us on the south side of the river was a large 1960’s style theatre complex and around it lots of bars and restaurants.  Yes, it was the south bank of the Thames in London complete with Ferris wheel.  We spent a very pleasant day frequenting bars, riding the free ferries up and down the river and just generally mooching.

After only a day in Brisbane we decided to move on and head south whilst trying to miss the toll roads as they don’t have booths to take cash over here.  You have to pay on the internet and we already had enough problems trying to get internet access so we really wanted to avoid it.  We left the highway again and took the coastal route to the world famous Surfers Paradise.  Surfers Paradise is on a stretch of coast that encompasses a number of towns that have practically been joined by massive developments to accommodate the thousands of tourists who flock to this coast.  As we reached the shore you could see the waves breaking on the very steep beach making it perfect for surfing. 

However turn round and what you get is Benidorm on acid.  Massive, modern, 20 to 30 story high rises reach for the sky right on the beach giving every room a stunning view of the 30 km plus long beach.  Some of them seem to be purely holiday rentals, with some expensive condos for those that can afford to live here.  Ironically there are more high rises here than in the middle of Brisbane and Perth put together.

We continued along the coast for the rest of the day stopping every few miles to see yet another amazing beach or to take another picture from a high rocky outcrop on top of another bay.  The weather had turned grey and drizzly again meaning that any extended beach visit would have been unpleasant.  Also the temperature had started to drop at night meaning another cold night sleep.  We had entered spring in Australia but no one had told the weather.

We stayed in Byron Bay, another must do place on the coast and this time a recommendation by Emma.  The place was synonymous with surfers and definitely had a bohemian style about it with backpackers, surf dudes and the odd hippy mixing in seamlessly.  It had been another wet night and the rain looked like it was set for the day, so with nothing else to do but shop or sit on a beach we decided to continue our journey south.  Before we left Bryon Bay we made a quick visit to the lighthouse at the end of the bay that is famed for being the most easterly point in Australia.  Stunning views even though the weather was trying to put us off. 

Once back on the road, the signs started to show the distance to Sydney.  With only 750 km to go and with nearly a week before we had to be there we had a new problem, possible getting there too soon.  So looking in the book we headed inland hoping that the weather in the mountains would be better than the coast.  Oh, how wrong could we be….again!

Next:  The final stretch before Sydney.

Fraser Island Part 2

We woke early with the hot morning sun turning the fabric tent into a pressure cooker.  Worm was already up and was saying that we had to go soon as the tide was coming up quicker than he thought and we may not make it up the beach in time.  We were the first up with a slow stream of people leaving their beds as the heat in the tents increased.  Breakfast for us was a deliberately simple affair of cereal.  At 8:15 Worm stormed in the direction of the car saying we need to go soon and turned his car radio up full to wake the remaining tents.  The Irish lads were the last to emerge not looking their best.  They had planned a full cooked English breakfast but with only 15 minutes notice before we had to leave they settled on some slices of bread and shared a tin of cold beans.

We finally reloaded the 4x4’s (as it was recommended to take our personal items with us) leaving the tents and trailer in place and we started to move out.  As soon as the engines had started the Italian car revved its engine and raced for the lead position behind Worm just like yesterday, so not thinking anything of it we all lined up behind it and started our journey north.  In convoy we sped up the beach at 60km avoiding the salt water as this voided our insurance bond but as we travelled the tide came further in pushing us higher up the beach and into deeper sand.  We slowed as the 4x4 bucked and weaved up the beach.  We were in the middle of the convoy and could see the other 4x4 snaking and the occasional slide sideways to a full stop.  Occasionally they would also get stuck, meaning that everyone else would have to stop and then would also get stuck.  You would then have to rock the car backward and forward by putting it in to reverse and first to help the wheels to get traction and then off you would go again until the next time.

I drove about 45 minutes of this beach and it was the most intense driving experience ever, as you were constantly turning the wheel trying to catch the slide whilst racing to miss the rising tide.  We finally pulled into the car park at the Champagne Pools and I was absolutely spent!  The rest of the car gave a round of applause either grateful of my efforts or perhaps in relief that we had made it.  The people in our car had started to gel and we chatted easily and at times we shouted encouragement or should I say friendly abuse to the driver whenever things got a little hairy.  As we stepped out of the car you could feel that everything was not well in the other cars.  The two Italian guys who could drive had monopolised the driving not letting anyone else have a look in which was really annoying the Cornish girl.  The Irish family were having a fairly major row, as it seemed the parents were very nervous passengers and were not happy about the potentially dangerous driving we were having to do.  Oh happy days.

The Champagne Pools are a natural rock formations which get their name from the foaming water from the surf looking like champagne spilling over a glass.  We left the 4x4 at the top of a hill and made our way down the track to a nice spot for sunbathing.  Everyone had gone ahead leaving only myself and the Autistic lad to bring up the rear.  As we walked down the road Dmitri stopped in the middle of the road and started to take off his hat and glasses and put them neatly arranged in the middle of the road.  I stopped to look round and saw a large 4x4 making its way down the track just as Dmitri started to take off the rest of his attire.  I’m not sure if he thought this was the beach or he just felt it was a good spot to catch some sun.  I ran back up the hill to stop the 4x4 and then tried to get Dmitri to the side of the track, as his carer was nowhere to be seen.  Dmitri was not amused by my interference and not realising the danger he was in he started to articulate wildly with his hands and shout something I think was Italian.  I apologised to the 4x4 driver and ran to get his carer, using the immortal line “Your mate is having a fit on the road and is about to get run over.”  I know it isn’t Shakespeare but my Italian is a little rusty but he seemed to get my jist and ran back to help him.

After a great time splashing about in the sea and a bit of lunch we climbed to the top of Indian Head to watch sharks, turtles, dolphins, large fish and whales all swimming past the end of the island all to a chorus of ahhhhs and ooohs.  Worm gave a running commentary on what we were seeing and his estimation of the size of the creatures (see that turtle that’s 4m wide).  I know we were high up but not that high up and they were clearly nowhere as big as he was saying.

Once the tide had receded we made our way back down the beach at a much more relaxed pace as the harder sand closer to the surf was exposed to drive on.  It was mid afternoon and the weather had been incredible with clear blue skies and very hot.  Our first stop back down the beach was to an old ship wreck, beached in the 1930’s after a typhoon had run it a ground whilst it was being towed back to Japan for scrap.  As the tide was low it allowed us to walk around the rusting old wreck and take loads of amazing pictures.

Next we were offered the chance of a hot shower at a nearby ranger station.  With it only being one day since we had showered and having gone much longer in the campervan (for some reason after a while you don’t smell or maybe its just our noses switch off!) and also chance to do more swimming later on, we decided to decline the kind offer.  A few took up the chance while the rest of us scrubbers sat round and chatted.  Dmitri had decided that he wanted a shower so went off with the others, while his carer stayed with us.  A short while later one of the Irish lads came running out shouting that Dmitri was running around naked in the shower block covered in soap and they had only just stopped him from running outside, necessitating another rescue mission from his carer.

As the convoy was ready to move on, we would start up and no matter what position the cars were in the Italians would race to the front and push in like it was somehow important to be behind the leader.  This often resulted in jeers and hand articulation from the other cars and either Worm was oblivious to this dangerous driving or did not care. Our final stop for the day was at a freshwater creek that you could lay in and be carried down stream by the current to the sea.  Myself and Emma jumped in and used the opportunity for a quick wash as well.  It was great fun but a little bit cold. 

We then returned to the campsite for our final night.  During the day we had decided with our car mates to pool the rest of our food to help with the cooking.  I volunteered to cook and with some clever distraction provided by the Irish lads our car claimed first rights to the BBQ.  Dinner that night was a packet of Doritos, 64 sausages and 3 bits of steak all wrapped up in loads of bread.  Once we had finished cooking a cordon was erected around the cooking area and the Irish family was moved into prime position.  The Italians would just have to wait!

Once the washing up was done, the party got fully underway.  After finishing our wine the night before the Irish lads had kindly offered us a box of white wine which after tasting it would have been better for putting on fish and chips, but they had stipulated that we were in it for the long haul.  We chatted to our fellow 4x4ers and shared stories of our day and other travel stories.  The 3 non Italian girls in the Italian car complained that the driving was being hogged by the two guys.  The Irish family were complaining about having to drive fast and that being at the back of the convoy all the time was making it more difficult.  The Irish lads had no complaints except they just wanted to get hammered (pronounced hommered), a phrase that has kept Emma amused for days.  After a while we realised that we either needed to get very drunk quickly which was going to be a challenge with the vinegar or disappear without a fuss to bed.  Due to the threat of being attacked by dingos it had been recommended that you go to the open air toilet in pairs, so using it as a good excuse I accompanied Emma to a sand dune and then using the cover of darkness we snuck off to bed. 

We awoke the next morning to more glorious weather and what looked like a scene from Frat Party.  The campsite was strewn with empty bottles, cans and coolers which had been dragged around by the dingos trying to open them during the night.  Worm was up again starting to pack away the campsite and as people started to emerge from the tents the stories of last nights drinking began to be told, most unrepeatable here.  Not surprisingly, the final tent to make an appearance was the Irish lads, and as they emerged they were not able to walk in a straight line with the bright light making sight a problem.  They stumbled towards the dinning area, picked up a box of wine and asked if anyone had anything they could pour this into!  You know what they say about hair of the dog.  The Irish lads were about to test this old wives tale.

We packed up the gear and made our way inland to Lake Boomanjin.  The lake was tinged brown with all the dead leaves from the tea trees around the edge looking like a massive cup of cold tea.

The tracks to get here were much narrower then the ones we had crossed the island on and with some very steep climbs much more technical.  Every so often the Irish lads would shout to stop the car so they could fill up their empty cider bottles with more wine.  Also we had hatched a plan with the Irish family to block the Italians from claiming first place in the convoy, a game that received much cheers and jeers from our car.

Lunch was at another lake, Lake Birabeen, this time with clear freshwater and the sister lake to the famous Lake McKenzie which was unfortunately closed due to redevelopment work.  This time the group all sat closely to each other chatting and laughing at the Irish lads escapades from last night and now at their attempts to get a kit flying which they had bought in the island shop the day before.

The time soon came for us to return to the dock for our barge back to the mainland.  As we sat waiting for the barge to appear Worm came over and asked if anyone wanted to go out tonight as he had a deal with a local pub which meant cheap food.  So not wanting the party to end we all arranged to meet up.

After a much needed shower and some clean clothes we made our way down to the pub which was only a short walk from our campsite.  We chatted and laughed with our fellow adventurers mainly laughing at the stories from the Irish lads.  Most of the stories would lose their humour in translation but I have to say we have not laughed that hard for some time.  After a while the group started to dwindle and Worm came to join our end of the table and we asked the question everyone had been dying to ask….how did you lose your leg?

Remember our story about Australia’s highest waterfall a few blogs ago, well he had base jumped off the gorge there and shattered his leg on landing.  He spent the night in the bottom of the ravine until the rescue service could reach him.  After 35 operations the doctors had no option but to amputate and that was only 6 months and in this short time he has taught himself to walk again and is still working.  If it was not for the fact he wears shorts and you can see his prosthetic leg you would not know from his walk, quite amazing - still does not excuse the bandana though.  To hammer the point home as we left Hervey Bay there was a big poster up advertising the chance to skydive and who was the skydiver - Worm wearing the very same Bandana.

I, as many of you have also done, deride and even mock the 4x4 crowd for being sad (Vince) but after our little adventure I can now see the merits of their past time and will be considering yet another hobby when I get back.  (Editors comment: I have booked an intervention for Bill when we get back to the UK.  The plan is to beat him with rubber hoses in a cellar until he denounces the merits of 4x4 and caravanning).

All in all, a great trip!