Hello from a lovely and sunny Sydney!
Well, today i have been away for 100 days!! How cool is that! Have never really thought about it before, but Julie knew when her day 100 was when we met her the other week and then we decided to figure ours out...and its today!!
Celebrated by going up the sky tower, which offered pretty good views of Sydney, although the opera house and bridge look very tiny in comparison to everything else in the city from up there!
Had a good week chilling on the beach at Manly last week and thankfully the weather held out, which was nice. Back in the city now and went to a christmas carol concert on Saturday night, headlined by Delta Goodrum with a 100,000 fellow sydneysiders! Was really good fun. I cant believe its Christmas in a couple of days, i was walking round town yesterday afternoon and for the last weekend before Christmas the shops were very calm and there was no all out war like at home. I like it, its chilled out, no fuss and everybody is happy, isnt that what Christmas should be about it??
So im off to the beach this Christmas (weather permitting) a lifetime goal accomplished and really looking forward to it, I hope you all have a great Christmas where ever you may be.
Merry Christmas!
E xxx
Monday, 22 December 2008
Monday, 15 December 2008
A Magical Week in the Red Centre!
Hello from a sunny Sydney!!! How cool is that!! Im still really excited to be here and arrived on Friday evening!
Had an amazing week in the outback, probably the best experience of my whole trip so far, it was just everything i had hoped it to be and more! It was shattering though, the trip was 6 days, and we got up at 4am everyday bar one, to see the sun rise, but was sooo worth it, but has meant a couple of lazy mornings here so far!
I dont even know where to start, we saw so much and a lot of it was so different to what i expected. So its probably easier if i do it by days, so here we go:-
Day 1 - we left Adelaide and drove 885km up the Stuart Highway (this highwat goes all the way from Port Augustas to Darwin!!) to Coober Pedy, arriving at 6.30pm, having left at 6.30am and just driven ALL day! Apart from a couple of toilet stops and an hour for lunch, we just drove and drove and drove, and its not like NZ where there is something to look at, its just desert, thats it. Nothing to see, nothing to do and boy was i pleased when that journey was over!! It was like being in Star Wars, and living on Tatoween!! Very Cool, but after a while the amusement wore off!
For those of you who dont know, Coober Pedy (CP) is the Opal capital of the world and they all live underground there! Its a cross between teh flinstones and star wars again. This is the first settlement you come accross since Port Augustas, about 700km south and the nearest thing north is Alice Springs probably about another 1,000km, so its quite remote and all a bit wierd! Everything is underground, including the church, as in the summer it can reach 61 degrees!!! We stayed in a cave too, which was pretty cool and then had DAY 2 to explore here as well. You didnt really need longer than a day, but we got some pretty good photos, had a tour of a mock cave home and learnt about all the mining techniques, which the people of CP have devised themselves....they use explosives quite a lot and up until 9/11 you could go into the supermarket and buy them over the counter, lol! now you need a permit, but people often get their cars blown up in the town, as pranks....wierd!!
On our Day 3 which was 8/12/08 we met up with our next group who we would be with for the rest of our trip. We had a great guide, Pip, who was a very good Kylie look a like, her knowledge was amazing and it makes such a difference when you get a good guide! The fact that she was only a year older than us was quite scary, as i wouldnt have known how to change a tyre in the middle of the outback!! So we left CP and watched the sunrise of the opal mines, it was really amazing, got some great pics from the highway and that road is just so quiet, you can lay in it and watch the sunrise!! We spent all day again driving to Uluru (ayres rock) Left at 5am and didnt get to camp until 9pm, plus we gained an hour in time crossing into the Northern Territory border...got a flat tyre and drove through some terrential rain...it has to be the longest day ever!! By the time we ate and set up camp we had been up 21 hours and then had to get up at 4am the next day!!! Crazy stuff!! We did break up our third day at a Aboriginal Village, to look at an arts centre there, which an english lady has set up. The Aboriginal people are actually quite scary, they dont speak english and can get very violent, especially when they are drunk (we saw this in Alice Springs) but the art work was really interesting as they all tell stories, i wish i could have got something, as all the money raised supports the community, but its just how would you get it home!!!
We spent the next two nights at Yulara, the camp just outside Ayres Rock National Park. We slept in sways, which was really good fun, basically just a waterproof sleeping bag, you could go to sleep and watch the stars, it was amazing, and sooo hot!! Thankfully we survived all three nights, with no snake or spide dramas! I think i was the only one in the whole group not to get a mozzi bite (very proud) and the only thing i saw that was vaguely alarming was a massive lizard, that should belong in a zoo with the spider in Fiji!! I was just reading my book sitting on the grass, looked up and it was there!!! Thankfully it got scared by the music and waddled away!! Sway sleeping is def the way forward!! although im not sure it would work for Glasto, as you would probably get washed away!!
So Day 4 we watched the sunrise from Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and had a distant view of Uluru. It was beautiful. By 6am we had already started our 7.4km walk around the Valley of the Winds, to beat the morning sun. It was a really good walk, The Olgas are made up of about 50 rocks, where as Uluru is obviously just one, but they are in the same National Park. we saw our first wild kangaroo and there was also a waterfall there, which is VERY rare!! They have had a lot of rain in this region over the past two weeks, we got washed out on our last day at Kings Canyon, but it meant the desert was a luscious green, not many people can say they have seen it like this. We then visited the Uluru Aboriginal Centre and learnt about how the Aboriginal people use Uluru in their teachings. We had the afternoon free to recover and chill by the pool, which was much needed and then we watch the sunset over Uluru which has to be the highlight of the trip for me! It was magical. Massive black thunder clouds, but no rain, just lightening in the background, a rainbow over the rock and the sun seeping through in the background. We had pre dinner snacks and just had an amazing evening.
day 5 - up at 4 again and this time it was sunrise right at the base of Uluru. The traditional sunrise viewing area is a very sacred sight for the aboriginal people and they dont like people taking pictures from this angle. We walked around the base of Uluru (roughly 9km) and certain parts you cant take pictures because these are sacred spots. I respected this wish, as i felt a really strong presence there. Its not just a rock to me anymore, it is so much more. When you are that close, they are so many different holes and patters and scars and if you let your imagination go a bit, they can all tell a story and you can see different patterns. It was very different to what i expected and i really felt trapped in a spell almost as we walked around. Pip then took us on a story telling walk around one section of the rock. There are four aboriginal stories that they use to teach morals to their children and they all relate to animals. You can see the different animals marks (foot prints, snake lines etc) in the rock when you are up close. On this day we had a cool front of 30degrees, but with a bus with broken air con it felt more like 50!!!
on this afternoon we made our way to Kings Canyon, where we camped on our final night. on the way we passed through a very impressive dust storm and despite being a wash out for the past two weeks we had a dry night, although on the last part of our canyon walk the next day we did get glastonbury style soaked!!!! It was a 5.5km walk up and along the canyon rim...you could see the storm coming for miles. We spent some time at the Garden of Eden swimming in the rock pool. Again, there is not normally any water to swim in, so that was pretty cool to!
After the walk we made our way back to Alice Springs. Another whole day of driving really, although they days feel a lot longer when you get up at 4!! It was a 7 1/2 hour drive (are you getting an idea of the vastness now!!!) and by the time we got to Alice i was completly shattered! But washing needed to be done etc! Didnt really see anything of Alice, just a quick wonder to the supermarket and we left early the next morning to make our way to here, as we had to fly via Adelaide. But dont think i missed anything really!
All in all it was a fantastic trip, i hope this gives you some idea. It will be a lot easier when im back and have the pictures to explain alongside the writing!
So now its monday morning in Sydney, and Jen has just gone to the airport to meet her friend Nicky who has come out from home to spend the next 3 and a bit weeks with us. This afternoon im getting the ferry over to Manly to spend a couple of days on the beach and they are joining me tomorrow.
Sydeny is really great, loving it already, just trying to decide what to do for NYE, but there seems to be plenty of options. Christmas Carols in the park next saturday, which should be fun! Have forgotten about Christmas really, but getting more in the festive spirit now, and really looking forward to it!
Anyway, best go!! hope all is well with everybody!
Ellen xxxxx
Had an amazing week in the outback, probably the best experience of my whole trip so far, it was just everything i had hoped it to be and more! It was shattering though, the trip was 6 days, and we got up at 4am everyday bar one, to see the sun rise, but was sooo worth it, but has meant a couple of lazy mornings here so far!
I dont even know where to start, we saw so much and a lot of it was so different to what i expected. So its probably easier if i do it by days, so here we go:-
Day 1 - we left Adelaide and drove 885km up the Stuart Highway (this highwat goes all the way from Port Augustas to Darwin!!) to Coober Pedy, arriving at 6.30pm, having left at 6.30am and just driven ALL day! Apart from a couple of toilet stops and an hour for lunch, we just drove and drove and drove, and its not like NZ where there is something to look at, its just desert, thats it. Nothing to see, nothing to do and boy was i pleased when that journey was over!! It was like being in Star Wars, and living on Tatoween!! Very Cool, but after a while the amusement wore off!
For those of you who dont know, Coober Pedy (CP) is the Opal capital of the world and they all live underground there! Its a cross between teh flinstones and star wars again. This is the first settlement you come accross since Port Augustas, about 700km south and the nearest thing north is Alice Springs probably about another 1,000km, so its quite remote and all a bit wierd! Everything is underground, including the church, as in the summer it can reach 61 degrees!!! We stayed in a cave too, which was pretty cool and then had DAY 2 to explore here as well. You didnt really need longer than a day, but we got some pretty good photos, had a tour of a mock cave home and learnt about all the mining techniques, which the people of CP have devised themselves....they use explosives quite a lot and up until 9/11 you could go into the supermarket and buy them over the counter, lol! now you need a permit, but people often get their cars blown up in the town, as pranks....wierd!!
On our Day 3 which was 8/12/08 we met up with our next group who we would be with for the rest of our trip. We had a great guide, Pip, who was a very good Kylie look a like, her knowledge was amazing and it makes such a difference when you get a good guide! The fact that she was only a year older than us was quite scary, as i wouldnt have known how to change a tyre in the middle of the outback!! So we left CP and watched the sunrise of the opal mines, it was really amazing, got some great pics from the highway and that road is just so quiet, you can lay in it and watch the sunrise!! We spent all day again driving to Uluru (ayres rock) Left at 5am and didnt get to camp until 9pm, plus we gained an hour in time crossing into the Northern Territory border...got a flat tyre and drove through some terrential rain...it has to be the longest day ever!! By the time we ate and set up camp we had been up 21 hours and then had to get up at 4am the next day!!! Crazy stuff!! We did break up our third day at a Aboriginal Village, to look at an arts centre there, which an english lady has set up. The Aboriginal people are actually quite scary, they dont speak english and can get very violent, especially when they are drunk (we saw this in Alice Springs) but the art work was really interesting as they all tell stories, i wish i could have got something, as all the money raised supports the community, but its just how would you get it home!!!
We spent the next two nights at Yulara, the camp just outside Ayres Rock National Park. We slept in sways, which was really good fun, basically just a waterproof sleeping bag, you could go to sleep and watch the stars, it was amazing, and sooo hot!! Thankfully we survived all three nights, with no snake or spide dramas! I think i was the only one in the whole group not to get a mozzi bite (very proud) and the only thing i saw that was vaguely alarming was a massive lizard, that should belong in a zoo with the spider in Fiji!! I was just reading my book sitting on the grass, looked up and it was there!!! Thankfully it got scared by the music and waddled away!! Sway sleeping is def the way forward!! although im not sure it would work for Glasto, as you would probably get washed away!!
So Day 4 we watched the sunrise from Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and had a distant view of Uluru. It was beautiful. By 6am we had already started our 7.4km walk around the Valley of the Winds, to beat the morning sun. It was a really good walk, The Olgas are made up of about 50 rocks, where as Uluru is obviously just one, but they are in the same National Park. we saw our first wild kangaroo and there was also a waterfall there, which is VERY rare!! They have had a lot of rain in this region over the past two weeks, we got washed out on our last day at Kings Canyon, but it meant the desert was a luscious green, not many people can say they have seen it like this. We then visited the Uluru Aboriginal Centre and learnt about how the Aboriginal people use Uluru in their teachings. We had the afternoon free to recover and chill by the pool, which was much needed and then we watch the sunset over Uluru which has to be the highlight of the trip for me! It was magical. Massive black thunder clouds, but no rain, just lightening in the background, a rainbow over the rock and the sun seeping through in the background. We had pre dinner snacks and just had an amazing evening.
day 5 - up at 4 again and this time it was sunrise right at the base of Uluru. The traditional sunrise viewing area is a very sacred sight for the aboriginal people and they dont like people taking pictures from this angle. We walked around the base of Uluru (roughly 9km) and certain parts you cant take pictures because these are sacred spots. I respected this wish, as i felt a really strong presence there. Its not just a rock to me anymore, it is so much more. When you are that close, they are so many different holes and patters and scars and if you let your imagination go a bit, they can all tell a story and you can see different patterns. It was very different to what i expected and i really felt trapped in a spell almost as we walked around. Pip then took us on a story telling walk around one section of the rock. There are four aboriginal stories that they use to teach morals to their children and they all relate to animals. You can see the different animals marks (foot prints, snake lines etc) in the rock when you are up close. On this day we had a cool front of 30degrees, but with a bus with broken air con it felt more like 50!!!
on this afternoon we made our way to Kings Canyon, where we camped on our final night. on the way we passed through a very impressive dust storm and despite being a wash out for the past two weeks we had a dry night, although on the last part of our canyon walk the next day we did get glastonbury style soaked!!!! It was a 5.5km walk up and along the canyon rim...you could see the storm coming for miles. We spent some time at the Garden of Eden swimming in the rock pool. Again, there is not normally any water to swim in, so that was pretty cool to!
After the walk we made our way back to Alice Springs. Another whole day of driving really, although they days feel a lot longer when you get up at 4!! It was a 7 1/2 hour drive (are you getting an idea of the vastness now!!!) and by the time we got to Alice i was completly shattered! But washing needed to be done etc! Didnt really see anything of Alice, just a quick wonder to the supermarket and we left early the next morning to make our way to here, as we had to fly via Adelaide. But dont think i missed anything really!
All in all it was a fantastic trip, i hope this gives you some idea. It will be a lot easier when im back and have the pictures to explain alongside the writing!
So now its monday morning in Sydney, and Jen has just gone to the airport to meet her friend Nicky who has come out from home to spend the next 3 and a bit weeks with us. This afternoon im getting the ferry over to Manly to spend a couple of days on the beach and they are joining me tomorrow.
Sydeny is really great, loving it already, just trying to decide what to do for NYE, but there seems to be plenty of options. Christmas Carols in the park next saturday, which should be fun! Have forgotten about Christmas really, but getting more in the festive spirit now, and really looking forward to it!
Anyway, best go!! hope all is well with everybody!
Ellen xxxxx
Friday, 5 December 2008
Adelaide!
Hello from Southern Australia!!
Just a little side note to start with, we are now a third of the way through our trip!! I cant believe it!! We have done soo many amazing things already, yet there seems to be sooo many more amazing things to experience and so many other countries as well, its scary in a way to think we are a third of the way through! You meet people who count the days, or cross off the days, but thats not me! I dont like to cross off days, i take each one as it comes and im quite happy doing that! If I feel like this is not for me anymore I can always come home early, or later or on time, it does not matter!! But I just wanted to mention this landmark...........
So, I made it to Adelaide and have had a good few days exploring the city!!
It feels good to be somewhere different and to explore again! We arrived early on Tuseday morning after an overnight journey by bus from Melbourne. It was nothing like my indian overnight bus experience and was very chilled and relaxed and I even slept for most of the way! They even played a movie - What Happened In Vegas - and after that I was out for the count until we arrived, so it was all good! The hostel we are staying in this week is nice and small and friendly which makes a nice change, from the chain brands that we have been staying in since we arrived here. There is a small tv room so have chilled out nearly evening watching films which has been great, as we did not watch tv the whole time we were in Melbourne!!! Tuseday I was not as shattered as I thought I would be so after freshening up and a supermarket shop we just wondered around town and got a bit more familiar with the city, although all of it is blocked designed so its really easy to find your way around!
On Wednesday we had a lazy morning, the hostel we are staying at has a free breakfast which includes pancakes! Its sooo funny watching everybody attempting to make pancakes, im not sure i have seen one yet that vaguely even resembles a pancake! I think its more amusing to sit and watch rather than actually eat them and i have been quite content with my weet-bix and hot milk this week, although its summer here, its such a homely breakfast it has just had to be done! In the afternoon we went on a self guided walk around the city, and as usual we were pretty darn good at it! It was a gloriously sunny day and we wondered around North Adelaide, passed the festival centre where the Adelaide International Guitar Festival is currently on!!! And then passed the Adelaide Oval cricket ground....im not a cricket person, but the stadiums over here are massive! We then headed for the city lookout but it wasnt all that much, and definitly cant compare to some of the volcanoe's we climbed in NZ for views! But still it was worth it, and then we wondered back through Adelaide suburbier and through the Botantical Gardens and pass the zoo!
There was a bit of a thing started on our day trip to Philip Island of taking photos of road signs...you can get some really funny ones and Julie had loads from all of her travels around Oz, so Jen and I decided to join in the fun!! As we walked passed Adelaide Zoo there was a roadsign of ducks crossing (which I have not come accross yet in Oz - they are normally of Koalas or Kangaroos etc!) so the picture just had to be taken! And then as we walked 3meters down the road...what was there...ducks crossing...amazing!! That just proves the signs are there for a reason!! Weds evening i wowed Jen again with my spaghetti bolognase and it may have even been the best yet!! :-) We havent had it since we arrived in Oz, so it did taste extra good!
On Thursday we finally sucumb to all the trips we have resisted so far and went on a wine tour of the Barossa Valley and it was BRILLIANT!!! Just an hours drive through the Adelaide hills and you are at the premium wine area in Australia! The area specalises in Shiraz so was right up my street and by the end of the 35 samples (!!!!) Jen was loving a glass of the old red too! We started off at Jacobs Creek, yes Jacobs Creek! Im not a massive fan myself, but is cool to say I have now been there! Over 65% of their wines produced here are exported to the UK!!!!! It was a $5million building with all the mod cons and we got a brief history of the company etc, but it was very commercial and the wine was not that great! The girl who did the tastings did not know any of the answers to the questions which i thought was pretty bad, and was probably my least favourite winery of the day, although not many people get to stop there so is cool to say i have been! Plus their sparkling Shiraz which was a cellar door only purchase was pretty darn good and at 10.30am I was not complaining!!!
We went to four wineries in total, and the sparkling Shiraz's deffinitly stood out for me! But we were both out for the count by 2.30pm on the bus home!! The other three we went to were all small companies, unfortunatly the nicest was a cellar door only, which was a shame as i would have bought a bottle if i was not moving on tomorrow. The girl there was also really good at telling you what to look for and she was pretty pissed too, so was just funny!! We had a BBQ for lunch and i ate my first kangaroo!!! Well, it just had to be done really and whilst it was kinda free I thought i would seize the moment!! It was fine really, just tasted like raw beef, but im not sure i will be going out of my way to try it again!
So now its Friday afternoon and we start our outback experience tomorrow morning at 6.30am!! Its 6 days altogether, stopping off at Cobber Pedy for two nights and sleeping underground, and then on to Uluru for two nights (camping in swags, wish me luck!!) and then a night at Kings Canyon. Arriving into Alice Springs next Thursday evening, and then flying to Sydney on Friday 12th where we will then be until the new year, as Jen has a friend coming out from home to spend the next few weeks with us. Im really excited about the tour, i think and hope it is going to be amazing - we have only met one person who was bitten by a snake and only one person who got bitten by a scorpion, so all in all i think it will be fine!!!!!
So, have a good week. Unfortunatly this pc does not let me upload photos either but i will when i next can, which will be the big smoke of Sydney!
Have a good week, i hope it is not too cold with you guys!!
E xxxx
Just a little side note to start with, we are now a third of the way through our trip!! I cant believe it!! We have done soo many amazing things already, yet there seems to be sooo many more amazing things to experience and so many other countries as well, its scary in a way to think we are a third of the way through! You meet people who count the days, or cross off the days, but thats not me! I dont like to cross off days, i take each one as it comes and im quite happy doing that! If I feel like this is not for me anymore I can always come home early, or later or on time, it does not matter!! But I just wanted to mention this landmark...........
So, I made it to Adelaide and have had a good few days exploring the city!!
It feels good to be somewhere different and to explore again! We arrived early on Tuseday morning after an overnight journey by bus from Melbourne. It was nothing like my indian overnight bus experience and was very chilled and relaxed and I even slept for most of the way! They even played a movie - What Happened In Vegas - and after that I was out for the count until we arrived, so it was all good! The hostel we are staying in this week is nice and small and friendly which makes a nice change, from the chain brands that we have been staying in since we arrived here. There is a small tv room so have chilled out nearly evening watching films which has been great, as we did not watch tv the whole time we were in Melbourne!!! Tuseday I was not as shattered as I thought I would be so after freshening up and a supermarket shop we just wondered around town and got a bit more familiar with the city, although all of it is blocked designed so its really easy to find your way around!
On Wednesday we had a lazy morning, the hostel we are staying at has a free breakfast which includes pancakes! Its sooo funny watching everybody attempting to make pancakes, im not sure i have seen one yet that vaguely even resembles a pancake! I think its more amusing to sit and watch rather than actually eat them and i have been quite content with my weet-bix and hot milk this week, although its summer here, its such a homely breakfast it has just had to be done! In the afternoon we went on a self guided walk around the city, and as usual we were pretty darn good at it! It was a gloriously sunny day and we wondered around North Adelaide, passed the festival centre where the Adelaide International Guitar Festival is currently on!!! And then passed the Adelaide Oval cricket ground....im not a cricket person, but the stadiums over here are massive! We then headed for the city lookout but it wasnt all that much, and definitly cant compare to some of the volcanoe's we climbed in NZ for views! But still it was worth it, and then we wondered back through Adelaide suburbier and through the Botantical Gardens and pass the zoo!
There was a bit of a thing started on our day trip to Philip Island of taking photos of road signs...you can get some really funny ones and Julie had loads from all of her travels around Oz, so Jen and I decided to join in the fun!! As we walked passed Adelaide Zoo there was a roadsign of ducks crossing (which I have not come accross yet in Oz - they are normally of Koalas or Kangaroos etc!) so the picture just had to be taken! And then as we walked 3meters down the road...what was there...ducks crossing...amazing!! That just proves the signs are there for a reason!! Weds evening i wowed Jen again with my spaghetti bolognase and it may have even been the best yet!! :-) We havent had it since we arrived in Oz, so it did taste extra good!
On Thursday we finally sucumb to all the trips we have resisted so far and went on a wine tour of the Barossa Valley and it was BRILLIANT!!! Just an hours drive through the Adelaide hills and you are at the premium wine area in Australia! The area specalises in Shiraz so was right up my street and by the end of the 35 samples (!!!!) Jen was loving a glass of the old red too! We started off at Jacobs Creek, yes Jacobs Creek! Im not a massive fan myself, but is cool to say I have now been there! Over 65% of their wines produced here are exported to the UK!!!!! It was a $5million building with all the mod cons and we got a brief history of the company etc, but it was very commercial and the wine was not that great! The girl who did the tastings did not know any of the answers to the questions which i thought was pretty bad, and was probably my least favourite winery of the day, although not many people get to stop there so is cool to say i have been! Plus their sparkling Shiraz which was a cellar door only purchase was pretty darn good and at 10.30am I was not complaining!!!
We went to four wineries in total, and the sparkling Shiraz's deffinitly stood out for me! But we were both out for the count by 2.30pm on the bus home!! The other three we went to were all small companies, unfortunatly the nicest was a cellar door only, which was a shame as i would have bought a bottle if i was not moving on tomorrow. The girl there was also really good at telling you what to look for and she was pretty pissed too, so was just funny!! We had a BBQ for lunch and i ate my first kangaroo!!! Well, it just had to be done really and whilst it was kinda free I thought i would seize the moment!! It was fine really, just tasted like raw beef, but im not sure i will be going out of my way to try it again!
So now its Friday afternoon and we start our outback experience tomorrow morning at 6.30am!! Its 6 days altogether, stopping off at Cobber Pedy for two nights and sleeping underground, and then on to Uluru for two nights (camping in swags, wish me luck!!) and then a night at Kings Canyon. Arriving into Alice Springs next Thursday evening, and then flying to Sydney on Friday 12th where we will then be until the new year, as Jen has a friend coming out from home to spend the next few weeks with us. Im really excited about the tour, i think and hope it is going to be amazing - we have only met one person who was bitten by a snake and only one person who got bitten by a scorpion, so all in all i think it will be fine!!!!!
So, have a good week. Unfortunatly this pc does not let me upload photos either but i will when i next can, which will be the big smoke of Sydney!
Have a good week, i hope it is not too cold with you guys!!
E xxxx
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Philip Island & Moving On!
Hello!
That time of the week again and this weekend it feels even better because after 3 weeks of cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen I have finished work, im out of the city and currently enjoying a sunny weekend on the beach! HOORAY!! I have really enjoyed my time in
Melbourne and its been a great way to save some money, but I am so desperate to move on and really excited to!
After all the birthday celebrations at the beginning of the week, I have just really spent this week getting organised for the next couple, as I dont want to be spending my time in Adeliade doing all the boring old jobs and I dont think im going to find much in the outback either! Although on Wednesday I went back to being a tourist, and visited the Melbourne Goal. It was really interesting as this is where Ned Kelly was imprisoned and then hung, so they had quite a lot on the Kelly Gang and their armour too, which all really interests me! I learnt quite a lot on the way too, because i went early in the morning before work, there were lots of school groups there and so i ear wigged where possible!! Great!
Yesterday we went on a day trip to Philip Island for the penguin parade and it was brilliant! Probably one of the best day trips yet, topped off with free pizza and tea and biscuits for dinner, it doesnt get much better! In the middle of the week we also met up with Julie who we met in Fiji, its been great to see her again and she came with us to Philip Island too!
It was a great day trip because for once you got a lay in and didnt leave till midday, as the little penguins are night people! We started off the day at a winery and got to sample some wine, although it wasnt the nice i have had (maybe something to do with the night out we had on Friday??!!) The island in the background of this pic is called French Island and it is mainly a wildlife park and you can only access it by boat or kayak but the lovley Aussie favourite...Kylie...has a house on there to escape the crowds...how cool!!
We then had the best time ever at a Wildlife Park where we saw Koalas (they were sooo cute) and got to feed the kangaroos!! The Kangaroos were actually quite scary because they were quite massive and jumped a lot!! One girl got really jumped on but i eventually plucked up courage and fed them!! By the way if you are thinking the hair looks different that is because Julie has GHDs!!! And it is only the second time since i have been away that i have had straight hair...amazing!! So we had a very happy snappy day, lol!!
The Penguin Parade was brilliant and i saw soo much more than i thought you would. You could not take any pictures there because of the flashes, but basically you waited until dusk and then the penguins just started coming in and out of the sea on to the beach and going back in again and then in small groups waddled up the beach, it was soo cool you didnt know where to look at times! And then as they made thier ways to the burrows you could follow them along the broadwalks and they literally walked alongside you! Ace!
This computer is being a bit annoying at uploading photos, but i will try again somewhere else as it was deffinitly a fun filled day!
So thats it, we are now in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda and im off to Albert Park tomorrow to leave my good luck vibes for Lewis for the Australian GP next year! And then we are getting the bus to Adelaide...not expecting that much, but am looking forward to being a lady of leisure again and preparing ourselves for our Alice Springs which is going to be 6 hot, very sweaty and fly ridden days, but i hope it will be amazing as well!
Thanks for all of your emails, i will get around to replying when i can! Its great to hear what you are all up to as well!
Hope you have a good weekend!
xxx
That time of the week again and this weekend it feels even better because after 3 weeks of cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen I have finished work, im out of the city and currently enjoying a sunny weekend on the beach! HOORAY!! I have really enjoyed my time in
Melbourne and its been a great way to save some money, but I am so desperate to move on and really excited to!
After all the birthday celebrations at the beginning of the week, I have just really spent this week getting organised for the next couple, as I dont want to be spending my time in Adeliade doing all the boring old jobs and I dont think im going to find much in the outback either! Although on Wednesday I went back to being a tourist, and visited the Melbourne Goal. It was really interesting as this is where Ned Kelly was imprisoned and then hung, so they had quite a lot on the Kelly Gang and their armour too, which all really interests me! I learnt quite a lot on the way too, because i went early in the morning before work, there were lots of school groups there and so i ear wigged where possible!! Great!
Yesterday we went on a day trip to Philip Island for the penguin parade and it was brilliant! Probably one of the best day trips yet, topped off with free pizza and tea and biscuits for dinner, it doesnt get much better! In the middle of the week we also met up with Julie who we met in Fiji, its been great to see her again and she came with us to Philip Island too!
It was a great day trip because for once you got a lay in and didnt leave till midday, as the little penguins are night people! We started off the day at a winery and got to sample some wine, although it wasnt the nice i have had (maybe something to do with the night out we had on Friday??!!) The island in the background of this pic is called French Island and it is mainly a wildlife park and you can only access it by boat or kayak but the lovley Aussie favourite...Kylie...has a house on there to escape the crowds...how cool!!
We then had the best time ever at a Wildlife Park where we saw Koalas (they were sooo cute) and got to feed the kangaroos!! The Kangaroos were actually quite scary because they were quite massive and jumped a lot!! One girl got really jumped on but i eventually plucked up courage and fed them!! By the way if you are thinking the hair looks different that is because Julie has GHDs!!! And it is only the second time since i have been away that i have had straight hair...amazing!! So we had a very happy snappy day, lol!!
The Penguin Parade was brilliant and i saw soo much more than i thought you would. You could not take any pictures there because of the flashes, but basically you waited until dusk and then the penguins just started coming in and out of the sea on to the beach and going back in again and then in small groups waddled up the beach, it was soo cool you didnt know where to look at times! And then as they made thier ways to the burrows you could follow them along the broadwalks and they literally walked alongside you! Ace!
This computer is being a bit annoying at uploading photos, but i will try again somewhere else as it was deffinitly a fun filled day!
So thats it, we are now in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda and im off to Albert Park tomorrow to leave my good luck vibes for Lewis for the Australian GP next year! And then we are getting the bus to Adelaide...not expecting that much, but am looking forward to being a lady of leisure again and preparing ourselves for our Alice Springs which is going to be 6 hot, very sweaty and fly ridden days, but i hope it will be amazing as well!
Thanks for all of your emails, i will get around to replying when i can! Its great to hear what you are all up to as well!
Hope you have a good weekend!
xxx
Monday, 24 November 2008
Birthday Fun!
What a great weekend!! I had a fantastic birthday, in Melbourne, even if the sun did not shine until the evening! Its making up for it today and there is not a cloud in the sky, so was cool to ring home this morning, be my birthday at home still, the next day here and the sun be shining!
Before I update you all on the past week (where has it gone again!!) I completly forgot to share my Neighbours Tour experience with you all! (Thanks Dad for pointing this out!) I think I just got caught up in all the excitment! It was brilliant and a couple of weeks ago now..but got to go to the street, the school and then the studio set of Lassiters...was fantastic, although everything looked so small! How they turn round at the top of that street as they drive away, i will never know, thats a skill in itself!!
Last week just seemed to fly by and so I can finish off my sightseeing this week, I just spent the time when I was not working, getting ready for the next couple of weeks, doing the boring jobs as I dont really want to spend my time in Sydney toilletrie shoppeing etc!! Also apparently a big hat is a necessity in the outback and so I managed to pick a bargain of one for $3 the other day...im really not fussed what it looks like...it will be a life saver and it was cheap...so thats all that matters!
So, the birthday celebrations actually started on Saturday (in true Eley style...obviously its a birthday weekend and not just a day!! :-) ) I booked a pedicure with my birthday money and had visions of floating down to this nice spa i had found in my sunnies and thongs (flip flops!) and all being very chilled! It couldnt have been any more opposite if it tried....hailed storms and 10 degrees...literally!! I thought my poor little toes were going to drop off on the way I had to come back and get my traines, the roads were flooded and I didnt even think I was going to get there! But I did and it was all very chilled out once I was there and then i bought a birthday dress (complete bargain...and the shopping here is to die for!!) and it was the last one in my size...fate...obviously!!!
On Sunday evening we went out for dinner for the first time since we left San Francisco and it was amazing! I cant believe how excited I was to be going out for dinner! Its not like we have eater badly, at all, but it was just wonderful, and I will never take it for granted again! We went to a nice Italian on Southbank in the Casino complex and then went into the casino after, had a few goes on the slot machines, won $7 and had cocktails!! I have never been in a casion like that before, it was like something out of Oceans 11 and how i imagine Vegas to be!
Yesterday (birthday day!) was just great! I got the day off work (for free as it was my birthday!!) and Jen had overtime to use up so they let her have it off as well! It was the first day we had spent together in nearly 3 weeks and was lovely! After a lazy picnic breakfast....
We ventured out to one of the suburbs which we had not made it to yet called Brunswick...def the grungier side of town, but very cool shops, cafes (as always here!) and a couple of cool cd shops to!
Then instead of lunch out we decided to go for fondut....welll it was amazing....are you jealous yet....!!! Plus my hot chocolate was orange flavoured and it was the most amazing thing i have ever tasted, with melted chocolate around the glass...so that everytime you had a sip, you got chocolate round your mouth :-)
I slipped into conversation it was my birthday, to justify this pigging out!! And i got a free chocolate frog, so I decided to go for a white chocolate frog, milk orange hot chocolate and dark chocolate fondut...Louise you would have been proud...and I wish you could have been there!!! Heaven!
I slipped into conversation it was my birthday, to justify this pigging out!! And i got a free chocolate frog, so I decided to go for a white chocolate frog, milk orange hot chocolate and dark chocolate fondut...Louise you would have been proud...and I wish you could have been there!!! Heaven!
So after all this excitment we still had the neighbours night to come, which was full of cheese, but a classic backpacking Brits abroad night! No Dr Karl as he is in the UK doing Panto but replaced with Paul Robinson!!! The funniest guy ever, he really cant sing to save his life, was quite entertaining! But we met Boyd, Janae and the Fitzgerald Brothers....brilliant!! One of the best birthdays ever and I cant believe how much we did and for once it seemed like it went on forever!!
So thats it! This time next week we will just have got off the night bus and will be in Adelaide! I am sooo excited to be moving on now and really looking forward to it, although I will miss my weekly Tuseday market trips!
I have to go now, but will check in at the end of the week, before we pack our bags and carry on on our travels!
Love to all!
E xxxx
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
A very busy week and The Great Ocean Road!
Hello!
What a very busy week, it now makes me wonder even more how I did I ever find the time for work!!!
Last week was spent really just chilling and working in the afternoons! Its not actually that bad at all, its annoying that me and Jen are on different shifts but its great to catch up in the afternoons and we are having lots of giggles updating each other on the things we have done during the day! Jen is doing housekeeping and some rooms at the hostel have a certain reputation and Jen is always so shocked at how people live in the mess that they do! I do the kitchen for part of my time and the sun that says 'Did you bring your mother with you...if not do your own washing up!!!' doesnt seem to have any effect at all, but hey ho!
On Sunday (I got the day off for free, which is always good) we escpaed city life for the day and did a one day tour of the Great Ocean Road! It was fantastic, but very tiering. We left at 7am and didnt get back until 10.15pm!!! It was worth it though, and I think i am just about fully recovered now! The road was built as a tribute to the Australian WW1 soldiers, and it also gave employement to those soldiers who returned and had no work to go to. So when you think about it, it is really a very new addition and really recent history (like a lot of NZ and here).
We just spent the day driving along the road and stopping off at different holiday spots along the way. We did this tour...http://www.bunyiptours.com/ which gives a brief outline of the places that we went!
The 12 Apostles (the picture on that link) were truly amazing and well worth the trip...its all just so incredible to think that they were formed by the power of nature...although there is now actually only 11 as one collapsed into the sea without any warning in 1995 I think. Jen took a helicopter tour over the coast line, it was very good value, but I decided against it as there are going to be sooo many more opportunities to do things like that whilst we are here and I suppose you can't do it all ;-) although we are giving it a good go!!!
On Monday I spent my morning exploring the alleys here which have fantastic botique shops and marvellous cafes in preperation for my birthday next week!! Im getting really excited and we are off out this afternoon for a treat of hot chocolate to see what they are like! I asked for the day off next Monday, just deciding to pay for that night's accomodation and thought i would mention its my birthday! And not only have i got it off, I dont have to pay for it and they have said Jen can have it off to, which is fantastic! So now we can go back to our original plan of Spa, afternoon tea and then off to the Neighbours Triva Night, I have a feeling its going to be a great day!
Anyway I have to dash and grab some lunch before work, have a good week and I will be back again soon!
E xxx
What a very busy week, it now makes me wonder even more how I did I ever find the time for work!!!
Last week was spent really just chilling and working in the afternoons! Its not actually that bad at all, its annoying that me and Jen are on different shifts but its great to catch up in the afternoons and we are having lots of giggles updating each other on the things we have done during the day! Jen is doing housekeeping and some rooms at the hostel have a certain reputation and Jen is always so shocked at how people live in the mess that they do! I do the kitchen for part of my time and the sun that says 'Did you bring your mother with you...if not do your own washing up!!!' doesnt seem to have any effect at all, but hey ho!
On Sunday (I got the day off for free, which is always good) we escpaed city life for the day and did a one day tour of the Great Ocean Road! It was fantastic, but very tiering. We left at 7am and didnt get back until 10.15pm!!! It was worth it though, and I think i am just about fully recovered now! The road was built as a tribute to the Australian WW1 soldiers, and it also gave employement to those soldiers who returned and had no work to go to. So when you think about it, it is really a very new addition and really recent history (like a lot of NZ and here).
We just spent the day driving along the road and stopping off at different holiday spots along the way. We did this tour...http://www.bunyiptours.com/ which gives a brief outline of the places that we went!
The 12 Apostles (the picture on that link) were truly amazing and well worth the trip...its all just so incredible to think that they were formed by the power of nature...although there is now actually only 11 as one collapsed into the sea without any warning in 1995 I think. Jen took a helicopter tour over the coast line, it was very good value, but I decided against it as there are going to be sooo many more opportunities to do things like that whilst we are here and I suppose you can't do it all ;-) although we are giving it a good go!!!
On Monday I spent my morning exploring the alleys here which have fantastic botique shops and marvellous cafes in preperation for my birthday next week!! Im getting really excited and we are off out this afternoon for a treat of hot chocolate to see what they are like! I asked for the day off next Monday, just deciding to pay for that night's accomodation and thought i would mention its my birthday! And not only have i got it off, I dont have to pay for it and they have said Jen can have it off to, which is fantastic! So now we can go back to our original plan of Spa, afternoon tea and then off to the Neighbours Triva Night, I have a feeling its going to be a great day!
Anyway I have to dash and grab some lunch before work, have a good week and I will be back again soon!
E xxx
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Melbourne, Week 1!
Well, all the plans have now changed since i last wrote as we have managed to pick up some work for accomodation in the hostel we are staying in! Its only 3 hours a day and we get to save $30 a night, so it now means that we can party on at Christmas, so all is good!
So now we have a bit more time to aclimitise to city life in Melbourne which is great! Although i spent the morning at the market again, treated myself to cake on the first day of work and then enjoyed the sunshine and my book, has been great! And although the job isnt fantastic, its qutie nice to feel that i have done some work for the day! I probably wont be saying that this time next week, but we only plan to stay for 3 weeks and then head to Adelaide.
So the sun is shining and we are just generally living here now, rather than sight seeing so much! although yesterday afternoon we wondered along the South bank and enjoyed the city views and desginer shops (only window shopping of course!!)
We do have a couple of day trips planned now, as we know where we are going to be. On Sunday we are heading down the Great Ocean Road for the day. You can do a 3 day trip, but there are good deals on the one day at the moment. We have also booked to go out to Philip Island on our last weekend here and then off out on the Neighbours evening on my birthday, how cool!
Anyway, only have 5 mins left, so just a quick hello and to let you know all is a ok!!
Will pop in again sooon!
E xxxx
So now we have a bit more time to aclimitise to city life in Melbourne which is great! Although i spent the morning at the market again, treated myself to cake on the first day of work and then enjoyed the sunshine and my book, has been great! And although the job isnt fantastic, its qutie nice to feel that i have done some work for the day! I probably wont be saying that this time next week, but we only plan to stay for 3 weeks and then head to Adelaide.
So the sun is shining and we are just generally living here now, rather than sight seeing so much! although yesterday afternoon we wondered along the South bank and enjoyed the city views and desginer shops (only window shopping of course!!)
We do have a couple of day trips planned now, as we know where we are going to be. On Sunday we are heading down the Great Ocean Road for the day. You can do a 3 day trip, but there are good deals on the one day at the moment. We have also booked to go out to Philip Island on our last weekend here and then off out on the Neighbours evening on my birthday, how cool!
Anyway, only have 5 mins left, so just a quick hello and to let you know all is a ok!!
Will pop in again sooon!
E xxxx
Saturday, 8 November 2008
G'Day!!
Well hello from Australia!! How cool is that!!
I arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon and has been busy busy ever since! Weather has been a bit tempremental but thats Melbourne for you apparently!
Have been busy aclimitising to city life, i think i saw more people in my first day here than i did the whole of the time in NZ!! Its a cool city though, i know people who havent liked it, but i think it is more a city to live in rather than sights. Have ventured out to the beach suburb of St. Kilda this afternoon, as in between hostels today...check in this afternoon for a week at one place as its a lot cheaper! Its really cool out here, great clothes shops and cakes everywhere, so will spend next weekend here.
Have been organising things that i want to do over the next couple of weeks if i dont get work, its all a bit up in the air at the moment whilst i job hunt. Its not looking too promising, but you never know! Will probably head to Adelaide if dont get work, because its pretty cheap to get there and generally cheaper, plus a lot of Ayres Rock tours go from Adelaide, so trying to combine lots of things!
Spent this morning at Queen Victoria Market, a Melbourne institution, getting all our fruit and veg for the next couple of days and dinner for tomorrow (mini roast!!) Im off to Ramsay St tomorrow :-) Its SOOOO exciting! Jen doesnt want to do it, im not sure why ;-) but you cant come all this way and not!! Its going to be extra cool im sure, will let you know!
Anyway, just had a flyer for free inet for 30 mins, so just thought i would say a quick hello! Best go now, but have a good weekend!! I cant believe tomorrow I will have been away for 2 months!! Its crazy, but soooo much fun!
Love to all xxxx
I arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon and has been busy busy ever since! Weather has been a bit tempremental but thats Melbourne for you apparently!
Have been busy aclimitising to city life, i think i saw more people in my first day here than i did the whole of the time in NZ!! Its a cool city though, i know people who havent liked it, but i think it is more a city to live in rather than sights. Have ventured out to the beach suburb of St. Kilda this afternoon, as in between hostels today...check in this afternoon for a week at one place as its a lot cheaper! Its really cool out here, great clothes shops and cakes everywhere, so will spend next weekend here.
Have been organising things that i want to do over the next couple of weeks if i dont get work, its all a bit up in the air at the moment whilst i job hunt. Its not looking too promising, but you never know! Will probably head to Adelaide if dont get work, because its pretty cheap to get there and generally cheaper, plus a lot of Ayres Rock tours go from Adelaide, so trying to combine lots of things!
Spent this morning at Queen Victoria Market, a Melbourne institution, getting all our fruit and veg for the next couple of days and dinner for tomorrow (mini roast!!) Im off to Ramsay St tomorrow :-) Its SOOOO exciting! Jen doesnt want to do it, im not sure why ;-) but you cant come all this way and not!! Its going to be extra cool im sure, will let you know!
Anyway, just had a flyer for free inet for 30 mins, so just thought i would say a quick hello! Best go now, but have a good weekend!! I cant believe tomorrow I will have been away for 2 months!! Its crazy, but soooo much fun!
Love to all xxxx
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Bye Bye New Zealand!!
Well, it is now Tuesday evening and we fly to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon!! I cant believe this is New Zealand over and will be sad to leave. Have had an amazing time and seen sooo much! no wonder i am feeling a little tierd today!
So whilst reflecting on my time here it is really hard to decide what has been my favourite thing. It is like deciding the Rock Club end of year top 10 albums (which by the way guys is pencilled out at the moment - there are soo many this year!!). But I have decided that these were my top 5 New Zealand must dos!!
So whilst reflecting on my time here it is really hard to decide what has been my favourite thing. It is like deciding the Rock Club end of year top 10 albums (which by the way guys is pencilled out at the moment - there are soo many this year!!). But I have decided that these were my top 5 New Zealand must dos!!
- Skydive has to be numero uno!! I absolutly loved it, was not scared and is one of the proudest things i have ever done!! Also, it turned out to be over my favourite place - Wanaka - just a beautiful, easy going, mountained view town.
- Franz Josef! Even if my legs did kill for days after! The rate global warming is going, the glacier will keep receeding, so is very cool to say i have done it!
- Cape Reinga (the very tip of the north island) and a very spiritual place for the Maori was a beautiful day and seeing the two oceans (tasmin and pacific) clash was very special.
- Milford Sound comes in next. This was also a great experience and as you can see from the pics, definitly saw it in all weathers.
- And number 5 is difficult, but it has to be the caves at Waitomo. Both the caves were so different and the glow worms were truly spectacular!
So thats it! Christchurch has been fun and we guided ourselve on a city walk yesterday! Not quite up to Cambridge standards, but you can go punting along the river all the same! The small towns and villages are the place to hang here, it seems to be a waste exploring the cities when there are so many natural beauties waiting for you around the corner.
The washing is done, and even had the luxury of hanging it on the line! Wow! This hostel is sooo homely, free warm home made bread for breakfast, nice comfey sofas and a dose of four weddings and a funeral this afternoon! Life is good and we shall see what Australia has to offer!!
Have a good week everybody!! xxx
Monday, 3 November 2008
Milford Sound...in Pictures!!!
Unfortunatly this computer is taking ages to upload the photos....that is why they are only small....but this is Milford Sound, see how it started off nice and sunny and then ended up typical Milford!!!
Enjoying Christchurch and summer is really here!!! Yay!!! Happy Monday!! xx
Enjoying Christchurch and summer is really here!!! Yay!!! Happy Monday!! xx
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Oamaru
Hello again from a very sunny Oamaru!!
Its Sunday lunchtime here and after a very pleasant stroll along the pacific ocean this morning we are just waiting for the bus to take us to Christchurch! I cant believe it, our last bus journey & only 2 more days in NZ :-(
Oamaru has just been a one night wonder, but what a night!! Its a funny little place really, they cool it a city but is probably no bigger than Brentwood high st!! But it is famous for its penguins, yes penguins! Real ones and all, both yellow and blue eyed colonies which make their way into the harbour at night. So last night, instead of paying the $20 to go on the official penguin watch, we put on the woolie hats and did our own David Attenborough bit and were succesfull!!!! We saw all the penguins, probably a good 100 on the pier and then we wondered back through the lanes and saw 3, just toddiling along!! Was very exciting and worth the cold! Have never seen a penguin in the wild before!! Thanks must go to the lady in the most gorgeous jewellery shop ever,who pointed us in the right direction!!
So in all this excitment we treated ourselves to a trip to the local pub and dessert!! Well, it was not planned, but my, the warm chocolate mud cake with cream, ice cream and chocolate snaps satisifed every craving possible and was one of the most amazing things i have EVER tasted!! It did mean that our trip to the bakery this morning was called off, but its the traditional NZ pie for dinner tomorrow if we can find a good bakery in Christchurch!! It is all about the food here, their cafe culture is amazing, I would never have thought!
Anyway best go have some lunch (Cheese on toast if your interested!!) and then catch this bus!
Have a good rest of your weekend and everyone please cross their fingers for Lewis, sounds like he is going to need it!!!
Ellen xxxx
Its Sunday lunchtime here and after a very pleasant stroll along the pacific ocean this morning we are just waiting for the bus to take us to Christchurch! I cant believe it, our last bus journey & only 2 more days in NZ :-(
Oamaru has just been a one night wonder, but what a night!! Its a funny little place really, they cool it a city but is probably no bigger than Brentwood high st!! But it is famous for its penguins, yes penguins! Real ones and all, both yellow and blue eyed colonies which make their way into the harbour at night. So last night, instead of paying the $20 to go on the official penguin watch, we put on the woolie hats and did our own David Attenborough bit and were succesfull!!!! We saw all the penguins, probably a good 100 on the pier and then we wondered back through the lanes and saw 3, just toddiling along!! Was very exciting and worth the cold! Have never seen a penguin in the wild before!! Thanks must go to the lady in the most gorgeous jewellery shop ever,who pointed us in the right direction!!
So in all this excitment we treated ourselves to a trip to the local pub and dessert!! Well, it was not planned, but my, the warm chocolate mud cake with cream, ice cream and chocolate snaps satisifed every craving possible and was one of the most amazing things i have EVER tasted!! It did mean that our trip to the bakery this morning was called off, but its the traditional NZ pie for dinner tomorrow if we can find a good bakery in Christchurch!! It is all about the food here, their cafe culture is amazing, I would never have thought!
Anyway best go have some lunch (Cheese on toast if your interested!!) and then catch this bus!
Have a good rest of your weekend and everyone please cross their fingers for Lewis, sounds like he is going to need it!!!
Ellen xxxx
Friday, 31 October 2008
Milford Part 2!!
Sorry about that, i didnt want to loose my post from yesterday when my time ran out! So anyway, the cruise around Milford was really spectacular. We did this cruise http://www.redboats.co.nz/home/ there are so many to choose from but we got a healthy discout with our YHA cards (its like being a student again, its great!!) and did the encounter nature option! We didnt see any dolphins (again!!) but saw some seals and penguins and was generally a really good gentle cruise around the sound! We saw loads of waterfall and at one point a rainbow appeared from the bottom of one of the falls, it was beautiful and my pictures came out really well so will post them up when i can. The boat even went under one waterfall which is 15,000 years old and you could voluntarily get wet!! So why not!! The one thing i am always saying to myself is to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way - so why not get soaked!! It was sooo much and fresh!!
So it really felt that we were cut off from all life out there - the tourist info, cafe and pub are all one building!! But now we are in Dunedin and its the opposite end of the scale and i have had to escape to the coast today!! I had seen Dunedin on those trashy afternoon programmes when i had been off work and it looked beautiful, so i was really disappointed when i arrived here yesterday. Im a city girl at heart thats for sure, but i just dont like the NZ cities. There arent that many and they are not city size as we know, but they just seem to overtake the beautiful surrounding landscaped that could be explored. Apart from its history of being a Scottish settlement there really is nothing Scottish about it (apart from the children's school uniforms and the odd tartan shop here and there!) Hope that answers your question cousin Lou!!
So today, whilst Jen decided to take the tour around Cadbury World (I really couldnt betray Belgium Chocolate here!!) I got the bus out to the coast and visited a small port town named Port Chalmers and had a lovely walk along the coast, admiring the view and listening to the Beatles!! Life is good when you see more ducks in a day then people!! But this was how i expected this area to be, so im pleased i made the effort to go find it! It would have been very easy to spend all day in my pjs, as the hostel is sooo homely and had breakfast in the pjs for the first time in nearly 7 weeks!! heaven!! Plus free tea and coffee for Jen, so life really is all good!
We leave here tomorrow lunchtime (they give it to rain all day tomorrow so am pleased have made the most of the sun today) and head to Oamaru. Then its Christchurch for three nights. I have high reservations about Christchurch. Its meant to be the English settlement, like here is the Scottish. But can use my time to plan my neighbours tours (very exicted!!!) and actually how we are going to fit Australia and work into 5 months. I have a really bad feelings, its not going to happen!!
So I think that is about it for now! Really has been a busy week and wish we had longer in the south island, because have truly loved it here, and we havent even seen all of it!! But there is always next time and there is a long list of things to see on there already!!
Happy Halloween and White Rabbits for tomorrow!! I cant believe we have been away for 7 weeks this weekend and that its my birthday in 24 days!!! Woo Hoo!! Role on the summer!!!! :-)
xxxx
So it really felt that we were cut off from all life out there - the tourist info, cafe and pub are all one building!! But now we are in Dunedin and its the opposite end of the scale and i have had to escape to the coast today!! I had seen Dunedin on those trashy afternoon programmes when i had been off work and it looked beautiful, so i was really disappointed when i arrived here yesterday. Im a city girl at heart thats for sure, but i just dont like the NZ cities. There arent that many and they are not city size as we know, but they just seem to overtake the beautiful surrounding landscaped that could be explored. Apart from its history of being a Scottish settlement there really is nothing Scottish about it (apart from the children's school uniforms and the odd tartan shop here and there!) Hope that answers your question cousin Lou!!
So today, whilst Jen decided to take the tour around Cadbury World (I really couldnt betray Belgium Chocolate here!!) I got the bus out to the coast and visited a small port town named Port Chalmers and had a lovely walk along the coast, admiring the view and listening to the Beatles!! Life is good when you see more ducks in a day then people!! But this was how i expected this area to be, so im pleased i made the effort to go find it! It would have been very easy to spend all day in my pjs, as the hostel is sooo homely and had breakfast in the pjs for the first time in nearly 7 weeks!! heaven!! Plus free tea and coffee for Jen, so life really is all good!
We leave here tomorrow lunchtime (they give it to rain all day tomorrow so am pleased have made the most of the sun today) and head to Oamaru. Then its Christchurch for three nights. I have high reservations about Christchurch. Its meant to be the English settlement, like here is the Scottish. But can use my time to plan my neighbours tours (very exicted!!!) and actually how we are going to fit Australia and work into 5 months. I have a really bad feelings, its not going to happen!!
So I think that is about it for now! Really has been a busy week and wish we had longer in the south island, because have truly loved it here, and we havent even seen all of it!! But there is always next time and there is a long list of things to see on there already!!
Happy Halloween and White Rabbits for tomorrow!! I cant believe we have been away for 7 weeks this weekend and that its my birthday in 24 days!!! Woo Hoo!! Role on the summer!!!! :-)
xxxx
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Milford Part 1!
Hello!!
Well another busy few days, so thought i better write it all down before i forget!
So, its Thursday afternoon and we are now on the east coast of the south island in a town (although the kiwis call it a city!!) called Dunedin. It is meant to be the Edinburgh of NZ, although we havent got very far in exploring yet. We have just checked in and dived into the internet cafe next door, well it has been a few days now!! The hostel is lush! Its really small (only 40 beds) and is like a self contained flat. Newly decorated with all the mod cons, its really nice! not that anywhere we have stayed has been bad - most places are of a very high standard, the YHAs are always good, but its nice to get a change, otherwise you feel that you are staying in the same place with the same kind of people all the time.
We had a good couple of days earlier in the week enjoying Wanaka and Queenstown. It has to be my favourite area of NZ. Its beautiful and with the southern alps all round it really is spectacular whatever the weather!! On Monday, it was a bank holiday and the sun actually shone!! One place said it was 27 degrees!! it was lovely and really looking forward to summer now!! We visited a small gold mining settlement called Arrowtown just north of Queenstown. Quite a lot of river scenes from LOTR were filmed here, so we went for a walk along Arrow River and also explored the Chinese Settlement - as once gold was discovered in the Otago region a lot of Chinese men came over to mine.
We then left Queenstown and made our way to Milford Sound. It has been an amazing couple of days, really in the middle of nowhere - although the Fiordland (the region there) is situated on the south west coast and is mainly just dense rainforest. The nearest village is Te Anu, which is 120km south of Milford. We were in Te Anu last night just breaking up the journey from Milford to here really.
There are no petrol stations, no shops, nothing in this 120 km. We were the adventurous type and stayed over in the only accomodation in the area! It was good, although the most expensive we have paid yet. Most people visit the sound on a day trip from Queenstown, but its a 13hr all round trip and we decided we wanted to have fun and enjoy the experience, and im so pleased we stayed for the night! We didnt really explore the sounding area as it rained pretty much for the whole 24 hours we were there! They got 7 meters (!!!!) of rain a year in this region, which is the second highest in the world! And i think we must have seen a least 1/2 meter!! When the rain is at its peak, one of the many surrouding mountains can have 80 waterfalls cascading down at any one time!! Truly an amazing sight to see.
You can tell how remote Milford is, because not even the maori settled here. They did not like it because of the rain and also the vast quantities of sandflys. Even cook bypassed Milford Sound and he really got everywhere!! It was actually a welshman that was the first european to settle here and he named it after Milford in Wales, so there you go Julie!!
It was an amazing experience to cruise around Milford and im running out of internet time, so instead of rushing and forgetting something will finish this chapter off in the next couple of days. We are in Dunedin until Saturday and then spending Saturday night in Oamaru and then Christchurch and thats NZ done for us. So will finish off then.
Hope it hasnt snowed too much with you guys!! Although we got our fair share of it yesterday too!!!
E xxx
Well another busy few days, so thought i better write it all down before i forget!
So, its Thursday afternoon and we are now on the east coast of the south island in a town (although the kiwis call it a city!!) called Dunedin. It is meant to be the Edinburgh of NZ, although we havent got very far in exploring yet. We have just checked in and dived into the internet cafe next door, well it has been a few days now!! The hostel is lush! Its really small (only 40 beds) and is like a self contained flat. Newly decorated with all the mod cons, its really nice! not that anywhere we have stayed has been bad - most places are of a very high standard, the YHAs are always good, but its nice to get a change, otherwise you feel that you are staying in the same place with the same kind of people all the time.
We had a good couple of days earlier in the week enjoying Wanaka and Queenstown. It has to be my favourite area of NZ. Its beautiful and with the southern alps all round it really is spectacular whatever the weather!! On Monday, it was a bank holiday and the sun actually shone!! One place said it was 27 degrees!! it was lovely and really looking forward to summer now!! We visited a small gold mining settlement called Arrowtown just north of Queenstown. Quite a lot of river scenes from LOTR were filmed here, so we went for a walk along Arrow River and also explored the Chinese Settlement - as once gold was discovered in the Otago region a lot of Chinese men came over to mine.
We then left Queenstown and made our way to Milford Sound. It has been an amazing couple of days, really in the middle of nowhere - although the Fiordland (the region there) is situated on the south west coast and is mainly just dense rainforest. The nearest village is Te Anu, which is 120km south of Milford. We were in Te Anu last night just breaking up the journey from Milford to here really.
There are no petrol stations, no shops, nothing in this 120 km. We were the adventurous type and stayed over in the only accomodation in the area! It was good, although the most expensive we have paid yet. Most people visit the sound on a day trip from Queenstown, but its a 13hr all round trip and we decided we wanted to have fun and enjoy the experience, and im so pleased we stayed for the night! We didnt really explore the sounding area as it rained pretty much for the whole 24 hours we were there! They got 7 meters (!!!!) of rain a year in this region, which is the second highest in the world! And i think we must have seen a least 1/2 meter!! When the rain is at its peak, one of the many surrouding mountains can have 80 waterfalls cascading down at any one time!! Truly an amazing sight to see.
You can tell how remote Milford is, because not even the maori settled here. They did not like it because of the rain and also the vast quantities of sandflys. Even cook bypassed Milford Sound and he really got everywhere!! It was actually a welshman that was the first european to settle here and he named it after Milford in Wales, so there you go Julie!!
It was an amazing experience to cruise around Milford and im running out of internet time, so instead of rushing and forgetting something will finish this chapter off in the next couple of days. We are in Dunedin until Saturday and then spending Saturday night in Oamaru and then Christchurch and thats NZ done for us. So will finish off then.
Hope it hasnt snowed too much with you guys!! Although we got our fair share of it yesterday too!!!
E xxx
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Sun, Snow and Freefall!!!!
Happy Weekend everybody!!
I know i say it everytime, but this week has gone even quicker and its Saturday nite again and im completly beat! Its been an adrenaline buzzing week and we have seen so much!!
So now we are in the south island and i absolutly love it! We arrived in Queenstown (the backpacker capital) on Monday after a small delay with our flight - we ended up flying via Christchurch and being delayed for a couple of hours but we got a free lunch out of it, so wasnt going to complain!! The sun has shone everyday this week, there has not been a cloud in the sky and im now sporting some very good sunglasses marks and a rudolph nose that Ruth you would be proud of! Even with the factor 30 on - the o zone layer is so thin here - you dont really stand a chance!
Anyway, we decided to make the most of the fine weather and on Tuseday finally plucked up the courage again, ceased the moment and did our skydive over Lake Wanaka and it was AWESOME!! The guys said it was the best day they have had all year and there was not a cloud in the sky. We got some amazing views over the southern alps - could see all the way up to Mount Cook and it was just the best feeling in the world! I cant believe how much i enjoyed it and as soon as i was down i was like - can i go again!! Im really pleased with the photos (i left the cd in the room so will have to upload some more next time) but the DVD is quality and i will be having a showing once home! Bring your popcorn!
So we celebrated that nite with a rotasirey chicken!! i know, we really know how to have a good time! Wednesday we then spent the day in Queenstown, after 2 nights of being there but not seeing the town it was good to actually see it and wonder around! I really like it there, it has a good feel, not too small like some of the other places but hasnt got that city feeling either. We climbed to the top of the gondola (it meant saving $25 and we like a good tramp!) and we were greeted with spectacular views over the town. It took us an hour to climb up, but as you can see it was well worth it!
So on Thursday morning we left Queenstown nice and early and made the 8hr bus ride to Franz Josef. This is not like your average trip around the M25 it has to be one of the most spectacular bus rides ever up the south west coast. We were in Narnia and Lord of The Rings land all day, and i caught a bit of LOTR last nite in the TV lounge and all i can see now in New Zealand. I love travelling in NZ - there are no cars, so there are no traffic jams, there is spectacular scenery and you dont get motor way services (because there are no motorways) instead you get amazing road side cafes with the best muffins, hot chocolates and apple pies etc. I have taken not to entering these when we stop now, as the pull is too strong!! We have started using the national express equivalent of transport now, and its amazing!! We pretty much got 8 hours of commentary all the way about everything and anything! It was not too loud, so that some quality indulget i-pod time could also be had! And they even dropped us at our hostel, brilliant!
So yesterday we did the 1/2 day glacier hike up Franz Josef and it truly was sweet as, and apart from the skydive has to be my favourite thing so far! But oh my god, are my legs killing today! We have done a lot of walking since we have been here, but this was 5 hours of serious hard work, on crampons pulling yourself through ice crevises and up the other side - but it was super awesome. I learnt so much about glaciers too, which i wont bore you with, but they are always moving and you could actually see the movement - NZ is crazy for natural things like this!
So now we are back in Wanaka for the night, just above Queenstown. We are then back there for 2 nights and then we are on our final week here!! We are heading south to Milford Sound - then accross the east coast stopping off in Dunedin and Oamaru before we arrive in Christchurch next weekend!
Thats about it really, im sooo tierd tonight but as you can see all the walking has been worth it! Im looking forward to a lazy sunday in Wanaka and we have found the most amazing cafe for tea and scone so thats my sunday morning treat for breakfast!
will update again before we leave NZ - its going to be another quite remote week for internet - when they mean small settlements they really do mean about 3 buildings to the village!! But its brilliant and im having an amazing time!!
Love to everyone xxxxx
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Kia Ora (Hello/Welcome in Maori) !
Hello Everybody!!
Well what a busy week and a bit! We are now in Wellington having made our way down through the north island touching on nearly everything there is to see!! It really has been a busy few days.
We left Auckland and journied to the east coast to a small village (most places in NZ are exceptionally small and when they say a city they actually mean town!!) called Hahei. This village offers stunning views of and is home to many of the shots in Prince Caspian and numerous other films. It is also home to Cathederal Cove a very well known NZ landmark (a rock with a hole in it really on the beach) and we did the two hour walk to the cove and back. It was glorious and almost Fiji like with all the little islands dotted around. This was our first day on the bus and we had a group BBQ that nite and stayed in a holiday park. It was cold and because we are normally in bed these days by 10pm we didnt realise just how cold it can get here at nite!!
The next day we got back on the bus and went to the west coast, still fairly north and visited another small village named Raglan. This is THE place in NZ to surf!! It was really cool to watch, but no, this is one thing i did not attempt!! Apparently the longest wave ever ridden was done here (10mins!!!) We stayed in a hillside lodge just out of the town, so unfortuantly did not get to see too much, but i think the main attraction really is the surfing.
It really has been all go, because the next day we visited the Waitomo caves. My Maori is nearly as good as my Fijian now and Waitomo means 'water hole'. Here, we did this tour http://www.waitomospellbound.co.nz/aboutSpellbound.htm it was really amzing and the glow-worms were AMAZING!! Topped with tea and biscuits in between caves it could not have been better. Most people went for the black water rafting option through the caves but the swimming with eels put me off that and apparently they saw hardly any glow-worms so i think we made the rite choice. In the afternoon we then made our way back accross to the east coast for our Maori cultural night. We stayed in a Maori welcoming house and ate the traditional meal of hangi (steamed meats, fish and veg - normally potato and pumpkin) and learned the traditional maori dances - the girls learnt the poi and the guys the Hakka!! It was loads of fun and good to interact in another culture again. We should have some pretty cool dance moves to impressive you with by the time we are home!!
The next day we were a bit bussed out and decided to get off and have a break in the 'city' of Rotorua. This is the most active geothermal area pretty much in the world. There is sulphur rising from earth everywhere. Everynow and then you get a whiff of rotten eggs but it is meant to be good for colds etc. We had two nights here and i wowed Jen with my spaghetti bolognaise and shepards pie and it was good to laze around for a bit. Jen hit the Poloynesian Spa whilst i went out to another Maori village and learned the hockey kockey in Maori. It is home to the biggest geyser in NZ and they showed us how the cooked using the steam in the earth for microwaves and the natural hot pools to blanche their veg!! This was the sunniest we had so far and so it was typical the next day when we got on the bus again (same company, diff people) it rained all the way to Taupo and our skydive was cancelled. By this time we have met a really good group of people and we had all planned to jump together, so we were pretty gutted we could not go out and celebrate. They have since 'jumped' as they stayed in Taupo for an extra night but we could not wait for the next bus to Wellingotn. From what we saw of Lake Taupo it is pretty cool - it is the largest lake in the world to be formed by a volcano and you can fit Singapore into it!!!!!
On Wednesday we headed to the National Park. A lot of the Lord of the Rings was filmed around here and we attempted a one day hike around Mount Dome actually named Mount Ruapehu. Unfortunatly, after 4 hours we had to turn back because the visibility was so bad, but we still got some really cool snow pictures, yes snow and was still a rewarding tramp (thats what they cool hikeing here!!). The lodge that nite was absolutly amazing!! It was like being in a day Spa and all for about 10 pounds - it even had a log fire - heavenly!!
After all that, we are now in Wellington until Monday. Thankfully, it is a lot better than Auckland. Still on the smallish side but walked up another volcanoe this morning to be greeted with great harbour views. We do a LOT of walking, especially up volcanoes but like i say to Jen everytime - just think of the pictures!! I am now spending the afternoon catching up on jobs and its actually a sunny day so will be strolling along the harbour later whilst Jen rides the cable car! We went to the cinema last night and saw Burn after Reading - the Pitt/Clooney film (NZ seem to be really behind here so you have prob had it out already). It was the first time since i have left that i have watched TV of any form - it is absolutly crazy but really enjoyed it!! We met a girl on our second bus who had stayed in the same place as us in Fiji!! Its totally crazy like that and even more crazier that she is now in our room at the YHA here so off out for drinks tonight with Laura.
We also visited the National Museum here yesterday http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/ It was really good fun and will be going back to finish it off over the next couple of days. Wellington is great because all the attractions are free!! woo hoo!!
We leave here on Monday and fly to Queenstown in the South island. Its going to be a busy first week - after a few days in Queenstown we are heading up to Franz Josef Glacier to do a walk and then coming back down to Milford Sound. I am sure if you googled it you could get some idea - but will post pics as and when I can.
Sorry it is such a long post but i never have time just to sit down and update you all and its always a bit of a rush.
Hope all is well with you and will be in touch again from the snowy south soon!!
Ellen xxxxx
Well what a busy week and a bit! We are now in Wellington having made our way down through the north island touching on nearly everything there is to see!! It really has been a busy few days.
We left Auckland and journied to the east coast to a small village (most places in NZ are exceptionally small and when they say a city they actually mean town!!) called Hahei. This village offers stunning views of and is home to many of the shots in Prince Caspian and numerous other films. It is also home to Cathederal Cove a very well known NZ landmark (a rock with a hole in it really on the beach) and we did the two hour walk to the cove and back. It was glorious and almost Fiji like with all the little islands dotted around. This was our first day on the bus and we had a group BBQ that nite and stayed in a holiday park. It was cold and because we are normally in bed these days by 10pm we didnt realise just how cold it can get here at nite!!
The next day we got back on the bus and went to the west coast, still fairly north and visited another small village named Raglan. This is THE place in NZ to surf!! It was really cool to watch, but no, this is one thing i did not attempt!! Apparently the longest wave ever ridden was done here (10mins!!!) We stayed in a hillside lodge just out of the town, so unfortuantly did not get to see too much, but i think the main attraction really is the surfing.
It really has been all go, because the next day we visited the Waitomo caves. My Maori is nearly as good as my Fijian now and Waitomo means 'water hole'. Here, we did this tour http://www.waitomospellbound.co.nz/aboutSpellbound.htm it was really amzing and the glow-worms were AMAZING!! Topped with tea and biscuits in between caves it could not have been better. Most people went for the black water rafting option through the caves but the swimming with eels put me off that and apparently they saw hardly any glow-worms so i think we made the rite choice. In the afternoon we then made our way back accross to the east coast for our Maori cultural night. We stayed in a Maori welcoming house and ate the traditional meal of hangi (steamed meats, fish and veg - normally potato and pumpkin) and learned the traditional maori dances - the girls learnt the poi and the guys the Hakka!! It was loads of fun and good to interact in another culture again. We should have some pretty cool dance moves to impressive you with by the time we are home!!
The next day we were a bit bussed out and decided to get off and have a break in the 'city' of Rotorua. This is the most active geothermal area pretty much in the world. There is sulphur rising from earth everywhere. Everynow and then you get a whiff of rotten eggs but it is meant to be good for colds etc. We had two nights here and i wowed Jen with my spaghetti bolognaise and shepards pie and it was good to laze around for a bit. Jen hit the Poloynesian Spa whilst i went out to another Maori village and learned the hockey kockey in Maori. It is home to the biggest geyser in NZ and they showed us how the cooked using the steam in the earth for microwaves and the natural hot pools to blanche their veg!! This was the sunniest we had so far and so it was typical the next day when we got on the bus again (same company, diff people) it rained all the way to Taupo and our skydive was cancelled. By this time we have met a really good group of people and we had all planned to jump together, so we were pretty gutted we could not go out and celebrate. They have since 'jumped' as they stayed in Taupo for an extra night but we could not wait for the next bus to Wellingotn. From what we saw of Lake Taupo it is pretty cool - it is the largest lake in the world to be formed by a volcano and you can fit Singapore into it!!!!!
On Wednesday we headed to the National Park. A lot of the Lord of the Rings was filmed around here and we attempted a one day hike around Mount Dome actually named Mount Ruapehu. Unfortunatly, after 4 hours we had to turn back because the visibility was so bad, but we still got some really cool snow pictures, yes snow and was still a rewarding tramp (thats what they cool hikeing here!!). The lodge that nite was absolutly amazing!! It was like being in a day Spa and all for about 10 pounds - it even had a log fire - heavenly!!
After all that, we are now in Wellington until Monday. Thankfully, it is a lot better than Auckland. Still on the smallish side but walked up another volcanoe this morning to be greeted with great harbour views. We do a LOT of walking, especially up volcanoes but like i say to Jen everytime - just think of the pictures!! I am now spending the afternoon catching up on jobs and its actually a sunny day so will be strolling along the harbour later whilst Jen rides the cable car! We went to the cinema last night and saw Burn after Reading - the Pitt/Clooney film (NZ seem to be really behind here so you have prob had it out already). It was the first time since i have left that i have watched TV of any form - it is absolutly crazy but really enjoyed it!! We met a girl on our second bus who had stayed in the same place as us in Fiji!! Its totally crazy like that and even more crazier that she is now in our room at the YHA here so off out for drinks tonight with Laura.
We also visited the National Museum here yesterday http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/ It was really good fun and will be going back to finish it off over the next couple of days. Wellington is great because all the attractions are free!! woo hoo!!
We leave here on Monday and fly to Queenstown in the South island. Its going to be a busy first week - after a few days in Queenstown we are heading up to Franz Josef Glacier to do a walk and then coming back down to Milford Sound. I am sure if you googled it you could get some idea - but will post pics as and when I can.
Sorry it is such a long post but i never have time just to sit down and update you all and its always a bit of a rush.
Hope all is well with you and will be in touch again from the snowy south soon!!
Ellen xxxxx
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
More photos for you!!
Here are some more NZ photos. Has been a busy couple of weeks but head to Wellington tomorrow for a few days so plan to update you all then!! This is us caving on tuseday. We did a 'wet' cave and a slightly more friendlier although still really cool 'dry' cave above.
This is me sandboarding in the Bay of Islands. Was so much fun and really fast, am turning into an adrealine junkie!!
This one is me in sunny auckland!! The shopping and sunshine was all about this place had going for it!!
Will update more soon over the next couple of days.
xx
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Photo Time
Here are some photos from the past few days....
This is our new friend we found today!! And this is me, obviously, in the Bay of Islands!!
New Zealand Part 1!
hello everybody!!
I cant believe we have been in New Zealand a week tomorrow and away for nearly a month! Time is going quickly now and will speed up even more im sure!
After a few days in Auckland, which i have decided is nothing that special we have been up in the Bay of Islands for the past few days. 4 hours north of Auckland and a popular tourist destination for the kiwis. It provides stunning scenery and has good village vibes.
We have been staying in a village called Paihia and yes it does have internet, woo hoo!! We went on a dolphin cruise on our first afternoon (im afraid i cant tell you what day it is or even the date now!!) but unfortunatly did not see any dolphins - even though we found out after there was a 90% chance of seeing them!! The boat ride also included a visit to the 'hole in the rocl' which is literally just that!! The boat ride has to be one of the scariest ever, it was sooo rough - there literally was holes in the ocean when the boat just smashed! Since being away i really have felt the force of mother nature - our resort pretty much got struck by lightening in Fiji - it was the loudest bang and crack i have ever heard and was also scary!! Thats twice now, i have felt very helpless against the powers of mother nature.
We had a chill out day yesterday and it rained all day, but the sun has shone today and we have walked up to the next willage of Waitangi where the treaty was signed between the english and maori chiefs. It has been very interesting and rite up my street, although it is still hard to believe it was only in 1834.
On Monday we went up to Cape Reigna which is the furthest north you can go in NZ. It was beautiful and where the Tasmin Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. It was a really long day, we left at 6am and did not get back until 8.30pm. our bus broke down in the middle of the forest which was quite exciting!! We drove up 90 mile beach and went sand boarding, which was really good fun and the most extreme thing i have done so far!! The sand dunes were pretty massive. Have learnt loads about the maori culture over the past couple of days, everybody still speaks it up here and is very interesting to learn that it still has such a presence.
So we leave here this afternoon, about 4.30 to get back to Auckland hopefully by 8. We then leave first thing in the morning to pick up our bus tour. We have 12 days to get to Wellington and have decided to do the 'Peter pass' http://www.straytravel.com/north-island-travel.php see this link four route etc. we have decided to use this company 'Stray' to get around the northern island because hopefully we will see more off the beaten track and then when we go to the south island we are just going to use the national express buses to get around and try and save money that way!!
We have started cooking for ourselves now, so far the kitchens in the hostels have been brilliant so we are trying to remember all those classic uni recipes!!
Sorry if this is all a bit hit and miss. Trying to get everything done in an hour is proving to be quite difficult!!
Will try and upload some photos at some stage, have got them on disc but cant find a computer with a disc drive yet!!
Will post again soon. Miss you all
E xxxx
I cant believe we have been in New Zealand a week tomorrow and away for nearly a month! Time is going quickly now and will speed up even more im sure!
After a few days in Auckland, which i have decided is nothing that special we have been up in the Bay of Islands for the past few days. 4 hours north of Auckland and a popular tourist destination for the kiwis. It provides stunning scenery and has good village vibes.
We have been staying in a village called Paihia and yes it does have internet, woo hoo!! We went on a dolphin cruise on our first afternoon (im afraid i cant tell you what day it is or even the date now!!) but unfortunatly did not see any dolphins - even though we found out after there was a 90% chance of seeing them!! The boat ride also included a visit to the 'hole in the rocl' which is literally just that!! The boat ride has to be one of the scariest ever, it was sooo rough - there literally was holes in the ocean when the boat just smashed! Since being away i really have felt the force of mother nature - our resort pretty much got struck by lightening in Fiji - it was the loudest bang and crack i have ever heard and was also scary!! Thats twice now, i have felt very helpless against the powers of mother nature.
We had a chill out day yesterday and it rained all day, but the sun has shone today and we have walked up to the next willage of Waitangi where the treaty was signed between the english and maori chiefs. It has been very interesting and rite up my street, although it is still hard to believe it was only in 1834.
On Monday we went up to Cape Reigna which is the furthest north you can go in NZ. It was beautiful and where the Tasmin Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. It was a really long day, we left at 6am and did not get back until 8.30pm. our bus broke down in the middle of the forest which was quite exciting!! We drove up 90 mile beach and went sand boarding, which was really good fun and the most extreme thing i have done so far!! The sand dunes were pretty massive. Have learnt loads about the maori culture over the past couple of days, everybody still speaks it up here and is very interesting to learn that it still has such a presence.
So we leave here this afternoon, about 4.30 to get back to Auckland hopefully by 8. We then leave first thing in the morning to pick up our bus tour. We have 12 days to get to Wellington and have decided to do the 'Peter pass' http://www.straytravel.com/north-island-travel.php see this link four route etc. we have decided to use this company 'Stray' to get around the northern island because hopefully we will see more off the beaten track and then when we go to the south island we are just going to use the national express buses to get around and try and save money that way!!
We have started cooking for ourselves now, so far the kitchens in the hostels have been brilliant so we are trying to remember all those classic uni recipes!!
Sorry if this is all a bit hit and miss. Trying to get everything done in an hour is proving to be quite difficult!!
Will try and upload some photos at some stage, have got them on disc but cant find a computer with a disc drive yet!!
Will post again soon. Miss you all
E xxxx
Friday, 3 October 2008
BULA!!!
Bula everybody (hello in Fijian!!)
Wow what an amazing two weeks. We are now safely in Auckland and slowly getting used to 'real' life again. Two weeks without internet, phones or any form of communication really was great, no watch, no shoes, it really was paradise.
The flight from San Fran to Fiji was the longest we will have to do, but air new zealand were amazing!! I even ate all of the food, a constant supply of new zealand wine for dinner and bubbly for breakfast, why not hey!!
Nadi, on the main island of Fiji really is a dump! Everyone kept telling me there really is nothing there and they are sooo right! you feel like you are in a completly different country - mainly india - after two weeks on the Waya island that we visited.
We stayed at Octopus resort which was amazing! The sun shone for the majority of the time and im now sporting a nice tan! When it did rain, it was tropical, cleared the air and then was sunnier than ever!
The resort has close links with the local villahe - Nalawayki - the majority of staff at the resort live in the village. We ended up going to the village four times - church two sundays in a row!! once to visit the kindergarten and another time for a general tour, kava ceremony and a meke show from the villagers, and oh cant forget the craft market!
Church was amazing. Maybe my highlight, the signing from the tiny choir and the passion that they sing and preach with brought me to tears. they have nothing at this village, live in tin houses but yet want for nothing and you can feel the love and happiness in the air. On the second sunday we went there was a christening. It was such a special and personal moment for the family yet we were privileged enough to be involved.
The kindergarten was really great, the kids sang us nursey rhymes in enlgish! I really need to learn another language if these kids can speak two and yet have nothing - it was brilliant. the older children of the village board on another island - which is funded by the resort - the people are eternally grateful.
When we went over for the Meke show it was lots of singing, dancing and laughing. But this time we recognised a lot of the villagers from working at the resort and vice versa so they got us up doing the conga and 'shaking it' around the village!! It was great!
The rest of the time we spent chilling by the pool, reading and walking the amazing beach! The food was great too, 3 full meals a day we really are stuffed and its nice to feel a little hungry now! Everyone should visit Fiji in their life!
Now we are in Auckland, its Friday early evening and we arrived yesterday. We leave here on Sunday to do a tour to the tip of NZ where the two oceans meet and to go to the Bay of Islands which is North east of here. We are then coming back here for the nite to decide which company to use to get us down to Wellington. We will have 12 days left before we then fly to Queenstown so will be plenty of time! Its def going to be alot more active than Fiji time was!
Auckland is good - its safe, has everything we need and the hostel have been fab in helping us plan our trip but its not san fran!! everything is very spread out here so we are planning to venture a bit further afield tomorrow. We have been practical today, been and bought food so we can cook the next few nites, bought a really cool quicksliver hoody for 18 pounds and then tonite we are going to treat ourselves and yes you guessed it.....do our washing!!!!
I have managed to upload my pictures so far (all 281) onto disc but for some reason this computer does not like it! so will try again when im next online!
I think thats pretty much it for now...thanks for all your updates its great to hear what you are all up to...and i will reply eventually its just 30mins really does fly when your on here and no time for even face book faffing!!
Miss you all but really am having the exeperience of my life.
Lots of love xxxxxxxxx
Wow what an amazing two weeks. We are now safely in Auckland and slowly getting used to 'real' life again. Two weeks without internet, phones or any form of communication really was great, no watch, no shoes, it really was paradise.
The flight from San Fran to Fiji was the longest we will have to do, but air new zealand were amazing!! I even ate all of the food, a constant supply of new zealand wine for dinner and bubbly for breakfast, why not hey!!
Nadi, on the main island of Fiji really is a dump! Everyone kept telling me there really is nothing there and they are sooo right! you feel like you are in a completly different country - mainly india - after two weeks on the Waya island that we visited.
We stayed at Octopus resort which was amazing! The sun shone for the majority of the time and im now sporting a nice tan! When it did rain, it was tropical, cleared the air and then was sunnier than ever!
The resort has close links with the local villahe - Nalawayki - the majority of staff at the resort live in the village. We ended up going to the village four times - church two sundays in a row!! once to visit the kindergarten and another time for a general tour, kava ceremony and a meke show from the villagers, and oh cant forget the craft market!
Church was amazing. Maybe my highlight, the signing from the tiny choir and the passion that they sing and preach with brought me to tears. they have nothing at this village, live in tin houses but yet want for nothing and you can feel the love and happiness in the air. On the second sunday we went there was a christening. It was such a special and personal moment for the family yet we were privileged enough to be involved.
The kindergarten was really great, the kids sang us nursey rhymes in enlgish! I really need to learn another language if these kids can speak two and yet have nothing - it was brilliant. the older children of the village board on another island - which is funded by the resort - the people are eternally grateful.
When we went over for the Meke show it was lots of singing, dancing and laughing. But this time we recognised a lot of the villagers from working at the resort and vice versa so they got us up doing the conga and 'shaking it' around the village!! It was great!
The rest of the time we spent chilling by the pool, reading and walking the amazing beach! The food was great too, 3 full meals a day we really are stuffed and its nice to feel a little hungry now! Everyone should visit Fiji in their life!
Now we are in Auckland, its Friday early evening and we arrived yesterday. We leave here on Sunday to do a tour to the tip of NZ where the two oceans meet and to go to the Bay of Islands which is North east of here. We are then coming back here for the nite to decide which company to use to get us down to Wellington. We will have 12 days left before we then fly to Queenstown so will be plenty of time! Its def going to be alot more active than Fiji time was!
Auckland is good - its safe, has everything we need and the hostel have been fab in helping us plan our trip but its not san fran!! everything is very spread out here so we are planning to venture a bit further afield tomorrow. We have been practical today, been and bought food so we can cook the next few nites, bought a really cool quicksliver hoody for 18 pounds and then tonite we are going to treat ourselves and yes you guessed it.....do our washing!!!!
I have managed to upload my pictures so far (all 281) onto disc but for some reason this computer does not like it! so will try again when im next online!
I think thats pretty much it for now...thanks for all your updates its great to hear what you are all up to...and i will reply eventually its just 30mins really does fly when your on here and no time for even face book faffing!!
Miss you all but really am having the exeperience of my life.
Lots of love xxxxxxxxx
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Hey from San Fran!
Hello from sunny but coooll San Fran!
I love this city, the vibe is great and the shops are AMAZING although i dont even dare enter, there is even a Forever 21, Ruth!!!
Sunday was the longest day ever, and the longest nite 2! Jet lag was not 2 bad and considering this time yesterday i was in bed, i would say we are pretty much now on west coast time! The hostel is fine, everyone is realy friendly and its pretty luxurious compared to our first nite in Delhi! Its like living in halls again, i can relive my youth, fantastic!!!
Done absoulty loads today and probably walked about 10 miles (thank god for Ecco shoes!!). Walked the Golden Gate bridge (and yes i did wear my tshirt R & C) and went all around the bay area - Pier 39 where all the sea lions are was like being in Southend in San Fran, candy floss and all, it was brilliant!!
Also explored china town (the biggest in the world outside china) and little italy where i had the most amazing cuppa in a silk tea bag!! plan to continue a wondering over the next couple of days before we head to Fiji on Wednesday evening.
Hope all is ok with you guys and that you enjoyed Metallica boys.
Will hopefully update you again when arrive in Fiji! Wish you were all here with me xxx
I love this city, the vibe is great and the shops are AMAZING although i dont even dare enter, there is even a Forever 21, Ruth!!!
Sunday was the longest day ever, and the longest nite 2! Jet lag was not 2 bad and considering this time yesterday i was in bed, i would say we are pretty much now on west coast time! The hostel is fine, everyone is realy friendly and its pretty luxurious compared to our first nite in Delhi! Its like living in halls again, i can relive my youth, fantastic!!!
Done absoulty loads today and probably walked about 10 miles (thank god for Ecco shoes!!). Walked the Golden Gate bridge (and yes i did wear my tshirt R & C) and went all around the bay area - Pier 39 where all the sea lions are was like being in Southend in San Fran, candy floss and all, it was brilliant!!
Also explored china town (the biggest in the world outside china) and little italy where i had the most amazing cuppa in a silk tea bag!! plan to continue a wondering over the next couple of days before we head to Fiji on Wednesday evening.
Hope all is ok with you guys and that you enjoyed Metallica boys.
Will hopefully update you again when arrive in Fiji! Wish you were all here with me xxx
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Travelling is....
Words of wisdom from my current book:-
'Travelling is about the best thing there is, at all. I can't think of anything more worthwhile, more enlightening or more full of promise. There is so much to discover, so many encounters to be had, so many sunsets to see, so many ways of cooking eggs'.
Alex James - Blur
'Travelling is about the best thing there is, at all. I can't think of anything more worthwhile, more enlightening or more full of promise. There is so much to discover, so many encounters to be had, so many sunsets to see, so many ways of cooking eggs'.
Alex James - Blur
Monday, 25 August 2008
Welcome!
Hiya!
Welcome to my travel blog! As you know, I'm off travelling around the world for eight months! I thought this would be the best way to keep everyone updated at the same time and remind myself of what I will have done (apart from laying on various beaches for eight months!!)
D-Day is another three weeks yet (14 September 2008) but I am getting organised now...so stay tuned for the latest news!
E x
Welcome to my travel blog! As you know, I'm off travelling around the world for eight months! I thought this would be the best way to keep everyone updated at the same time and remind myself of what I will have done (apart from laying on various beaches for eight months!!)
D-Day is another three weeks yet (14 September 2008) but I am getting organised now...so stay tuned for the latest news!
E x
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