Today we left Queenstown and went out on a limb and decided to stay somewhere that wasn’t directly recommended to stay at. We drove through some incredible scenery and arrived at a place called Twizel. Twizel is the main area for Hydro Power Production In New Zealand and most of it’s lakes are part man made along with the canals that connect them all. It’s a very clever system that allows them to pump water from one lake to another to satisfy the need for power. I have never seen such beautiful water in my life, they are glacial lakes and for a reason untold to me they have remained the same blue colour you’d expect from a glacier. We do know this as we have climbed one ;) Looking back at the pictures its difficult to distinguish the sky from the lake. Mount Cook makes an appearance in the hazy sky too. I loved this place. It had the feeling that it was all man made and everything was perfect, but of course most of it was natural. It just had that feeling of being new. A difficult feeling to get across. Look at the photos they explain everything.
We arrived at Lake Tekapo to a gorgeous afternoon of hot sun and a partially cloudless sky. They did say that this area of the country has the least amount of clouds in the sky. There we only a few of those expedia clouds from the old adverts. We checked into possibly the cleanest hostel we'd been at so far. We made the most of our free afternoon and lazed on the black sand byt the lake. Now Black sand and hot sun makes for a very hot walk to the water. The water too was freezing. I know it's a glacial lake but surely it could have warmed up by now.
Lake Tekapo is supposed to be one of the best places ever for looking at stars because it is out in the middle of nowhere and barely gets clouds. Unfortunately we had a full moon, but the stars will still beautiful....what we could see anyways. We had a great afternoon relaxing and went out for some chips at night to see the stars. We took some photos of us playing on the swings, i forgot how fun it was but i made myself feeel noutious. I have never seen such an amazing sunset away from the sea before, there are photos of it somewhere on facebook go see.
Heading to Christchurch tomorrow, another 4 hour bus trek. Fun Fun Fun.
Kia Ora
David & Holly
Maori Roast - Takeaway Fish and Chips
Are we having a nice wholesome nutricious meal tonight?
Yup, a Maori Roast
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Day 15 - Milford Sound
Google Milford Sound. You’ll see that this place is in the running to be the 8th wonder of the natural world. Now there’s going to be a little section of facts here for those interested.
This area of the world has a lot to do with Wales, as it’s discoverer was a man from Wales. He named it Milford Sound after the area Milford haven in Wales, apparently they’re similar though I’ve never seen a Fiord in Wales. There are also a number of rivers gorges and gulley’s named after Welsh areas. When describing sizes of places around here people often compare the sizes of them to Wales, I’m not sure why Wales is usually the subject as many people don’t even know where it is. The Fiordland National Park is the size of Wales around 3.5 million hectares.
Milford Sound is one part of the park that is basically a Fiord that extends out to the ocean. It’s a stunning sight as you enter the boat harbour. You see the harbour and beyond is a magical looking cluster of glacial art framed by the ocean and clouds. This area gets on average 10 inches of rain per year but we went there on an overcast day which was good for us. We hopped on our boat and helped ourselves to the ‘Free’ all you can eat buffet on offer. By the time we’d finished the buffet we’d already hit the ocean so we stood outside for the return leg of the journey. The cliffs rise directly upwards form the sea. Duh David…It’s a Fiord I hear you say. But I think unless you really see the sight you can’t really appreciate the magnitude of this place.
The waterfalls cascade off the cliffs like huge leaks from the bush at the top, there are hundreds of them all over the park. Just imagine that after a few inches of rain it’d be like a Victoria falls from them.
This place was beautiful, though Milford Sound is just one part of the whole thing. The park itself is stunning and I would love to see it under a few feet of snow. I’m not sure I’d repeat the 8 hour bus journey again but I’d definitely make the effort to see the place again.
Holly and I went to Starbucks for some tea and a talk about nothing. Today was a good day.
Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
Home N' Hosed - Home safe and sound
After getting off the glacier and trekking back to the bus, we finally made it home n' hosed
This area of the world has a lot to do with Wales, as it’s discoverer was a man from Wales. He named it Milford Sound after the area Milford haven in Wales, apparently they’re similar though I’ve never seen a Fiord in Wales. There are also a number of rivers gorges and gulley’s named after Welsh areas. When describing sizes of places around here people often compare the sizes of them to Wales, I’m not sure why Wales is usually the subject as many people don’t even know where it is. The Fiordland National Park is the size of Wales around 3.5 million hectares.
Milford Sound is one part of the park that is basically a Fiord that extends out to the ocean. It’s a stunning sight as you enter the boat harbour. You see the harbour and beyond is a magical looking cluster of glacial art framed by the ocean and clouds. This area gets on average 10 inches of rain per year but we went there on an overcast day which was good for us. We hopped on our boat and helped ourselves to the ‘Free’ all you can eat buffet on offer. By the time we’d finished the buffet we’d already hit the ocean so we stood outside for the return leg of the journey. The cliffs rise directly upwards form the sea. Duh David…It’s a Fiord I hear you say. But I think unless you really see the sight you can’t really appreciate the magnitude of this place.
The waterfalls cascade off the cliffs like huge leaks from the bush at the top, there are hundreds of them all over the park. Just imagine that after a few inches of rain it’d be like a Victoria falls from them.
This place was beautiful, though Milford Sound is just one part of the whole thing. The park itself is stunning and I would love to see it under a few feet of snow. I’m not sure I’d repeat the 8 hour bus journey again but I’d definitely make the effort to see the place again.
Holly and I went to Starbucks for some tea and a talk about nothing. Today was a good day.
Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
Home N' Hosed - Home safe and sound
After getting off the glacier and trekking back to the bus, we finally made it home n' hosed
Saturday, January 30, 2010
More Pictures!
Hey guys there's an updated album of our photos available.
NZ - Auckland to Waitomo
NZ - Mt. Doom to Lake Mahinapua
NZ - Auckland to Waitomo
NZ - Mt. Doom to Lake Mahinapua
Day 12 + 13 + 14 - Wanaka and Queenstown
Kia Ora,
Yesterday we rocked up into a town called Wanaka after many little photos stops along the way. What a beautiful country. I am continually amazed. I assumed by now I would be sick of taking pictures of the scenery but not at all. Each place we stop at is just as beautiful as the last.
Wanaka was a nice little small town with a Lake beside it. It reminds me of a small version of Kelowna, with the mountains backdropping the lake and small town. We did not spend a lot of time in Wanaka, although we would have loved to.
After Wanaka we headed to Queenstown
On our way through to queenstown we stopped at the original Bungy Jumping site for some people to thrown themselves off this historic bridge. The site is called A J Hackett’s Bungy jumping centre or something along those lines. And this guy was the original creator of the Bungy dating back to the 80’s. We watched a number of people fall and rebound up and fall again, be caught on a boat below and run up for more.
After staying here for a while we then headed on to Queenstown via a small viewing platform overlooking a lake and the Remarkable’s mountains, Which are probably New Zealand’s best known skiing fields. Queensland is a very cute overused town full of bars and shops to empty a poor backpackers account. It’s also the main place in the country for adrenaline filled activities. You can do Any outdoor activity imaginable here.
This was our last time as a whole group so we made the most of it by hanging out making the most of the huge lake and blistering sun. We had a fantastic time in Queenstown and would definitely come back. With lots more money though.
I think that’s all, Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
Choice - Great, or excellent!
We're going to Wellington soon, there's this Choice Museum there!
Yesterday we rocked up into a town called Wanaka after many little photos stops along the way. What a beautiful country. I am continually amazed. I assumed by now I would be sick of taking pictures of the scenery but not at all. Each place we stop at is just as beautiful as the last.
Wanaka was a nice little small town with a Lake beside it. It reminds me of a small version of Kelowna, with the mountains backdropping the lake and small town. We did not spend a lot of time in Wanaka, although we would have loved to.
After Wanaka we headed to Queenstown
On our way through to queenstown we stopped at the original Bungy Jumping site for some people to thrown themselves off this historic bridge. The site is called A J Hackett’s Bungy jumping centre or something along those lines. And this guy was the original creator of the Bungy dating back to the 80’s. We watched a number of people fall and rebound up and fall again, be caught on a boat below and run up for more.
After staying here for a while we then headed on to Queenstown via a small viewing platform overlooking a lake and the Remarkable’s mountains, Which are probably New Zealand’s best known skiing fields. Queensland is a very cute overused town full of bars and shops to empty a poor backpackers account. It’s also the main place in the country for adrenaline filled activities. You can do Any outdoor activity imaginable here.
This was our last time as a whole group so we made the most of it by hanging out making the most of the huge lake and blistering sun. We had a fantastic time in Queenstown and would definitely come back. With lots more money though.
I think that’s all, Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
Choice - Great, or excellent!
We're going to Wellington soon, there's this Choice Museum there!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 11 - Franz Josef Glacier
We woke up early this morning to an overcast sky, perfect for hiking a glacier. We arrived at the place where we booked our trip and got all dressed up for the hike - boots, winter jackets, gloves, mitts, winter pants and crampons (spike things that you put on your shoes to stick in the ice.) We got on a bus and headed towards the glacier, many of the instructors were from Canada. It was about an hour hike through a valley to get to the bottom of the glacier. We saddled up put on our crampons and set about getting up the glacier. It was a strange feeling being on a moving mass of ice. Quite humbling too. We were told that we would be heading for this peak of rock that came out of the glacier, the point of an ice fall that was making its way down the top of it.
We climbed up through mounds and hills disappearing into crevices and climbing out of them only by paths created in the crevices walls, we were being led by a guy with a pick axe a sense of adventure and some adrenaline hungry followers (us). It was awesome, we’d be squeezing through gaps no wider than our hips sometimes smaller, hoisting ourselves out and over gaping gaps in the ice. Holly was a bit of a wimp in the start but soon learnt that she had no choice but to suck it up and go with it. It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had on Ice.
We spent about 5 hours on the glacier looking in things, jumping on things and learning heaps about how the whole operation worked. The weather was terrible but I think it added to the fun of it. We were so waterproof it was silly.
We got back to the hostel and spent the night relaxing resting our poor feet and weary limbs. A great day though!!
Kia Ora,
David & Holly
Technicolour Yawn . Vomit or the act of vomiting.
After eating some bad Kiwi fruits and jumping off a Canyon Bridge tied to a bungi rope may cause technicolour yawn.
We climbed up through mounds and hills disappearing into crevices and climbing out of them only by paths created in the crevices walls, we were being led by a guy with a pick axe a sense of adventure and some adrenaline hungry followers (us). It was awesome, we’d be squeezing through gaps no wider than our hips sometimes smaller, hoisting ourselves out and over gaping gaps in the ice. Holly was a bit of a wimp in the start but soon learnt that she had no choice but to suck it up and go with it. It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had on Ice.
We spent about 5 hours on the glacier looking in things, jumping on things and learning heaps about how the whole operation worked. The weather was terrible but I think it added to the fun of it. We were so waterproof it was silly.
We got back to the hostel and spent the night relaxing resting our poor feet and weary limbs. A great day though!!
Kia Ora,
David & Holly
Technicolour Yawn . Vomit or the act of vomiting.
After eating some bad Kiwi fruits and jumping off a Canyon Bridge tied to a bungi rope may cause technicolour yawn.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Day 10 - Franz Josef
Today, we headed off to Franz Joseph. Franz Joseph is a very small town famed for it’s Glacier, Franz Joseph. The whole town is built around tourism for this incredible place. Holly Compares the place to Bamph, but much smaller. For me It is very similar to a small Italian Village I stayed in a few years ago on a skiing trip. Under the shadow of the colossal Mount Cook, lakes and fields litter the bottom of the scarred valley. The surrounding area is exactly like a case study I had for 6th form all about glaciers. It all came flooding back.
So we jumped off the bus and got paid up for all our activities here and headed off to the hostel to chillax. We had to head off to the Kayaking place for 5:30 so we fell asleep in front of the tv, this has not been done for a while. And at the allotted time strode over to begin our Kayaking adventure. We drove to the lake and had our pep talk, got our gear and threw ourselves enthusiastically into the boats and raced off. We got in trouble however because we went too far before the guides got into the water. So we headed off to the other end of the lake. As we got halfway over Mount Cook appeared from behind the Hills towering over us. In contrast to the forest around the lake of lush green Mount Cook with it’s Snow caps sticks out like a beautiful sore thumb.
We spent around 2 and a half hours paddling around seeing different things, we went up through this small forest stream and saw some beautiful sights, the water was like glass and reflected The scenery. We played around capsized our friends Kayak and tried to go as fast as possible before our arms fell off and finally raced back to shore after sunset.
It was a great night and it’s great to be in such a beautiful place. I look forward to tomorrow now, tomorrow we’re doing a full day hike on Franz Joseph, the Glacier. Wish us Luck!!
Speak soon
David & Holly
A word I (Holly) remember calling my siblings as a child:
“Dumb-bum” – a fool.
Holly: David, I cannot find the lap top anywhere, I think I lost it, I don’t remember where I had it last!!!!
David: Holly, don’t be a dumb bum, its in the room.
So we jumped off the bus and got paid up for all our activities here and headed off to the hostel to chillax. We had to head off to the Kayaking place for 5:30 so we fell asleep in front of the tv, this has not been done for a while. And at the allotted time strode over to begin our Kayaking adventure. We drove to the lake and had our pep talk, got our gear and threw ourselves enthusiastically into the boats and raced off. We got in trouble however because we went too far before the guides got into the water. So we headed off to the other end of the lake. As we got halfway over Mount Cook appeared from behind the Hills towering over us. In contrast to the forest around the lake of lush green Mount Cook with it’s Snow caps sticks out like a beautiful sore thumb.
We spent around 2 and a half hours paddling around seeing different things, we went up through this small forest stream and saw some beautiful sights, the water was like glass and reflected The scenery. We played around capsized our friends Kayak and tried to go as fast as possible before our arms fell off and finally raced back to shore after sunset.
It was a great night and it’s great to be in such a beautiful place. I look forward to tomorrow now, tomorrow we’re doing a full day hike on Franz Joseph, the Glacier. Wish us Luck!!
Speak soon
David & Holly
A word I (Holly) remember calling my siblings as a child:
“Dumb-bum” – a fool.
Holly: David, I cannot find the lap top anywhere, I think I lost it, I don’t remember where I had it last!!!!
David: Holly, don’t be a dumb bum, its in the room.
Day 9 - Pancake Rocks/Lake Mahinapua
Today we jumped in the bus and headed off to our next destination. We stopped at the famed Pancake Rocks and had a look at them. We also met our friend Hiro who had had to miss the ferry over to the South Island because she lost her purse. She was on another bus as we pulled in to the café. I think every person on our bus ran to her and said hello. Hiro is a very petit Japanese. that was a nice re-union for us all, we had some photos and she had to shoot off to Franz Joseph. We will probably see her again in Christchurch.
So after the pancake rocks we headed off to a small town to buy some supplies for our fancy dress party. Our theme was no clothes, so we had to be creative and try to make any kind of costume out of anything but clothes. There were some very creative ideas, the naked chef, Oscar the Grouch, Babies, Osama Bin Liner, Bin Bag Batman and of course Holly and I went as the Ocean and a Mermaid. Two guesses for who was the ocean…I looked more feminine than Holly, the Tarpaulin was almost like a dress. It was a great night and we had lots of fun.
Other than this it was a day of another long bus journey, the trip is really fantastic but the daily 3-4 hour bus trips are getting a little tiresome.
Thanks For Reading,
David & Holly
“To be Away Laughing” To be wildly successful or on the way to Success
He was laughing when
So after the pancake rocks we headed off to a small town to buy some supplies for our fancy dress party. Our theme was no clothes, so we had to be creative and try to make any kind of costume out of anything but clothes. There were some very creative ideas, the naked chef, Oscar the Grouch, Babies, Osama Bin Liner, Bin Bag Batman and of course Holly and I went as the Ocean and a Mermaid. Two guesses for who was the ocean…I looked more feminine than Holly, the Tarpaulin was almost like a dress. It was a great night and we had lots of fun.
Other than this it was a day of another long bus journey, the trip is really fantastic but the daily 3-4 hour bus trips are getting a little tiresome.
Thanks For Reading,
David & Holly
“To be Away Laughing” To be wildly successful or on the way to Success
He was laughing when
Day 8 - Ferry Ride to Picton/Nelson
So today we had an early start to catch our boat to head to the south Island. We drove to the ferry terminal an jumped on a big boat. The boat is an old channel runner from Portsmouth in the UK, must have been a long trip over here for it. So we sailed out of Wellington harbour and into the open ocean for a while. We all fell asleep but when we woke up we saw the first chain of Island that mark the northern coast. They were stunning, I thought we were pulling into port but we were only half way there. We had a trip through these island looking up on each side up to huge cliffs, it felt very surreal as everything was so green and the water looked like oil.
Once we jumped off the boat we went to meet our coach along with 100 others. We’d had another bus added to our convoy to cope with the amount of people now going down the coast. We have a new driver for the South Island, Pascalle replaced GP. She has some more personality than the other guy though he is driving the other bus. So he’s still around.
So we drove to our accomodation. This place was voted best hostel in New Zealand, it was a very nice place to spend the night. We took a walk to the Geographical centre on New Zealand which was conveniently located on top of a very steep hill. We took photos and all the necessaries and walked to the shops for dinner. We headed off to the Karaoke bar for some bad singing fun and took over the place.
Apart from that, today was quite uneventful.
David & Holly
“Get off the Grass” - An Expression of Disbelief or Dissaproval
You’ve Broken another camera Holly?! Get off the Grass
Once we jumped off the boat we went to meet our coach along with 100 others. We’d had another bus added to our convoy to cope with the amount of people now going down the coast. We have a new driver for the South Island, Pascalle replaced GP. She has some more personality than the other guy though he is driving the other bus. So he’s still around.
So we drove to our accomodation. This place was voted best hostel in New Zealand, it was a very nice place to spend the night. We took a walk to the Geographical centre on New Zealand which was conveniently located on top of a very steep hill. We took photos and all the necessaries and walked to the shops for dinner. We headed off to the Karaoke bar for some bad singing fun and took over the place.
Apart from that, today was quite uneventful.
David & Holly
“Get off the Grass” - An Expression of Disbelief or Dissaproval
You’ve Broken another camera Holly?! Get off the Grass
Day 6/7 - River Valley
After a windy trip on the bus and a fairly uneventful drive from Taupo we arrived at our first unique accommodation spot in a place called River Valley. It’s unique mainly because it is smack bang in the middle of no-where, it’s a great example of an adventure lodge and it’s beds are huge. The bunks sleep up to 6 people, on one bunk! We had our little group of Phil, Erin Katherine, Dan Holly and myself and we occupied one of them. It was pretty spacious though and each person had a single bed space of room, minus Phil and Erin who shared one. We also jumped into the spa and sauna as a reward for our hard efforts put in on the mountain walk. We also jumped in the solar heated river that ran past the hostel to cool off. That night we relaxed in the lounge area and mingled some more with the other travellers before retiring to our enormous bed.
The next morning we relaxed a little and took a walk up the opposite mountain to see if we could find another area that was used for filming for the Lord of The Rings. It’s an area of the river that was used I think in the first movie. The river is used for grade 5 rafting and is famous in New Zealand for being the best rafting river. We hiked up the steep hill and admired the view before setting off to try and find this elusive area of the river. We had to hike through the small forest at the top but decided we’d run our of time if we’d wanted to go where we had planned. So we hope to go back to River Valley on the way home to see more of the scenery.
After our hike we hopped on the bus to Wellington. I cannot get over the scenery in New Zealand. It is awesome. Very similar to BC and Wales but still very different. We have not seen a lot of sheep though, mostly cows, maybe we will see more sheep as we head down to the South Island. When we arrived in Wellington we found out that Prince William is also spend some time there and was caught on a date with a Wellington girl. We didn’t run into him though. We only spent an evening there so we really missed out on a lot of free things to take a look at there. It will be another place to spend an extra day.
Holly and David
The next morning we relaxed a little and took a walk up the opposite mountain to see if we could find another area that was used for filming for the Lord of The Rings. It’s an area of the river that was used I think in the first movie. The river is used for grade 5 rafting and is famous in New Zealand for being the best rafting river. We hiked up the steep hill and admired the view before setting off to try and find this elusive area of the river. We had to hike through the small forest at the top but decided we’d run our of time if we’d wanted to go where we had planned. So we hope to go back to River Valley on the way home to see more of the scenery.
After our hike we hopped on the bus to Wellington. I cannot get over the scenery in New Zealand. It is awesome. Very similar to BC and Wales but still very different. We have not seen a lot of sheep though, mostly cows, maybe we will see more sheep as we head down to the South Island. When we arrived in Wellington we found out that Prince William is also spend some time there and was caught on a date with a Wellington girl. We didn’t run into him though. We only spent an evening there so we really missed out on a lot of free things to take a look at there. It will be another place to spend an extra day.
Holly and David
Day 5 - Boat Party!!
So this morning we were up very early and eager to go on our mammoth hike. Today we hiked over what is famously known to the world as Mount Doom, from Lord of the Rings. Mount Doom is a Volcano which is still active periodically. It’s smoldering lakes and smoking ground makes for a very surreal landscape. You go from the extremes of wet and cold around its base to desolate sulphuric wasteland at it’s peak and southern part.
We started the walk at around 8:30 and walked to the Devil’s staircase. Even before we arrived at the staircase not even an hour into the journey, my feet were being grated by the hiking shoes I’d rented. I decided to put some toilet paper in to them and hope for the best. Throughout the journey every step was painfull!! We climbed steps, steep rocks and sheer drops to the nearest crater edge. It was very tough, very steep and slippery on both the way up and down. When we arrived at our first peak of a very steep section we stopped and had a deserved break. This happened a few times until we arrived at a flat part near the crater of the volcano. This was the area used for filming the entry to Mordor in the movies. And I think many of the shots around that area, a lot of it looked familiar. It was a great experience being in the area of an active volcano. As we arrived at the emerald lakes and started to decend from the volcano the sulphur smelt like really bad eggs. It was a great walk and a really good memory.
After getting back to the Hostel we had a party on a boat to attend with the whole group. We all brought some drinks and food for the barbie and had a great time on the lake. We dove from the boat and swam in the water at one point and had some games involving putting as many pegs on people and eating as many crackers as possible. It was a great bonding session for the whole bus. That was the party that was put on by the Club 1830 boys.
I think that’s it from today, Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
“Fart Sack” - A polite term for a sleeping bag or bed
Are you tired? I’m heading back to my Fart Sack
We started the walk at around 8:30 and walked to the Devil’s staircase. Even before we arrived at the staircase not even an hour into the journey, my feet were being grated by the hiking shoes I’d rented. I decided to put some toilet paper in to them and hope for the best. Throughout the journey every step was painfull!! We climbed steps, steep rocks and sheer drops to the nearest crater edge. It was very tough, very steep and slippery on both the way up and down. When we arrived at our first peak of a very steep section we stopped and had a deserved break. This happened a few times until we arrived at a flat part near the crater of the volcano. This was the area used for filming the entry to Mordor in the movies. And I think many of the shots around that area, a lot of it looked familiar. It was a great experience being in the area of an active volcano. As we arrived at the emerald lakes and started to decend from the volcano the sulphur smelt like really bad eggs. It was a great walk and a really good memory.
After getting back to the Hostel we had a party on a boat to attend with the whole group. We all brought some drinks and food for the barbie and had a great time on the lake. We dove from the boat and swam in the water at one point and had some games involving putting as many pegs on people and eating as many crackers as possible. It was a great bonding session for the whole bus. That was the party that was put on by the Club 1830 boys.
I think that’s it from today, Thanks for reading,
David & Holly
“Fart Sack” - A polite term for a sleeping bag or bed
Are you tired? I’m heading back to my Fart Sack
Friday, January 15, 2010
Day 4 - Waitomo Caves
Kia Ora
We got up early this morning to head over to the caves for our black water rafting. We had no idea really what we were getting into but we were pretty excited!!! The water was a nice cold wake up. People complained about it being really cold last night but to be honest it was just like a cold summer morning jump in a lake. We jumped off a couple little waterfalls on tubes and walked through a cave. We stopped to look and learn about Glow worms (glow maggots) and then floated in a big line along the cave in the dark looking at all the amazing glow worms every where. We then had to get our way through the cave in the pitch dark. It was soooo cool, so glad I did it. We got some photos from it as well.
This afternoon we arrived in Taupo. It is big for sky diving and bungy jumping. If we have enough money at the end of our trip we will do it on the way back through. EEEKKK! I will have to be pushed out of the plane! We have some guys on the tour who are event planners for a big company in England...1830 or something like that and they have planned a huge boat party on Lake Taupo tomorrow with a bbq, fishing and swimming. They are pretty excited, it's nice to see some guys good at planning ;) hahaha.
Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, we will be doing a hike in the area where they filmed Mt. Doom on the Lord of the Rings. I am enjoying the exercise on this trip and the backpacker diet. I hope that I will be able to keep it up when we go back to Australia.
That is all for today. Tune back tomorrow for some more great adventures!
Holly and David.
"Canaidia" - Canada "Sweet As"- awesome
I love people who are from Canaidia because they are sweet as. :)
We got up early this morning to head over to the caves for our black water rafting. We had no idea really what we were getting into but we were pretty excited!!! The water was a nice cold wake up. People complained about it being really cold last night but to be honest it was just like a cold summer morning jump in a lake. We jumped off a couple little waterfalls on tubes and walked through a cave. We stopped to look and learn about Glow worms (glow maggots) and then floated in a big line along the cave in the dark looking at all the amazing glow worms every where. We then had to get our way through the cave in the pitch dark. It was soooo cool, so glad I did it. We got some photos from it as well.
This afternoon we arrived in Taupo. It is big for sky diving and bungy jumping. If we have enough money at the end of our trip we will do it on the way back through. EEEKKK! I will have to be pushed out of the plane! We have some guys on the tour who are event planners for a big company in England...1830 or something like that and they have planned a huge boat party on Lake Taupo tomorrow with a bbq, fishing and swimming. They are pretty excited, it's nice to see some guys good at planning ;) hahaha.
Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, we will be doing a hike in the area where they filmed Mt. Doom on the Lord of the Rings. I am enjoying the exercise on this trip and the backpacker diet. I hope that I will be able to keep it up when we go back to Australia.
That is all for today. Tune back tomorrow for some more great adventures!
Holly and David.
"Canaidia" - Canada "Sweet As"- awesome
I love people who are from Canaidia because they are sweet as. :)
Day 3 - Waitomo
Kia Ora,
Ah, what another wonderful day in New Zealand! It is such a beautiful place! I should have done my two year stay here!! The weather is just right as well! Not too hot and not too cold. It cools off nice as well. It is like Saskatchewan good summer weather all year round! We have taken so many photos as well!!
This morning we spent our time going around to different Adventure places…people went zorbing, free falling, bungy jumping and swooping. Would have loved to try some of these but we can’t do it all. So we watched others do it. I had my chance at zorbing back in Byron Bay so no need to do it again. On our way to the hostel we stopped off at a Rabbit Shearing Shed. We watched the fluffiest rabbit get sheared. These rabbits are only used for fur and have a nice proper home for 9 years getting a hair cut every three months. The usually only live to about 9 years. Then they get a proper burial. Cute little lady. Most random stop ever.
We arrived at our hostel, dropped everything off and headed off to do the Ruakuri walk. The walk was around different caves and mini waterfalls. We missed the bus back to the hostel so Katherine (german), Erin and Phil (English), and David and I walked the hour and a half walk back to the hostel. We walked through farmers fields getting cozy with bulls and cows, David got shocked by an electric fence. The sights were so beautiful though, a lot like Wales and a bit like British Columbia. We took many pictures! It was such a beautiful landscape. We were the only ones who did not take the bus and we believe that the others missed out as this was much better than the Ruakuri walk.
When we got back we headed to the Pub where we had a barbecue waiting for us. It was a good night tonight. We finally got to get comfortable and hang out with most of the guys on the trip, a couple of the girls as well, but not too many of them.
Tomorrow is our big day for the Black water rafting, some people did it today but not everyone could, so we are up bright and early tomorrow for it. The next day we will be heading to a Volcano in Taupo….this is also where Mt. Doom was filmed in Lord of the Rings. I am loving everything about Lord of the Rings right now. We even pretended to be little hobbits in the hills today as we were walking…lol. You would understand if you saw the scenery we were walking in.
Anyways, bed time, early morning!!
Holly and David.
Oops, almost forgot.
A few logs short of a Barbie – someone who is a wee bit crazy
I think that man sitting over there is a few logs short of a Barbie…..
Ah, what another wonderful day in New Zealand! It is such a beautiful place! I should have done my two year stay here!! The weather is just right as well! Not too hot and not too cold. It cools off nice as well. It is like Saskatchewan good summer weather all year round! We have taken so many photos as well!!
This morning we spent our time going around to different Adventure places…people went zorbing, free falling, bungy jumping and swooping. Would have loved to try some of these but we can’t do it all. So we watched others do it. I had my chance at zorbing back in Byron Bay so no need to do it again. On our way to the hostel we stopped off at a Rabbit Shearing Shed. We watched the fluffiest rabbit get sheared. These rabbits are only used for fur and have a nice proper home for 9 years getting a hair cut every three months. The usually only live to about 9 years. Then they get a proper burial. Cute little lady. Most random stop ever.
We arrived at our hostel, dropped everything off and headed off to do the Ruakuri walk. The walk was around different caves and mini waterfalls. We missed the bus back to the hostel so Katherine (german), Erin and Phil (English), and David and I walked the hour and a half walk back to the hostel. We walked through farmers fields getting cozy with bulls and cows, David got shocked by an electric fence. The sights were so beautiful though, a lot like Wales and a bit like British Columbia. We took many pictures! It was such a beautiful landscape. We were the only ones who did not take the bus and we believe that the others missed out as this was much better than the Ruakuri walk.
When we got back we headed to the Pub where we had a barbecue waiting for us. It was a good night tonight. We finally got to get comfortable and hang out with most of the guys on the trip, a couple of the girls as well, but not too many of them.
Tomorrow is our big day for the Black water rafting, some people did it today but not everyone could, so we are up bright and early tomorrow for it. The next day we will be heading to a Volcano in Taupo….this is also where Mt. Doom was filmed in Lord of the Rings. I am loving everything about Lord of the Rings right now. We even pretended to be little hobbits in the hills today as we were walking…lol. You would understand if you saw the scenery we were walking in.
Anyways, bed time, early morning!!
Holly and David.
Oops, almost forgot.
A few logs short of a Barbie – someone who is a wee bit crazy
I think that man sitting over there is a few logs short of a Barbie…..
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 2 - Rotarua
Kia Ora,
So today started off early, 7:30 from our Hostel in Whitiagna and we started on our journey to Rotarua via some interesting spots. Our first place was a look out point just outside the place we stayed, took some great shots, It was already warm at this point. Our second stop after about an hour and a half drive was Karangahake Gorge. Outside a small gold mining town, the walk took us through some of the tram shafts use to cart the gold around the site. We walked over some suspended bridges and saw some amazing sites. They call the walk the Windows walk because along the shafts we walked through there were holes in the side overlooking the gorge below.
The third stop was Matamata. This is the spot they filmed the Hobbiton section of The Lord of the Rings. On a farm some distance away, but the town became famous because of it, and seems to have embraced it with some of the towns décor. We had a cheesy Kodak moment in front of the Hobbiton sign accompanied by Gollum. We atayed here for a short while to have lunch before we shot off to our final stop of the day.
Te Puia is a Geo Thermal valley set just outside the city of Rotarua. We stayed here for a short while taking in the glorious smell of sulphur, watched some Geysers erupt, watched some mud pools bubble. We visited the world famous Pohutu Geyser. Te Puia is also home of the first carving school in NZ. They do not want carving to be something that becomes lost so young boys take a 3 year program and then go off around the world and around NZ sharing what they have learned. The Mauri in this area have good relations with Europeans unlike other countries. It is pretty neat how they talk about working along side each other. They have a special greeting where they touch noses twice. There is a photo seen all over here with a white girl and a mauri girl touching noses. Pretty symbolic. I like it. Finally, we saw some KIWIS!!! They are about the same size as a chicken. They are very different looking birds. They got their name because it sounds like they are saying KIWI.
In the evening we went to a Cultural Experience at a place called Tamaki. It is pretty hard to explain but it was a great look into the Mauri tribe. There were about 6 bus loads of people and each bus load had picked a chief. These chiefs had to show the Mauri tribe that they were coming in peace and not war. So they put on the huge haka. I took a video of it. Different men in the tribe come out and check out the other chiefs. They lay out a peace offering. If the chief picks it up properly the mauri chief slaps his thigh and the senior women of the tribe tells everyone that it is okay for the other tribes to come into their village. This is a very serious time for the mauris, no laughing allowed. Our chief laughed and had to stand back before he got smacked around by one of the chiefs. He was allowed back in though. We then went into the village and saw how they lived and got photos with some of the people there. Then they took us into a hall where they did some songs and dance (also on video). The Mauri people have amazing voices! Finally, we had a haki supper!! Yumm. The meat is cooked under volcanic rocks under the ground for three hours.
We had such a wonderful day!!! We are also excited for tomorrow. David is the only welsh boy on the trip and I have met some fellow Canadians who are also teachers. We have bunked up in a 8 person dorm room with a girl from Germany and a couple from England. I feel like I’m at camp all over again, sleeping in bunk beds, I love it. We hope that you look forward to our blogs as we are excited to be sharing our experiences with you guys.
“Bring a plate.” – Bring your own food.
Ex. We are having a Barbie tonight. Come around seven. Bring a plate!
Holly and David
P.S. The last of the Australian Photos for 2009!!!
Around WA
Christmas and New Years Eve in Oz!
So today started off early, 7:30 from our Hostel in Whitiagna and we started on our journey to Rotarua via some interesting spots. Our first place was a look out point just outside the place we stayed, took some great shots, It was already warm at this point. Our second stop after about an hour and a half drive was Karangahake Gorge. Outside a small gold mining town, the walk took us through some of the tram shafts use to cart the gold around the site. We walked over some suspended bridges and saw some amazing sites. They call the walk the Windows walk because along the shafts we walked through there were holes in the side overlooking the gorge below.
The third stop was Matamata. This is the spot they filmed the Hobbiton section of The Lord of the Rings. On a farm some distance away, but the town became famous because of it, and seems to have embraced it with some of the towns décor. We had a cheesy Kodak moment in front of the Hobbiton sign accompanied by Gollum. We atayed here for a short while to have lunch before we shot off to our final stop of the day.
Te Puia is a Geo Thermal valley set just outside the city of Rotarua. We stayed here for a short while taking in the glorious smell of sulphur, watched some Geysers erupt, watched some mud pools bubble. We visited the world famous Pohutu Geyser. Te Puia is also home of the first carving school in NZ. They do not want carving to be something that becomes lost so young boys take a 3 year program and then go off around the world and around NZ sharing what they have learned. The Mauri in this area have good relations with Europeans unlike other countries. It is pretty neat how they talk about working along side each other. They have a special greeting where they touch noses twice. There is a photo seen all over here with a white girl and a mauri girl touching noses. Pretty symbolic. I like it. Finally, we saw some KIWIS!!! They are about the same size as a chicken. They are very different looking birds. They got their name because it sounds like they are saying KIWI.
In the evening we went to a Cultural Experience at a place called Tamaki. It is pretty hard to explain but it was a great look into the Mauri tribe. There were about 6 bus loads of people and each bus load had picked a chief. These chiefs had to show the Mauri tribe that they were coming in peace and not war. So they put on the huge haka. I took a video of it. Different men in the tribe come out and check out the other chiefs. They lay out a peace offering. If the chief picks it up properly the mauri chief slaps his thigh and the senior women of the tribe tells everyone that it is okay for the other tribes to come into their village. This is a very serious time for the mauris, no laughing allowed. Our chief laughed and had to stand back before he got smacked around by one of the chiefs. He was allowed back in though. We then went into the village and saw how they lived and got photos with some of the people there. Then they took us into a hall where they did some songs and dance (also on video). The Mauri people have amazing voices! Finally, we had a haki supper!! Yumm. The meat is cooked under volcanic rocks under the ground for three hours.
We had such a wonderful day!!! We are also excited for tomorrow. David is the only welsh boy on the trip and I have met some fellow Canadians who are also teachers. We have bunked up in a 8 person dorm room with a girl from Germany and a couple from England. I feel like I’m at camp all over again, sleeping in bunk beds, I love it. We hope that you look forward to our blogs as we are excited to be sharing our experiences with you guys.
“Bring a plate.” – Bring your own food.
Ex. We are having a Barbie tonight. Come around seven. Bring a plate!
Holly and David
P.S. The last of the Australian Photos for 2009!!!
Around WA
Christmas and New Years Eve in Oz!
Day 1 - Mercury Bay (Whitianga)
Kia Ora,
Ah, what a wonderful day one of our trip! We started off in Auckland and went to Mt. Eden, another high point in the city where you can see the whole city and some of the volcano’s that make up the ‘pacific ring of fire.’ Some of the others being in Hawaii. Auckland has 1.4 million people in it, making up 1/3 of the population in New Zealand. It is also the fourth biggest city in the world, in land mass. After Mt. Eden we drove for about an hour and a half and stopped in a place called Thames, where we picked up some food to last us for the rest of the week. YAY noodles. An hour and a quarter later we arrived at Hahei, this was our stopping point to head off to Cathedral Cove, which was a very hilly 45 minute walk to get to. This was a beautiful area!! It is also where they shot the opening scene of the 2nd Chronicles of Narnia movie . The water was freezing so we did not spend too much time in it. David and I also found a little fresh water waterfall and played in that for a bit. Then it was back on the 45 minute tiring walk back to the bus. We are now at our hostel in Whitianga (about 20 minutes from Hahei). It is like a really big house! The owners even cooked supper for some of the people that are staying (we chose noodles instead…bad idea the supper smells amazing). Most of the people on the bus are from the UK with some random Germans and Canadians.
New Zealand is far cooler than Australia it makes a great change. In sydney we were suffering with the humidity , night time was worse after a long hot day it stayed very warm. But here it’s warm during the day and cool at night.
We decided we will give you a little kiwi lesson with each post that we write you so here is today’s. When you use a phrase 10 times it is stuck with you…
“Up your nose with a rubber hose” – This is used as a firm rejection.
Ex. David: Holly, can I please have some of your chocolate bar.
Holly: Up your nose with a rubber hose.
Laters,
David & Holly
Ah, what a wonderful day one of our trip! We started off in Auckland and went to Mt. Eden, another high point in the city where you can see the whole city and some of the volcano’s that make up the ‘pacific ring of fire.’ Some of the others being in Hawaii. Auckland has 1.4 million people in it, making up 1/3 of the population in New Zealand. It is also the fourth biggest city in the world, in land mass. After Mt. Eden we drove for about an hour and a half and stopped in a place called Thames, where we picked up some food to last us for the rest of the week. YAY noodles. An hour and a quarter later we arrived at Hahei, this was our stopping point to head off to Cathedral Cove, which was a very hilly 45 minute walk to get to. This was a beautiful area!! It is also where they shot the opening scene of the 2nd Chronicles of Narnia movie . The water was freezing so we did not spend too much time in it. David and I also found a little fresh water waterfall and played in that for a bit. Then it was back on the 45 minute tiring walk back to the bus. We are now at our hostel in Whitianga (about 20 minutes from Hahei). It is like a really big house! The owners even cooked supper for some of the people that are staying (we chose noodles instead…bad idea the supper smells amazing). Most of the people on the bus are from the UK with some random Germans and Canadians.
New Zealand is far cooler than Australia it makes a great change. In sydney we were suffering with the humidity , night time was worse after a long hot day it stayed very warm. But here it’s warm during the day and cool at night.
We decided we will give you a little kiwi lesson with each post that we write you so here is today’s. When you use a phrase 10 times it is stuck with you…
“Up your nose with a rubber hose” – This is used as a firm rejection.
Ex. David: Holly, can I please have some of your chocolate bar.
Holly: Up your nose with a rubber hose.
Laters,
David & Holly
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
New Zealand!!
Hey Huys,
Just a quick one today.
We landed in Auckland this afternoon after an early morning flight from Sydney. We had to be at the airport for 5 this morning. It's been a long day.
Once we got to the hostel we met up with Holly's friend Cara from back home and spent the day with her seeing the sights, getting lost and freezing in the evening. We saw the Harbour Bridge, saw lots of parks and saw most of the city, we climbed one tree hill and saw the most amazing view of the city and Sunset. It's a great start to an amazing month ahead :)
Speak Soon,
Holly & David (Now From New Zealand)
Just a quick one today.
We landed in Auckland this afternoon after an early morning flight from Sydney. We had to be at the airport for 5 this morning. It's been a long day.
Once we got to the hostel we met up with Holly's friend Cara from back home and spent the day with her seeing the sights, getting lost and freezing in the evening. We saw the Harbour Bridge, saw lots of parks and saw most of the city, we climbed one tree hill and saw the most amazing view of the city and Sunset. It's a great start to an amazing month ahead :)
Speak Soon,
Holly & David (Now From New Zealand)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
New Zealand or Bust
Righty O then,
Ok, so since our last update, 5th of January I think. We've been around, did some stuff..saw some people. You know as we do. So I just checked it out and new Years was the last thing we posted, you've got some catching up to do.
So I had some work lined up with my old boss so I used the opportunity to earn some money to cover my time in Sydney. I forgot how expensive it is to live here. Even more considering how far we are living from the city.
So my friend from work Feng had a day off one day so he asked us if we wanted to go for Chinese food, of course we thought. So we ate Duck feet, boiled pigs blood among other savoury chinese thingies. Then we ate some mango pancakes mango pudding and some coconut Jello that was incredible. I have to say I won't be eating Ducks feet for a while.
Among the many other interesting little things we've done since we've been back, we've headed iff with Nat, our friend to some beaches and places of interest. We went to Balmoral beach yesterday with her friend Lisa. Who is from Birmingham but doesn't have the funny accent. It's a beautiful beach out of the way of anything commercial and is full of families. Very much unlike Bondi. It's great to have a friend in the city, and as she's giving us free rent and being a real blessing to us we help her out in whatever way we can. I helped her open a can of mayonnaise yesterday. She really appreciated it.
So other than these exciting things, we headed to the Cinema to watch Avatar in 3D. WOW! It's is a beautiful and epic movie of enourmous proportion. Just mind bendingly good. So good that I will be seeing it again tomorrow.
So we've met up with Jon a few times while we've been here too. We headed out to meet one of our old housemates once, last night we went to the opening night of the Sydney festival and saw Al Green. That's for you Ken, I know you love him. The city was throbbing last night, street dancing and tens of thousands of people sitting in the Domain Park awaiting Mr Green. A sight and emotion to truly be felt. It had been so hot during the day and was still very humid at around 9-10pm.
So today we went with Jon and Jenny to Gordon's Bay with some snorkel gear.
We perched ourselves on a rock among the crowds and threw ourselves into tthe water. we swam around for a good hour checking out the sea bed, seaweed and a stingray trying to hide himself from us. we had a great afternoon splashing around, we headed off to Coogee beach and had a dip in the baths.
After getting back from the beach we headed straight to a pizza place down the street for some food with the girls of the house and had a ball talking to all the waiters who seemed to be family, they loved me becausse I was one guy with 4 women. They wanted to know my secret. We had a fab night and came back to the house collapsing on the couch.
So I think that's it for now. No doubt I've forgotten something.
We'll blog again soon from New Zealand, can't wait to get there!!
Thanks for reading, speak soon
David & Holly
Ok, so since our last update, 5th of January I think. We've been around, did some stuff..saw some people. You know as we do. So I just checked it out and new Years was the last thing we posted, you've got some catching up to do.
So I had some work lined up with my old boss so I used the opportunity to earn some money to cover my time in Sydney. I forgot how expensive it is to live here. Even more considering how far we are living from the city.
So my friend from work Feng had a day off one day so he asked us if we wanted to go for Chinese food, of course we thought. So we ate Duck feet, boiled pigs blood among other savoury chinese thingies. Then we ate some mango pancakes mango pudding and some coconut Jello that was incredible. I have to say I won't be eating Ducks feet for a while.
Among the many other interesting little things we've done since we've been back, we've headed iff with Nat, our friend to some beaches and places of interest. We went to Balmoral beach yesterday with her friend Lisa. Who is from Birmingham but doesn't have the funny accent. It's a beautiful beach out of the way of anything commercial and is full of families. Very much unlike Bondi. It's great to have a friend in the city, and as she's giving us free rent and being a real blessing to us we help her out in whatever way we can. I helped her open a can of mayonnaise yesterday. She really appreciated it.
So other than these exciting things, we headed to the Cinema to watch Avatar in 3D. WOW! It's is a beautiful and epic movie of enourmous proportion. Just mind bendingly good. So good that I will be seeing it again tomorrow.
So we've met up with Jon a few times while we've been here too. We headed out to meet one of our old housemates once, last night we went to the opening night of the Sydney festival and saw Al Green. That's for you Ken, I know you love him. The city was throbbing last night, street dancing and tens of thousands of people sitting in the Domain Park awaiting Mr Green. A sight and emotion to truly be felt. It had been so hot during the day and was still very humid at around 9-10pm.
So today we went with Jon and Jenny to Gordon's Bay with some snorkel gear.
We perched ourselves on a rock among the crowds and threw ourselves into tthe water. we swam around for a good hour checking out the sea bed, seaweed and a stingray trying to hide himself from us. we had a great afternoon splashing around, we headed off to Coogee beach and had a dip in the baths.
After getting back from the beach we headed straight to a pizza place down the street for some food with the girls of the house and had a ball talking to all the waiters who seemed to be family, they loved me becausse I was one guy with 4 women. They wanted to know my secret. We had a fab night and came back to the house collapsing on the couch.
So I think that's it for now. No doubt I've forgotten something.
We'll blog again soon from New Zealand, can't wait to get there!!
Thanks for reading, speak soon
David & Holly
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Updated Albums
I hope to have all of the photos from Western Australia before we go to New Zealand...so check this post for More Albums... these albums have been updated.. I unfortunately am without a camera again as I have gotten sand in this one or something..it is currently with canon getting checked out... The man who sold me the camera said that I am not buying the camera that suits my lifestyle...I need a Lumix shockproof, waterproof and I am assuming Holly Proof...so once I get 400 dollars...I will be able to get a camera for my lifestyle. If they fix this canon I will sell it...Then hopefully I will be halfway there... Luckily David has a Kodak camera for the trip...I pray that it doesn't get wrecked...as I am sure it does not suit our lifestyle either!!!
Regan's Ridge Olive Farm
The Beautiful Indian Ocean
Perth
Holly and David
Regan's Ridge Olive Farm
The Beautiful Indian Ocean
Perth
Holly and David
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Years!!!!!
So New years Eve on a Boat was pretty awesome.
We headed to King's Cross at around 4pm and met up with Jon, got some supplies and headed downn to Elizabeth Bay where we were meeting Dave and the boat. We waited for a while and saw the boat appear amidst a large number of expensive Yachts, it was a snazzy little number. We had fun getting onto the boat as Dave couldn't find a parking spot and we had no way of getting on to the jetty. Finally a stern woman let us through and we jumped onto the boat.
We waited around for a few hours enjoying the scenery good company, but mostly enjoying the fact that we had a prime view for the fireworks. Those poor souls on the harbour, no matter how much they cheered and how enthusiaticly they waved their little flags, their view was going to be blocked by a block of apartments. I had a moment of pity which was short lived.
We boarded the other crewmates on the stern of the ship and set off to our treasure Island. I tried to start a nautical themed way of talking but it fell on deaf ears. We spent a fair while searching for the perfect spot, which once we found were blocked by some rich clown wanting our spot. So we had to move to another equally perfect spot. So on and on it went. Finally the Kids fireworks shot off at 9pm, now If you'd dragged your wife and kids down to the harbour for the whole 5 minutes of that show, I'd be pretty dissapointed. They just provided a mouthwatering preview of what was to come. Periodically at hourly intervals they would shoot some firewoorkks into the sky to make sure we didn't get too bored.
Finally at around 11:45 we were perfectly positioned when a Biiig boat got in our way, we all blew our party horns at them and kindly asked them to move, but they didn't. So we headed off down the river a bit and found a nice gap, jumped in there and dropped anchor.
The fireworks shot up the harbour and began the display on the bridge. The fireworks were also coming from some of the cities syscrapers and barges in the river. One was very close to us and gave a rib rumbling explosion whenever a biggy blew up. The bridge looked like it was on fire and the display screen on the bridge displayed the Ying and Yang.
The fireworks actually ended quite abruptly, though they did go out with a bang. (See...I did a funny! That's one of mine)
They were spectacular, a genuine pinch yourself your seeing one of the worlds biggest events kind of moment. A story I will gladly tell when I'm old and withered to the old ladies in the nursing home.
We waited around on the harbour for a few hours as we couldn't go under the bridge untill they'd cleared it all, so after that we headed back to Darling Harbour and caught a bus back to the house. Finally getting back at 4am.
So this morning after our late night, we headed to our friend Jenny's place in Surry Hills. She is house-sitting for a couple while they went to Paris for New Year's. And what a funky little place it is, there's a balcony and a rooftop terrace. Plus a fab kitchen..It had a really nice bohemian feel to it, just what I would like to have in my house. We had breakfast with her and her friend Cudsy. We lounged around for a while, booked some cinema tickets to see Avatar in 3d. And headed off to have a drive down the coast, stopped off at a few spots and looked at the view. We did a blind walk holding hands untill we reached this place Cudsy wanted us to see and saw the most amazing viiew of the pacific ocean.
Avatar Is the Most Amazing Cinema/Movie Experience Ever!!!! I Will be seeing it again. It was incredible. Just fantastic. I won't go on but go see it. Please.
We got dropped off at the house and here we've been since. enjoying the peace. Still very warm though, more muggy than anything. Quite uncomfortable. Never mind, Mustn't Grumble.
That's all for Now folks. We'll post as soon as something interesting happens. Bring on New Zealand!!!
Lots of love
David & Holly
We headed to King's Cross at around 4pm and met up with Jon, got some supplies and headed downn to Elizabeth Bay where we were meeting Dave and the boat. We waited for a while and saw the boat appear amidst a large number of expensive Yachts, it was a snazzy little number. We had fun getting onto the boat as Dave couldn't find a parking spot and we had no way of getting on to the jetty. Finally a stern woman let us through and we jumped onto the boat.
We waited around for a few hours enjoying the scenery good company, but mostly enjoying the fact that we had a prime view for the fireworks. Those poor souls on the harbour, no matter how much they cheered and how enthusiaticly they waved their little flags, their view was going to be blocked by a block of apartments. I had a moment of pity which was short lived.
We boarded the other crewmates on the stern of the ship and set off to our treasure Island. I tried to start a nautical themed way of talking but it fell on deaf ears. We spent a fair while searching for the perfect spot, which once we found were blocked by some rich clown wanting our spot. So we had to move to another equally perfect spot. So on and on it went. Finally the Kids fireworks shot off at 9pm, now If you'd dragged your wife and kids down to the harbour for the whole 5 minutes of that show, I'd be pretty dissapointed. They just provided a mouthwatering preview of what was to come. Periodically at hourly intervals they would shoot some firewoorkks into the sky to make sure we didn't get too bored.
Finally at around 11:45 we were perfectly positioned when a Biiig boat got in our way, we all blew our party horns at them and kindly asked them to move, but they didn't. So we headed off down the river a bit and found a nice gap, jumped in there and dropped anchor.
The fireworks shot up the harbour and began the display on the bridge. The fireworks were also coming from some of the cities syscrapers and barges in the river. One was very close to us and gave a rib rumbling explosion whenever a biggy blew up. The bridge looked like it was on fire and the display screen on the bridge displayed the Ying and Yang.
The fireworks actually ended quite abruptly, though they did go out with a bang. (See...I did a funny! That's one of mine)
They were spectacular, a genuine pinch yourself your seeing one of the worlds biggest events kind of moment. A story I will gladly tell when I'm old and withered to the old ladies in the nursing home.
We waited around on the harbour for a few hours as we couldn't go under the bridge untill they'd cleared it all, so after that we headed back to Darling Harbour and caught a bus back to the house. Finally getting back at 4am.
So this morning after our late night, we headed to our friend Jenny's place in Surry Hills. She is house-sitting for a couple while they went to Paris for New Year's. And what a funky little place it is, there's a balcony and a rooftop terrace. Plus a fab kitchen..It had a really nice bohemian feel to it, just what I would like to have in my house. We had breakfast with her and her friend Cudsy. We lounged around for a while, booked some cinema tickets to see Avatar in 3d. And headed off to have a drive down the coast, stopped off at a few spots and looked at the view. We did a blind walk holding hands untill we reached this place Cudsy wanted us to see and saw the most amazing viiew of the pacific ocean.
Avatar Is the Most Amazing Cinema/Movie Experience Ever!!!! I Will be seeing it again. It was incredible. Just fantastic. I won't go on but go see it. Please.
We got dropped off at the house and here we've been since. enjoying the peace. Still very warm though, more muggy than anything. Quite uncomfortable. Never mind, Mustn't Grumble.
That's all for Now folks. We'll post as soon as something interesting happens. Bring on New Zealand!!!
Lots of love
David & Holly
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