John 'Crocodile Dundee' Perkins on the Lady Douglas. Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef in our attractive 'stinger' suits. A creek with no crocs in sight and the 4 mile beach across the road from the hotel.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Pictures of North Queensland
John 'Crocodile Dundee' Perkins on the Lady Douglas. Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef in our attractive 'stinger' suits. A creek with no crocs in sight and the 4 mile beach across the road from the hotel.
Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef
We arrived in Port Douglas just as it was getting dark so the trip from Cairns, which must be one of the best coastal drives going, was a bit on the dark side. The Peninsula Boutique Hotel is absolutely lovely. I was a bit nervous after seeing what passed for 4 star in the Red Centre, as I didn’t fancy spending 11 nights in somewhere like the Chifley at Alice Springs, but my fears were unfounded! As they were quiet we were lucky enough to get an upgrade to a spa suite so we have a huge room with 2 balconies, a little kitchen, a huge bathroom with spa bath and a bedroom which, with clever sliding of screens, becomes its own room at night. The owners are very friendly and helpful and the tiny restaurant and bar looks out over 4 mile beach and the pool area is super. We are very happy to kick back and relax, after such an eventful trip and make the most of our last few nights at a more chilled out pace, whilst still seeing plenty of Tropical North Queensland. After the flooding and the cyclone we’d been watching the weather forecast with some concern but apart from a short downpour when we first arrived it’s stayed dry, though with high humidity. You can see the clouds inland and further south but everyone in Port Douglas tells us that their weather is different to Cairns, which is all you see on the national forecast.
Port Douglas itself is a picturesque little town on a peninsula sticking out into the Coral Sea, with 4 mile beach on one side and the calmer waters leading into the creek on the other. As the ‘season’ doesn’t start till the end of April it is quite quiet and utterly charming, crammed with lovely little shops and great restaurants. If you want to swim in the sea you have to go in the special netted area as there are poisonous jelly fish, including the notorious box jelly fish in the water at this time of year. We were also told a story about a crocodile sleeping in one of the nets and calmly walking out onto the beach at the end of the day, so at present I’ve only been swimming in the pool! Last night we went on a sunset cruise up the creek on the Lady Douglas, a restored paddle steamer straight out of African Queen. We were hoping to see some crocodiles, as apparently they only come out to feed at dusk at this time of year but we didn’t see any, just lots of mangrove roots masquerading as crocs! It was a lovely trip though and we saw white headed eagles feeding, masses of fruit bats and enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine whilst hearing about the crocodiles. I went running along the beach this morning, though you can only get about a mile along it before coming to a creek, which is too deep to wade through with the tide in. There was a border collie playing in the creek pool and I was very glad when it got out as I was terrified a croc would come and get it.
On Monday we went out on a boat to the outer barrier reef. It was a lovely cruise and took about an hour and a half to reach the first stopping point. We donned our fetching Lycra anti jelly fish suits with hoods, put on fins and masks and headed in for some snorkelling. The coral is beautiful and surrounded by incredible fish. The giant clams looked like something from outer space and I was lucky enough to see one white tipped reef shark as well as the brilliantly coloured parrot fish. Even John, who is not a very keen swimmer, did all 3 snorkel stops, though he didn’t stay in long for the last one which involved crossing some very deep water to get to the reef. I enjoyed it enormously, though being used to diving I drank quite a lot of water when I forgot that I only had a snorkel and was diving down too deep to keep the tube above the water! You do have to be under the water to see how amazing the reef is as there is nothing much to see from the boat, though John did see a school of dolphins whilst I was still in the water. If I’d known they were around I’d have sung my snorkel songs to see if they went down as well with Aussie dolphins as they did with the ones in New Zealand – nobody suggested singing to the sharks! We had lunch on the boat and a beer on the cruise back and admired the photos taken by the on board photographer though the ones of the people all looked alike since we had the same suits and masks on. It was a tremendous day out with more amazing Australian creatures. If there were any box jelly fish present I didn’t see one (but then they’re only the size of your finger nail – amazing that something so small can inflict so much damage).
Port Douglas itself is a picturesque little town on a peninsula sticking out into the Coral Sea, with 4 mile beach on one side and the calmer waters leading into the creek on the other. As the ‘season’ doesn’t start till the end of April it is quite quiet and utterly charming, crammed with lovely little shops and great restaurants. If you want to swim in the sea you have to go in the special netted area as there are poisonous jelly fish, including the notorious box jelly fish in the water at this time of year. We were also told a story about a crocodile sleeping in one of the nets and calmly walking out onto the beach at the end of the day, so at present I’ve only been swimming in the pool! Last night we went on a sunset cruise up the creek on the Lady Douglas, a restored paddle steamer straight out of African Queen. We were hoping to see some crocodiles, as apparently they only come out to feed at dusk at this time of year but we didn’t see any, just lots of mangrove roots masquerading as crocs! It was a lovely trip though and we saw white headed eagles feeding, masses of fruit bats and enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine whilst hearing about the crocodiles. I went running along the beach this morning, though you can only get about a mile along it before coming to a creek, which is too deep to wade through with the tide in. There was a border collie playing in the creek pool and I was very glad when it got out as I was terrified a croc would come and get it.
On Monday we went out on a boat to the outer barrier reef. It was a lovely cruise and took about an hour and a half to reach the first stopping point. We donned our fetching Lycra anti jelly fish suits with hoods, put on fins and masks and headed in for some snorkelling. The coral is beautiful and surrounded by incredible fish. The giant clams looked like something from outer space and I was lucky enough to see one white tipped reef shark as well as the brilliantly coloured parrot fish. Even John, who is not a very keen swimmer, did all 3 snorkel stops, though he didn’t stay in long for the last one which involved crossing some very deep water to get to the reef. I enjoyed it enormously, though being used to diving I drank quite a lot of water when I forgot that I only had a snorkel and was diving down too deep to keep the tube above the water! You do have to be under the water to see how amazing the reef is as there is nothing much to see from the boat, though John did see a school of dolphins whilst I was still in the water. If I’d known they were around I’d have sung my snorkel songs to see if they went down as well with Aussie dolphins as they did with the ones in New Zealand – nobody suggested singing to the sharks! We had lunch on the boat and a beer on the cruise back and admired the photos taken by the on board photographer though the ones of the people all looked alike since we had the same suits and masks on. It was a tremendous day out with more amazing Australian creatures. If there were any box jelly fish present I didn’t see one (but then they’re only the size of your finger nail – amazing that something so small can inflict so much damage).
Sunday, 27 March 2011
The Red Centre
Pictures can't really do justice to this amazing scenery but we've tried. The relief on John's face after climbing the canyon and our joint relief at a walk free from flies. Pictures of Ayers Rock (Uluru), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon, from the ground and the air.
Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Driving along the Lassiter Highway the first point of interest you see is Mount Connor or Fooloroo as it’s jokingly known as you might mistake it for Uluru from a distance. On closer inspection it’s nothing like it but nevertheless it is a big red mountain rising out of the flat desert. You have to drive another 100km further on before you see the real thing. It is amazing – no photo can really do it justice and, as the light changes during the day, or you view it from another angle it looks completely different, almost like a living creature. We took one of the walks round the rim which should have been idyllic on such a perfect day with such amazing scenery but the flies put paid to any real sense of enjoyment. There were enormous numbers of them, landing on your face and body so it was necessary to walk along flapping the map continuously in front of you – my wrist was sorer than my feet by the end of the walk! Some people had gone to the lengths of purchasing fly nets to wear over your head but we decided not to go quite that far.
After the walk we headed to our hotel, The Desert Garden. All accommodation, from camping to 5 star is contained in one village, just outside the national park and run by the same company. It works very well though the prices are pretty hefty but then everything has had a long way to come – it’s over 1500 km to the nearest city in any direction! Our mid range hotel was nice though I was slightly wobbled about a note warning us about a poisonous centipede plague and to ring reception immediately if we discovered one in our room and to keep our luggage zipped up at all times. I spent the whole time looking out for centipedes. There was also the biggest spider I’ve ever seen outside a zoo sitting in a large web just outside our door so I was trying hard to enjoy the scenery and the experience despite the fear of scary creatures!
We decided, since we were probably only doing this once, that we would go the whole hog and book a helicopter sightseeing trip and we were really glad we did. Just 3 of us and the pilot took the trip and flew over the rock and also Kata Tjuta or the Olgas, which lie about 25 km to the west, giving us an incredible view of both natural wonders and the surrounding countryside. The pilot was also pointing out camels – over 700,000 live in the desert and are breeding like mad having been introduced in the 19th century. I lived in Abu Dhabi for a year so I’ve seen loads of camels! I was hoping for kangaroos but didn’t see any. After the flight we dashed for the car in order to get to the sunset viewing spot and watch as the light changed and eventually drained away from the brooding monolith.
Next morning we set off to get a closer look at Kata Tjuta which is made up of the same rock but has multiple domes (the name means ‘Many Heads’ in the local language) and is equally impressive. We were able to walk up between the domes – the Valley of the Winds, which was totally stunning (and due to the high wind fly free which makes all the difference). We had a fabulous walk with great views and a real sense of the mysticism of the place. It’s easy to see why these are sacred to the indigenous population. After our morning walking we took the drive around Ayers Rock so that we could see it from all sides, we decided against another walk due to the build up in the fly population.
Finally we headed for the airport to hand back the hire car and check in for our flight to Cairns. The charming check out lady congratulated us on having luggage which was spot on the weight allowance for economy – we’re getting pretty good at this now! The red centre was a fantastic experience and I feel enriched for having seen it though not without its challenges – just to prove my point there was an even bigger spider at the airport, though thankfully on the other side of the glass from the departure lounge!
After the walk we headed to our hotel, The Desert Garden. All accommodation, from camping to 5 star is contained in one village, just outside the national park and run by the same company. It works very well though the prices are pretty hefty but then everything has had a long way to come – it’s over 1500 km to the nearest city in any direction! Our mid range hotel was nice though I was slightly wobbled about a note warning us about a poisonous centipede plague and to ring reception immediately if we discovered one in our room and to keep our luggage zipped up at all times. I spent the whole time looking out for centipedes. There was also the biggest spider I’ve ever seen outside a zoo sitting in a large web just outside our door so I was trying hard to enjoy the scenery and the experience despite the fear of scary creatures!
We decided, since we were probably only doing this once, that we would go the whole hog and book a helicopter sightseeing trip and we were really glad we did. Just 3 of us and the pilot took the trip and flew over the rock and also Kata Tjuta or the Olgas, which lie about 25 km to the west, giving us an incredible view of both natural wonders and the surrounding countryside. The pilot was also pointing out camels – over 700,000 live in the desert and are breeding like mad having been introduced in the 19th century. I lived in Abu Dhabi for a year so I’ve seen loads of camels! I was hoping for kangaroos but didn’t see any. After the flight we dashed for the car in order to get to the sunset viewing spot and watch as the light changed and eventually drained away from the brooding monolith.
Next morning we set off to get a closer look at Kata Tjuta which is made up of the same rock but has multiple domes (the name means ‘Many Heads’ in the local language) and is equally impressive. We were able to walk up between the domes – the Valley of the Winds, which was totally stunning (and due to the high wind fly free which makes all the difference). We had a fabulous walk with great views and a real sense of the mysticism of the place. It’s easy to see why these are sacred to the indigenous population. After our morning walking we took the drive around Ayers Rock so that we could see it from all sides, we decided against another walk due to the build up in the fly population.
Finally we headed for the airport to hand back the hire car and check in for our flight to Cairns. The charming check out lady congratulated us on having luggage which was spot on the weight allowance for economy – we’re getting pretty good at this now! The red centre was a fantastic experience and I feel enriched for having seen it though not without its challenges – just to prove my point there was an even bigger spider at the airport, though thankfully on the other side of the glass from the departure lounge!
Alice Springs to Kings Canyon
Alice Springs is a very depressed place and looked pretty down in the dumps, not helped by the fact that it was raining and it took the hotel over 2 hours to have a room ready for us. They have some major problems with drugs and alcohol, particularly with the indigenous population and crime rates are high. After a wander round and a visit to Anzac memorial hill we decided to stick to the hotel for the rest of the day, where the dinner was surprisingly good though the room was a bit shabby. Next morning we set off on the long drive to Kings Canyon. Distances are just so vast – Kings Canyon and Ayers Rock are nearby attractions for Alice Springs but both are actually 500km away, it’s hard to conceive of the scale of the country. We seemed to drive forever without encountering so much as a farm or a house, just red earth and bush trees on a journey that was longer than driving from Manchester to Leysdown. After a couple of stops for fuel and swapping drivers we arrived at Kings Canyon mid afternoon and checked into the ‘resort’. We had a nice little cabin in the bush, surrounded by trees and buzzing with creepy crawlies which we mainly managed to keep outside. Summer (November to March) is the off season here so it was quite quiet and most of the resort restaurants weren’t open. Presumably it gets too hot but the weather seemed perfect to us – lovely sunshine, a nice breeze and daytime temperatures of about 25 degrees. The flies, which central Australia is famous for were out in force though. We walked up to the sunset viewing area and managed to watch the sun setting over the red cliffs of the range without swallowing too many flies before a buffet dinner and an early night.
Next morning we were up early and off to do the canyon rim walk before the day got too hot. The walk started with an almost vertical climb up rock steps to the top of the hill – John was not keen on the height but we were assured that this was the worst bit and once about half way up, coming back down would be worse than continuing so you are pretty well committed! Once onto the canyon rim though it was amazing – a seaside landscape with red rock formations and sandy bottomed gullies, except that the sea disappeared about 400 million years ago. The canyon itself with sheer rust red walls and plunging cliffs was incredible as was the view across the bush with nothing but trees and sand for as far as the eye could see. It was quite a scramble but the excursions to the cliff edge were mainly optional apart from the descent into the ‘Garden of Eden’ at the canyon end but John managed really well and we were soon up and over the other side. After the canyon rim walk we did the shorter track into the canyon itself – hardly a soul in sight for this much easier trail whilst the mountain top was pretty crowded at times, clearly the macho route is more popular in Australia. We sat on the viewing platform and gazed up at the canyon walls, listening to the birds and insects. The area further in is sacred to the Aborigines so the walk stops about half way in. It was a beautiful and deeply inspiring place.
With sore legs we headed back to our cabin to chill out, get our laundry done and have a rewarding glass of beer. I’ve read the few books we took with us so I’ve had to embrace more technology and read a book using the Kindle software that we are testing on the laptop. It works very well, though, being a Luddite, a still prefer a solid book and it’s a pain waiting for the laptop to fire up and close down, as well as keeping the battery charged – probably easier on an actual Kindle!
The next morning we were up nice and early again for the next leg of our drive to Ayers Rock/Uluru, a mere 300 km down the road!
Next morning we were up early and off to do the canyon rim walk before the day got too hot. The walk started with an almost vertical climb up rock steps to the top of the hill – John was not keen on the height but we were assured that this was the worst bit and once about half way up, coming back down would be worse than continuing so you are pretty well committed! Once onto the canyon rim though it was amazing – a seaside landscape with red rock formations and sandy bottomed gullies, except that the sea disappeared about 400 million years ago. The canyon itself with sheer rust red walls and plunging cliffs was incredible as was the view across the bush with nothing but trees and sand for as far as the eye could see. It was quite a scramble but the excursions to the cliff edge were mainly optional apart from the descent into the ‘Garden of Eden’ at the canyon end but John managed really well and we were soon up and over the other side. After the canyon rim walk we did the shorter track into the canyon itself – hardly a soul in sight for this much easier trail whilst the mountain top was pretty crowded at times, clearly the macho route is more popular in Australia. We sat on the viewing platform and gazed up at the canyon walls, listening to the birds and insects. The area further in is sacred to the Aborigines so the walk stops about half way in. It was a beautiful and deeply inspiring place.
With sore legs we headed back to our cabin to chill out, get our laundry done and have a rewarding glass of beer. I’ve read the few books we took with us so I’ve had to embrace more technology and read a book using the Kindle software that we are testing on the laptop. It works very well, though, being a Luddite, a still prefer a solid book and it’s a pain waiting for the laptop to fire up and close down, as well as keeping the battery charged – probably easier on an actual Kindle!
The next morning we were up nice and early again for the next leg of our drive to Ayers Rock/Uluru, a mere 300 km down the road!
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Melbourne - cool city
Arriving in Melbourne where the sun was shining after pouring rain in Sydney, with the BBC World Service on the cab radio felt like coming home but I soon realised that Melbourne was a much larger and grander metropolis than Manchester, though not without its similarities. We’d got a deal at the Langham so felt thoroughly spoiled by our choice of hotel – all marble baths, comfy furnishings and bathrobes and slippers, very five star! We were on an economy flight as our round the world ticket wouldn’t cover quite so many stops in one country so we’d been panicking slightly about the luggage allowance. By running down toiletry stocks and careful use of hand luggage we squeezed in to the 23kg which was fortunate as it was totally electronic with not a sympathetic check in person in sight. It did mean that our first stop in Melbourne had to be to find a chemist to restock contact lens cleaner and make up remover – luckily we found one very quickly despite it being late on a Saturday afternoon.
The Langham has a great location on the south bank of the Yarra with lots of great bars and restaurants and just a short walk across the foot bridge to the CBD. Sadly we hadn’t planned ahead from a cultural point of view so we weren’t able to get any tickets for the many theatrical events going on but we had a good wander round the arts complex and imbibed the atmosphere. Just have to go back some time and this time plan ahead. The combination of historical buildings, river front and magnificent skyscrapers makes for a great city sky line and lots of incredible views. Saturday night we had a Japanese banquet overlooking the river which was exquisite – really fresh sushi/sashimi, spicy crab, wagyu beef, teriyaki chicken and caramelised banana. Sunday morning we set off on the Lonely Planet walking tour of the city, a great time to see it with plenty of atmosphere (including open day at the parliament building complete with Royal Navy brass band) but not too busy. We soon extended the tour to take in Little Italy and finally south of the river and the Botanical Gardens – several hours of walking in the end but with so much to take in and the most glorious day we didn’t want to stop. We felt we’d earned our fine dinner at Walter’s Wine Bar with another glorious view of the city sky line and a tasting flight of sparkling wine for an aperitif. The Australian sparkling held up really well against the Billecart Salmon but the Prosecco tasted pretty lacklustre when compared with the other two!
On Monday we made use of the Circle Historic Tram which takes you (for free) around the main sights, to see as much of the city as we could, hopping on and off to take in the new docklands development (a bit like Salford Quays but with more interesting looking restaurants), the Exhibition Centre and some more of the historic buildings. We decided on lunch in Little Italy which we’d admired so much the day before and found a tiny Italian, family run for another great meal – it’s lucky we were only spending 3 nights in Melbourne or I wouldn’t have a pair of trousers left that do up!
All in all a great place and one I’d like to have had more time in to head out to some of the suburbs and the sea front. I think we were blessed with the weather as the standing joke in Australia is that it’s always cold and rainy in Melbourne (yet another thing it has in common with Manchester and equally mythical!)
Tuesday morning we had to be up at 5am to get our flight to Alice Springs, where it was raining and incredibly green. This is supposed to be the red centre but it doesn’t look very red at the moment due to unseasonable rain and even some flooding. Luckily they’re upgraded our hire car to a 4WD so we will be fine if we meet any water on the road. The Chifley at Alice Springs compares very unfavourably with the Langham but I’m sure we’ll soon get used to a more realistic hotel accommodation!
The Langham has a great location on the south bank of the Yarra with lots of great bars and restaurants and just a short walk across the foot bridge to the CBD. Sadly we hadn’t planned ahead from a cultural point of view so we weren’t able to get any tickets for the many theatrical events going on but we had a good wander round the arts complex and imbibed the atmosphere. Just have to go back some time and this time plan ahead. The combination of historical buildings, river front and magnificent skyscrapers makes for a great city sky line and lots of incredible views. Saturday night we had a Japanese banquet overlooking the river which was exquisite – really fresh sushi/sashimi, spicy crab, wagyu beef, teriyaki chicken and caramelised banana. Sunday morning we set off on the Lonely Planet walking tour of the city, a great time to see it with plenty of atmosphere (including open day at the parliament building complete with Royal Navy brass band) but not too busy. We soon extended the tour to take in Little Italy and finally south of the river and the Botanical Gardens – several hours of walking in the end but with so much to take in and the most glorious day we didn’t want to stop. We felt we’d earned our fine dinner at Walter’s Wine Bar with another glorious view of the city sky line and a tasting flight of sparkling wine for an aperitif. The Australian sparkling held up really well against the Billecart Salmon but the Prosecco tasted pretty lacklustre when compared with the other two!
On Monday we made use of the Circle Historic Tram which takes you (for free) around the main sights, to see as much of the city as we could, hopping on and off to take in the new docklands development (a bit like Salford Quays but with more interesting looking restaurants), the Exhibition Centre and some more of the historic buildings. We decided on lunch in Little Italy which we’d admired so much the day before and found a tiny Italian, family run for another great meal – it’s lucky we were only spending 3 nights in Melbourne or I wouldn’t have a pair of trousers left that do up!
All in all a great place and one I’d like to have had more time in to head out to some of the suburbs and the sea front. I think we were blessed with the weather as the standing joke in Australia is that it’s always cold and rainy in Melbourne (yet another thing it has in common with Manchester and equally mythical!)
Tuesday morning we had to be up at 5am to get our flight to Alice Springs, where it was raining and incredibly green. This is supposed to be the red centre but it doesn’t look very red at the moment due to unseasonable rain and even some flooding. Luckily they’re upgraded our hire car to a 4WD so we will be fine if we meet any water on the road. The Chifley at Alice Springs compares very unfavourably with the Langham but I’m sure we’ll soon get used to a more realistic hotel accommodation!
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Catching up with an old friend
Being in Sydney for the first time ever I felt I just had to look up a friend of mine who lives there and catch up after so many years. Sam and I used to work together in the heady days of Riley Manchester, where she was an Account Director and incredibly popular with so many clients. Sam comes from Sydney but got waylaid on her world trip by meeting a lovely man from Wigan, Neil, who became her husband and meant she spent rather longer in Manchester than she’d originally intended! After their two children, Gemma and Jonty, were born, Sam and Neil headed back to Sydney to bring up their family and, apart from via Linked In, we rather lost touch.
It was great so see Sam again, looking the same as ever, though perhaps more relaxed, despite combining family life with a demanding career and involvement in Neil’s business – must be all that Sydney sunshine I hear so much about but didn’t see that much of! Poor John, had to sit quietly as we caught up on 10 years and remembered the happy times we enjoyed back in Manchester when we were revitalising the agency.
It was a lovely evening, over far too soon and I do hope it won’t be another ten years till we catch up again – though it’s always going to be tricky with 17,000 km in between!
Manly pictures
Enjoying John's birthday lunch and the view from Watson's Bay. Palm Beach (or Summer Bay as it's known on TV. Playing in the surf at Manly and the view in Sydney across the Botanical Gardens.
Manly - surf city
We checked into the Novotel in Manly and immediately upgraded to an ocean front room so that we could watch the waves crashing on the beach from our terrace which made it a special location for John’s birthday week. The huge room could definitely be described as ‘minimalist’ since it contained nothing much apart from a bed and a TV and could comfortably have accommodated a sofa and a table and chairs! The view was great and wandering out onto the terrace at 7am to see what the day was looking like, you could watch the energetic Ozzies bobbing around in the surf like so many seals, or playing volleyball, running, cycling and all manner of active pursuits. You don’t seem to see lots of hugely fat people or incredibly skinny ones either so they must have a good balance between active lifestyles (you get run over by joggers if you’re walking round at lunchtime) and plentiful supplies of very yummy food. Everywhere you go there are constant snacking opportunities and even buying a small ice cream cone you have to say no to offers of (free) chocolate dipped cones, whipped cream and toppings. I managed to find time to start running again whilst we were in Manly and enjoyed running around the surprisingly hilly town though with lots of walking as well my muscles were soon screaming in agony.
Tuesday morning was drizzly and grey so we decided to go to the pictures to see The King’s Speech which was every bit as good as we had been led to believe. We managed a walk in between showers and another chance to watch the surfers. Wednesday was absolutely beautiful so we headed up the coast, along the Northern beaches to Palm Beach. A lovely spot with a harbour and calm water on one side of the peninsula and a golden surf beach on the other side finished off with a bush covered headland and lighthouse. We walked along the beach and up through the bush and cliffs to the lighthouse which was very steep but worth it for the view. Whilst John wasn’t so keen on the incline I was rather more bothered about the very evil looking spiders which had spun webs above the path. Palm Beach is famous as it is where they film ‘Home & Away’ and they were filming on the day we were there. However, since I’ve never seen the programme the significance was rather lost on me! We headed back to Manly and down to the surf beach – Manly has two, one on the Pacific coast and one overlooking the harbour, complete with shark nets. We had fun bouncing around in the waves and sitting on the sand – not really swimming and definitely not surfing but great nevertheless.
On Thursday we headed into the CBD to hand back the hire car. We wandered around Kings Cross – similarly seedy like its London namesake and caught the train back into the centre where we spent a lovely few hours walking in the Botanical Gardens and along the harbour front. After a reward of beer and Yum Cha we then caught the famous Manly Ferry back to our hotel. A fun half hour ride across the harbour.
Friday was John’s birthday and I’d booked us a beachfront table at Doyle’s On The Beach, a famous seafood restaurant in Watson’s Bay. We took the ferry to Circular Quay where we had a coffee and a wander before catching a second ferry to Watson’s Bay. As the crow flies, Manly and Watson’s Bay are really close together but as they are at different sides of the harbour entrance and a water taxi quoted 150 dollars one way we decided that getting there was at least half the fun and took the long way round. It was absolutely pouring with rain but we sat under an efficient plastic awning to drink Louis Roederer and eat fish and chips (for John) and snapper with macadamia crust (for me) and had a wonderful lunch. Having no need for further food that day we spent the rest of John’s birthday relaxing and drinking the complimentary bubbly which the hotel gave us in honour of the occasion.
The next day it really rained – proper soaking Sydney rain and we were very glad to be heading to Melbourne where, despite constant disparaging comments by Sydneysider’s, the weather was warm, sunny and a lovely 24 degrees.
Tuesday morning was drizzly and grey so we decided to go to the pictures to see The King’s Speech which was every bit as good as we had been led to believe. We managed a walk in between showers and another chance to watch the surfers. Wednesday was absolutely beautiful so we headed up the coast, along the Northern beaches to Palm Beach. A lovely spot with a harbour and calm water on one side of the peninsula and a golden surf beach on the other side finished off with a bush covered headland and lighthouse. We walked along the beach and up through the bush and cliffs to the lighthouse which was very steep but worth it for the view. Whilst John wasn’t so keen on the incline I was rather more bothered about the very evil looking spiders which had spun webs above the path. Palm Beach is famous as it is where they film ‘Home & Away’ and they were filming on the day we were there. However, since I’ve never seen the programme the significance was rather lost on me! We headed back to Manly and down to the surf beach – Manly has two, one on the Pacific coast and one overlooking the harbour, complete with shark nets. We had fun bouncing around in the waves and sitting on the sand – not really swimming and definitely not surfing but great nevertheless.
On Thursday we headed into the CBD to hand back the hire car. We wandered around Kings Cross – similarly seedy like its London namesake and caught the train back into the centre where we spent a lovely few hours walking in the Botanical Gardens and along the harbour front. After a reward of beer and Yum Cha we then caught the famous Manly Ferry back to our hotel. A fun half hour ride across the harbour.
Friday was John’s birthday and I’d booked us a beachfront table at Doyle’s On The Beach, a famous seafood restaurant in Watson’s Bay. We took the ferry to Circular Quay where we had a coffee and a wander before catching a second ferry to Watson’s Bay. As the crow flies, Manly and Watson’s Bay are really close together but as they are at different sides of the harbour entrance and a water taxi quoted 150 dollars one way we decided that getting there was at least half the fun and took the long way round. It was absolutely pouring with rain but we sat under an efficient plastic awning to drink Louis Roederer and eat fish and chips (for John) and snapper with macadamia crust (for me) and had a wonderful lunch. Having no need for further food that day we spent the rest of John’s birthday relaxing and drinking the complimentary bubbly which the hotel gave us in honour of the occasion.
The next day it really rained – proper soaking Sydney rain and we were very glad to be heading to Melbourne where, despite constant disparaging comments by Sydneysider’s, the weather was warm, sunny and a lovely 24 degrees.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains
Pictures of the impressive Blue Mountains and the 3 sisters. John looking a bit nervous in the cable car and enjoying some Hunter Valley wines. Kangaroos look on as Jenny gets a bit close with the camera!
Long weekend in New South Wales
We picked up our shiny red hire car and headed North across the harbour bridge and after a trawl through Sydney’s suburbs, crossed the Hawkesbury River and into bush country. Amazing trees lined the windy road and we stopped in Wollomi for a sandwich lunch and a walk round this tiny bush town. Avis had run out of sat navs so we were managing with bits of maps but we managed to find the Hunter Valley without too much problem. Once we accepted that Pokolbin was a loose collection of vineyards and accommodation spread over several square km rather than an actual place we found our hotel, The Tuscan Valley Wine Lodge, without too much aimless driving around! A wonderful view across the vineyards to the mountains on the ridge greeting us from our terrace. It had been raining so the lady informed us that the kangaroos might not come to graze in the evening but I went out to look for them behind the pool, no sign, but as I was coming back I spied two of them right by our terrace, though they hopped off pretty sharpish when they saw me coming. We had a delicious dinner at the attached restaurant and a bottle of Shiraz from the nearby Mistletoe winery.
Next morning it was drizzly but warm so we put on our boots and went for a walk along the country roads between the vineyards and wineries. I was fascinated by the mobs (I believe this is the correct collective term for kangaroos) of kangaroos grazing in the pasture. Looking a bit like deer you could see their ears prick up and then they’d stand up on their hind legs to check us out, ready to hop away if we came too close. Not something you see wandering around the Bordeaux or champagne vineyards and absolutely fascinating for someone like me. We did some tasting at Mistletoe to finish our walk, a family winery, where the daughter talked us through the various wines on offer and we bought some to accompany us on our travels, since we have a car for a week and not immediate flights. We bought some cheese and crackers so that we could enjoy a bottle for lunch. I went for a swim in the pool, accompanied by a small frog and this time the kangaroos did come to graze and stayed around till we came out from dinner.
Next morning we set off for the Blue Mountains, again through winding bush country and many miles of country roads without so much as a village or a shop. Eventually we climbed the 3000 plus feet to Katoomba and checked in to a wonderfully old fashioned hotel, the Mountain Heritage, which seemed to have stayed in a previous age, along with the rest of the small town. The view from the dining room was superb so we opted for an early dinner so that we could enjoy the sun setting over the sandstone ridges.
Sunday it was boots on again and we walked to Echo Point and the stunning view of the valleys, mountains and the 3 sisters rock formation. J decided the giant steps into the valley were a bit sheer for him so I just went a little way down to get a better view of the rocks. We then did the cliff top walk to Katoomba Falls and took the cable car down to the rain forest walks in the valley floor. We could have come back in the almost vertical mountain tramway but J preferred to stick with the rather more modern cable car again. Walking back the heavens opened and the plastic bag rain ponchos that I’ve been carrying around since Bora Bora came into their own! No kangaroos here so John had kangaroo for dinner to make up for it – he tells me it tastes like a sinewy kind of venison and they certainly behave like deer in their grazing ‘mobs’.
Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains the most amazing and beautiful places to spend a weekend out of the city and I loved them both. Monday morning we had the place to ourselves so we took a drive to some incredible lookouts and into the Megalong Valley so we could really enjoy the countryside before heading back into Sydney and a 5 night stay in the seaside resort of Manly.
Next morning it was drizzly but warm so we put on our boots and went for a walk along the country roads between the vineyards and wineries. I was fascinated by the mobs (I believe this is the correct collective term for kangaroos) of kangaroos grazing in the pasture. Looking a bit like deer you could see their ears prick up and then they’d stand up on their hind legs to check us out, ready to hop away if we came too close. Not something you see wandering around the Bordeaux or champagne vineyards and absolutely fascinating for someone like me. We did some tasting at Mistletoe to finish our walk, a family winery, where the daughter talked us through the various wines on offer and we bought some to accompany us on our travels, since we have a car for a week and not immediate flights. We bought some cheese and crackers so that we could enjoy a bottle for lunch. I went for a swim in the pool, accompanied by a small frog and this time the kangaroos did come to graze and stayed around till we came out from dinner.
Next morning we set off for the Blue Mountains, again through winding bush country and many miles of country roads without so much as a village or a shop. Eventually we climbed the 3000 plus feet to Katoomba and checked in to a wonderfully old fashioned hotel, the Mountain Heritage, which seemed to have stayed in a previous age, along with the rest of the small town. The view from the dining room was superb so we opted for an early dinner so that we could enjoy the sun setting over the sandstone ridges.
Sunday it was boots on again and we walked to Echo Point and the stunning view of the valleys, mountains and the 3 sisters rock formation. J decided the giant steps into the valley were a bit sheer for him so I just went a little way down to get a better view of the rocks. We then did the cliff top walk to Katoomba Falls and took the cable car down to the rain forest walks in the valley floor. We could have come back in the almost vertical mountain tramway but J preferred to stick with the rather more modern cable car again. Walking back the heavens opened and the plastic bag rain ponchos that I’ve been carrying around since Bora Bora came into their own! No kangaroos here so John had kangaroo for dinner to make up for it – he tells me it tastes like a sinewy kind of venison and they certainly behave like deer in their grazing ‘mobs’.
Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains the most amazing and beautiful places to spend a weekend out of the city and I loved them both. Monday morning we had the place to ourselves so we took a drive to some incredible lookouts and into the Megalong Valley so we could really enjoy the countryside before heading back into Sydney and a 5 night stay in the seaside resort of Manly.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Pics of Sydney
Sunset on the Opera House from our hotel room. A friendly wallaby and a kangeroo looking very relaxed. John without a surf board at Bondi and on the harbour cruise.
Sydney - civilised city
We left Queenstown with Qantas on ‘The Tasman’. A very civilised short flight but with full lunch and champagne so we didn’t need to eat again when we arrived. The formalities of entry didn’t take very long at all and our e-visas seemed to have got into the system without any difficulty. I was blown away by the view from our room on the 16th Floor of the Shangri La hotel. A sweeping vista of the harbour and the bridge and I can enjoy the different light playing on the roof of the Opera House whilst sitting on the bed. Watching the changing light and all the boats coming and going is delightful and the room itself feels particularly opulent, especially after so much camping. I used to love the Shangri La in Abu Dhabi and the Sydney version certainly lives up to expectations.
Despite having lived here for three years in the 80’s and visiting many times since, John didn’t seem to mind playing the tourist and showing me all the important sights. On Sunday morning we took the Sydney harbour coffee cruise which is definitely the best way to see this amazing, water bound city. It was a beautiful morning and the harbour was full of boats and we cruised round, having the various bays and sights pointed out for us by a very enthusiastic guide. She delighted in letting us know how many millions of dollars some of the many attractive, water front properties had sold for recently and pointing out the shark netting which made the bay beaches into pleasant swimming spots. I didn’t see any sharks though!
We arrived back at Circular Quay and took a walk around the Opera House and the Rocks area which was crowded with Sunday afternoon visitors and had a refreshing beer (obligatory activity in Sydney so John says!) We enjoyed a lavish seafood platter for supper, overlooking the Opera House and I had a ‘Balmain Bug’ for the first time – very like a huge lobster tail and very tasty. I had visions of a huge insect but it was comfortingly sea food like.
Monday morning saw us ‘going walkabout’ in central Sydney, admiring the historic buildings and shopping arcades, not to mention a group of women in their undies who were appearing in a TV feature on why women’s bodies should no longer be compared to fruit. We watched the feature later on the news but didn’t see ourselves on camera. We went up the sky tower to see a bird’s eye view of the city but didn’t go outside for the ‘sky walk’ even though they do rope you on. It was a great view of the whole area, the bay and Botany Bay though I liked being able to look down on the buildings and see which ones had swimming pools and secret gardens on the roof. We walked around Darling Harbour, a shopping and eating area which hadn’t been created when J lived here and then had a 15 dollar lunch in China Town. Then we went to the pictures to see ‘Black Swan’ since we’ve been missing our fix of English language films. A weird film but the ballet was done brilliantly as they cleverly switched a real dancer with Natalie Portman for the close ups.
On Tuesday we went out to Bondi Beach – well you have to really though J says we’ll see beaches he prefers later on. It was a glorious day and it looked absolutely fantastic as we strolled along watching the surfers. We took a walk along the coastal path around the headlands for a better view. As we were on the bus I didn’t fancy getting wet and thought I’d save swimming for another time. We had dinner on the 36th Floor of the Shangri La which has the most incredible view of Sydney after dark and a very fine chef as well.
Wednesday we headed to the zoo. I don’t much care for zoos and captive animals but I was really keen to see some native Australian species and it was a lovely trip including a boat across the harbour and a cable car to the top of the hill. The zoo was brilliantly done with about half of it given over to native Australian animals in their natural habitats, all very sensitive with lots of information about conservation and protection. Several of the enclosures allowed you to walk through and it was just wonderful to turn round and see a wallaby suddenly standing on a rock right beside you. The kangeroos hopped across the path as you walked round and the koalas just hung about in the trees chewing Eucalyptus and there were endless beautiful birds including a Cookaburra which suddenly appeared right beside me. We did watch the elephant show as we were assured that these were rescue elephants who enjoyed performing and were happier in Sydney than begging in the streets of Bangkok. So happy that 3 of them had babies, born in Australia. It was a lovely zoo and I’d rather see the snakes safely behind a glass case. There were some pretty fearsome spiders but they did not seem to be exhibits which was slightly worrying, hope I don’t meet too many of those over the next few weeks!
Despite having lived here for three years in the 80’s and visiting many times since, John didn’t seem to mind playing the tourist and showing me all the important sights. On Sunday morning we took the Sydney harbour coffee cruise which is definitely the best way to see this amazing, water bound city. It was a beautiful morning and the harbour was full of boats and we cruised round, having the various bays and sights pointed out for us by a very enthusiastic guide. She delighted in letting us know how many millions of dollars some of the many attractive, water front properties had sold for recently and pointing out the shark netting which made the bay beaches into pleasant swimming spots. I didn’t see any sharks though!
We arrived back at Circular Quay and took a walk around the Opera House and the Rocks area which was crowded with Sunday afternoon visitors and had a refreshing beer (obligatory activity in Sydney so John says!) We enjoyed a lavish seafood platter for supper, overlooking the Opera House and I had a ‘Balmain Bug’ for the first time – very like a huge lobster tail and very tasty. I had visions of a huge insect but it was comfortingly sea food like.
Monday morning saw us ‘going walkabout’ in central Sydney, admiring the historic buildings and shopping arcades, not to mention a group of women in their undies who were appearing in a TV feature on why women’s bodies should no longer be compared to fruit. We watched the feature later on the news but didn’t see ourselves on camera. We went up the sky tower to see a bird’s eye view of the city but didn’t go outside for the ‘sky walk’ even though they do rope you on. It was a great view of the whole area, the bay and Botany Bay though I liked being able to look down on the buildings and see which ones had swimming pools and secret gardens on the roof. We walked around Darling Harbour, a shopping and eating area which hadn’t been created when J lived here and then had a 15 dollar lunch in China Town. Then we went to the pictures to see ‘Black Swan’ since we’ve been missing our fix of English language films. A weird film but the ballet was done brilliantly as they cleverly switched a real dancer with Natalie Portman for the close ups.
On Tuesday we went out to Bondi Beach – well you have to really though J says we’ll see beaches he prefers later on. It was a glorious day and it looked absolutely fantastic as we strolled along watching the surfers. We took a walk along the coastal path around the headlands for a better view. As we were on the bus I didn’t fancy getting wet and thought I’d save swimming for another time. We had dinner on the 36th Floor of the Shangri La which has the most incredible view of Sydney after dark and a very fine chef as well.
Wednesday we headed to the zoo. I don’t much care for zoos and captive animals but I was really keen to see some native Australian species and it was a lovely trip including a boat across the harbour and a cable car to the top of the hill. The zoo was brilliantly done with about half of it given over to native Australian animals in their natural habitats, all very sensitive with lots of information about conservation and protection. Several of the enclosures allowed you to walk through and it was just wonderful to turn round and see a wallaby suddenly standing on a rock right beside you. The kangeroos hopped across the path as you walked round and the koalas just hung about in the trees chewing Eucalyptus and there were endless beautiful birds including a Cookaburra which suddenly appeared right beside me. We did watch the elephant show as we were assured that these were rescue elephants who enjoyed performing and were happier in Sydney than begging in the streets of Bangkok. So happy that 3 of them had babies, born in Australia. It was a lovely zoo and I’d rather see the snakes safely behind a glass case. There were some pretty fearsome spiders but they did not seem to be exhibits which was slightly worrying, hope I don’t meet too many of those over the next few weeks!
Friday, 4 March 2011
Pictures of Queenstown and Milford Sound
Proof of the moody nature of Milford Sound - these pictures of us on the boat and the Sound and then Lake Wakatipu were all taken in the same 24 hour period and 'as the crow flies' not very far apart.
Milford Sound Magic
After our relaxing night in Queenstown we were once more up at dawn with an overnight bag packed and the rest of our stuff in the Copthorne luggage store ready for our overnight excursion to Milford Sound. Justin from Real Journeys picked us up in a fabulous luxury coach with seats tilted towards the huge windows and a glass roof for better viewing of the mountains. The coach journey itself was a great part of the trip with lots of stops and commentary from Justin. We headed along the southern shore of Lake Wakatipu which is over 1000 feet deep and into Southland. After a brief coffee stop where we admired the cafe’s pet pig, alpacas and miniature ponies we were off towards Fiordland and a lunch stop in Te Anua. The scenery got more and more incredible as we journeyed on, the mountains higher and the lakes bigger. There was a first dusting of snow on all the mountain tops and the clouds were gathering as we headed west.
Once into the national park the herds of deer, sheep and cows gave way to ancient forest, clear pools and glacial meadows. Then we were into the really high mountains and I was very glad that Justin was driving and seemed really comfortable with the hair pin bends and steep ascents and descents. We went through the Holme Tunnel, dug out with picks and shovels over a 15 year period which took us a mile through the mountain to emerge in the final valley where we were surrounded by 3000 feet cliffs and waterfalls tumbling vertically off the rock faces. We stopped and were encouraged to drink the pure water straight from a stream and to admire the river running through a deep limestone canyon.
At 4pm we arrived at the dock at Milford where we boarded the Milford Mariner for our overnight cruise. After a safety briefing we viewed our neat little cabin then went on deck to admire the mountains dropping into the still waters of the sound and the waterfalls pouring down. The wind was funnelling in as we neared the Tasman Sea and it was hard to stand on deck without getting blown over so once moored up we didn’t head out in the Kayaks but decided to take a glass of wine in the bar and enjoy the scenery from the warmth of inside. I had thought I might swim but the water was only 12 degrees and it was grey and cold so I didn’t think about it for too long before taking the Sauvignon Blanc option! We had a great dinner, sharing a table and travel stories with a couple from Manchester and another from Finland. It was very convivial. After dinner one of the crew showed us some really interesting slides and videos of wildlife and different weather conditions on the Sound. We only saw a few seals as it was clearly too inclement for the dolphins!
Next morning it was absolutely pouring with rain when we left our cabin for breakfast but then this is not be expected in Milford Sound, where they measure their average rainfall in metres. It really added to the atmosphere as we headed out into the Tasman Sea which was pretty rough and we watched the cliffs looming out of the sea, new waterfalls starting up and previous ones growing in volume from the relatively dryness of the bridge. The crew were just brilliant, the captain didn’t mind at all, having us hanging about as he fought the waves and avoided the cliffs and the nature commentator was funny and friendly. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their job, despite having to do it all the time with groups of ignorant tourists asking the same questions!
The return journey, although travelling the same route was equally spectacular with new waterfalls and, as we left the West Coast, the sun coming out to reveal a beautiful day with clear blue sky and impossibly blue lakes. We got back to Queenstown to find a very different place under a blue sky. Back at the Copthorne we seem to have been given the best room in the hotel, a suite with a balcony with 180 degree views of the lakes and the mountains and a view from the bed which is just too lovely.
Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Sydney for our next adventure. I do hope we can return to New Zealand some day, it is such a lovely country with lovely people and there is still so much more to see.
Once into the national park the herds of deer, sheep and cows gave way to ancient forest, clear pools and glacial meadows. Then we were into the really high mountains and I was very glad that Justin was driving and seemed really comfortable with the hair pin bends and steep ascents and descents. We went through the Holme Tunnel, dug out with picks and shovels over a 15 year period which took us a mile through the mountain to emerge in the final valley where we were surrounded by 3000 feet cliffs and waterfalls tumbling vertically off the rock faces. We stopped and were encouraged to drink the pure water straight from a stream and to admire the river running through a deep limestone canyon.
At 4pm we arrived at the dock at Milford where we boarded the Milford Mariner for our overnight cruise. After a safety briefing we viewed our neat little cabin then went on deck to admire the mountains dropping into the still waters of the sound and the waterfalls pouring down. The wind was funnelling in as we neared the Tasman Sea and it was hard to stand on deck without getting blown over so once moored up we didn’t head out in the Kayaks but decided to take a glass of wine in the bar and enjoy the scenery from the warmth of inside. I had thought I might swim but the water was only 12 degrees and it was grey and cold so I didn’t think about it for too long before taking the Sauvignon Blanc option! We had a great dinner, sharing a table and travel stories with a couple from Manchester and another from Finland. It was very convivial. After dinner one of the crew showed us some really interesting slides and videos of wildlife and different weather conditions on the Sound. We only saw a few seals as it was clearly too inclement for the dolphins!
Next morning it was absolutely pouring with rain when we left our cabin for breakfast but then this is not be expected in Milford Sound, where they measure their average rainfall in metres. It really added to the atmosphere as we headed out into the Tasman Sea which was pretty rough and we watched the cliffs looming out of the sea, new waterfalls starting up and previous ones growing in volume from the relatively dryness of the bridge. The crew were just brilliant, the captain didn’t mind at all, having us hanging about as he fought the waves and avoided the cliffs and the nature commentator was funny and friendly. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their job, despite having to do it all the time with groups of ignorant tourists asking the same questions!
The return journey, although travelling the same route was equally spectacular with new waterfalls and, as we left the West Coast, the sun coming out to reveal a beautiful day with clear blue sky and impossibly blue lakes. We got back to Queenstown to find a very different place under a blue sky. Back at the Copthorne we seem to have been given the best room in the hotel, a suite with a balcony with 180 degree views of the lakes and the mountains and a view from the bed which is just too lovely.
Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Sydney for our next adventure. I do hope we can return to New Zealand some day, it is such a lovely country with lovely people and there is still so much more to see.
Further South than ever before
After the excitement of helicopters and Orcs we took at pit stop just down the road in Omarama, a tiny place in the high country with a pleasant campsite ringed by mountains. We caught up on the laundry and cooked our own dinner in the van before continuing our journey south.
We drove through some amazing mountain passes and alongside Lake Dunstan before stopping for coffee and home made apple cake in Cromwell, home of Central Otago Pinot Noir and amazing vines clinging to the steep valley sides. The road onwards took us beside roaring rivers, vineyards and frit orchards till we reached Arrowtown, which was to be our final camp site stop. A really pretty village, ‘born of gold’ as people started finding gold in the river and built a town around it. We wandered round the quaint town centre and alongside the river. There were people panning for gold and nuggets for sale in the shops, but we were happy just to admire the scenery and stroll on the river banks. We had a very fine dinner at Saffron, three different curries (duck, soft shell crab and chicken) for me and lamb for John before retiring for our final sleep in the bunk over the driver’s seat. During the night a real gale blew up and we were constantly woken by the van rocking in the wind, clearly time to move to more substantial accommodation! It was raining pretty hard as we emptied the various waters and cleaned the van and repacked our suitcases. We headed into Queenstown where we admired the Shotover gorge but didn’t feel compelled to take a jet boat through it.
It was sad to say goodbye to the big Maui van which had served us so well on our adventurous 2000km journey through New Zealand but nice to check into the Copthorne and look forward to a hot bath in a private bathroom and to hang our clothes up in the wardrobe. It was very windy and pouring with rain, so apart from a quick walk round town we stayed in the hotel enjoying the comforts of a solid building. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world but I’m afraid we rather let the side down and didn’t bungee jump, go canyoning, rafting or hang gliding but just watched it all go by from our charming lake view room – very disappointing for the man in Waterstone’s in Manchester who sold us Lonely Planet and was keen to which extreme sports we were planning!
We drove through some amazing mountain passes and alongside Lake Dunstan before stopping for coffee and home made apple cake in Cromwell, home of Central Otago Pinot Noir and amazing vines clinging to the steep valley sides. The road onwards took us beside roaring rivers, vineyards and frit orchards till we reached Arrowtown, which was to be our final camp site stop. A really pretty village, ‘born of gold’ as people started finding gold in the river and built a town around it. We wandered round the quaint town centre and alongside the river. There were people panning for gold and nuggets for sale in the shops, but we were happy just to admire the scenery and stroll on the river banks. We had a very fine dinner at Saffron, three different curries (duck, soft shell crab and chicken) for me and lamb for John before retiring for our final sleep in the bunk over the driver’s seat. During the night a real gale blew up and we were constantly woken by the van rocking in the wind, clearly time to move to more substantial accommodation! It was raining pretty hard as we emptied the various waters and cleaned the van and repacked our suitcases. We headed into Queenstown where we admired the Shotover gorge but didn’t feel compelled to take a jet boat through it.
It was sad to say goodbye to the big Maui van which had served us so well on our adventurous 2000km journey through New Zealand but nice to check into the Copthorne and look forward to a hot bath in a private bathroom and to hang our clothes up in the wardrobe. It was very windy and pouring with rain, so apart from a quick walk round town we stayed in the hotel enjoying the comforts of a solid building. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world but I’m afraid we rather let the side down and didn’t bungee jump, go canyoning, rafting or hang gliding but just watched it all go by from our charming lake view room – very disappointing for the man in Waterstone’s in Manchester who sold us Lonely Planet and was keen to which extreme sports we were planning!
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