22/01/12-24/01/12
An early morning saw me jumping back on the ferry to make the crossing to Bluff again. This time it was near empty so I was able to get a sit next to a window at the back of the craft. For the entire hour’s crossing I fixed my glaze on the horizon and thought about as much rubbish as I could to keep my mind off the rolling waves. It must have worked because as we came in to shore again I hadn’t had a repeat experience of my earlier crossing. Back on the south island I would now be heading north up the length of the west coast, my first destination was to be Te Anau located in the Fiordland area of New Zealand. I discovered my hostel was located right on the edge of the lake with the view of mountains dominating the surrounding shoreline. I made a brief visit to the main street to pick up supplies while later that night I took a stroll along the lake front to check out the scenery.
The next day I undertook a day hike up to the first hut on the Kelper trail. Starting off at my hostel I followed the lakefront round to the water control gates which act as the entrance to the national park. From here there was a brief stroll by the lakefront in the trees to the start of the 1000m climb up to the top of the mountain range where the hut was nested. The climb was a lot easier than I had expected it to be, it wasn’t too steep and ascended at a steady pace, and I was able to climb up without stops. On reaching the top I found you came out above the tree line to be treated to spectacular views of the surrounding ranges and lakes, it really was a pleasure to be able to see so far. During the winter months the track would be under snow as it is an alpine track. By the time I had reached the hut I found that it had only taken me 3 and a half hour to get here from my accommodation - a shock even to me! The hut is infamous for having the best views of any in New Zealand and I would have to agree as I looked down at the lake and mountains that surrounded it. After stopping off to grab lunch I took a quick diversion to explore the nearby cave system you can enter nearby, but after stepping down into the dark I decided not to adventure too far inside as the floor was very slippery and I was by myself. Turning back to make my way down I passed several of the groups I had passed on the way up once again, some looked like the climb had taken its toll. I too discovered that all the recent walking I had been doing had had a negative impact on my feet in the way of blisters which were on my heels and toes. Nearing home I was struggling to walk comfortably by the end, maybe my haste up the track hadn’t been a good idea.
With my feet patched up the best I could manage, the following day I once again took to the Kepler track to walk in the other direction to a place called Rainbow Reach. With my feet in a bad condition it was hard going and after walking for nearly two hours I had to give up, even when I was told I was less than half hour from my goal I still turned round and headed home, the first time I had failed to get to where I wanted. In was a perfect clear day and the view from Rainbow Reach would have been amazing but I was in too much discomfort to go on any further knowing that the pain would only get worse. I was disappointed in myself but sometimes you have to do the sensible thing, walking back though I did managed to find a gap in the trees to get down to the river front to chill out for several minutes.
31/01/2012
Steward Island
17/01/12-18/01/12
Today I jumped on the ferry to Stewart Island sometimes considered as New Zealand’s third island, the ride out was to be very rough. It is widely known that the crossing can be wild almost to the point that it is considered a standing joke among those who know about it – but to people like me who don’t have sea legs the crossing is a bit of a nightmare. Without even leaving the harbour the boat was already being thrown up and down with each passing wave, I’ve had a few rough crossings on boats before but this took the biscuit. I managed to last about 15 minutes before I lost my breakfast, fortunately it only takes an hour to cross! Very shaken I’m glad when we safely pull into Oban harbour and I can have a much needed nap at my hostel. In the afternoon not feeling my best I have a slow wonder around town, sorting out hire gear for my trek and letting the local DOC office know what my plans are.
Awaking up feeling refreshed the next day, I do several local walks to get a feeling of what terrain I can expect on my walk. Immediately it becomes clear that most of the bush is made up from fern plants, all different sizes and colours of green. My first track takes me along the coast before heading inland to follow an old bullock trail that was used to shift wood to the old lumber mills that use to operate around the island. Halfway back I divert off to follow another path further into the ferns. In the afternoon I head east around the harbour to follow the coastal road round to a 100 year old stone house that use to be owned by a local shipbuilder to a secluded beach looking out at the small islands that surround the northern approach to Oban. That evening I went down to the harbour front to wait behind the fuel storage tanks to see if I could see the little blue penguins that come to the nearby rocks at night to sleep. After a half hour wait sure enough three tiny penguins swam up and settled down behind the rocks to sleep.
19/01/12-21/01/12
My next three days would consist of tramping the Rakiura Track on Stewart Island. My first day trek was from Oban harbour and took me along the north east coast to my night’s stay at Port William hut. The first leg was 12km long but the first few kilometres included the walk from the harbour along sealed roads to the official start of the track under the anchor structure at Lee Bay. It was raining in the morning but by the time I started off the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. For the first half of the trek I didn’t meet any other people until I reached Maori beach and suddenly everyone seemed to appear. I stopped off here for lunch to let a shower pass before setting off again to continue the track which went along the beach. By early afternoon I had finally reached Port William hut, the day’s leg had only taken me 3.5 hours with breaks. The estimated time given was 6 hours but speaking to the hut warden later I discovered that all the great walks times in New Zealand are overly generous as people of all levels of fitness under take them. The days walking had been pretty easy as most of it was on gravelled paths through the bush, but my backpack was starting to cause me pain near to the end. The hut itself was situated next to a large beach, inside it was separated into sleeping and living quarters with toilets outside. The kitchen area didn’t have gas stoves but I had brought my hired out one with me, there was running water which is safe to drink. Throughout the day various other hikers turned up, most of these would be continuing on the same route as me after so we got to know each other well. After settling down and reading and cooking our volunteer hut warden gave us a brief safety talk that night before we agreed that if anyone heard a kiwi that night we would wake up the others and sit outside to try and see it. One had been seen two nights before but unfortunately none appeared that night, or none woke us up.
On day two I set off with a fellow young hiker to make our way to our next overnight stay at North Arm hut, south of our current position. The weather was terrible, all night it had poured down with rain and it didn’t look like clearing when we set off. With Stewart Island being situated in the roaring forties the weather was very unpredictable, one moment it would be bright and sunny the next there would be gale force winds with pouring rain. Today’s leg took us through the middle of the island to a bay on the other side. Shortly after setting off we came across a deer posing in the bush on top of a rock, out here they are considered a pest with hunters coming to the island to kill them. Today’s route was 13km long and proved to be tougher than the previous day, all day we were battered by gale force winds and rain. There was a steep climb halfway through and the second section was riddled with tree roots and heavy mud. With little rain having fell for the last two weeks the water just set on the surface, even faced with these conditions we safely made it to the hut in 4 hours with breaks. Once inside and clothes changed, we set about getting the hut’s wood stove working so we had some heat to dry our clothes. Once again the hut filled up that afternoon though there were more people this time; one was nearing the end of doing the 10 day North West track. The same routine as yesterday took place though there was no hut warden, the rain continued to pour down that night.
The third and final leg of the Rakiura Track finished off back where I had started at Oban; once again I was accompanied by the same fellow hiker as the day before. As soon as we set off the rain stopped and luckily it was to hold off for the rest of our trek that day. The first part was on a new track; it had only been open shortly before and took us along the coast line to several beaches. Some parts where still waiting to be gravelled as they had replaced the old boardwalks which use to be there. The track continued along the coast throughout the day though mostly it was over boardwalks. The final part was along an old bullock track which use to be used when the saw mills were operational; the evidence of them had been present over the length of the great walk in the form of old rusty machinery. The days walk proved to be quite easy as the most of the in climbs were steady and the mud wasn’t too bad along the track. In just under 4 hours I was back at my hostel where my walk had started several days before. It was the first multi-day trek I had ever done and over three days I had covered around 37km. To be honest it was easier than I had expected and my pack hadn’t caused me as much trouble as I thought it would. If you pushed yourself you could complete the trek in one day but for the experience I was glad I had done it in three. The landscape had been amazing; it had been like stepping back in time to a prest age with the bush made up of different ferns and trees. The only shame was that the weather had kept the wildlife away, but I still managed to see a variety of animals from oyster catchers to deer’s and even jellyfish. The elusive kiwi didn’t make an appearance, maybe another time.
Today I jumped on the ferry to Stewart Island sometimes considered as New Zealand’s third island, the ride out was to be very rough. It is widely known that the crossing can be wild almost to the point that it is considered a standing joke among those who know about it – but to people like me who don’t have sea legs the crossing is a bit of a nightmare. Without even leaving the harbour the boat was already being thrown up and down with each passing wave, I’ve had a few rough crossings on boats before but this took the biscuit. I managed to last about 15 minutes before I lost my breakfast, fortunately it only takes an hour to cross! Very shaken I’m glad when we safely pull into Oban harbour and I can have a much needed nap at my hostel. In the afternoon not feeling my best I have a slow wonder around town, sorting out hire gear for my trek and letting the local DOC office know what my plans are.
Awaking up feeling refreshed the next day, I do several local walks to get a feeling of what terrain I can expect on my walk. Immediately it becomes clear that most of the bush is made up from fern plants, all different sizes and colours of green. My first track takes me along the coast before heading inland to follow an old bullock trail that was used to shift wood to the old lumber mills that use to operate around the island. Halfway back I divert off to follow another path further into the ferns. In the afternoon I head east around the harbour to follow the coastal road round to a 100 year old stone house that use to be owned by a local shipbuilder to a secluded beach looking out at the small islands that surround the northern approach to Oban. That evening I went down to the harbour front to wait behind the fuel storage tanks to see if I could see the little blue penguins that come to the nearby rocks at night to sleep. After a half hour wait sure enough three tiny penguins swam up and settled down behind the rocks to sleep.
19/01/12-21/01/12
My next three days would consist of tramping the Rakiura Track on Stewart Island. My first day trek was from Oban harbour and took me along the north east coast to my night’s stay at Port William hut. The first leg was 12km long but the first few kilometres included the walk from the harbour along sealed roads to the official start of the track under the anchor structure at Lee Bay. It was raining in the morning but by the time I started off the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. For the first half of the trek I didn’t meet any other people until I reached Maori beach and suddenly everyone seemed to appear. I stopped off here for lunch to let a shower pass before setting off again to continue the track which went along the beach. By early afternoon I had finally reached Port William hut, the day’s leg had only taken me 3.5 hours with breaks. The estimated time given was 6 hours but speaking to the hut warden later I discovered that all the great walks times in New Zealand are overly generous as people of all levels of fitness under take them. The days walking had been pretty easy as most of it was on gravelled paths through the bush, but my backpack was starting to cause me pain near to the end. The hut itself was situated next to a large beach, inside it was separated into sleeping and living quarters with toilets outside. The kitchen area didn’t have gas stoves but I had brought my hired out one with me, there was running water which is safe to drink. Throughout the day various other hikers turned up, most of these would be continuing on the same route as me after so we got to know each other well. After settling down and reading and cooking our volunteer hut warden gave us a brief safety talk that night before we agreed that if anyone heard a kiwi that night we would wake up the others and sit outside to try and see it. One had been seen two nights before but unfortunately none appeared that night, or none woke us up.
On day two I set off with a fellow young hiker to make our way to our next overnight stay at North Arm hut, south of our current position. The weather was terrible, all night it had poured down with rain and it didn’t look like clearing when we set off. With Stewart Island being situated in the roaring forties the weather was very unpredictable, one moment it would be bright and sunny the next there would be gale force winds with pouring rain. Today’s leg took us through the middle of the island to a bay on the other side. Shortly after setting off we came across a deer posing in the bush on top of a rock, out here they are considered a pest with hunters coming to the island to kill them. Today’s route was 13km long and proved to be tougher than the previous day, all day we were battered by gale force winds and rain. There was a steep climb halfway through and the second section was riddled with tree roots and heavy mud. With little rain having fell for the last two weeks the water just set on the surface, even faced with these conditions we safely made it to the hut in 4 hours with breaks. Once inside and clothes changed, we set about getting the hut’s wood stove working so we had some heat to dry our clothes. Once again the hut filled up that afternoon though there were more people this time; one was nearing the end of doing the 10 day North West track. The same routine as yesterday took place though there was no hut warden, the rain continued to pour down that night.
The third and final leg of the Rakiura Track finished off back where I had started at Oban; once again I was accompanied by the same fellow hiker as the day before. As soon as we set off the rain stopped and luckily it was to hold off for the rest of our trek that day. The first part was on a new track; it had only been open shortly before and took us along the coast line to several beaches. Some parts where still waiting to be gravelled as they had replaced the old boardwalks which use to be there. The track continued along the coast throughout the day though mostly it was over boardwalks. The final part was along an old bullock track which use to be used when the saw mills were operational; the evidence of them had been present over the length of the great walk in the form of old rusty machinery. The days walk proved to be quite easy as the most of the in climbs were steady and the mud wasn’t too bad along the track. In just under 4 hours I was back at my hostel where my walk had started several days before. It was the first multi-day trek I had ever done and over three days I had covered around 37km. To be honest it was easier than I had expected and my pack hadn’t caused me as much trouble as I thought it would. If you pushed yourself you could complete the trek in one day but for the experience I was glad I had done it in three. The landscape had been amazing; it had been like stepping back in time to a prest age with the bush made up of different ferns and trees. The only shame was that the weather had kept the wildlife away, but I still managed to see a variety of animals from oyster catchers to deer’s and even jellyfish. The elusive kiwi didn’t make an appearance, maybe another time.
Steward Island
17/01/12-18/01/12
Today I jumped on the ferry to Stewart Island sometimes considered as New Zealand’s third island, the ride out was to be very rough. It is widely known that the crossing can be wild almost to the point that it is considered a standing joke among those who know about it – but to people like me who don’t have sea legs the crossing is a bit of a nightmare. Without even leaving the harbour the boat was already being thrown up and down with each passing wave, I’ve had a few rough crossings on boats before but this took the biscuit. I managed to last about 15 minutes before I lost my breakfast, fortunately it only takes an hour to cross! Very shaken I’m glad when we safely pull into Oban harbour and I can have a much needed nap at my hostel. In the afternoon not feeling my best I have a slow wonder around town, sorting out hire gear for my trek and letting the local DOC office know what my plans are.
Awaking up feeling refreshed the next day, I do several local walks to get a feeling of what terrain I can expect on my walk. Immediately it becomes clear that most of the bush is made up from fern plants, all different sizes and colours of green. My first track takes me along the coast before heading inland to follow an old bullock trail that was used to shift wood to the old lumber mills that use to operate around the island. Halfway back I divert off to follow another path further into the ferns. In the afternoon I head east around the harbour to follow the coastal road round to a 100 year old stone house that use to be owned by a local shipbuilder to a secluded beach looking out at the small islands that surround the northern approach to Oban. That evening I went down to the harbour front to wait behind the fuel storage tanks to see if I could see the little blue penguins that come to the nearby rocks at night to sleep. After a half hour wait sure enough three tiny penguins swam up and settled down behind the rocks to sleep.
19/01/12-21/01/12
My next three days would consist of tramping the Rakiura Track on Stewart Island. My first day trek was from Oban harbour and took me along the north east coast to my night’s stay at Port William hut. The first leg was 12km long but the first few kilometres included the walk from the harbour along sealed roads to the official start of the track under the anchor structure at Lee Bay. It was raining in the morning but by the time I started off the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. For the first half of the trek I didn’t meet any other people until I reached Maori beach and suddenly everyone seemed to appear. I stopped off here for lunch to let a shower pass before setting off again to continue the track which went along the beach. By early afternoon I had finally reached Port William hut, the day’s leg had only taken me 3.5 hours with breaks. The estimated time given was 6 hours but speaking to the hut warden later I discovered that all the great walks times in New Zealand are overly generous as people of all levels of fitness under take them. The days walking had been pretty easy as most of it was on gravelled paths through the bush, but my backpack was starting to cause me pain near to the end. The hut itself was situated next to a large beach, inside it was separated into sleeping and living quarters with toilets outside. The kitchen area didn’t have gas stoves but I had brought my hired out one with me, there was running water which is safe to drink. Throughout the day various other hikers turned up, most of these would be continuing on the same route as me after so we got to know each other well. After settling down and reading and cooking our volunteer hut warden gave us a brief safety talk that night before we agreed that if anyone heard a kiwi that night we would wake up the others and sit outside to try and see it. One had been seen two nights before but unfortunately none appeared that night, or none woke us up.
On day two I set off with a fellow young hiker to make our way to our next overnight stay at North Arm hut, south of our current position. The weather was terrible, all night it had poured down with rain and it didn’t look like clearing when we set off. With Stewart Island being situated in the roaring forties the weather was very unpredictable, one moment it would be bright and sunny the next there would be gale force winds with pouring rain. Today’s leg took us through the middle of the island to a bay on the other side. Shortly after setting off we came across a deer posing in the bush on top of a rock, out here they are considered a pest with hunters coming to the island to kill them. Today’s route was 13km long and proved to be tougher than the previous day, all day we were battered by gale force winds and rain. There was a steep climb halfway through and the second section was riddled with tree roots and heavy mud. With little rain having fell for the last two weeks the water just set on the surface, even faced with these conditions we safely made it to the hut in 4 hours with breaks. Once inside and clothes changed, we set about getting the hut’s wood stove working so we had some heat to dry our clothes. Once again the hut filled up that afternoon though there were more people this time; one was nearing the end of doing the 10 day North West track. The same routine as yesterday took place though there was no hut warden, the rain continued to pour down that night.
The third and final leg of the Rakiura Track finished off back where I had started at Oban; once again I was accompanied by the same fellow hiker as the day before. As soon as we set off the rain stopped and luckily it was to hold off for the rest of our trek that day. The first part was on a new track; it had only been open shortly before and took us along the coast line to several beaches. Some parts where still waiting to be gravelled as they had replaced the old boardwalks which use to be there. The track continued along the coast throughout the day though mostly it was over boardwalks. The final part was along an old bullock track which use to be used when the saw mills were operational; the evidence of them had been present over the length of the great walk in the form of old rusty machinery. The days walk proved to be quite easy as the most of the in climbs were steady and the mud wasn’t too bad along the track. In just under 4 hours I was back at my hostel where my walk had started several days before. It was the first multi-day trek I had ever done and over three days I had covered around 37km. To be honest it was easier than I had expected and my pack hadn’t caused me as much trouble as I thought it would. If you pushed yourself you could complete the trek in one day but for the experience I was glad I had done it in three. The landscape had been amazing; it had been like stepping back in time to a prest age with the bush made up of different ferns and trees. The only shame was that the weather had kept the wildlife away, but I still managed to see a variety of animals from oyster catchers to deer’s and even jellyfish. The elusive kiwi didn’t make an appearance, maybe another time.
Today I jumped on the ferry to Stewart Island sometimes considered as New Zealand’s third island, the ride out was to be very rough. It is widely known that the crossing can be wild almost to the point that it is considered a standing joke among those who know about it – but to people like me who don’t have sea legs the crossing is a bit of a nightmare. Without even leaving the harbour the boat was already being thrown up and down with each passing wave, I’ve had a few rough crossings on boats before but this took the biscuit. I managed to last about 15 minutes before I lost my breakfast, fortunately it only takes an hour to cross! Very shaken I’m glad when we safely pull into Oban harbour and I can have a much needed nap at my hostel. In the afternoon not feeling my best I have a slow wonder around town, sorting out hire gear for my trek and letting the local DOC office know what my plans are.
Awaking up feeling refreshed the next day, I do several local walks to get a feeling of what terrain I can expect on my walk. Immediately it becomes clear that most of the bush is made up from fern plants, all different sizes and colours of green. My first track takes me along the coast before heading inland to follow an old bullock trail that was used to shift wood to the old lumber mills that use to operate around the island. Halfway back I divert off to follow another path further into the ferns. In the afternoon I head east around the harbour to follow the coastal road round to a 100 year old stone house that use to be owned by a local shipbuilder to a secluded beach looking out at the small islands that surround the northern approach to Oban. That evening I went down to the harbour front to wait behind the fuel storage tanks to see if I could see the little blue penguins that come to the nearby rocks at night to sleep. After a half hour wait sure enough three tiny penguins swam up and settled down behind the rocks to sleep.
19/01/12-21/01/12
My next three days would consist of tramping the Rakiura Track on Stewart Island. My first day trek was from Oban harbour and took me along the north east coast to my night’s stay at Port William hut. The first leg was 12km long but the first few kilometres included the walk from the harbour along sealed roads to the official start of the track under the anchor structure at Lee Bay. It was raining in the morning but by the time I started off the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. For the first half of the trek I didn’t meet any other people until I reached Maori beach and suddenly everyone seemed to appear. I stopped off here for lunch to let a shower pass before setting off again to continue the track which went along the beach. By early afternoon I had finally reached Port William hut, the day’s leg had only taken me 3.5 hours with breaks. The estimated time given was 6 hours but speaking to the hut warden later I discovered that all the great walks times in New Zealand are overly generous as people of all levels of fitness under take them. The days walking had been pretty easy as most of it was on gravelled paths through the bush, but my backpack was starting to cause me pain near to the end. The hut itself was situated next to a large beach, inside it was separated into sleeping and living quarters with toilets outside. The kitchen area didn’t have gas stoves but I had brought my hired out one with me, there was running water which is safe to drink. Throughout the day various other hikers turned up, most of these would be continuing on the same route as me after so we got to know each other well. After settling down and reading and cooking our volunteer hut warden gave us a brief safety talk that night before we agreed that if anyone heard a kiwi that night we would wake up the others and sit outside to try and see it. One had been seen two nights before but unfortunately none appeared that night, or none woke us up.
On day two I set off with a fellow young hiker to make our way to our next overnight stay at North Arm hut, south of our current position. The weather was terrible, all night it had poured down with rain and it didn’t look like clearing when we set off. With Stewart Island being situated in the roaring forties the weather was very unpredictable, one moment it would be bright and sunny the next there would be gale force winds with pouring rain. Today’s leg took us through the middle of the island to a bay on the other side. Shortly after setting off we came across a deer posing in the bush on top of a rock, out here they are considered a pest with hunters coming to the island to kill them. Today’s route was 13km long and proved to be tougher than the previous day, all day we were battered by gale force winds and rain. There was a steep climb halfway through and the second section was riddled with tree roots and heavy mud. With little rain having fell for the last two weeks the water just set on the surface, even faced with these conditions we safely made it to the hut in 4 hours with breaks. Once inside and clothes changed, we set about getting the hut’s wood stove working so we had some heat to dry our clothes. Once again the hut filled up that afternoon though there were more people this time; one was nearing the end of doing the 10 day North West track. The same routine as yesterday took place though there was no hut warden, the rain continued to pour down that night.
The third and final leg of the Rakiura Track finished off back where I had started at Oban; once again I was accompanied by the same fellow hiker as the day before. As soon as we set off the rain stopped and luckily it was to hold off for the rest of our trek that day. The first part was on a new track; it had only been open shortly before and took us along the coast line to several beaches. Some parts where still waiting to be gravelled as they had replaced the old boardwalks which use to be there. The track continued along the coast throughout the day though mostly it was over boardwalks. The final part was along an old bullock track which use to be used when the saw mills were operational; the evidence of them had been present over the length of the great walk in the form of old rusty machinery. The days walk proved to be quite easy as the most of the in climbs were steady and the mud wasn’t too bad along the track. In just under 4 hours I was back at my hostel where my walk had started several days before. It was the first multi-day trek I had ever done and over three days I had covered around 37km. To be honest it was easier than I had expected and my pack hadn’t caused me as much trouble as I thought it would. If you pushed yourself you could complete the trek in one day but for the experience I was glad I had done it in three. The landscape had been amazing; it had been like stepping back in time to a prest age with the bush made up of different ferns and trees. The only shame was that the weather had kept the wildlife away, but I still managed to see a variety of animals from oyster catchers to deer’s and even jellyfish. The elusive kiwi didn’t make an appearance, maybe another time.
Invercargill
15/01/12-16/01/12
Time to move on once again as I had an afternoon bus that was to take me down to Invercargill, but with the morning free I took one last stroll around Dunedin, visiting the botanical gardens on the far side of town. Back at the hostel I said farewell to my companion over the last few days before I made my way to get on the bus, which was slightly delayed due to a change in driver. By the time I reach Invercargill it was late evening so I only pop out to grab some dinner was huge gusts of wind blew through town.
The next day I ventured out to the information centre and local museum. Here I paid a visit to see Henry, a rare 100 year old lizard whose reptile type has existed such the age of dinosaurs. Being a cold blooded animal he was happily playing statues in a sun-lit spot. After I adventured down to the Department of Conservation office in the centre of town to book my night’s stay at huts on the multi-day Rakiura hiking track on Stewart Island. This track is one of eight Great Walks spread out across New Zealand. With this all booked I followed a heritage trail around town to see some of the listed buildings that are spread about. Later I jumped online to book some further buses and accommodation as the next area I would be visiting was busy at this time of year.
Time to move on once again as I had an afternoon bus that was to take me down to Invercargill, but with the morning free I took one last stroll around Dunedin, visiting the botanical gardens on the far side of town. Back at the hostel I said farewell to my companion over the last few days before I made my way to get on the bus, which was slightly delayed due to a change in driver. By the time I reach Invercargill it was late evening so I only pop out to grab some dinner was huge gusts of wind blew through town.
The next day I ventured out to the information centre and local museum. Here I paid a visit to see Henry, a rare 100 year old lizard whose reptile type has existed such the age of dinosaurs. Being a cold blooded animal he was happily playing statues in a sun-lit spot. After I adventured down to the Department of Conservation office in the centre of town to book my night’s stay at huts on the multi-day Rakiura hiking track on Stewart Island. This track is one of eight Great Walks spread out across New Zealand. With this all booked I followed a heritage trail around town to see some of the listed buildings that are spread about. Later I jumped online to book some further buses and accommodation as the next area I would be visiting was busy at this time of year.
18/01/2012
Dunedin
12/01/12-14/01/12
Time to start heading down south as I boarded my bus to Dunedin that morning. Following the coast down we picked and dropped off passengers before we had a stop off at Oamaru, a former gold rush town which has several heritage buildings along its high street. Arriving in Dunedin that afternoon I discovered one of the passengers on my bus was heading to the same hostel as me, it turned out he would be my companion for my stay. After arriving we went for a quick walk around the town to get our bearings and picked up some supplies.
Our first full day saw rain hanging over the city for most of the day so we decided to check out several of the local museums and art galleries so we could stay dry. We first went to the Otago museum which is the main local one before checking out the local art gallery in the centre of town. With a brief pause in the rain that afternoon we went and visited the railway station which is reputed to be the most photographed building in New Zealand before walking down to the quayside grab a quick drink.
The next day we jumped on the bus to visit the Otago peninsula which is habitat to several different species of wildlife, without a car and limited bus we were to do a lot of walking that day. The main thing we had come to see was the massive albatrosses which nest on the cliff face of the peninsula. Unfortunately due to the lack of wind we only managed to see several of the birds in flight from afar, with their giant 3m wing span. Down by the sea we did get to see groups of seals sheltering on the rocks and on the walk back to catch a bus we also found a dead shark which had washed up on shore.
Time to start heading down south as I boarded my bus to Dunedin that morning. Following the coast down we picked and dropped off passengers before we had a stop off at Oamaru, a former gold rush town which has several heritage buildings along its high street. Arriving in Dunedin that afternoon I discovered one of the passengers on my bus was heading to the same hostel as me, it turned out he would be my companion for my stay. After arriving we went for a quick walk around the town to get our bearings and picked up some supplies.
Our first full day saw rain hanging over the city for most of the day so we decided to check out several of the local museums and art galleries so we could stay dry. We first went to the Otago museum which is the main local one before checking out the local art gallery in the centre of town. With a brief pause in the rain that afternoon we went and visited the railway station which is reputed to be the most photographed building in New Zealand before walking down to the quayside grab a quick drink.
The next day we jumped on the bus to visit the Otago peninsula which is habitat to several different species of wildlife, without a car and limited bus we were to do a lot of walking that day. The main thing we had come to see was the massive albatrosses which nest on the cliff face of the peninsula. Unfortunately due to the lack of wind we only managed to see several of the birds in flight from afar, with their giant 3m wing span. Down by the sea we did get to see groups of seals sheltering on the rocks and on the walk back to catch a bus we also found a dead shark which had washed up on shore.
Akaroa
08/01/12-11/01/12
Time to get out of the city centre, so I had booked a few nights stay in a small French settlement called Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular south of Christchurch. The drive there went pass several attractive sights in the form of mountains and lakes, topped by the view from the top of the road down into the bays. Arriving in the early afternoon I followed the coast line through town to the site where the British flag was raised when we claimed the territory several days before the French settlers arrived. After I took a quick hike up the local roads to get familiar with the stunning landscape before doing hikes I had planned for the following days.
With a hike planned up to the peak I awoke to find that the weather had turned nasty during the night and a low cloud had settled over the surrounding hills. After waiting all morning and with the cloud cover rising I decided to take a gamble and make my way up on the Skyline walk to the peak. It was not an easy climb, very steep paths and lack of fitness meant I had to take several stops on the way up to catch my breath. Getting nearer to the peak the cloud was shifting so instead of going to the summit as I had planned I had to instead take the lower path which missed it out. Even here the cloud was low enough to reduce visibility as I was partly swallowed up by the misty mountains. As I made my descent down a stony road by the time I had got to the bottom the cloud had finally passed - I had been around an hour too early.
The next day I choose to take a different path to the top following the Round the Mountains route, this proved to be less steep than the other route I had taken the day before but the last leg of it was along a public road. Eventually I was back at the path to the summit so with clear skies I finally started to take the ascent to the top. The path was very overgrown and by the time I had got to the top I was suffering from hay fever and my skin had had a reaction to a local plant. But despite this the view from the summit was amazing; I had climbed to a height of 800m that day. Back in town I took a well-deserved dip in the sea at the small beach.
Time to head back to Christchurch, but with the morning spare I visited the local Akaroa museum to learn background history to the town. On the return journey we stopped off at a local cheese factory to taste some of their fare. Arriving at my hostel that night I came just in time for the free bbq they were having that evening. Sitting down with my plate of sausages I was soon offered two free beers, not a bad end to my time in Christchurch.
Time to get out of the city centre, so I had booked a few nights stay in a small French settlement called Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular south of Christchurch. The drive there went pass several attractive sights in the form of mountains and lakes, topped by the view from the top of the road down into the bays. Arriving in the early afternoon I followed the coast line through town to the site where the British flag was raised when we claimed the territory several days before the French settlers arrived. After I took a quick hike up the local roads to get familiar with the stunning landscape before doing hikes I had planned for the following days.
With a hike planned up to the peak I awoke to find that the weather had turned nasty during the night and a low cloud had settled over the surrounding hills. After waiting all morning and with the cloud cover rising I decided to take a gamble and make my way up on the Skyline walk to the peak. It was not an easy climb, very steep paths and lack of fitness meant I had to take several stops on the way up to catch my breath. Getting nearer to the peak the cloud was shifting so instead of going to the summit as I had planned I had to instead take the lower path which missed it out. Even here the cloud was low enough to reduce visibility as I was partly swallowed up by the misty mountains. As I made my descent down a stony road by the time I had got to the bottom the cloud had finally passed - I had been around an hour too early.
The next day I choose to take a different path to the top following the Round the Mountains route, this proved to be less steep than the other route I had taken the day before but the last leg of it was along a public road. Eventually I was back at the path to the summit so with clear skies I finally started to take the ascent to the top. The path was very overgrown and by the time I had got to the top I was suffering from hay fever and my skin had had a reaction to a local plant. But despite this the view from the summit was amazing; I had climbed to a height of 800m that day. Back in town I took a well-deserved dip in the sea at the small beach.
Time to head back to Christchurch, but with the morning spare I visited the local Akaroa museum to learn background history to the town. On the return journey we stopped off at a local cheese factory to taste some of their fare. Arriving at my hostel that night I came just in time for the free bbq they were having that evening. Sitting down with my plate of sausages I was soon offered two free beers, not a bad end to my time in Christchurch.
Christchurch
05/01/12-07/01/12
On the road again as I made my way to the airport to board my flight to New Zealand, a mix up of booking a shuttle bus meant I arrived at the airport with only an hour before departure, so I had a mad rush to get onto my plane which I did safely. My first destination in the country with the low cloud was to be Christchurch, famous now for being the victim of several big earthquakes over the past year especially one which happened in February. After making way to my hostel I took a walk into town to discover how much was still blocked off due to earthquake damage. Even after nearly a year the whole of the city centre is still closed off, walking around the mesh fencing surrounding the exclusion zone I literally failed to see any other people. Those I did come across where mainly tourists who were inspecting the damage. I did find the new shopping area which has been set up near to the central; here shipping containers have been converted to act as temporary cafes and shops. The whole area was like a ghost town, businesses have moved to new premises while it is decided what to do to get the back on the road to recovery.
On my first full day I hopped on the bus to visit the Air Force Museum just on the outskirts of town. Here they have a collect of several aircraft which the New Zealand air forces use to fly. Taking the backstage tour I experienced my first ever earthquake as we were walking through an old Second World War hanger. It lasted only 3 seconds and felt like a train had passed underground. Heading back to the city centre I called in at the local Canterbury museum which has a large Maori collection and well as several artefacts from Antarctic expeditions. Back at the hostel I felt my next two earthquakes that day the biggest being at 1.30 in the morning were I awoke to find myself being shaken from side to side in my bed. It’s not the best experience to be in a building when an earthquake happens – as I had found out three times that day!
With no much to see around town I did several walks around town including in the botanical gardens and around the whole excursion zone. The most spookiest thing I discovered was a restaurant were plates of food and glasses of wine have been left where they were after the major earthquake hit in February, it was like a time capsule into what people were doing when it hit. That evening I went to a local pub with several others from my dorm room to have my first proper pint for several months.
On the road again as I made my way to the airport to board my flight to New Zealand, a mix up of booking a shuttle bus meant I arrived at the airport with only an hour before departure, so I had a mad rush to get onto my plane which I did safely. My first destination in the country with the low cloud was to be Christchurch, famous now for being the victim of several big earthquakes over the past year especially one which happened in February. After making way to my hostel I took a walk into town to discover how much was still blocked off due to earthquake damage. Even after nearly a year the whole of the city centre is still closed off, walking around the mesh fencing surrounding the exclusion zone I literally failed to see any other people. Those I did come across where mainly tourists who were inspecting the damage. I did find the new shopping area which has been set up near to the central; here shipping containers have been converted to act as temporary cafes and shops. The whole area was like a ghost town, businesses have moved to new premises while it is decided what to do to get the back on the road to recovery.
On my first full day I hopped on the bus to visit the Air Force Museum just on the outskirts of town. Here they have a collect of several aircraft which the New Zealand air forces use to fly. Taking the backstage tour I experienced my first ever earthquake as we were walking through an old Second World War hanger. It lasted only 3 seconds and felt like a train had passed underground. Heading back to the city centre I called in at the local Canterbury museum which has a large Maori collection and well as several artefacts from Antarctic expeditions. Back at the hostel I felt my next two earthquakes that day the biggest being at 1.30 in the morning were I awoke to find myself being shaken from side to side in my bed. It’s not the best experience to be in a building when an earthquake happens – as I had found out three times that day!
With no much to see around town I did several walks around town including in the botanical gardens and around the whole excursion zone. The most spookiest thing I discovered was a restaurant were plates of food and glasses of wine have been left where they were after the major earthquake hit in February, it was like a time capsule into what people were doing when it hit. That evening I went to a local pub with several others from my dorm room to have my first proper pint for several months.
08/01/2012
02/01/12-04/01/12
Time to say goodbye to my Aussie hosts and I have to say I was having to hold back tears as I said farewell to Ray and Lu as they dropped me off at the local train station. I hope to see them again one day; they are truly special people to me now. Back on my own and having to go back to dorm life once again after being treated so well left my emotions all over the place, for the second time I was home sick. Due to the beach house having no internet connection I had not managed to make a reservation for a hostel in Sydney so on arriving I discovered not to my surprise that there was no room in any central hostel for that night. Instead I had to travel north along the coast to a hostel above Manly to spend a night there before heading back the next morning. In the evening I took a stroll along the beach while the sun was setting, looking out to the east were I knew in the distance my next port of call New Zealand was laying in wait.
Back in the city centre the next day I took one last stroll through the town down to the harbour and gardens wondering if or when I would ever see the harbour bridge again – who knows.
My last full day in Australia was an important landmark on my around the world trip, I had finally reached the halfway point. The countdown to home would now begin starting with arriving in New Zealand the next day. For my last day I jumped on a train out west to Katoomba situated in the heart of the Blue Mountains range. While here I did a few mountain walks and saw the famous Three Sisters rock formation. Heading back to catch my train I stopped off to grab some cake to celebrate reaching my halfway point, I choose to pick up some Rocky Horror. That evening I took a final stroll around Darling harbour before heading back as I had an early start the next day.
Time to say goodbye to my Aussie hosts and I have to say I was having to hold back tears as I said farewell to Ray and Lu as they dropped me off at the local train station. I hope to see them again one day; they are truly special people to me now. Back on my own and having to go back to dorm life once again after being treated so well left my emotions all over the place, for the second time I was home sick. Due to the beach house having no internet connection I had not managed to make a reservation for a hostel in Sydney so on arriving I discovered not to my surprise that there was no room in any central hostel for that night. Instead I had to travel north along the coast to a hostel above Manly to spend a night there before heading back the next morning. In the evening I took a stroll along the beach while the sun was setting, looking out to the east were I knew in the distance my next port of call New Zealand was laying in wait.
Back in the city centre the next day I took one last stroll through the town down to the harbour and gardens wondering if or when I would ever see the harbour bridge again – who knows.
My last full day in Australia was an important landmark on my around the world trip, I had finally reached the halfway point. The countdown to home would now begin starting with arriving in New Zealand the next day. For my last day I jumped on a train out west to Katoomba situated in the heart of the Blue Mountains range. While here I did a few mountain walks and saw the famous Three Sisters rock formation. Heading back to catch my train I stopped off to grab some cake to celebrate reaching my halfway point, I choose to pick up some Rocky Horror. That evening I took a final stroll around Darling harbour before heading back as I had an early start the next day.
New Year's
27/12/11-01/01/12
A change of scenery as for the New Year I was invited to join my hosts down at their beach house in Jervis Bay, around 3 hours south of Sydney. The drive down was quite pretty as we took the coast road flanked on one side by the ocean and on the other by mountains. Arriving in the early afternoon we prepared the house as it is only used several times a year. I was to be housed in a separate apartment in the garden so I had my own private space. We were joined by their daughter and her family later on so there was plenty of use around for the holiday period. Alex their daughter’s son is a mad cricket player, most of his thoughts centre on it. For him the most important thing to set up was the cricket pitch in the back garden, this was to be the hive of activity over the next few days and for me a change to vastly improve my bowling skills. The beach was only a stone’s throw away from the house, literally across the road. That night I had my first experience of the Kinect, a motion sensor device on the Xbox which reads your body movements and translates the actions on screen. The dance game proved very popular.
Our first full day started with a bike ride down to the local bay. The daughter’s daughter was celebrating her birthday and received a brand new bike so it was tried out that morning. Round this side of the coast it is known for its waves so a new experience for me was taking part in body boarding. Over the coming days I got really into this, such a great feeling when you catch a wave right and are pushed onto the shore, accelerating as you go. That evening we went to a local funfair and had a go on a few for the rides until the spinning ones took their toll on our party.
Another day mainly filled with the same activates including cricket and body boarding. In the afternoon we took a trip to the local shopping centre so the others could have a look at the sale items. In the evening we had a bonfire as we had cropped wood from the tree in the garden so we could bowl better, burning off the wood we cooked some marshmallows at the same time.
A change for breakfast as we ventured out to a local national park to use the on-site barbeques to cook that morning. Afterwards we had a quick bush walk before heading down to a nearby surf beach to try our luck at catching some waves. The sea was quite rough with a rip tide so it wasn’t ideal conditions to try our luck. Later that afternoon we set up the badminton set in the back garden and had a mixture of cricket and badminton games.
New Year’s Eve went the same as most days apart from in the evening of course. That night instead of having one main meal we were each given the task of preparing a course which we would continue to serve over the course of the evening. For my contribution I was going to serve sweet chilli chicken and chocolate covered strawberries. So in the morning we paid a quick visit to the local packed supermarket to grab our ingredients. In the evening we headed down to the local harbour to watch the firework show the town was putting on, for a small town it was a very good display. Back at base I made and serve my chicken with went down a treat before serving up my chocolate covered strawberries which were equally great. The New Year was officially rolled in by watching the fireworks from Sydney on the television. Another year but this time I was starting it from the other side of the world, half a day before my family back home would celebrate.
New Year’s Day was to be my last full day in the company of my excellent hosts and what better way to start the year than down at the beach playing in the sea this time with a blow up raft. That afternoon we went down to the town to have lunch, I treated my hosts to fish and chips which due to crowds out that day took an hour and a half to be served! Happily they were worth the wait though. With everyone feeling tired that evening we just crashed out and watched a film.
A change of scenery as for the New Year I was invited to join my hosts down at their beach house in Jervis Bay, around 3 hours south of Sydney. The drive down was quite pretty as we took the coast road flanked on one side by the ocean and on the other by mountains. Arriving in the early afternoon we prepared the house as it is only used several times a year. I was to be housed in a separate apartment in the garden so I had my own private space. We were joined by their daughter and her family later on so there was plenty of use around for the holiday period. Alex their daughter’s son is a mad cricket player, most of his thoughts centre on it. For him the most important thing to set up was the cricket pitch in the back garden, this was to be the hive of activity over the next few days and for me a change to vastly improve my bowling skills. The beach was only a stone’s throw away from the house, literally across the road. That night I had my first experience of the Kinect, a motion sensor device on the Xbox which reads your body movements and translates the actions on screen. The dance game proved very popular.
Our first full day started with a bike ride down to the local bay. The daughter’s daughter was celebrating her birthday and received a brand new bike so it was tried out that morning. Round this side of the coast it is known for its waves so a new experience for me was taking part in body boarding. Over the coming days I got really into this, such a great feeling when you catch a wave right and are pushed onto the shore, accelerating as you go. That evening we went to a local funfair and had a go on a few for the rides until the spinning ones took their toll on our party.
Another day mainly filled with the same activates including cricket and body boarding. In the afternoon we took a trip to the local shopping centre so the others could have a look at the sale items. In the evening we had a bonfire as we had cropped wood from the tree in the garden so we could bowl better, burning off the wood we cooked some marshmallows at the same time.
A change for breakfast as we ventured out to a local national park to use the on-site barbeques to cook that morning. Afterwards we had a quick bush walk before heading down to a nearby surf beach to try our luck at catching some waves. The sea was quite rough with a rip tide so it wasn’t ideal conditions to try our luck. Later that afternoon we set up the badminton set in the back garden and had a mixture of cricket and badminton games.
New Year’s Eve went the same as most days apart from in the evening of course. That night instead of having one main meal we were each given the task of preparing a course which we would continue to serve over the course of the evening. For my contribution I was going to serve sweet chilli chicken and chocolate covered strawberries. So in the morning we paid a quick visit to the local packed supermarket to grab our ingredients. In the evening we headed down to the local harbour to watch the firework show the town was putting on, for a small town it was a very good display. Back at base I made and serve my chicken with went down a treat before serving up my chocolate covered strawberries which were equally great. The New Year was officially rolled in by watching the fireworks from Sydney on the television. Another year but this time I was starting it from the other side of the world, half a day before my family back home would celebrate.
New Year’s Day was to be my last full day in the company of my excellent hosts and what better way to start the year than down at the beach playing in the sea this time with a blow up raft. That afternoon we went down to the town to have lunch, I treated my hosts to fish and chips which due to crowds out that day took an hour and a half to be served! Happily they were worth the wait though. With everyone feeling tired that evening we just crashed out and watched a film.
06/01/2012
Xmas
24/12/11-26/12/11
Christmas Eve resulted in me leaving the city centre to join my first home stay just in the western suburbs. I was to be the guest of Ray and Lu, a retired couple with Ray being related to a family friend back home. He straight away took me on a bike ride to see the 2000 Sydney Olympic site. If I thought we were going for a gentle bike ride my suspensions were immediately on alert as Ray stepped out of the house dressed in full cycling gear. Riding there I was absolutely fine and we stopped off at the archery centre to watch someone practise. The journey home was a different matter; lack of exercise finally began to tell as any in climb sapped all energy in my legs, by the end the pain was too much as acid burned in my legs. Stopping off at one point to rest I lost sight of Ray for one moment, continuing on after several moments he was nowhere to be seen, by myself I remembered the turning off we had used earlier and so waited until he returned again to find me. Back home and on aching legs I found out we had covered a distance of over 60km! No wonder I was in such pain, but this matter was soon relieved as the spa was started up and we took a dip, once out I felt a lot better. That evening we had a bbq steak dinner before me and Ray ventured out to look at house decorations and to have an ice-cream with a flake in it.
On Christmas morning I woke up and opened up a package I had been sent from home, inside were several Christmas cards which I proceeded to open over breakfast. My hosts were going out that lunch time to a Christmas lunch so I was left alone that afternoon but having just received my MP3 from home and my New Zealand travel guides I happily spend the afternoon relaxing and chilling out, once again I jumped into the spa. In the evening we went round their sons houses for Christmas dinner. After the meal they opened their Xmas presents with me receiving an aboriginal Christmas tree decoration, something to cherish for holidays to come.
Boxing Day the roles were reversed as family members were coming over for lunch that afternoon. With the Boxing Day test on TV we prepared the food for that afternoon. Being in Oz I had yet to do a BBQ so with meatballs needing to be cooked I was selected to be the tong master for the event. I must be good because in the end we used a whole packet of 100 meatballs up! Of course all this was done with me wearing the classic strongman apron with six pack on show (I wish). After all the food was done we hosted our own Boxing Day test on the back lawn, I wasn’t to know at this point that over the coming week I would be playing a lot of cricket. After everyone had left and we had cleared up it was time once again to jump in the spa for one last time, that night we chilled out to a film.
Christmas Eve resulted in me leaving the city centre to join my first home stay just in the western suburbs. I was to be the guest of Ray and Lu, a retired couple with Ray being related to a family friend back home. He straight away took me on a bike ride to see the 2000 Sydney Olympic site. If I thought we were going for a gentle bike ride my suspensions were immediately on alert as Ray stepped out of the house dressed in full cycling gear. Riding there I was absolutely fine and we stopped off at the archery centre to watch someone practise. The journey home was a different matter; lack of exercise finally began to tell as any in climb sapped all energy in my legs, by the end the pain was too much as acid burned in my legs. Stopping off at one point to rest I lost sight of Ray for one moment, continuing on after several moments he was nowhere to be seen, by myself I remembered the turning off we had used earlier and so waited until he returned again to find me. Back home and on aching legs I found out we had covered a distance of over 60km! No wonder I was in such pain, but this matter was soon relieved as the spa was started up and we took a dip, once out I felt a lot better. That evening we had a bbq steak dinner before me and Ray ventured out to look at house decorations and to have an ice-cream with a flake in it.
On Christmas morning I woke up and opened up a package I had been sent from home, inside were several Christmas cards which I proceeded to open over breakfast. My hosts were going out that lunch time to a Christmas lunch so I was left alone that afternoon but having just received my MP3 from home and my New Zealand travel guides I happily spend the afternoon relaxing and chilling out, once again I jumped into the spa. In the evening we went round their sons houses for Christmas dinner. After the meal they opened their Xmas presents with me receiving an aboriginal Christmas tree decoration, something to cherish for holidays to come.
Boxing Day the roles were reversed as family members were coming over for lunch that afternoon. With the Boxing Day test on TV we prepared the food for that afternoon. Being in Oz I had yet to do a BBQ so with meatballs needing to be cooked I was selected to be the tong master for the event. I must be good because in the end we used a whole packet of 100 meatballs up! Of course all this was done with me wearing the classic strongman apron with six pack on show (I wish). After all the food was done we hosted our own Boxing Day test on the back lawn, I wasn’t to know at this point that over the coming week I would be playing a lot of cricket. After everyone had left and we had cleared up it was time once again to jump in the spa for one last time, that night we chilled out to a film.
03/01/2012
Sydney
20/12/11-23/12/11
On my first day in Sydney there was only one place I could visit – the harbour area. I made my way straight to the harbour bridge, one of the most iconic structures of Oz. I had planned on doing the bridge climb but on learning that you couldn’t take your own camera along and seeing the price I instead decided to just climb up one of the pylons where I could take as many pictures as I wanted with the same view as the climb. Heading back down I visited the Rocks, part of the first settlement area where colonial buildings have been luckily saved after a programme of demolition during the last century. Here I also popped into the Contempary Art Gallery to check out an interactive exhibition where all the pieces involve yourself – the one I liked the most was a room filled with light bulbs flashing to the heart rate of visitors, as another person gets there heart rate measured it is added to the nearest bulb as others are moved down one bulb. Next I went to the Justice and Prison museum before wandering down to get a few snaps of the Opera house, a building with a very sad construction history. That evening for dinner I picked up some kangaroo burgers to try out, they turned out to be quite nice!
Another day another harbour as I ventured to the city’s new entrainment complex – Darling harbour. After a quick wander through I visited the maritime museum before heading into Paddy’s Markets to pick up a boomerang for the travel shelf back home. Later in the afternoon I joined a free walking tour of the city to see some sights often missed by tourists.
Today I awoke to find rain pouring down outside. After spending the morning doing bits and pieces in the hostel I ventured out in the afternoon first visiting Hyde Park Barracks, a building that used to house convicts. Next I continued down to the botanical gardens to grab some views of the Harbour Bridge and opera house together. Here I was alarmed to be confronted by extremely large bats which reside in the park. Making my way back I found time to visit the Gallery of New South Wales before heading home for an early dinner. That evening I had bought a ticket to watch Sydney FC play Adelaide, throughout my time in Oz I had been trying to see some live sport but the dates had never matched with where I was staying. I was able to get a sense of Aussie atmosphere as the game finished 2-2.
On my first day in Sydney there was only one place I could visit – the harbour area. I made my way straight to the harbour bridge, one of the most iconic structures of Oz. I had planned on doing the bridge climb but on learning that you couldn’t take your own camera along and seeing the price I instead decided to just climb up one of the pylons where I could take as many pictures as I wanted with the same view as the climb. Heading back down I visited the Rocks, part of the first settlement area where colonial buildings have been luckily saved after a programme of demolition during the last century. Here I also popped into the Contempary Art Gallery to check out an interactive exhibition where all the pieces involve yourself – the one I liked the most was a room filled with light bulbs flashing to the heart rate of visitors, as another person gets there heart rate measured it is added to the nearest bulb as others are moved down one bulb. Next I went to the Justice and Prison museum before wandering down to get a few snaps of the Opera house, a building with a very sad construction history. That evening for dinner I picked up some kangaroo burgers to try out, they turned out to be quite nice!
Another day another harbour as I ventured to the city’s new entrainment complex – Darling harbour. After a quick wander through I visited the maritime museum before heading into Paddy’s Markets to pick up a boomerang for the travel shelf back home. Later in the afternoon I joined a free walking tour of the city to see some sights often missed by tourists.
Today I awoke to find rain pouring down outside. After spending the morning doing bits and pieces in the hostel I ventured out in the afternoon first visiting Hyde Park Barracks, a building that used to house convicts. Next I continued down to the botanical gardens to grab some views of the Harbour Bridge and opera house together. Here I was alarmed to be confronted by extremely large bats which reside in the park. Making my way back I found time to visit the Gallery of New South Wales before heading home for an early dinner. That evening I had bought a ticket to watch Sydney FC play Adelaide, throughout my time in Oz I had been trying to see some live sport but the dates had never matched with where I was staying. I was able to get a sense of Aussie atmosphere as the game finished 2-2.
Canberra
17/12/11-19/12/11
Today I had an early start as I jumped on a coach to head to Canberra – Australia’s often forgotten capital city. The journey took around 10 hours so by the time I got there most of the day had passed by. On arrival at the hostel I went for a quick look round the main shopping centre to get some dinner and grab some supplies for my stay.
The whole of my full day in Canberra was dedicated to one place – the Australian War Memorial. There is more to this place than the name first suggests – as well as having the war memorial underneath is a museum containing artefacts from all conflicts that Australian armed forces have fought in. They recommend you spend a day and a half visiting the site and this is no exaggeration, if done properly there is masses to see here. For me one of the most effective parts is the use of dioramas through the galleries, the scenes sourced from photographs really captured a moment in time especially the First World War ones.
With a coach to catch in the evening to my last destination in Australia Sydney, I had nearly another whole day to spend in Canberra. Although the weather was wet I ventured out on foot to cross the bridge across to the parliamentary zone. First I visited the Australian National Gallery to check out art work from Oz and around the world. After I climbed the hill up to the Parliament building, an impressive structure dominated by the four legged flag pole which adorns the roof. Inside I was able to visit both the houses as well as jump on the lift up to the roof to get good views over the city. Next I headed back to my hostel back paid a visit to the Canberra museum to find out how the city came to be the capital of the land down under. That evening after a short coach ride I found myself in Sydney.
Today I had an early start as I jumped on a coach to head to Canberra – Australia’s often forgotten capital city. The journey took around 10 hours so by the time I got there most of the day had passed by. On arrival at the hostel I went for a quick look round the main shopping centre to get some dinner and grab some supplies for my stay.
The whole of my full day in Canberra was dedicated to one place – the Australian War Memorial. There is more to this place than the name first suggests – as well as having the war memorial underneath is a museum containing artefacts from all conflicts that Australian armed forces have fought in. They recommend you spend a day and a half visiting the site and this is no exaggeration, if done properly there is masses to see here. For me one of the most effective parts is the use of dioramas through the galleries, the scenes sourced from photographs really captured a moment in time especially the First World War ones.
With a coach to catch in the evening to my last destination in Australia Sydney, I had nearly another whole day to spend in Canberra. Although the weather was wet I ventured out on foot to cross the bridge across to the parliamentary zone. First I visited the Australian National Gallery to check out art work from Oz and around the world. After I climbed the hill up to the Parliament building, an impressive structure dominated by the four legged flag pole which adorns the roof. Inside I was able to visit both the houses as well as jump on the lift up to the roof to get good views over the city. Next I headed back to my hostel back paid a visit to the Canberra museum to find out how the city came to be the capital of the land down under. That evening after a short coach ride I found myself in Sydney.
Melbourne
12/12/11-16/12/11
Time to travel back in the right direction to resume my travels around Australia; I had my last train journey using my rail pass. It was a long 10 hours back to Melbourne, the third time I had had to do this journey. When I arrived I had a short walk to my hostel located in the north of the city centre, it is one of the biggest in OZ with over 800 people staying in it at one time. My main task was to send a birthday text home back to my sister – the first birthday of hers that I had missed.
On my first full day in Melbourne I decided to stick to the area around my hostel near to the Queen Victoria markets. I first went to visit Melbourne Old Gaol which was the scene of the famous bushranger Ned Kelly execution by hanging. The visit also included a brief stint being locked up in the local police holding cells where the pervious occupant’s writing still adorns every surface. In the afternoon I moved on to Melbourne museum to see the most famous attraction in the entire city – the legendary horse?.
Another fine start to the day as I made my way south back to Federation Square to check out an exhibition that had caught my eye the last time I was down here – Star Voyager in the Centre for Moving Image. The exhibition focused on how space has been seen and portrayed on screen including looking at moon landing footage to big budget motion blockbusters of Hollywood – very interesting to a fan of Si-fi like myself. Later I made my way across the Yarras River to get a view of the city from up above using the Skydeck – this is on the 88th floor of a skyscraper. The views where very impressive from up there, you could see the whole of Melbourne stretching out across the distance. After I walked down to the War Memorial before heading back towards the city via the National Gallery to round off my day in the south of the city.
Hopping on a tram, today I made my way to the coast to visit the famous seaside resort of St Kilda. Here I caught sight of the Spirit of Tasmania waiting to begin its voyage down south. After I walk along the beach and out to the end of the pier I made my way inland to see the creepy smiling face of Mr Moon at the entrance to Luna Park which was closed to a private school function. Here in good old British tradition I had my first Oz fish and chip lunch under the palm trees of the local park. In the evening back at the hostel I went down to the bar to claim my free drink during jam night where people are encouraged to get together and jam using any of the instruments provided, three willing lads managed to perform a decent version of Teenage Dirt bag.
On my last full day in Melbourne I went on a walk along the Yarras River stopping off to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Walking around the ground I saw a small crowd of people assembled around the bowling nets, I wandered over to find legendary spin bowler Shane Warne practising in the nets along which his Twenty20 team mates. While here I also got a view of the tennis courts being prepared for the Australian Open at the start of the New Year. Heading back to base I visited Federation Square for one more time popping into have a quick look around the National Gallery of Australia.
Time to travel back in the right direction to resume my travels around Australia; I had my last train journey using my rail pass. It was a long 10 hours back to Melbourne, the third time I had had to do this journey. When I arrived I had a short walk to my hostel located in the north of the city centre, it is one of the biggest in OZ with over 800 people staying in it at one time. My main task was to send a birthday text home back to my sister – the first birthday of hers that I had missed.
On my first full day in Melbourne I decided to stick to the area around my hostel near to the Queen Victoria markets. I first went to visit Melbourne Old Gaol which was the scene of the famous bushranger Ned Kelly execution by hanging. The visit also included a brief stint being locked up in the local police holding cells where the pervious occupant’s writing still adorns every surface. In the afternoon I moved on to Melbourne museum to see the most famous attraction in the entire city – the legendary horse?.
Another fine start to the day as I made my way south back to Federation Square to check out an exhibition that had caught my eye the last time I was down here – Star Voyager in the Centre for Moving Image. The exhibition focused on how space has been seen and portrayed on screen including looking at moon landing footage to big budget motion blockbusters of Hollywood – very interesting to a fan of Si-fi like myself. Later I made my way across the Yarras River to get a view of the city from up above using the Skydeck – this is on the 88th floor of a skyscraper. The views where very impressive from up there, you could see the whole of Melbourne stretching out across the distance. After I walked down to the War Memorial before heading back towards the city via the National Gallery to round off my day in the south of the city.
Hopping on a tram, today I made my way to the coast to visit the famous seaside resort of St Kilda. Here I caught sight of the Spirit of Tasmania waiting to begin its voyage down south. After I walk along the beach and out to the end of the pier I made my way inland to see the creepy smiling face of Mr Moon at the entrance to Luna Park which was closed to a private school function. Here in good old British tradition I had my first Oz fish and chip lunch under the palm trees of the local park. In the evening back at the hostel I went down to the bar to claim my free drink during jam night where people are encouraged to get together and jam using any of the instruments provided, three willing lads managed to perform a decent version of Teenage Dirt bag.
On my last full day in Melbourne I went on a walk along the Yarras River stopping off to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Walking around the ground I saw a small crowd of people assembled around the bowling nets, I wandered over to find legendary spin bowler Shane Warne practising in the nets along which his Twenty20 team mates. While here I also got a view of the tennis courts being prepared for the Australian Open at the start of the New Year. Heading back to base I visited Federation Square for one more time popping into have a quick look around the National Gallery of Australia.
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