New Zealand - its Ireland on drugs!!

Hi all,


Well, since our last posting we've managed to cram in loads of driving and sight-seeing in the north island and have made it safely across the Cook Strait with our van. At the moment, we're in the wee town of Fox (about half way down the west coast of the south island) and are ready and waiting for the clouds to do one and let us get up, up and away on a chopper to have a look at the world famous Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers. Fingers crossed we get airborne later today, we'll let you know next time how we get on!!

(Us in Oakura, with the camper van)

So, back to the north island to recap on the many great places visited up there. From what we've seen so far, New Zealand could be described as a sort of Ireland on drugs, or a bit of an extreme version of the Emerald Isle (we mean this in a good way!!). Yes, there are the green fields and rolling hills but then look over your shoulder (or out the back of the van), and there are dormant volcanoes, thermal hot springs bubbling away and black sand beaches that'll scorch your tootsies.


Our first stop after bidding farewell to the O'Hallorans in Auckland was at cousin Dan's farm in Keri Keri. Dan and Michelle welcomed us with a BBQ, the proverbial cow from the farm having been made ready for our arrival (Old girl number 606, we salute you). It was here in Keri Keri that Marty lost a 30-minute struggle with an elusive fish (a ray, we think) but at least the proof was captured on camera, have a look for yourself!

(Dan and a snapper)


From here, we made our way right up to the northern tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. This is a significant site for Kiwis as its where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet and where the spirits of the Maori dead are believed to leap off. It was a mighty blustery day as the photos will show...


In the space of a few days, we tore down the coast, one highlight being Mount Taranaki and its surrounding wee coastal towns. The Mt Taranaki volcano dominates the landscape here and although we didn't climb it, it looks impressive from afar. It is also supposed to be a double of Mt Fuji in Japan, so much so Mt Taranaki was used as Mt Fuji in the Tom Cruise flick, The Last Samurai. We'll look forward to checking this out when we're in Japan in a couple of weeks!

(Marty in front of Mt Taranaki)


Time was by now pressing on, and so we were forced to leg it down towards Wellington to catch the ferry over to the south island. Right from landing in Picton, the pace slowed down and we were pleased to have a bit more time on our hands to take in all the south island has to offer.


First stop, the wine region of Marlborough! Manys a fine pinot gris and sauvignon blanc (2 specialities of the region) were sampled here, as the sun poured down and we travelled from coastal town to coastal town. Kaikoura stands out for its fine beaches and good fishing spots (the fun is in the trying, right?). It was on the Kaikoura Peninsula that Maori demigod Maui sat as he fished the north island up from the depths of the sea. As Maui and scenes of this legend are painted on our van, this was a good place to spend a couple of relaxing days. We also did a spot of whale watching, and were successful in seeing 3 magnificent sperm whales as they came up from the depths for a bit of a breather. Very cool indeed.

On our way down here to Franz Joseph and Fox, we stayed in a couple of fine spots including Hanmer Springs (more hot thermal baths), Westport (lovely beach and friendly folks) and Hokitika (the jade carving capital of NZ). Typical of the contrasting scenery and weather is the fact that you can travel from glaciers to the beach in under 20 km - something really NZ.

(Susie at Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki)


So after spending some time admiring the glaciers here, we'll be headed for Queenstown, home to all sorts of adrenalin sports invented in NZ and Milford Sound, supposedly some of the most stunning scenery in the country.


(Maui fishing up the north island)

Hope you're all well, more again soon! xx

Happy 2008!

Hello all, and Happy New Year! Hope you all had a fun time over Christmas, looking forward to hearing what you were all up to!

(Fireworks at midnight, NYE Auckland)

We're currently in Auckland, NZ and have been staying with Marty's cousins the O'Hallorans.

(The O'Hallorans)

The past 2 weeks have been spent being chauffered around the city and a bit further afield in the North Island - Rotorua for its mud pools and thermal baths, and Taupo where there apparently was an earthquake while we were there (not that we noticed of course!).

(Maori face carving, Museum of Auckland)

Tomorrow (Thursday 3rd) we're collecting our Camper Van Mark II and squeezing in lots more in the North Island before heading over to the South Island on 12 Jan to do it all again there!

We'll be posting more news and photos as we go along, and love reading your comments as always!! Til the next time, all the best! XX

3,000 kilometres in a Toyota Hiace!

G'day! So where were we now? Ah yes, cruising up the east coast towards Cairns (and in the end, a bit further, spending a few nights in Cape Tribulation, gorgeous place).


(Wine on the beach, Cape Trib)

Our trusty camper van clocked up a good 3,000 km on this road trip; here are some of the highlights.

Byron Bay offered sparkly beaches and a good mix of chilled-out as well as lively bars and cafes. In fact, this mix set the pace for many of the towns we visited up and down the coast! Next stop outside of Byron was the wee town of Nimbin, known for its relaxed attitude to the ol whacky 'baccy. Proving a tad too touristy (bus loads of dazed Aussie teens on their school hols arriving every 10 minutes...), we soon took off and continued on up the Gold Coast.

An absolute highlight of our time in Oz has to be sailing the Whitsunday Islands. Made up of over 90 islands and falling within the Great Barrier Reef area, the Whitsundays are extremely beautiful. On our high-seas adventure we spent 3 nights on the Anaconda III, a 'mega-yacht' catering for around 30 people - check out the photos of this baby!



(On board the Anaconda III)

The 3 days consisted of a bit of swimming, a bit of snorkling, a bit of sea-sickness (Susie) and in Marty's case, a bit of scuba diving in the Reef. In a word - excellent! We also met some really cool people on this trip, including Marc from Quebec and Nick from South Africa, and ended up travelling with these guys to Cairns and Cape Trib ("awesome!!"). Have a look at the snaps of Cape Tribulation, which is one of the few places in the world where tropical rainforest meets the sea.

After all the beaches and laziness of the east coast, it was soon time for something a bit different. So off we flew to Uluru, or Ayer's Rock, this most recognisible (and sadly, touristy) of Aboriginal sites. Although it was fantastic to visit this area and to learn more about its amazing cultural significance for the Anangu people, it was quite strange that in the 3 days we were there, we saw no Aborigines working in the shops, cafes or accommodation nor running the tours for the hoards of tourists there. This made the whole place seem a bit commercial and profit-driven (that said, the Anangu do receive an income from leasing the site to the Australian authorities which is fed back to their community in the Uluru region, but still...).

(Uluru, Central Australia)

After Uluru we flew back to Sydney to meet up with our friends from the Anaconda III for our last beers in Australia (well, until February anyway when we have a weekend in Melbourne!).

As you've probably been reading this news about our Aussie trip over a turkey sandwich during the first couple of days of January 2008, read on to hear how we spent Christmas and New Year in Auckland New Zealand!!! Bye for now! XX