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2008-01-24

Canberra to Sydney

Filed under: australia,rtw,travel — kevin @ 02:04

I was interested to see Canberra, having lived in another planned capital. From my brief visit I’d say Canberra is working out better than Abuja, although they’ve had more time and resources to do it in Australia.
A pedestrian street with trees, benches and a fountain but few people. A tree-lined avenue leads off towards some official buildings under a dark, cloudy sky.

I stayed at the very nice — but very expensive — YHA Canberra City; it’s very handy for the shopping areas. I spent most of the day at the Australian War Memorial, which has some very impressive displays including a Japanese midget submarine and a Lancaster bomber. They also have excellent audio-visual presentations and little plays connected with exhibits. My only criticism would be that they downplay or ignore any criticism of the conflicts, especially the section on Iraq in the post-1945 galleries.
An impressive stone building seen against the sky.

I’m now in Sydney after a lot of driving. I forgot how big Australia is and how many kilometres I’d have to cover. It doesn’t help that Aussie roads are generally poorly designed and road signs seldom provide the information you need when you need it. They have brand new freeways (110 km/h speed limit) with crossroads on them, 1930’s Autobahn-style! The local roads people seem to have ignored the experience gained in other countries over the last seventy years.

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

Filed under: australia,rtw,travel — kevin @ 01:52

After Tasmania I flew up to Melbourne and spent a few days there before hiring another car and travelling around a bit on my way to Sydney.

Melbourne’s a pretty nice place, although accommodation was mostly full and very expensive because of the tennis. It has good public transport and I liked the atmosphere, especially wandering around Queen Victoria Market. While I was there I visited the Shrine of Remembrance, St Kilda, the Old Melbourne Gaol (which includes a former police station and courthouse) and the Melbourne Museum.
A wide avenue leads up to a striking building, something like a Greek temple with a pyramid on top.  Behind it is a clear blue sky. The colourful entrance to an amusement park, through the gaping mouth of a slightly sinister looking man in the moon. Tiers of cells line one side of an old prison wing. Seen beyond a modern roof shading a pathway is a domed exhibition building.

Once I picked up the hire car I quickly escaped Melbourne and headed for the Great Ocean Road. The inland bits aren’t great but along the coast it’s beautiful — but busy — with plenty of laybys and car parks to stop and look at the view. I took some pictures at Loch Ard Gorge, site of one of the shipwrecks this stretch of coast is notorious for. That night I stayed at the wonderful Bimbi Park campsite, it’s all been recently refurbished and I had a nice little 4-bed bunkroom all to myself. The trees at the campsite are home to lots of koalas, which makes for good photos but not necessarily a good night’s sleep; excited koalas make pretty unpleasant screaming and grunting noises in the night.
A gorge opens out into the sea, clear pale blue water gets darker toward the horizon. A koala sleeping in a tree, perched on top of a plastic sack. A koala stretching to reach some eucalyptus leaves in another branch.

After the Great Ocean Road it was on to Ballarat, Bendigo and towards Canberra.

2008-01-13

Lee and Hannah’s wedding

Filed under: australia,friends,rtw,travel — kevin @ 00:18

This has taken me a while to upload, because I’ve been travelling around Tasmania for the week since the wedding and haven’t been able to get on the internet.

The wedding was great, fantastic weather down on the beach and really relaxed. Hannah and Lee looked like they were really enjoying themselves and I think all the guests did too.

Anyway, here are the pictures (if you hover the mouse pointer over a picture you should get a short caption):
A curving beach of golden sand. Hannah, in her bridal gown, looks over her shoulder toward her bridesmaids. Hannah and Lee standing on the beach in front of the wedding celebrant. Hannah and Lee hold hands. Hannah and Lee kiss in front of the wedding celebrant. Hannah sits on a bench in a wooden shelter to sign the wedding register, Lee is standing behind her. Lee wraps one arm around Hannah while he cuts the wedding cake (a pyramid of profiteroles) with the other.

You can browse all the wedding pictures I took.

2008-01-12

Around Tasmania

Filed under: australia,rtw,travel — kevin @ 23:51

The morning after the wedding, not feeling all that great, I wandered from the backpacker hostel up the road to Avis to collect my hire car. I’d booked a Hyundai Getz (or something similar) but they didn’t have any, so instead I got a free upgrade to a Toyota Rav4. This had the advantage that I could sleep in the car (folding down the back seats) and the disadvantage of using quite a bit more petrol. The only other problem was the automatic gearbox, I don’t like having to guess when the car is going to decide to change gear for me.

My first destination was a bit of getting used to the car, driving up Mount Wellington above Hobart. It’s a popular spot to get a view over the city and also houses a few communications towers.
The peak of a mountain, a large communications mast rises behind it. Looking down from a mountain onto a city built along the side of a bay.  A bridge crosses at a narrow point and hills rise on the far side.

After that I started on my tour, taking in the Port Arthur Historic Site, a walk to Cape Hauy, Wineglass Bay (camping free at Friendly Beaches), Devonport (not very exciting), Cradle Mountain National Park and back to Hobart.
A beautiful bay surrounded by high, tree-covered headlands. A wallaby (or something like one) sits on a rock in front of trees.
Craggy mountains rise behind a lake. A lake surrounded by mountains. Mountains rising behind a lake are hidden by cloud.
I was glad I turned back from a longer walk before that cloud and rain rolled in at Cradle Mountain.

Port Arthur is an interesting place, originally an experiment in new methods of treating criminals following the revolutionary idea that it might be possible to reform them. Most of the buildings are now ruins after years of bushfires, neglect and deliberate attempts to hide Tasmania’s ‘shameful’ past. It’s also somewhat notorious after the massacre in 1996. I noticed that none of the official information mentioned the shooter’s name, I wonder if this is a deliberate policy?
A large ruined stone building seen across a lawn. View from inside a ruined stone building over well-kept lawns and other buildings in various states of repair. The shell of a building is seen across a reflecting pond. A group of stone buildings set in what appears to be parkland are seen from a bay.

2008-01-05

New Year in Tasmania

Filed under: australia,rtw,travel — kevin @ 00:06

So I’ve been in Tasmania for a week now and apparently we’ve had unusually good weather. Lee has been great, not long before his wedding and he arranged for a friend to pick me up from the airport and accommodation at his shack near the beach.

So far we’ve had a night at Avalon, an amazing holiday home on the coast near Hobart. As you can see below the house has beautiful views and it’s amazingly well set up, pretty much anything you can think of needing is there. We had a few drinks and a barbecue and enjoyed the views.
View from inside a largely glass building, furnished in a modern style.  Outside is a wooden desk with some people sitting on it, then the sea and sky. View from a wooden deck overlooking a bay with clear blue water. View along the side of a modern glass and steel house by the sea.

New Year’s Eve started in Hobart at the Taste of Tasmania, part of Hobart’s summer festival. We only had time for a quick snack and a drink before they kicked us out to prepare for their ticket-only New Year’s Eve event. Fortunately there is a very good pub nearby, Knopwood’s Retreat, where we spent a few hours having some beers and enjoying the sunshine before Lee’s fiancée came to collect us and take us back to their shack. After that my memories of the evening become a bit confused, but there was definitely a bottle of Ardbeg involved.

New Year’s Day was quiet, we were all feeling a bit rough.

On the second it was time for Lee’s buck’s party. It started with a boat trip around part of the Tasman peninsula, great views of the cliffs, some wildlife and even snacks and wine. After that it was to a nearby part of Eaglehawk Neck for barbecue and beers, continuing until it started to get light.
A small cave in a cliff face, the sea foaming in and around the cave. A view of a headland with some isolated pinacles. Inside a small boat, a group of people.

So now I have to go and get ready for the wedding, more next time I get a chance to get on the internet.

2008-01-03

Hobart

Filed under: australia,rtw,travel — kevin @ 20:48

I’m in Hobart now, getting ready for Lee’s wedding on Saturday but without much internet access.

More soon, including some pictures from the Tasman peninsula.

2007-12-27

Christmas in the Bay of Islands

Filed under: new zealand,rtw,travel — kevin @ 23:34

While I was in Canada I’d decided to book my Christmas accommodation in advance, so I didn’t end up with nowhere to stay. After a quick look through the guidebook I picked the Bay of Islands, which turned out to be a good decision.

The bus from Auckland to Paihia was uneventful, I’m starting to get a bit fed up of buses now. Once in Paihia it was just a short walk up the road to Peppertree Lodge, where I’d booked a bed in an en-suite 4-bed dorm.

Paihia is a nice little town on the Bay of Islands, with a small beach, a wharf for tourist boats and lots of accommodation. It’s also just along the road from Waitangi. Peppertree Lodge is one of the best hostels I’ve stayed at, the owners are very friendly and the facilities are well looked after. You can even borrow a bike or a kayak for free.
Beyond a lawn lies wind-rippled blue water, dotted with small islands.  There are hills in the background.

I spent a little while working out what I wanted to do and booking things then borrowed a bike and pedalled along to Waitangi. The Treaty Grounds are pleasant and they’ve obviously done a lot of work renovating the buildings and gardens but there’s little information unless you pay extra for a guided tour. The main sights are a very big and beautifully carved waka (canoe) and the Treaty House.
A large wooden canoe sits under a roof. An elaborately carved canoe prow. A flagpole with three flags: New Zealand, Northern Maori and UK. A small wooden house with a lawn.

On the way back I picked up some supplies at the local supermarket: milk, butter and beer.

Christmas day started quietly, I was the only person in my room so got to lie in undisturbed. After a while I wandered down to the wharf and took the fast ferry across to Russell. The plan was to go for a walk but just as I arrived it started raining, so I quickly had a look around town then took the ferry straight back. The ferry really hurtles across the bay, with various loose metal bits clanging every time you bounce over a wave.

The owners of Peppertree Lodge put on a fantastic free Christmas lunch barbecue, huge piles of ham, turkey, sausages and vegetables. We sat outside (under the covered bit because of the rain), drank beer and ate. Later in the afternoon most of us moved inside and watched films.

For Boxing Day I’d booked a trip to go and see dolphins in the bay. Not long after we set off we found a large pod of adults and juveniles with at least one baby dolphin among them. Because the baby was there no-one was allowed into the water with them but we stayed for a while to watch the dolphins playing around the boat. As we left some of them seemed determined to keep up with us (going pretty fast), hurtling along through our wake and leaping into the air behind the boat. I spent most of my time watching them rather than taking pictures, unlike the rude and selfish big-camera people who kept trying to push other people out of the way and only saw the whole thing through a viewfinder.
A dolphin's back can just be seen in the sea, small islands and land in the background. A few dolphins can be seen in the sea, small islands and land in the background

A bit later we found a couple of adult dolphins without any young ones around, so we all dived in and spent a while swimming around trying to get closer. The dolphins seemed to be teasing us, and it’s much harder to see anything when you’re at sea level and there’s a bit of a swell (especially in my case when I’m not wearing my glasses). I decided to give up and climb back aboard.

In an odd connection to some previous travels it turns out that Marion du Fresne was killed nearby. Although the historical note (accompanying a copy of this picture) on board the Marion Dufresne II failed to mention that the French retaliated by killing hundreds of Maori (apparently from a different tribe from the attackers).

For the rest of the day I just relaxed, reading and watching films, as well as catching up on some laundry.

Now I’m back in Auckland, having a couple more relaxing days before I fly on to Tasmania tomorrow. Both in Paihia and here in Auckland I’ve ended up suffering from inconsiderate room-mates, the kind who come in late at night, turn on the lights and start talking noisily for hours. Even worse they then get up early in the morning and crash around while they pack, still talking noisily. I know it’s impossible to be completely silent when you’re packing up your bags and moving out, but I wish they’d at least save the conversation for outside the room.

Mount Maunganui and Auckland again

Filed under: new zealand,rtw,travel — kevin @ 22:42

After the Magic bus picked me up again we only had a short journey up to the coast at Mount Maunganui. This is a popular beach resort and, with the Christmas holiday coming up, it was absolutely heaving.

There’s a nice long beach, a hill at one end and not much else to be said about the place.
A hill (silhouetted against the sky) rises behind some tall apartment buildings, below is a sandy beach. The ocean surrounds a couple of small islands to the left of a sandy beach.  On the right is a town.  Low sun casts shadows of the town across the beach.

The following day was my last on the Magic bus, the usual stops for coffee and scenery and finally arriving in Auckland around 2pm. I’d booked into the Base ACB hostel, in an office block right in the centre of Auckland. Like the other big backpackers I’ve stayed in it wasn’t great: creaky bunks, impersonal and the feeling that they’re trying to extract money out of you every way they can (NZD4 for the washing machine and expensive internet).

Napier to Rotorua

Filed under: new zealand,rtw,travel — kevin @ 02:57

The bus journey up from Napier to Rotorua wasn’t very interesting, I slept a lot of the way. You certainly know when you reach the active geothermal area, the whole town stinks. Just when you think you’ve got used to the smell the wind will change and a fresh sulphurous blast will hit you.

I was staying at Treks, a very new and very nice hostel. It’s the first “flashpacker” I’ve stayed at that actually deserves the name. The kitchen is especially good, huge and with plenty of room for lots of people to cook at once. It’s also right next door to Kuirai Park, which has plenty of geothermal activity going on — in the picture below each of the fences encloses a steaming pond or boiling mud pool.
An open lawn in a park, small wooden fences surround parts of the park. A muddy pond with large bubbles breaking the surface and steam rising from it.

After a stroll around the lake to Sulphur Bay I visited the Museum of Art and History, located in the former Bath House. The museum itself is a bit light on detail about the spa but the building itself is interesting and they have a couple of good audio-visual presentations, including an excellent film about the local Maori battalion during World War II. In an odd connection to earlier parts of my trip there’s a totem pole outside, a gift from the Canadian government at some point.
A large Victorian Gothic building stands behind bowling greens. A colourful carved totem pole stands on a lawn.

In the evening I went to the Tamaki Maori village for their cultural ‘experience’ and dinner. A bus picked everyone up from where they were staying, then dropped us at Tamaki’s office in town for a little audio-visual introduction to Maori culture. We then piled back onto the buses (or a different bus in our case, ours had broken down) for the drive out to the village, during this time our very entertaining driver/guide explained a bit more about the culture and chose someone to be our ‘chief’.

At the village our chiefs had the traditional ‘challenge’ — lots of face-pulling, waving of weapons and horrible noises — before we were welcomed in and could wander around looking at various traditional crafts and activities. After that there was some singing and dancing before we were escorted through to the dining room for the hangi meal, an enormous buffet of meat and vegetables.
Two Maori 'warriors' in an arena, one waving a staff and the other a flaming stick. A Maori woman in a cloak peels sweet potatoes using a mussel shell. Maori in traditional dress singing and dancing on stage in front of a crowd.

The next day the bus wasn’t due to pick me up until after 3pm, so I spent a while wandering around town, visiting the Blue Baths (formerly a swimming pool, now a museum and venue) and reading in the public library.
A Californian Spanish Mission style building.

2007-12-23

Wellington to Napier

Filed under: new zealand,rtw,travel — kevin @ 03:16

Back on the Magic bus, this time with Rangi as the driver, saw some old faces again and got talking to Dave and Jessica, a couple from California.

We had a brief stop at a wildlife sanctuary where I finally got to see a live kiwi. They’re much bigger than I expected and I was quite surprised when one started calling and sounded a bit like a seagull. I couldn’t get any photos because they were being kept in a darkened room (they’re nocturnal) and flash photography wasn’t allowed.

On through the countryside, passing through lots of small towns serving the farms. I noticed that a lot of them still seem to have their own cinemas, obviously the multiplexes haven’t yet completely taken over in NZ.
Rolling, green, tree-covered hills with a road cutting along the side of one.

When we arrived in Napier most of us were staying in the same hostel, Archie’s Bunker. No idea why it’s called that, it seems to be just another converted hotel but was comfortable and friendly. Napier is a pleasant seaside town noted for its Art Deco buildings, which were the result of a terrible earthquake in 1931.
An Art Deco hotel frontage, cars parked in front. A street of Art Deco buildings.

Speaking of eathquakes, while we were sitting in the lounge watching a movie the building started shaking. I assumed it was just a passing train or something, but Dave and Jessica got up and headed for the nearest doorway (Californians are used to these thigns). Nearby Gisborne had experienced a earthquake reaching 6.8 on the Richter scale. Although there was quite a bit of damage it seems that there were few injuries and only one related death.

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