Travel Blog: Australia

January 8th - Brisbane

I'm starting to feel trapped here and my brain is always off wondering where we could travel to next.

The last 2 books I have read have mentioned a town in India called Pondicherry. Now isn't that a massive coincidence? Never heard of the town before, never been interested in India and now 2 consecutive books introduce me to it.
The first was 'Backpack' by Emily Barr, which I picked up in Thailand. It sounds cliche thanks to a terrible title, about a girl travelling alone around South East Asia, but it was a surprisingly refreshing, clever murder mystery. The second you have probably guessed from the recent bkockbuster - Yann Martell's 'Life of Pi.' Reading, then watching the story was an amazing experience and has confirmed my longing for Pondicherry. The book I read before these was ALSO set mainly in India. Now, I've never planned on going to India, but it looks to me like fate is giving me a sign, and pointing to Pondicherry.

Of course, Rik doesn't want to go. But I have 10 months to persuade him.
(And my digestive system....what the hell would I eat in India?!)

Travel Blog: Australia

28/12/12 - Brisbane

So we have been in Brisbane around 3 weeks now, and things are looking up.  We both have bar jobs, luckily really close to each other in a riverside complex, with gorgeous views.  Christmas was always going to be hard, on the other side of the world, so we just got on with it - it was too hot to even feel like Christmas Day anyway. We had a nice Boxing Day trip to the cinema, to see The Hobbit - with lots of "We've been there!" whispers. And that brings us up to today...the day I've been waiting for my whole life! We finally have the funds and the time to visit the largest koala sanctuary in the world, Lone Pine.  I already seen one up close in Sydney, but here in Queensland you can cuddle them and have photographs too; all proceeds of course  go towards koala habitat conservation.

It really was a dream come true.  There were koalas absolutely everywhere, they have over 100 in residency.  We sam them sleeping, eating, yawning, scratching and even jumping from branch to branch. We also saw tiny joeys nestling into their Mothers' pouches, and various other Aussie wildlife such as kangaroos, crocs, dingoes, emus and snakes.

In the queue to cuddle one, there are 2 or more different koalas with their keepers so you don't know which one you're going to get.  When it as finally my turn, my koala wouldn't sit still so they had to  go and swap him for another one! Typical, I've loved them all my life and they can't wait to get away from me!  The new one was much more well behaved though, and even nearly kissed me at one point! Its claws were very sharp though, but the scratches were so worth it.  Then it was Rik's turn, and the same thing happened to him!  His koala was trying to climb right over him, so he ended up getting a tiny cuter one which was reserved for children to hold....I was not happy! (But of course I was, I was in koala wonderland!)

Best. Day. Ever!

Travel Blog: Australia

12/12/12 - Brisbane, Australia

So today is the worst day EVER.
 We've only been here a few days, settling in etc, and mainly job hunting.  Luckily Rik has been hired in less than a week and is at his first shift at work right now.

I am not meant to be a kept woman. Sitting in the house all day waiting for Rik to come home?! No thanks. I know you're thinking I could be out doing things, but we have no money and I don't know my way around.  I don't even have a book to read.  I feel like Cameron Diaz in The Holiday when she's in a house in a strange country all alone.  As the day drags on I'm trying my hardest not to become hysterical, like Charlize Theron in The Devil's Advocate.

13/12/12 - Brisbane, Australia

Today I have made the decision that I will not be Cameron Diaz or Charlize Theron.
I am Carrie, from Sex and the City, when she moves to Paris with Alex whats-his-name.  I was all cultural, all alone.  I went to a museum, an art gallery and took a walk down the river.  I didn't, however, sit in posh cafes eating delicacies, I can't afford that.
I really need a job now. And some friends please!

Travel Blog: New Zealand

7th December - Auckland

Auckland is built on 40 volcanoes, so we fully intended to climb one whilst in the city. Mount Eden in fact, which is the tallest.  But, for the first time, the weather has turned against us. The rain poured and poured, on our only full day here. (It actually turned out to be a tornado not too far away)! So I'm afraid all we ended up doing was wandering round a free art gallery for a while and hanging around our hostel.  Even in an 8 bed dorm it was one of the nicer stays we've had! And it's dawned on me that we're leaving soon, flying back to Aus and hopefully back to the Sun...my tan has almost faded completely!

But I feel like I did when I left Thailand...ready to chain myself to the nearest thing and scream I'm not going!! The kiwis are the nicest people you could ever, ever meet and I really am going to miss being called "bro" and "mate." There's also so much we haven't had chance to see and do...many people tell us the best places are Queenstown and Bay of Islands, neither of which we visited! I'm definitely coming back while we're on this side of the world.

Saying that, it's going to be soooo nice to set up base somewhere for longer than 3 days!! Unpack our backpacks, wash our clothes when we want...it really is exciting stuff.  And we need to find jobs pronto, as we have spent FAR too much money on our 5 weeks on the road. So, as we're going to be in the same country for a while now I decided to compile some statistics:

Countries visited : 4
Air miles travelled : 13,998
Time spent on planes: 28.5
Time spent on trains: 13 (in 1 journey all at once)
Time spent on coaches: 44.5
Stop- offs, islands, towns etc: 14
Free Emirates alcohol units consumed: too many to count
Souvenirs bought: too many to count
Blog posts: 19
Photographs taken: 837
Mcdonald's consumed: 4
Hair frizz-o-meter: 4 (much better than predicted, think it's because I don't have a hairdryer)
Arguments: NONE!! (Rik needs an award)

The journey is far from over, this is just a good milestone for these facts. We still have a year's worth of adventures in Australia,  and it's a huge country so lots to see. In the upcoming posts I'll be writing about life on an Aussie working holiday visa...
Thanks for reading about my travels so far :) x

Travel Blog: New Zealand

04/12/12 - Rotorua

Rotorua is a small town known for 2 things; its geothermal wonders and its Maori heritage. There are so many geothermal parks and spas, and Maori villages and cultural experiences, that it's overwhelming trying to decide what to do if you're only there for a couple of days!
Right facing our hostel was a public park, complete with the usual children's playground, but with the additions of steaming ponds, bubbling mud pools and naturally heated spas to dip your feet in.  The other trips I mentioned at the start were so expensive that we decided to combine a few by visiting Te Puia.  This is a Maori site that happens to be a geothermal valley, complete with erupting geysers.  These natural wonders are so surreal, that unless you're a professional geologist or a whizz at physics, they're hard to get your head around! To normal people like you and I, all we need to comprehend is not to get too close to a steaming or bubbling pool, as they can reach up to 90C, and secondly the sulphur gas they emit absolutely STINKS.  But the smell is worth it, as I'm not sure how many other places in the world you can get up close to an erupting geyser that isn't dangerous. It's certainly not something you see everyday!
The geothermal wonders are not the only attraction, though. The land is still owned and managed by Maoris, who populate 35% of Rotorua. At Te Puia they teach how their ancestors utilised the land, such as cooking food in the boiling pools.  They also put on a cultural performance, including serious practices they would have followed in pre-European times.  This was one of the most memorable parts of our whole trip so far, for this very reason - they chose Rik to be chief.
The show was set up as if we, the audience, were a visiting tribe, and the home tribe (the performers) had to make sure we came in peace before they invited us in.
Once inside, they sang some welcoming songs, before the chief had to conduct the 'official' welcome.  This traditional Maori welcome is a firm handshake, followed by touching noses twice.  So Rik had to go up on stage, face 5 very nearly naked, very intimidating men, and touch noses wih them.  It was SO hard not to laugh, but we were warned beforehand that we mustn't as it is very disrespectful.  I filmed the whole thing anyway so get in contact if you would like to see this very manly interchange!!
The rest of the performance was brilliant, especially the world famous haka war dance.  The girls were really talented singers and the men were so invested in their words and actions.  If anyone goes to New Zealand and doesn't experience any Maori culture, then they haven't seen the real New Zealand. The main greeting to say hello is Kia Ora (bro) and that is the ancient Maori language.  And their tribal symbols are sold everywhere, as pendants carved out of bone or jade - which they call Pounamu and used to think was more valuable than gold - that made me smile!

There's so much to do in Rotorua we simply couldn't fit it all in.  Zorbing was invented here, so we went to do a bit of that. Well, Rik did, I didn't as 
1. it was mega expensive and 
2. I'm a big whimp. 
It looked like fun though! We also visited the Hobbiton movie set tour, which is on a farm about an hour away.  It was so beautiful, and we went at the right time as they had built extra holes for The Hobbit, and you now get a free drink in The Green Dragon Inn.  It was disappointing to learn though that there is nothing behind the hobbit holes! It's just mud and grass, as they only build the exterior.  The detail in the whole place is amazing though, down to hobbit clothes on washing lines and real vegetable patches, extra large versions to make everthing and everyone else appear smaller.
So we crammed a lot in, but I wouldn't have it any other way on this speedy tour of NZ.

Travl Blog: New Zealand

29th November - Wellington, NZ

Lonely Planet voted it the world's 'coolest little capital' last year, and within minutes it is easy to see why.  With more vintage shops than Brick Lane, more quirky little cafes and bars than Manchester's Northern Quarter, it basically shits all over European cool spots.  Creativity oozes our of every street corner, with countless art galleries and open studio spaces everywhere.  And it's so pretty too - surrounded by tree topped hills with cute wooden houses perched on top, and a sea view never far away, it is metropolitan- meets- rural bliss.  There is a mountain in the middle of the city which we climbed, called Mount Victoria, which rewards you with fantastic 360 degree views of the whole city.

We arrived in Wellington the day after The Hobbit worldwide premiere, and the buzz could still be felt all around.  In fact, you could say everyone had gone Middle Earth mad.  Every business had jumped on the opportunity, painting the outside of their shops as hobbit holes or using clever tag lines such as "You shall not pass this deal!"  As a huge LOTR fan, I embraced all this and thought it made Wellington even more amazing.  So of course we had to do a movie tour.  Firstly we visited the Weta Cave museum, where all the special and digital effects for the films are created.  It was fascinating to find out how Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor had started up the Weta Workshop from literally nothing.  Now they have took on the digital effects for global Hollywood blockbusters such as LOTR, Planet of the Apes and Avatar, hence Wellington begin given the nickname 'Wellywood.'  The following day, we did a movie set tour to see some of the filming locations situated in the countryside around Wellington.  Highlights included Helms Deep and Minis Tirith, (which were actually built on top of one another) Aragorn washed ashore, and Rivendell.  The sets have been destroyed but it was still interesting to see where they were, and our guide knew so much inside information from the cast and crew. Another highlight was getting to dress up as an elf, right next to the very tree Orlando Bloom posed in front of for his promotional photographs!

Travel Blog: New Zealand

Kaikoura, New Zealand

This is yet another place that photographs and words can do no justice to. Imagine a seaside town - small and picturesque, quaint and sunny.  But, lining the backdrop in the distance are stunning, snow-capped mountains. Here I had another 'wow' moment.

As soon as we'd arrived and dropped our backpacks, we set off on a 4 and a half hour trek through the hills, which included stopping at a wild seal colony.  This town boasts more marine life than probably most places in the world, including dolphins and whales.  That was the main reason we stopped off here, to swim with dolphins.  

However, when we turned up at the date and time I'd booked months ago, the weather conditions were really bad. The tour could be cancelled at any point, as strong winds were causing a very heavy sea, meaning that if we found the dolphins we may not be allowed into the water to swim with them.
We were leaving the next day.  Our only option was to rearrange and book onto the first tour of the next day - at 5.30am.

So the following day was VERY busy.  Getting up at 4am, we only just made it in time but it was SO worth it.  It was such a beautiful morning, without one tiny cloud in the sky.  Once I'd wetsuited up for the first time in my life, (with hood+snorkel+flippers, the lot) I looked awesome and was ready to find some dusky dolphins.  We found a pod of around 100, and most people on the boat got right in the water.

The experience is hard to recount, because it was the best but worst feeling.  Obviously, if you know anyone who has swam with dolphins they will tell you it was amazing, the best day of their life etc.  But that was almost definitely all the time in tropical waters, with trained dolphins in captivity.  So how many of those people you know who have done it conventionally, have swum with wild dolphins in the open ocean??  Because this is quite a different experience.  As they are wild, we cannot touch them and the boat does not entice them with bait or in any other way - they just look for the pods.  Have I mentioned previously how COLD it is in NZ?  Well this is apparently the start of their Summer, and I don't know if it's because I arrived from a total opposite climate but it feels like Winter.  When I submerged into that early morning Pacific Ocean, it was so cold I nearly had a panic attack.  I couldn't breathe! And then I had a slight snorkel incident, where I swallowed my own body weight in seawater, and this was all before I'd seen any dolphins! My body was desperate to get back on the boat, but my mind knew I couldn't ruin this once in a lifetime opportunity.  I stayed in the water for about half an hour, and when the dolphins came close I could forget about the water temperature.  Some of the them kept eye contact and circled me, which was really cute.  They are one of the most acrobatic of the species, and they happily jumped out of the water, even doing flips like they were showing off.  But when I got back on the boat I was quite happy to take off my wetsuit and just watch them from there!

Once we were safely back on land, we proceeded on a 2 and a half hour bus journey up to Picton, where you can travel to the North Island.  We had planned to get the ferry, which takes 3.5 hours, but was told by a local that flying only takes 25 minutes.  It was also a scenic flight, in a small charter plane over the Marlborough Sounds.  So we opted for the second, faster option, which I thought would be quite exciting. Wrong!! It was terrifying.  The plane was absolutely miniscule, had maximum 10 seats and only one pilot, who kept repeating "Make sure your seatbelt is nice and tight!"
It was a rocky flight, you could feel every gust of wind and it is well known that Wellington, our destination, is referred to as Windy Wellington.  The views of course were spectacular, but I never want to get on a plane like that again!

So, a rather eventful day...swimming with wild dolphins, crossing the Cook Straight in a charter plane, sleeping in our first dorm room with some very weird people...the fun continues!