Thursday 24 January 2008

New Zealand, New Zealand!

Hey folks

Where do we start! We arrived in New Zealand nearly 2 weeks ago now and are having such a blast. The climate suits me much better (that is Jess) not as hot as Oz but still lovely, plus we have air conditioning in our car which is great... feels like luxury.

I have left our camera cable in the depths of my back pack somewhere and so no pics this time, but we will put some up the next time.

We started our travels in Auckland and then headed down the west coast of the North Island before crossing to the South Island a few days ago. Heading down the rest of the East coast for the next week and then we will start our farmstay for 2 weeks before going back up the west coast and then back over to do the west coast and north of the North Island. Did that confuse you or are you still with me?

We are well into the swing of camping now however Gav nearly had a heart attack last night as 2 cockroaches were trying to get into the tent. He was freaking out so much and saying things like "they know we are in here and they keep trying to get us" I hate to think how he will react if he come across a grizzly in Canada!!!

Yesterday we were relaxing in geothermal and sulphur pools and we sat in one that was 40 degrees and stunk of rotten eggs! Apparently it is good for the skin. Anyway it was really relaxing and sitting there looking out at the mountains while you steam in a pool was blissful.

We are going to go to Mount Cook in a couple of days and that is the mountain where Sir Edmund Hillary trained for his Everest trip. So if anyone is planning to climb Everest you could come over and have a practice! Don't think we will try it but maybe a trip to base camp will be our next adventure.... Sarah you up for it?

Anyway sorry no pics, but didn't think we were going to an internet cafe today! Will post some pics soon. Hope you are all well.

Saturday 12 January 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy new year everybody!

Its been a long time since we were last near a computer as we have now started our proper travels. Before we got sacked we left our jobs just before new years and faced up to life living out of rucksacks and sleeping in our little tent! For our last night in Sydney the ozzies were so kind and put on a firework display/tried to blow up the harbour bridge. We were so touched as thousands and thousands of people turned out for our party. On the stroke of 12 the fireworks went off and it was amazing, here is a picture!(it was well worth the bum numbing 8 hours we sat waiting for them!)



On the 1st of Jan we left Sydney for our first big road trip in thundercat! We drove down the south coast of Oz along the great ocean road which is a beautiful road which hugs the sea. At the end of the road are the world famous 12 apostles along with other eroded structures which stand out in the sea. It was absolutely amazing to see them and it has definately been a highlight in our time away so far. We then went over to Kangaroo island which is situated off the south coast. The island is full of wildlife, beautiful beaches and various rock formations (the most famous being the remarkable rocks, which were truely remarkable!). On the island we saw kangaroos, koalas, seals and our first snake! We were literally only 2 or 3 feet away from it (this is my highlight of the trip!)it was a black tiger snake and we have been told that it is the 3rd most deadliest snake in the world, yee ha!
Surprisingly we have adapted to life on the road very easily and we have a good wee system going for putting up our tent in record time! We have bonded greatly over our time on the road, not just from all the time that we have to talk but when you drive in a car with no air conditioning in 40 degree heat you have to like each other a lot as when you change drivers you have the pleasure of seeing the others sweat marks on the car seat and the sensation of sitting in a salty pool! When we sell the car i intend to include the seats are marinated with the sweat of an irish man and a beautiful scottish lassie (but as girls dont sweat as much the emphasis will be more on the former!).
We have also enjoyed talking with people on the road and in campsites and one couple so far that stands out have been from a 64 thousand acre farm in Queensland, who just recently attended a family get together in which 102 grand children were present!
We have just arrived back in Sydney and leave for new zealand tomorrow. Sorry about the short blog hopefully the pictures will speak louder than thousands of rambling words and cheesy jokes. We will fill you in with the finer details during our 10 hour slide show when we return, that will give you all something to look forward to!



The great ocean road



The 12 Apostles



Look it's a koala!



The remarkable rocks (and a remarkable lady!)



More remarkable rocks