After a good nights sleep, we woke, had breakfast, packed, paid our bill and checked for replies from Richard and Kerry, who we were planning to meet so we could give them back the borrowed camera and phone. We were concerned to find no such reply. We had also left a message on their phones.
We drove back to Sydney stopping off at Bondi Beach. Nice place, but the weather was a tad cloudy and windy. We had a cup of coffee and cake on the beach front before driving to Richard and Kerry’s house. We rang the door but no one was in. John managed to find a good spot to leave the camera and phone and a bottle of “thanks very much” wine.
We drove to the Airport and checked in. Whilst queuing, we was Quentin and his kids checking into first class. Before we could say hi, they were off. We made our way to our lounge via a few shops where Fiona purchased Mazi, a very large stuffed Kangaroo toy. Nice memento.
John wanted to say hi to Quentin, so he managed to sweet talk his way into the First Class lounge. Very nice! Quentin was pleased to see him and they chatted for a while. They were off to meet his wife who was already in Dublin, where they were staying with family for Christmas.
Our plane left on time. The journey home ,via Singapore, went on for an eternity. Unlike BA flights, the beds in Quantas business do not go fully flat, so they were not so comfy.
We arrived back in the UK to quite mild weather. We caught a cab to Fiona’s Company car park, picked up the car and drove to John’s parents to pick up or dog, Heather.
We were back home now. It was all over. New Zealand has been great as had Australia. On hindsight, we would only have spent 4 weeks in New Zealand and would recommend others to go in January and February when the weather is better. Back to reality now!!
We have enjoyed our year off. It is an event that will stay with us both for ever. We have met some great people, some of whom we hope to keep in touch with. Its impossible to single out any exceptional aspects of our trip. All have been excellent and all have been very different.
Thanks to every one who has read our blog and who have sent us messages. We have loved all of them.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Australia – 19th Dec 2008 - Day 57
We both felt somewhat jaded this morning after yesterdays leach infested forest walk. Today was the day of our Wine tour of the hunter valley.
We walked down to the main gates where a chap picked us up by mini van. We drove to the starting point, picking up another couple of the way.
We met our driver, a portly lady called Marilyn and our horse, Fred. Fred was a large chap who looked very well looked after. We boarded our open top coach and began our tour. Nice way to travel.
Our companions were from near Darwin. He was only 24 but already a barrister. She was a recently divorced police officer with two young children at home.
We stopped at three vineyards in the morning. The wines were very good indeed, although the Organic wines were disappointing. We also tasted local olives and cheeses.
We walked down to the main gates where a chap picked us up by mini van. We drove to the starting point, picking up another couple of the way.
We met our driver, a portly lady called Marilyn and our horse, Fred. Fred was a large chap who looked very well looked after. We boarded our open top coach and began our tour. Nice way to travel.
Our companions were from near Darwin. He was only 24 but already a barrister. She was a recently divorced police officer with two young children at home.
We stopped at three vineyards in the morning. The wines were very good indeed, although the Organic wines were disappointing. We also tasted local olives and cheeses.
Our driver was happy to let both of us take a turn at driving Fred.
An enormous lunch was put in front of us. We hardly made a dent in it. After lunch the other couple left us. We travelled onto a few more vineyards before begin picked up by the mini van and begin taken back to out cottage.
It had been a very enjoyable wine tasting day. Today was also our last day in Australia and the last day abroad of our year long trip. Wow. We felt glad and sad all at the some time.
We chilled out in the hot tub. Fiona cooked a nice meal. We watched a DVD and then crashed.
Australia – 18th Dec 2008 - Day 56
After a breakfast we jumped in the car and drove to Barrington Tops, a World Heritage Area, where we had been told the walking and hiking was good. The walk we chose was to take us through forest, past some lovely rock pools and streams, to a viewing point where you can see back over the entire area.
Early in the walk, we came across some large friendly birds that looked like turkeys and then a rather deadly brown tree snake. Once bite and your dead in about an hour.
The weather was hot and humid but the forest kept us cool. We saw a brown snake early on and after an hour branched off the main track down to a stream where we paddled. John cooled off in the water.
We dried off and rejoined the track, taking a second branch half an hour later down to some sparkling rock pools. Fiona paddled and John took a swim.
After joining the main track again, we heard some rumbling in the distance. John thought it sounded like mining explosions from one of the near by mines. Fiona thought it sounded more like thunder. Fiona was not wrong. As we walked on the Thunder moved closer. Soon the skies darkened and the air grew very humid. The rain began to fall. After ten minutes the storm was well under way with almost constant thunder and lightening and monsoon rains.
We decided to stop and shelter under some trees, but after half an hour we were just getting cold. So we decided to walk on. It was then that John noticed a small leach on his arm!! We had not expected leaches. Anyway, he managed to scrape it off. As the rain fell, we decided it was time to turn around and walk back. Fiona’s top was now soaking, so we stopped so she could change it. After changing her top, Fiona noticed she too had a huge Leach on her sock. On closed inspection it had managed to get through the sock and was attached to her ankle. This was not good. After freaking out a bit, John managed to get it off, however, we took off her shoe, only to find six others attached to her foot. We ripped off the sock which worked. After checking the other shoe we sound the same. A second sock was ripped off. Fiona was now bleeding and we were both beginning to panic. We managed to get Fiona’s shoes back on. John then checked himself. He also had them on his legs and ankles. He managed to get them off.
After calming ourselves down, we began to sprint out of the forest, realizing that we had two hours of this before we would be back to the car. We had to keep stopping every five minutes to check for and detach he little sods. They seemed to be leaping at us every time we stopped. It was a terrible predicament to be in. John ran behind Fiona, watching the backs of her feet whilst Fiona checked the fronts.
After running for a hour was came across the side track to the stream. We took the track and reached the stream which was out of the forest. We stripped off checking ourselves for any more leaches. Luckily we only had a couple on our ankles and on our shoes. We bathed our legs and washed out John’s socks.
After a while, Fiona put on John’s socks (due to her shoes having a lower ankle support and hence allowing more leaches in). We jogged through the last half of the track, by which time the rain had stopped and the leaches were less active. On the was back we realised that, in all the commotion, John had lost his sun glasses. We looked for them but were unable to find them.
We reached the car, emotionally drained, feeling invaded and knackered. We drove to a nearby town, East Gresford, looking for petrol and a police station so John could get a police report about his glasses for the insurance. Scott, the local bobby was very helpful and assured us that the leaches were not harmful, just disgusting.
We went shopping, cooked a meal and watched a few DVD’s. We both slept badly, thinking about the leaches and watching the lightening through the blinds. We both felt itchy all night.
New Zealand – 17th Dec 2008 - Day 55
It was certainly a relief to leave the eco lodge this morning. This place is very quiet but also very dark and a tad depressing. We will not miss the non flush loo! After a quick breakfast, we drove to The Penrith Information Centre. A very helpful lady gave us directions to the Hunter Valley town of Pokolbin via the national route 69, a very pretty four hour drive.
The information centre in Pokolbin offered free wine tasting. However, it was too early in the day for us, so we asked them to phone a lodge that Fiona had read about in a magazine called Manzanilla Ridge (see: http://www.manzanillaridge.com.au/ ). We drove to Manzanilla and were greeted by it’s owner, Dominic. He took us down to our cottage. ON the way we passed a Kangaroo with a baby. The mother had a large slice out of her right ear. They both looked so cute!
The cottage was actually a massive house with a hot tub, BBQ, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge lounge and kitchen with bread making facilites, massive flat screen TV, local port and glorious air con.
Dom tried to book a wine tour for us on Thursday but they were already full. There was a horse drawn carriage wine tour available on the Friday, but that meant changing our plans. So, we used Dom’s laptop to cancel our booking at the Four Seasons in Sydney and emailed Richard and Kerry to cancel our Friday night rendezvous and extended our car hire until Saturday. We popped into the local town, Cessnock, to purchase some supplies and then chilled out with a class or two of wine on the veranda watching out for local wild life which includes possums, snakes, parrots and Kangaroos.
The information centre in Pokolbin offered free wine tasting. However, it was too early in the day for us, so we asked them to phone a lodge that Fiona had read about in a magazine called Manzanilla Ridge (see: http://www.manzanillaridge.com.au/ ). We drove to Manzanilla and were greeted by it’s owner, Dominic. He took us down to our cottage. ON the way we passed a Kangaroo with a baby. The mother had a large slice out of her right ear. They both looked so cute!
The cottage was actually a massive house with a hot tub, BBQ, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge lounge and kitchen with bread making facilites, massive flat screen TV, local port and glorious air con.
Dom tried to book a wine tour for us on Thursday but they were already full. There was a horse drawn carriage wine tour available on the Friday, but that meant changing our plans. So, we used Dom’s laptop to cancel our booking at the Four Seasons in Sydney and emailed Richard and Kerry to cancel our Friday night rendezvous and extended our car hire until Saturday. We popped into the local town, Cessnock, to purchase some supplies and then chilled out with a class or two of wine on the veranda watching out for local wild life which includes possums, snakes, parrots and Kangaroos.
At dusk, we took a walk through our huge garden. This place has just four cottages based in 38 acres of land! During our walk we saw a few nervous Kangaroos who sat in the forest watching our every move. Was also saw a few wallaby’s, a troup of large ants and a nice lizard.
Our evening meal of Tuna pasta went down well. Fifi felt tired so went to bed. John could not resist making use of the hot tub. He sat in the tub listening to the hordes of night life and taking in the vast sky of stars.
Our evening meal of Tuna pasta went down well. Fifi felt tired so went to bed. John could not resist making use of the hot tub. He sat in the tub listening to the hordes of night life and taking in the vast sky of stars.
New Zealand – 16th Dec 2008 - Day 54
Today began in a slight haze, as neither of us had slept well. This place is not as nice as you first think. You can’t turn the outside lights off so there is always light into the bedroom. The bed was not that comfy and when temperatures dipped at night, the room was cold.
We had breakfast and drove to our first hiking location in the Grose Valley. The hike, Perrys Lookdown, had been recommended to us bu the local information centre. It took us a while to find the start and after half an hour of clambering down high steps we decided it was not for us (well actually for Fiona). The whole hike would have been steps and there is more to hiking than walking up and down stairs.
We walked back and drove to one of the main information centers in Katoomba where we were able to access a Blue Mountains hiking map. We found another hike called the Ruin Castle Pass. For more info about hiking in this area see: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/ .
The hike took us down steep rocks, then along the forest floor where we came across, large spiders, small brown tree snakes (very poisonous), the brightest red and blue parrots, thousands of bright yellow lady birds and very curious black and white crows.
The birds in the tropical forests made the most unusual songs. On occasion the noise loud and mesmerizing.
The temperatures were up as we neared the first rock formation, just part of the Ruined Castle vista. We managed to climb to the top of the rock where we were joined by another friendly bird, black with the brightest yellow eyes.
After taking in the views for a while, we clambered down the rock and walked on to the second outcrop. This time, John had to take off his back pack, so he could crawl through the small gap in the rock in order to get to the top. At the top, we met a couple of guys who were enjoying themselves abseiling down the side of this huge rock.
After a while, we clambered down and walked on to the highest rock outcrop in the area, another hours hike in forest, followed by steep rock climbing. Once again we were rewarded by yet more stunning views of the blue mountains. We sat on the flat rock for a while, taking in the atmosphere and eating some lunch. We had to keep flicking off the lady birds.
We walked back in two hours, climber up the Golden Stairs at the end of the walk. We arrived back at the car exhausted.
We drove back to the Lodge, via the super market. After a fish salad and some trashy TV we went to bed.
We had breakfast and drove to our first hiking location in the Grose Valley. The hike, Perrys Lookdown, had been recommended to us bu the local information centre. It took us a while to find the start and after half an hour of clambering down high steps we decided it was not for us (well actually for Fiona). The whole hike would have been steps and there is more to hiking than walking up and down stairs.
We walked back and drove to one of the main information centers in Katoomba where we were able to access a Blue Mountains hiking map. We found another hike called the Ruin Castle Pass. For more info about hiking in this area see: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/ .
The hike took us down steep rocks, then along the forest floor where we came across, large spiders, small brown tree snakes (very poisonous), the brightest red and blue parrots, thousands of bright yellow lady birds and very curious black and white crows.
The birds in the tropical forests made the most unusual songs. On occasion the noise loud and mesmerizing.
The temperatures were up as we neared the first rock formation, just part of the Ruined Castle vista. We managed to climb to the top of the rock where we were joined by another friendly bird, black with the brightest yellow eyes.
After taking in the views for a while, we clambered down the rock and walked on to the second outcrop. This time, John had to take off his back pack, so he could crawl through the small gap in the rock in order to get to the top. At the top, we met a couple of guys who were enjoying themselves abseiling down the side of this huge rock.
After a while, we clambered down and walked on to the highest rock outcrop in the area, another hours hike in forest, followed by steep rock climbing. Once again we were rewarded by yet more stunning views of the blue mountains. We sat on the flat rock for a while, taking in the atmosphere and eating some lunch. We had to keep flicking off the lady birds.
We walked back in two hours, climber up the Golden Stairs at the end of the walk. We arrived back at the car exhausted.
We drove back to the Lodge, via the super market. After a fish salad and some trashy TV we went to bed.
Saturday, 13 December 2008
New Zealand – 13th Dec 2008 - Day 53
Today is our last full day at Hamilton Island. We had breakfast and went down to the harbor to meet our Kayaking host. We had booked a days kayaking around the Whitsundays. The brochure promised, turtles, good snorkeling, a tropical lunch and at least three hours kayaking during a six and a half hour day trip.
Within a few minutes of meeting our host we grew worried. Darran was a nice enough chap from New Zealand, but he said we had to provide our own water as he had nothing for us to drink. He also mentioned that the tides were very high today so the Kayaking would be challenging.
We wasn’t wrong! We spent the first hour battling against string currents to get to our first beach and snorkeling stop. The beach was OK but nothing special. Darren assured us it was one of the best beaches in the Whitsundays, which kind of says it all. The sea life was almost non existent. We say a couple of rays and a few small fish but no coral. He assured us the coral was there, but due to the high tides, it was way down deep. The tides had also stirred up the water, so the visibility was poor.
We sat on the island for some time, whilst Darren phoned the weather station to check on the increasing wind. A max wind of 15 knots was forecast, however it was already reaching twenty. Darren decided we should start to head home, even though it was only 11am.
So, we headed back against strong currents for Pudding Island. We eventually reached the island, which it minute. He said we would do lunch here. However, when he picked up a tiny dry bag and began to climb to the top of the island we wondered about how tropical our lunch was going to be.
Tropical lunch = processed chicken roll. That was it. Nothing to drink and certainly nothing tropical. The lunch was pretty much the same as the snorkeling, a big disappointment.
Once the roll was consumed, we headed back across the bay. By now the water was racing through the gap between the islands. We had to battle to get back across. By the time we reached the harbor we were exhausted and mighty disappointed. Darren had been a nice enough guide, but the trip was a big let down.
Once back at the hotel, John went to reception and explained what had happened. Within an hour, the told John that the tour company would offer a 50% refund. After mulling this over, John phoned back and said that only a 100% refund would suffice as the trip delivered was not as advertised in the brochure.
Eventually the tour company manager phoned to speak to John. At first he was quite hard nosed about it. John explained the facts and within five minutes he had offered us a 100% refund.
Having arrived back at the hotel early, we chilled out around the pool reading our books. John updated the blog and uploaded it to the website. We met a very nice couple from Ireland who were here as part of their honeymoon.
In the evening we ate at the Beach Club restaurant. Very nice indeed.
We have enjoyed the sun and heat at Hamilton Island but would never ever come back. The island is way too expensive and simply does not deliver on any of it’s hype. It must said that the staff have been marvelous. It’s the island and its expensive, very average activities that disappoint again and again.
Within a few minutes of meeting our host we grew worried. Darran was a nice enough chap from New Zealand, but he said we had to provide our own water as he had nothing for us to drink. He also mentioned that the tides were very high today so the Kayaking would be challenging.
We wasn’t wrong! We spent the first hour battling against string currents to get to our first beach and snorkeling stop. The beach was OK but nothing special. Darren assured us it was one of the best beaches in the Whitsundays, which kind of says it all. The sea life was almost non existent. We say a couple of rays and a few small fish but no coral. He assured us the coral was there, but due to the high tides, it was way down deep. The tides had also stirred up the water, so the visibility was poor.
We sat on the island for some time, whilst Darren phoned the weather station to check on the increasing wind. A max wind of 15 knots was forecast, however it was already reaching twenty. Darren decided we should start to head home, even though it was only 11am.
So, we headed back against strong currents for Pudding Island. We eventually reached the island, which it minute. He said we would do lunch here. However, when he picked up a tiny dry bag and began to climb to the top of the island we wondered about how tropical our lunch was going to be.
Tropical lunch = processed chicken roll. That was it. Nothing to drink and certainly nothing tropical. The lunch was pretty much the same as the snorkeling, a big disappointment.
Once the roll was consumed, we headed back across the bay. By now the water was racing through the gap between the islands. We had to battle to get back across. By the time we reached the harbor we were exhausted and mighty disappointed. Darren had been a nice enough guide, but the trip was a big let down.
Once back at the hotel, John went to reception and explained what had happened. Within an hour, the told John that the tour company would offer a 50% refund. After mulling this over, John phoned back and said that only a 100% refund would suffice as the trip delivered was not as advertised in the brochure.
Eventually the tour company manager phoned to speak to John. At first he was quite hard nosed about it. John explained the facts and within five minutes he had offered us a 100% refund.
Having arrived back at the hotel early, we chilled out around the pool reading our books. John updated the blog and uploaded it to the website. We met a very nice couple from Ireland who were here as part of their honeymoon.
In the evening we ate at the Beach Club restaurant. Very nice indeed.
We have enjoyed the sun and heat at Hamilton Island but would never ever come back. The island is way too expensive and simply does not deliver on any of it’s hype. It must said that the staff have been marvelous. It’s the island and its expensive, very average activities that disappoint again and again.
New Zealand – 13th Dec 2008 - Day 52
Today is our last full day at Hamilton Island. We had breakfast and went down to the harbor to meet our Kayaking host. We had booked a days kayaking around the Whitsundays. The brochure promised, turtles, good snorkeling, a tropical lunch and at least three hours kayaking during a six and a half hour day trip.
Within a few minutes of meeting our host we grew worried. Darran was a nice enough chap from New Zealand, but he said we had to provide our own water as he had nothing for us to drink. He also mentioned that the tides were very high today so the Kayaking would be challenging.
We wasn’t wrong! We spent the first hour battling against string currents to get to our first beach and snorkeling stop. The beach was OK but nothing special. Darren assured us it was one of the best beaches in the Whitsundays, which kind of says it all. The sea life was almost non existent. We say a couple of rays and a few small fish but no coral. He assured us the coral was there, but due to the high tides, it was way down deep. The tides had also stirred up the water, so the visibility was poor.
We sat on the island for some time, whilst Darren phoned the weather station to check on the increasing wind. A max wind of 15 knots was forecast, however it was already reaching twenty. Darren decided we should start to head home, even though it was only 11am.
So, we headed back against strong currents for Pudding Island. We eventually reached the island, which it minute. He said we would do lunch here. However, when he picked up a tiny dry bag and began to climb to the top of the island we wondered about how tropical our lunch was going to be.
Tropical lunch = processed chicken roll. That was it. Nothing to drink and certainly nothing tropical. The lunch was pretty much the same as the snorkeling, a big disappointment.
Once the roll was consumed, we headed back across the bay. By now the water was racing through the gap between the islands. We had to battle to get back across. By the time we reached the harbor we were exhausted and mighty disappointed. Darren had been a nice enough guide, but the trip was a big let down.
Once back at the hotel, John went to reception and explained what had happened. Within an hour, the told John that the tour company would offer a 50% refund. After mulling this over, John phoned back and said that only a 100% refund would suffice as the trip delivered was not as advertised in the brochure.
Eventually the tour company manager phoned to speak to John. At first he was quite hard nosed about it. John explained the facts and within five minutes he had offered us a 100% refund.
Having arrived back at the hotel early, we chilled out around the pool reading our books. John updated the blog and uploaded it to the website. We met a very nice couple from Ireland who were here as part of their honeymoon.
In the evening we ate at the Beach Club restaurant. Very nice indeed.
We have enjoyed the sun and heat at Hamilton Island but would never ever come back. The island is way too expensive and simply does not deliver on any of it’s hype. It must said that the staff have been marvelous. It’s the island and its expensive, very average activities that disappoint again and again.
Within a few minutes of meeting our host we grew worried. Darran was a nice enough chap from New Zealand, but he said we had to provide our own water as he had nothing for us to drink. He also mentioned that the tides were very high today so the Kayaking would be challenging.
We wasn’t wrong! We spent the first hour battling against string currents to get to our first beach and snorkeling stop. The beach was OK but nothing special. Darren assured us it was one of the best beaches in the Whitsundays, which kind of says it all. The sea life was almost non existent. We say a couple of rays and a few small fish but no coral. He assured us the coral was there, but due to the high tides, it was way down deep. The tides had also stirred up the water, so the visibility was poor.
We sat on the island for some time, whilst Darren phoned the weather station to check on the increasing wind. A max wind of 15 knots was forecast, however it was already reaching twenty. Darren decided we should start to head home, even though it was only 11am.
So, we headed back against strong currents for Pudding Island. We eventually reached the island, which it minute. He said we would do lunch here. However, when he picked up a tiny dry bag and began to climb to the top of the island we wondered about how tropical our lunch was going to be.
Tropical lunch = processed chicken roll. That was it. Nothing to drink and certainly nothing tropical. The lunch was pretty much the same as the snorkeling, a big disappointment.
Once the roll was consumed, we headed back across the bay. By now the water was racing through the gap between the islands. We had to battle to get back across. By the time we reached the harbor we were exhausted and mighty disappointed. Darren had been a nice enough guide, but the trip was a big let down.
Once back at the hotel, John went to reception and explained what had happened. Within an hour, the told John that the tour company would offer a 50% refund. After mulling this over, John phoned back and said that only a 100% refund would suffice as the trip delivered was not as advertised in the brochure.
Eventually the tour company manager phoned to speak to John. At first he was quite hard nosed about it. John explained the facts and within five minutes he had offered us a 100% refund.
Having arrived back at the hotel early, we chilled out around the pool reading our books. John updated the blog and uploaded it to the website. We met a very nice couple from Ireland who were here as part of their honeymoon.
In the evening we ate at the Beach Club restaurant. Very nice indeed.
We have enjoyed the sun and heat at Hamilton Island but would never ever come back. The island is way too expensive and simply does not deliver on any of it’s hype. It must said that the staff have been marvelous. It’s the island and its expensive, very average activities that disappoint again and again.
New Zealand – 12th Dec 2008 - Day 50
We were joined at breakfast this morning by Bubble and Squeak, a couple of local parrots who pop in from time to time. They are the most colourful we have ever seen. Blue, yellow, green, red, it’s like someone had taken a paint brush to them.
Fiona had a small pot of honey which they soon eyed up and tucked in to. Apparently they love honey and milk, neither of which does them any harm. They are so tame and very cheeky to boot. When fiona tried to cover up the honey pot, they complained loudly and simply worked out how to get back into the goodies. Very funny indeed, the whole restaurant was laughing.
After breakfast we took walked to the harbor so we could catch our yacht for a days sailing around the Whitsunday’s. Our yacht, almost 80ft long, looked good in the sun. About 20 of us fitted on board and their was plenty of room.
After a safety briefing, we were off. There was plenty of wind but it was head onto the craft and we needed to be at Whitehaven beach for swimming and lunch. This beach is rated as the third best beach in the world. The sand was very white and the waters quite clear and warm. We swam and chatted for an hour before going back to the yacht for lunch which was simple but very good. The king prawns were MASSIVE and in plentiful supply. We has salads and cold meats too.
After lunch we sailed to another beach called Chalky Beach for some snorkeling. The visibility was not great but we managed to see lots of reef fish, two turtles (from the boat) and some lovely hard and soft corals.
Once back no board, John helped the crew to run up the main sheet and the spinnaker which caught the wind and took us home.
We were on board for about six hours and it was a very good day. Gino and Melisa, both Aussies and on their honeymoon were also on the trip. We had met them the previous day on the dive boat. We had a good day with them.
Once back on dry land we begun our walk back to our club when John realised we had left our books on board. He went back to get them!
We were down at the club pool for 5pm as today we have a free happy hour between 5pm and 6pm, where we get to meet the management!!
We met the manager during our free champers happy hour, a lady who originally comes from Holland. She had also been travelling for two and a half years with her husband who is the chef at this club.
After happy hour, we took the buggy into town for a steak dinner followed by some of their delicious ice cream which we ate on one of the harbor jetty’s. Very nice indeed!
We walked back to the club. John went for a swim under them moon and met a couple of Aussies. Fifi watched some TV and fell asleep.
New Zealand – 11th Dec 2008 - Day 49
During breakfast we discussed our half day snorkeling trip to the outer barrier reef and wondered why we had not gone for the full day option!
So, John went to the very helpful front desk and asked then to phone the boat owner to see if we could swap to the full day option at this late stage. Five minutes later we were on the full day excursion, which is a different boat as they also take divers.
After breakfast we hopped on the buggy and were soon at the diving shop getting our equipment which includes stinger suits. Australia specializes in growing creatures that like to maim or kill you in nasty lingering ways. They have two very small but nasty jelly fish at this time of year. One is the size of your nail and the other even smaller. Both will sting you upon contact and one can kill you. The pain is said to be excruciating and they will leave you with nasty scars!! So, we were pleased about them supplying us with the full body stinger suits.
At 9.30 we were off with about another twenty divers and snorkelers. The weather was perfect and after two hours we reached the outer barrier reef.
So, John went to the very helpful front desk and asked then to phone the boat owner to see if we could swap to the full day option at this late stage. Five minutes later we were on the full day excursion, which is a different boat as they also take divers.
After breakfast we hopped on the buggy and were soon at the diving shop getting our equipment which includes stinger suits. Australia specializes in growing creatures that like to maim or kill you in nasty lingering ways. They have two very small but nasty jelly fish at this time of year. One is the size of your nail and the other even smaller. Both will sting you upon contact and one can kill you. The pain is said to be excruciating and they will leave you with nasty scars!! So, we were pleased about them supplying us with the full body stinger suits.
At 9.30 we were off with about another twenty divers and snorkelers. The weather was perfect and after two hours we reached the outer barrier reef.
Once at the dive site we donned our suits which have hoods that squeeze you face together and make your face look very fat!
The visibility was pretty good and within ten minutes we were surrounded by the biggest shoal of bait fish we have ever seem. These inch long shiny, blue fish, swim is shoals of over a billion. As they approach you they look like a black cloud, but they move as one and the colors and shapes they make in the sun beams is mesmerizing. John took a few deep breaths and dived down through them.
Soon we were looking at a very large, adult white tip shark. It was resting on the bottom of the sea bed. Our guide swam down and soon the shark took off, swimming around the reef, looking for another sleeping spot. We also saw large wrasse, tuna, whole host of colorful reef fish and some brightly colored soft and hard coral.
After 45 minutes we were called back to the boat for a spot of lunch, after which we kitted back up and went for our second snorkel.
After only five minutes in the water, a strong current came out of nowhere and we were struggling to keep to the right side of the reef. We began to swim back to the boat, swimming hard but not making much progress. We eventually reached the boat rope. Some of the snorkelers decided the current was too strong and got back in the boat. However, to toughed it out and eventually the current subsided.
We swum out to a few coral heads a bit further away from the boat. The visibility was much better and we cruised around the shallow reef looking at all the clown fish. The barrier reef has it’s own family of reef fish which have not seen for over 15 years. They have a very large clown fish with a vivid turquoise band around it’s head. Stunning!!
After an hour we were back in the boat and heading home, which took another couple of hours. We chatted to some Aussies who are here on their honeymoon. They were not happy with their accommodation as the currently had no hot water and blocked drains!!
Hamilton island is a great place to get heat and sun, but it is certainly over marketed, over hyped and very much over priced. For the money many spend here you could have ten days of exclusive luxury in the Maldives. After New Zealand, it’s been great to see the sun, but we never come back.
After chilling on our balcony with one of our regular cockatoo friends, showering, and changing, we popped down to the main restaurant for our seafood Extravaganza evening. It is sold as the best seafood event on the planet (no pressure then).
The views over the bay were wonderful tonight. The sky was clear, the moon was full and the water glistened. The seafood we got was good. Lobster, tiger prawns, chowder with grouper, salmon with capers, peppered squid, oysters and mussels. But for the price you did not get much and it certainly was not the BBQ that the hype had promised. We have done this kind of seafood thing in the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and in Europe fro a lot less money and they would all beat this attempt hands down.
We came back to the room feeling not quite replete. John went down to the pool to relax in the warm water bathed in moon light. Fiona watched some TV and then we feel into another wonderfully deep sleep.
New Zealand – 10th Dec 2008 - Day 48
Another great nights sleep. We popped down to breakfast, said hi to Richard, Kerry and Steve’s parents then chilled out around the pool.
John met Richard in the lounge to confirm hooking up Friday week in Sydney. Richard suggested we test him, but John explained that our phones were taken in the bag. Within half an hour, Richard lent us a pay as you go, he had bought his Mum, so she could phone him whilst she was is Australia. All we had to do was buy a $2 Vodafone SIM card and we had a mobile phone again. What a generous couple they are.
At 11am we went to the water sports hut, jumped on our Hobby Cat and flew out into the bay. We were out for an hour and sailed past a good sized leather back turtle and a small black sting ray.
The sailing area was not too large, so we had to do lots of jibbing and tacking. All good practice, as we want to take our Day Skipper exams in 2009.
The breeze was quite strong so we had a great time flying up and down the clear, warm waters off our resort. The water here is very warm, probably warmer than the Maldives but they are also very tidal. When the tide is out here, you can walk for ten minutes before you reach the edge of the reef.
After sailing we looked into chartering a catamaran for a few days but everyone was already fully booked. So, we shilled out around the pool chatting to some of the staff and other quests, mainly about travelling. Australians love to travel, it’s almost a right of passage for them. Everyone has stories to tell. It’s a great way to hear about other parts of the world we might like to visit.
At 5pm we went to our room, soaked in the massive bath and had a wee glass of Chardonnay on the balcony.
Tonight’s dinner was at the Italian restaurant by the harbor. Some very rich people have private houses on this island. They leave their ridiculously large gin palaces in the harbor. Some are simply HUGE.
Our kiln baked pizza’s were OK but not a scratch in this years “pizza emporium of 2008” award, which goes to the pizzeria in Florac, southern France.
After our pizza we had the most amazing silky smooth ice crème. Fifi has chocolate, John Run and Raisin. We sat on the harbor front watching the sun set. The clouds lit up and looked like the sky was on fire.
We walked back to the resort, chilled out over a DVD and fell asleep.
New Zealand – 9th Dec 2008 - Day 47
The bed in our room is wonderful and the resort very quiet at night, so we slept like logs all night. We woke quite early due to us being a few hours ahead here than NZ. So, we finished watching the Batman film over a cup of tea and coffee before popping down for breakfast.
The breakfast looked good and is included in the price. During breakfast we mete Richard’s parents who live in Leeds. Today was Richards 33rd birthday, so we will be buying him a drink this evening. After breakfast, we visited the main reception to book some activities and then logged onto the free PC’s in reception so John could send our insurance company details of the theft. We also picked up the newly charged battery for the camera Steve has so kindly lent us.
A couple of sun beds on the beach looked an ideal spot to enjoy the great weather. Although storms were forecast, the sky was blue and the sun very hot. What a nice change from our last week in NZ.
We borrowed a couple of snorkels and took a swim out to the reef. Not very impressive at all. They say the real snorkeling is a boat riad away and it looks like they are correct. Still, the water here is like a bath and the resort itself is fine. The staff are very helpful and our room is great. We just want to relax here in some heat!
We moved back to a shady spot in one of the beach front gardens and another wedding took place right before our eyes. This couple had nobody else with them but they looked very happy in deed. A few tears were shed by both parties. The lengthy photo session ensued which was amusing to watch. The photographer gets them to dance, jump into each others arms, walk along the garden etc. etc.
Fiona’s book turned out to be a real stinker, so we ended up getting reception to buggy us to the local shop called Traders Point. Another book was purchased, this one is apparently a lot better.
We came back to our room, updated the blog, showered and went down to the bar for a wee drink to celebrate Richards birthday.
Richards parents joined us. We had a fun time chatting about travel. Richard and Kerry have suggested we hook up in Sydney next week, which would be fun. They all went off to the Beach Hut restaurant and we took our free buggy ride down to the harbor area for a meal at Mariners. The meal was very good indeed, we both had seafood Risotto.
New Zealand – 8th Dec 2008 - Day 46
During the night the weather matched out moods. Heavy showers kept falling during the night and the roads around the hotel were very noisy. Our room turned out to be a smokers room, even though we had asked for a non smokers room. They had no other rooms to offer and what with the stolen bag fiasco to handle, so we had no choice but to accept it. We had not slept well at all. So we got up, showered and headed back to the airport for a second attempt at getting our bacg back.
We had hot expected much and that’s what happened. John went to all the agencies that might have found it but nothing had turned up. Lost and found was or final hope. The lady took all our details again and said that we probably would not get the bag back.
We think it was taken by opportunists, looking for a chance to steal travelers items, cash and credit cards. Luckily our cash and credit cards were elsewhere.
We now had to get form the International arrivals to the Domestic departures for our flight to Hamilton Island. The terminals are ten minutes away by bus. We found the bus stop and arrived at the departures feeling disappointed.
We checked in, went though to the lounge and waited for our flight. The two and a half hour flight to Hamilton Island was fine. Hamilton island was basking in sun and was a balmy thirty two degrees.
After waiting for our luggage, we jumped aboard on of the many buses and soon arrived at the Beach Club Resort. Hamilton Island is a big place with many different types of accommodation available. Luckily we have a nice beach front view and our room is very comfortable.
After a quick resort briefing we changed and headed for the sun beds. We looked though the various activites and within an hour had booked three events. A days sailing and snorkeling, a half day snorkeling safari and a days sea kayaking with snorkeling.
John went to reception and asked them if they knew anyone who had a charger for a Dell Laptop. Luckily the laptop was in Fiona’s back pack, but the charger was in the bad that got stolen. Within, ten minutes, the girl had found us a spare charger, so at least we can keep the laptop charged now.
Later on John went for a swim in the affinity pool whilst Fifi leaxed with a book. As always, John got chatting to a chap called Richard who is originally from the UK but now lives in Sydney. John told him about the bag and the lost camera’s. Within a few minutes, Richard and introduced John to his partner Kerry. She comes from Perth. Five minutes later Richard had popped up to his room and handed john a spare digital camera with a spare memory card in it. The camera need charging and Richard did not have the charger. John went back to reception and within half an hour had been to the local Photo centre and got them to out the battery on charge over night. Now we have a digital camera for our stay on Hamilton Island. What a lovely couple. They are staying for three nights, so we will have to take them out for a drink. They are happy for us to give it back to them when we get back to Sydney. They live near the bridge.
We had hot expected much and that’s what happened. John went to all the agencies that might have found it but nothing had turned up. Lost and found was or final hope. The lady took all our details again and said that we probably would not get the bag back.
We think it was taken by opportunists, looking for a chance to steal travelers items, cash and credit cards. Luckily our cash and credit cards were elsewhere.
We now had to get form the International arrivals to the Domestic departures for our flight to Hamilton Island. The terminals are ten minutes away by bus. We found the bus stop and arrived at the departures feeling disappointed.
We checked in, went though to the lounge and waited for our flight. The two and a half hour flight to Hamilton Island was fine. Hamilton island was basking in sun and was a balmy thirty two degrees.
After waiting for our luggage, we jumped aboard on of the many buses and soon arrived at the Beach Club Resort. Hamilton Island is a big place with many different types of accommodation available. Luckily we have a nice beach front view and our room is very comfortable.
After a quick resort briefing we changed and headed for the sun beds. We looked though the various activites and within an hour had booked three events. A days sailing and snorkeling, a half day snorkeling safari and a days sea kayaking with snorkeling.
John went to reception and asked them if they knew anyone who had a charger for a Dell Laptop. Luckily the laptop was in Fiona’s back pack, but the charger was in the bad that got stolen. Within, ten minutes, the girl had found us a spare charger, so at least we can keep the laptop charged now.
Later on John went for a swim in the affinity pool whilst Fifi leaxed with a book. As always, John got chatting to a chap called Richard who is originally from the UK but now lives in Sydney. John told him about the bag and the lost camera’s. Within a few minutes, Richard and introduced John to his partner Kerry. She comes from Perth. Five minutes later Richard had popped up to his room and handed john a spare digital camera with a spare memory card in it. The camera need charging and Richard did not have the charger. John went back to reception and within half an hour had been to the local Photo centre and got them to out the battery on charge over night. Now we have a digital camera for our stay on Hamilton Island. What a lovely couple. They are staying for three nights, so we will have to take them out for a drink. They are happy for us to give it back to them when we get back to Sydney. They live near the bridge.
The clouds began to come in so we went up to our balcony to read. They are forecasting thunder storms tonight and early tomorrow, then the weather is looking great. Mainly sunny and thirty degrees.
John phoned the lost and found at Sydney airport to see if anything had been handed in, but nothing has!
Whilst sitting on our balcony two large cockatoo’s. Both white with light yellow crowns. They were very tame and looking for something to eat. Not long after, the sound of romantic music filled the air and a small party of guests arrived on the beach opposite our balcony for a wedding. Pity the sun had gone. A few tears later, the deed was done and the whole thing was over.
We watched the happy couple leaping about in front of the camera whilst the skies above grew darker and darker. The camera man was rushing to beat the impending storm. Suddenly we could smell the rain and electricity in the air and the island turned to night and someone turned the wind up. Within minutes we had gone from a balmy summer day to storm force winds and coco palm trees bent in two. The rain lashed down. The sky was black, but we had no thunder or lightening, just vicious wind and rain which continued into the night. We ate in our room & watched the latest Batman film, falling asleep before the end.
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