Kia Ora New Zealand

You know life isn´t bad when you can overcome the disappointment of leaving Fiji by spending a month in New Zealand. We were both really excited to begin our Kiwi adventure, it was possibly one of the countries we were looking forward to visiting the most.

I know a month sounds like a long time but as we had hopes to visit both the North and South Island and do countless activites and sightseeing in both, it would mean that we would be rushed to fit it all in. With this in mind we decided that the best way to tackle it was to hire a campervan which would give us the freedom to go anywhere we want at anytime and not have to rely on buses. Also we felt it would be the most fun too!!

Auckland's Sky Tower

After only a few hours in Auckland we had already booked a campervan to pick up the next day. As time was tight we had researched everything before (possibly the only time on the trip so far we have been prepared in advance) and decided to go with Spaceships. It cost us around $35 a day for the campervan and another $35 per day for full insurance, an annoying extra but something we thought we better get, especially with Leanne´s driving!

Our Spaceship was well kitted out, it had a small fridge, storage area for backpacks in the back, a storage area for a stove, pots, pans and food. The back turned into quite a spacious bed complete with DVD player. It had a second battery which charged from the first when the car was running which ran the DVD player, lights and fridge in the back. This meant we would never run dry the main battery, which is a good thing as we can both be forgetful.

So Astronauts Leanne and Rob picked up Fangio, their Spaceship and jetted off for 25 days of adventure in New Zealand...

Us and ´Fange´

As some of you may not be familiar with the geography of New Zealand we have decided to include helpful maps of our routes.

Our route in the Northland, the northern tip of the North Island

So we left Auckland (Icon A) and after around 30 minutes we had got lost already. We planned to head to Piha (B) on the west coast but couldn´t work out how to get there or where we were on the small free maps we had been given and collected. We needed to buy a road atlas, we also needed to stock up on supplies so stopping at the first supermarket we saw we bought an atlas and food supplies. With the help of the map we eventually found our way to Piha just in time for sunset.

We stayed in a campsite just off the black sandy beach. We planned to spend every other night in a campsite so we could use their shower facilities etc then spend the next night freedom camping. After a good but slightly chilly first nights sleep we headed back across to the east coast to Goat Island Marine Reserve (C) for a spot of snorkelling. Along the drive up the coast there were a number of beautiful viewpoints.

Beach lookout

We rented mask, snorkel, fins and as the water would be a cold 14 degrees, a wetsuit from a nearby shop. Even with the wetsuit it was freezing!! We planned to spend a few hours in the water exploring but we had enough of the cold after around 45 minutes. It was still worth the cold and we saw lots of fish and swam amongst the ribbons of sea kelp. After getting changed and warming up we sat and had lunch at a spot overlooking Goat Island which we had snorkelled around.

Goat Island in the background

The next day we had our 10th and 11th Scuba dives booked for Poor Knights Islands, described by many as one of the top 5 dive sites in the world! We would be leaving from Tutukaka (D) so we continued our drive up the coast. Again we couldn't resist stopping at a few viewpoints and beaches along the way.

Viewpoint

We stopped at a nearby beach to cook up a delightful 5 bean chilli and enjoyed it with a beer and the sunset.    The company who we were diving with agreed to let us park up and camp in their carpark overnight so after we had digested our meal we headed there and went to bed with a DVD.

Jamie at work!

The next day we woke early and travelled the long distance across the carpark to prepare for our dive. We got kitted out, Leanne opting for a rash vest and 2 wetsuits and for the first time we had scuba socks and hoods to keep us warm in the slightly warmer 15degree water. They all did their job and we weren't actually that cold in the water which we were worried about after our experience the day before. The crew even said it was the best conditions they had for diving all season. The dives really lived up to our expectations and were two of the best so far. The landscape was very different to our previous dives as the temperature of the water was so much cooler. Therefore the fish we saw were new to us and instead of coral there was a lot of kelp and huge boulders underwater. On our first dive we followed the steep, colourful moss covered wall of the island to a cave which we swam in.

The cave

Leanne with Lunch

After having our lunch and a hearty beef soup to warm us up we went back in the water for our second dive.  The second dive was perhaps better as we weren't used to having such thick bouyant suits on in our first dive so it took a while to adjust but we had got used to it by the second dive and so enjoyed it a little more. It was also fun to dive through some of the caves and arches formed a bit further out from the island.

Continuing with our action packed first few days in New Zealand we drove the 90km to Paihia (E) further up the North Island as soon as we got back to shore. We spent the night in a campsite in Paihia. When we got there it was already dark so we had to bbq by candlelight, an interesting experience. Considering we couldn't really see what we were doing the food turned out pretty good.

As we were driving around in the campervan we thought it would be a good idea to get a NZ sim card just incase we broke down or Leanne crashed! The international rates turned out to be fairly cheap so we called home for the first time since we left for a quick catch up.

The next day we had a boat trip around the Bay of Islands. We cruised through the sheltered waters and past many of the 144 islands. We also got our first sighting of some dolphins.

Look a dolphin!

We sailed out to the 'Hole in the Rock', the furthest point of the trip under cloudy, overcast and windy conditions.

Hole in the Rock

A windswept Leanne

 On the way back in we stopped off at an island which apparently had great views overlooking the islands. As the weather wasn't the best we weren't too fussed at first but luckily by the time we had walked up to the top of the hill the sun decided to show its face and gave us incredible views. The colours were so vibrant, the green of the grass and the varying shades of blue of the water and sky!

When we arrived back on land there was again no time to rest as we started our drive back south on our way to Rotorua. On our way down we stopped off at some toilets, exotic huh. But these weren't just any toilets they were designed by Hundertwasser, don't worry I had no idea who he was either but apparently he is a famous Austrian artist who gained New Zealand citizenship. The toilets were pretty cool though even if they weren't the highlight of our trip.

Our first 5 or so days in New Zealand were jam packed and set the tone for our whole 4 weeks there. In the next blog we continue our journey south through the North Island.

Bula Fiji

We left you last time wondering how our time in Fiji turned out, well...

It started off good with a sunny landing and being greeted by a 4 piece Fiji band, best arrival at an airport so far! Then the rest of the day went downhill. The sun lasted till we checked in at the hotel before thunderstorms came and didn´t go away. We were stuck in our room for the rest of the day and only ventured out in the rain to the restaurant to get some below average food from the ´budget menu´, note to self and anyone reading : never chose food from a budget menu, EVER. Leanne had a stir fry with spaghetti instead of noodles and I had something that very loosely resembled a burger.

The next day we checked out and made our way to Denauru Port where we boarded the yellow Yasawa flyer to be transported to the first of our 3 islands: Nabula Lodge. The journey started under the clouds and we weren´t optimistic however as we got further out in the island group the sun started to shine. Our island was the last stop and it took around 4 hours to reach but we were both pretty happy when we realised we would be staying here...

Ah paradise

We were greeted ashore by more music and a very Fiji welcome, BULA! The package we had booked included all our accommodation, food and boat transfers for our week in Fiji. Our first taste of the food was possibly even worse than the budget menu, a meagre serving of spaghetti bolognese which had pineapple in it. We quickly put that to the back of our minds as we checked into our beachfront bure (Fijian name for a beachside cabin) and then soaked up the sun, swam and lazed in hammocks for the rest of the afternoon before watching the sunset.

Leanne and our Bure

Emjoying the last of the days sun

Our resort and beach

When the traditional Fijian drum was beaten to signify that dinner was ready we were apprehensive to say the least. Thankfully we needn´t have been. We had a huge BBQ with plenty of meat, salad and carbs. After dinner which we ate together with everyone else staying there the staff performed a welcome dance. You will realise throughout this blog that the Fijians love to sing and dance. We then got on the dance floor to try and learn a simplified version before playing a few games with Sara a member of staff who had clearly had to much Kava (a favourite Fijian drink).

The next day we took a trip to the Blue Lagoon, an area of water almost surrounded by islands. It was beautiful, the water was perfectly clear and we enjoyed a spot of snorkelling, seeing Nemo and friends. 

Trying and failing to climb the palm tree

We returned to our island for more beach time. After seeing the sunset behind a nearby hill the previous night we decided to climb it tonight to see what the view was like from the other side.

I think you would agree it was worth the climb and if you have been following our blog you will know we have had more than our fair share of amazing sunsets but this ranks up there with the best.

After the sunset we had another good dinner with everyone and more games. We also met Charlie, Louis a couple from the UK and Birget and Jule two German girls, who were staying in the resort with us and had similar route thoughtout the islands. We spent the night playing cards and having some Fiji beer. Unfortunately I (Rob) ended up being the Arsehole (in the card game).

The next morning we were a little sad to be checking out and going to White Sandy Beach, another resort on another island. When we originally booked our trip this wasn´t on the itinerary and so we were a bit annoyed we were going there but luckily it turned out to be the best island.

Another Bule welcome song

A refreshing coconut

We were again greeted by a welcome song but this time also by coconuts. This was my first try of fresh coconut, it was ok but I don´t think I would have it again, there was just so much juice, you wouldn´t believe! After finally finishing the juice Josh, a member of staff chopped it up in his hand with a huge machette so we could have the flesh. Needless to say if I had to chop it up I wouldn´t be typing this right now.

After a hour or so doing nothing on the beach they invited us on a sunset boat trip so along with a few other we boarded the boat. Aswell as the captain, Thom, a memeber of staff came along and brought his guitar so we cruised around a while watching the sunset and having a sing along.

 

After another good but small dinner we again gatherered round as a group for more dancing and games. As we had already had two nights of this we were a bit tired of it and not looking forward to it. However it was awesome, the staff were really enthusiastic and their dancing was so much better than the last resort. We were a bit nervous about having to try and copy their moves but after a slow demonstration and slightly simplified moves we rocked it!

After a few more games we headed along the beach with Birget and Jule to another resort, where Charlie and Louis were staying, for more drinks and card games. We met a few more people there too and had a really good night. Their resort was a little more expensive than ours and had 24 hours electricity while ours stopped at 11pm. So at 1am when we finally headed back to our resort it was pitch black and we only had a pathetic flashlight so we couldn´t see a thing walking along the beach. We had almost reached our bures when we heard some rustling in the area of trees and shrubs that separated our bures from the sea. We shone the flashlight to where the noise was coming from and got a fright to see a man standing there. Leanne, Birgit and Jule screamed and jumped on each other. It was only Thom who had fell asleep in one of the hammocks. Panic averted!

The next day it was a little overcast so we had a lazy day not doing much. We walked along the beach and explored another beach on the island with Birgit and Jule where we had crab races.

That night we had one of the best nights we have had in ages. Obviously there was more singing and dancing but then after that we had a bonfire on the beach with everyone from our resort and a few from the neighbouring one. Thom and his friend from the other resort played the guitar and sang numerous songs, some Fijian and some English.

In the end after most people had went to bed the 4 of us, Me, Leanne, Birgit and Jule were left with Thom, his friend and Josh. We were really impressed as they could all sing and play the guitar really well. We had a really interesting chat about how their way of life is so different to ours and thier outlook on life. They then taught us one of thier traditional goodbye songs they sing when people leave. It was late, we were a little drunk so it was difficult learning a new song in Fijian, I don´t think we impressed them with our singing or our Fijian!!

The next day we had to change islands again and we were again very sad to leave. Before we left the resort we had some lunch and then we were treated to a few song by Thom and Josh, it was a great way to end our stay on the island.

Thom and Josh

We were whisked away on the boat whilst the staff sang thier farewell song to us, it was the same one we had learnt the previous evening so we were able to sing along in parts, much to the amusement of the Fijian driving the boat.

Our next and last island was called Bounty Island, the island where ITV's 'Celebrity Love Island' was filmed. We were only there for one night and the weather wasn't great which meant it was probably our least favourite stop, it was still really nice though.

Bounty Island

As you can see it was quite a small island so on our last morning I did something I had always wanted to do and walked all the way around an tropical island, it only took around 30 minutes.

The boat didn't pick us up till 5pm so we spent our last day relaxing around the island and cloud bathing. The island also had a small pool where they kept a few turtles until they were big enough to be released into the wild.

Part of my walk around the Island

We didn't do anything other than go out for food when we returned to the mainland for our final evening in Fiji. We left early next morning for the airport and our flight to Auckland, New Zealand.

So we ended up loving our week in Fiji the weather was good to us, the island's were beautiful and the people were some of the nicest we have met so far. Vinaka Fiji!!

Melbourne and The Great Ocean Road

We arrived in Melbourne on Thurday morning before Easter weekend without any accommodation booked as we planned to rent a car for two days and drive The Great Ocean Road. Only thing was we hadn´t reserved a car yet. Obviously given it was Easter Weekend everywhere we tried were booked out and had nothing left. You can imagine our frustration and annoyance at ourselves having not sorted anything out until the last minute and frantically running around Melbourne with our rucksacks trying to find a car. Only one place out of around 10 we tried had one car, a Toyota Camry that was bigger than we wanted and therefore a lot more expensive at nearly AUS$400. We couldn´t decide what to do, just spend the two days in Melbourne and miss out on it or spend the extra money. In the end we thought we are only here once so we might aswell just get it.

I think our positiveness payed off as when we enquired about student rates the woman replied ¨Hmm I´ll see what I can do...Ok you can have it for AUS$150´ I have no idea how we managed to get it for this cheap but we didn´t question it and speedily set off!!

Rob and ´Cameron´

We had to return the car by 5pm the next day so didn´t have long to see the sights. We started by stopping  at a supermarket  in Geelong to stock up on supplies.

Our route is in red

Our first stop other than quickly taking photographs, was at Bells Beach where we had lunch on the beach watching the final of the famous Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach surf competion which was won by Aussie Mick Fanning, yea we have no idea who he is either.

Great swell dude

We were only day´s from leaving Australia and we still had not seen a koala, almost by chance I read something about a great place to see koalas as we were passing it. It must have been a sign so we stopped and checked it out. It was just a small bay with a caravan park but when we pulled up there was a small group of people looking up into one of the trees...a koala!!!

There wasn´t just one but 4 or 5 in the trees that lined the caravan park.

Just chillin´

You looking at me??

They were all so cute and we spent ages just watching them. We were both happy to have finally seen some especially in the wild. As we continued our drive we were met with stunning view after stunning view...

Our final major stop of the day was at the Twelve Apostles just before Port Campbell. These are a collection of, nine not 12, limestone rock stacks just offshore. We arrived just before sunset and got to witness the sunset over them. There was also quite a lot of mist which made them a little less visible but also added to the scenery.

We then tried to find somewhere to stay for the night. As it was only one night we had decided on sleeping in the car but we weren´t too sure about where. We stopped in the next town for some food but there were ´No Camping´ signs everywhere so we went further along the coast and stopped down a track in a small carpark. Thankfully we had the big car and so we had quite a lot of room and a decent if not cold nights sleep.

We didn´t really know where we had stopped but then we woke up and were greated to this view...

Not a bad start to the day. We carried on to the next view point called London Bridge...

London Bridge

It doesn´t look like a bridge but up until only a few years ago the arch was connected to the land by a natural rock bridge. One day the bridge collapsed leaving a few toursists stranded on the arch. There were a few more stops along the ways including the Bay of Islands or Bay of Martyrs below. The scenery was so beautiful along all the coast that we were disappointed to turn inland for the rest of our journey.

We soon realised however that the inland had its own great landscapes to offer us. We travelled north all the way through the Grampians National Park, where we stopped by a lake for brunch and then headed back to Melbourne to drop off the car.

Back in Melbourne we were again lucky to have accommodation for free. This time at a really nice hostel courtesy of a friend of Rob´s mums friend. I think this trip has definitely made us realise how kind most people are, we have been given accommodation, treated to dinners, and helped by numerous friends and strangers.

So to our final two days in Melbourne and Australia. I think we ended on a high as Melbourne was one of our favourite cities so far. We were there over the weekend so visited Victoria market where we bought some food for a delicious meal we cooked up later at the hostel. We also treated ourself to some cakes.

Leanne´s Heaven

Back at school??

When we were there it was also the Comedy Festival which had a free show everytnight in Federation Square, we went to it one night and some of the acts were actually hilarious. We finished off the night with a drink in a bar that was on one of the columns underneath a bridge, it was cool.

There was a lot to explore in the city, we walked through graffitied alleyways and around the Australian Centre for the Moving Image which sound pretty dull but was really fun. They had a timeline of progress of video games and had ones you could play on. There were also interactive installions on TV, film and the media. We spent a good few hours there, mainly playing on the games.

On our last night in Australia we got our final dose of Australian culture by going to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) to watch a game of Aussie Rules (Australian Rules Football).

The game was between Richmond ´Tigers´and Collingwood ¨Magpies´. We were supporting Collingwood, ´Go Pies´ thankfully our new Aussie rules team comfortably won!! It was a good game, thie first half was very close and the half ended in a huge brawl between the teams, the best thing that had happened so far. It must had an effect on Collingwood as they came out after half time and scored a few goals very quickly to put the game to bed. At first we didn´t really have a clue what was going on but by the end I think we understood about 90% of it. And when we didn´t really know what was happening we just cheered or shouted with everyone around us. As it is mixed seating we were probably cheered for both teams throughout the match.

The next day we flew to Fiji. At the time we weren´t really looking forward to it and actually tried to cancel our flights and accommodation bookings as a result of huge flooding across the islands and a possible cyclone threat. It would have cost us too much money to cancel everything however so we decided to just go.

Did we regret going and get caught up in the floods or did we have an amazing week on tropical islands, read the next blog to find out...