Back to Milford Sound… that was one of my main attractions to go back to New Zealand, it’s one of the places I really wanted to see also in the winter. And what’s better than a nice sunny day in winter? In winter there are more waterfalls flowing into the fiord, and of course the mountains are all snow-capped. I look in the pictures from my previous visit and see that it was a pretty overcast day - funny to come back in winter and not see even one cloud… Since Marie is with me, we stop in all the places [View Full Entry]

---

---

I left Christchurch going south west, right into the heart of the Southern Alps, to Mt. Cook. I took the scenic route that goes through Mt. Hutt - that’s the ski area closest to Christchurch. The route is absolutely amazingly gorgeous. I drive and I feel like I am inside a postcard. I couldn’t take pictures because it would require a panoramic lense - the beauty is just all around me. It’s an amazing combination of light green fields, darker green where the trees begin on the mountain slopes, then black and white (rocks and snow) and then blue for the [View Full Entry]

---

---

The plane is making its way. Even though I planned that a month ago, I still find it hard to believe: I am on my way to New Zealand. Since I was there in the summer I wanted to see it also in the winter. The sky is blue and suddenly I see the NZ Alps, right below me. I think it's Mt. Cook. It's beautiful. And then the Canterbury planes, I forgot how green they were. And then we land, and I am again in Christchurch. NZ mon amour, I am here again! The sights from the plane remind me [View Full Entry]

---

---

Melbourne! Finally I am here. I passed through Melbourne on my way from Sydney to Adelaide with Korhan, 3 months ago. For several reasons, we didn't stay even one day, and I was hoping to have the time to come back, even if it was going to be in the winter. So on a nice sunny day I left Noosa, took the bus to Brisbane airport, and prepared myself to freeze in Melbourne. Instead, I had a beautiful week, not even one day of rain and relatively warm weather (around 18 degrees). In my first days in the city I didn't [View Full Entry]

---

---

I left Noosa on Saturday morning, on a 3-day tour to Fraser Island. The island is the biggest sandy island in the world, and it's unbelievable to see how much life - Flora and Fauna you find on sand. Many travellers are going to this island on self drive tours, and I was afraid to find myself with a group of "oldies", but fortunately I found myself to be the "oldie" (except for Mark our great driver/guide), with a good mixture of singles and couples (2 honeymoon couples!), 20s and 30s (and some 19 year old as well), and a diversity [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Thursday morning I experienced my longest bus ride in Australia, something that I successfully managed to avoid so far. I leave Byron Bay at 6:45AM and get to Noosa on 1:00PM, exhausted. I spend the afternoon in Noosa itself, a very richy town: expensive restaurants, elegant shops, elegant people. And of course there are beautiful houses, many of them beside the river and the many canals, and they have amazing yachts, which remind me a lot of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida USA. My hostel is a bit remote and I miss the shuttle bus so I walk back. On the way [View Full Entry]

---

---

I am leaving Brisbane on the last sunny day that week, clouds are already gathering up there in the sky. I get a lift with a Dutch guy, direct ride to Byron Bay, back to the state of New South Wales. My mood is not exactly the best when I check into the hostel and I am also a bit tired.There is no one in the room so I decide to get some nice wine and take an afternoon nap. I was just going for the second part of the plan when Heather from Canada walked into the dorm room. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I have seen most of Australian cities (actually all except Melbourne and Canberra), and I tell you: if I had to choose a place to live in Australia, it would be Brisbane. The city, the river, the parks, the art center, the pubs, the residential areas (that I have seen) - Brisbane MON AMOUR... I flew into Brisbane late on Tuesday night, got a lift from Evelyne's friend right to my hostel and went to sleep. So I first saw Brisbane next morning, as if I "fell" right in the center, without seeing the suburbs and everything coming into a city. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I spent a week and a half in Cairns and the area. Some days were packed with adventures and travels, and some days were passed in leisure in Cairns itself. I stayed in a great hostel, really the level of New Zealand hostels and that is rare in Australia. The room is only for 3 people, and the bathrooms look like something you would want to have at home, and the great garden, kitchens, the small pool - I could stay there much longer just doing nothing. Spending time in leisure means several things. Of course, I sometimes spend hours in [View Full Entry]

---

---

I discovered paradise and it's called Cape Tribulation. As I was walking from the heavenly beach, on the path in the jungle to my wooden cabin in Cape Trib Beach House, I felt I was the luckiest person on earth, just to be there. The rainforest going down so close to the coast line leaving a narrow strip of soft sand, serene environment, sheer beauty. Maybe I should start from the beginning. I left Cairns for 3 days to go a little further north (a little in Aussie scale, just a few hundreds of km), to Cape Tribulation. I went there [View Full Entry]

---

---