Jetsetters

We cannot believe it’s over!! Less than 12 or so hours to go and we will be back in the UK and probably freezing! Thanks to everyone who read our blog - we really appreciated your text/messages and emails. It was good to have your comments (even the cheeky ones) and we did not feel so far away from home. We hope that we were able to introduce Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore to those of you who have never visited these places before. Perhaps we may also have prompted some good memories for those who have been lucky enough to visit some of these places before. Although we tried to convey to you the beautiful scenery that we saw, our wonderful experiences and just how amazing the whole trip was; we probably ... read more

This is our second time in the Northern Territory - our first was when we visited Uluru and Alice Springs. Darwin itself is known for its wet and dry climate and it is the main hub of the Northern Territory, known as the ‘Top End’. However, don’t be misled about the city of Darwin; it is not a thriving metropolis, having only a city population of 85,000 people. Although having survived Japanese bombing in World War II and a massive cyclone in 1974, the buildings are not overly modern and their alternative to the multiplex - ‘deck chair cinema’, was quite quaint (but shut for the season). One of the most unique attractions we participated in (and one of the cheapest) was a place in ‘Doctors Gully’, Darwin called Aquascene. It’s where loads of fish come ... read more

We thought the sun had forsaken us when we flew into Brisbane, Queensland (the sunshine state) as we arrived just as a storm started. The storm closed the ground side of the airport and prevented our luggage being taken to the baggage hall. Two hours later, we (and our luggage) were on our way, driving up into the heart of the Sunshine Coast - hurrah the sun was back!! With temperatures slightly less than we had become accustomed to after Fiji, only 29-32 degrees rather than 35+, we arrived in Hervey Bay apparently known as the whale watching capital of the world. Before meeting the whales, we spent a day on Fraser Island, which as with most parts of Australia, was discovered by Capt James Cook. Fraser is the world’s largest sand island with no roads ... read more

The New Zealand (NZ) inter-island ferry takes us from Picton in the South to Wellington in North Island. It made a welcome change from driving for Alan, providing an opportunity to relax and enjoy the view while sailing across the Cook Straits. Although we didn’t get to see any dolphins, Alan did think he found our next 2 houses! (see photos) From Wellington (NZ’s capital (but compact) city) we travel to Rotorua and then onto Auckland. The weather in the North Island is much wetter than in the South, which probably explains the greenness of the hills and fields (just like at home). The North’s contrasting scenery does not disappoint - perhaps a little less dramatic than the South with spouting geysers rather than snow capped mountains. Our stop in Rotorua enables us to learn about ... read more

Turn left here or should it be right? The Melbourne city centre’s grid layout should make for easy navigation, after all the journey from the airport to our hotel should only take 15-20 minutes … unless you are Lena and Alan, in which case it takes 2 hours! (It was peak time traffic - honest!) Decisions, decisions, we didn’t know where to start - explore Melbourne’s unique architecture, stroll through one of the many parks or drive on the ocean road? While we couldn’t make up our minds as to where to go first, just like at home the weather followed suit, as it also couldn’t make up its mind what it wanted to do - sunny then a little rain, back to sun again. Apparently this changeable weather is a rite of passage and is ... read more