http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Vivstrek/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Vivstrek en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:26:18 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:26:18 +0000 How long is it since I have updated this blog Eons and I have missed you and I am sure you have all missed me ... but did any of you get me a publishing deal No you bloody didn't so be very grateful I am backWell what can I tell you greyer wiser possibly wider definitely. In the years since I have last been here I have held down two jobs ... yes it surprised me too I have a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/East-Sussex/Brighton/blog-437445.html Arriving in NelsonTramping and kayaking in Abel Tvisiting pancake rocks in Punakaiki http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-138348.html FJ Glacier and Wanaka http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Franz-Josef/blog-138381.html Of all the flights I have purchased in the past eleven months none have been as disastrous as my trip to Newquay thanks to Ryanair Don'tgetyou there. Sorry it has been so long since I updated my blog but I returned home unexpectedly early and have spent the last three months in France with my mum.On Tuesday 19th I flew from Limoges to Stansted intending to catch the evening flight to Newquay http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Cornwall/Newquay/blog-171868.html HokitikaI arrived in Hokitika on a Friday at about 2. By 3 I had seen everything Hokitika had to offer and had 30 minutes to spare for a cup of tea. However my next wwoofing destination was a bus ride away and the bus only stops once a day. With hindsight I would have just used the 40 minute lunch break during the bus journey to see Hokitika and then carried on to Ross. Well with true hinds http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/West-Coast/Hokitika/blog-138372.html WellingtonHoward and Wendy whom I met in Cape Tribulation all those months ago met me at Wellington bus station. It was lovely to see them again and so nice to have a room to myself to have normal conversations and home cooking as opposed to my backpacker cooking. Wendy and I went and helped her son move apartments so I got a sneak preview of downtown Wellington. Tim kept on asking me if I http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Wellington/blog-131850.html I am very slowly creeping nearer to the bottom of the North Island. I am very very quickly hurtling to the bottom of my bank account. AucklandI was planning to leave Auckland about 2 days after I got there but a long weekend was coming up and it was a chance to spend time with Sharlene because it could be years before I see her again. So whilst she and Jodi slaved away at work I lounged abo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Hawkes-Bay/Napier/blog-126311.html This is a very brief rundown of my trip to Melbourne but at least it finally updates the gaps in my blogs.I arrived in Melbourne with Ursula in our little hire car. Actually it was a lot bigger than we had expected to hire so we were very relieved to return it with no dents or bumps. Melbourne is very confusing to drive around so we returned the car the morning we arrived and spent our week http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/City-Centre/blog-113908.html A very belated update on my journey from Sydney to MelbourneCanberraI arrived in Canberra on a lovely spring evening. As everything near my motel hostel was geared towards Monday to Saturday workday crowds it was a bit dull in the evening so I thought I would walk to the centre which isn't actually a town centre it is a political museum centre. It didn't look to be a long walk from the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-111189.html Hello AllLong time no blog. I would like to pretend that I have been to busy partying but that would be a lie. I have been far too busy shovelling pony pooh. Sometimes duck and horse pooh as well. Ponies pooh more prolifically than horses but less messily. They are also most fussy about not eating where they have poohed and who can blame them but this does mean the grass in the poop area http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Bay-of-Islands/Paihia/blog-121659.html Firstly apologies for the gaps in my blog but I don't always get time to give you all the attention you deserve. As I attempt to catch up it seemed odd to be writing about Australia when I am now in New Zealand so I thought I would get up to speed on NZ and then backtrack to Melbourne and my trip from Sydney to Melbourne. I have uploaded the photos and my written diary is up to date so at s http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Newton/blog-113912.html I arrived in Newcastle early in November so it has been quite a while since I updated. Sorry about that but so many people to catch up with so much crap weather to avoid. Newcastle New South WalesThe journey from Urunga to Newcastle took 6 hours. Apart from suspecting I had DVT by the time we arrived I always have to laugh at the contrast between the very British placenames and the aborigi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Opera-House/blog-104323.html Lennox HeadsThe Greyhound dropped me off at Ballina just before 10 p.m. I rang the hostel to get them to come and collect me 12 km is too far to walk without 25kg of luggage. I then waited patiently by my luggage next to the bus. Greyhounds have to stop for a 40 minute rest every 4 hours and when you are on a long journey it is a mix of annoyance because of the extra travel time and relief http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Ballina/blog-103211.html 1770I stayed a day longer than planned in Rockhampton because I didn't want to take the risk of finding myself in the middle of nowhere without accommodation. Rockhampton wouldn't be anyone's ideal resort just a gateway to Great Keppel or farmstays but I got to hear yet another life story from yet another complete stranger. It was dusk when I had returned to the dorm and the lights were off http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Noosa-Heads/blog-101458.html Airlie Beach and The WhitsundaysWhen I left Townsville I had planned to hire a car and visit Jourama falls etc but as it was the school holidays hire cars were really hard to come by apart from Avis. The laws of demand and supply being what they are prices had rocketed and Avis being what they are they had hired a slightly creepy guy to inform me of the rocketed price so I decided this was http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Rockhampton/blog-96850.html Saturday I went on my first trip in a Greyhound bus. For normal people it is a bit cramped sometimes it is great to be so short. The journey was 7 hours and only 350 km so there were quite a few stops. The bus driver chatted away to us all we all ignored him most people were asleep or listening to their music. It must be a soul destroying job for the drivers. By law they have to take a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Magnetic-Island/blog-93507.html When we got back from our road trip it was Labor Day so we followed the the traditions it being a bank holiday sat around ate too much watched old movies on TV. Jess went back to work and said I could have the car the thought of driving around on my own scared me a bit so I said I would just walk into Woodland. Jess told me I was mad and it was a long way but I am English we walk. I d http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Davis/blog-87613.html I landed in Australia just before midnight on Wednesday 20 September. Immigration took me aside for a little chat about my 'criminal record' so I explained it was all driving offences as if this makes it all acceptable and the very nice lady immigration officer told me it doesn't count as a criminal offence if you don't stand before a judge so they let me in. I went to the tourist informatio http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cape-Tribulation/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-93505.html Monday I got up early like every morning well actually like every morning when I am on holiday work days I just hit the snooze button again and again. Even showering in Fiji is exciting I bumped into a very tall very fit naked man walking out of the showers at 6 a.m. Fortunately for him and very very unfortunately for me I didn't have my glasses on so it was all just a very fit blurry out http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/Yasawa-Islands/blog-92643.html Finally this has photos. I arrived in Fiji 24 hours later than planned thanks to Air Pacific cancelling my original flight and refusing any compensation other than some crappy hotel in an industrial area of LA. Advice to anyone thinking of flying with Air Pathetic ... don't. However I did finally get there and even made a few friends on the flight. As my luggage whizzed round and round an http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/Yasawa-Islands/blog-90323.html