gazemms
Gareth & Emma Joined: December 2nd 2006
Logged in: January 18th 2012
Logged in: January 18th 2012
Travel Blog Posts
Road Trip
It was raining in London when we got back from Venice, but we weren’t too worried about it as we had a busy time in front of us before we headed away again the next morning on our English Summer Road Trip. We went straight from Gatwick to Simon and Anna’s flat where we dropped off the pack we had been carrying and headed round to our old flat to pick up some of the other stuff we had left stored there while we were away. On the way back I was carrying a pack on my back to which I had attached our tent, bed rolls and several other plastic bags of clothes and some shoes. On my front I had a back pack and was carrying a bag with our duvet in it. All ... read more
Treviso
While flying Ryanair does save you some money, it also means that you have to travel miles before you even get to the airport. To fly out of Paris we had to catch a bus from the central city and travel about an hour north to the town of Beauvais. The airport was about the size of Queenstown’s and with a steady stream of flights coming and going the check in hall and departure lounge was packed with people sprawled out on the floor waiting for their flights. To avoid people crowding round the gates they only announce what gate you’re departing from when they’re ready for boarding, then there’s a mad rush to get on the plane first for a good seat. The flight was comfortable enough if you don’t mind the advertising Ryanair subjects ... read more
Paris
The end of the school year in the UK came about in the second to last week of July. This meant that Emma was out of work, and with me already playing the part of unemployed bum, it meant that we had a lot of free time on our hands. It also meant that we no longer had any income, so our dreams of a two month long road trip around Europe, finishing at Oktoberfest in Munich, could no longer be realised. Instead we had to make dramatic revisions to our plans, and cut out all but the absolute must sees to do on this trip, leaving everything else for another trip in the not too distant future. So what we had left at the end of it was 3 nights in Paris, 3 Venice and ... read more
Metallica
After leaving the UK for the last time we soon found ourselves back in drizzly old Auckland. We were exhausted after a 26 hour flight from London via Hong Kong but it felt flippin fantastic to be back home. It was a weird feeling which was to stick around with us for the next couple of weeks as we readjusted to life back in NZ. I think it was a mixture of relief at the fact that we were back home, and excitement at beginning the next stage of our lives. We were really glad to have Shylah pick us up at the airport and take us out to her house in Waimauku, just north of Auckland, to spend a couple of days getting over the flight (I don’t think we would have been able to ... read more
Amsterdam
Just a couple of weeks after our Easter trip to Manchester and Liverpool it was time for another long weekend with the May Day Bank Holiday. For this long weekend we had organised a trip to Amsterdam with a few friends. It was another early start to get to Heathrow for an early flight to Amsterdam so as to get as much time in Amsterdam as we could. The flight over the English Channel to Amsterdam’s Shipol Airport was another straight up and down affair, and we found ourselves on the train into the centre of the city in no time. Mind you it was the wrong train. We’d tried our best to guess the right train to get on, but ended up just getting on the first train that looked like it might be going ... read more
Derry, Ireland
This is another big one, so I don’t expect anyone to read it. I think this is now more about us having our own record of the trip than it is for keeping you all entertained, so we won’t be offended if you want to just look at the pictures. There are plenty of them too and they tell the story enough. After Singapore we made a quick two night stop in London before heading off again, this time to Ireland. The flight from Singapore to London was interesting. I’d had my fingers crossed that we would be flying in one of Singapore Airlines new Airbus A380s, the world’s largest airliner. I was pretty happy when we turned up to our gate and saw the massive beast docked to the airbridge from our gate. We were ... read more
Manchester
When the Easter break rolled around this year we were still recovering financially from our trip home and the road trip through Ireland. As such we had decided that we couldn't afford to do any trips away, but instead would try and do a small overnight trip somewhere in England that we hadn't been. As the break got nearer and we became more and more jealous at everybody else who had planned a trip away we decided that it would be rude not to make the most of the 4 day break and get away for the weekend, so we managed to stretch the budget a little further and decided we could probably manage two nights away. Wahoo! But where to go? Most places we wanted to go in England we would only need a day ... read more
Singapore
Hi all Because we checked in so late for our flight we could only get seats on opposite sides of the isle from each other, which was no big deal. However when we went to board we were asked by the cabin crew if I would mind swapping seats with another passenger who was sitting along way from her partner, who I would have been beside. They had assumed I was on my own but I informed them that I was with my partner on the other side of the isle. That didn’t seem to bother them though and they asked if I still wouldn’t mind moving. Being the nice guy that I am I agreed and moved down to the back of the plane a long way from Emma. No big deal as we’d probably ... read more
Ross and Lucy's Wedding
So when we left you last time we had just boarded NZ1 for the 12 hour flight into Auckland. I’m not sure if it was because earlier that day we had endured the worst flight we had ever been on, or whether Air NZ’s long haul service is just really good but that flight was, and still is, the best flight we’ve ever had. The leg room in the 747 was very generous and the seats were the most comfortable airplane seats I’ve experienced which meant it was easy to get comfortable enough for some pretty good sleep (i.e a good 8 hours worth) which made the flight feel like a short trans Tasman hop. The service was great and the staff very friendly and it was a nice welcome home after so long. And the ... read more
New York City
New York, NewYork And here it is. Our final (and largest) entry on our US/Canada trip is the one and only New York City. While we've tried to make the most of our trip to North America by enjoying trips to several of the large, important cities in this part of the world, there is no hiding the fact that this trip was mainly all about our final destination. And we definitely saved the best until last. The bus trip from Philly to NYC is a short two hours and despite being overtired (even after a fairly relaxing time in Philly we were fighting the sleep as the 2 and a half weeks of endless walking, travelling and sleeping on uncomfortable beds were catching up to us) we didn't sleep a wink in anticipation of our ... read more
Maroon 
