Day 580 (29.10.08) Today we were headed further north and into Peru. However, before we could set foot on Peruvian soil we had to negotiate the slightly confusing method of crossing the border. We heard the best way to cross is with a Collectivo, essentially a shared taxi. We thought we'd be able to catch this all the way through the Tacna the border town just inside Peruvian lines but when we got to the collectivo depot we found we could only get as far as the Chilean border and then would have to find a taxi once we got to [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 575 (24.10.08) Nothing much to say for today as we had a whole 26 or so hours of travel before reaching our next destination. A quick hop back to Santiago from the coast and then a all day, all night journey to the Atacama desert where we´d arrive in San Pedro de Atacama, a small oasis town, at about 9am the next day. The semi-cama bus seats (half bed) were pretty comfy and we managed to get a fair amount of sleep overnight as well as making good progress with our books and watching some excellent ´Just for gags´ episodes [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 574 (23.10.08) Today was a day to explore the arty port town of Valparaiso (or Valpo for short) but before we could get going with yet another day of pounding the streets, we had to finalise travel plans going North. Unfortunately we couldnt go directly from Valpo so a trip back through to Santiago was needed before picking up our 24 hour long bus ride. We hit yet another hurdle when we found the bus leaving that evening was full so opted for an early one the following day. The spanish seemed to be holding up - or at least [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 573 (22.10.08) The first question everyone asks you when they hear you´re going to South America is "How´s your Spanish?" and today we were about to find out. After getting packed up and doing a quick Spanish lesson from the iPod in the hostel courtyard we did what we haven´t done for quite a while and set off with our backpacks securely strapped to us. Having bought the van in Australia, settled down for a while and then travelled NZ with the luxury of a campervan and then a car it´s been about a year since we´ve really had to [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 571 (20.10.08) It's 2pm on the 20th October 2008 are we: a) Waiting in a queue in the post office in Auckland, NZ b) Sitting on a bus on the way to our hostel in Santiago, Chile c) Both of the above? Due to the wonders of the International Date Line the answer is c. After spending the morning finishing off little jobs in Auckland we caught the bus out to the airport and at 6.35pm took off and waved goodbye to the land of the long white cloud. 11 or so hours later after an uneventful flight we arrived [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 568 (17.10.08) Finishing off the drive we dumped everything in at the hostel before going over to the hire car company to drop our wheels off. The rest of the day was spent rather boringly in and out of internet cafes (which are half the price here in Auckland than they are across the rest of the country) trying to get up to date with burning CD's of our photos and making a big dent in getting the blog up to date. The evening brought about the usual dilema as to what to eat for dinner. Spotting a flier, we [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 567 (16.10.08) We left our lovely spot at Ahipara and began the journey southwards. Tomorrow we'd have to return the car so we wanted to get close to Auckland today whilst stopping at a few spots on the way. We took the long route around the lovely Hokianga harbour area (too cheap to pay for the ferry!) and found a lunch spot on Pakia Hill overlooking the coast and the vast sand dunes at the entrance to the harbour. Continuing on we drove into the Waipoua forest known for its huge Kauri trees, which grow to be shaped almost like [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 566 (15.10.08) Opting for a tour rather than driving up ourselves as no rental cars are allowed to drive on the beach, we were picked up by our guide Senny to learn that there would only be four of us in the bus today, superb. After a quick stop in Kaitaia to pick up the post, our trip was also doubling as the local postie as well, we were headed north on our way to the most northerly tip of New Zealand. Senny gave us a traditional Maori welcome and an introduction to the day before our first scheduled stop [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 560 (9.10.08) Packing up we drove around the coast to see the tallest local landmark, Mt Maunganui. When we arrived we were a little unsure as to whether we would actually climb it as the heavens opened and the rain was drumming on the car's roof. Ah. But as we were deliberating the merits of wet weather gear for the walk, the rain stopped and although it looked gray in the distance, there seemed to be blue sky headed our way. Packing a couple of snacks in our pockets we started up the mountain. It only took about an hour [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 564 (13.10.08) After an early start and a drive from Thames to Auckland we stopped in at the hire car company to exchange our dirty white not working Toyota for a clean, shiny working silver car of exactly the same type. Nice work. Quickly back on the road and we spent most of the day on the road where we ate up the miles, with a quick stop at the bizarre Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa, until we made it to Paihia and the gateway to The Bay Of Islands. Popping into the I-site to establish our options for a trip [View Full Entry]

---

---