Blogs from Oceania - page 6519

We got up bright and breezy at around 7.30am, had our brekkie and headed out of rather unimpressive Townsville and back on the road to Airlie Beach. Just at the right time too, as it was peeing it down! The rain continued to pour for most of the first couple of hours of our journey which made visibility virtually zero - especially when big double articulated lorries went hurtling past still with their feet to the boards, not letting up for the weather at all. Every passing truck was like being caught in a mini tornado! Thankfully Stu had slowed down to compensate for the conditions otherwise it might have turned very nasty very quickly. The rain eventually let up and we managed to make good time again. The distance to our stop off point called ... read more

Got up early and drove all the way up to the top of the island. We had to drive on a 20km gravel track to get there but it was worth it. This is where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific ocean and you can see waves from either side crashing into each other. There are also fantasic views of the surrounding coastline. Later we drove back south and went on another dirt track to see Ninety Mile Beach from the middle. Cars are allowed to drive along the beach at low tide although our Campervan was not allowed on there. Afterwards we drove south back past Auckland and then East as close Hot Water Beach as we could get. We slept on the side of the road but were woken up by a very loud ... read more

It’s all go back at the maternity ward as we anxiously await the babies of Isabella, Tu Tu and Snow Cloud. We think that the as the weather is so hot and dry they are holding off for cooler more pleasant birthing circumstances. Either that or they are waiting for John and Gwen to leave today for Melbourne with Mum and I in charge… Hmmmm… ... read more

Gene and I started our morning off on the internet after Gene hacked into somebody’s IP address…ah, the benefits of being married to a computer geek. We spent the entire morning again locked inside of our room as the rain pelted our roof. As Gene stood at the reception desk for check-out, a French news reporter approached him and asked him about our stay. As I sat with all of our luggage, I chuckled as I watched Gene struggle with the language barrier, trying to find an alternate way to convey the meaning of “a break in the 8-year drought.” Well, once you tell a news reporter that the Bali Hai Hotel is your first stop in your around-the-world travels, you quickly become an interesting news story. Needless to say, Gene and I will be searching ... read more

Poker fans, This week, Australia is hosting the 2007 Australian World Poker Tournament at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. It is exactly like the U.S. World Series of Poker Tournament in Las Vegas, except the grand prize is a measly $5 million. The Tournament started on the 14th and goes until the 19th of January. The Crown Casino is about a 10 minute walk from where I am living, so I went to check it out last night. I arrived at the Casino and stood front row (leaned up against the railing) directly in front of the "main table" where I watched Australian hero Joe Hachem (2006 U.S. World Series of Poker Tournament Champion) tear up the table. In addition, I watched both Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen play for several hours. Although my interests in ... read more