Blogs from Oceania - page 6522

Abel Tasman Trek img=http://i81.photobucket.com/al... read more

So Invercargill didn't amount to much but travelled up to Te Anau for the Sounds. We were booked onto the Doubtful Sound cruise but heard the road journey to Milford Sound was another one of those 'best in the world'. Pretty strange driving for about 4hrs return just for the ride rather than the destination but did it anyway and it was well worth it. The next day we had another early start (supposed to be a holiday!). Checked in at Manapouri, took a boat ride across the stunning Lake Manapouri, had a tour around a hydroelectric power station (spoiled a stunning view but very interesting once we actually got into it after a 2km ride underground), a drive across Wilmot Pass with more obligatory photo stops along the way, and finally arrived for the cruise ... read more

Even though the saucy tart was only here for a coupla weeks, we felt it necessary to arrange an extravagant leaving do to see her off. Arranged for a cheeky night out at the Sydney Opera House to see the Lost and Found Orchestra (latest production from the creators of Stomp) followed (and preceded) by cocktails and champagne in the Opera Bar and then a night getting absolutely battered. Bonjour to that and Aujourd'hui to her.... read more

Finally - I'm on my way! No problems going through check-in at the Airport, however there was sneaky secod weigh-in just around the Departure Entrance door. I had already put the books, etc that I carried, back into my carry-on bag, so it weighed in at 7.5 kg. The person in charge let me through, but while we were standing in the Customs line, I saw three other people told to take their bags back down to be checked in because they were too heavy. And despite what I was told about the new one-bag policy, all the women had a handbag as well as their carry-on! 'Bugger!' Had a smooth flight over, arriving at 4.30pm. We came down through black clouds, into misty rain, 24deg. and the soft humidity that is Singapore. Changi Airport is ... read more

It was a cool and windy but clear morning this morning so I trundled down to the lakeside to feeding the ducks again (somehow I never get tired of doing this and the ducks don't seem to mind). It must have been too cold for the ducklings as they didn't put in an appearance this time which was just as well as the other ducks started fighting with each other over the bits of bread I was throwing in. We filled up our water bottles from a local spring and took a walk across the tussocky grassland towards a lone big rock we could see in the distance. It was a steeper climb up to the rock than we had anticipated but it felt good to really stretch our legs again after so many hours driving ... read more