Blogs from Oceania - page 7085

***DISCLAIMER - I've been drinking with the locals in Taupo since 5PM (it's now 11:30PM), so forgive any typos, inappropriate statements, etc. The bartender kept giving us jager-bombs...pretty much to encourage this unbelievably brash American lady to continue to take her top off (which she did). So, I sit here typing on my hostel computer in Taupo at the second hostel I've ever stayed at (last night was the first)...I really didn't plan to go the hostel route, although I think my fellow Magic Bus travellers would think I was a complete snob if I didn't do it. Actually, it's been really cool...granted, most of the other hostellers are at least 8 years younger than me. Last night, in Rotorua, we got back to the hostel after dinner to find about 75 drunk twenty-somethings crammed in ... read more

Thirteen years ago, Lorenza and I booked a trip to Tasmania, a few weeks later we put a deposit on a block of land in the mountains northwest of Sydney. We toured Tasmania on our motorcycles and spent some time visiting our long time friend Mandy. At that time (1993), Mandy and Steve had just started going out together. Soon after our return from that trip we built our house. So, thirteen years later, Lorenza and I decided we had better get and see these people again. It had been too long and we had promised so many times to come and visit again. So, in thirteen years what’s changed? More wrinkles? Yes! Some grey hair? Yes! Were the four of us able to make each other laugh? Yes! Had we changed much? Not really! Well, ... read more

I did my longest haul of this road trip today, from Albany on the south coast all the way up to New Norcia, about 130km north-east of Perth. I noticed that many of the land divisions here are called shires and I even passed a sign welcoming me to the shire of York, which made me feel strangely at home. I was an unwilling, and unhappy, accomplice in the death of at least one bird today. The one confirmed killing happened in less than a second - a green object shot in from the right and bounced off the windscreen. I backtracked and found a parrot that was well beyond the stage of being as sick as. Ten minutes later, another bird thudded into the windscreen, but I couldn't find a body so hopefully that one ... read more

Hi all! Just got back from the Whitsundays, an amazing group of islands off Australia's east coast. We boarded the Apollo, which is a Maxi boat, and it's the only place in the world you can actually sail on racing yachts. This time the group was loads better and we had a great time, even though the weather wasn't great. Yes it does get cloudy here, and we've heard the U.K. is having glorious weather! The boat was great, we got to snorkel a few times, and though the coral wasn't quite as colourful as Fiji, there was loads of variety, and our underwater camera actually worked this time! We also visited Whitehaven Beach, which was stunning even though it was cloudy. It is apparently the 2nd best (or 2nd whitest?) beach in the world. Like ... read more

After returning from sunrise I had some breakfast and heading off to Kings Canyon. It took just over three hours to get there and after my early morning I was feeling tired. This place is operated by the same resort company so yet again some very high prices. It was quiet though so I did get my own room with TV. The TV turned out to be very valuable as after dark there was nothing to do. Before dark however I drove to the Canyon and did a small walk through its base. After the previous two days walking my legs weren't up to anything more strenuous. I got back by sun set and spent the evening watching films on the only TV channel I could pick up and drinking wine. The next morning I had ... read more