Blogs from Oceania - page 2

Monday 8 th April, Port HedlandG’day Discovery Park Port HedlandCost $43 per night with membershipRated by us 6/10Mileage 17089 travelled 342Easy pack up this morning on what appears to be a cooler day, lets hope the cyclone has passed and taken it’s low with it and the hot weather.Stopped on the way out of Dampier to photograph probably the most photographed sculptor in The Pilbarra, a bronze statue of Red Dog and information boards about his life. It was really well done and he is famous I guess.The day is cloudy and overcast and the patterns in the clouds are amazing, took lots of photos along the way. The landscape is flat and brown looks like the rain has not reached here this year. A little further along it was noticeably greener wi ... read more

Off we go to the airport! We have been counting down to this day, or well I have. Louie was suppose to be flying from Perth directly from work, however our plans changed when he was sent home early from work on Good Friday. This resulted in having to change flight details and rebooking flights from Sydney. Lucky for him I was able to arrange it so that he's not only the same flight as me, I managed to change my seats so we could sit together. We are probably lucky that he is flying with me with it being his first time going through customs etc. I feel pretty organised. Managed to sort most things out online - visas, tourist tax, customs declaration and have the itinerary and all documents printed off. Thanks to all ... read more

We had been warned. Auckland is damp and freezing throughout the winter months. Thankfully, we would only be there for three days! All of the foregoing is true, but our little stay gave us enough of a flavor of the place to persuade us both that we should return another (warmer) time. Though we were sleeping at a wonderful, peaceful hostel outside the center (Brown Kiwi), we spent the first night resting at an old work colleague's house on the other side of town, where we had been invited for supper (and quite a few bottles of wine). The following day, we cleansed ourselves of the hangover by walking for over two hours back into town, gaining a beautiful sense for the various suburbs on the way back,In addition to the region's often unpredictable weather. Once ... read more

Saturday 6 th April, DampierDampier Caravan ParkCost $39 per night Rated by us 5/10Mileage 16747 travelled 0Late rise after a cool night thanks to thye air con, so glad we got it working, the night temperatures still been in the high 20’s and humid.We had a slow drive around Karratha and Dampier, not much for tourists but then it is a mining, shipping town. G is enjoying watching the ships load and I found a sign with some interesting fun facts about the port. The work that goes on here is fascinating, not sure why there are so many people live here just for the port as the mines are all inland. The one port we are looking at loads 16 ships per week with a blended iron ore all going to china, ... read more

Friday 5 th April, DampierDampier Caravan ParkCost $39 per night Rated by us 5/10Mileage 16747 travelled 332Interesting run out of Onslow towards Dampier, lots of salt lakes dissected by the highway, they harvest them every few years in rotation, they seem to cover a lot of ground. The landscape is now very barren with towering hills full of iron ore, the dust and ground is the famous red that gets into everything, annoying but you have to experience it to see what it can do. White bed sheets are looking very pink despite nightly showers, may need to get some cheap dark ones!!!The road is what I call typical Australia, it runs dead straight and disappears into the horizon, the heat shimmers in the distance and causes a mirage of were the ... read more