Again i've left this thing for ages so lots to catch up on as usual. In my last Blog i mentioned how excited I was about the Whitsundays, well that turned out to be a waste of time. On the first day when we set off everything went ok, all though we were a little aprehensive as we had just learned that it was meant to be a "party" boat which we didn't really want but we thought that it couldn't be all that bad. So anyway, things were going fine, we got to the island where we were staying and all was well. The next day we were woken up at 6.30 am and got back on the boat for breakfast. 3 and a half hours later we were still in the harbour wondering why we weren't going anywhere, at this point we were told that the engine was broken and they didn't have a main sail on the boat! We were asked to wait on the boat for another hour or so while they tried to get someone to fix the boat but couldn't and we were told that we would have to stay on the island until a rescue boat could come for us. I'm not going to go into every detail of what went wrond cos we'd be here for ever but basically we were stuck on a rubbish island with rubbish food and nothing to do for 2 days and then didn't get any money back at the end of it all. So anyone reading this who's going to the Whitsundays don't choose the boat "Reality Is...", it's even got a rubbish name.
After the Whitsundays we made out way up to Cairns where we stayed for a few nights before flying back down south to Sydney. While we were in Cairns we took a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef to go Scuba diving. It was such a good day out especially in comparison with our whitsundays sailing trip! We left early in the morning and sailed out to near to Green Island where we dropped anchor and went diving. I thought I'd be really scared of diving because of all the sharks and stuff but i really enjoyed it. After the diving we were taken on a little speed boat to green island where we spent a couple of hours and then headed back to the boat for lunch which was amazing. During lunch there were loads of Reef Sharks hanging around our boat and we were feeding them meat and things, it was really amazing to see but also a little scary as we were going snorkelling after lunch. So, after lunch, when the sharks had gone, we got back in and saw lots of fish and coral and colours and more fish, it was fun. After the snorkelling it was time to go home so we sailed back to cairns drinking wine and eating fresh fruit and cheese and crackers and cake, it was such a good day.
We left Cairns the day after to Sydney and then to Perth for the night and then on to Bali, a very long way round to get there i know but for some reason that's the way we had to do it. So we're in Bali now and it's really really hot and very very cheap, we're on a weekly budget of 1,800,000Rp, thats right, i am a millionaire. We're staying in an amazing villa with two bedrooms and it's really fancy and it's costing about 5 pounds a night. There are thousand and thousands of people on scooters here, it's terrifying when you're in a car, i keep thinking the taxi's going to kill someone but it's kinda fun. We went to a water park today which was so much fun. There were loads of slides and a bar in the pool so you were sat on under water stools at the bar, i like that alot. Anyway, i think that brings me back to date. We're going to a monkey forest tomorrow with lots of temples so i'm looking forward to that.
Monday 16 April 2007
Monday 2 April 2007
Team B'awesome!!!
I keep leaving this thing for too long. I've got loads to write about now. We had a really good time in Byron in the end. The beach and sea there is gorgeous, white sand and turquoise water. We even swam right next to dolphins! We had a good time in the evenings too. We met up with a few guys that we met in Lennox head and went out to a place called cheeky monkeys. It's terrible, it's like Magaluf or something, it was funny though. After we left cheeky monkeys we went to a place called the beach hotel which is a massive outdoor bar. It was really nice and they had a live band playing funk and mowtown so that was really fun. After we'd had a few in there we went and sat on the beach all night drinking wine from a box (classy). It was good to be able to be out at night and just sit on the beach.
We spent most of our days in Byron on the beach although we did do a little shopping. It was basically a mini beach holiday where we didn't do much else although we did walk up to the lighthouse which is meant to be the most easterly point in australia and from there we saw dolphins, sea turtles and stingers. It was a really amazing view. It was a very hot walk though and it took us hours because we had to keep stopping for some shade and a drink.
Later that night we met up with some people who cooked us dinner at their hostel which was really yummy, we had red thai curry. after we'd eated we just went back to the beach hotel for a drink or two and then home to bed. A bit of quiet one but it's what we needed after the night before.
The next day we were off to Brisbane where we stayed with some friends of Hannahs parent who have just moved out there to be near their son and grand children. It was nice to have our own room and not to be in a hostel for a few nights. Jeff and Yvonne (who we were staying with) took us around Brisbane and showed us the sights. It's a nice city but there's nothing amazing about it. They also took us to Australia zoo (the steve Irwin zoo) and that was really good. We saw lots of crocs and snakes and kangaroos and lots of other animals too. We also saw the show where they feed the crocodiles with big chunks of meat. It was a fun day but very tiring. On way back from the zoo we stopped to look at the glass house mountains, it was an amazing view but we were very tired after our day out so we didn't do any walking or anything, just headed home.
After Brisbane we set off for Noosa. We didn't really do much there, we were only there for one day really which we spent on the beach and booking tours and things for further on up the coast. It seemed like a nice town but we didn't really see much of it.
We set off to Hervey bay to do our Fraser Island tour. We had to be up and 6.30 to be put into our groups which was very early. Luckily we were put into a really nice group which was good because we spent the next 3 days together. We were doing the self drive tour, so after we got into groups and got our food and things sorted be drove to the ferry to take us to the island.
Fraser Island is basically a national park so there isn't anywhere to stay, no hostels or anything so you have to camp. It is a really beautiful island. The main road is the beach and there are inland tracks, no concrete or anything like that. When we first arrived we decided to go to a place called lake McKenzie which was stunning. It was more like a tropical beach than a lakeside. The water was so clear and again the sand was white and the weather was lovely. It was really beautiful. I need to put some pictures on here so you can see what i mean. I havn't got the stuff with me to do that today but i will add photos later. After Lake McKenzie we set off for Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is very strange, it looks like a desert with a small lake at the bottom. It was really fun though because you run down a big sand dune and then straight into the water at the bottom. There were 11 of us in our group and we all had races and things, it was brilliant. After Lake Wabby we headed off to set up camp. Then we had a big BBQ for dinner (we had far too much food) and then went down to sit on the beach for a while. There was a dingo on the beach which was cool. We were scared to death at the camp though because the ranger was telling us all about the venimous snakes and poisenous spiders that they have on fraser and in the camps so as soon as it went dark i was terrified to walk anywhere. In the end we didn't see any snakes and only one big spider but we did see some dingos and some guranas (big lizard things, they look like mini crocodiles).
The next day we headed to Indian Head which is the highest point of the island and also a breeding ground for tiger sharks. We saw lots of sharks but because we were so high up they just looked like little fish. From Indian head we walked to the Champagne pools. The pools are like big rock pools that you can swim in right next to the sea (shark free pools) and they're called the champagne pools because the waves coming into the pools make them bubble. That was really lovely, the water was so warm. It did start to rain though so we had to walk back to the truck feeling very cold but the sun soon came out again. After the pools we set of for Eli Creek which is a river that runs out to sea but it has quite a stong current so you walk up the river, get in and float down it. It was so nice and again the water was so clear but that where we say the big spider and possibly a swimming snake or an eel, i'm hoping it was an eel! That was a really good day. In the evening again we made food and played cards and drank wine. The group we were in was a really good group we got on really well together. When the groups were chosen they called us team B but throughout the trip the word "awesome" was used alot by Ryan, a Canadian guy and then by everyone else so that is where team B'awesome comes from, the best team on fraser.
The next day we went to a lake called lake Birribeen which has sand that is so pure its 98% silica and so is pure white, it's so white that in the middle of the day it doesn't get hot from the sun. It was a really beautiful beach but it was so windy that we got covered in sand and decided to spend our last afternoon at Lake Mckenzie. Sadly we had to get the ferry back to hervey bay after that but we had such a good time on fraser island and we were all staying in the same hostel in hervey bay so we shared a room with everyone and had another nice night together.
We've in Airley beach now waiting to get boat on friday around the whitsundays, we've very excited about it, everyone we've spoken to says its as good as Fraser island so i can't wait.
We spent most of our days in Byron on the beach although we did do a little shopping. It was basically a mini beach holiday where we didn't do much else although we did walk up to the lighthouse which is meant to be the most easterly point in australia and from there we saw dolphins, sea turtles and stingers. It was a really amazing view. It was a very hot walk though and it took us hours because we had to keep stopping for some shade and a drink.
Later that night we met up with some people who cooked us dinner at their hostel which was really yummy, we had red thai curry. after we'd eated we just went back to the beach hotel for a drink or two and then home to bed. A bit of quiet one but it's what we needed after the night before.
The next day we were off to Brisbane where we stayed with some friends of Hannahs parent who have just moved out there to be near their son and grand children. It was nice to have our own room and not to be in a hostel for a few nights. Jeff and Yvonne (who we were staying with) took us around Brisbane and showed us the sights. It's a nice city but there's nothing amazing about it. They also took us to Australia zoo (the steve Irwin zoo) and that was really good. We saw lots of crocs and snakes and kangaroos and lots of other animals too. We also saw the show where they feed the crocodiles with big chunks of meat. It was a fun day but very tiring. On way back from the zoo we stopped to look at the glass house mountains, it was an amazing view but we were very tired after our day out so we didn't do any walking or anything, just headed home.
After Brisbane we set off for Noosa. We didn't really do much there, we were only there for one day really which we spent on the beach and booking tours and things for further on up the coast. It seemed like a nice town but we didn't really see much of it.
We set off to Hervey bay to do our Fraser Island tour. We had to be up and 6.30 to be put into our groups which was very early. Luckily we were put into a really nice group which was good because we spent the next 3 days together. We were doing the self drive tour, so after we got into groups and got our food and things sorted be drove to the ferry to take us to the island.
Fraser Island is basically a national park so there isn't anywhere to stay, no hostels or anything so you have to camp. It is a really beautiful island. The main road is the beach and there are inland tracks, no concrete or anything like that. When we first arrived we decided to go to a place called lake McKenzie which was stunning. It was more like a tropical beach than a lakeside. The water was so clear and again the sand was white and the weather was lovely. It was really beautiful. I need to put some pictures on here so you can see what i mean. I havn't got the stuff with me to do that today but i will add photos later. After Lake McKenzie we set off for Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is very strange, it looks like a desert with a small lake at the bottom. It was really fun though because you run down a big sand dune and then straight into the water at the bottom. There were 11 of us in our group and we all had races and things, it was brilliant. After Lake Wabby we headed off to set up camp. Then we had a big BBQ for dinner (we had far too much food) and then went down to sit on the beach for a while. There was a dingo on the beach which was cool. We were scared to death at the camp though because the ranger was telling us all about the venimous snakes and poisenous spiders that they have on fraser and in the camps so as soon as it went dark i was terrified to walk anywhere. In the end we didn't see any snakes and only one big spider but we did see some dingos and some guranas (big lizard things, they look like mini crocodiles).
The next day we headed to Indian Head which is the highest point of the island and also a breeding ground for tiger sharks. We saw lots of sharks but because we were so high up they just looked like little fish. From Indian head we walked to the Champagne pools. The pools are like big rock pools that you can swim in right next to the sea (shark free pools) and they're called the champagne pools because the waves coming into the pools make them bubble. That was really lovely, the water was so warm. It did start to rain though so we had to walk back to the truck feeling very cold but the sun soon came out again. After the pools we set of for Eli Creek which is a river that runs out to sea but it has quite a stong current so you walk up the river, get in and float down it. It was so nice and again the water was so clear but that where we say the big spider and possibly a swimming snake or an eel, i'm hoping it was an eel! That was a really good day. In the evening again we made food and played cards and drank wine. The group we were in was a really good group we got on really well together. When the groups were chosen they called us team B but throughout the trip the word "awesome" was used alot by Ryan, a Canadian guy and then by everyone else so that is where team B'awesome comes from, the best team on fraser.
The next day we went to a lake called lake Birribeen which has sand that is so pure its 98% silica and so is pure white, it's so white that in the middle of the day it doesn't get hot from the sun. It was a really beautiful beach but it was so windy that we got covered in sand and decided to spend our last afternoon at Lake Mckenzie. Sadly we had to get the ferry back to hervey bay after that but we had such a good time on fraser island and we were all staying in the same hostel in hervey bay so we shared a room with everyone and had another nice night together.
We've in Airley beach now waiting to get boat on friday around the whitsundays, we've very excited about it, everyone we've spoken to says its as good as Fraser island so i can't wait.
Wednesday 21 March 2007
We're in Byron Bay!
We're in Byron Bay now. We left Sydney over a week ago after going on a Blue Mountains tour which was good. It was really cloudy when we first got to the Blue Mountains so we couldn't see the three sisters or anything at all really at first but out tour guide was really good and took us for walk through the bush first and then took us back to the three sisters when the clouds had gone. We went on the really scary, almost vertical train back up after we had done out bush walk down 1000 steps. The train was sooooo scary, I knew it was steep but i didn't realise exactly how scary it would be.
After surviving the train ride and seeing the Blue mountains we headed back to Sydney for one more night. We left the next day on the Greyhound bus to Newcastle. It was a really nice town and there was a huge surf competition going on there so there were lots of people around. We also went on a wine tasting tour in the Hunter Valley while we were there. That was really fun and we did all get more than a little tipsey. We went to about 5 different vineyards where they all gave us at least 6 wines to try and a few ports too. One place specialised in a kind of spirit called dragons breath, once you'd drunk it really did feel like you could breathe fire, it was sooo spicy. We also got to try lots of cheese on the tour too which was yummy. I now know alot about wine, I can tell you what wine to drink with spicy food, what to drink with fatty meats like duck and all sorts of other handy wine hints. It was a really nice day and the sun was shining so it was really good.
We stayed in Newcastle for a couple of nights and then moved on to a place called Coffs Harbour. We didn't really do much there except lie on the beach and swim in the sea although the second day we were there it rained all day so we went into the town and looked at the shops. It was a nice enough town but there was really that much there so we only stayed there a couple of nights.
After Coffs we moved on to a place called Lennox Head. I loved Lennox. It was a really small town, only one main road, one pub, one supermarket, one hostel but everyone was so friendly and we met loads of people there. We stayed there for a few nights. We went body boarding in the sea which was fun although difficult because of the size of the waves. We also went swimming in the lake which was great. The lake is a reddy black colour because of all the Tee Tree oil and Eucalyptus from the trees around the lake, it was really beautiful and lovely to swim in, and no crocs which is always a bonus. We havn't actually seen any dangerous animals yet, although we did think we saw a red back spider in the toilet but we're not sure about that. We had a really nice time in Lennox Head and could have stayed there alot longer if we had the time.
We arrived in Byron Bay this morning, it's only a 20 min bus journey from lennox to Byron so that was ok. I think we're just going to be here for couple of nights, it's very expensive here, a bit of a tourist trap really. I'm not sure what the plan is after here at the moment, possibly Brisbane.
Anyway best be off.
love lucy
xxx
After surviving the train ride and seeing the Blue mountains we headed back to Sydney for one more night. We left the next day on the Greyhound bus to Newcastle. It was a really nice town and there was a huge surf competition going on there so there were lots of people around. We also went on a wine tasting tour in the Hunter Valley while we were there. That was really fun and we did all get more than a little tipsey. We went to about 5 different vineyards where they all gave us at least 6 wines to try and a few ports too. One place specialised in a kind of spirit called dragons breath, once you'd drunk it really did feel like you could breathe fire, it was sooo spicy. We also got to try lots of cheese on the tour too which was yummy. I now know alot about wine, I can tell you what wine to drink with spicy food, what to drink with fatty meats like duck and all sorts of other handy wine hints. It was a really nice day and the sun was shining so it was really good.
We stayed in Newcastle for a couple of nights and then moved on to a place called Coffs Harbour. We didn't really do much there except lie on the beach and swim in the sea although the second day we were there it rained all day so we went into the town and looked at the shops. It was a nice enough town but there was really that much there so we only stayed there a couple of nights.
After Coffs we moved on to a place called Lennox Head. I loved Lennox. It was a really small town, only one main road, one pub, one supermarket, one hostel but everyone was so friendly and we met loads of people there. We stayed there for a few nights. We went body boarding in the sea which was fun although difficult because of the size of the waves. We also went swimming in the lake which was great. The lake is a reddy black colour because of all the Tee Tree oil and Eucalyptus from the trees around the lake, it was really beautiful and lovely to swim in, and no crocs which is always a bonus. We havn't actually seen any dangerous animals yet, although we did think we saw a red back spider in the toilet but we're not sure about that. We had a really nice time in Lennox Head and could have stayed there alot longer if we had the time.
We arrived in Byron Bay this morning, it's only a 20 min bus journey from lennox to Byron so that was ok. I think we're just going to be here for couple of nights, it's very expensive here, a bit of a tourist trap really. I'm not sure what the plan is after here at the moment, possibly Brisbane.
Anyway best be off.
love lucy
xxx
Tuesday 6 March 2007
Back in Sydney
I'm back in Sydney now. We had a really good time in Melbourne, I really liked it there, i thought it was quite similar to Brighton which is maybe why i liked it so much. I've already written about our Neighbours tour, there's not much else to say about that than what i've already written. It was good but of course the highlight was meeting janelle. After the Neighbours tour we did a bit of shopping in St. Kilda which is where we were staying. We bought a few things and then spent the rest of the day on the beach. We met a couple of girls in our hostel who we spent most of our time with. They went to University in Brighton so straight off we had alot in common with them and of course we played the "do you know..."game and we did find a few people from brighton that we all knew. Basically we spent out time in Melbourne just on the beach and wondering around the city.
We flew back to Sydney on the 27th where Hannah went to stay with Mike (her boyfriend) who was also in Sydney for a few days and me and Ellie stayed in a hostel in Kings Cross. Our hostel wasn't really that nice and the Kings Cross area was a bit skanky but it was ok and quite central. Our hostel was also opposite to Nicks hostel. Nick is a guy i worked with at American Express. So we've met up with him a few times. We all had one big night out with everyone which was just like going out at home really cos there was mike and all his friends and then nick and us so it was a bit like we were back in Brighton. Our friend James who we met in NZ was there too so he came along. It was a really fun night out.
On Saturday night it was Mardi Gras which puts the Pride parade to shame. It was a huge parade that went on for hours. the costumes were amazing. We managed to get a really good spot to watch it from as well, outside a pub! It was good though cos the pub had a fenced off area to watch from so we saw much more than we would have done if we were just lining the streets like everyone else. I'm so glad we went. It was soooooo busy, apparently there were 500,000 people there! we also saw quite a few famous people. We walked past Michael Barrymore in the crowd and then in the parade we saw Rupert Everett and Boy George. The boy George float was really funny, it was loads of people dressed as Boy George dressed in community service costumes and Boy George was just walking in the middle of them, he was really hard to see if you weren't looking. It was a really good evening, after the parade we didn't go out because all the bars and clubs were charging a fortune to get in so we just went for one more drink then home.
The next day Mike and co. flew to China so it was just the three of us. Hannah has a friend from home living in Sydney so we went to stay with her for a couple of nights. When we got there she took us for a swim at Narabeen beach, right next to where she lives and then we went to play lawn bowls! And yes we are under the age of 85. It was really fun and of course i won, i think i've found my calling. I really liked it. It was all young people drinking a playing bowls and betting, everyong put a $1 in the pot and the winner takes all. So that was good. Then we went back to the flat and had a BBQ.
We stayed at Jo and Chris' for the night and then the next day they took us out to Palm Beach where Home and Away if filmed and they were filming when we got there! We got to watch them filming for a while really close up and we also met Kim from the show and had out photo taken with him, we're such tourists! After that Hannah went to do her Harbour Bridge climb. Me and Ellie met up with our friend that we met in NZ for a while. After being in the city for a while we just fancied having a quiet night and watched a film.
Since then we havn't been up to a great deal. Just hanging around Sydney and seeing the sights. We're planning on making our way up the coast on Monday so looking forward to that.
love lucy
xxx
We flew back to Sydney on the 27th where Hannah went to stay with Mike (her boyfriend) who was also in Sydney for a few days and me and Ellie stayed in a hostel in Kings Cross. Our hostel wasn't really that nice and the Kings Cross area was a bit skanky but it was ok and quite central. Our hostel was also opposite to Nicks hostel. Nick is a guy i worked with at American Express. So we've met up with him a few times. We all had one big night out with everyone which was just like going out at home really cos there was mike and all his friends and then nick and us so it was a bit like we were back in Brighton. Our friend James who we met in NZ was there too so he came along. It was a really fun night out.
On Saturday night it was Mardi Gras which puts the Pride parade to shame. It was a huge parade that went on for hours. the costumes were amazing. We managed to get a really good spot to watch it from as well, outside a pub! It was good though cos the pub had a fenced off area to watch from so we saw much more than we would have done if we were just lining the streets like everyone else. I'm so glad we went. It was soooooo busy, apparently there were 500,000 people there! we also saw quite a few famous people. We walked past Michael Barrymore in the crowd and then in the parade we saw Rupert Everett and Boy George. The boy George float was really funny, it was loads of people dressed as Boy George dressed in community service costumes and Boy George was just walking in the middle of them, he was really hard to see if you weren't looking. It was a really good evening, after the parade we didn't go out because all the bars and clubs were charging a fortune to get in so we just went for one more drink then home.
The next day Mike and co. flew to China so it was just the three of us. Hannah has a friend from home living in Sydney so we went to stay with her for a couple of nights. When we got there she took us for a swim at Narabeen beach, right next to where she lives and then we went to play lawn bowls! And yes we are under the age of 85. It was really fun and of course i won, i think i've found my calling. I really liked it. It was all young people drinking a playing bowls and betting, everyong put a $1 in the pot and the winner takes all. So that was good. Then we went back to the flat and had a BBQ.
We stayed at Jo and Chris' for the night and then the next day they took us out to Palm Beach where Home and Away if filmed and they were filming when we got there! We got to watch them filming for a while really close up and we also met Kim from the show and had out photo taken with him, we're such tourists! After that Hannah went to do her Harbour Bridge climb. Me and Ellie met up with our friend that we met in NZ for a while. After being in the city for a while we just fancied having a quiet night and watched a film.
Since then we havn't been up to a great deal. Just hanging around Sydney and seeing the sights. We're planning on making our way up the coast on Monday so looking forward to that.
love lucy
xxx
Monday 26 February 2007
I've just been to Ramsay Street!!!
Hellooooooo, I've just got back from Ramsay street. It ws very exciting but it looked so much smaller than it does on Neighbours. We met Janell as well which was really good. I also have alot of gossip about future episodes so if anyone wants to goss then email me. All I can tell you now is that someone dies! so exciting!
Friday 23 February 2007
I'm in Melbourne now
I'm in Melbourne and still havn't written about what everything that we got up to NZ yet. I'll see how much I can remember.
Since leaving Franz Josef we went to a really small town called Makarora, a bit like Barrytown really but not as weird and not as full of "local people". We actually had a really good night there. We arrived at about 6 in the evening and then had a swim in the pool and then the Kareoke began! It was a very cheesy night fuelled by a lot of alcohol but it was really fun. It helped us get to know the other people on our bus better. Apart from drinking and publicly making fools or ourselves we didn't do anything else there. The scenery was amazing, you could see Mount Cook from the dorm window and there was a huge lake, it was really beautiful, it's a shame we had to get the bus in morning and didn't get to explore the area a bit more.
The next morning we were due to set off at 10.30 but the bus broke down so we were delayed for about an hour or so, not too long, i thought we'd be stuck for hours. We set off on the bus towards Queenstown, we stopped a couple of time for photo opportunities and had a short walk around a lake which was nice. We arrived in Queenstown in the late afternoon. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world but as we'd already done lots of adventure stuff on the way down we decided to just go lugeing. It was soooo much fun. You get a gondola up the side of a mountain/hill and then you slide down it again on what is bacically a metal tray with wheels. We did that 6 times and then went for a curry. Curries here are just not as good as in England! After that we went to sit on the beach of the lake which was lovely and hot but the water was just too cold to swim in although I managed a quick dip in and then a quick run out! That night there was more kareoke in the bar but this time we didn't take part. We just watched but it was a fun night again.
The next day we made our way up to Christchurch. It was a long and hot day on the bus with no stops, just driving for hours and hours. Not much to say about Christchurch though. It was just like any city, didn't love it or hate it. We didn't really do much there. Just relaxed a bit really.
We flew from Christchurch to Sydney at 6am which meant that we didn't sleep all night, we arrived in Sydney in the morning but then had to wait until 9 that night for our flight to Melbourne. We were so tired and saw a bit of Sydney with very tired eyes, we just wasted the day really by just sitting around and sleeping in the park. We arrived in Melbourne late last night and then got a taxi to our hostel although it wasn't as simple as that as the taxi driver didn't know where our hostel was. We got out the taxi and wondered around for an hour or so after having not slept for a long long time with backpacks on out back. Eventually we found out hostel and slept. We've just got up this morning so havn't seen anything of Melbourne yet. Looking forward to it though. We're doing the Neighbours tour on monday, i know it's sad but i'm very excited about it. Hopefully we'll meent Karl Kennedy or Harold! I'll let you know how i get on.
Since leaving Franz Josef we went to a really small town called Makarora, a bit like Barrytown really but not as weird and not as full of "local people". We actually had a really good night there. We arrived at about 6 in the evening and then had a swim in the pool and then the Kareoke began! It was a very cheesy night fuelled by a lot of alcohol but it was really fun. It helped us get to know the other people on our bus better. Apart from drinking and publicly making fools or ourselves we didn't do anything else there. The scenery was amazing, you could see Mount Cook from the dorm window and there was a huge lake, it was really beautiful, it's a shame we had to get the bus in morning and didn't get to explore the area a bit more.
The next morning we were due to set off at 10.30 but the bus broke down so we were delayed for about an hour or so, not too long, i thought we'd be stuck for hours. We set off on the bus towards Queenstown, we stopped a couple of time for photo opportunities and had a short walk around a lake which was nice. We arrived in Queenstown in the late afternoon. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world but as we'd already done lots of adventure stuff on the way down we decided to just go lugeing. It was soooo much fun. You get a gondola up the side of a mountain/hill and then you slide down it again on what is bacically a metal tray with wheels. We did that 6 times and then went for a curry. Curries here are just not as good as in England! After that we went to sit on the beach of the lake which was lovely and hot but the water was just too cold to swim in although I managed a quick dip in and then a quick run out! That night there was more kareoke in the bar but this time we didn't take part. We just watched but it was a fun night again.
The next day we made our way up to Christchurch. It was a long and hot day on the bus with no stops, just driving for hours and hours. Not much to say about Christchurch though. It was just like any city, didn't love it or hate it. We didn't really do much there. Just relaxed a bit really.
We flew from Christchurch to Sydney at 6am which meant that we didn't sleep all night, we arrived in Sydney in the morning but then had to wait until 9 that night for our flight to Melbourne. We were so tired and saw a bit of Sydney with very tired eyes, we just wasted the day really by just sitting around and sleeping in the park. We arrived in Melbourne late last night and then got a taxi to our hostel although it wasn't as simple as that as the taxi driver didn't know where our hostel was. We got out the taxi and wondered around for an hour or so after having not slept for a long long time with backpacks on out back. Eventually we found out hostel and slept. We've just got up this morning so havn't seen anything of Melbourne yet. Looking forward to it though. We're doing the Neighbours tour on monday, i know it's sad but i'm very excited about it. Hopefully we'll meent Karl Kennedy or Harold! I'll let you know how i get on.
Wednesday 21 February 2007
sorry!
This is a public apology to my lovely, adoring and beautiful sister! i'm sorry you did add a comment, thank you!
Tuesday 20 February 2007
some comments please!
hello! I don't have much time left so this is only going to be a quick one which is basically to say please post comments on here. I check it all the time and no one has added any comments apart from Dave (thanks dave) so add comments. Anyway, still in NZ at the moment but flying to Sydney on Friday, looking forward to it but will be sad to leave NZ behind, it's a really beautiful place.
love you lots
love lucy
xxx
love you lots
love lucy
xxx
Thursday 15 February 2007
Hello from Franz Josef!
So much happens here so quickly that everytime I come on here I don't know where to start! Since the last blog we got the boat over from Wellington to the South island in the pooring rain, we got to Picton (the ferry port) and just thought that this was the weather to expect for the south, fortunately we were wrong, it's been lovely and sunny most of the time. We were picked up from Picton by the stray bus and taken on a very long journey to Abel Tazman. Abel Tazman is just full of gorgeous beaches and turquoise sea but there was no sun bathing done by us, instead we went for a hike along the coastal paths in the national park and then arrived at a beach called Anchorage bay where we were picked up by a sail boat and taken back to our hostel which was at Old McDonalds farm. It was a really lovely day, the sun was shining but it wasn't too hot.
The next day we were on an even longer journey to a place called Barrytown. I was under the impression that Barry town was a town but as i found out it's not, it's a pub with some beds! It was really good fun though. They had a Pimps and Prositutes party where of course all the guys got into their dresses. It was alot of fun but there really wasn't anything else to do there except drink and dress up.
We left Barrytown at about 12 the next day to Franz Josef where i am now. This is where the Glacier's in NZ are. We went for a walk up one today which was amazing although at the end, part of a glacial cave collapsed and broke a mans leg and another man badly injured his head. It was very scary, we all had to run away. Huge amounts of ice and water were flying towards us. Luckily we were quite far away from the cave and just got a bit wet but some were closer despite the warning signs not to get too close.
We're moving on to somewhere else tomorrow, i can't remember the name of it now, something like Makarora and then to Queenstown. Not sure what we'll get up to there but i'm sure we'll have fun.
love lucy
xxx
The next day we were on an even longer journey to a place called Barrytown. I was under the impression that Barry town was a town but as i found out it's not, it's a pub with some beds! It was really good fun though. They had a Pimps and Prositutes party where of course all the guys got into their dresses. It was alot of fun but there really wasn't anything else to do there except drink and dress up.
We left Barrytown at about 12 the next day to Franz Josef where i am now. This is where the Glacier's in NZ are. We went for a walk up one today which was amazing although at the end, part of a glacial cave collapsed and broke a mans leg and another man badly injured his head. It was very scary, we all had to run away. Huge amounts of ice and water were flying towards us. Luckily we were quite far away from the cave and just got a bit wet but some were closer despite the warning signs not to get too close.
We're moving on to somewhere else tomorrow, i can't remember the name of it now, something like Makarora and then to Queenstown. Not sure what we'll get up to there but i'm sure we'll have fun.
love lucy
xxx
Saturday 10 February 2007
South island here we come!
We've done such alot since my last update. I really need to write more often but time seems to just disappear. Since we left Raglan we've been to Rotorua which smells of eggs because of all the sulphur. It was a really amazing place though dispite the smell. Our bus driver took us all out the night we got there to one of the sulphur pools, where a hot river meets a cold river. He lit candles all around it and it was just like having a really hot bath with lots of people. It was really amazing.
On the way to Rotorua we went to Waitomo to do some caving. We basically had to wear heavy duty wet suits and big steel toe capped boots and had to walk on rocks, in water, swim and go tubing (sit in a blow up tube). The tubing part was brilliant. We all had to turn out lights of and floated down an under water river and look at the glow worms, there were thousands of them and they were really beautiful. I'm really glad we did it. It was quite scary at some points though like when we had to crawl down a really long and small tunnel in the pitch black!
While we were in Rotourua we went Zorbing which is so much fun! We ended up going 3 times. The three of us all went in one ball together and they threw a load of water in and then we had to try and stand up and roll down the hill but we all ended up falling over before we had even started rolling. It was so much fun. Apparently they have one in the Lake District so when i go up there i'll be doing it again. We also did other adventure type stuff while we were there. Me and Hannah did what they call a Swoop which is where you get hoisted up really high together and then they drop you but it's not like a bungy jump because it turns into a swing. That was really good too but very scary as you have to pull the cord to let you drop yourself. We also did a high speed jet boat that goes round a course incredibly fast. Ellie did a ride that was like a simulated sky dive where loads of air is pushed up and you float on top of it, a bit like flying really. She really enjoyed that and we have lots of videos to prove it.
After Rotorua we were on out way to Taupo but before we got there Me and Hannah stopped off for a Skydive! We flew up to 12000 feet and jumped out of a plane! I really loved it and want to do it again. The scenery was amazing and the feeling of free falling was fantastic. I got the video of it so you guys can see it when i get back.
We spent a couple of nights in Taupo and then went on to the national park where me and Hannah did the Tongariro Crossing. It was meant to be a 7-8 hour walk but we stormed it and did it in 5hours 40 mins, we're very proud of ourselves as it's the hardest walk i have ever done. They call a big part of it "devils staircase" and you can see why. We also saw alot of where lord of the rings was filmed and climbed Mordor.
We're now in Wellington which is a really lovely city. We went to the museum today which was really good but we're moving onto the south island which is meant to be even more beautiful than the north so looking forward to it and will keep you posted.
love lucy
xxx
On the way to Rotorua we went to Waitomo to do some caving. We basically had to wear heavy duty wet suits and big steel toe capped boots and had to walk on rocks, in water, swim and go tubing (sit in a blow up tube). The tubing part was brilliant. We all had to turn out lights of and floated down an under water river and look at the glow worms, there were thousands of them and they were really beautiful. I'm really glad we did it. It was quite scary at some points though like when we had to crawl down a really long and small tunnel in the pitch black!
While we were in Rotourua we went Zorbing which is so much fun! We ended up going 3 times. The three of us all went in one ball together and they threw a load of water in and then we had to try and stand up and roll down the hill but we all ended up falling over before we had even started rolling. It was so much fun. Apparently they have one in the Lake District so when i go up there i'll be doing it again. We also did other adventure type stuff while we were there. Me and Hannah did what they call a Swoop which is where you get hoisted up really high together and then they drop you but it's not like a bungy jump because it turns into a swing. That was really good too but very scary as you have to pull the cord to let you drop yourself. We also did a high speed jet boat that goes round a course incredibly fast. Ellie did a ride that was like a simulated sky dive where loads of air is pushed up and you float on top of it, a bit like flying really. She really enjoyed that and we have lots of videos to prove it.
After Rotorua we were on out way to Taupo but before we got there Me and Hannah stopped off for a Skydive! We flew up to 12000 feet and jumped out of a plane! I really loved it and want to do it again. The scenery was amazing and the feeling of free falling was fantastic. I got the video of it so you guys can see it when i get back.
We spent a couple of nights in Taupo and then went on to the national park where me and Hannah did the Tongariro Crossing. It was meant to be a 7-8 hour walk but we stormed it and did it in 5hours 40 mins, we're very proud of ourselves as it's the hardest walk i have ever done. They call a big part of it "devils staircase" and you can see why. We also saw alot of where lord of the rings was filmed and climbed Mordor.
We're now in Wellington which is a really lovely city. We went to the museum today which was really good but we're moving onto the south island which is meant to be even more beautiful than the north so looking forward to it and will keep you posted.
love lucy
xxx
Friday 2 February 2007
I'm in Raglan
I'm in Raglan at the moment. It's basically a really pretty town full of surfers. The waves are huge here and people come from all over the world to surf here. Even at the schools here the kids have surf lessons twice a week from the age of 7! There's not much to do here though, we're of tomorrow to Rotorura where we're going to go zorbing, which basically means rolling down a hill in a big blow up ball.
We spent a night in Hahei the other night. We went for a really nice walk to cathedral cove. it was really beautiful. the country side here is very similar to England except for the occasional palm tree type thing, quite strange really. We swam in the sea at cathedral cove, it was freezing although probably not as cold as England's sea but as we have just come from the hot hot sea of Fiji it seemed pretty cold to us.
Yesterday, just outside Raglan, we went for another walk to a waterfall although you couldn't swim there which was a shame as one of Hannahs criteria for the trip is to swim under a waterfall. I'm sure we'll find one somewhere.
Everything is going well at the moment. Met lots of really nice people, it seems like we've been away for much longer than 2 weeks but i'm sure the time will start to fly soon.
Anyway, i'd best be off.
Love Lucy
xxx
We spent a night in Hahei the other night. We went for a really nice walk to cathedral cove. it was really beautiful. the country side here is very similar to England except for the occasional palm tree type thing, quite strange really. We swam in the sea at cathedral cove, it was freezing although probably not as cold as England's sea but as we have just come from the hot hot sea of Fiji it seemed pretty cold to us.
Yesterday, just outside Raglan, we went for another walk to a waterfall although you couldn't swim there which was a shame as one of Hannahs criteria for the trip is to swim under a waterfall. I'm sure we'll find one somewhere.
Everything is going well at the moment. Met lots of really nice people, it seems like we've been away for much longer than 2 weeks but i'm sure the time will start to fly soon.
Anyway, i'd best be off.
Love Lucy
xxx
Monday 29 January 2007
hey everyone, i'm so sorry i havn't added anything so far. in fiji there was no internet access on the island i was on and then in Auckland the internet cafe was confusing and in japenese so i couldn't work out how to add my blog. I'm on it now though although i don't have much time to write. I'm running out of my weekly budget so could only afford a little bit of time on the internet.
So far we've been to LA for a night. We had a good time but we were very tired from the flight and had problems getting around. Everyone in America has a car and we didn't so we didn't see as much in a day as we could have done. We did see the Hollywood sign though. We went on a search for China town and never found it but ended up in the Mexican part of the city and had a really nice meal.
After LA we left for Fiji which was another 10 hour flight, so again we were tired when we got there. We stayed in a place called beach escape which was basically lots of huts around a pool in Nadi. We didn't want to stay there very long as the beach wasn't very nice and we were a little way out of the town so the next day we got a boat to the island of Mana. Mana was really beautiful. There was an American TV programme filming there so we couldn't use some of the beaches which was a annoying but the ones we could use were amazing. We met alot of the film crew while we were there as well and made some really good friends.
After a week on Mana we went back to Nadi to get our Flight to Auckland which was fine except we had the wrong flight time on out ticket. We though the flight was at 17.00 but it was acutally at 22.40 and we arrived at the airport 4 hours before our flight. Instead of staying in the airport all day though we went back to beach escape and used there pool and things which was very nice of them.
We arrived in Auckland at about 3am. We went straight to book a hostel and then just sat in a cafe until we could check in at 12.30. It was a long wait and we were very tired. We spent a couple of days in Auckland but we didn't really see much, everything was a bit too expensive so we booked the stray bus to come up to the Bay of Island where we are now. It's really hot here and we went out to see the dolphins today which was amazing. We were meant to swim with them but unfortunately they had babies with them so we couldn't but it was brilliant anyway. We're leaving the bay tomorrow but have to go back to Auckland for a night before we go on to Hahei where there are hot thermal pools. Can't wait.
Anyway i best be off now, my internet time is running low. I'll update as soon as i can.
Love Lucy
xxx
So far we've been to LA for a night. We had a good time but we were very tired from the flight and had problems getting around. Everyone in America has a car and we didn't so we didn't see as much in a day as we could have done. We did see the Hollywood sign though. We went on a search for China town and never found it but ended up in the Mexican part of the city and had a really nice meal.
After LA we left for Fiji which was another 10 hour flight, so again we were tired when we got there. We stayed in a place called beach escape which was basically lots of huts around a pool in Nadi. We didn't want to stay there very long as the beach wasn't very nice and we were a little way out of the town so the next day we got a boat to the island of Mana. Mana was really beautiful. There was an American TV programme filming there so we couldn't use some of the beaches which was a annoying but the ones we could use were amazing. We met alot of the film crew while we were there as well and made some really good friends.
After a week on Mana we went back to Nadi to get our Flight to Auckland which was fine except we had the wrong flight time on out ticket. We though the flight was at 17.00 but it was acutally at 22.40 and we arrived at the airport 4 hours before our flight. Instead of staying in the airport all day though we went back to beach escape and used there pool and things which was very nice of them.
We arrived in Auckland at about 3am. We went straight to book a hostel and then just sat in a cafe until we could check in at 12.30. It was a long wait and we were very tired. We spent a couple of days in Auckland but we didn't really see much, everything was a bit too expensive so we booked the stray bus to come up to the Bay of Island where we are now. It's really hot here and we went out to see the dolphins today which was amazing. We were meant to swim with them but unfortunately they had babies with them so we couldn't but it was brilliant anyway. We're leaving the bay tomorrow but have to go back to Auckland for a night before we go on to Hahei where there are hot thermal pools. Can't wait.
Anyway i best be off now, my internet time is running low. I'll update as soon as i can.
Love Lucy
xxx
Thursday 11 January 2007
My first post
About to go travelling around the world, very excited! Not much to write yet but i'll keep you posted.
Love Lucy
xxx
Love Lucy
xxx
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