Sunday 11th February 2018

We were all a little weary (and achey) when we woke in the morning, and set about getting packed and set for the long journey to Wellington. Gary (last night’s taxi driver) didn’t choose to join us!!! Drove through some most amazing mountain ranges – the scenery of this country never ceases to amaze you. As always, Steve and Greg shared the ‘road trip’ driving while Kaye and I soaked in the scenery (and today nodded off from time to time).

We checked into our Aparthotel, centrally based in this high rise city. It was still raining! Very comfortable apartment with excellent views, (+ washing machine and a tumble dryer – always a bonus for travellers)! We hadn’t arrived until 4.30pm so we had a quick turn around to get to the Museum which was closing at 6.00pm. We were having an early start in the morning for the ferry so we wanted to experience something in the city and with the weather this seemed a good choice. And it certainly was … we only had time to visit the travelling exhibition which was ‘Gallipoli – The scale of our war,’ – it was excellent. A really personally based tribute and explanation of the Australian and New Zealand troops’ experiences at Gallipoli in the Great War. Personal stories, giant size exhibits of real characters, excellent effects used to depict attacks from both sides and amazing models of the front line encampments. We all enjoyed it. Wandered back ‘home’ in the rain … wishing we had ‘wellington’ boots!!

There were so many options for eating out that night and different parts of the city to see … but instead we opted for the Irish bar across the road … and were rewarded with the most delicious steak and ale pie and the boys got their Guinness.

Monday 12th February 2018

It’s hard to believe but we were up at 6.00am (those early rise days seem to be something from the dim and distant past now)!! Our ferry to the South Island was leaving at 8.00am and we had to be there an hour before. It was lots of queueing but eventually we boarded and made straight for the cafe. Steve managed to head up the breakfast queue – hungry boy! They were a little disorganised and short staffed to say the least – by the time I got to the hot drinks/cashier person (1) my bacon and tomatoes were cold and (2) they had run out of coffee!!

It was a 3 hour trip but it passed quite quickly, especially once we entered the Marlborough Sounds, where there is the most magnificent scenery all around – the wonder of it brings tears to your eyes. So the last hour of the trip was spent outside at the front of the ferry sightseeing, taking photos etc., just soaking it all up. No sign of Leonardo and Kate though!!

And we arrived in Sunny Picton – finally the weather was glorious, as was Picton – a very pretty little town. There was also a Cruise Liner docked up – always a spectacular sight. Picton has a beach, beautiful hill walks, a market, lots of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants – this day it was overflowing with ‘cruisers.’ Mooched around the market for a while then spent some lounging time at the beach as it was so good to feel the sun on your back again – picnic time. Fitted in a little walk around the town before we left – beautiful marina with some pretty stunning boats … Steve and I considered selling the house and buying a boat – watch out kids!! A few of the bars had live music going – on a Monday afternoon! – it was hopping!

We had to drag ourselves away from Picton as we were actually staying just up the road that night, in Blenheim. Another great accommodation – it was a Pod build – bit like a prefab but so beautifully designed inside. Caught up on some washing (the chores never go away)!, had a great barbecue and rounded off the night with a good old Irish and Australian folk sing-a-long!!

Unfortunately the bad weather had descended upon us … it rained all 3 days that we were in Napier, so we didn’t really see it in its best light. But it was a fabulous town all the same … we made the best of it.

Friday 9th February 2018

Steve was up early for a run (in the pouring rain) along Napier’s charming seaside promenade. I eagerly arose and made my way down to the fitness room, only to find out that there’d been a change of ownership and this room was now closed – oh well, I tried!!

After breakfast we headed out on a drive to Te Mata Peak, known locally as the sleeping giant and a place that had been highly recommended to visit – passing lots of wineries on the way. It was a really steep and really high drive up to the top (400m) … so naturally lots of anxiety kicked in!! The views from the top were just amazing though … so I had to admit that the scare was worth it. Mountain peaks and rolling hills for miles, as well as overlooking the Havelock North wineries. We were considering a walk around some of the mountain paths – there were several options of varying severity …. first we took a walk up to the highest viewing point. Now, when I had got out of the car, I had put on my jumper and my waterproof – there was a fair old breeze blowing … as I was chatting to Kaye and Steve I felt a tickle around my arm and realised something was crawling around inside my jumper. Apparently, in quite a comical fashion, I whipped off both waterproof and jumper at high speed … but too late, the bee had stung!! Steve gallantly removed the sting …. Kaye and I slipped into ‘child practitioner’ mode immediately – applying cold water and watching for signs of anaphylactic shock!! … all the while the sting persisted … but no after affects!!!

Mention of popping into a winery on the way back to the hotel somehow helped ease the pain. We stopped by at the Black Barn Winery in Havelock North, as we had tickets for a Ben Waters concert there the following evening. (Ben is a musician we know from home, a most brilliant piano player). As the weather forecast was looking a bit bleak we wanted to get an idea of the outdoor seating arrangements. It’s a fabulous vineyard with super posh restaurant attached – we just stopped for a coffee as our walking attire did not match those of the other dining clientele!

Sadly the rain persisted during the day … but we set off on a walk around this interesting city of Napier. Greg had picked up a route from Tourist Information – walking along the promenade and then up …. and up …. and up again, looking at the different areas of town. Such a range of housing from colonial style to modern architecturally designed … and of course Art Deco – it has the largest concentration of Art Deco in the Southern Hemisphere. The city had been rebuilt in this style after an earthquake in 1931 had flattened buildings. We eventually made our way down the hill and into the town centre … and yes, it was still raining!! We found an amazing shop selling all things vintage, very much with an Art Deco emphasis – there is a festival here in at the end of February where it would seem all locals and visitors adorn the gear and party like it’s the 30s!!

We decided on an early dinner and chose Breakers – a surfers’ restaurant – as our food place for today, followed by a quick drink at the Irish Bar where we were so excited to be asked to join in their game of ‘Spin the Wheel.’ (Irish bars are hugely popular in New Zealand). We didn’t win any of the garlic bread, pizza or Guinness hat prizes – gutted!!

So, all this and it was still only 7.00pm. There was only one thing for it, a night in … tucked up in our hotel room, listening to the pouring rain outside, a few snacks and the telly – marvellous!!

Saturday 10th February 2018

Woke up to rain!! Steve went off to do the Park Run … I went for the other option of a lie in and some reading – much more civilised … oh, and I caught up on some blogging too!!

After some brekkie we did a few laps in the hotel swimming pool, nothing too strenuous!! Then we just sort of hung out really, waiting for the rain to pass – but it didn’t. Eventually we took a short walk out to get some fresh air … back along the promenade, onto the beach (black volcanic sand), the Centennial Gardens which were pretty (but the waterfall was dry!!) up to the port which was vast – endless crates for the logging and wine industry, then back to base – like drenched rats.

But today was all about the evening – we were off to see Ben Waters perform at the Black Barn winery. And due to extreme conditions we had to have a change of plan in terms of what we would wear. Our ‘fineries’ were replaced by long trousers, layers of tops and boots!! We had brought plastic sheeting to sit on, cushions in bin liners, waterproof ponchos – oh yeh – we were ready for the outdoor concert and dancing – bring it on!! We had a lovely taxi driver – Gary – who said he would return later to pick us up. When we arrived, we discovered that Ben was set up to play in a different part of the vineyard from where we had done our ‘reccie’ – in fact we were undercover and we wouldn’t be sitting on the ground after all – other people had brought chairs to sit on!! Greg’s smooth talking to one of the staff resulted in 4 fold up chairs – he’s the man!! And we had to strip off a few layers – we were boiling.

It was an AMAZING evening – Ben was fab … and so were we!!! We danced and danced the night away to Ben’s delicious boogey-woogey sounds, not a track went by when we weren’t up. Kaye and Greg with their polished rockabilly moves and Steve and I dancing and jumping like there’s no tomorrow!! Ben had an amazing saxophone player, drummer and double bass player to accompany him – also a warm up band – Cousin Leonard from Melbourne. The dance floor was packed all night – Ben was a great success – and he loved it too. Had a great catch up with him before and after the show and we’re hoping to catch up with him again when we’re back in Melbourne, where he has some gigs in March. Our brilliant taxi driver Gary picked us up as planned and took 4 weary dancers home to their bed – we had such an hilarious chat on the way home – Gary said he would join us on our further travels through New Zealand – agreed to meet us at 10.00am in the morning!!!!

So into bed we flopped – unfortunately an early rise required in the morning. ☹️😠

We loved Lake Taupo and it felt so hard to leave … no-one else was checking in that day so Marki had said to take our time …. and so we did!! And still long chats before we actually got in the car … and fond farewells.

We still had a couple of local places to visit before leaving this area – our first stop was Huka Falls. We started off with the lookout point – wow, just incredible. The colour and the speed of the water was outstanding, the width of the river coming into the falls gave it such an incredible pace like you’ve never seen.

We then decided to take a walk that indicated 2 hours there and back. Just as we were setting off we caught a view of the jet boat rides that come up to the falls. Maybe another time!!

It was a beautiful walk though woodland, riverside and then some more dusty type terrain – a real variety. Also a lot of climbing involved … and it was a fairly hot day … but we persevered!!! After somewhat more than an hour of ‘out’ walking we had still not reached the turnaround destination, so we made the ‘magnanimous’ decision to turn back before it turned into a 4 hour walk!! We talked to a few other walkers along the way who seemed equally lost!

Greg had dutifully made up a delicious picnic lunch before we left, so we hunted for a picnic table at the end of the walk – for the ‘most visited’ scenic attraction in New Zealand – they only had 4 picnic tables – and they happened to all be taken! So we took a short drive onto our next destination which was the ‘Crater of Moons’ – another geothermal area with active craters… and yes, it did look just like the moon. There was one solitary picnic table just by the car park so we ‘literally’ ran to stake our claim to it as soon as we arrived. Then we entered the ‘moon.’

Then we left Taupo to head for Napier … and what a spectacular drive. We’re putting in some miles on this trip (and so grateful to our two long-suffering drivers – Steve and Greg) but the views along the way are indescribably fabulous. Huge majestic mountains, thickly covered in dense forest – makes them look all soft and fluffy. Then at times the hills are grass covered and quite yellow from their recent drought. The hills are so plentiful too, like constant bumps – presumably it’s do with being volcanic. And gorgeous waterfalls – you can never get enough of these.

Everywhere you look too you will see sheep, cows or goats scattered along the hillsides, completing these pretty pictures. One unexpected sight along this route was a fully decorated Christmas tree at the roadside – fir trees are in abundance and clearly this one had been kitted out for the festive season … but it now being February, nobody had thought to remove the baubles!! I have actually noticed this a lot, both in Australia and New Zealand, that they don’t go for the 6th January thing – there are many Santas, trees, bows and tinsel still remaining!!

And so we continued to make our way up and down the spiralling mountain roads, frequently passing huge logging trucks who would whizz past at great speed. It is so interesting to witness the logging industry in this part of the world. Marki and Chris told us that we would pass one tea house along the way … and we found it, in fact we arrived just in time before closing … again it was a quick dash in before they could draw the blind on the door!! So cream teas all round – yum!

We arrived at our hotel in Napier by late afternoon – so nice to unpack knowing we had 3 nights here – it was actually worth unpacking!! Looking forward to exploring this exquisite Art Deco town over the next few days. Sadly bad weather has set in … but we must carry on regardless, after all we’re British!

Took a stroll down the main seafront – some great bars and restaurants – loads of backpackers’ haunts. Had a huge pub meal and then a couple of drinks in a really interesting bar called the Masonic Hotel – beautifully interior designed Art Deco style and cabinets full of collections.

Hoping the sunshine returns tomorrow ☀️

Tuesday 6th February 2018

Before we left for Taupo, had a lovely FaceTime with Alice, Emma, Tom and Jess – they were all a little bleary after a weekend of celebrating … but it felt so good to catch up with them. ❤️

Another magnificent drive through miles and miles of glorious New Zealand countryside – the beauty of it is just so hard to explain – it literally takes your breath away …. it stretches before your eyes for miles on end. And today we saw sheep – loads of them – I think they must have been hiding yesterday!

To break up the journey we stopped off at Waikite Valley thermal pools – home of the Te Manarao Spring, the largest single source of 100% pure boiling water in New Zealand. There are 10 pools to choose from that are filled daily from the fresh geothermal water (obviously they go through a cooling process) – water temperatures range between 35 and 40 degrees. It was fascinating to walk to see the spring and hear it boiling and then to see how the waters cascade into the pools … but mostly to relax in the invigorating mineral waters of the thermal pools. It’s unbelievably relaxing!

After a spot of lunch we hit the road again. The GPS (Jock as we affectionately call him) took us on a slight detour but we found our way back on the road to Lake Taupo. The thermal experience had made those of us who were backseat passengers a little drowsy – thank goodness for our more focused driver and sidekick. Nothing could have prepared us however for the beauty of the area where we were next to stay …. and also the fabulous accommodation we were lucky enough to be booked into. Chris and Marki met us as we parked the car and showed us into their magnificent home – they lived upstairs and our two bedroom accommodation was downstairs – it was palatial. We had the most stunning views over Lake Taupo from our patio … and even better from the upstairs patio -Marki insisted we use their patio as they were going out – she even provided us with a Thai salad and booze to save us having to go shopping!!

Having saved time on the shopping trip, we were able to fit in a swim before dinner – Marki had told us about a little tucked away place just across the road, where we were able to jump off the rocks into clear blue deep water. It was magical … we swam with ducks and black swans gliding around us and yachts sailing by.

After ‘pre-drinks’ on the upper patio, we tucked into Thai Salad, with tomatoes, rocket, peppers and courgettes picked from the garden. Sampled some fine New Zealand wines too. Before retiring to bed we enjoyed the night sky – packed with stars, including shooting stars.

Wednesday 7th February 2018

Today was definitely all about chilling. Lay in – leisurely breakfast on the patio wearing the luxury white dressing gowns provided – short walk to the beach (grass covered beach) – lazing on the beach – a bit of reading – a bit of swimming – nothing too energetic. We were joined on the beach by a family of ducks – clearly didn’t understand that we had no food with us.

We had a pair of local black swans too … I was fascinated by what turned out to be their mating dance … so videoed it. Shortly after they progressed into the ‘main activity!’ – I continued to be fascinated, never having seen this before – felt so sorry for the female whose head was under the water most of the time, came up from time to time to get air!!

Later in the afternoon we decided to be a bit more energetic and so hired some kayaks – Steve and I on one and Greg on another. Had an hour out on the lake – it was stunning – the sun had come out by this time. We were hoping Chris (our airbnb host) was watching us – he used to row for New Zealand, as well as coach them + coached the Cambridge team and Princeton!!

So a beautiful day at Lake Taupo – it has to be one of the most spectacular places we have ever visited.

Monday 5th February  2018

Today is Tom’s 25th Birthday … and I so missed being with him.  Feeling very homesick.  Happy Birthday my gorgeous boy. ❤️

It is also the 15th anniversary of when my niece Marsha was tragically taken from us  – never a day goes by when we don’t think of her and miss her … today is always a difficult day. 💕💕💕

We headed off mid morning to Rotorua, beginning to discover New Zealand’s incredible landscapes on the way.  Having not slept much the night before, I nodded in and out on the journey but saw enough to appreciate the extreme beauty and the hills scattered with cattle, deer and alpaca – oddly enough no sheep!!

We reached Rotorua at lunchtime and opted for lunch at a lakeside cafe.  Weather not so great today but the lake was pretty and the food good.  When we got back into the car after lunch, I realised that I had left my handbag hanging on the chair, managed to retrieve it.  What with Steve’s hat and sunglasses from yesterday +now my bag, I think Steve and I need some serious looking after when we get back (are you ready for us Tom and Alice)!!?

Before heading out to find our accommodation, we stopped off to visit the hot thermal spring areas close by.  Rotorua is nicknamed ‘Sulphur City’ because of the hydrogen sulphide emissions – a bit of a rotten egg smell!!  So fascinating to see the geothermal activity of this volcanic area – had never seen this before.

With great relief we found our accommodation – it was spacious, comfortable, generoulsy kitted out (+ friendly signs) … and had an amazing garden + swimming pool.  Just what we needed at the end of this long day.  Soon made ourselves at home – by this time the sun had come out so we made a bee-line for the pool (they had even supplied a flamingo for us to play with)!!

We took a short walk out only to find the town was closed up – it was Monday and it appears to be everyone’s day off!!  We managed to find an Indian takeaway and a supermarket to stock up on wine so all was not lost.  Saw this rather appropriate sign while we were out!!

Returned ‘home’ for a chilled evening … and an early night – fell into the sumptuous bed and caught up on some much needed sleep.

Tomorrow is yet another day … and each day is there to be treasured ❤️

We flew out from Melbourne to Auckland, New Zealand, just after midnight on Thursday … so early hours of Friday 2nd February.  Having had little sleep on the flight and not being able to check in to our airbnb till 2.00pm, we tried to make something of the day in between cat naps in the rental car.  Drove to Mount Eden and climbed to the top – a spectacular view over the city and interesting to look down into the crater of this dormant volcano – the highest natural point in Auckland.

From there we made our way to Albert Park for a walk around the beautiful gardens – even spent an hour in Auckland Art Gallery …. so not too bad for a group of extremely weary travellers.

We were more than happy to get into our apartment though which was on the 18th floor of a modern city tower block – great views, great location near to the main waterfront, ferry points, shops, bars, restaurants etc.  We all napped the rest of the afternoon, had a short interlude to eat, and then it was back to bed for an early night … and so we caught up on ourselves.  Night flights are a nightmare … but extremely cheap!!

Saturday 3rd February

Feeling human again, we decided on a ferry trip out to Waiheke island … the weather was not too great, raining off and on … but we were prepared for all eventualities – sunhat, sun lotion, jumpers, raincoat etc… The island is home to 30 vineyards, some beautiful white sandy beaches and countryside walks. We took the hop on hop off bus option – our first stop being a winery – surprise surprise!! After a bite to eat and some local sampling we embarked on a countryside walk – up hill and down dale, passing a number of vineyards on the way (yes, I said passing)!!! – all the way to Onetangi beach.

Kaye managed to lose the sole of her walking boot along the way so some girl guide/boy scout maintenance was required!!

New Zealand, like Australia, seems to love a good sign …. often stating the obvious. This sign however was a bit of a mystery – we were passing an Olive grove – weren’t quite sure of the significance of being quiet. Maybe someone could enlighten us? This winery trail seems to be popular with stag and hen parties – maybe that’s who it was aimed at. We kept silent as mice all the same!!

After a couple of hours of walking we were glad to get back onto the bus …. and it was an interesting way to see the island. Our last stop was Cable Winery where we indulged in some further sampling!! Absolutely stunning views. From here it was a short walk down through a forest area to get to the ferry point – a walk full of view and VERY LOUD cicadas!!!

It was a bit of a choppy ferry trip on the way back to the mainland – the Captain announced the need to not walk around until he told us it was safe to do do. I was checking out those life-jackets I can tell you!!!

Back on dry land, we dolled up in preparation for our night out on the town. Ate at the Crab Shack – wow – absolutely recommend the steak! Views over the waterfront and fancy cruise liner.

And then we danced the night away in Danny O’Doolans. Another great drinking hole …. but predominantly young people. There was a live band playing covers … all very danceable – and we love to dance!! For some reason it appeared to be a novelty that us ‘old people’ were dancing – girls were literally latching on to Kaye and I and helping us to dance, like we were invalids!! But I got chatted up by two young men – well I say chatted up … I think I reminded them of their grandmothers!!

Late night for us ‘oldies’ but a good one!!

Sunday 4th February 2018

Steve and I planned to do the hop on hop off bus trip around Auckland today, so we could get a feel of this magnificent city before we headed off south into the country. Started off with a stop at the Sky Tower – bravely rode the lift to the 60th floor – spectacular views over the city once again.

Managed a huge burger for lunch (hangover fodder) and then hopped back onto the bus for a few more sightseeing opportunities. Got off at Bastion Point where we had more spectacular views …. and also took a walk down a steep hill to Mission Bay (one of Jess’ recommendations) – treated ourselves to a delicious Movenpick ice cream before embarking on the climb up that very steep hill again!

Also hopped off in Parnell which is a very swish residential area of Auckland – some stunning colonial style houses. Visited the rose gardens.

By the time we stopped off at the Museum we only had half an hour left before the last bus …. and as ‘Internationals’ we had to pay to go in …. so instead we opted for a free photographic exhibition – the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year – the entries were mind blowing.

We caught the last bus to the final stop, disembarked and were walking along the waterfront when Steve realised he had left his sunglasses on the bus – hotfooted it back and managed to retrieve them, just as the driver was about to pull out. He had left his hat in the cafe at lunchtime and had retrieved it in the same manner. I think I’ll be sewing elastic onto his gloves when we get back and threading it through his jacket – like we had in our primary school gabardines!!

Our ticket also included a return ferry trip ticket to Devonport so the pier was our next stop. Once in Devonport we had a lovely walk all along the promenade and along the beach. Some stunning houses again. Got to see a cruise liner leaving Auckland too.

Before heading back into the city, we stopped for ‘fush and chups’ (a little play on the New Zealand accent) in a beachside cafe. Enjoyed a stunning sunset on our ferry ride home.

Tomorrow we head south … next stop Rotorua 😎

Took some time out from unpacking, washing, ironing, re-packing, haircuts etc to visit the Shrine of Remembrance in the city. A truly thought provoking and respectful place.

Afterwards, crossed the road to visit the magnificent Botanical Gardens.

In the evening we drove to Mentone for dinner – minestrone, pizza, pasta – then cruised along the beach road on the way home, stopping to watch the sunset.

I t’s now Thursday afternoon and I’m SO excited – (1) because I’m completely up to date with my blog and (2) because we fly out to New Zealand tonight, just before midnight – a country I’ve wanted to visit for so long.

I’ll be back to blog soon …

Friday 26th January 2018

Off to Launceston today where we were staying for 2 nights before flying out from Launceston airport on Sunday morning. An absolutely stunning journey through the Cradle Mountain area. I have to say our chauffeurs Steve and Greg have done a marvellous job!! We drove through more mining areas too but most of the day we enjoyed being surrounded by tree lined mountains and the spiralling roads that go with mountain driving. We’ve hit some great place names on the way – ‘snake creek’ ‘double barrel creek’ ‘pea soup creek’ ‘weaning paddock creek’ ‘kookaburra rock road’ – you could only be in Australia. Drove though some quaint towns like Rosebery and Tullah – again like little pockets of land that time forgot. There is so much logging industry in this area … this involves very large and very speedy logging trucks on these narrow mountain roads. Often as we drove (slowly) down some incredibly step descents we would find cyclists just embarking on the climb … 🤨

We were aiming to get to Launceston without too much stopover as it was Australia Day … and we wanted to get there for the celebrations. We had kitted ourselves out with fake tattoos in the morning (Australian flags, kangaroos etc.) – I had posted a picture of me with said tattoo on Facebook – some people believed me … Sorry, it was just a joke!!! We arrived at our apartment in good time – it was impressive on first sight – the building was an old gentleman’s club – it had a cathedral style ceiling, spacious lounge and kitchen. Unfortunately the temperature over these two days hit the high 30s and we had not realised in advance that there was no air conditioning. It was absolutely sweltering at night … very little sleep … and lots of mosquito bites from having the windows open – oh joy!!

But the weirdest thing of all was that the city was deserted – it was like there had been an evacuation and we hadn’t got the email!! We dolled ourselves up for a party night all the same then started wandering around the empty streets. We were laughing saying that we might walk into a restaurant and all the locals would jump out with Australian flags and shout “surprise!!” But they didn’t appear – we still had a lovely meal, followed by a walk around town, a couple of drinks and then retired home for an earliesh night.

It was a long night however – as mentioned before the extreme heat kept us awake + the mosquitos … and on top of that we were opposite the town clock which chimed every quarter of an hour, it was like sleeping (or not sleeping) next to Big Ben!!

Saturday 27th January 2018
Steve was up and out early to the Parkrun – admirable effort on such little sleep. Greg got up early too and went to the gym. Kaye and I … well, we just dozed!!

When we were all reunited we headed out for some breakfast – nothing like a good nosh when you’re feeling sleep deprived. From there we decided on a walk out to Cataract Gorge … the local information centre informed us that it was a pleasant walk with opportunities for swimming. But that didn’t prepare us for quite how magnificent it was going to be. We took the left hand walk on the way – the ‘boys’ had decided that we’d save the easier path for the way back!! Nearly killed us, it was a steep climb, step after step after step … it was like being back on the South West Coastal Path … except it was 32 degrees!! But all the agony was SO worth it when we arrived.

We all jumped into the beautiful gorge river – I had never experienced anything like it. Greg, Kaye and I swam over to the waterfall area under the bridge – fabulously cool fresh water, so deep and open – surrounded by stunning mountains.  On the swim back however there was a group of teenagers squealing about an eel in the water .. “look how big it is, it’s huge”… even Greg agreed with them but was laughing …. I on the other hand swam like my life depended on it – I was like an Olympian!!!  I had seen a washed up Moray eel in Thailand (see blog – The Tale of the Longtail Boat) and I knew how big their teeth were!!  Opted for a more sedate swim in the open air swimming pool with Steve afterwards, followed by a few hours of lazing in the sun.

The walk back was so much more pleasurable and manageable with spectacular views of the gorge all the way along … completely flat in comparison to our earlier walk.

After our fabulous day, we refreshed ourselves and set out to find somewhere to eat. Settled for an Italian meal – delicious – and then thought we’d pop in for a night cap in Henry’s (the restaurant and bar below our accommodation).  It was rather posh with elaborate rules posted up (no thongs, no trainers, no shorts, no dirty clothing ….) but they allowed us in anyway …. and we had a few drinks in their oh so sumptuous lounge.

Sunday 28th January 2018

Up early for the drive to the airport and our flight back to Melbourne.  It’s been a fabulous week –  Tasmania is very high up on the list of favourites.

 

Thursday 25th January 2018

Woke up bright and breezy in beautiful Strahan – beautiful flat Strahan … seems like everywhere we’ve stayed in recent times has been hilly (and hot) … so today was the day for a run (there was no putting it off)! Steve and I headed out for a 45 minute out and back run … it was fabulous running through Strahan, along the harbour side and by the beach. It got hotter and hotter though so I resorted to walking the last 10 minutes or so. Felt good to be out jogging again – vowed to keep it up on a daily basis now!! Oh yeh!!

Came back to find that Greg had been out shopping and bacon and eggs were on the breakfast menu. Kaye and I left our two men to cook said breakfast while we went and had a game of badminton on the grass outside our lodge … much giggling and ‘a few’ rallies … but great exercise and stretching all the same!!

After a delicious breakfast we took off on a walk to explore Strahan – a walk through People’s Park into the rainforest had been recommended. Wow … it was a fabulous walk, again tall tall trees and overgrown ferns of many types, beautiful streams running through in an array of colours, and at the end we reached the Hogarth Falls – so so beautiful.

As you can see, the water is a strange colour here – it is due to the presence of tannin in the water. Tannin is leached out of the peat substrate upon which certain vegetation communities (such as tea tree scrub and rainforest) grow. (As you can probably tell, I had to google that bit)!!!!

The tannin is found in the Strahan sea water too, as we found out when we went to the beach that afternoon. We had decided some down time was needed and so some lazing around on the sand, reading time and beach picnic was next on the agenda. A very mellow afternoon – hot but not too hot – a swim was required for cooling purposes though and that was interesting … so warm but it was like swimming in Coca Cola or tea … it was amazingly clear through the colour though … and we had been told it was perfectly harmless. There were lots of other people swimming, mostly children I must admit … and inflatables!!

On the way home from the beach we caught a waft of cooking from Molly’s cafe – roast dinner was on the menu for the evening … so you can guess where we rocked up an hour later. Roast beef, roast potatoes and all the trimmings – just the ticket. We were right next door to a bottle shop too which was so convenient as the cafe was BYO (bring your own)!! As soon as we wolfed the delicious food down, we hot footed it back to the river to resume our platypus hunt. One hour later …. we had seen so many ripples, an abundance of bubbles, we could even hear movement …. but we DID NOT see one duck bill platypus. 😟 Gutted!!!

Wednesday 24th January 2018

We were up and out by 9.00am, leaving our city residence to drive along the winding mountain roads once again. A beautiful sun shining day – tree filled mountains and the tallest of trees – you just feel enveloped in luxurious shades of green. The lakes and rivers glimmer and solo canoeists paddle their path … it’s so blissful.

After a few hours of driving, the terrain took a dramatic change – dead trees lined the road … and then we reached the lookout point into Queenstown – it looks like moonscape, so eery. Queenstown, once the world’s richest mining town has been left barren. It’s rich and rugged mining history includes gold, silver, copper and zinc … it also had smelting works, brick works and sawmills. It is said that the combination of tree removal for use in smelters + smelter fumes + fires stripped the mountains and left the area in this deserted state. The town and community still remain and has a real Wild West appeal – fascinating. We took the sprialling road down from the lookout point into the town … think we stood out like a sore thumb!!

After Queenstown it was head down until we reached our destination – Strahan. We couldn’t remember why we had chosen Strahan or who had recommended it …. but it is just perfect – it was our favourite stopover in Tasmania. It is just a small town on the West Coast but it has so much character, beautiful harbour, beaches, rainforest, interesting shops and cafes – a little ‘step back in time’ feel too … but magical.

We stayed on a holiday park – had a cute 2 bedroom lodge, very comfy and the staff super friendly and accomodating. They recommended that we go and watch the local play – a daily performance starting at 5.30pm. We went along not knowing what to expect … dreading the whole interaction thing …. but it was absolutely brilliant and we all got into it wholeheartedly. It was called “The Ship that never was” and was a fabulous story about a group of convicts who escaped prison in Tasmania by building a boat and sailing to South America. It was hilarious, with amazing props and packed with interaction … only Greg got picked on from our group.

We had a mooch around after the play and then opted for dinner in a local pub restaurant. We were shown to our table by a charming young American waiter and were told the waitress would be with us in due course. Unfortunately we experienced a couple of ‘customer service’ issues during the evening (as you do)!! First off, Steve went to the bar and asked for two glasses of prosecco – the barmaid’s response was a vacant look and a “uh?” – Steve repeated his request and received the same stimulating response …. after one more attempt Steve resorted to “two glasses of white wine please.” Clearly this popular bubbly has not reached Western Tasmania yet. We had got through a fair few drinks before the waitress finally arrived to take our food order – she did apologise – so Greg cleverly suggested that we have a free round of drinks as compensation – our wish was granted and we felt very smug!!

Earlier in the day we had made enquiries about sightings of duck bill platypus and were told that if we looked in certain parts of the river at dusk we were guaranteed to see some – I was so excited. So, on the way back from the restaurant, we set off on our wildlife hunt ….. we’d probably left it a wee bit late as darkness had set in. Decided we’d sleep on it and return tomorrow…. it was guaranteed after all!! 😉