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Australia & New Zealand Highlights At the end of 1996, after putting Gloss into Wood Gundy, I took a 5 week trip around the world. First stop, Hong Kong for 4 days, to see Barry Pretsell and his wife Chen. Barry at been part of the Wood Gundy team, and he took a couple of days off to show me around the sights.
The typical street scene (I think in Kowloon)
Australia - Brisbane Next stop, Australia and Brisbane, where I met up with Kelly Hatch, a good friend from living in East Ham, and his wife Farah. The photo below was taken in Surfers Paradise, below Brisbane. My favourite memory was pulling into Noosa, around 4 hours drive from Brisbane - a lovely small town and beach.
Ulara - Ayres Rock The next stop after Brisbane, right in the centre of Australia, spending two days here, climbing to the top one morning.
One afternoon I walked around the base of Ayres Rock. Almost eaten alive by midges, and with sweat pouring off me, it was still a great walk.
The Olgas, large rock formations 30 miles from Ayres Rock.
Sydney Sydney was my base for a good week. One of my dreams from childhood, visiting Sydney, walking across the Harbour Bridge, gazing at the Opera House.
Catching a ferry takes you to Manly Beach, an impossibly picturesque, palm lined beach, just 30 minutes ferry ride away. I stayed here for 3 days, catching the ferry into Sydney.
The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, by Katoomba. Katoomba was a small little town, 2 hours train ride from Syndey, on the top of a plateau, with the Three Sisters rock formation at the end of it's high street. It's your perfect small town, everything preserved, art deco buildings, the lot. I spent four days here, loving every minute, hiking down into the valley floor most days.
The plateau had the amazing views across the valleys, whilst the valley floor is covered in Tree Ferns, and other exotic greenery.
New Zealand Flying from Sydney, I arrived in Christchurch, a lovely quaint city on the South Island, and spent two weeks doing a tour of the South Island then heading north. I crossed Arthurs Pass to get to the West Coast, climbing a glacier at Franz Josef, then perhaps my favourite part of the 5 week trip: An overnight cruise on Milford Sound, aboard the Milford Wonderer below.
After a day or two in Queenstown, I caught the buss to Mt Cook, New Zealands highest mountain, and spent a day hiking around, getting up to Hooker Lake, with floating icebergs.
From Mt Cook, headed north, catching the ferry to Wellington on the North Island, and spending a night at Napier, on the North East coast, famous for being an almost intact 'Art Deco' town.
Final stop in New Zealand was Auckland, before a 12 hour flight to Los Angeles. Spent a couple of days resting in Santa Monica, then it was back to cold Britain and Christmas. |
