Around The World

Coffs Harbour NSW

Coffs Harbour

Whale fountain

HumpBack Whale

HumpBack Whale

HumpBack Whale

The new photos

Even when lost in outback, it is important to still pose and smile for photo

Just A Couple of new photos and a new story

The kinda new photos

The Amazing Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Skyline

One of the bolts on the harbour bridge

Annemarie at the Sydney harbour bridge

Not sure where this one is

Nor this one

The Sydney Aquarium

Croc

Penguins

Seal

Blue Lobster

Shark

Nurse Shark

Look who found Nemo

You'll have to trust me... platypus

Well Look who has finally gotten around to updating their website, I believe the last time we wrote we were struggling up and down trees all day collecting fruit for you guys to eat! Well a lot has happened since then and I guess now is as good a time as any to give ye the run down..... Ok, after we left our good friends in Heatherbells orchard, we headed south, down the beautiful west coast of New Zealand�s spectacular South Island. This is a long and windy road that cuts through some of the most stunning scenery any of us have ever encountered. First stop on this great adventure was the sleepy town of Westport. This place reminded us of a town that has seen better days... we settled down in a nice hostel and decided to sample the local night life� well we could have been downing beers in the back of a west cork pub or something! The only pub that had more than 2 people in it was absolutely hopping with locals.. it really reminded us all of somewhere at home and we had a good laugh. Next morning we set sail again, this time heading for Franz Josef glacier. Our journey took us through a scenic area comically named the �pancake rocks�, it got this name from the rocks which look like pancakes stacked on top of each other. It is an area formed by coastal erosion and we got to see some great blowholes! Next we moved on through a surprisingly charming town named Greymouth, and arrived at our next destination 'Franz Josef'. Entering the town you are relieved to see that businesses haven�t tried to spoil this natural phenomenon Yeah right! . We decided to do it the old-fashioned way and hike up there for a look at it. We didn�t really know what to expect and all I know is that we were stunned by it...It is the collosal, the scale of this frozen river of ice that is what hits you first, and then you realise the massive valley you are standing in was created by the glacier in front of you. We wandered up as far as we could (us rebels - even pass the danger signs!)to the face of the glacier and just basically took it all for an hour or so and then headed home content in the thought that if this is all we see on this trip, we would go home happy! Down the coast we headed, poking our head in for a look at the wonderful 'Fox Glacier and its surrounding attractions, trying to take as many mental photos as possible. Next, we headed through the town off Haast, then inland and over the mountains towards the resort town of Wanaka, which was the next leg of the journey. We were met by stunning sight after stunning sight.... Wanaka was fab, set on a huge lake, it really had a ski village vibe going on..it was completely booked out hostel-wise,but a little bit of sweet talking by yours truly usually sees us right!(this was to happen to many times over the trip but no we never learned our lesson and booked in advance!!!) We enjoyed this town, we had been told that it was the Kiwis alternative to Queenstown� and a beautiful holiday spot it was. We checked out some of the local attractions and had an early night, as it was the legendary party town Queenstown that was next on the itinerary. So over a massive snowy mountain and down into Queenstown we shot, with hopes high and funds not quite as high, but nothing was going to stop us from living it up in Queenstown� except the fact that every hostel room in the entire town (and there must be enough to comfortably sleep a medium sized nation) was booked out months in advance. So the non so glamorous task of pitching tents and pumping mattress� was what faced us instead of the champagne sipping and fine food tasting visions our minds had dreamed of. But hell, this was a operation that at this stage can be performed blindfolded and it wasn�t long before AnneMarie, Sean and Hamish were plotting a course for fun. It really lives up to its reputation as the adventure capitol of the world, some of which we sampled, some of which we couldn�t afford to sample, and the rest of which we wished we had the guts to sample! Overall, Queenstown was an absolute blast, a real picturesque spot(probably the nicest place either of us has ever been to...set on a lake with a mountain range called 'The Remarkables' in the background) and a place that makes one really appreciate the beauties and pleasures of life... Queenstown itself is buzzing...jammed with people and very cosmopolitan..we had a few great nights out and went Jet Boating in the Shotover River..this was pretty scary...the boat goes so bloody fast and then does 360 degree turns..so much fun! We went to the top of the skytower as well..up the cable car and then at the top went on the Luge (it is a concrete track right at the top of the mountain and you go around the track on these little go carts) It goes pretty fast, we got the hang of it and belted around it..it overlooked the whole city so it was class!!! After 4 nights in Queenstown it was time to say goodbye to a place that we loved and actually thought about staying in. But reality struck its cruel blow and we figured if we were to escape a lifetime of being branded fugitives by the AIB, now was a good time to clear out of this paradise. So off we headed with heavy hearts and on towards the less luxurious locations on the rugged south tip New Zealand� we were off to the end of the world!

From Queenstown we headed south to Invercargill, and straight into, as you can probably tell, the Scottish stronghold of the southern hemisphere. This is a nice wee town on the southern tip of the continent, made nicer by the warm welcome we received by Hamish's mates Irish Linda and Dave. We spent 2 nights with them and had a cool time.. on our second day Dave packed us into his van and we went on a day trip to see stuff off the beaten track. We headed north east and saw some really cool places that otherwise would never have been possible. He took us to a small fishing village of which its name escapes me right now but was known for the extreme remotness of its location and the hardship of life that that involved. Next we headed towards the town of Te Anou which is the main turning off point to get to the Milford Sounds. WE stopped here for lunch and then turned around and headed home. We saw other points of interest on this journey and all in all it was a great day.

After Invercargill we were headed to the furthest south point in New Zealand(a town called Bluff)... ...next stop antartica! This is very nearly as far south as you can go in the world and there was a kind of lonely feeling in the air... but we realised that once we turned around and started heading back north that every step we took was bringing us getting to home, and that settled us!

Dunedin was the next stop on our Journey. This is one of the main student hangouts in NZ and has a nice and bustling city. We, and when I say 'we' I mean Anne, enjoyed a few hours of window shopping...We pitched our beautiful tent in a local campsite and enjoyed 2 nights in Dunedin, which thrilling enough for me, involved an attempt at driving up the famed Baldwin street... the steepest street in the world! And I made it in our super car on the first attempt... just about!We even went to a student bar and had our dinner and a jug of beer for $10 each (5 euro)..cant beat that can you??

At this stage we were really on the last leg of our journey, there was one more stop (Kaikoura) after which we would be back to where we started. But for me and Anne we had left the best for last. Kaikoura is famed for its off shore wild life... it has an incredible Canyon just off the shore that drops to depths of 1100 m.. really deep! This in turn attracts some of the world most incredible sea life, and this was an opportunity not to be missed by our resident David Attenborough wannabe! Well It was all that we expected and more, whale watching is something that I have always wanted to do, but never actually managed. It was awesome! We were brought out on a snazzy boat, with a guide and a few spotters. They were all very friendly and good at what they do... we were of in search of the sperm whale... Right now that all you immature boys have stopped giggling I will continue. It turns out we were to be in luck as we saw 4 (average is 2)different whales up close as they came up to oxygenate and then dove down to the depths again... Absolutely incredible!! and I personally think that the reason you dont hear much about people whale watching is that there isnt really a way to describe how amazing this experience is. We also were in the company of a playful New Zealand fur seal and a few giant Wandering Albatross'. We treasured every moment of this experience and also took a few thousand photos, none of which really do it any justice. On our return as we were happy in the thought that the day was a full success we were advised to go on deck again to take as we had some new visitors... Out we all ran to see that we were in a sea of Dolphins. There must have been 150 of them all jumping, twisting and turning in the air as they zoomed along beside our boat. What an end to a day that we wont ever forget!

After we left Kikoura we ventured back through Blenheim and on to Picton where we caught the ferry back through the spectacular and under-rated Marlborough Sounds.. it was early morning and the sounds were lost in a cloud of mist so we havent seen a whole lot of this area as the last time we were here it was night time. So back to Wellington we were, our NZ adventure at an end, felt like it went in the blink of and eye, and even whilst sitting here now writing this it seems like a hundred years ago, but certainly it goes with out saying we loved our time in this amazing country and wouldnt give it back for the world! But as this chapter was coming to a close a new one was opening.. so with a break of a couple of days in Welly we were off across the Tasman to Oz! Standing in Circular Quay in Sydney city centre is a weird feeling... its one of those places that you cant really believe you are actually there! The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are far more spectacular and huge than you ever imagined, you can really see why it took 14 years to construct and cost many many times its original budget. It is spectacular in every sense of the word! We are now in Sydney about a month, we still havent found the perfect accomodation yet... so we are staying with a lovely lady the Anne waorks with in the Court House. Its a gorgeous house in the suburbs and the comfort we have there is so welcome after months and months of living in a tent and backpackers. Winter is on its way here in Sydney, whilst it is still kinda hot outside, there is the signs of colder times to come.. so decisions will be made in the near future about what is to happen.. most likely we will work here for another while to save the bobs and shoot on up north to the heat, as neither of us have felt the sting of sunburn for about 2 months now... Shocking! Our skin must be starting to look normal again... cant have that!

Well it seems as though we are all up to date again.. A F#$*&@g miracle! I will try and stay on top of it now and promise some new photos before the end of the week! Looking over the size of this speil that I have just blurted out.. if anyone has actually gotten this far, fairplay, your ideal occupation is something like editor of a gardening journal. Look at all the work Ive done here to keep you noisey people up to date... the least you could do is send me and email every now and then... most of ye are fine, but there is the odd person out there... and ye know who ye are.. ye are probably sitting at your computer eating a pie or something... well but down the pie and drop me a line and tell me how good it tastes or something. Ill talk to ye soon, and again well done for getting this far... you should really stop staring at your computer and go for a walk or something... of course after you email me that is!