OPOTIKI

As promised Kate and Lyn came to collect me on the Sunday morning from the Youth hostel. We went to see some of their friends, then we drove for about nine hours to their lovely home in Opotiki. Along the way we stopped off for coffee in a place that was used in the Lord of the Rings films.
They have a lovely house out in the countryside.

It is surrounded by orchards growing Green and golden Kiwi fruits and advocados.
It was great to just go out and pick fruit from the trees. They tasted so delicious. It makes one realise just how tasteless a lot of the fruit is that we get in England.
The next day Kate and Lyn let me have the use of their spare car to explore the beautiful coastline.
I went for a long walk along the beach near Tirohanga and it was deserted. The photographs do not do justice to just how breathtaking the view of the mountains were in the distance over the beautiful blue sea. I loved it and I felt so happy and free just wandering along with my own thoughts. It made me reflect on the times I have felt so unhappy over the last few years and what I need to do to make sure that I never allow myself to feel that low again! Life really is for living. There is no time to allow people and situations to detract from the beauty of life.(No I have not been drinking, I just feel so strongly about life nowadays that I am not afraid to express what I feel and think)
I then drove for miles from Opotiki along past Te Kaha and as far as Waihau Bay.
I have never seen such fabulous coastline and there were hardly any people around. This really was what I had been searching for for so long. I felt so happy and contented just driving along and watching the sky change colour.
I loved seeing the deserted beaches covered in driftwood.



It was nearly dark when I eventually got back to the house. I was quite scared on the mountain roads at times because the massive logging trucks coming haring round the tight corners really fast.My heart was in my mouth a couple of times. So I was even more pleased to get back to the house, where I got a warm welcome from Kate and Lyn.
The log burner was on and Lyn cooked a lovely meal. I loved going to bed in my room because there were no curtains and I was able to gaze up at the stars and the black silhouettes of the trees through the window for ages before going to sleep.

RANGITOTO AND AUCKLAND

Rebecca, a girl from Switzerland who was sharing my room at the YHA and I went on a boat trip from Auckland harbour to Rangitoto Island.
It is a volcanic island that is now a public reserve.It erupted from the sea in a series of dramatic explosions around six hundred years ago.
Thank goodness it is dormant now!! so we climbed to the top and walked around the crator. It was worth all the exercise because we were treated to some breathtaking views of the harbour.
I also loved the silence standing at the top. It was the peace and quiet I had been looking for for so long on this trip. I knew instantly that I was going to like this country very much. We had to take our own food and drink onto the island and I have to say that Rebecca persuaded me to have a Subway sandwich.(yes Sammie I know I said I would never eat one!! )You can see that I was not convinced I would like it, but to my surprise it was very tastly and healthy.


OK Sammie you were right!! hee hee.
Later in the day I went up the Sky tower, which is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. There was a glass floor so that one could see all the way to the ground!!
And of course there are those idiots who pay to be lowered down off the side of the building!! I just sat and watched them in amazement as they were stopped for a photo to be taken, before being lowered the rest of the way down.

The following day Rachel (who I originally met in the Australian outback)and I went to the markets in Auckland and explored the town. Then we went to meet up with Kate and Lyn, who had invited me to stay with them at their house in the Bay of Plenty , on the east coast of The north island. Kate and my friend Katy in Hull went to university together.So Kate kindly agreed that I could stop with them. They had driven to Auckland to attend the exhibition of a Maori woman called Tangata Whenua who was exhibiting some of the crafts she makes.
It was an honour to be there at the opening. The Maori community did a special performance of a song and blessed the exhibits before we were all offered food and drinks. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as they sang and recited their prayer. We left arranging to meet up with them again tomorrow to travel to their house in Opodiki.
In the evening Rachel and I met up with Rebecca and we went to the comedy club.
In the lonely planet it said that it was the best comedy club in Auckland and we have to agree as we saw some very good acts.
On the Sunday Kate and Lyn came to collect me from the hostel.

AUCKLAND

The plane from Sydney to Auckland was delayed so I eventually got to the YHA in Auckland around eight O clock at night on wedesday. I felt quite nervous about venturing into another country as I had got quite used the ways in Australia. On the plane , despite it being in the afternoon we were given breakfast. This was because they had swapped our original plane for another one that was all geared up for serving breakfast.They did say that it needed to be served as it was not good for it to sit around in the storage cartons..I should have let the alarm bells ring then!!! but I did not and proceeded to tuck into a breakfast with very dodgy looking sausages. Later that night and the next morning I spent a long time on the loo!!! and my tummy was not too good.I should have gone without the breakfast!! It is rediculous that I travel all around south east Asia and Australia without any stomach problems and the minute I fly to New Zealand I get my first tummy upset.
But I did not let it put me off exploring the city. I armed myself with plenty of water and a map and headed off for the Auckland Museum to learn all about the Maori culture.
It is the most amazing museum I have been to, there was so much to see and I got the opportunity to see a performance of the famouse HAKA.
Afterwards I visited the winter gardens and saw an amazing collection of ferns.(You lucky thing ! I hear you cry) They thrive in the climate of New Zealand, and they were very beautiful! Then I walked down to the art gallery. The main one was closed, but I went to see the latest exhibition in the new Auckland gallery before wandering down to the ferry terminal, where the views over the harbour were beautiful.
I am looking forward to getting a ferry out to the volcanic island in the Bay.

I wandered around for a while just soaking in the atmosphere, then I went to this great bar called MINUS 5.
It is all made completely from ice. I had to don some very warm clothing before I entered ,including TWO pairs of gloves!. I had a vodka cocktail served in an ice glass.(They warn you to hold onto it with two hands because people keep forgetting and let their drinks slip out of their hands because the glass is made of ice.) I was only allowed to stay in there around half an hour because it is so cold. It was a fun experience. I met a Scottish couple from Glasgow inside and we got chatting and afterwards we went for a Mexican meal together. They gave me some tips about places to visit in Auckland. That is the great thing about travelling ,other people on the road are only too eager to pass on their experiences. Most times I have taken people's advice I have found some great places I would not otherwise have explored.

GOODBYE AUSTRALIA

I took the plane from Alice Springs to Sydney and settled into the YHA in central Sydney for the last time. I have been through here so many times on my journey in Australia that I felt like I had come home for a while!
That evening I met up with some friends who live in Sydney.Katherine, Emma and Lucas. I met them some months back in Cambodia.We had a lovely meal and said our goodbyes.
We promised to meet up again in England.
The next day I went shopping for warm clothes for my trip to New Zealand. I was lucky that Kathmandu had a 40% sale on, so I got all the things that I needed at a good price.I walked along to Sydney harbour and had a nice lunch at a cafe opposite the harbour bridge and then wandered along to the Sydney Opera Hourse, where I had a glass of champagne to toast the great time I have had here in Australia!!!
Later in the day I met Carmel and we went for a fantastic meal together to say our goodbyes.
I was particularly pleased that she met up with me as she is so snowed under with work on the film festival at the moment.It was very sad saying Goodbye to her because I do not know when I will see her again and we have had some brilliant times together, especially climbing the harbour bridge with Sammie!!!
But we have hatched a plan to try and meet up again in Canada when she goes to the Toronto film festival later in the year.We will see if we can match up our dates.
Tomorrow morning I fly to New Zealand for ten weeks and I am so excited!!!!Everyone says it is such a beautiful place and I cannot wait to check it out.

ALICE SPRINGS TO AYRES ROCK(ULURU)

I got up very early to join my three day adventure to Ayres rock(ULURU is the name used by the Aboriginals and that is now the official name of Ayres rock.) and the Kings Canyon. I was feeling very nervous because I had opted for sleeping out under the stars in a swag bag, but fellow travellers had been telling all kinds of tales about Dingos hanging around the campsites.

There were twelve of us on the bus. We travelled first to a Camel farm where we had the chance to have a ride on a camel.

I had no particular urge to put my life at risk so early in the morning, so I left it to the younger travellers. I had a lovely cup of coffee and bacon sarnie instead!

Back on the bus we headed off to Ayres rock(Uluru). On these outback trips it seems that they must put loud Country and Western music on inside the bus as soon as they turn the key in the ignition. I HATE COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC. So I have to say that is always one of the low points of the trip.Especially when the track Good'ay Good'ay is played!!!But I just try to concentrate on the views from the bus window and block out the heart rending lyrics from various country and western singers. (That is my little gripe over with!!!)

We stopped off to make our sandwiches for lunch
and then washed up before heading off for the Olgas. I love the way everyone just mucks in on the organised trips. The Olgas are a bizarre collection of huge rounded rocks called Kata Tjuta(meaning many heads) by the Aboriginal community. They are impressive monoliths.

We went for a fantastic walk in the valley between two of the biggest rocks.
Afterwards we stopped to gather firewood from along the road for tonights campfire. Bonnie our guide warned us to look out for SNAKES! She said if the branch moves! do not touch it! I did not need telling twice. Needless to say I spent ages looking at the bits of wood before I even dared to venture near enough to contemplate picking it up. Thankfully the fellas were more gung ho and they collected lots of wood. This was strapped to the trailer behind the bus.
We then joined a group of tourists on a hill overlooking Uluru to watch the sunset. We even had a glass of wine. The posh tours had nibbles as well, so we kept daring each other to go and grab some of their nibbles. It sounds pathetic and it is I suppose, but is kept us amused until the sun rose .Thankfully they saw the funny side as well.

It is just impossible to capture on camera the beauty of the colours that we saw in the sky surrounding the giant rock. I have never seen anything like it in my life. The rock went through so many shades of rusty red and the purples surrounding it had to be seen to be believed. I tried my best to get a good picture. We set up camp nearby and Bonnie cooked us a great veg and chicken stir fry for dinner.
We sat around the fire to eat and drink. (I needed a couple of glasses of wine to calm the nerves.) The prospect of Dingos walking within inches of my swag left me feeling more than a bit nervous. But Bonnie assured me that no one had been hurt in all the time she had been guiding the tours here....but there is always a first!!!

We all chose our swags and laid them out by the fire..I grabbed a spot by Bonnie so that I would feel a bit more secure. I got inside my sleeping bag and the swag bag and settled for the night. I was so taken with the stars overhead that my fears soon subsided. I was very excited to see several shooting stars. I made lots of wishes!! And I managed to sleep well. We got up at five in the morning, it was freezing. We had breakfast and headed off to see the sun rise at Uluru. Once again it did not disappoint.It was a colourful show. But it was very cold!

We were then given the option of climbing the rock or doing a 10km basewalk. Four of the group went up the rock, only two made it to the top and back down though. The Japanese girls found it to steep. I decided to do the 10km basewalk, because it is so sacred to the Aboriginal people, and they do not want people clambering all over it. The walk was really fascinating. There are so many different atmospheric parts of the rock that you only get to experience by being up close. The watering whole for the animals is so tranquil and I just sat there for ages reflecting on life.
We then went to the Aboriginal culture centre to learn more about their way of life and beliefs.I found it very interesting and I could have spent a lot longer there. On our way to the campsite we stopped off at an inland salt lake.
Once more gathered the wood for the camp fire. This time Bonnie's boyfriend, who knew where she usually stops, had left a love note saying how much he loved her under a stone by the roadside...AHHHHHHHHHH.
Our camping area on night two was even more remote than the first night. We lit the fire and Bonnie once again cooked us a great dinner.We sat around the fire chatting.
Everyone suddenly went very quiet and looked over at me because they knew I was very nervous at the prospect of Dingos. I turned round to see what they were looking at. There on the edge of the camp was the first of many dingos I would see that night.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.But to be honest the more I observed them the less afraid I became. They were just curious and looking for food. They were not there to attack us. We settled down in our sleeping bags and swags under the stars. The air was filled with the sound of dingos howling from miles way!! Even Bonnie said she had never heard them quite that bad. Needless to say I remained a little nervous. It was a very cold night and I did not sleep much. I was listening to the dingos walking around the camp. I even stuck my head out and watched one of them for ages on top of our table searching for food. It eventually wandered off into the distance. The next morning we rose at five again and had a hearty breakfast. One of the German guys could not find his shoes. A Dingo had taken them off into the bush. But he was lucky because it had dropped them. Bonnie did warn us to put everything away as they had a history of taking off with people's belongings.
After breakfast we travelled to the Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National Park. It is one of the most spectacular sights.

The walls of Kings Creek raise to a platform with amphitheartre-like views of the towering canyon's rim. We did the 6km walk through the creek. It took us about four hours. The first hill we climbed is called 'heart attack hill', and I soon realised why. But I took it steady managed to get to the top. It was well worth it, we were rewarded with awesome views.


There is an area called the Garden of Eden.It has a series of tranquil pools. I loved it.

After the walk we had lunch and then headed back to Alice springs, a five hour drive. It passed quickly though because I spent most of the time chatting to a lovely Italian couple on the trip called Marco and Frederica. I was able to practise my Italian. They were in a state of shock because when they booked the trip they did not realise they would actually be outside under the stars. They thought they would be in nice warm tents. And they had not got warm enough clothing with them for what they had experienced. But to their credit they kept smiling throughout and just joined in. Even when Bonnie produced the Australian version of spagetti bolognese!!

CAIRNS TO ALICE SPRINGS

I bid farewell to Carolyn in Cairns.

She was heading off to Sydney and then New Zealand.
I was joining a trip from Cairns to Alice springs through the outback for three days.
The 2067km road trip into the heart of Australia started early in the morning. There were 24 of us on the bus.We headed off through the Atherton Tablelands.
Our guide Alan talked us through the proposed route
The landscape changed from rainforest to Eucalypt forest. We stopped at Australia's smallest bar at the Oasis Roadhouse.
At lunchtime we made our own sandwiches and washed up before getting back on the bus to continue the journey on 275 kms of unsealed roads.
There are signs warning motorists that cattle is free to roam in the outback, so they may be on the roads.


There was a lot of wildlife to see along the way, including Ostriches.


We took a look at Porcupine Gorge,Australia's mini grand Canyon.

The first night stop over was at the Western Hotel in Hughenden. It was like something from 1970 with very dated decor. We had dinner in the bar and I have to say the locals were a very strange looking bunch of fellas!!
Day 2 we got up early to watch the sunrise..then we had a complete change of landscape. The flat black soil plans.
Our first destination today was Winton, the birthplace of Australia's unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda! It is also the place where Quanta airline was started. A small group of men met in a club to form the company in 1920.
We had a BBQ for lunch at a Cattle station. In the afternoon we visited one of Australia's oldest outback pubs.The Middleton pub started business in 1876.The population there is 6!!!!
It had a great atmosphere and we could have stayed there chatting for ages, but we had to hit the road!
Our overnight accommodation was at Wirrelyerna station.
An authentic sheep/cattle station. We had a great meal prepared over a campfire and we sat around the campfire under the stars chatting for a long time.
Another very early start to the day and another breathtakingly beautiful sunrise. We had 800km to do today from Boulia to Alice Springs. Everything was fine and dandy for the first few hours. Then we stopped for one of our toilet breaks.(Which literally meant boys to the right of the bus and girls to the left.We had to find a bush to wee behind or just crouch down and pee in the middle of nowhere. It took us all some time before we got used to it.But there was no choice!!)
Anyway this particular stop ended up being longer than usual. Alan informed us that the bus was overheating and something in the engine had blown and we needed to be towed!! It was scortching hot and many of the group were on other trips and flights the next day, so everyone was very anxious about whether we would make it to Alice springs that night.(I was ok because I had given myself a couple of extra days in Alice springs before my next trip)


We tried to make the most of it and kept our spirits up by playing a game of catch by the side of the road. After a couple of hours a pickup truck came and towed us for about half an hour.But then that was no good because the air in the bus breaks was leaking out, which made the breaks lock on! They needed pumping on every now and then and the truck could not do that. So they were on the radios again trying to get help. Fortunately for us a two story cattle train arrived and offered to tow us to Boulia, a couple of hours away.


As they were connecting the two vehicles up I decided to get everyone together for a group shot. And As I stood focusing the camera, I felt something hit my cheek.In what seemed like slow motion I thought to myself "Something just hit my face", "what could it be? A fly?" then I realised that the cattle truck was on that side, and even though it was yards away, I had been splattered with COW POO!!!!!! I started squeeling and everyone came over to help me.They took the camera and chucked water at me and I had to clean it all off. It was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we piled onto the bus and got towed to Boulia. Because the airconditioning would not work on the bus we had to have the skylight open and the bus just filled with dust.We were covered in dust when we eventually arrived in Boulia. Lots of the group were running round frantically making phone calls to change their trips and flights.


We had to stay the night so we made the most of it by having a few beers and checking out the town. We eventually arrived in Alice springs the next day after a very arduous 14 hour bus journey!