25th - 29th March Auckland to the South Island

25th
Today we packed and made sure everything was sorted for our trip down south! Nothing to report... Rob is feeling better, Katrien's knee is much better but not 100%.

26th - Anne it's time to get your atlas out and see where we are :)

Today we had a very early, 4:30am, start for our flight down to Queenstown. We had a nice short 1hr 45 flight to Queenstown and it was actually very smooth surprising due to the mountains.  We had a beautiful view coming into the city through the mountains. We picked up our lovely green Jucy camper and headed to the town centre. We stocked up on some food for our trip. Queenstown is absolutely beautiful. A small town nestled in between the mountains with the huge lake Wakatipu in the centre! It seemed like a little oldie worldie town yet quite modern. We walked around for a few hours and did a nice lake walk around the park. We also headed up the cable cars which was around 800m up. As you can imagine there were some spectacular views. As we headed back down we thought we can't come to Queenstown and not eat a Fergburger that everyone had told us about. We weren't overly hungry so decided to share one, it was definitely a wise choice as the burgers were huge. We arrived late in the afternoon but the queues were still out the door to order!! It was a very very good burger!! After the town we went on a hubt for our first camping spot. We found a 'carpark' just outside Queenstown on the riverbank. It was just what we needed. We were joined by some other campervans and it made us feel at ease - especially for our first night. The night went surprisingly well and we watched a few episodes of friends before getting our heads down.

27th
Today we started the day by heading to the local leisure centre for a swim and a shower. It was a good plan as we weren't sure how our showering arrangements will go. We then headed north of Queenstown to a small quaint little place called Arrowtown. Arrowtown was a previous Chinese settlement where many Chinese came for a better life and the prospect of finding gold. We visited the settlement and they still had some tiny houses built into the cliffs! We wondered around the town for a while and went into the museum to look at the brilliant pieces if art on display. We then jumped into the car and headed further north towards Wanaka. Here we stopped for a little lunch and looked out onto lake Wanaka. Another small town but it had a lovely quiet atmosphere like most of the towns in the south island. We then carried on up heading towards the west coast. The roads were really windey but the scenery was absolutely stunning!! We can't actually describe what its like and the pictures don't do it justice!! There are rolling mountains as high as you can see with lakes at the bottom of them. The scenery is never ending and like nowhere we have seen before! We found a good little campsite just south of a place cslled Haast that was cheap and had toilets. We set up camp and cooked our first meal on our little stove.

28th
We headed up through Haast (a very small place) and headed towards the Glaciers. We drove all along the west coast and arrived at Fox Glacier just after lunch and it was definitely colder than what it was furher down.  We went to the entrance to fox glacier but we unfortunately weren't equipped for the walks. We then drove a little further to Franz Josef glacier where we could go on a smaller walk with what we had. We saw the snow covered mountains and the hills which not that long ago were all covered in ice. The water running there is so blue it doeant look real! It was amazing and we felt so privileged to be able to see these wonderful places. As we carried on through Glacier country and we stopped off at a walk to some blue pools. Blue pools was putting it mildly! After a nice walk through the forests we arrived at the pools. They were like crystal and you could feel how cold the water was by standing on the bridge. The water was so clear and not like any water we had seem before. We carried on our drive towards Hokitika and again we had some lovely views. We saw some fantastic views of the ocean and again the dark sand which is common here on the west coast. We drove through Hokitika to another lovely campsite where we called home for tge night. At this site there was also a great little walk we decided to do after dinner before heading to sleep. We are starting to get used to camper lifestyle now thank goodness.

29th
Today we did a long stint from Hokitika to Christchurch. This was a particular windey road with some very steep climbs too. It was also very very beautiful. It was a little miserable when we woke up and a little rainy and very misty. When we were at the top if Arthur's pass it was still very misty but it added to the awe of the whole journey. It took us a good 4 hours of driving but that included multiple stops at lookout points and picture opportunities! We arrived into Christchurch late this afternoon and we stopped in the city centre for a look around. Although Karel and Erna warned us that most of the city was rubble we weren't quite expecting the lack of a city. The earthquake 2 years ago has crippled this city and it was a real shame to see everything derelict and destroyed, especially the Cathedral. There us a big Re:start operation going on to rebuilt the city and the city centre is now made us of quirky shipping containers made into shops. It was however strangely quiet for a major city. We then headed out more of the city to New Brighton beach where we have set up camp in a carpark and enjoyed a tasty curry that Rob made for dinner. Tomorrow we are heading further north and will keep you updated as we continue.

Lota of love

Katrien and Rob xxx

20th- 24th March Auckland

20th
Today was our main route planning day. We highlighted our camper van routes and we were really excited about the plans. We also had a walk into Browns Bay again and enjoyed a nice afternoon walking around some shops. Again we took it easy - we sound so lazy by now but it's been so nice to take it easy here and we have been spoilt here with lovely homely food and good company especially lots of laughs!!

21st
We were really lucky that today Karel and Erna didn't have to go to work so we decided to go on a little trip. We drove to the west coast and stopped at a few lovely shops on the way.  We went to a such a picturesque beach on the west coast. The sand was as black as coal and we walked up the cliffs to a ganet colony. Even though it was not breeding season there were so many and the smell was over powering. It was lovely and was a great day with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky.

We slowly meandered home and stopped at a winery on the way back. Although we weren't greated by a very energetic wine taster we tried a few nice wines. A lovely day enjoying the west coast of north west New Zealand!

22nd
Today we started the weekend with a nice lay in and Karel had planned a pizza evening in their pizza oven with some friends. Karel spent the morning prepping the oven because it takes so long to reach it's temperature. We went shopping and took Karel's 1937 Damiler. It was fantastic and we did a few laps of the town to show off the car!!

The guests came around 5 and we enjoyed a lovely evening filled with Muscles, pizza and wine. It was great! The pizza oven was a little hot but we each made our own pizza and felt like real Italians with all the gear!! It was a late evening but it was good. Rob struggled a little with all the afrikaans but soon caught the gist of it all.

23rd
Today we had a lazy day, especially after the late evening and in the afternoon we went on another outing.  We drove to mount Eden which is just outside Auckland city and saw some great views of the whole city. Almost as good as our Sky Tower view. We then drove back through the city stopping at the harbour.  We walked along the water front and looked at all the lovely boats - some very fancy and expensive boats!! We also had a look at some markets there and just had a leisurely stroll along the water front and got involved with the energetic environment and the hustle and bustle of a Sunday afternoon by the harbour. We had a great afternoon seeing more of Auckland city (this time a little less walking). Rob started feeling poorly this weekend and although we had some plans for a possible boat trip this weekend we thought it better to give it a miss.

24th
Rob is still not feeling well today and after a very bad nights sleep from both of us we tried to have a lay in.  Karel came home early from work and so we ventured out on another trip with him. We drove around the suburbs where they live and went to pick Erna up from work. Another relaxed day and after being very well fed we are going to wind down and get an early night hoping Rob feels better before our flight on Wednesday morning.

Lots of love Rob and Katrien xxx

15th - 19th March Auckland!!

15th
We had a well needed sleep in our lovely comfortable bed this morning and had a nice relaxing day with Karel and Erna (Katrien's Uncle and Aunt) driving to show us some lovely areas of where they live just outside Auckland. The Cyclone was here at the time but we went to the beach and watched some Kite surfers enjoying the very windy conditions. We took it nice and easy today especially with the weather being a little unpredictable we just chilled out.

16th
Today the sun was shining as though nothing had happened and after a few hours mooching around, Karel took us out in his 1930s Ford where we sat in the dickie seat at the back and went for a ride around the town. It was fantastic and it made us feel like we were famous! Everyone was looking and smiling at the car!! It was a beautiful day and later on we drove to Devonport where we had a lovely car picnic (it was a little windy at the lookout point). We ate a mountain of fish and chips but enjoyed the amazing view and perfect company!! We could see all the way across the harbour and we could see the Auckland city clearly!!

17th and 18th
Today we walked to Browns bay on Monday which is close to the house and enjoyed the views of the calm sea and enjoyed the sunshine. We didn't get up to much else over the next few days and took it easy hoping for Katrien's knee to recover before a lot of driving soon!! It is nice to have some time to relax after a stressful few months of living out of our rucksacks and bed hopping.

19th
Today we caught the bus and went to Auckland city. It was a lovely day and the bus trip was long but it was nice to see where we were staying. When we got to the city we tried to find somewhere nice for lunch but we were stuggling for somewhere that wasn't Asian. Don't get us wrong we like Asian food but after a month enjoying the cuisine in South East Asia we fancied a change but it was hard to find. We then walked around the city and went to the Museum which was a little further than anticipated and by the time we got to the top of a big hill and lingered into some shops in a lovely place called Parnell we decided it was too late to make it to the museum so opted to go back into the city and we went to the Sky tower.

The Sky tower is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and after playing the 'we are poor backpackers' card we got a discounted rate and got to the top, 220m up, in around 40 seconds in a glass platform lift (a little unnerving). It was a beautiful day and we could see for miles and miles!! It was the best view we could have had over Auckland and we were glad we went! After a tiring day walking we headed back to Rothesay Bay and enjoyed a relaxed evening and tasted some of the fresh fish that Karel caught today while out on his boat!

Love from Katrien and Rob
xxx

11th - 14th March Cairns

Again sorry for the delay in posting we have been a little busy!

11th
Today we didn't have anything planned but we walked around Cairns and did a spot of shoppin as well as booking a camper van for 2 weeks in New Zealand! We can't wait to get there now!!

12th
Today was the big day to THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!! The weather was awful but that wasn't going to dampen our spirits only our hair! We arrived early and set off around 8. The boat we were on was huge and had around 110 other people on board. They warned us it would be quite choppy and they certainly didn't lie. The majority of people were very sea sick and the Asians on board just slept the whole time. It took a couple of hours to get there and then the first location was very over cast but mainly for the scuba divers. We were given flippers to help with the swimming but at times felt like we weren't moving because the current was so strong.  After 2 hours there we went to another location that was absolutely beautiful. Although still over cast the coral was high and we could see so much. We were surprised by the lack of fish around but that could be down to the weather but we were much more interested and impressed by the Coral! We hired an underwater camera and took lots of photos so we will have to show everyone when we are back. Unfortunately we also saw a lot of dead coral which is a shame because it is such a beautiful sight and experience! Unfortunately we didn't see Nemo here but we saw him in our previous sailing trip so we didn't miss out. We did see some large clams that closed when you touched them!

After a few hours here we headed back to land and on the way back the chef Elvis offered some brilliant entertainment.  He had a guitar and sang some great songs (including Elvis songs) but also did a good job of making fun of people on board (mainly the Asians!!). It was nice that took the attention off the choppy sea and we surprisingly felt okay, not sure if it was the 6 sickness tablets or the distraction of entertainment!! Tonight we met up with Gini and Natasha that we met along the way for a catch up which was lovely.

13th
Today - typically - the sun was shining and it was a very hot day in Cairns.  They have built an extensive Lagoon (swimming pool) on the water front which was lovely. We layed and relaxed in the sunshine most of the day reading our New Zealand lonley planet guide and a nice book. We walked around and ate ice cream before packing and getting and early ish night ready for our 3rd Adevtntue to New Zealand!!

14th
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROB'S GRANNY!! We hope you had a lovely day!!

Today there isn't much to report.  We spent all day travelling. We were a little apprehensive due to the Cyclone heading to New Zealand but luckily we missed it and got to Auckland around 12:20am but we were ao happy to not sit on a bus for a change and see some familiar faces! It was so nice. For Katrien to see her family again and we were spoilt with a beautifully made up room and some chocolate bunnies for company. We had an amazing time in Australia but we are also excited about our next destination!!

Lotd of love to all at home!!

Katrien and Rob xxx

9th and 10th Cairns

9th March
Today we decided to explore Cairns city. We walked around all day doing some shopping and walked around the pier. We decided to look into our options for New Zealand but after we weighed up the cost we booked a camper van for two weeks while we are there! We paid almost half of what we would have done if we did another hop on hop off bus and we have the freedom to go where we want and when we want and it includes a little camp stove!! We are really excited about our experience!! We also went into an Aboriginal artifacts and fine arts exibhibt which was interesting. The aboriginals made some fantastic art works!! That evening we went for dinner and went to the cinema to watch the Wolf of Wall Street!

10th March
Today was our Atherton Tablelands tour.  It was absolutely brilliant. We got onto a minibus with 20 others and a crazy bus driver and drove upto the mountains. We first visited a beautiful waterfall that had a natural rock slide that we went down a few times.  Unfortunately with the rocks being so slippery Katrien had a bit of a fall and injured her knee but was determined not to let it ruin the day. During the day we went to a few more waterfalls including the one where they film the Herbal Essences advert. That was the best waterfall and it was a brilliant experience sitting under the waterfall between the rocks and the water, looking up at the flowing water!! It was a long day and although it was really good we were definitely ready for bed when we got back.

Tomorrow is another day where we don't have much planned but will see how Katrien's knee is as we are due to do the Great Barrier reef tour on the 12th and possibly fly to New Zealand on the 15th at the latest.

Lots of love
Rob and Katrien xxxxx

7th and 8th of March - Magnetic Island

We haven't got much to report about our magnetic island trip as we didn't have much time there unfortunately. We were a little unsure whether we would make it over to the island as there is a Cyclone heading down from Cairns but luckily we have just missed it for our boat and Island trips. We arrived by ferry to the island and it was no surprise that it was another beautiful place. We stayed in a really nice hostel with almost cabin like dorns but no ensuit bathrooms or showers so with a little walk to the amenities it did remind us a bit like a school trip.

We arrived quite late in the afternoon but thought we would go for another walk to a lookout point. We treked up a really nice 'path' but again our fitness was tested again when we realised how high this cliff top lookout was. It was through trees and up rocks and boulders but it was definitely worth it when we arrived at one of the highest lookout points on the island. We then went back for some dinner and ended up meeting some really nice people who we played some games with and got involved with the bar games.

8th March
We made our way across again with the ferry to catch our bus to Cairns. We can't believe how quickly the time had gone but also how far we have travelled! We don't want it to end but really looking forward to our tours left in Cairns - Mostly the great barrier reef tour and heading to New Zealand :)

We hope all is well in England and you've managed to dry out a little by now!!

Lots of love

Xxx

4th-6th March- Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Sailing trip

4th March
We had a few chill out days here in Airlie Beach after the bus journey and feeling like we haven't stopped (which we haven't really). We did however go for an early birthday meal for Rob. We looked in Lonely Planet and opted for a more expensive option than our usual $15 meal deal! We saw a lovely option at the Sailing club and headed over expecting a nice, more fancy restaurant! Although there was fantastic views of the Harbour, but it was more of a  café style restaurant with too much plastic for a birthday meal so after our drink we headed to some other restaurants and found a lovely laid back restaurant where we enjoyed some good food (see pictures) and headed back for an early night before our sea voyage!!

5th March
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!!!
Today was sailing day, we got outselves ready had our yoghurt and oats ready for a busy couple of days. We boarded our boat Siska (which has competed in and won some round the world races!) early and after some safety checks and ins and outs about how everything worked we headed to the deck to enjoy the ocean.  Although a little nerves on Katrien's part it kicked off to be an exciting day where the Skipper, Micky, told us how we timed our journey just right due to a cyclone heading our way in a few days but we should get some good sailing done. After a few hours out at sea Micky warned us it might be a little choppy as we were on the outside of the islands and that we were exposed to the winds. Choppy... well it was so choppy however exciting.  We then arrived at the main Island within Whitsundays which was the Whitsundays Island with the absolutely stunning Whitehaven beach. We went on a little walk to a lookout point where we saw absolutely beautiful white sand and different coloured blue water!! We then went to the beach we had just been in awe of and spent a few hours on the beach, but opted for the shade as we were worried about getting burnt.  After a few hours we hopped back on board and sailed to a quiet bay where we were going to spend the night. The journey back definitely made us doubt the trip. It was miserable and we were miserable with it. It was raining a lot and in very choppy water we quickly decided that we don't have any sea legs!! It was safe to say we just wanted to get back on dry land!! We sailed for a good few hours and Micky told us that we were doing a bigger loop to avoid a huge swell. Rob and I were given a 'double bed' right at the tip of the cabins and it was as though we were in a small sauna. As you can imagine the nights sleep wasn't the highlight.

6th March
Today however was a different story... we were welcomed by beautiful blue sky and lovely sunshine!! We went to a beautiful snorkeling spot where we saw some amazing fish. We even saw a Nemo!! After a few hours floating on the coral we went to another snorkeling spot which had poor visibility but we did swim with Turtles!!! It was fantastic!!!! So elegant through the water. After the snorkeling we headed back to the Marina and Airlie Beach. By the time we had to get off we were loving it! In Airlie we met up with Gini who we met on Fraser Island and  spent the evening eating steak and chatting. We are off to Magnetic Island tomorrow will post again after that!!

Love Rob and Katrien xxxxx

Fraser Island 28th until the 3rd of March 2014

Sorry for the long delay in blog posts.. we have had little internet and had a mishap when the entry deleted itself!!

Firstly we hope Pappa Putter had a lovely birthday between the 28th and the 1st!!

28th February!
We started our Fraser Island trip early this morning and we were picked up in what seemed like a very over exaggerated bus/truck for an island trip but it wasn't until we arrived onto the island we realised actually how appropriate the monstrosity was. Fraser Island is made up of an impress 98% sand and only 2% Rock. As you can imagine it took a long time to get anywhere on the island as no roads have been re built it is all just original sand tracks that the 4 wheel drive trucks and busses had to use. To say we had a bumpy few days is an understatement!!! We firstly drove to a lovely lake called Lake McKenzie where we basked in the sun and swam in a feshwater lake which was produced purely by rainwater! The sand also has a high concentration of silica making it extremely fine and perfect for a nice exfoliation! We met a lovely girl from England and an English couple who we ended up spending most of our time with on the Island.

After the first lake we went for a nice yet unexpected walk in the rainforest. As we drove from the coast to the middle of the island we saw 7 different types of rainforest and they are all so different and absolutely beautiful. All the trees and plants you see grow in the sand which makes it all the more impressive.  During our walk we saw some beautiful trees and our guide told us interesting facts about them. Some of these trees and how they survive in what can become a very hot and dry eco system. We walked to, what used to be back in the 1800s the Central station of a huge timber and logging industry on the island run by the local people and some Australian traders. Here we drank water from the fresh streams that form when water is soaked up into the island through rain but eventually filters out into purified water. They estimate that the water running down the streams is water that fell over 150 years ago. Not only has it been completed purified by the sand but it also fell before the industrial revolution and before damage caused by pollution.

We visited a few other lakes and walks on our way to where we stayed the night.  There are a couple of resorts on the island and we stayed in some lodges with the English couple and a few other rooms. Fraser Island is a huge conservation and world heritage site so there is a lot of effort to preserve the island.

1st March
Today we had another early start and we drove along the 50km beach highway to a fantastic look out point of a cliff called Indian Head. Our tour guide explained that the beach highway on Fraser Island is one of the longest in the world and its called a highway because you have to abide by normal road rules including speed limits. If not the police will fine and or prosecute you! On the way we saw an old shipwreck which washed up after the transporters accidentally let go off the moorings and failed to retrieve it. We clambered to the top of indian Head where we saw some spectacular views!! While we were up there we tried to spot some sharks or dolphins but had no luck however we did see a turtle swimming along the waves! We then headed along the beach to a lovely natural fresh water creek where we swam in the cold but refreshing water! As we travelled along we saw an unfortunate 4x4 that misjudged the depth of the water and ended up submerged in the sand near the waters edge. Our tour guide found it hilarious and while we all piled out to have a look he got his own camera out for a few snaps. Luckily we felt much safer in out big bus! We then headed to the Champagne pools. This was by far our favourite stop on the trip. We relaxed in some beautiful sea pools formed by the rocks which gethered at the foot of the island. It was a beautiful day and the water was nice and warm and as we soaked up the atmosphere waves would crash over the rocks and bubbles would flow over the top into the pools which looked like champagne bubbles. The only thing missing was some drinkable bubbles!! After the pools we headed for lunch on the beach but as we tried to leave our bus wouldn't start! Although we were broken down it was definitely the best spot for a 2hour wait for recovery. We layed in the  sea and on the beach chatting to put new friends and enjoying where we were. After not much time left of the day we headed back to the lodges and had a good night sleep - much needed after the sun filled day.

2nd March
Today was the last day on the Island (Booo!) We headed to a magnificent lookout point where we saw the amazing creations of the sand dunes and the way the wind blows the sand across the the island. We then went to a few more beautiful lakes before a very difficult trek up and across the sand to a lake called Barage lake which was formed by the wind blowing the sand to create a lake. This was another fresh water lake which had some fish in that ate your dead skin. The same fish used for those pedicures!! The walk to the lake was so difficult especially when there is only sand to walk through... it was a workout and a half but the views made it worth while.  It was as though we walked through some dense rainforest and then we were hit by a vast open space of sand.  It was as though we were in a dessert! After a trek back it was time to head of the Island and after a short ferry trip we headed to catch our 12 hour bus from Hervey Bay to Airlie beach!

It was possibly the worst bus journey we have had where there was very little sleep and a driver who insisted we stretched our legs every few hours at ridiculous times in the night. Not a pleasant journey at all. We arrived in Airlie Beach on the 3rd and had some planning to do before our sailing trip on the 5th which we are really looking forward to!!

Lots of love

Rob and Katrien xxx