rendletrek

We decided on a traditional day at home with Eddi.

Woke up and opened our pressies we had bought each other.

Had smoked salmon with scrambled egg for breakie, and Bucks Fizz...posh hey! Eddis idea. Was very nice and made a change.

Then Eddi and Paulie put a small joint of stuffed turkey in the oven and we poured our first sherry.

It was a baking day so Paul and Eddi just wore board shorts all day and nothing else, except the hats from our crackers ofcourse.

Lunch at 4pm...we had Turkey with Cranberry stuffing, sausages wrapped with bacon, roast pots, parsnips and carrots, sprouts, cauliflower and leek cheese and gravy. It was pretty yummy. Too full for Christmas pudding!

Watched a few films on the telly, drank lots of G&Ts and snoozed too. So had a nice relaxing day and stress free. Played cards in the evening and drank more.

Boxing Day we went to the beach with Eddi and his girlfriend Leona for a picnic bbq. Went for a nice swim with Eddi and had some sun action. Everyone else had the same idea so we weren't alone.

The day after that Paulie and I went to the Blue Mountains with a friend Kate, who we met in Fiji, and her brother. They had a camper van and we saw all the sights. The views were amazing looking over canyons filled with euculyptus trees and yes,there was a slight blue haze and lots of flies. Saw kangaroos in the wild, cockatoos, kookaburras and took some great photies. All in all a nice day out. Arya and Jono were staying up there with her father for a couple of days.

Last night we went to a party and a night out in Coogee. Saw a live band playing and met lots of Leonas and Eddis friends.

Tomorrow we set off to a beachhouse north of Sydney at Mc Masters beach, with 5 others including Eddi, Jono and Arya. We are there for New Years Eve and the week after. So should be fun and looking forward to moving on. We will then make our way up the east coast to Bryan Bay, Fraser Island and Brisbane.

Shall do another update from there...lots of Love Kate & Paulie xxx

We managed to get a cheap flight to Sydney and there they were at the airport. So pleased to see them and yes I cried.

Jono and Arya live right near the city centre in a suburb called Glebe...to the left of Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.
Eddi is staying at Aryas mums house. Aryas Mum has a sweet little Jack Russel called "Rocket".

We are staying in Jono and Aryas lounge, on the sofa bed. They have a nice place with a bbq area and garden. And they have a lovely Christmas Tree with decs, which felt very homely. Christmas was looming, but it really didn't feel right, although all the shops and streets had loads of decorations and lots of people out doing there Christmas shopping.

We went into the city with Eddi and had a look at the Opera House, the harbour bridge, Circular Quay, across the bridge at Darling Harbour and a bit of the botanical gardens, beautiful views over the harbour. The weather was not too hot that day, but since then we have had some really hot and humid days and some pleasant sunny, breezy days.

We have had a few bbqs at Jono and Aryas and one at Eddis in their garden.

Have encountered several large huntsman spiders in the house, mostly out the back where the loo is. They aren't prone to biting and aren't too poisonous thank god. Abit scarey though and the thought of them crawling across you in the night is not good.

Went to a few beaches...Manly Beach with Jono one day and went to Clovellys and swam with Eddi in a lovely little rocky inlet...lots of people though and the sun is so strong here...plenty of suntan protector cream.

Pauls Birthday was on the 22nd and a few surprises had been planned. He had a bunch of helium balloons with 30 on them and a card with a kangaroo with sunglasses on. In the day we just chilled and met Eddi after work and went for a drink in Darling Harbour with some of his friends, then we went to a bar dishing out free bubbly... which we drank quickly so we could have more. Anyway, we got pretty tipsey to say the least...then met up with Jono and the gang for a Thai. Paulie had a freshly made Black Forest Gateau cake and we had a lovely meal.

And then Christmas!

Booked into a backpackers in the city and planned to stay with our friend Laura, who we met in Fiji. She is living and working here for a while.

After a little nap we ventured out to have a look around. There is a big brown river running by the edge of the city and loads and loads of ennoying flies...but apart from that first impressions, very like London with some "ye old" shop door ways with a victorian feel to the place, although a very mixed cultural feel to it aswell.

We met up with Laura the next day at her flat, and stayed for around five nights.

Had a fun time together...at the park we fed the possums in the evening, Laura took us out to see the bussling street cafes and italian restaurants, plus, much to my delight, we went to a chocolate cafe where we treated ourselves to some cake and chocolates...yummm! So many chocolate sweets, small and huge cakes and drinks...very popular place.

Laura cooked one night, we went to a pool tournament another night which was a laugh as we are both abit rusty at playing pool, but gave it our best shot and had fun.

Paulie got his 30th Birthday present here..a tattoo of a turtle...very nice.

Then on our last day we went to the zoo and had our first sight of kangaroos and kaolas and many other brilliant animals and reptiles.

Sad to leave Laura but so excited about seeing Eddi and Jono.

The ferry crossing was 3 hours then we arrived in a little town, Picton. The next day we travelled down the stunning east coastline, following a winding road (so many windy roads in NZ)along the edge of mountains covered in rainforest/treeferns, right next to the beaches. The weather was rainy in places, so we didn't stop too much.

Arrived in Christchurch and found a nice hostel. Met up with Dave, another of our friends we met in Fiji. Christchurch has a cathedral andis on the river edged with willow trees, punting down the river...very English, very Oxford/Abingdon, where I was born. They also have trams in the centre. Our hostel is right next to a huge park.
Went to "Christmas in the park" with Christmas carols, other songs and a big performance on a stage (sponsored by Coca cola)and again met up with our other friends...got quite drunk, bought Christmas hats and felt very festive!

Also visited a great market by the Arts centre, posted stuff back home and developed our underwater pics from Fiji, which came out great.

Dave decided to come on a roadtrip with us to Queenstown. Travelled through some stunning scenery, with snow peaked mountains in the distance - Mt Cook, stopped for a picnic and a photo session at Lake Tekapo where the colour of the lake was an unbelievable icy aqua blue...just amazing, with a little sweet church next ot the lake.

Camped at Lake Wanaka, another friendly town by a lake. Our car broke down as we arrived, so we changed it for another one.
Went to Puzzle World the next day and went around a big wooden maze...great laugh, plus lots of optical illusions and interactive stuff...well worth visiting.

Queenstown was quite expensive, but nice. Watched some bungy jumping, but didn't do one this time. Ate a huge lamb burger, bought wine and played cards and Yatzee game in the tent...all three of us were camping in our tent...cosy! Paul went busking here and we played crazy golf again. Dave caught bus back to Christchurch and we went back to Wanaka via the mountain range. Camped in a different site, with a lovely pool and great views. The weather was roasting and we managed to top up our tans.

But...got a speeding fine here...damn (but didn't pay it..ooops, naughty girl)The policeman kind of hinted that if we were leaving the country soon it wouldn't be followed up, so don't worry, just means we wouldn't be able to emigrate there...ah well.

Then we had a beautiful drive up to Fox Glacier and walked to the base of the Glacier here, in the rain. Met up with a friend we made in Canada at the other glacier village, Frans Joseph. He is a helicopter pilot and takes peeps up over and on the glaciers, so he offered to take us for cheap...but the weather proved to be a pain and he didn't fly the whole 3 days we were there...booo hooo.

The scenery was incredible there, even in the rain. The rainforest covers the lower mountains, and the tops are covered in snow but slightly hidden by cloud, so eery! We had a laugh with Duncan and his flat mate and Paul cooked them toad in the hole.
We also went to a shed party and tried locally shot wild venison and mussels on the BBQ. Also tried "Mutton Bird", which is a flightless sea bird that only Maoris are allowed to catch, then after biting their heads off to kill them, they store them in barrels of brine..anyway they were really salty and oily...a real experience though...yuk!
Managed to go to the gym here (tiny room in their empty community centre, of which Duncan had the key). Also went out on a nearby lake in Duncan"s speed boat. Great fun driving the boat (plenty of 360's). Cloud cover was still plenty, so moved on North to Greymouth and Westport. Stopped on the way at the "Pancake Rocks" and also checked out a fur seal colony in the rain.

The best thing was our 2 day trek in Abel Tasman in the North. We packed our backpacks with tent, sleeping bags, stove, clothes, enough food for the journey and set off with fairly big packs.

It started with a boat trip to Tonga Bay, again visiting a Fur seal colony on the way and saw a little blue penguin swimming.
The combination of the most amazing beaches, stunning sea and edging tropical rainforest was incredible.
We hiked for 2 hours then had our lunch and a sim and sunbathe in Bark Bay, before another 3 hours hike to our first destination in Anchor Bay. On our way we found Oysters in a tidal bay, which we were chuffed about and ate willingly. We camped for one night then continued with a 4 hour hike back to the town where we started.
The weather was kind to us the whole trek, which was lucky and we loved it.

Then onto Nelson in the North before a long drive back down to Christchurch. Nelson was a nice town by the sea and the hostel was lovely, with a pool and jacuzzi which was really lovely after our hike. Did have back and leg ache for a couple of days after.
Stayed here two nights...went out for a drink in town, walked along the huge beach (noticed loads of beach and surf kiting in the distance).

Dropped off the car back in Christchurch then caught our flight to Melbourne. We had to check in at 4am, so slept abit on the floor in the airport that night. Good flight and here we are!

Stayed with Penny and Pat for a couple of days in the outskirts of Auckland(friends of Lesleys). Had wonderful homemade meals and desserts...roast chicken to start on our first day...mmm. A lovely big house...and carpet (looked strange after none for so long). They showed us around the area and local coastline. This was all far to nice and comfortable for us backpackers, so we said our farewells and moved into the city backpackers....got my wallet stolen! Then camped in Auckland for a night and met up with friends from Fiji. Arranged a rental car, then drove North to Bay of Islands, staying with another friend on the way up. Ate wonderful, huge green lip mussels (very cheap to buy here) and Andre showed us around the coastline there...beautiful and we saw our first dolphins in the bay there.

At Bay of Islands (Pahia), we camped next to a mini version of Niagra Falls. Weather was really lovely and the coastline was stunning. Went to a Maori site and meeting house, went on a boat and saw more dolphins close up.

Then travelled down the west coast, lots of sheep everywhere, stopping to see the largest Kaori trees in NZ and camped by a beautiful lake with great sunsets. Swam in the lake too! Saw our first living possum until it got run over as we saw it. They are considered a real pest over here as they destroy the trees and in turn various wildlife....shame bacause they are quite cute.

Then returned to Auckand and Penny and Pat and also met up with friends from Fiji. Went on to Bay of Plenty on the East coast south of Auckland...Mount Monganui, where we stayed for four days in an empty flat of...you guessed it, friends we met in Fiji.
The mount was on the end of a spit/peninsula..holiday town with lovely beaches. We walked around and up the mount for spectacular views and good exercise. Lots of sheep on the Mount. Went to a party in the town and also swam in the naturally heated hot pools there...lovely!

Had arranged to meet friends from Fiji in Rotarua, renowned for its thermal springs, geysers, bubbling mud pools and stench of rotten eggs...sulphur. Went up in a gondola overlooking the lake and had a few rides in the Luges (little one seated trolleys with a steering column that also acted as a brake when pulled)...loads of fun racing each other (5 of us) with 3 different tracks. All stayed at the same campsite and had a great BBQ.

All moved onto Lake Taupo (huge extinct volcano summit, now filled with water). Played crazy golf there, went to the Earthquake Centre (of which they have many, as they do volcanoes, with a major fault running straight up the middle of NZ). Also went to a Bee Centre and tasted honey...mmm and saw some rapids and a waterfall.

Moving on, Paul did a well know trek "Tongararo Crossing" which crossed 3 volcanoes and was a 17km hike. He really enjoyed and I' so glad I didn't go.

Then went to the West surfing coast, but we didn't go surfing but some of our friends did. We stayed in New Plymouth on a campsite next to the beach...again great sunsets, BBQ, and went to the local Aqua park to continue Dive Club practice on a great set of spring boards and it had a wave machine...what a laugh.

Left our friends and headed down to Wellington, to catch the ferry across to South Island. Here we went to a brilliant free museum, although our car was involved in a hit and run while we were away.
After a police report, a lot of hassle, worry and detective work we found out who did it and they kind of owned up, thanks to a note left on our windscreen. We nearly had to pay $2,500 excess if we couldn't find them, so got away with $100 excess and another car...phew, but what a pain. Also paid more to catch the ferry the next day. Had a nice Indian Meal in Wellington to make us feel better...