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World Trip 2017-18

June 2017 - January 2018
A 193-day adventure by Mats and Jenna Read more
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  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 97

    Forest Lake

    October 4, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    After the downpour on the last day of the Cooloola Great Walk, we stayed in a hostel in Noosa. But the adventure wasn’t over. Even the hostel grounds were flooding! After we had gone to bed, it rained so hard that waterfalls were flowing down the stairs. The water was about 20cm deep and coming up to the bottom of the door. People were shoveling water and using buckets to clear the water. Just 2cm short of coming into the room, the water started to go down again. Phew!

    The following morning we headed back South to Brisbane. We found Dave and Leanne through Couchsurfing. They’re a really relaxed couple, with 5 kids, in Forest Lake (near Brisbane). We definitely got the downtime and comfort we were hoping for after our tramp. We could wash and dry our gear and relax our sore muscles. Dave is a great chef and taught us a bit about his cooking. He even trusted me with the BBQ! We had two late nights chatting about everything from traveling and culture to business and politics.

    Just behind their house is a park surrounding Forest Lake. It's a really nice, relaxing area, with lots of birds, ducks and water dragons. We stopped at a nice coffee shop half way along the path. The owner had just started a few years ago. Her concept is smart. She convinced a few local businesses to set up a cart on their property. Consistent customers and a free space, for good coffee, literally around the corner.

    Dave and Leanne took us to the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre. It was really educational. It has two platypuses, free roaming kangaroos, a wombat, flying squirrels, alligators, snakes, frogs, and more. It is run by (really friendly) Queensland national park rangers who were willing to share everything they knew about the animals. They even showed us the “bush stone-curlew” and their recently hatched chicks! In Aberdeen, Jenna worked for a floating oil production vessel named after these birds. Cool!    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 99

    Gold Coast

    October 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Conor and Megan (friends from Canada) got us in touch with Kim, on the Gold Coast. She was super welcoming (and trusting) even though she had never met us before! We stayed with her, Josh and their roommate Sam for 15 days. It was super relaxed but also a nice base to explore the area from. By the end of our stay she felt like family and it feels like we've known her for years!

    Kim has a similar diet to Jenna, so we bonded over cooking and going to the saturday morning farmers market. We made rice wraps (Mats made burrito-sized ones), roasted veggies and juiced veggies. Mmmm! We also went out to a restaurant and had squid and sweet potato fries. All of a sudden, Khal Drogo* walks in.. What?! (*the actor, who plays in Game of Thrones).

    Kim and Josh's place is a 10 minute walk from the beach. So, we went down many times to bodysurf, admire storms and go for walks. A short walk down, Burleigh Head rises up out of the water. We did sunrise yoga at the base, climbed to the top, went for a run and even saw whales! We also did a short hike over a boardwalk through a mangrove forest. It passed a sanctuary where we saw more Koala's (with a baby!) and our first Wallabies! They look like miniature kangaroos and are really cute. On the canals behind the house, we got up on the SUP (stand-up paddle board)! "But don't fall in, there are bull sharks in these waters", no pressure...

    On the weekend, we did a day-trip to Byron Bay, the surfing and hippy town South of Gold Coast. Josh taught us how to surf! And afterward we hiked around the headland. This is the Eastern-most tip of mainland Australia! We spotted more whales and on the other side, where the surf was much higher, we watched the more experienced surfers catching waves. Back on the Gold Coast, we tried surfing a few more times. It's harder than it looks, paddling out against the waves, paddling with the wave to get speed, and then to catch your balance to get up. After three days, we were riding waves on our knees and Mats got up on his feet a few times. Righteous!

    We had a farewell dinner at the Collective, another cool concept. Five restaurants have teamed up and share seating. There is something for everyone, even for Jenna and Kim. But for those who suffer from analysis-paralysis, choice-stress, FOMO (fear of missing out), are decision-impaired, etc. this place is a nightmare! Mats has a hard enough time with one menu ;) But the food was delicious!

    Turns out it wasn't goodbye for long. Partly by chance, we'd run into Kim again a week later in Auckland! And we hope to see her again when she is visiting Conor and Megan in Canada next summer.    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 111

    Lamington National Park& Natural Bridge

    October 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Kim let us borrow her car for the day so we could explore the area. We had looked up hikes around Mt Warning. Its tip is the first part of the Australia mainland to see the sun rise. It sits on the edge of the large Tweed volcano. And along the rim of this vocano is the Gold Coast Hinterland (multi-day) Great Walk.

    Due to time and weather, we decided to do a one-day hike along the Great Walk track, through Lamington National Park. It goes past two large waterfalls, crossing the river multiple times and reaching the rim of the caldera before looping back. It had been raining a lot so we were hoping that the waterfalls would be more impressive. They sure were! And the sight of mist hanging in the river valley confirmed that we were in the middle of the rainforest. What we didn't expect is that the river crossings had flooded and were unpassable! We decided to head back.

    When we had stopped at the waterfalls, we found another surprise. There were little worm-like animals wiggling on our legs, leeches! After a good old freak-out, we managed to pull them all off. On the way back, we saw them everywhere. They were in puddles, on grass, on the look-out railing, all waiting for their chances to leech on to us. I think you'll understand that we didn't get any pictures of them. Every time we "caught" one, we were super fast to swat, pull, pinch it off before it really latched on.

    We also saw nicer wildlife. One species of tree (Antarctic beech - Nothofagus moorei) is older than the split of the supercontinent Gondwana. It is found from Australia all the way to South America. Because much of Australia is so hot and dry, it has retreated to only a few spots of high elevation (relatively cold), rainforest (wet). Getting close to the car, we also spotted about ten wallabies hopping around! They were fast and stayed to the dark bushes. And, on the drive out, we saw a herd(?) of eight kangaroos.

    We made a final stop at natural bridge. A river has carved its way through the rock, created a large cavern and formed a bridge made of natural stone. A waterfall plummets into the cavern, and the river continues downstream under the bridge. Cool! Especially going into the cavern and seeing it from the inside.

    We drove back to Kim's, taking the scenic route, straight through the Tweed caldera. Yes, you actually drive through the crater of an old volcano (it has a diameter of about 30km). The rim on either side is steep, and the road is slow and windy, but the center is flat and apparently well suited for farming. Even with a few hurdles (flooded river), it turned out to be an awesome day!    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 114

    Auckland Domain & Mt Eden

    October 21, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Kim dropped us off at the Gold Coast airport. We were finally able to continue our journey to Auckland, New Zealand. But the layover had not been wasted. We met some awesome people and were able to explore a great part of Australia!

    When we arrived, we went through very strict security. New Zealand has been isolated from the rest of the world for longer than many other parts of the world. And customs do a good job of preventing invasive bacteria, fungus, plants and animals from being imported and causing a lot of damage. It was a long wait, slower than security before boarding a plane, but it's great that the government puts such an emphasis on conserving its biodiversity. Unfortunately, as we later learned, the greatest damage had already been done by early settlers, just like in many other parts of the world.

    We quickly went looking for a hostel. But because of a holiday weekend, and Comicon, almost all hostels were full! Luckily, a less popular one still had a (windowless) room available. Beggars can't be choosers. We pre-booked for the following two days in a nicer hostel.

    While we acclimatised and found our bearings, we did two city hikes. Auckland domain is one of 50 volcanos within the city limits. It had a lovely walk through a rainforest park. At the top, Auckland's main museum overlooks the city. We walked through the volcano's crater and onto the "plug", a small hill, that sealed the last eruption. The top is marked by a sacred Maori tree. We also enjoyed a cold and a warm botanical garden, with many exotic plants.

    The following day, Mats hiked to the top of Mount Eden, an even larger volcano in the city. The crater is very steep and defined. And the view of the city and harbour to one side, and the west coast on the other side was beautiful. Especially the patches of cloud created dramatic shade across the landscape.    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 117

    Stan the Van – Part 1

    October 24, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Our van is great! It’s a 1998 Toyota Estima Aeras and drives great. No bad noises, no pull on the steering wheel, all hoses are connected, e-brakes work. Everything you need for it to drive, works great. We just had to get used to driving on the left side of the road!

    All seats in the back, except one, have been removed. In their place, a wooden platform has been built to be the frame for a bed. Several rectangle pillows make up the mattress. And when you slide the front seats forward, there is plenty of room to stretch out. The van came with pillows and duvets, sheets and covers. The bed is surrounded by curtains to keep the light out. And above, a moon roof lets the starlight in! How romantic..

    Those are the two main purposes, driving and sleeping. Everything else is bonus, although it sure is convenient. In the trunk (the boot, as they say in NZ and Australia), a few shelves and cupboards have been built to make a kitchen area. The van came equipped with a butane camping stove, some plates, bowls, cutlery, cutting board, cleaning supplies and other bits and bobs. When the trunk is open, its door provides perfect shelter while you’re cooking. And it’s tall enough to stand up straight underneath.

    Conveniently, the bed platform has built-in boxes that open for extra storage under the bed. You can also pull up the middle board, and by securing a leg underneath, make a dinner table. Folding the back board over reveals a third seat, for the occasional hitch hiker. The remaining sections of the platform lift to provide lots of storage space.

    On top of all that, the van has a radio and CD player, and came with a whole stack of random CD's. We expanded the collection at a nearby op-shop (second hand store). The van has A/C and power windows. There are plenty of storage compartments, cupholders, etc.    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 117

    In Search of a Van

    October 24, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We were picked up at the hostel and showed several lots, with many vans each. We knew what we wanted:
    - A van
    - Converted with bed and kitchen
    - +/- 200,000km
    - $4-5,000
    In the lots, most vans were either above $5,000 or not yet converted ($4,000 + $500 conversion and several days).

    We had one more appointment the following day. We met Victor, a Russian mechanic. He showed off his van and let us take a test drive. It had everything we wanted for $4,000. We were skeptical of the price difference. But he took us straight to a garage to do a pre-inspection by an independent mechanic. During the inspection, the mechanic showed everything that they were testing for. Everything checked out and we put down our deposit! Exciting!

    We stayed with a lovely couple through AirBnB in Sunnyvale. They were very welcoming. Leanne let us try (and take) some of her homemade marmelade and lemons. They helped us set up a bank account, using their postal address. And when we purchased the van the next day, she allowed us to do a full clean up (vacuum, dishes and laundry).

    We set off the following day as "proud owners" of our shiny new vehicle that would be our home for the next 3 months!    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 120

    Whananaki

    October 27, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We packed the van (we put our two backpacks in) and were ready to go.

    Kim, from Australia, was in Auckland for her nana's (grandma's) funeral. A family friends of hers, Les and Keith, also welcomed us in with open arms. Les is practical, hillarious and super blunt. It was settled, we were staying for tea. By tea, kiwi's mean dinner. Huh? They shared all the must-sees of New Zealand. And, we slept our first night in our van, in the safety of their driveway =). It was much more comfortable than expected, especially the duvet!

    The following day, Leslie drove us to some nearby sights. We drove around Lake Pupuke, a volcanic crater lake, surrounded by rich houses and the city's rowing club. We drove to the top of Mt Victoria (another volcano), and up a hill with old bunkers. The end of the road was the Devonport Naval base before heading back home.

    After our unexpected sidestop with Les and Keith, we set off North into the countryside. We stopped in Puhoi, an old settler village. Here Bohemian people from Czech Republic settled, at the time part of the Austrian empire. They travelled via Hamburg to the North Sea, took a steam boat to England, sailed for 172 days to NZ and had to canoe two hours to get to their new home! As incentive, they received 40 acres per adult and 20 acres per child. They lived off the land and were very creative in making (and repairing) their tools. Metal parts were hard to come by (or very expensive). It was a luxury to get an iron pot to cook on the stove, although they were used to those "luxuries" back home. The people running the museum were all volunteers, and some were, or were married to, descendents of those first settlers. In town we still saw the old general store, the fire hall and the convent/school.

    The road North is rolling and very green. We saw lots of sheep, but even more cows. The country is slowly switching over to cattle now that they have started irrigating the land. There were nice viewpoints overlooking the ocean. On the minor road we saw two hawks and lots of bunnies. It was winding left and right, over narrow bridges, up and down towards the ocean. There were no other destination so it was very peaceful. We found a grassy field near some public toilets in Whananaki. And we watched an amazing sunset over the river delta from the back of the van. Our favourite campsite for some time!

    The following morning, we explored down by the shore. It was nice to wade into the cool, salty water. There were some snails, small crabs, tiny fish and, when we looked closer, starfish! They were everywhere, probably 3-4cm across, and slowly crawling over the bottom. What a great first campsite! If this was a sign of things to come, this trip was going to be fantastic!    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 121

    Whangaruru Bay & Elliot Bay

    October 28, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We drove a very scenic coastal loop to Russell and the Bay of Islands (a very popular tourist destinations).

    At Whangaruru Peninsula we walked a 6km loop past a wetland, along the coast and through the rainforest. Buzzing bees were everywhere and the flowers smelt great. It turned out they were Manuka trees, from which the famous (and expensive) Manuka honey is made. The track took us to a Trig (hilltop viewpoint) with a great 360° view.

    Further along the road, a small trail ventured off onto a small headland. It had steep edges but was totally worth it. The view of Elliot Bay up ahead was really nice. The waves were washing up against the rocks and below a few small islands and coves had formed.

    At Elliot Bay, a creek was carving its way through the beach. We walked along the water, past a headland and came out to a nice long stretch of calm beach. We jumped in the water and did some bodysurfing. The water was a lot colder than in Australia though! A bunch of large rocks at the edge of the surf created natural pools where we saw more starfish. And we explored some dark (but unfortunately empty) caves in the rocks.

    We drove on to Russell, a small town where whalers used to get drunk and have a good time. Now it was a tourist hotspot, with several monuments to New Zealand’s history and good views of Bay of Islands. We went up to Flagpole Hill, where a Maori chief cut down the British flag four times, each time it was resurrected. Eventually the British started a battle over it, which the Maori won. Today the relationship between the Maori and “settlers” is much better. The hill also had a large, artistic sundial.

    At the campsite, we saw our first wekas, large, chicken-like birds. We heard that there were also kiwi birds nearby and that they would come out at night. I set up my lawn chair, covered myself in dark blankets and hoped one would come out of the bushes. From my perch, I heard a few kiwi calls (15 screeches, eeee---eeee---eeee…, 17 screeches, one far off in the distance) but none came out. After an hour or so, I called it quits and crawled in the van.

    In the morning, we did a short track overlooking the Bay of Islands. It started in a richer part of town, with many large houses overlooking the ocean. We walked up the green grassy fields and saw two guinea pigs hiding in the grass. We climbed to the top of the hill. The views were breathtaking (or maybe it was the tough climb up the hills).    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 122

    Rewa's Village & Rainbow Falls

    October 29, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    We drove a windy, rough, unpaved road going through forest and swamp, to bypass the ferry to Taipia. Tours through the Bay of Islands depart here so it’s super touristy, party-town and expensive. The Waitanga Treaty Grounds were also outside our budget but we would see much more Moari culture later.

    Near Kerikeri, we came across an old Heritage Village. There were lots of signs to tell about Maori history and the first European settlers. You could walk over the old village site and look at the fortification ("pa" in Maori). It has NZ’s oldest exotic (non-native) fruit tree, a pear tree, from the first European settlers. An old Stone House, the docks, a tea house and gardens showed how those settlers lived.

    Across the river, a replica of the Maori Rewa's village had been built. It had Maori relics, clothes and tools. Outside, a botanical garden showed native trees and plants, along with their Maori uses. Replica houses were set up to show what life was like. When I came back to the museum, the caretaker was busy making a piece of clothing using the techniques passed down to her by her Maori ancestors.

    We drove to Rainbow Falls and snapped some pictures of the big drop. Early European settlers built a hydro power plant up here, a small comfort for the people that were used to servants waiting on them back home. The pool at the bottom was surrounded by large rocks. It was amazing to scramble over them into the cave behind the falls!    Read more

  • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
    Day 122

    Aroha Island

    October 29, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Our last stop of the day was the protected kiwi peninsula, Aroha. We were welcomed by the caretakers/rangers. They explained the best way to spot the (nocturnal) kiwi. They’re very shy, so the slightest noise or light will scare them off. We got red cellophane and elastic bands to put over our phone flashlights.

    Waiting for the evening, we hung out with the ducks and their (very tame) ducklings. And exploring the paths, we were introduced to weta, insects that like to hide in dark places.

    The caretaker suggested we should meet up around dusk. He was going to check out one of the nesting boxes (see the picture we took during day light) that they had set up. It was still light at 8:15pm but we quietly walked to the box. Luckily, we were down-wind and although the moon was out, it was mostly overcast. We waited for about 20 minutes, not moving (despite the mosquitos). We heard the old (40 year old) female inside, grunting and occasionally knocking against the wood. Finally, she came out, and was startled by the red light. She ran off into the bushes. I got one more glimpse of her as she crossed a moon-lit clearing, then she was gone. We could still hear a male rustling around inside the box. Two minutes later, it came out too. It didn’t care so much about the light, but wandered off in search of food. The caretaker was as excited as we were.

    We walked around the path to the spot where the female was likely to come out again. We heard her rustling in the bushes, searching for bugs. When she saw the light again, she bolted across the path. We quickly followed, but she was very fast! We saw her butt as she scurried off into the forest. After a bit of wandering, we heard rustling near the water and stood by a small bench. Sure enough, she came out again! We barely used any light this time and she came right up to us. Only her beak was lit up, sticking out from under the bench (see the picture, you'll have to imagine the kiwi ;) ). As soon as we let out a bit more light, she ran off.

    We came across many more campers with their red lights. Some tromping, some with bright flashlights. They probably wouldn’t have much luck. At the other end of the island, we heard the male kiwi call. More than 20 screeches in a row. He had made a nest and was waiting for the female. On the way back, we saw the female one more time, as she crossed the road and ran off in the direction of the call. We decided to call it a night. Awesome! So many kiwi encounters!

    In the morning, we had a nice chat with the caretaker. They had started working at the eco centre 3 years ago, and this would be their last year. The Littles from England had started in the 1970s to restore the peninsula from farm land and grasses to the forest that is there today. They do a wide range of education for students and tourists. But, he said, it’s a fine balance between letting people experience the beautiful nature, and not overwhelming it.    Read more

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