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feb. 2017 – sep. 2025

Our Adventure

Et eventyr med en åben slutning af Charlotte Læs mere

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Our Adventure Rejsende
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Dag 680
fredag den 28. december 2018
⛅ 18 °C
Højde: 12 m
Hong Kong Tin Hau Temple 22.30874, 114.1709522°18’31” N 114°10’15” E
Following walking tour routes
28. december 2018, Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Rather conveniently someone has uploaded several walking routes to do around Hong Kong which show you different highlights of the city. For our first day in here we thought we'd explore one of these routes with a few extra stops thrown in along the way. What's also been really useful is that there is an extensive reasonably priced underground network so exploring the city will be quick and cheap. After a quick snacky breakfast and making ourselves a packed lunch we left our room rather sleepily to begin our day of exploring. We needed to catch the tube to the beginning of the walk and as we headed up the road we stumbled across a small park area which featured very stereotypical Chinese architecture, small stone benches and some empty fish ponds. It was a shame the ponds weren't being used because it would have brought this space and garden to life if they had been. Still it was a nice tranquil space and despite the street being 10 metres away it certainly didn't feel like it once you had fully submersed yourself in the area. After catching the train we ended up in a shopping mall and thankfully our first stop, the botanical gardens, was sign posted from here. We spent hours in the gardens exploring the many buildings, displays and areas. Every turn of the path seemed to uncover a completely different styled area and it was a walk of never ending surprises. They even had an exhibition in one of the buildings to explain how the traditional slanted rooves that extend out from the building corners into a point are constructed. When we were in China something like this would have only been in Chinese but what was most pleasing is because it is Hong Kong it was explained in both languages. We actually got to understand it fully rather than making assumptions from the pictures alone. This exhibition lead into a gift shop but not like any gift shop we have been to before. This one stocked many beuaitfully hand made antique pieces worth thousands of pounds. We felt so out of place but obviously didn't look it as a gentleman talked to us extensively about the history of the jewellery his cabinet displayed. He definitely expected us to buy something and as beautiful as they were we are simply not wealthy enough for any of it. After admiring the golden pagoda one more time we left the little haven of greeny and walked through the endless streets to a temple set on a bit of a hillside. Luckily my phone contract works here so when we got a bit lost we were able to rely on Google maps to get us back on track. This temple had so many beautiful Chinese lanterns hanging down and the smell of incesnce burning added to the magic of the space. We walked around respectfully as many people were worshipping and soon found a more private section which had a huge pond full of coy carp and turtles. With bridges and pathways all around the small space we meandered around watching the beautiful colours of fish glide through the water. Before we knew it the time was almost tea time so we headed to mall next door and found a nice restaurant to eat at. The food was warm and delicious and with satisfied stomachs we headed back our accommodation for the night. It was dark when we got back so it wasn't long before we were in bed for our second sleep here. We are definitely using earplugs tonight in the hope of having a better night's sleep than last night!Læs mere
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Dag 679
torsdag den 27. december 2018
⛅ 20 °C
Højde: 12 m
Hong Kong Tin Hau Temple 22.3087, 114.1709722°18’31” N 114°10’15” E
Bye bye mosquitos!
27. december 2018, Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We actually slept surprisingly well at the Hotel of Capricorn despite so many things going wrong yesterday. Today came the time to leave the moquito covered Fiji behind us and head to Hong Kong. We had considered having a breakfast at the hotel but after seeing the prices we went and bought snacks from a supermarket yesterday instead and just decided to have something hopefully substantial for lunch on the plane. It's one of those risks where you really hope they will give you food but you can never be sure. Despite yesterdays mix up with airport transfers we still got taken back to the airport by the hotel and arrived within plenty of time to check in and get some coffee inside us. I always like to get the airport super early so it does mean we have to wait around for a while but eventually we were boarding the plane ready to fly for what would seem like forever to get to Hong Kong. It was a 10 and half hour flight so I was glad we were sat with just the two of us together before the aisle started. I meant we didn't have to ask anyone to let us out when we needed it. We spent most of our time watching endless films and trying to have a few naps. There was a surprisingly good selection of films to watch so that kept us entertained most of the time. It did drag but not as much as I thought it would so that is reassuring for our 13 hour flight home we've just booked yesterday. After going through customs we had thoroughly researched how to get into the city as cheaply as possible and after purchasing travel cards we hopped on a bus towards Jordan where we'd be staying. When we got on a man followed us wearing a leg brace so Nick offered to help him with his luggage. He then started telling us he was here to bungee jump and we both looked at him puzzlingly because of his leg. He began to laugh and then explained that his leg was fine and he just wears a brace around the airport to pretend to have an injury so he can board the plane first, be taken off first and get driven around instead of having to walk! He painted it as the best idea ever, something we must do, but it just felt so wrong that he's taking those services from people who actually need it. We got off the bus before him and wished him well for his jump before walking towards our accommodation. We entered a residential style block of flats and discovered there is no queueing etiquette for the elevators. We were first in line and as soon as everyone had cleared out the lift people pushed passed us from both sides and before we could even move to get in the lift was full and the doors closing. I was boggled by the rudeness of this. The next lift came and we made sure to stand side by side so no one could get passed us before we got in. We found our hotel on the 7th floor which was basically a tiny room being used as a reception. We were directed upstairs and found our room for the week was in what probably use to be an appartment that has been split up into 4 very modern hotel rooms. We later discovered we have the biggest room of all 4 because we were at the end and on a corner. It's very tiny compared to most rooms but that's not unusual for Hong Kong and it serves it's purpose. I can't imagine how we would feel in the other 3 smaller rooms as ours already feels cramped. It's very noisy outside too even though we are at the back of the building so it may mean we wear earplugs to sleep. The accommodation was significantly cheaper than any other hotel in the area though so I'm pretty pleased with what we have for the price. We headed out to a supermarket nearby to buy some food for lunches and breakfasts before going to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. It's surreal being in such a built up highly populated city but it's a welcomed contrast and something new to explore and experience.Læs mere
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Dag 678
onsdag den 26. december 2018
⛅ 31 °C
Højde: 23 m
Fiji Vunitogotogo Creek -17.77997, 177.4309517°46’48” S 177°25’51” E
Ending up at the wrong hotel
26. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
After our tropical Christmas break it came the time for us to pack up our stuff and leave the little bure behind us. Despite being quite remote we had a great time on the island even with the constant mosquito attacks. At least with sandflies in New Zealand you felt them biting you but with mosquitos you could have one on you for 10 minutes before you even notice, if you even notice, at all. The hotel dropped us to the airport where we sat in the tiny waiting area before having to physically stand with our hand luggage once again on the scales. We gave our big backpacks to the assistant to load onto the little trolley and soon enough our plane landed with the next set of island seeking tourists and locals. The flight over to Nadi was a different route to our first flight from Suva so we could to see so much more of the mainland and its surrounding coast line. The reefs are beyond stunning from the air and you hope the country can maintain their tourism and preserve such an amazing ecosystem forever. We saw so many new types of coral and fish here that it truly feels unique from other reefs so I hope nothing ever changes to alter that. After flying in over lushious green hills we were back at Nadi Airport arriving at the domestic terminal. We had a transfer arranged to our hotel but we soon realised they wouldn't be picking us up from here, despite us asking for it. Instead we chose to leave after 20 minutes of waiting and walk around to the international arrivals where we were picked up last time we were here. Now here is where I made a huge error. It turns out that two hotels decided to put the word "Capricorn" in their name. So there is a Hotel of Capricorn and a Tropic of Capricorn. I mean what are the chances? The hotel we stayed at last time was attached to two other hotels on the same street including the Tropic of Capricorn one and I just always believed this was the one I had booked. We found the shuttle lady and she said we weren't on the list but by this point we didn't know there were two similar named hotels so we insisted we were and she said she had space to take us. We got to the hotel and they couldn't find us on the system, even giving our booking reference didn't help. Eventually the receptionist looked at our booking on our phone and she was the one who spotted that I'd actually booked us into the Hotel of Capricorn, the completely wrong hotel. Feeling very embarrassed we left the reception and flagged down a taxi. The receptionist had told us where it was and 5 minutes later we were at the right hotel. They were rather annoyed at us for not meeting the person at the airport as planned and when I explained what happened trying to lighten the mood she simply replied in a very sarcastic voice "how can anyone mix up Tropic and Hotel". It was rather tense and uncomfortable. She then said our room wasn't ready so we put our stuff into a locked storage room and went to Burger King nextdoor for lunch. I'm surprised Nick even entered such a place but we were both so hungry that we didn't care what we ate. Our room still wasn't ready when we came back, there was a slight feeling this was payback by making us wait, but eventually we got the key. We then discovered WiFi isn't included, I'm surprised busy large hotels even do that anymore, especially when our very budget hotel we had last time here did offer WiFi. So we dumped our bags and left straight away on a taxi back to our first hotel where we sat by the pool on the WiFi wishing I'd booked the right hotel! We managed to book so much of our remaining trip however that it ended up being a very productive afternoon and not such a bad day after all. We even took the plunge and booked our journey home! Home, I can't quite believe we will be going there. Having an end date makes everything seem so limited and we really need to make the most of our remaining time away.Læs mere
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Dag 677
tirsdag den 25. december 2018
Højde: 21 m
Fiji Saioni Settlement -16.69477, -179.8878116°41’41” S 179°53’16” W
It's Christmas!
25. december 2018, Fiji
Merry Christmas from Fiji! I never would have believed it if 22 months ago I was told we'd actually spend 2 Christmas' away from home. I hung on to our Christmas hats from last year just for this day. The Xmas songs have been blaring around the hotel all day day although it never truly feels like Christmas when it's so hot and you're use to colder weather on this day. We had no specific plans for our Christmas, just to relax and enjoy each other's company which is what Christmas is all about. We treated ourselves to a lavish breakfast and even put our names down for a Fijian style Christmas Dinner to have in the evening. One thing I desperately wanted to do was to make a sandman: a snowman basically made out of sand. Not that we ever really get to make snowmen at Christmas back home but it just felt right! After opening cards and a couple of lovely gifts from home we made our way down to the beach and had it all to ourselves. We enjoyed a coffee at the beachside cafe before setting about making our sandman. Turns out the sand on this particular beach is rather coarse so didn't bond together very well but with a little help of a waterbottle to prop him up eventually Toothy was born! Aptly named given the state of his smile. We also realised we'd started building him under a coconut tree so it was a rather speedy process for fear of being hit of the head by a falling coconut. Something apparently that quite a lot of people die from. We had considered going in the sea but after dropping off washing yesterday to the hotel we didn't really want to get lots of clothes covered in salty water again. Instead we sat enjoying the view and sound of the waves feeling lucky to be here in this moment. After returning back to the hotel and bit of lunch we did decide to take a dip in the pool, at least the water wasn't salty here. I don't know what it is about salt water but it really does make your clothes smell even when you rinse them out. We're in the habit of wearing trousers in the sea now too to protect our legs from sunburn so it would have been rather a lot of smelly items to have to pack away before we fly back to the mainland. The pool was cool and inviting and we enjoyed our swim before lying back in the hammocks to dry off. The rest of the day was filled with playing games before our Christmas dinner which was an interesting chicken dish, we're not too sure what it contained but it was still very tasty. What was so lovely about the day was being able to video call home in the evening when everyone was up and opening presents back home. Knowing we will be home soon, although no one else knows that, makes it easier to just enjoy being a part of these moments rather than longing to be there every second you're on video call. Who knows with Canada in the pipe line we may make it to 3 Christmas away from home!Læs mere
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Dag 676
mandag den 24. december 2018
Højde: 21 m
Fiji Saioni Settlement -16.69472, -179.8876816°41’41” S 179°53’16” W
Tropical weather? Let's do a hike!
24. december 2018, Fiji
One of the main attractions to see on the island is a series of 3 waterfalls all created by the same river. You have to hike up to each one and apparently the hike gets harder the higher up you go. We asked the hotel to offer this tour but unfortunately we were the only ones who signed up so they decided not to run it. Another couple we met had managed to do it on their own by getting the public bus that operates 3 times a day. After some much needed breakfast we walked to the nearest shop, 25 minutes in boiling sun at 7.30am, to discover it was closed even though it said it should be open. Luckily a smaller one was open so we managed to get some snacks and water to take on the hike. After layeringon insect repellent, sun cream and good hiking clothes we stood on the road to wait for the bus. It was hot and I mean really hot. The road had no shade and the half an hour wait was torture. After what felt like a lifetime of melting away along came a very packed old bus chugging up the hill really struggling to make. Now we understood why it was late. We were fortunate enough to get seats although it was a very unpleasant closeness to a stranger because we couldn't sit together. Thankfully the bus had open sides instead of windows so we did get a nice breeze when we got up to some speed. We stopped outside so many small villages and people's houses and it was definitely an experience we won't forget. We felt like this was the real island life of Fiji, seeing children playing in the river, locals carting huge sacks of flour off the bus to last them months and it felt good in the end that the trip was cancelled as we would have missed out on experiencing this. We eventually spotted our stop and after paying a woman in a tiny little shop to enter the reserve where the waterfalls were we started our hike. The track to the first waterfall was mostly flat, walking along a grass covered path lined with all kinds of tropical flowers and plants. The forest was alive with insects and birds, the sound was beautiful. We had bought swimming things but when we got to the waterfall we found several locals swimming there and feeling self conscious we took a photo and continued our walk. The path then got much harder with a steep ascent up some steps. This went on for what felt like forever but after probably 10000 steps (I may be exaggerating here) we made it to a small covered seating area overlooking the incredible view of the sea below on one side and the rainforest the other. Another couple were enjoying this spot so we carried on instead. The path then entered the forest and weaved its way through with several ascents and descents after each other. It almost felt like we were undoing progress everytime we descended. We had to watch out for cane toads and spiderwebs but eventually came to our second waterfall. Harder to see than the first we paused for some time before deciding to head back down instead of climbing to the third waterfall. There was only one bus left to run for the day and we didn't want to miss it. On our way back we sat and ate lunch under the covered seats as the heavens opened and we were surrounded by tropical rain. It felt invigorating and freeing just sitting there soaking it in. After some slippery steps down we were back at the start and sat talking to the lady while we waited for the bus. After a while a family turned up the father of which she knew who had his family coming to stay for Christmas and they wanted to see the falls. After a while of talking he actually offered to take us back, for a fee, but she confirmed he is a taxi driver. We weren't sure, it felt unsafe but after the bus still did not arrive we accepted and he dropped us at the closed shop we visited this morning to get supplies before we walked the rest of the way home with Nick somehow carrying 6 2L bottles of water. We had to hand wash all our clothes under the tap just to remove all the disgustingness of the day, knowing they'd dry within minutes on the balcony. It certainly was an adventurous but extremely tiring day and we will definitely sleep well tonight.Læs mere
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Dag 675
søndag den 23. december 2018
Højde: 21 m
Fiji Saioni Settlement -16.69474, -179.887816°41’41” S 179°53’16” W
The roughest snorkeling trip yet
23. december 2018, Fiji
I think because our hotel is so isolated they offer several excursions and trips each day to keep everyone entertained. Guests can sign up to the trip being offered for a certain price and you have to hope enough people want to go on it for it to run. Luckily lots of people signed up for today's snorkeling trip that we went on to Rainbow Reef. After waiting around because the staff run on "Fiji" time, we eventually all walked down to the beach armed with fins, a life vest and a snorkel and mask. At the beach we are bit shocked to discover our boat for today's activity is a tiny wooden vessel with a speed boat motor on the back. It was badly worn and despite the group being split between two boats it still felt like our boat couldn't withstand the weight. However we managed to speed away from shore holding on for dear life as the rough waves threw the boat everywhere. We had a lady who looked to be in her 70s with us and I felt so sorry for her as even when she asked the guy to slow down he would do for a while only before slowly speeding up again as if we wouldn't notice. Eventually we made it out to the reef and we were told to get ready to get in. There was no ladder so the older lady refused to get in for fear of not being able to get out again and because the waves were so rough where we were. Other than us the only other couple on the boat also were reluctant to get in. There was a big language barrier and I got the sense they weren't actually sure what they signed up to with this trip. By the end of it between the 13 of us only 4 of us, Nick and I included, made it in the water and stayed there long enough to follow a guide around the reef. The others either stayed in the boat or got in briefly before getting pulled out again. The reef was beautiful and it was very exciting to see plants and corals we haven't actually seen before on all the snorkeling trips we have done. Once you were face down lying in the water it was easier to forget how rough the sea was. Unfortunately my mask was leaking but after a while Nick decided to head back so he kindly gave me his while I carried on for another 10 minutes with the other couple and our guide. After a good amount of time in the water we headed to a remote island for lunch on a secluded beach. As we arrived a pod of dolphins came to say hello which was a pretty special moment. I snorkeled around the shore here because we found out that after food we would be heading back to the hotel. It was a bit annoying really that it was a snorkeling trip but we only got to do one dive. I guess though with over half of the group not wanting to take part it wouldn't have been very fair on them to stay out longer in the sun. Once back at the hotel it was so hot we had to have a dip in the pool in the afternoon before getting completely covered up ready for dinner. Getting to the restaurant is a task at night time as we have discovered it's when cane toads decide to flood the poorly lit pathways. Luckily we have torches to dodge the toads!Læs mere
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Dag 674
lørdag den 22. december 2018
Højde: 21 m
Fiji Saioni Settlement -16.69475, -179.8878716°41’41” S 179°53’16” W
Escaping to island paradise
22. december 2018, Fiji
Today was a pretty exciting day because we went on the smallest plane of our travels yet. It only had 19 seats! I'm so glad we booked this well in advance as I imagine those seats fill up pretty quickly. We had to catch a taxi to the airport which was quite expensive but the best way for us to make the 40 minute journey there. Also the most reliable way. The domestic terminal was rather small and we had to physically stand on the scales with our hand luggage to check the weight for the plane. I guess when the plane is as tiny as it was they have to be careful not to over load it. The flight over from the mainland to Tauveuni was so magical. Down below us all we could see was coral reefs in Turquoise waters. The water looked so very inviting. We landed after roughly an hour and a half in the air and watched our baggage be unloaded by a single guy with a little cart. We entered the tiniest airport you've ever seen and swiftly discovered the hotel had forgotten to pick us up. After a while one of the staff asked who we were waiting for and kindly called the hotel for us which prompted them to come and get us. It wasn't the best start but we were soon checking in to our little detached bure set on a palm tree covered hill overlooking the sea. Pretty much postcard paradise. The resort use to be 5 stars but apparently went under and now the bures are rented out at a much cheaper nightly rate. It does mean there are a few problems but for what we got overall for the price we couldn't complain about anything really. After dropping off our bags we headed down to the beach and although not the nicest in terms of litter it was still quite picturesque. As we walked along the shore we came to quite a rocky area and here I spotted a striped snake. Turns out that Nick had researched snakes in Fiji and it was in fact the most poisonous sea snake in the world. Safe to say we gave it a very wide berth and removed ourselves from the rocky area as quickly as possible. After a quick photo of course! We spent the afternoon in the pool where Nick played games with one of the employee's children. Although it was very fun after a while we just wanted to float around and relax but that was hard to do with a child splashing to get your attention. The only downside is the island isn't very inhabited/developed as you'd imagine a tropical island to be so we are pretty much restricted to the hotel's limited menu for all our meals over the next few days. Still I think there's enough things for us to fancy even if it does include some repitition some days. The biggest down side to paradise is mosquitos. I covered up for dinner, sat by a repellent burning coil and was still bitten 3 times. It looks like it's going to be a few days of being plastered in sun cream and insect repellent!Læs mere
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Dag 673
fredag den 21. december 2018
⛅ 24 °C
Højde: 15 m
Fiji Albert Park -18.1444, 178.426918°8’40” S 178°25’37” E
Maybe Suva doesn't have much going on
21. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
One thing you can always guarantee on there being in pretty much most cities is a cinema. It has become our go to place when we run out of buildings or sites to see and are just wanting to escape back into rural or island life. After extensive googling we couldn't find much that we wanted to actually see in Suva that we didn't visit yesterday. There are trips to places outside of the city but these need to be booked in advance unfortunately so that wasn't an option for today. Instead we took everything at a leisurely pace with no real rush of needing to be anywhere fast. The one thing we had considered doing was going to visit the markets. Although I'd read they were mainly food stalls, I felt it might be a nice experience for us. How wrong I was! We were approached outside when we got there and initially assumed it was for a photo or to try and scam us but surprisingly the guy warned us to be on our guard with our bags if we were venturing into the market. This dramatically changed how we felt about the idea and although we stepped into the area it was then instantly affirmed that this wasn't a good idea. Not only did it feel very intimidating with everyone staring at us but with it's narrow walkways covered in food waste, thick tent coverings trapping the heat in and the overwhelming smell of rotting fish/fruit/potentiallly a person, we opted to take a photo and make a dash back out the way we came where we took the biggest gulp of fresh air we could. That's when it was confirmed that we'd need to fall back on our trusty backup of going to the cinema. Before heading there we went back to our lovely air-conditioned mall and had some more vegetable fried rice. It wasn't quite as good as yesterday but it was still enjoyable. Although we are here to experience other cultures, places and really get a feel for a country it does get tiring being constantly overwhelmed. At the cinema Aquaman has just been released so the place was heaving however we opted to see a film called Mortal Engines and we were 2 of the 4 people who decided to choose this film. The cinema as expected wasn't exactly pleasant to be in but we enjoyed just switching off from the chaos outside and letting our guard down a little. After the film we did have a wonder around some shops in an area we hadn't been too yet before buying some snack food from a shop to take back to have for tea. Travelling has definitely put us out of so many comfort zones but we are still so reserved and don't take many risks compared to other travellers we have met. I do feel our past experiences have put us more on edge but I'd rather that than risk anything bad happening that spoils the whole experience for us.Læs mere
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Dag 672
torsdag den 20. december 2018
⛅ 29 °C
Højde: 15 m
Fiji Albert Park -18.14439, 178.426918°8’40” S 178°25’37” E
Exploring the city
20. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
After spending the night on an incredibly hard thin mattress that gave us so many flashbacks to our time in China, we woke up ready to explore Suva. However coffee was definitely on our mind! Our first stop for the day was to the national museum of Fiji which initially didn't look like it would amount to much as we entered a single room but to our pleasant surprise there was a door to the side which led to a gift shop and many over exhibition rooms almost quadrupling the size we thought the museum was initially. It was a bit of a mishmash through and there was no clear history given as to how Fiji was discovered or cultivated, which was a shame. You assume museums abroad would go back to the very beginning and outline the basics of how that country was established but then you remember that very few museums in our own country go in to that much background detail. It feels wrong therefore to expect over country's museums to do this. All knowleged out and with coffee in our bellies we began to walk into the city centre of Suva. Our taxi had driven through this area yesterday so we knew it wasn't too far away from where we are staying, or the museum, which is good because our accommodation host suggested we needed to get a taxi into town. What a waste of money that would have been and we would have also missed out on seeing some of the sights of the city such as the presidential buildings and their surrounding gardens and greenery. Like Nadi the centre of Suva is chaotic and full of scams. We instantly stand out from the crowd and we completely had our guard up for anyone who approached us. Luckily I'd read online about one particular scam where you will be approached by someone asking all out you and as soon as they find out your name they start carving it on to something wooden which they then insist you buy. This almost happened to us until I insisted the guy didn't carve our names into this ugly wooden sword but he kept saying it was a gift and we wouldn't need to pay. In the end I just said I knew he was scamming us and off we walked. We found safety within malls knowing there was security around and we used them as a base to check the maps on our phones to where we were visiting next. Along our way we came across Ellery Street, it would be so cool to find out how exactly this street earned such a great name. Suva is an odd city in the sense that it has this amazing old architecture which is so detailed and intricute but alongside this are buildings that are pretty much falling apart. It's an odd mixture but there is a certain charm to the city especially in the older and greener parts. We ended our day with a meal in a food court at the top of the most expensive looking mall around. Vegetarian was hard to come by but the vegetable fried rice we had went down a treat.Læs mere
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Dag 671
onsdag den 19. december 2018
⛅ 29 °C
Højde: 15 m
Fiji Albert Park -18.14441, 178.4269318°8’40” S 178°25’37” E
Thank goodness for kind people
19. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Today could have been a complete disaster if it hadn't been for one man, Peter. It all began with us checking out of our hotel, leaving behind a horrible amount of plastic bottles that you pray get reused or recycled and getting a taxi to the bus station. Our destination was Suva, the country's capital and once at the station we found the stop we needed to depart from. There was one bus already there but it looked so cramped and it was a company I hadn't read about online. We decided not to buy tickets from them and wait for the one at 11am like we had planned. As we were waiting a guy named Peter approached us and offered us some of his Fanta which we kindly declined genuinely believing we were about to have another bad experience with a local like we had the last time we were at this bus station. We engaged in polite conversation and discovered he actually works on a resort on one of the islands and was travelling to see family for 3 days before going back to work again. We slowly realised he was actually being genuine. We soon learnt that we needed to purchase a Vodafone travel card and the only way to get on the bus is by scanning your card and getting a ticket. He said it's a system they introduced recently to prevent drivers overcharging tourists and pocketing the extra. Instead of getting on the bus he took Nick to show him where to get a card. I waited with the bags for an anxious 5 minutes before they came back. It turns out the whole bus station had run out of cards, this meant we couldn't get on the bus to Suva. Not only did Peter miss his bus to help us out he also gave us his spare travel card so we could top it up and get tickets. Unfortunately the next bus at 11:30 was full after going to the airport so we couldn't get on that one either. I felt so bad and kept apologising to Peter for him missing that bus. He said he believes in karma and will always help people when he can. This was apparent when he helped two other couples at the station as well. The first ones didn't want to listen to him at all even when I joined in backing up what he was saying. Luckily they were only going to a beach nearby so could buy a $10 single use travel card, not the reusable ones we needed for a larger amount of money. They were adamant they didn't what to do this as they'd lose the $3 left on the card. They were quite rude to Peter about it and I did say to them that it's an option of losing $3, paying 4 times as much for taxi there and back or not going to the beach. Eventually Peter bought them tickets for the way there on his card, I'm hoping they paid him back, and then they only needed a $5 card for the way back. This all went on for an hour over $3 and even after he helped them they were still very rude and unappreciative. Luckily the ticket sales for the next bus were open while this was happening but Peter wasn't queuing with Nick because he was helping this couple. I managed to get Peter's card and get Nick to buy his ticket as I was worried with so many people crowded around that he wouldn't get on. By this point we'd all been there for 2 hours. Eventually the bus came and somehow they managed to fit 5 seats in each row where every normal bus only has 4. It was an uncomfy ride being half sat on a seat but somehow it managed to go quite quickly. We watched both couples he helped get off the bus and eventually Peter left too and all we could do was thank him with huge smiles and waves. Thanks to him we made it to a rainy Suva, hopped in a taxi and got to our hostel. I'll never forget what he did for us and it's made me want to be more aware of people around me when I'm out and about at home to see if anyone needs someone to stop and take the time to help.Læs mere
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Dag 670
tirsdag den 18. december 2018
⛅ 30 °C
Højde: 11 m
Fiji Wailoaloa Beach -17.76524, 177.4290917°45’55” S 177°25’45” E
Exploring Fiji's reefs
18. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today was so aweosme. It did start slowly as we had to wait for 5 more people to show up that were meant to be on our tour today. We'd been picked up and checked in before being asked to wait at a cafe on the harbour front. The bad thing about the snorkelling and island tour we did today was that you don't have to pay upfront when you book, instead you pay when you check in on the day so this does mean you don't have to actually show up and this was clearly how these 5 people felt. After almost an hour and half of waiting and I went to the desk and spoke to the lady who was very understanding and told me they wouldn't be waiting any longer to set sail. We were on the boat and on our way only 15 minutes behind the original departure time so luckily those people didn't impact us too much. There was only 5 of us in the group so we were able to lie out on bean bags at the front and just enjoy the ride to our first reef spot. Nick was rather happy when we were offered a huge platter of fruit to share on the way. After an hour and a half of cruising along it was time to get on our fins and jump into the beautifully warm water. We were instantly surrounded by tropical fish and as we swam even closer to the reef the numbers only increased. We followed a guide who pointed out all the unusual creatures, sometimes picking them up which we didn't agree with though. Both of us wore trousers to protect the sunburn on our legs and to stop it getting any worse. We spent a good amount of time in water before it was time to make our way back to the boat. As we swam into open water away from the reef both Nick and I felt like we were getting stung a lot. We noticed hundreds of little jellyfish which we were told were harmless but around them as well were lots of tiny ones you would barely see. These and what the crew called sea lice can give little stings so I think this is what was getting us. Before we got back on the boat one of the crew spotted a turtle swimming below us. He was diving down after getting air and soon disappeared into the darkness but it was quite exciting to see it still. Back on board we headed to a nearby island to have a bbq buffet lunch. The food was very welcoming after so much swimming and the scenery couldn't have been more perfect with it's white sand beaches, turquoise waters and palm trees. After we ate Nick and I went for a wander around the area and beach before it was time to get back on the boat. We headed off again to another snorkelling spot which was much shallower in depth so it was easier to see all the coral without diving too much. Here we saw many sea cucumbers and seahorses which looked nothing like the seahorses you see in an aquarium. Luckily there wasn't anything stinging us in this new area. After another great time exploring we were on the boat and on the way back to where we started. Two of the guys spent time making amazing creatures out of coconut palm leaves and we were given a fish, a bird and a cricket. It's a shame we won't be able to keep them seeing as they are made from a plant but it was good to watch the process. After another fruit platter we were back on shore and thanking our crew for a wonderful day out. We rounded our day off with watching the sunset followed by a dance/sword throwing/fire show on the beach put on by the hotel. Not a bad day at all really.Læs mere
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Dag 669
mandag den 17. december 2018
⛅ 30 °C
Højde: 10 m
Fiji Wailoaloa Beach -17.76547, 177.4287217°45’56” S 177°25’43” E
We're so out of practice
17. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today we attempted to explore Nadi more on our own. We were a little apprehensive about it as we've developed both a fear and a level of confidence of stepping out of our comfort zone from our travels. It was a little unhelpful that the receptionist at the hotel told us we just pay cash for the bus which isn't actually the case. We discovered when we boarded that we needed to purchase a $5 travel card. Luckily though we could use one for both of us so only needed to get one. The bus wasn't the worse we've seen but it certainly wasn't a comfortable ride. They were playing music though which was a welcome bonus. We made it to Nadi bus terminal and our first thought was to work out where we needed to get back on the bus. Luckily as we were discussing this a gentleman approached us and showed us the bus stop we needed to be on for the way back. At first he came across really friendly, asking where we were staying, where we're from, that kind of thing. He then asked us our plan for the day and we said we were off to the markets. He passed us over to a lady and said she'd show us where it was. As we were walking we did feel very relaxed, she achieved this with her friendly personality. We began to realise something wasn't right when we turned a corner and were heading down an alley that didn't look like it would lead to any tourist market at all. Turns out that she lead us to their own personal shop. We knew then we'd been scammed and she explained that all the products sold here were made in the villages and wasn't mass produced. We didn't buy it but couldn't get out of the kava ceremony she began performing for us. She invited us to drink kava which we declined and after that was over we were invited to look around at what we'd like to buy. We did a courtesy loop before making for the exit. What made it worse was they were all sat by the door so as soon as she realised we weren't buying anything she said "well a donation will do" but we just exited quickly and thanked her. We pretty much ran away at this point and got ourselves into the fruit market before awkwardly passing the man and woman as they headed back to the bus station obviously to pick up their next targets. We felt like such fools for not picking up the signs earlier but you do want to see the best in people and not believe that everyone has a hidden agenda. You just have to put an unfortunate guard up in countries like this where they believe just because we come from a wealthier country that we have hundreds of pounds to spend on huge wooden swords. We felt a bit sour after that and it did taint our visits to the real markets and we just avoided going too close to any stall. Instead we explored a few shops, bought a few things we needed before deciding that was enough of Nadi town centre. We made our way to the bus stop and happened to meet 3 English girls who are staying at our hotel and were on the bus to town with us. Luckily one girl has been living here for 3 months so when we found out the bus was 40 minutes away she told us to come with them on an alternative bus and then once we got off she put us in a taxi and made sure our driver only charged us $5 for the ride. It was so nice after our experience earlier to have someone genuinely help us. Although I'm proud we ventured out I don't think it was our best day of exploring. I'm hoping at least when we visit the island we are staying on for Christmas we don't have to have such a guard up but we will see.Læs mere
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Dag 668
søndag den 16. december 2018
⛅ 30 °C
Højde: 12 m
Fiji Wailoaloa Beach -17.76443, 177.4281917°45’52” S 177°25’41” E
Let's go surfing!
16. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Nick was pretty excited about our trip today to finally give surfing a go. I was quite apprehensive about doing it but was trying to be open minded and give it a good go. We were collected from our hotel at 12pm because that's when the high tide was so this gave us time to have a relaxing morning and a good brunch before heading off. Our teacher for the day, Godfrey, was very welcoming and relaxed about the day. We made the trip to Natadola beach, one of the best beaches to visit in Fiji where we were to have our lesson. On the way we stopped at his house to collect another rash shirt and were give fresh mangos off of his tree which were delicious. We were with another girl called Grace for the experience who was originally from the Philippines and she showed us how to eat a mango without the need for a knife. It was messy but does mean we can buy some during our future travels without worrying about having a knife to use. We changed into our swim suits and rash shirts before Godfrey set up our boards on the beach to practice the technique on. The steps to take involved lying on the board with your hands under your chest ready to then push up the front of your body followed by lifting your bottom into the air before moving your back foot to the middle of the board and standing up as you bring the other foot into position. It was relatively easy on the sand but I wasn't optimistic that it would be as easy on the water. There was minimal waves on the beach but we all headed out to where the few waves were and lead on our boards waiting. Godfrey was stood in the water waiting for it to look like a good wave was coming in. He then lined one of us up and gave us a push and said the steps as we went to help us. Nick went first and was brilliant, standing up on his first go and riding the wave as far as it went before it disappeared. I on the other hand did not have such luck with my first go. I struggled to get to standing and with all the steps to remember continued to just fall off the board every time. Nick did have a few times where he didn't get up but overall be was really good at it and continued to perfect the technique. Amazingly after many many tries I got to standing! Everyone who had come out to surf cheered as I managed to do it. I only managed once more but it felt so good to achieve it a couple of times. The girl Grace we were with left after a while to get her phone and video us doing it for a travelling video she is making. The quality is poor and blurry but I managed to take a couple of screenshots of Nick from it. It was a great fun experience despite the fact we both now have extremely painful sunburn on the back of our legs from lying on the board waiting for a wave. I'm so pleased Godfrey gave us shirts or we'd have sunburn on our upperhalves too I think it's something we will definitely try again in the future as long as we are both wearing a wet suit that covers our legs!Læs mere
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Dag 667
lørdag den 15. december 2018
⛅ 30 °C
Højde: 13 m
Fiji Wailoaloa Beach -17.76414, 177.4280417°45’51” S 177°25’41” E
Maybe we should of planned more in NZ
15. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
After rearranging the furniture in our room to be able to put up our mosquito net we had a pleasant nights sleep last night in Nadi, despite the huge grasshopper we had to get out of our room that came under the door. Our accomodation is in a hotel away for the beach that is connected to two other hotels, the main one being Bamboo Backpackers. I'm so pleased we aren't staying there because it's where the bar and restaurant is so it's incredible noisy at night. After a lazy start we headed over there to have breakfast this morning and check out today's activities. They offer different day trips and tours but we weren't sure if the prices were reasonable or not so decided we needed to spend today properly researching what we want to do here. It became a bit daunting initially until we realised that Fiji has a website called Bookme, a discount exercusion website that we used in New Zealand. It's an easier way to scroll through all there is to do here and also see if any upcoming dates have any discounts. We know we want to visit some of the islands near by but it's surprisingly more expensive than we realised to do this. In the end we've chosen to go on a snorkelling trip which visited 2 snorkel sites and the has lunch on one of the islands. This way we get to do a fun activity with the added bonus of getting to visit an island for an hour or two. The other bonus is you get taken to good snorkelling spots and snorkel from the boat where as other trips drop you at an island and you have to swim out from there. The other activity we've booked is to have a surfing lesson tomorrow. This was reduced by $40 so that was a rather nice bonus. The reviews are amazing and it's the perfect session for beginners apparently and seeing as it'll be our first time this is idle. It's been something Nick's been wanting to try for a while now. We discovered that the cafe bar at the front of the hotel does amazing banana smoothies and the restaurant itself offers quite an extensive menu although for tonight we played it safe with a pizza. After feeling like our brains had been frazzled by information we went for a stroll down the beach. To say it's the not the nicest beach is a bit of an understatement but it's a beach none the less. The locals seem to enjoy spending time here. Two things we definitely weren't prepared for are the heat and the mosquitos. I've already been bitten 4 times on my arm, probably from the same mosquito. The sun is also very intense so I think it'll be a stay where we spend most of our time layering up sun cream and insect repellent. We rounded our pretty chilled out day with a swim in the pool. It was nice to just relax knowing that we have achieved something with our day despite not leaving the hotels! It's a shame we didn't plan more before leaving but sometimes that's just the way it goes with travelling.Læs mere
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Dag 666
fredag den 14. december 2018
⛅ 32 °C
Højde: 13 m
Fiji Wailoaloa Beach -17.76418, 177.4280317°45’51” S 177°25’41” E
We've officially left New Zealand
14. december 2018, Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
Today has been a whirlwind of emotions and pretty go go go. We stayed in a lovely Airbnb last night and I wish we didn't have to leave it because it was the comfiest bed we've had yet. We packed up our car one last time before setting off early to run some errands around Auckland. Managing to dodge most of the rush hour traffic we were at a post office near the airport for when it opened to send one last parcel home. Our next stop was to the bank to send all our money from our NZ accounts to our UK one. We discovered from other backpackers an awesome site called Transferwise which uses the simple concept of the money you pay to them goes into their NZ account and then the pay out you receive comes from their UK account, so the money never leaves NZ really. It's such a good idea because we got hundreds of pounds more doing it with this site than we would of with the international exchange rates from banks. Once that was completed it was a last stop to a supermarket to get some toiletries and then we were off on our way to drop the car off at 10:30am. After fuelling up at the airport we dropped it off on time and then were given a lift to the international departure terminal. We waited a while, eating snacks and drinking our water before going through check in. We queued for about 45 minutes before getting our boarding passes and dropping off our luggage. Soon we were upstairs eating Japanese food reminiscing about our time here in this wonderful country. I'm so sad to leave it and the people we know here and I don't think we're prepared for the shock we will get being back home with so many thousands of people around. We decided to have a check on our transfer and see how it was going and annoyingly we discovered our NZ bank accounts had been locked, despite doing it in branch and being reassured this wouldn't happen. We had no credit on our phones either but luckily Nick found somewhere to buy some top up and I called the bank. After 15 minutes or so of going through different people and confirming details my account was active again and the transfer released, the lady then did the same process with Nick. I'm so so so pleased we checked before we left the country as calling from Fiji would have cost a fortune. Feeling more relaxed we passed through security and eventually boarded our first flight in 16 months. We were given seats by the emergency exit which was great for leg room but did mean we couldn't access our fold out TVs until we were in the air where as everyone else had a good 30 minutes head start on the films. Luckily the films weren't great and my TV wouldn't stay upright anyway so we both gave up on films. Instead we enjoyed flying in such gorgeous weather watching Fiji slowy coming into view. After touch down and being hit by a huge wave of heat we met our transfer lady who was taking us to our accomodation. We had a bit of wait for another flight to land and then another long wait to actually check in but as soon as we walked into our aircon filled room it was amazing. We spent the evening having dinner by the beach and watching the sunset. Just like the day our time in New Zealand has come to an end. I never thought I'd love a country so much as this and I know that we will be back, it's just a matter of when not if.Læs mere
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Dag 665
torsdag den 13. december 2018
☁️ 21 °C
Højde: 35 m
New Zealand Sunde Stream -36.91131, 174.6329636°54’41” S 174°37’59” E
Of course I fell out the boat
13. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Today's photos are a little bit makeshift as they are screen shots taken from a video. As our leaving present Bruce paid for us to go white water rafting at a made man centre in Auckland. The only day we could really fit it in to our schedule was today. We were conscious of the fact that we needed to drive about 5 hours from Russell so we left early, this time taking the much quicker ferry. We ended up getting a free ride because the ladies card machine wasn't working and she refused to take the little cash we did have saying the trip was a Christmas present. At 2pm, after a bit of shopping, we turned up to the Vector Wero white water park where we met the 5 other people we'd be sharing a boat with. They were all on a work team building day together. After a safety video we were suited up with shoes, helmets, life vests and given a paddle each. Our guide seemed to be very experienced and gave us lots of different commands to listen out for and remember, the most basic being forward paddle and back paddle. Soon enough we were going up a ramp ready to give the course our first go. It's a lot scarier than I imagined and it's quite hard to try and paddle when all you want to do is hold on. We often bumped into the sides but I think that's probably quite common. We managed to do it though and after a gentle paddle over the lake it back up for round two. Nick and I got to sit at the front for both of these rounds which was pretty exciting. It was such an adrenaline rush and amongst the laughing and screaming you have to keep reminding yourself to listen and paddle or get down into the boat when told to. On our third lap around the two guys from the work team went at the front and Nick moved to the back while I went second from the front. This time around we tried to "surf" at the bottom of the waterfall which involves paddling straight into it and getting enough water on the front of the boat to hold you there "surfing" for a few seconds before the current takes you away. It was somewhere amongst the excitement of doing this that I fell out. After we started moving downstream again we were all so happy about what we just achieved that I don't think any of us were prepared for the next waterfall so as we went down I didn't grab the rope in time and went over the edge backwards. The first photo shows me in the water with everyone wondering where I'd gone. It's amusing to watch the video and here the commands being shouted at me because I didn't hear any of them. It was a crazy few seconds of trying to get air as I was getting swept down stream. I was saved by our helper on the side who amazingly managed to throw a rope to me and have it land on my face. Only because I felt it was I able to grab it because I couldn't see anything with the water in my eyes. He pulled me out of the current and I was able to climb out before getting back into the boat. I must of bashed my elbow at some point because it's missing a chunk out of it now. After finding my paddle we did one last round before going down a 4.5m drop waterfall which was awesome! Overall it was an amazing afternoon, the best ever leaving present and the perfect way to round off our time here in New Zealand.Læs mere
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Dag 664
onsdag den 12. december 2018
⛅ 20 °C
Højde: 18 m
New Zealand Long Beach -35.25912, 174.1258135°15’33” S 174°7’33” E
Sailing across the bays
12. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Nick did extensive research into which tour we should take around the Bay of Islands and it definitely paid off. We went on an excellent tour on an old sailing ship with only 8 other people. We set sail from Russell at 10am, initially using the engine because there was little to no wind at that time. The boat was beautifully made and the operators of the tour were such friendly open people. Despite the initial cloudy weather we ended up with a day of sunshine and we very naively didn't put sun cream on. Luckily the guys had some we could borrow. It was so peaceful crusing along the waves towards large islands in the distance. After an hour or two we came to the first island we could stop at. It had a few boats already docked there and we were told it's the most popular to day trip to. There was even a hostel boat where guests can stay in dorms over night. As cool as it sounded it turns out they pretty much have an all night party on board so it definitely isn't our thing. The crew made the decision to cruise around to another island instead of mooring here. We entered a beautiful bay with turquoise waters, a white sand beach and rocky forest as the backdrop. It was something off a postcard that's for sure. In groups of 4 or less we were transferred over to the shore on a small inflatable boat. We had the option to go snorkelling, swimming, kayaking or hiking up to a view point. I decided I wanted to visit the view point so as Nick got changed ready for a swim instead, I began a very steep climb up into the trees. The forest was buzzing with life and I saw so many Tui and Tomtit birds flying around. Eventually after getting very hot for the climb I came to an area of benches which looked down on the Bay below. The trees have fully taken over though and you can't see as much as you once could I imagine. It was still beautiful. We'd been told of a second view point over the other side of the hill I was now on so I carried on the path to find this one. As I stood on the benches I could see an amazing view of all of the islands out in front of me. The water looked so inviting and blue from this height. I spent so long admiring it that birds started to get use to my presence and were swooping and diving all around me. It was quite a magical moment. I dragged myself away and began to descend down to the bay. When I got back I couldn't see Nick at first but eventually I realised he was out kayaking. I watched as he explored nearby rocks and shorelines. It was so peaceful just sitting on the beach listening to the waves rolling and the wind blowing through the trees. Soon came the time to go back to the boat and on board we were served an amazing chicken salad for lunch. It was so good and it's definitely something I will try to replicate when we are home. After some drinks we hoisted the sail because the wind had picked up and began our journey back to Russell. On the way we just so happened to catch up to a dolphin tour boat and as we sailed past saw the pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming in the waves. As we watched we happened to see one jump high out of the water which was just incredible. Our ship doesn't have a license to stay and watch the dolphins so all we could do was sail past so I'm pleased we got to see that moment before we carried on. We had to wait for the wind to be strong enough and in the right direction before sailing into Russell's harbour which did make this journey back drag a little but it was relaxing to just be out on the open water. After such an awesome day we made pizzas for tea, did laundry and packed our bags ready to venture back down south tomorrow. Nick's been plastering on the aftersun all evening on his legs which are now glowing pink after his half an hour kayak. He won't forget to cover them up next time that's for sure!Læs mere
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Dag 663
tirsdag den 11. december 2018
☀️ 23 °C
Højde: 10 m
New Zealand Long Beach -35.25963, 174.1257735°15’35” S 174°7’33” E
Lots of mosaic art
11. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
It was another big driving day for us today as we drove the 6 hour journey up to Russell. When we visited Northland last time it was during a 5 day storm. We managed to get up to Cape Reinga and avoid the rain while up there but as we headed south again we entered back into the storm. The weather for Russell then was predicted as 4 more days of rain so we just decided to skip it and come back in summer. You do forget how far away everything is when you plan these things though and it definitely makes you appreciate how close everything is to each other in the UK. We had a bit of a lie in today and with still sore legs began today's drive. We successfully navigated Auckland's highways and carried on highway 1 northwards. After a few hours we needed a break so we stopped at a cute cafe that was attached to an art gallery. I was pretty excited to discover the exhibition was for local artists and everything was under $500. Unfortunately though there was no pieces that I was really drawn to, not even the mosiaced Daleks. We sat outside and I drank my first ever salted caramel flavoured latte and just enjoyed being stationary for a brief half an hour. I'd messaged Bruce about our plans knowing they spent a holiday in Russell and he said we needed to visit some public toilets in Kawakawa. Bit of a random request but we decided we had to check them out. It was further north than we realised but we soon arrived at the small town. There in the centre was the toilets, a block that had a tree growing up through the roof and was covered in tiled mosaic patterns and glass bottles. It was a rather funky interesting design but I quite liked it. After visiting the supermarket here to grab some bits for tea we carried on North. There's a ferry you can take to Russell or you can opt for the road option. On Google the road seemed to only take an extra 20 minute so we chose that way to save money on the ferry. It was a long stretch of gravel narrow road with so many bends that you just had to hope there wasn't another car coming in the other direction. We made it eventually to Russell though and after checking into our cabin we went to explore the town. We've booked onto a sailing tour for tomorrow around the Bay of Islands so we found where we need to meet for that and visited some of the shops. Everything was beginning to close for the day but we enjoyed walking around. It has a very French feel to the buildings and it's definitely a cute little town. Huge trees with purple flowers were in bloom which added to the astectic of the place. We spent way too much money on the strongest, sweetest hot chocolate we've ever had from a chocolate specialist shop and sat overlooking the water trying to drink it. After a simple beans on toast meal for tea we got all our stuff ready for our tour tomorrow. After two days of driving it's nice to know we will be doing something different tomorrow and don't have to take the car anywhere.Læs mere
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Dag 662
mandag den 10. december 2018
☁️ 18 °C
Højde: 8 m
New Zealand Orere Point -36.96038, 175.2431336°57’37” S 175°14’35” E
Never have our legs ached so much!
10. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Getting out of bed this morning was a struggle. Our legs are definitely not liking us much today for what we put them through yesterday. Unfortunately as well today is the day we have a 4-5 hour drive to take us up to the last Top 10 site before Auckland. We decided we needed to take things steady and have regular breaks to give our legs a stretch. We packed up the car once more and began today's journey. Our first stop was just shy of an hour north to the Lava Glass centre. We visited here in winter and bought a stunning vase but unfortunately the glass blowing demonstration they show was closed due to renovations taking place. Its always been on the list to come back to with the hope that this part of th centre is running again. Walking in I was pretty excited to see the new pieces on display. We mentioned to the cashier how we'd been here before when it was closed and a manager who overheard us came out and gave us free entry into the garden when we bought our tickets from the glass blowing. She insisted we needed to see the new pieces out there. We luckily joined the demonstration at the perfect time because the guy Chris was just about to start a new piece. He was aiming to create 12-14 swirled vases that day. The technique we watched turned out to be pretty rare, two bands of coloured glass are spiralled around each other inside a clear glass vase. He went to Italy to actually learn this technique so it was a privilege to be able to witness him create it. It's an amazing process to watch in action and to see glass being heated into something that is so pliable was quite surreal. You almost forget that this material usually is so rigid and delicate. Once he'd completed the vase we entered back into the shop to have a look around. I couldn't resist buying two Christmas baubles for our future tree. Probably the most expensive baubles I will ever buy but certainly the most unique and beautifully made. The glass sculptures in the garden looked even more impressive in summer with the light reflecting through the rainbow of different colours. After a quick coffee we hobbled back to the car to carry on north. After a couple of hours we stopped in Hamilton by a lakeside cafe and garden for some lunch. We sat under a palm tree eating our food with about 20 optimistic sparrows, ducks and pigeons around us. It was a lovely tranquil spot. Once again we were on the move and eventually after a lot of windy country roads made it to Orere Point where we were to spend the night. When we arrived we decided our cabin was a bit rubbish, especially when they charge an extra $10 for some bedding. Instead of paying that we paid $30 to upgrade to a one bed apartment with it's own kitchen, lounge and bathroom. In comparisons it's a 5* suite. We took a stroll down to the beach to stretch those muscles and spotted several Tui birds on the way in their favourite red flower trees. We were half tempted to go swimming but the water didn't look the cleanest so instead we explored the beach trying to keep sand out of Nick's blisters from yesterday's walk. It's always nice if we can at least have an hour of exploring each day especially after a big drive like today.Læs mere
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Dag 661
søndag den 9. december 2018
⛅ 25 °C
Højde: 361 m
New Zealand Jellicoe Point -38.88801, 175.957738°53’17” S 175°57’28” E
Hiking around Mt. Doom
9. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
What an amazing, exhausting, incredibly hard, beautiful hike we did today. We had a super early start to make sure we were up, dressed and had driven out to our shuttle pick up point by 7:30am. We'd chosen to park in a carpark near the end of the track and take a shuttle to the start. By doing it this way we can take as long as we want on the track and not need to worry about rushing to meet a shuttle at a certain time at the end. One thing that was initially overwhelming was how popular this hike is. The Tongariro Crossing has been voted New Zealand's best day hike and this information seems to have reached every tourist in the land. We started off in almost a continual ant trail of people going single file or sometimes side by side along the route at a steady gradual incline. The first 5km of the 19.4km track was relatively easy. We took a 10 minute detour off to the side to see some waterfalls before looping back to the path. Then came our last toilet stop before the aptly named Devil's Staircase ascent began. Wow that was a tough climb and because of how many people there were it constantly felt as if I was going to slow so I kept pulling off the track to let others past. Nick is a lot fitter than me which isn't surprising given how much my weight has changed and how much he's been working out. I set the pace and he was very supportive at going at my own speed. I did have to stop to put some knee cream on which helped a lot with the strain being put on them with each painstaking uphill stair. It literally felt like this climb was going on for an eternity. Eventually somehow we made it to the next flat section which was an amazing achievement. Here we walked through a crater alongside the incredible active volcano Mt. Ngauruhoe otherwise known as Mt. Doom used in the LOTRs films. It was pretty amazing to see snow on the top even though it was boiling hot. After admiring a huge crater at the bottom of the mountain we then began yet another gruelling climb, only this time it was at a much greater gradient. The worst part was that you could see the top and how far you hard to go. As we climbed this red crater the scenery on either side of the ridge was breathtaking. I couldn't quite believe we'd made it this far when we reached the top and we rewarded ourselves with some lunch. Looking into the Red Crater was magical and you could even see a massive split in the side where lava had obviously burst through with fury at some point. After another small hill we stood at the highest point of the track looking down at the Emerald Lakes below. These sulphuric lakes each had their own beautiful shade of green/blue. We basically skied down the scree slope descent together and we spent almost 2 hours at the lakesides mainly because we saw a silly guy decide to film himself sliding down the scree off the track and get stuck. After watching him scramble around and getting a guides advice and help we eventually left him while he stood on the top of the ridge he'd climbed to taking selfies of himself. He'll have no idea the worry he put us and the guide through. After a little climb to the blue lake we were on the descent back to the car. Expecting this would be the easiest part was very naive of us because it went on for an eternity, and I really mean that. The path winded all over the mountain side with amazing views but it never seemed to end. Even when we entered a forest it still took ages to get out. We did it though and were back at the car by 6ish. We may have taken longer than most but we appreciated and took in the scenery in every location plus staying to make sure that guy was okay took a large chunk of time too. It was an amazing day and one I'll never forget. Not a bad way to celebrate 5 years of being together at all!Læs mere
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Dag 660
lørdag den 8. december 2018
⛅ 23 °C
Højde: 354 m
New Zealand Jellicoe Point -38.88755, 175.957538°53’15” S 175°57’27” E
Early anniversary celebrations
8. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary! We've booked a shuttle to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing tomorrow to celebrate. Because we're doing such a big hike tomorrow we decided to go out for a fancy meal tonight while we had the energy to do so. We found a nice restaurant in Taupo and luckily managed to get a reservation for 5pm. We both chose the pork belly and boy oh boy was it amazing. It looked like hardly any food but it was so filling and satisfying. We shared a ginger cake desert after which was just as exquisite and were thoroughly pleased with our choice of restaurant in the end. Afterwards we had a walk along the lakeside to let the food go down. Before the meal we'd spent the day going to Turangi, a town in the opposite direction to Taupo. We visited the i-site to clarify some things for tomorrow's walk before heading into the Volcanic centre they had there too. It was a place Nick wanted to visit last time we were in the region but it wasn't until we had gone north near Rotorua to where Google said it was that we discover that it had in fact moved down to Turangi. It's always therefore been on the list of places to visit during this second lot of travelling. It was a very informative and interesting centre which gave you so much insight into how the landscape around us had formed. Although it was small we spent almost 2 hours in there absorbing all the information. Afterwards we sat and ate lunch on a bench before checking out the local charity shop. We'd read online that the weather on the hike we are doing can change dramatically very quickly so we wanted to see if we could find any gloves. Unfortunately it's the wrong time of year for gloves it seems so we have decided to take some extra socks to put on our hands if needs be. It was so hot today that we had planned to head back to the cabin, get changed and go for a swim in the lake, however when we found out we could only book a table for 5pm we only had time to shower and get changed before heading out. I guess that's not such a bad thing when we have such a early start tomorrow for the big hike. Fingers crossed we haven't overestimated our fitness!Læs mere
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Dag 659
fredag den 7. december 2018
☀️ 16 °C
Højde: 355 m
New Zealand Jellicoe Point -38.88779, 175.9577638°53’16” S 175°57’28” E
Hello again North Island
7. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Lots of pictures involving water today as we made our way from the South Island to the North for the last time on this trip. Our ferry was leaving at 9:05am so we had to be up, packed, out and checked in at the ferry terminal by 8am. It meant an early start but luckily the Top 10 site we were staying in was only a couple of minutes from the ferry terminal. After we sat in the car queuing for what always feels like 6 hours, we finally made our way onto the upper level of the boat. We brought our steering lock with us from our car and are sort of in auto pilot with always putting it on when we get out the car. As we got out an older gentlemen from the car infront laughed and asked me where I thought the thieves would be taking it. I guess he did have a very valid point. I spent most of the ferry ride outside on the side decks admiring the scenery and trying to spot dolphins. It didn't take Nick long to join me as soon as he realised that he will be spending 5-6 hours sat in a car after we get off so he should make the most of being able to stand up while he can. The sounds were as beautiful as ever but we didn't see any dolphins on our way out to sea which was a shame because that's where we saw them last time. After an hour or two we were out in the open ocean and for the first time of all the times we've been on this ferry we could see the other island in the distance on the horizon. It really put into perspective how close they are to each other and you could see why once the Maori had settled on one why they soon ventured over to the other. As we approached Wellington harbour we were sat out on deck when Nick spotted dolphins jumping out to the side of the boat. We raced over and I caught a glimpse of two jumping and then just like that they were completely gone. It happened so quickly that you didn't even have time to consider taking a photo which actually made me realise how nice it was to just be in the moment sometimes and just enjoy the experience. Soon we were back in the car and back on solid ground again. After navigating the lovely highways around Wellington one last time we were on our way north towards lake Taupo. We made only one quick pit stop on the way up to use the toilet and grab some coffees quickly before setting off again. After passing through the volcanic region of the Tongariro national park with a continual view of the mountain used as Mt. Doom, we arrived at lake Taupo and the next Top 10 site on our list. Rather annoyingly the site is set right on the lakeside, which is beautiful but it has highway 1 running right through the middle of it splitting it in half. Our cabin is on the side away from the lake and with the trucks coming past at 100km/h it's pretty noisy. We will definitely be sleeping with ear plugs that's for sure!Læs mere
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Dag 658
torsdag den 6. december 2018 kl. 21.21
⛅ 11 °C
Højde: 13 m
New Zealand Picton -41.28926, 174.0155641°17’21” S 174°0’56” E
Racking up the KM's
6. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
I guess when you've spent 3 months travelling the country and only have a select few things left to do on each island you end up with days like today where you spend all day driving. At least the road between Christchurch and Picton does have some lovely stretches of scenery on it. We set off reasonably early and every time we pack up the car I realise how conviennient it is to be travelling this way rather than by bus. We can shove everything in and not worry too much about fitting things into two bags each. We are also able to carry cooking equipment and food with us so we can save money in each Top 10 by making our own dinners. We'd already decided to stop in Kaikoura for a break for lunch and to stretch our legs. I forgot how much I love this little town and I feel rather impressed by how it's brought itself back to life after the devastating earthquake that struck the region making it non accessible from the North. We visited our favourite gift shop here, with it's awesome artwork on the side of the building, to buy a few gifts mainly for each other. When you're in a sea side town you have to have fish and chips so that's what we shared for lunch as the rain began to catch up from Christchurch that we had thought we'd left behind. We'd hoped to get this amazing chai flavoured ice cream they had in a shop last time we were there but unfortunately the shop wasn't selling it now so that was a bit of a shame seeing as we loved it so much before. Unfortunately though it was soon time to hop back in the car and begin the next leg of the journey up to Picton. It was rather impressive to see how much the road has continued to be rebuilt on the stretch above Kaikoura since the last time we drove it and how it had nearly half the sections of road works and even some laybys and pull ins set up now for people to see the seals on the rocks below which weren't there before. Eventually we made it to the Picton Top 10 and after setting up in our cabin we went over to the kitchen to cook. To our wonderful surprise their was a teacher in there who had made a huge pot of rice and chilli concarne and offered us some seeing as all her 27 kids had eaten. It was an amazing gesture and just perfect to not have to cook after such a heavy driving day. We were in and out the kitchen within 20 minutes and I couldn't thank her enough for her generosity. Some people are just awesome.Læs mere
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Dag 657
onsdag den 5. december 2018
⛅ 19 °C
Højde: 8 m
New Zealand Papanui -43.4915, 172.6185243°29’29” S 172°37’7” E
Everyday's a great day with Nando's!
5. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
After a lovely first start to our travels it was time to head back from Banks Peninsula to Christchurch. When we travelled down to Akaroa we visited the view point at the top of the hill only all we could see was about a metre in front of us because we were smack bang in the middle of a cloud. Luckily when we left today we had glorious sunshine so we were able to see the view for the last time in all it's glory. That's what I love about NZ is that even when you've seen things before when you see them again it still has the same wow factor impact on you just because the scenery is that beautiful. We realised before leaving farm that we needed some booster shots for Hepitis A and Japanese Encephalitis. We'd managed to book an appointment for today for 2pm so we had a good amount of time between leaving and our appointment time in Christchurch. We headed into the city and visited some shops we've been meaning to visit including Lush to get shampoo bars which are so much more conviennient to use when travelling. Being in Christchurch we couldn't not stop at Nando's for lunch. It's definitely a favourite restaurant on ours but every time we have it abroad we realise more and more how much we miss the UK version. Mainly because they do more sides back home such as sweet potato wedges and creamy mash. Eventually came the time to go to our appointment and we soon discovered that there is a shortage of the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine at the moment in NZ. Turns out that there was a case in Bali recently so it seems everyone has been panicking and getting the vaccine. The lady rung other centres across the country on our future route for us but everyone had either sold out or only had a couple left which would be used that day or the next. It's a bit of a shame because if we got the boosters we would be protected for 10 years however she doesn't think we are at much risk and we can get the booster at home to still get that 10 year protection if we are back in the next couple of months. It's mostly a concern if we are going to wet marshes or rice fields which we will just avoid now we know we aren't fully protected. She gave us the Hep A one though and it was the nicest, least painful injection we've ever had. We had around 10 jabs back home and all were so painful in comparison so I wish we had this lady back home! We got some advice on pills to take with us and insect repellent so we came away from the appointment feeling rather prepared for the next steps of our adventure. Seeing as we had Nandos for lunch we decided just to have sandwiches for tea and go back to the top 10 cabin to relax and play some cards. It wasn't a very exciting day but it was very productive in terms of achieving things that are essential for our upcoming travels from New Zealand.Læs mere
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Dag 656
tirsdag den 4. december 2018
☀️ 25 °C
Højde: 62 m
New Zealand L'Aube Hill Reserve -43.79752, 172.9704243°47’51” S 172°58’14” E
Swimming with the Hector dolphins
4. december 2018, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Hector dolphins are the second rarest Oceanic dolphins after their close cousin the Maui so it was quite a privilege to discover that here in Akaroa you can swim with them. They are also adorable at 1.4m in length and weigh 50kg so rarely can jump out the water. We'd booked onto an eco tour but unfortunately Nick received an email yesterday saying it was cancelled due to a problem with the boat. Luckily we were able to book onto another tour that did have more people on it but it didn't disappoint. We were kitted out in wetsuits and little shoes before having a briefing about the experience. It wasn't long before we were heading out to sea and from the bow of the boat I spotted two dolphins in front of us. They didn't want to interact with the boat though so we carried on searching. We soon came across a pod that seemed more playful and hopped into the water making sure to be at least 2m a part so we don't scare the dolphins. The water was initially very cold but you soon adjust to the temperature. Then for 45 minutes we swam there with them racing in and out between us occasionally coming up for air. The difficulty is that from the water you can only see them when they surface but the people on the boat could see them all the time. They'd be shouting where they are but more often than not we wouldn't catch a sight of them. We did have masks but they said we shouldn't wear them all the time and should only hold them to our eyes to look under when one was near. I couldn't get the hang of this technique and I wish I'd come back to the boat and just put mine on properly. I also took my phone out in a waterproof pouch but while out there I thought it was leaking so had to really pay attention to keeping that above water. I did manage to get some amazing photos with it though so I'm glad I did have it. I will be buying a new pouch though. It was an amazing experience none the less and I'd love to do it with bottlenose or common dolphins in the future who are known to be a bit more playful. The Hector dolphins were inquisitive but they didn't want to come too close really. After being out there for 45 minutes we had to come back in because that's how long you can be with one group at a time. The pod swam infront of the boat almost half the way back to shore before we lost sight of them which was quite exciting to see. We discovered that the other group who went on another boat only saw a couple pf dolphine so it sounds like we had great luck with our pod of 15 or so. We had an amazing day and ended it by grabbing a few things we wished we had bought the day before.Læs mere
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