Whirl wind tour of New Zealand.. Getting ready

Whirl wind tour.. Getting ready

Usually I have packed several days before I leave for my trip overseas or even on local flights. This time I have been busy through work and finishing my university assignment and had not had the time to do much until I had the day off before I go away.

At this moment in time I have packed and still have basics to sort out like printing maps of the accommodation that I am staying in so I can go from the bus stop to the hostel without major problems. My itinerary has been printed and placed into the rightful order and my passport has been placed into my bag.

Several of the basics I do take are electronics, several novels and wet weather gear. Instead of having to wait around to use a computer, I use my own so I can put photos onto it from my camera and I do also have external storage so my computer will be freed up of space. My camera would be fresh each day of use.

The wet weather gear is usually wet pants, rain coat and a snazzy brolly that I don’t think anyone would want to steal. It’s the very reason I bought it and do hope it lasts the entire trip as last time I went through two other umbrellas due to their cheapness.

I am all for trying to make my trip simplified and I have no idea what to expect when I arrive at several of the locations I am going to. I have booked ahead of time, but I don’t know what actually physically being at the place will be like.

Prelude to the next whirlwind tour... Bookings and scandales

 The new Whirlwind tour

For the first time in my life I have started booking an overseas trip to New Zealand that was not months in advance. I was not going to take a trip after buying my new set of wheels this year, a Can Am Spyder Roadster. The reason I have started booking flights was due to my grandma turning 80 in September and she was unable to fly, so I thought it would be better for me to visit.

After having a quick look at prices before I went to work to ask my boss I found the flights for the dates I wanted was around $600 return. Several days later they were at least $100 cheaper with Jetstar, although I was using webjet to look at and compare prices. Once I spoke to my bigger boss as my immediate boss was sick I was told I was allowed to. When I booked the flights for the three week trip the prices had dropped to $369 return. I wasn’t going to complain about that at all.

Next was to workout where I wanted to go after visiting grandma. I was staying with her for five or so days right after my flight over. Using the intercity bus service to look at times and when to travel I wrote down the prices as I was going to place a booking later on. 2 hours later I found the prices had changed. Don’t ask I have no idea why myself. I booked the trips and found one little niggling problem. One of the locations I had made a booking for was a 1 minute trip for $9. The location was from a local backpackers to the town. I was wanting to travel out of the town. Plus I had already made the booking and paid for it. After having a look and trying to change the booking I ended up changing the departure location and then the arrival was able to be changed from a 1 minute trip to a full journey.

My trip will be a whirlwind to a few places. This time I will be visiting Auckland, Whangarei, Hamilton, Coromandel Town, Thames, Hamilton and Tauranga. I only really know enough about the locations like the bus journey and hostel locations. I do know The Coromandel area had plenty to do with mining and Kauri logging. I have visited Auckland, Whangarei on numerous occasions, but Hamilton last time was an over nighter. I will hunt for some fun historical information while I am in the country. I have visited many places in New Zealand so far and been around nearly both islands. This trip will again be on my own except for staying with grandparents. I will get lost maybe trying to find where I am staying or end up finding something new. It will still be cold too.

Sydney Daze, Day 1

Sydney Day 1

The trip to Sydney started off well enough except for the slight fat that it happened to be raining on the Gold Coast. The weather was bad enough that two planes had to be diverted coming from Japan and they had to land in Brisbane. Then there would be a 2 hour bus trip back to the airport. My flight was delayed by around 20 mins at least due to the foggy weather. I was not too bothered in the slightest as I would get on that plane and fly away to Sydney for a weekend of fun. So long as they don’t send me to Brisbane on the way home or else i would not be so happy.

I am wearing my replacement boots and I should have worn them in by now, but never did do that as I now have sore feet and a blister. It happens and I got sore feet from plenty of walking in the heat I got. I think I felt the heat a little too much as I may not have had enough to drink, but stuff like that does happen and you deal with it.

My wandering started with finding the Railway hostel part of YHA. I think it is really nice and clean and it is an open area where you get plenty of air. I did get lost in Central station trying to find it and is easy to become turned around or pop out of one entrance when you are meant to be in another. Once I had checked into the room I was staying in, I was able to have a short rest before running off again as I had to visit The Alexander The Great exhibition at Australia museum. The exhibition was interesting showing relics of the past with information about Alexander’s life. Te interactive board was fun when you clicked on a picture, but doing the same to a bird or a boat, then they would be destroyed. Birds fall and boats were either taken by a whale or sank in a whirlpool. I never knew there were so many battles and even after his death there were more wars.

After I finished the museum I wandered aimlessly to St Mary’s Cathedral and was able to wander through. It was nice inside especially the windows, but couldn’t take photos. The domain as my next stop and I found the art gallery, speakers corner and several statues nearby. The Domain seems to be setting up for some concert. Woolloomooloo was really nice especially walking past the boat and then looking at the navy ships, Anzac, Melbourne and Newcastle down at Kutterbul. I now know where the media get their pictures of the ships returning after service. I then went to Darlinghurst road where the Coke sign for Kings Cross was and onto Oxford street all on foot in the heat. I met up with a friend and had dinner.  The walk home from the Paddington reservoir was really nice. I need to look when I am not so worn out. Tomorrow will be pretty good as I am going to Waverly cemetery.

Day 34. The long journey home, not an unexpected journey from Auckland to Gold Coast

Day 34 The journey home from Auckland

I did get some sleep and woke up well before my alarm went off at 250am. I had no problems getting downstairs and waiting for the shuttle bus to pick me up although I did see a lady wandering the street offering services of another sort. How do I know? I seen several vehicles stop to talk to her. At the same time my ride turned up offering the service I was after. Once at the airport I weighed my bag to see how heavy it actually was. It turned out to be at least 1kg over and I took one book out about the archives and the bag was alright, but now my pack might be heavy. At least my bag was now the right weight and I wouldn’t have to sort out my 10kg backpack.  I found another Hobbit character that was one of the dwarves floating around, which was cool.  I had breaky as I was wanting coffee and filled out my departure card.

Something I found out when I was going through the gate did not impress me at all. The epassport gate area was actually closed and I did hear from the lady in front of me that last time she went through several weeks before it had been the same way. Not impressed when you are stuck in a huge line, when your passport could get you through quicker with the chip. Maybe Auckland airport will lift their game or stop being scared that it will take jobs away from others. I did hang around the shops until I had to visit the departure lounge where I would catch the flight that would send me home. The flight was not that bad at all and I did misplace my ipod that ended up somehow falling down the back of my pants. I never knew it had fallen there as I had to put my bag in the racks above my head as it couldn’t fit by my feet for obvious reasons.

Once we had landed back in Australia, I found that my epassport wouldn’t scan for some reason that I do not know. It could be because it was never scanned on the NZ side, but the customs lady was very helpful about it and she was just as myserfied as I was. Still I made it back into the country and once the bag came, I was able to bypass everyone else and go right through to the arrivals as I was given the all clear. It was really warm wearing my big jacket as I had no room to put it anywhere. Once through I had to wait in line while the money converters did their job while some people seemed to think they were up for a debate. This was the official end of my trip to New Zealand as I as back on home soil. The trip hoe meant getting back into the reality of work and sorting out the contents of my bags. The weather was really warm and bright for my return when it had been overcast in Auckland.

 I did have an excellent trip and found more about New Zealand than what I had learnt before. I renewed my interest in LOTR and did leave with two of the Lord of the rings trilogy. The film industry was not the only thing I had gone for as I had tracked down some elusive areas of NZ history. The next couple of days will tell me how I am after my trip. Along the way I did find some locations I would like to visit in the future and I think that is the whole idea my going travelling to another place as you want to learn more and extract that little bits of information out of places. In some ways I am like a hobbit that takes aimless wanders to far off places. Was the trip worth doing, yes it was will I go again and that answer would be a hell yes.

Day 33, Touring Auckland bus style.

Day 33, Touring Auckland bus style.

This morning I had planned to jump onto the local city tour where you can jump on and off at your leisure. The only problem if you call it that is I had to walk to the other side of town where it starts at 9am down at the ferry terminal. Elsewhere in town it starts a little later, I wanted to go on one stop that really interested me and that was Mt Eden also known as Maungawhau. This is actually the highest natural point in Auckland other than the sky tower. On my way to the terminal I ate one of my muesli bars that I had bought. I really did not like it and could not eat the second one I had with me. They were actually the worse ones I have ever eaten and it didn’t make me feel great, but the pie I had did.

I realised what had happened once I arrived down at the ferry building. I could see a great big tour liner sitting at the dock, this meant I had to contend with cruise ship passengers again on a weekend. Luckily I had arrived with enough time to get my ticket before we had a full bus. The tour left a little early I think to compensate as we were the first bus with several others leaving a little later. I cant remember every bit of commentary, but learnt that Kelly Tarltons aquarium was actually a sewer, I did pass the Savage memorial dedicated to the ex prime minister. I never got off as I was wanting the museum. Other stops included the Parnel rose gardens and the church where the funeral service for Sir Edmund Hillary was held. Another little church beside it had been moved from across the street in the 1980s. People had realised they would have to wait until 10am for the aquarium to open, so got back onto the bus for the museum. The museum didn’t open until 10am either, but the coffee shop opened half hour earlier. I had to wait until 1030 for the satellite to head off to Mt Eden and it ran every hour until 330pm. I wandered around the museum and came across a small plaque that said there was a US military camp on the museum grounds in The Domain. I did watch the kids play cricket too and then had my coffee.

Once we were on the bus it filled up pretty quick too as others had the same idea of heading out maybe to shop at the Newmarket shops or the Westfield shopping centre. I did find a historic house museum on the way where the parents had 21 children. No idea if they survived. The other stop was Eden gardens that was a disused quarry mine and also where the museum hid their treasures in caves during the Second World War. I got off at Mt Eden and the driver said that coaches are no longer allowed up the top, but there was a free shuttle service. He warned not to walk on the path as it had been raining the night before. The path was pretty dry and I made it to the top with no problems. The view was spectacular and I had thought it would have rained if I did the museum first. It was a nice sunny day and you could see everything for miles away. The crater you are not allowed in as it is tapu or sacred ground and for safety reasons too. After enjoying the sights and then going down the hill to wait for the bus as I only stayed for an hour.

Once the bus arrived, we were off again towards the museum, but via the other stops. We passed the home of the All Blacks at Eden Park and I knew I wanted to stop here sometime when I come back. The Auckland Zoo that I learnt had a tramline that runs to MOTAT or museum of motor transport and technology. I will have to get there sometime just to ride the tram. I know I will be back and we passed under what they called the spaghetti overpass as we passed under the arterial roads. This was the freeway that had split Symonds street cemetery and some headstones were even sitting on the grass dividers that split the lanes although this was still hilly sections so no vehicle could drive on it. The Grafton bridge does have a screen to stop people jumping onto the freeway or landing in the cemetery too. Then we were back at our original destination of the Auckland museum and it was now lunch time.

After I had some food, I went into the museum and actually spent the rest of the day here. By the time I left it was around 5mins to 5pm as it shut at 5pm and I had only missed the WWII exhibit. I had hovered watching the bit about the New Zealand wars and the shorts about the wars New Zealand had been involved in. I did also sit in on the little thing they had about what happens when a volcano erupts in Auckland. The floors shook and scared one kid. I asked the bloke at the desk who was in charge of the cenotaph personnel records about a book that had been mentioned when a family member was in service in Africa. He handed me the book and explained that it was very hard to get the books as they go for at least $150. The British Imperial museum might get around to republishing them eventually, but I could download the electronic book online. I could read it too, but I want the book. By this time I had ran out of time and had to head back to the hostel, although I did plan to look in the DVD shop, but it had shut. I did get into the bookstore and grabbed the book I had been eying off about the treasures in the national archives. I was thinking I could visit the church that Hillary had his funeral in, but it would have been late and I was wanting rest before an early start.

Tip

Good walking boots are a must and a general sense of direction especially when you are aimlessly wandering around a country