New Years Down Under…not to mention an Ashes winning summer!

Following a short flight and another random check to see I wasn’t carrying explosives (I must look the dodgy sort) we arrived in Sydney and opted to take a taxi to our hostel to save carrying the bags on public transport.

Arriving late on, we went in search of food and ended up in Pizza Hut, not luxurious but efficient. In the late evening we headed off to the cinema to watch Little Fockers, where although I enjoyed it, Soph managed to fall asleep 20 minutes into it.

The next morning we decided to go for an early run (since we were only 2 minutes from Hyde Park). Having managed to lose each other somehow along the way, we eventually met up half an hour later and then had enjoyed our ‘free continental breakfast.’ Later we visited the botanical gardens to work out where was best for the next evenings’ festivities, and although most of the gardens were going to be shut off, we decided Mrs Macquarie’s chair would be the best option.

Soph outside the Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Having spent a few hours around the gardens as well as the Sydney Opera House in the blazing sun, we headed back to town to get some supplies for the next day as well as cool off. In the evening we decided to do things as cheaply as possible (made even more difficult by the lack of a kitchen of any note at the hostel) and bought a cooked chicken, a carrot (yes, a raw carrot) and some lettuce, and ate it in the park as the sunset over the city.

6.30am…new years eve and it was time to try and get a spot for the night’s main attraction – the end/beginning of years fireworks. Setting off at 7.30 we joined the queue at 8am, bear in mind there were 16 hours to go, there must have been three to four thousand eagerly waiting! Thankfully we had bought a couple of typically Australian hats the day before and decided to christen them as the queue didn’t start to move until 10am. After eventually getting into Mrs Mac’s Chair at 11.30 we managed to find the perfect spot overlooking both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge!

Soph displaying our 'nifty' 8 hours to go sign on our mammoth NYE

By 2.30pm the whole of our area was full and as the hours passed it became increasingly frustrating as latecomers were attempting to pretty much sit on our laps, much to our annoyance, but fortunately none prospered. As 9pm arrived the first set of fireworks were unleashed; known as the family fireworks so those with young children could leave early, they were particularly impressive considering they were just the warm up. As time continued to pass, people were eventually fitting in around us, and as is always the case, it was the strange people who ended up sitting next to me. First it was an immature Kiwi, well into his twenties who thought it was hilarious to shine a laser pen in people’s eyes. After he moved on it was a scouser, our age, who thought he would spend nearly an hour talking/ boring us about cameras since he had seen our new one and thought a camera discussion would be an appropriate topic to kill the time...I felt like killing something by the end of it!

Just one of the many fireworks that night

At last midnight arrived and Sydney certainly didn’t disappoint. Although we’d waited for 16 hours, of which near enough 12 were static, it was an incredible way to bring in the New Year. Always shown on British TV before new years hit’s home it is easy to understand why it is hyped up so much, definitely well worth the wait!

New Years day…and to start with, we both decided a lye-in was the first order of the day, and it proved to be a good decision as most of the breakfast things were gone apart from the upgrade to a fry up…which was free for the day! Most of the day was spent on the internet planning how we were going to get up the East Coast, especially as more and more was being spoken abut the Queensland floods on the news channels. In the evening we met up with a course mate of Soph’s, Pippa, and headed out to Chinatown for a bite to eat!

Me, Soph and Pip at the Chinese Restaurant

As Sunday arrived we had booked to go on a tour of the Blue Mountains, where we firstly stopped off at the Napean River before heading for the mountains themselves and the 3 sisters (a rock formation within the mountain range). Given that it was such an intensely hot day, we opted for our ‘cool’ Aussie hats again as we set off on a long walk for some incredible views over all of the above as well as the Wentworth Falls. We briefly stopped off for a bite to eat before heading on a couple more stops before we reached the Olympic site from the 2000 Sydney Games, beside the Sydney Harbour.

Just hanging out over the Blue Mountains

Unfortunately for us however, we had to take a boat back to Darling Harbour, which happened to be about a 20 minute walk from our hostel. I know 20 minutes doesn’t sound a lot, but when the heavens decide to open in an almighty fashion and then you take a few wrong turnings, you’ll understand our frustration as the walk turned out to take closer to an hour!

Monday, and the final test was beginning – at this point I was in a dilemma as whether to go to the first day (which was forecast changeable weather) or hold out an go to a few other days. A good decision was made as only 60 of the 90 allocated overs were bowled. Thus, instead of the cricket we decided to go out to Paddy’s Market, where we treated ourselves to ‘genuine Thai massages’ by a couple of Chinese men, really genuine! However, in the afternoon we set off to Bondi beach, where although the weather was overcast, there were still a lot of people surfing. Having witnessed an actual rescue and unfortunately missing out on David Hasselhoff - who happened to be shooting a commercial - we headed off for a couple of hot drinks. At the café we met one of the more racist Australian immigrants as an Israeli woman decided to go on and on about how Princess Diana was killed because she was going to marry a Muslim. Absolutely mad! (I told you I attract weirdo’s)

In the evening we went out to an Italian where although the food was nice, the service was shocking. Obviously letting the manager know about how poor the service had been, we were given exactly nothing off the cost of the meal, which again didn’t go down well! Later that evening me, Soph and a guy from my room went to the casino where only Soph came back with more money… a whole $14!

Tuesday, and we were off to the SCG with Pippa. Having shopped around a few ticket touts, we eventually ended up buying from a Man City fan – the typical image of a ticket tout, dirty, small and bald - some might refer to them as the dregs of society. Pulling the tickets out from his Burberry covered crotch area, we got 3 tickets just to the right of the bowlers arm, great view! Australia resumed on 141-4 and were eventually bowled out as Mitchell Johnson and co helped the tail wag to a respectable 280.

The leader of the Barmy Army...Jimmy Saville as they call him!

England came out and Strauss immediately showed some intent as he rattled to a run a ball fifty before succumbing to his own downfall through a poorly timed stroke to the offside. Trott then departed for his first duck in England whites as England eventually ended the day on 167-3 Not before a bit of fortune for Alastair Cook as he played a rather ill-timed stroke from Michael Beers bowling, only to be caught, however, Billy Bowden called for a replay which showed a no-ball had been bowled, unlucky for Beer who would have scalped his first test wicket, and what a big wicket it turned out to be.

Wednesday, and our first week in Sydney had gone by in a flash! We had decided by this point that we would leave on the Saturday morning as friends who lived just north of Sydney had invited us to stay for a few days, not to mention that the cricket was finishing on the Friday. As for Wednesday, we headed to Manly via a ferry along the Sydney harbour, where we spent a few hours on the beach and Soph just about managed to survive the clattering waves! We headed back following a visit to the local chippy!

Thursday, and yet again, I decided to go to the cricket, whilst Soph and Pippa decided it was too expensive; so we went our separate ways for the day -the girls went on a coastal walk whilst I went to watch a little bit of history.

Soph and Pippa at Bondi Beach

With England resuming on 489-7 a lead of 209 they had the chance of batting themselves into an unassailable lead - the question on the lips of most, how much they could extend that lead to? With a number of lower order batsman over performing on an increasingly easy batting surface, England rallied to 644, a record on Australian soil!

I was there! The day England hit their highest Test score on Aussie Soil

With England on the ascendancy the thing the entire English contingent wanted to see was an innings victory inside 4 days. An event which came even closer to happening following 2 wickets in as many balls from the powerhouse Chris Tremlett, not to mention the Barmy Army’s main target of the summer, Mitchell Johnson going for a first-ball duck! Simply followed by, “he bowls to the left… he bowls to the right…that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is Shite!” Considering England had Australia rattled and Strauss had opted for the extra half an hour, a dogged innings from Peter Siddle and Steve Smith helped the Aussies avoid defeat and send it into the final day.

As Friday arrived we headed out first thing to the SCG as it was free entry for the day, as England required only 3 wickets for another victory and secure the Ashes. With the SCG coated in red and white, and hundreds of St George’s flags flying high, the atmosphere was immense. The Barmy Army was in full swing, as both me and Soph managed to join in and learn a number of their chants.

Me and Soph at Day 5 of the fifth and final Ashes Test

Following a couple of rain delays England eventually managed to take a hold and dismiss Australia and seal the Ashes in emphatic style!

If you look really carefully at the two photos, they are a frame apart as I took a picture of the final wicket to fall

You can see the bails dismounted from the stumps!

The remainder of the day was spent seeing the remaining sites in Sydney. We went to the Powerhouse Museum and for a walk along the Harbour Bridge, before heading to the Rocks – a fancy young professional area of the city. In the evening we found the ‘Barmy Army Pub’ where having arrived as late as 9pm, the chanting was still as lively as ever, what an incredible day!

Us and the crazy Police Impersonator

Things done:

• Meet an aussie with a proper aussie accent
• See England retain the Ashes for the first time in 24 years

Things still to do:

• Try some goon
• Eat some kangaroo meat
• Throw a boomerang
• Surf some waves

G'day mate!

So, after nearly 2 months of travelling and we were off to our fourth destination – Australia. Taking a reasonably short flight from Christchurch to Melbourne (4 hours), we arrived in the early evening ready to tackle the outback. Having arranged to stay with family friends of Soph we got a coach into the city and met up with Minka (the younger daughter of the family we were staying with).

Arriving at their beautiful home in Brighton, we were welcomed by Vanessa and Chris to our room where we were surprised to see 3 boxes full of Christmas presents sent over from England! Having a light snack for dinner following a meal on the plane we spent the evening getting used to our surroundings and settling in.

The next morning we got up and went out to Melbourne for the day. Arriving in the city in glorious clear blue skies, we got off the train and headed for a bit of culture through the aboriginal arts centre, and since Australia has little history compared to New Zealand this was perhaps the only option. Leaving the centre, we timed our departure to a tee as the heavens conveniently chose to open simultaneously.

A little bit of aborigine art

As the afternoon approached we went for a wander around town buying a few typically aussie things – boomerangs and road signs - before heading back to Brighton in anticipation for our night out ahead with Minka and co.

Heading out into Melbourne as the sun set made it easy to understand why so many find it such a cosmopolitan area to live. Arriving at Madame Brussels (a bar converted 1920’s brothel) we had a couple of cocktails and some finger food before heading out to a few other bars. On our way we did see our first celebrity of the trip, none other than Michael Vaughan (former Ashes winning England captain for those who do not know). Myself unaware to him, Soph pointed him out before I told her not to shout and raise attention to ourselves, something she has not let me live down since.

Soph and a friend of Minka's dancing on bins in the street

Me and Soph from night out in Melbourne

As time went on we arrived at our final stop, Pony, where I was confronted with one of the more dickheadish bouncers you’ll meet – sorry for the language but he was an absolute… Anyway, so asking me “How many beers have you had?” I responded by saying four, at which point he didn’t believe me, (bear in mind during this ridiculous questioning he was letting everybody in under the sun, regardless of their inebriation to both drink and drugs). Re-asking the question I answered saying I had had 2 beers, 2 cocktails and 2 half ciders, and after quite a bit of persuasion and being told I wasn’t allowed any more beer I was in, soon realising the place was full of wasters and pill heads. Obviously being the considerate gentlemen he was, he did keep checking up on me to maintain that I was beer-free!

As Christmas Eve arrived we spent the majority of the day chilling out and having an amazing brunch in

Chapel Street

. That evening we headed out with Chris, Vanessa, Trenton and Minka to Chantelle’s house (C and V’s eldest daughter). Being treated to a wealth of food, including make your own pizzas, we spent the night watching “The Carols” on the TV (an Australian tradition).

Christmas Eve with "The Carols"

Christmas Day! So the day had arrived, and it was to be our first hot Christmas Day – although you can’t have it all, as the day started slightly overcast. Waking up early, Soph went for a walk to the beach with Minka whilst me and Chris went for a bike ride along the pier and into a few other suburbs. Given that we had been treated to such a feast the previous day it was a great way to start the day, and even after the ride we all decided to skip breakfast. Present opening over and a couple of Skype calls home and we were ready for the main event…Christmas dinner. With all of Chris’s family coming over, Vanessa and Chantelle did an amazing job with all of the cooking. Rather than ‘shrimps on the barby’ we were treated to a traditional British dinner with all the trimmings! Following a few hours of chatting and a brief nap, we went for a walk along the beach before heading back for an evening of Michael McIntyre.

Me and Soph pulling a cracker and my cheesy grin!

Following Christmas day the next day we were up and ready to watch England take on Australia in the Boxing Day test match, and what a day it turned out to be. Arriving at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) we were in awe as the 100,000 capacity stadium stood there before us, steeped in sporting history from various Ashes campaigns to Aussie Rules Grand Finals.

Our view at the MCG

Since Australia had comprehensively won the previous test to tie the series at 1-1 the stage was set for an incredible day of cricket. National Anthems over and we were into the thick of it. With Australia being put into bat, England took full advantage as the first of the top order batsman began to fall at the wayside (including Ricky Ponting and his poorly pinky). With a short delay for rain, the match way back underway…and so were the Aussie wickets as they began to tumble into the point of no return as England skittled them for a meagre 98.

A shameful Australian display

Listening to the Aussie commentary, most were talking about how difficult it might be to bat on and for England not to count their chickens too early, however, none were expecting what happened next. With Captain Strauss and undoubtedly England’s talisman for the series Alastair Cook coming to the crease, there was a feeling of excitement amongst the Barmy Army, whilst the Australian contingent were utterly deflated. By the end of the days play these feelings for both supporters had magnified 10 fold as England’s openers had coolly cruised to an unforgiving 157 for the loss of no wicket - simply an astonishing day!

Having witnessed one of the most historic days in Ashes history – and undoubtedly England’s greatest boxing day experience - we headed for Chapel Street to meet Minka after work, and to also buy a new camera (since she worked in an electricals store). Having saved over $300 dollars we headed to a bar for a bit of pool before returning home for the evening.

The next day Vanessa and Chris took us out, away from Melbourne so that we could see a little bit of the country. Our first stop was the Cardinia reservoir where we managed to get out first sight of a kangaroo. An incredible animal, twice the size I had ever imagined! After driving around for the remainder of the morning we headed to Dandenong Observatory in the afternoon for a view over the city of Melbourne and were also lucky enough to see some Kookaburras and Rosettas.

Why did the kangaroo cross the road?

In the evening we cooked dinner for everyone, eventually deciding on our signature chicken stroganoff which turned out to be a great success thanks to our culinary genius of course.

Family Tree!

As our final day arrived in Melbourne, our adventures were far from over. With Chris and Vanessa taking us out to Phillip Island to visit some friends who happened to own a… boat! After a few minutes on the boat we were offered the chance to have a go at wakeboarding. Watching the man’s son Chris have a go – he made it look incredibly easy…infact it was quite the opposite. Myself failing epically a number of times, before Soph had a few goes and nearly, very nearly managed to get up onto the board but fell at the last minute, however, she did do better than me! In the evening we were treated to our first taste of a typical Aussie barby! With steaks, sausages, salads and potatoes it was incredible.

My woeful attempt at wakeboarding

Soph's near miss

How it should be done!

The next morning we sent a few things home (it’ll only take 3 months to arrive) before heading off to Sydney for the next few days to celebrate New Years and experience the big city!

Things to do:

-          Find an aussie with a proper aussie accent

-          Try some goon (box wine)

-          Eat some kangaroo meat

-          See England retain the ashes…maybe we’ll win 3-1 including 3 innings victories, you never know (actually I do as I’m about 3 weeks behind but hey!).

5,179km Later

OK, so we’re currently in Port Macquarie and I’m about 3 weeks behind in what we’ve been up to. I have decided to use this blog to catch up and do the last 2 and a half weeks in NZ, and try to keep it as short as possible since a lot of the feedback although good has been critical of the length (one particular reference being that a friend required more insulin before he could complete one, banter!).

(Monday December 6^th). Moving on from Franz Joseph our next stop was Wanaka as a mid point before Queenstown. Arriving in Wanaka, we decided that we would only pay for one person at the campsite rather than two since we are tight, thus I ended up lying on the floor of the van whilst Soph managed to smuggle me in. The evenings activities consisted of cooking and a bit of cricket.

The next morning we headed into the town of Wanaka where during the Millennium the local town had created a pathway of tiles stating important events to have happened in the preceding years leading up to it. As afternoon approached we had lunch over the picturesque view over Lake Wanaka with some snowy mountains as the back-drop. A few hours later and we had arrived at our campsite in Queenstown.

As Wednesday arrived we had decided that we wanted to do a number of activities during the next few days. Unfortunately, not a lot was done towards doing any of this and instead was spent lazing around, although Tom and Caroline did turn up later in the evening and we decided to do a bar crawl around town. With 7 bars lined up we headed off into Queenstown to experience the night life. Along the way, there were a number of similarities to British drinking culture (not a surprise as most in the area are British themselves) although heading to our third bar was an unforgettable experience. Named the -5ºC bar we were given winter jackets and sent into what can only be described as a human freezer. With iced sculptures, an iced bar and ice glasses we were treated to ice cold cocktails (corny I know!). Leaving the bar we headed to a number of other bars before heading back for the night, not before of course upsetting the local corner shop through alcohol induced mischief. With Marvin serving us, who I referred to as Marvin Atapatu (former Sri Lankan cricketer), we attempted to serve ourselves ‘Slush Puppies’ and steal Ketchup sachets, woops.

Soph literally chillin' in the Minus 5 bar!

Out with Tom and Caroline

Waking up and feeling rather fresh, our day was set for a canyon swing and luging along the Queensland hilltops. Choosing a canyon swing rather than a bunjy jump (mainly due to both the scariness of a bunjy and the cost) we arrived at the Nevis Arc – the worlds largest canyon swing. Opting for the honeymoon position the young guys running the swing decided to try and spice things up a bit by joking around claiming it was their first day. Then asking us whether we wanted a surprise or a countdown, of course Soph said surprise and a split second later we were gone. An incredible adrenaline rush and we were falling to our potential death perilously close to the rock face before the swing kicked in and we swung for about 300 meters. Although it all happened in seconds, it was probably more scary than our skydive experience.

Me and Soph just after we are sent swinging! Notice Soph's rather scared face!

In the evening we took the gondola up to the top of Queenstown where we had 3 goes at the luge around the hilltop tracks high above the town. Not such a rush as the canyon swing but nonetheless good fun.

The next morning was our last in Queenstown as we took the Skipper’s Jet Boat across the shotover river. With only 10cm of water needed to move along and capable of 360º turns made it an enjoyable way to spend the morning; although the group we were with were pretty boring.

Later that day we headed towards Milford Sound, an entrance along the Tasman Sea to the West of the Island surrounded by magnificent mountains. Staying the night for free, we again bumped into Tom and Caroline and spent the evening playing Yahtzee with them, exciting times!

In the morning we headed off along the road to where we were scheduled for a cruise along the Milford Sounds. Since the previous day had been a wash out, it made the scenery even more incredible as hundreds of waterfalls had been created, which in turn produced some amazing rainbows along the way. At some points there were also permanent waterfalls which the captain manoeuvred the boat into to spray some of those who chose to stand at the front of the boat…as you do.

Me and Soph at Milford Sound

In the afternoon we headed away from Milford sound to Te Anau for a bite to eat as well as catch up on some emails. Later the in the day we went to the south-most point of the Island to Bluff which thanks to the incredibly clear day gave us some impressive views to Stewert Island (NZ’s Third Island). As the evening approached we arrived at Curio Bay where we attempted to watch the rare yellow-eyed penguins come in to shore. However, due to lack of light and a lack of penguins we only saw a couple.

We decided to take Sunday easy as we moseyed on along the coast, first stopping off at “The Lost Gypsy.” An old bus and gardens which had been converted by a chap into various electronic and moving gizmos; sounds odd but it was really interesting. Later on we headed to Purakaunui Bay, another free campsite on a beach front. On our arrival we were fortunate enough to see a couple of Sea Lions play fighting with one another which was really cool.

Sea lions fighting

 The next day we headed up to Dunedin via a few stop offs in an attempt to spot some more penguins as well as seals and sea lions. Arriving in Dunedin, we yet again bumped into Tom and Caroline as we ended up at the same campsite. As evening approached we decided to head out along the Otago Peninsula to Pilot’s Bay (thanks to Tom and Caroline’s navigational skills) to see the blue penguins come in. Reading in the Lonely Planet guide (or our bible) that over 100 penguins come in to feed at night we were amazed by the shear numbers! Arriving in ‘rafts’ of 20 or more the tiny little creatures stumbled up the rocks until eventually finding their nests high up in the hills; in fact on our way home we even saw 2 penguins having a cheeky kiss in the middle of the road! 

Blue penguin making it's nest

As Dunedin is known for its Cadbury factory and Speights brewery we decided to do both tours. In the morning we opted for Cadburys where although our tour guide was incredibly boring, the free chocolate to go along with it made it worthwhile. Giving ourselves a few hours to get over the chocolate we headed to the brewery where we were given an historic tour explaining both how the company was created and how the beer was brewed. Although no free chocolate this time we were given free booze instead and being allowed to pour our own drinks from a choice of 6 different lagers and ciders was a good way to finish the tour.

In the evening we went to the other side of the peninsula where there were some yellow-eyed penguins. This time having the stay in a hide there we were lucky to see quite a few coming in to feed their young. Although I did have to usher some stupid (typically arrogant) Frenchman away from the beach and into the hide since the penguins would not come in otherwise.

With Wednesday arriving, the day began with a brief visit to Baldwin Street – “the steepest street in the world” where we saw another slightly arrogant Frenchman who decided to ride his bike up the ridiculously steep streets. Geed on by Soph, upon reaching the summit, slightly out of breath, he merely looked at his watch and coolly said “two minutes, 30 seconds,” good for you I thought (or words to that effect). We then headed to Omarou, an incredibly old fashioned town, where we visited a few shops including a Penny Farthing shop. In the evening we again headed to a penguin colony to spot some more yellow-eyed penguins. 

Baldwin Street

In the morning, we briefly visited Omarou again, before heading off on our final voyage in the campervan to Christchurch. Deciding that we should stay at a campsite with Sky (for the cricket) we arrived at one before having to move onto another which had the correct sports channel.

The next morning we had to return the camper; a sad day, however having covered 5,179km it was time to say our goodbyes. Obviously the heavens decided to open as we left the van and were forced to walk to a bus stop and use ‘public’ transport. I highlight the word public because I suppose you get what you pay for, and as we took the free bus, we had little to moan about. With a number of odd people choosing to take the bus, two of them were sat next to one another and were the size of maybe four people. Both armed with supersized drinks, they decided to recite the entire bus route…as you do.

Eventually arriving in the city we did the touristy things and visited the cathedral and then the Christchurch museum before being picked up by our host for the next few days – Mira. That evening we settled into our surroundings with a view over the city as well as meeting her other housemate Doug.

The next day was spent with Steve (a friend of Soph’s dad) and Sally who showed us around a few areas around the city as well as taking us out for a nice lunch. In the afternoon we headed into the mountains where there were some pristine views over the city. In the evening we went out with Mira, her sister and Doug which was an interesting experience. The bars we went to were good, however with Mira’s colleagues thinking it would be funny to get involved in some ice throwing, but instead caused confrontation with some other girls whilst me and Doug sat there finding the whole situation rather amusing.

The next day we headed to Mira’s family home where we met her other sister and her parents as well as all her pets which consisted of birds, a chicken, a rabbit and two horses. After an amazing authentic kiwi BBQ we headed back for the day.

Just showing some of the earthquake damage, notice the building at the back on a slant!

The next morning we dropped Mira off at work before taking her car out for the day, a 1990 Peugeot 205, an absolute classic. Having never driven a car with a choke before it took a while to get going, however we eventually headed to Lyttleton – a town built in the picturesque back drop of mountains whilst also having a port of its own.

A hot chocolate later and a brief trip into town to see Tom and Caroline before they headed back to Holland and we were back at home having picked Mira up from work. That evening me and Soph treated Doug and Mira to an authentic English roast dinner with all the trimmings, lush!

With our last full day arriving we firstly helped Mira attempt to move bedrooms, unfortunately however, having spent nearly an hour getting the bed out, we reached the conclusion that regardless of what angle we took, it was not getting out! The remainder of the day was spent in Christchurch where me and Soph went kayaking before heading out for dinner.

Me and Soph kayaking on the River Avon

As our final night disappeared following a rare Lunar eclipse we packed for the last time before heading to Australia the next day.

Overall we would have to say that New Zealand has been an incredible place to visit and would recommend it to anyone who has not had the chance to go there yet. Both the North and South islands were interesting in different ways. Personally our highlight of the trip would be the skydive in Taupo, what an incredible thing to have done. In terms of less-adrenaline based activities our favourite would have to be Abel Tasman which was incredible in its beauty. The only regret we have from our trip was not doing the Tangariro crossing, which we were told after was a must-see, however on the whole New Zealand was great!