Sun 21 Feb - Back to Sydney

Sadly this was to be our last morning in Manyana. Charlie had left early to return to Sydney for work and taken Shirley and Dave with him, so the rest of us went for a dip in the sea before breakfast and then started packing up. By 1.00 pm we bade a fond farewell to Manyana, Pete, Lynda and the kids having left about an hour previously. Our first stop was at Berry in order to re-visit the quilt shop passed on the way down. By this time the temperature had climbed into the mid 30s and we were relying on the AC in Emma’s car to provide us with some relief. From Berry we drove inland and up into the mountains behind the coastal plain. Our first destination was a small town named Kangaroo Valley where Emma and Charlie had previously spent a weekend horse riding amongst other things. I was slightly disappointed in that the name on the map conjured up pictures of pasture being grazed by an abundance of ‘roos. In fact there wasn’t a ‘roo in sight and the only ones we saw during our entire visit were those at Manyana. Our route back to Sydney took us through the beautiful countryside of the ‘Southern Highlands’, an area favoured by the more well to do early settlers!
We arrived back at Manly at 6.30 and enjoyed the remainder of the Whiting caught at Manyana. It should be mentioned here that Charlie not only knows how to catch fish but also how to prepare and cook them in an unforgettable manner.

Sat 20 Feb - Manyana Day 6

The sea at Manyana had by this stage calmed down so we all had an early morning dip before breakfast. After much deliberation it was decided that we should take the children over to Conjola where they would enjoy the calm shallow water whilst the men – Dave, Charlie and Pete fished around the corner at ‘Shark Hole’. We returned for an early roast meal followed by party games (“Guess who I am” and Charades), led by Emma, needless to say! There was a light interlude when Pete went outside to fetch something from the car and returned to find a snake on the deck near the entrance door. Needless to say Christine disappeared very quickly! This was the first snake that Emma had seen during 6 years in Oz – what a coincidence that she should be in Christine’s presence when it happened!

Fri 19 Feb - Manyana Day 5

It had been planned that Charlie’s mother and partner Dave would come and stay for the weekend so Charlie left early to pick them up from Sydney airport. Emma, Christine and I spent the morning in the sun at Washerwoman’s Beach where Shirley and Dave met us for the first time, on their arrival. After a late lunch we all headed back to the fishing beach where more ‘Yellow Fin Whiting’ were caught. Just as we were leaving the beach our other weekend visitors namely brother Pete and wife Lynda plus children Grace and Kirk, arrived. We were now a complete eleven in the house as the previous night Dave’s son and Charlie’s friend, Dan had made the trek down from Sydney in his van. Christine’s day was complete when dolphins were spotted from the deck outside our bedroom, playing in the bay.

Thur 18 Feb - Manyana Day 4

With Emma and Charlie off shopping in Nowra Christine and I headed south to Ulladulla, a small town with a harbour about 20 miles south of Manyana. As we stumbled across a Quilt Shop, naturally a visit had to be made; however it did not meet expectations! Nevertheless whilst in the shop Christine was asked if she wanted her blood pressure checking – so what was that all about?! These quilters obviously live high pressure lives. We were enjoying a fish and chip lunch by the harbour when Emma and Charlie arrived and we drove in convoy to Warden Head, a good spot for Whale watching. As the Whales only pass by during the Spring and Autumn migration we did not and had not expected to see any. Back at Manyana preparations were in hand for another session of early evening fishing, this time with Mike taking control of a second rod that Charlie had purchased. Surprise, surprise, fish were caught on both lines, those by Mike being a life first! How much better fish taste when they from your own line!

Wed 17 Feb - Manyana Day 3

The morning was spent again on Bendalong beach where the surf was good, and the sun very hot. Whilst Christine made friends with a ‘blue heeler’ owned by one of the surfers, Emma was busy working away on her laptop. In the late afternoon we drove around to the nearer beach at Lake Conjola and bathed in the fast current whilst Charlie cast his line just around the corner at Green Island in a place worryingly called ‘Shark Hole’. That evening we ate Tailor fish fresh from the ocean!

Tues 16 Feb - Manyana Day 2

With the surf still a little fierce at ‘our’ beach we drove round to nearby Bendalong beach which was more sheltered but had a good surf break off the rocks to one side. The latter provided the necessary conditions for expert Charlie whilst Emma and I, as novices, practised our board kneeling skills!
That evening we decided to have a barbecue down on Washerwoman’s Beach so made use of the free public gas barbecue to cook our kanga bangers and ‘roo steaks!

Mon 15 Feb - Manyana Day 1

The house that Emma had rented was one that she and Charlie had stayed in before with friends. Its location was absolutely stunning, sitting on a low cliff above a sweeping golden beach backed by dunes. The view from our bedroom was of a vast expanse of sea with surf perpetually pounding the shoreline, which provided the soundtrack to our little idyll.
As the sea was really too heavy for swimming, and wishing to explore the locality a little, we drove round to Lake Conjola which is actually the mouth of a river that has silted up with sand. This has left a large saltwater lake behind a sand bar that for the most part was extremely shallow. We were able to wallow in the gentle downstream current keeping ourselves cool in the scorching heat. On the way there was great excitement when a bird with a funny head shape was spotted beside the road and we had to stop for photos – it turned out to be a Kookaburra!
Later in the afternoon we took a look at Green Island, a place that we would return to for the fishing a number of times during the week. The need to investigate the best spots for surfing and fishing was an integral part of our first days in Manyana.

Sun 14 Feb - The Drive to Manyana

Sunday morning on Manly Beach is a hive of activity from an early hour. There were surf club competitions taking place that involved swimming out to a set of markers and back. There were mature (silver) surfers marching up and down practising for their competitions. There were joggers, walkers, supporters and food stalls which all contributed to a carnival atmosphere.
By midday we were packed up and set off for the drive to Manyana where Emma had rented a beachside house for us all to stay in the following week. Manyana was located some 250 kilometres (180 miles) south of Sydney and the drive down the coastal road would have been stunning if it hadn’t started to rain. We stopped for a late lunch at a town called Berry coincidentally opposite a quilt shop – once again the secret society was at work! As closing time was approaching and we had a few miles still to go, a note was made to call in on the way back to Sydney.
We arrived at Manyana to be welcomed by a family of kangaroos grazing by the side of the road – the first we had seen, what excitement!

Sat 13 Feb - The Northern Beaches

After a customary swim and late breakfast and with the weather overcast, we decided to drive up the coast to see the beaches north of Sydney. We started at Freshwater and then visited Curl Curl, Dee Why, Collaroy, Bungan, Newport and Bilgola Beaches, finishing up at Palm Beach, which apparently is the backcloth for the Australian soap ‘Home and Away’. All had fabulous golden sand and looked equally inviting. On the way we stopped in Avalon where Emma and Charlie had previously lived and visited a ‘vintage’ clothing shop (i.e. secondhand) where the girls spent a lot of time looking at stuff but Mike and Charlie were the only ones to make purchases! We also all bought Valentine’s Day cards.
On the return drive we stopped off in Careel Bay for a fish and chip lunch and enjoyed the view of the Pittwater Estuary over a beer at the Newport Tavern.
In the evening we chilled, in preparation for our journey south the following day.

Fri 12 Feb - Sightseeing in Sydney

After another early swim followed by breakfast we walked to the ferry terminal at Manly Wharf and caught the ferry into central Sydney. The ferry trip lasted about half an hour and gave us unrivalled views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. After a quick look around the exterior of the Opera House we went for some relief from the heat in the harbourside café/bar. By now the temperature we reckoned to be in the mid thirties and the humidity was high! We continued our sightseeing expedition by taking another ferry to Darling Quay. Here we split up, Christine and Charlie visiting the Sydney Aquarium whilst Emma and Mike went to the Maritime Museum. The air conditioning in both buildings provided a welcome respite. Another beer later and we were on the ferry back to Circular Quay followed by the ferry to Manly. We had to return in good time as Emma had arranged a barbecue for the evening, having invited a number of friends round to meet step-mum and dad. As always Emma’s schedules are always full to bursting point! Unfortunately it has to be reported that the weather then turned very British-like and we had to have the bbq inside, with the grille set up on the balcony, due to a heavy rainstorm. It absolutely pelted down.

Thur 11 Feb - First Day in OZ

On a headland, sandwiched between Manly Beach and Freshwater Bay. Emma and Charlie have chosen a fantastic location for their apartment. As we sat on the balcony enjoying an early morning cup of tea we witnessed bronzed bodies making off to the beach with surf boards, returning some time later to change into work clothes and head off to the city in their BMWs. Such is life in Manly!
After a pre-breakfast swim (for Mike) we drove over to the other end of Manly Beach and had breakfast in what Emm described as the iconic Aussie beach café, overlooking the aquatic reserve at Shelley Beach. As we sat enjoying our muesli and toast scuba divers and snorkel swimmers passed us on their way to the water. After breakfast we joined them and saw for ourselves the amazing diversity of fish in this bay. By now the temperature had notched up a few more degrees into the high 20’s and the water provided welcome refreshment. Next Emma and Charlie drove us for a view of Sydney Harbour from North Head before returning to their apartment for a late lunch. Our next excursion resulted from one of Emma’s ‘off the wall’ ideas. She had rung up one of the yacht clubs located in one of the many harbour inlets and discovered that on Thursday evenings they had a race in which guests could participate – the idea was to get as many people along to taste the experience of sailing in the hope that they would catch the bug and join the club. As ‘out of towners’ we were not sure how welcome we would be and approached the exercise with some trepidation (another of Emm’s scatty ideas), but in the event it all worked out extremely well. The yachtees were only too pleased to have us as crew and although we were each on different boats we all had a great time. And we got to see Sydney Harbour from a unique viewpoint to boot! Well done Emma!

Wed 10 Feb - From NZ to OZ

With a scheduled early afternoon flight from New Plymouth we left R & J’s at 11.00 am and stopped for our customary flat white at a café en route recommended by resident coffee connoisseur, Rich. We then did a quick tour of the front at New Plymouth before having a picnic in one of the many parks whilst dodging some heavy rain showers. At 2.15 we took off from New Plymouth and flew the short hop to Auckland and then at 5.30 bade a (temporary) farewell to the land of corrugated iron roofs.
We arrived in Sydney at 7.00 pm local time and after a scare with our luggage arriving late we entered a deserted Arrivals Hall. We’d never experienced such a quiet airport - even daughter Emma and partner Charlie, who we were going to be staying with for our two weeks in Sydney, were absent! After a slightly worrying wait Emma arrived and we were given a quick tour of the city, getting our first sight of the Opera House and crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge on our way to their apartment in Queenscliff, just north of Manly.

Tues 9 Feb - Chilling in Opunake

It was nice to be back at Rich and Jackie’s, enjoying the sunshine and the company of R and J plus nephew Tony, wife Andrea and (for the first time) great niece Charlie. She is a little sweetie who never stops talking and asking questions! The afternoon was spent with Charlie on the beach. All in all a quiet day preparing for our imminent departure to Oz!

Mon 8 Feb - Completing the Circle.

This was to be our last day on the road and we had some 250 miles to complete along a fairly twisty route so we packed up and set off in good time. Initially we headed back to Taupo (via a different route) and drove down the east side of Lake Taupo to the Mount Rupareh area. Initially there was some low cloud that obscured the view of the volcanic mountain but as we drove further south and west the weather improved. Our route back to Opunake for another couple of nights with Rich and Jackie followed the ‘Forgotten Highway’ – an old pioneer route linking New Plymouth with the central area of the North Island. This was very scenic, climbing over three major passes and through real ‘wilderness’ territory. There were information boards every few miles, describing some aspect of the journey whether it be the making of the road or a description of local mining operations, or the development of local communities, all of which added to the interest. After a day of driving with many stops – including one at a small town called Whangamomona, which declares itself a republic one day every year, issuing passports to those who wish to enter – we broke through into the sunshine of the west coast and Opunake where our little excursion had started some 20 days and 4,400 kms previously.

Sun 7 Feb - Rotorua the Place with the Bad Smell!

The next morning we packed up and drove the only 50 odd miles from Taupo, north to Rotorua. En route we passed New Zealand’s premier motor racing circuit where Mike could have spent a happy day watching the meeting that was just getting underway, however our schedule and Christine dictated otherwise! Rotorua welcomed us with the smell of bad eggs that wafted across the whole area and made the wearing of any deodorant, perfume or after shave completely superfluous. After depositing belongings in our ‘Top 10’ cabin we went on to explore the hot springs, geysers and mud pools that the area is famous for. At the Te Puia Maori site just outside of town we considered we were ripped off, paying the equivalent of £20 each to go and see a poor replica of the Yellowstone Park offering. What was most annoying was that later that evening we discovered springs by the lakeside equal to those we had paid for available for free!

Sat 6 Feb - Lake Taupo

We awoke once more to clear blue skies and temperatures climbing into the low 20’s so set about some local sightseeing. Our first port of call was the Hukka Falls, which is not so much a high waterfall, but a narrow channel filled with a storming torrent of water. It is quite a sight to behold and can be viewed from a footbridge above or from several viewing points along the chasm. Further downstream we watched another flood of water as the gates were opened on a hydroelectric plant. An empty river course became another raging torrent within a matter of minutes. After watching all this water and with temperatures climbing into the mid 20s we decided it was time for a bit of immersion so spent the afternoon swimming in Lake Taupo. We completed our day of ‘chilling out’ by returning to our ‘holiday resort’ and poaching ourselves lightly in the hot pool.

Fri 5 Feb - From Art Deco to Lakeside Resort

We found Napier to be a very charming and interesting town. Apart from the art deco buildings in the centre, the style had rubbed off on many of the shops and houses in the suburbs. The shopping centre was a buzz of activity and as in all NZ towns the coffee bar culture rampant. We spent a couple of hours having a good look round visiting the cathedral that had been devastated by the earthquake in 1931. They celebrated the anniversary of the ‘quake two days before our arrival – fortunately Christine’s presence so close to this historic date did not lead to a re-occurrence.
After a drive to the oldest vineyard in the area just outside of town we decided that we were just not dressed for lunch and continued on our way towards Lake Taupo stopping at a roadside café instead. The road to the lake wound upward through a tree covered landscape and out onto a fairly barren plateau. The roads, after the twisting upward climb became long and straight to the horizon.
Our ‘Top 10’ site at Taupo was one of the best, the cherry on the cake being an outdoor pool that catered for Christine’s love of warm water. It was geothermally heated to a temperature of 38 degrees C!

Thur 4 Feb - Wellington to Napier

We left Wellington reluctantly as we had so liked the city but needed to push on up the eastern side of the North Island to Napier. En route we stopped off at Martinhouse, a small town famous for its boutique vineyards but which did not particularly impress us, although in retrospect we were perhaps expecting too much. Then we drove on through Masterton, Dannevirke and Waipukurau to Hastings and Napier. Of these, Masterton was much larger than expected, Dannevirke made much of its Viking origins (Danes were encouraged to settle here), and at Waipukurau friendly and helpful mechanics at a garage came to our rescue when the battery on our MPV died. We reached Napier late afternoon and after an abortive attempt to find a cabin in a holiday park, settled for a very nice motel on the seafront. This proved to be excellent value for money, not only having the usual en-suite facilities, but a fully equipped kitchen, flat screen tv, DVD player, music system, extra king size double bed and a Jacuzzi! It was like having a small swimming pool in your bedroom, and all this for just £70 a night! We slept well that night.

Wed 3 Feb - Return to the North Island

After a fitful sleep – broken regularly by the noise of passing HGVs on their way into the dockyard – we got up to check-in for the ferry at 5.30 am. The ferry crossing, which started in the dark, was smooth but with overcast skies until we entered Wellington harbour when the sun came out to welcome us. We really are impressed with Wellington! We had decided on a day of sightseeing in, so after sorting a hotel headed for the Te Papa museum which is housed in a fantastic modern building on the waterfront next to trendy new restaurants and bars in converted warehouses. A couple of hours was spent absorbing Maori culture, the history of New Zealand and its peoples and the mechanics of earthquakes and volcanoes. Much more time was needed to do it full justice but eventually we got to the stage of being ‘museumed out’ so went back outside into the sunshine. Now to complete Lou’s second recommendation - to ascend the hill behind the city in the cable car. This we dutifully did and were rewarded with stunning views. The walk back down through the botanical gardens was equally inspiring to the one who likes this sort of thing whilst a nod of appreciation at the appropriate time from the other seemed to work well.
Before our evening meal we drove out for a tour around the lakeshore that had been visible from the Interislander ferry and found some picturesque bays, then drove up to the lookout at Mount Victoria for another view of the city. Finally the (very long) day was rounded off with a curry in a downtown restaurant serenaded by a band of South American buskers in the street outside. Needless to say, Christine had to go and thank them individually.

Tues 2 Feb - Back to Picton

After reluctantly leaving Akarua we drove over the peninsular and down to Lyttleton, a prettily located port, but quite industrial. It was then through a tunnel and on to Christchurch where we had a quick drive around the central area and through Hagley Park. We were not terribly impressed, just a large American-like chequer board downtown area with a pleasant central square and large park, but very flat – quite different to Wellington.
As we left the suburbs we drove through gently undulating and softly scenic countryside including the Waipara Valley, famous for its vineyards and eventually re-joined the coast but the day had started, and remained, overcast, so the sea looked less appealing. The only major town we passed through was Kaikoura where we should have stopped in order to do some whale watching but still had a few miles to go so pressed on to Blenheim, arriving late afternoon.
This little town which is the centre of the largest wine growing area in New Zealand (home to Montana, amongst others) looked promising, and we would have stayed the night here but as we could only get a booking on a very early morning ferry we continued on to Picton. Here we found a cabin in a small holiday park about 200 yards from the entrance to the ferry terminal and after a meal in the town settled down for our 5.00 am start the next morning.
It is worthy of note that today we actually passed a quilt shop and did not stop! No, Christine was not asleep.

Mon 1 Feb - The Banks Peninsular, what a little Gem

Our route from Twizel took us north-east to Lake Tekapo – a very pleasant looking holiday resort – and on through Fairlie and Geraldine to the Highway 1 in the direction of Christchurch. At Ashburton we had a short stop as the quilting fraternity exchanged secret packages and passwords again. We were glad to leave the main highway that was busy with trucks and ran across nondescript countryside – a far cry from anything we had so far experienced. What we had not expected was the sheer beauty of the Banks peninsular as we drove on to Akarua. This is a small town on a magnificent inlet founded by the French, which would have been the location for French colonisation if the brits had not signed a deal with the Maori first! All the streets have French names and little Bilbo Baggins is recommending it in her good food guide!

Sun 31 Jan - From Queenstown to Twizel

Said goodbye to Queenstown having decided we would have to do Milford Sound on our next visit to NZ. First stop was at the original A J Hackett bungy jumping site at Kawarau where we watched a few reluctant heroes make the drop! They included a father and son who we got to know via Christine talking to the wife/mother. It turned out that he (Scott Laycock) was a professional golfer over from Australia playing in the NZ Open that was being held nearby. His son, Joel at 10 was one of the youngest to go.The conditions were ideal so there was a temptation but I decided to do it the next time we are over. I’ve got plenty of time as the oldest jumper so far was 94!
From here we headed to Cromwell and on up over the high central plains to Omarama (famous for gliding apparently) and Twizel. Here we had a glimpse of Mount Cook in the far distance which persuaded us to stop in Twizel for the night and visit the base of the mountain in the late afternoon. This was a 70 mile round trip but well worth the detour with fantastic views of the mountain and two glaciers.

Sat 30 Jan - Queenstown, Actionville NZ

Now what was Mike going to do? On offer was kayaking, jet boating, white water rafting, river surfing, paragliding, ballooning, hang gliding, skydiving, bungy jumping, mountain biking, off road quadbiking and motor biking and you could even hire a Segway to make yourself look a complete twit as you ‘rode’ around town! In the end it was a toss up between doing a bungy jump in the Karawau river gorge (the site where bungy jumping originated) or sailing an America’s Cup contender boat on Lake Wakatipu. Well Christine was never keen on me doing the former and having a chance to crew on a racing boat appealed (and would last longer than the couple of seconds of sheer terror) so I opted for the latter. It was great fun and taught me how the ‘grinders’ work on this type of boat. Due to the size of mainsail in use it took eight of us working the winch system flat out to raise the sail at which point is was determined there was too much wind so it was promptly lowered and we sailed back and forth across the lake at 9 plus knots on the foresail. (Don’t worry, this will only make sense to the sailors amongst you)!
Prior to this we ascended to Bob’s Lookout – a viewing platform/restaurant/ shop complex 400 metres above Queenstown - in the Skyline Gondola. This is a small 4 person cable car from which superb views of Queenstown and the surrounding mountain ranges were gained. Needless to say this amounted to the most daredevil activity that Christine would participate in! There was a small ski type lift that took you up a further 100 or so metres but this was a step too far for our intrepid quilter!

Fri 29 Jan - On to Queenstown

This quilting business is like a secret society, you go to one shop and they tell you about another, and they put you on to yet another and so on – they obviously work in cells so that no-one has the overall picture! Anyway, needless to say en route to Queenstown we managed to find another Quilt Shop way in the outback up a dirt and road. After much admiring of quilts and materials and discussion about things that mere men have no knowledge we exited with the customary brown bag and password for the next shop!
When we arrived in Queenstown via the steep and twisting Cardrona Pass we were immediately impressed with its location. It is at the head of Lake Wakatipu, nestled below and climbing up the sides of a two hills and with views across to the range of mountains known as ‘The Remarkables’ – idyllic. The town itself is very lively, full of young people and with much going on at all times. The waterfront has a promenade made for people watching and is backed by restaurants, bars and coffee shops with buskers adding atmosphere. Half of the ‘shops’ in town appeared to be booking offices for one adventure experience or another and the others were either souvenir shops, camping/trekking/watersports clothing outlets or purveyors of art and craft galleries/shops. We ended up staying in Queenstown rather than the slightly more upmarket Arrowtown nearby because with the New Zealand Open golf tournament in full ‘swing’ close by, accommodation was scarce.