Aymi’s Adventures

View of Perth from Kings Park – okay so my panoramic skills need a little practice! 

My first stop in Australia was Perth, where I had 4 days of soltitude and detox – much needed after all the partying on the KIWI Experience bus!!  Loved the city and it was so nice to be somewhere warm again (even if it did rain on the first 2 days), did all the main sights, Perth Mint, Kings Park, Freemantle & the prison, Nightsbridge (okay so the detox only lasted 3 days) etc etc.  For a big city it had a very chilled out atmosphere to it and plently of things to see and do without everything being in your face. I also liked the free buses around the CBD which made life nice and easy for me – especially playing dumb and managing to get them free all the way from Billabong Resort which was actually out of the free zone – I think being blonde helped!!

Freemantle Prison, Monument in Kings Park

Flew up to Broome still with the cold that i’d had for about the past 2 weeks thinking I would have another 3 days of relaxation, but oh no, the 3 girls from Perth in my dorm made sure that wasn’t the case and I have to say I was a little scared of them (and their lesbian stories), so ended up trashed everynight and sleeping by the pool everyday, although I dont think there was that much more to Broome to be honest, and I was happy to top up my tan a little which is now non existent after New Zealand!

Cable Beach Backpackers, The Girls, Sunset at Cable Beach

Sydney, again did all the usual sights, the compulsary piccies of harbour bridge & opera house, but to be honest I wasnt really that bothered about it.  Bondi Beach was just like any other beach, but it was nice to meet up with Jo there (who I met in South America) and spy on some rather cute bodies and laugh at all the Japanese people taking pictures with people they didnt even know! Stayed with Ben (who I met in Rio) which was cool, he picked me up from the airport, showed me around on his Vespa, taking me to all the best places – he even provided me with slippers to wear in his house!!  The first day I went to a BBQ picnic in Centennial Park with all his friends which was really cool as I didnt feel like a tourist at all – and I got chance to practice some Spanish with the Argentinians who were there. We ate out every night in really nice places – my favourite is still the $7 steak though, washed down by a $3 beer (thats about 4 quid in total) – sometimes the best things in life are the cheapest.

Ben my local Vespa tour guide, Jo & I on Bondi Beach, Picnic in Centennial Park.

My favourite day was when I got up early and went to work with Ben on the Vespa, the view from his office is pretty amazing overlooking the Harbour, the bridge and the Opera house – not a bad office to work in to say the least. Then I took the 8am ferry over to Manly for a few hours which ended up being the whole day. Such a beautiful area with a much more relaxed feel to it than Sydney itself. The day was spent walking around, shopping (well I didnt have a bikini with me and the beach was calling – okay so the dress wasnt all that necessary, but I love it all the same), lazing on the beach and eating fish & chips (still not as good as back home though – I mean where are the mushy peas?!). The ferry back to Sydney was equally impressive, watching the sunset behind the Opera House and Harbour bridge. After 5 nights and my short time-frame though it was time to move on, so I booked onto the OZ Exp bus up the coast to Cairns.

View from Ben’s office, view from the ferry coming back into Sydney from Manly.

Dinner in Aukland’s Skytower 

The long flight to Aukland from LA was exhausting and I was very upset at completely loosing a day after crossing the international date line. I have no record of 13th Aug, I set off from LA on 12th and arrived here on 14th and am feeling very cheated. Oh well Shit happens I guess!

The first thing I have to say about New Zealand is how spectacular the scenery is, from the beaches and volcanoes in the North Island to the mountains and glaciers in the South Island.  Before coming to New Zealand I was not really that interested in it and only going to spend 3 weeks quickly skipping through it as I didnt think I would like it.  As it turned out I loved it, spent just over a month there which was still not nearly enough and would love to go back one day – maybe in summer next time to see the North Island at it’s best.  The main highlight for me of course was meeting up with my parents there.

Some of the beautiful scenerary, Ma n Pa enjoying sunset on the beach.

The first thing I did after arriving into Aukland at 5am was to change into my trainers.  Flip flops and New Zealand in winter just dont go together.  After hanging around for a few hours I finally got a bus up to Keri Keri in the Northlands area arriving about 2pm.  It was kinda surreal seeing Mum and Dad there waiting for me at the bus stop, but after the journey to their friends house where we were staying it was just like old times, almost like I hadn’t been away at all. 

I saw most of the North Island with Mum and Dad, staying in Keri Keri was the base for exploring the Northlands including 90 mile beach, its sand-dunes, sand-boarders and quicksand leading up to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point and meeting place of the Pacific Ocean & Tasman Sea. Then there was the boat trip around the Bay of Islands taking in Russell, Cape Brett, the Hole in the rock, with a few dolphins racing the boat and two killer whales thrown in for good measure. There was Waipoua forest with New Zealand’s largest kauri tree, Tane Mahuta. We also saw the widest trunked Kauri tree and the seven sister trees before heading to gum diggers museum.

Dolphin racing our boat.

Soon it was time to leave Keri Keri so we headed South and ended up in Tauranga it was a really nice small town atmosphere, with some decent nightlife. Mount Mounganui nearby was a nice short climb and had a great view over the seaside town. Then it was back up to Aukland for my last night with my parents. We had dinner in the sky tower which was amazing, not sure Mum really appreciated the views as she was too busy concentrating on the height! 

Auklands Skytower surrounded in the mysterious night mist.

After my parents had left I spent another couple of nights in Aukland and then headed down to Lake Taupo which was absolutely stunning.  I managed to do a skydive here which was such an amazing feeling and stunning views over the lake.  Then there was horseriding around the highlands with the sulphur seemingly steaming from the ground finishing up with a traditional Mauri show and Hangi dinner.  From there it was down to Wellington and the Te Papa museum where I decided to stay one night only as the hostel was not nice and go over to the South Island a day early. 

Skydiving, horseriding, Mauri Show

The South Island was amazing, from my first night in Picton, the smallest town ever, maybe even smaller than Pott Shrigley to my last night in Christchurch, I loved it.  The Kiwi Experience bus was great fun, although it did annoy me a little been told when to eat, when to pee, when to sleep, kinda takes the fun out of independant travelling, but also makes it a lot easier to meet loads of people and just get drunk all the time, as everything else is done for you! 

The Kiwi bus and some of the friends I made on it.

The main highlights were the glacier walk at Franz Joseph, learning to ski (and the apres ski where teapots were the order of the day) in queenstown, jet boat riding, fancy dress party at poo pub, and the great people I travelled with.

Franz Joseph Glacier walk, My fancy dress creation at the Poo Pub – Jordan you look fab!!

 More stunning scenic views of New Zealand