ChrisJenTravel.com – Honeymoon Trek

Our flight to Auckland got in past midnight so we didn’t notice much on our arrival. We were so tired and wired at the same time that Chris left his passport at the airport (luckily the police found it and we recovered it later). After collecting our bags we boarded a shuttle that was supposed to be bound for the city center but, it was over an hour and five stops later that we were finally delivered to Auckland Central Backpackers. It was around 3am when we found our nice clean room and passed out. The next morning, we walked out of our hostel and were happy to be in the center of everything, only blocks from the sailboat-filled bays, gorgeous parks and the gardens of nearby Auckland University. Smaller than Sydney and more manageable but with most of the advantages, Auckland is clean and beautiful but still large enough to have anything anyone would need.

After a bit of exploring [read on]

The drive from Sydney to Melbourne took all day to cover the more than 800 kilometers, mostly through small farming towns. The landscape turned much dryer as we entered the state of Victoria and approached the Southern coast, with treed mountains and hills giving way to brush-covered plains. There was also a twinge of cool in the air as we made it further and further South, which felt odd. We skirted the city of Melbourne to reach the small surfing town of Torquay to the Southwest. This would be our base for a few days to try to catch some good surf at the world-famous Bell’s Beach and to drive a good part of The Great Ocean Road, which extends for hundreds of kilometers to the West.

After exploring the town center of Torquay, which took all of five minutes, we found a few bunk beds at the only hostel in town, which was also the only sleeping option left in town. The place, like the town, was a shrine to surfing but was reasonably clean. We shared a room with an unfortunate Italian couple that had been unable to find another place to stay and were definitely past the age of enjoying a bunk bed in a hostel. After finding no waves the next day, we spent the day driving the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles. We estimated it would be about a 2 hr drive. Somehow, it was 8, but one of the most beautiful 8 hr stretches of cliffs winding mountain drives, with endless views of the sea and the cliffs falling into it. We drove past sandy pristine beaches, past perfect rocky ones and kept going. Finally we decided we were in it too far to just simply return without seeing the 12 Apostles rock formations, which is one of the most photographed spots in Australia. [read on]

Leaving the party that was Byron Bay, we drove to Port Macquarie – a quiet, mid-sized town on the coast with breathtaking views from the public beaches and parks but a little too spread out and quiet (empty) for us. ... [Continue reading this entry]

With the newfound freedom of having a car, we couldn’t wait to get down to the Gold Coast to explore. The 30km strip on the Southern end of the state of Queensland is a surf mecca with countless surf shops, ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Northern coast from Cairns down to Brisbane is fairly barren and, at over 1000 miles, would have been a daunting drive. Having seen the highlight of the North, The Great Barrier Reef, we made the decision to catch ... [Continue reading this entry]

Leaving Indonesia marked quite a transition in our trip as we left the last developing country for all the modern conveniences of Australia, New Zealand and Europe. We left behind the strange customs, foods and toilets but we were also ... [Continue reading this entry]