George’s Adventure

Tuesday 11 July 2006

Arrived in New Zealand on 30th June.  I flew into Auckland and after the strict customs operations (you are not allowed to bring in any type of food or products like wood or seeds or plants etc), Brooke was there waving and with a smile on her face to greet me.  My first impression of New Zealand was that it was just like England.  Green grass and trees and they drive on the same side as us.  However, I think there is a lot more to NZ and I couldnt wait to find out.

After shopping for warmer clothing (it is winter here) and getting in the mood by watching “Once were Warriors” ”The Whale Rider” we took a trip to Marsden Point.  It is wonderful here.  The beaches are so clean and the sand is silky. 

We went for a trip up the skytower.  From the top viewing deck you can see so far accross the city.  It is such a beautiful place. 

We took a boat from Auckland to Waiheke island where they have many vinyards that make NZ award winning wine.  Some of the houses goes for millions of dollars and they have power but no sewage or mains water. 

While we were in Auckland we went to Mount Eden. From this volcano you can see a really great view of the city. We also went to Auckland museum where we went to a Maori cultural performance. We also had a look around the shops in Queens Street and High Street and had a peek around Victoria Park Market. Busy busy.

We have booked the magic bus travellers network to get around New Zealand. This is great because we can hop on and off the buses when we want as the buses run all the time. The buses also take you to interesting places on the way to your destination. On the way from Auckland to Paihia we stopped at Waipoua forest where there was a kauri tree that was supposed to have seeded around 2000 years ago. That is amazing.

Our first overnight stop on the buses was Paihia. This is where we took a boat out to the Bay of Islands and saw wild dolphins swimming. There were so many of them and I really wanted to get in and swim with them but we were not allowed as there were baby dolphins there and if we swim with them the parents get distracted and will not feed the babies. We also saw the ‘Hole in the Rock’. On the way back we got off at Russel island. This is the oldest town in New Zealand. We had a wander around the island and i had pumpkin and kumera soup for lunch – yummy.

We went for a walk to the Haruru Falls through mangrove. I have never seen mangrove before so it was quite something. It was a 5km walk one way so by the end of it my legs felt like they were going to drop off (how i am going to walk up a glacier later on i dont know).

From Paihia we went on a Northern Exposure tour. This takes you to Cape Reinga which is the very northern tip of the north island. On the way we drove down Ninety Mile Beach which is so amazing. It’s a massive beach with sand dunes at the top. This is where I went sand boarding. Completely mad and I ended up with sand all in my face and in between my teeth somehow….but so fun. You climb up a big sand dune (this is the exhausting bit) and then lie on the board and slide down really fast.  Very exhilarating.

At Cape Reinga there is a lighthouse.  Maori people believe that your spirit leaves from this point when you die and it is also where the Tamsin and Pacific ocean meet.

On the way home from the trip I had (in true NZ style) fish and chips.  The fish was so fresh it actually tasted good. 

The next step was to go from Auckland to Rotorua.  We stopped off at Waitomo on the way and did Black water rafting and tubing.  This was absolutely amazing and very very cold and wet.  You start off by walking through the waitomo caves.  If you cover you helmet light with your hand you can see the glow worms in the cave.  They are spectacular.  I had to fall backwards down a waterfall with only a black inflatable ring for comfort and then go down a slide.  I got soaked and very cold.  It was such fun though.

Today I walked around Rotorua on my own and saw the thermal pools that they have here.  There is steam everywhere.  It is very bizarre. When I walked accross the bridge in the middle of the pool my glasses completely steamed up.

In the evening Janine and I went to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. It is like getting in a hot bath. Amazing. I think i have strained my knee with all the walking I have been doing so it really helped ease the pain. There were 4 spas altogether ranging from 39 degrees to 42 degrees. They are open aired and look of the lake – what a view. You could sit there and look up at the stars.

Friday 30 June 206

Bula!  Have spent a day in Denarau Island.  There are loads of upmarket resorts there and the island is built on mashy land (i am sure it will all sink one day).  You can get a ‘Bula Bus’ (everything is bula here!!) which is free and takes you around all the different resorts.  We went to the Sheraton Royal and spent the day on the beach.  One of the gardeners chopped down some coconuts for us and showed us how they cut them, drink the juice and then scoop out the flesh to eat.   Delicious.

We went on a trip to South Sea island.  This is a 25 minute boat ride from Denarau Island.  You can walk around this island in 7 minutes – i tried to do it faster but your feet sink in the sand too much.  The snorkelling is great here and free too.  We also got free Fiji beer all day!!!

In Nadi we tried game fishing from our resort.  We were trawling for fish.  Jenna caught a belt fish but we had to put it back.  We didnt catch anything else but it was very fun anyway. 

We said goodbye to Jenna on 22 June and Janine and I went off to discover the Yasawa Islands.  You can get a ‘bula pass’ for various amounts of days to take you on a return journey of the islands and you can  go to as many as you would like to.

Bounty Island was our first port of call.  This is where the adventure of the missing bag begun.  They have a system where you get off your free coach transfer from your resort at Denarau and you have to check your bag has been labelled correctly for the island you are off to.  Once this is done you get on the boat and they take your luggage on board.  When we went to get off the Yasawa flyer onto a smaller boat to take us to Bounty island, our luggage wasnt on board.  After shouting that we didnt want to get off the flyer they passed it off saying that our luggage would already be on the island.  When we got to Bounty island my bag had been thrown onto the jetty and Janine’s bag was not there.  Janine had to go for 2 days without a bikini and clothes etc etc.  The bag had gone missing around another set of islands.  The captain of the flyer suggested that we hadnt labelled her bag correctly.  I nearly told him where to go.  Anyway the bag has now returned…..back in the arms of its owner.

Bounty island is where the first Celebrity Love Island was filmed.  They have photographs of the “celebs” framed on the walls….you can use the pool they used and walk to the love shack which is now derelict.  They have ripped out all the fixtures and fittings.  In my hunt for the love shack I walked around the island at high tide thinking it wouldnt take that long – of course the tide comes in and out very quickly in Fiji and it meant that I was scrabbling on rocks thinking i might have to swim back….the rocks of doom i named them!

The second island we went to was Nanuya Lailai.  This is further north in the Yasawa islands.  Here we stayed in a very traditional bure.  The toilet and salt water shower were attached to the bure.  Divided only by a type of shower curtain.  The food here was typically Fijian and lovely.  The fish tastes so fresh.  While we were on this island we met some Swedish people who were expaining to me that they normally celebrate the longest day by doing a frog dance.  This day is called Midsummers day.  That night they demonstrated this and I joined in.  It was such fun.  The pole had been made by this Swedish guy with some help by the locals out of the coconut trees.

On Nanuy Lailai you can take a 30 minute walk through the top and over the other side of the island to a place called the Blue Lagoon beach.  This is the place where both Blue Lagoon films were made.  It is beautiful there, lots of yachts in the harbour, and a wonderful beach and breeze.

We stayed on Yaqeta and Naviti island next.  These were my least favourite islands although on Yaqeta we took a walk accross the island and found a completely secluded beach.  Amazing.

On Naviti we did some traditional dancing and we all had to take off our sandalls.  It was very dark and when i went to put my sandalls back on i thought they felt a bit odd but i didnt think anything of it.  The next morning I looked at my sandalls and they looked like mine but felt different – too tight.  Another girl was walking around with mine on and she didnt even realise!!!

Waya Island was our last and most amazing island.  We stayed in a place called the Octopus resort.  They have sunbeds!!! Most of the islands do not so this is a luxury.  We did snorkelling here and met some really lovely people.  I could have stayed there for longer.  We went on a village visit (the village is called Nalauwaki) there and saw how they live in tin huts and keep pigs (which smell really bad) and chickens.  We also went into their church and I bought a bracelet made from coconut which they make themselves.

We fly to New Zealand today…looking forward to a colder climate x

Sunday 18th June 2006

“Bula!” (That means hello – everyone says it here! – People are so friendly).

We arrived at 3am at Nadi (pronounced Nandi). The flight was about 11 hours 15 minutes and because we were travelling from America we have somehow lost a day. It feels funny to have just missed a whole day. We got a free pick up from the airport to our ‘skylodge’ which was great but when we went to check in we were told that we had to wait until 1pm. Not funny! So I thought I would check my emails – internet not working and no others will be open at that time in the morning. No breakfast served until 7am. Waiting and waiting. HUNGRY!

When we finally did check in they tried to put us in a 20+ person dorm which is not what we had booked, then we got locked into our room – someone thought it would be funny to lock us in and why they have a lock on the outside I have no idea?

Then the hook fell off the wall……it’s great here!!

Aside from the ‘skylodge’, last night we went to an island just off Nadi called Denarau Island and had dinner there and watched fire walking. It was in another hotel which was lovely and right on the beach.

We also made a trip to Lautoka where we walked around this amazing market – so many different smells. They sell lots of Kava root in the market. This is something that the locals drink like tea. They grind up the root and strain the powder with water through a cloth (some people we have met have even seen it being strained through a sock! Nice). In the mountains where the real villagers live they have a kava ceremony where you have to clap and say ‘bula’ and then ‘vinaka’ – which is thank you.

In the market we were in we met a policeman on his day off and he took us to drink kava. Janine thought it tasted like muddy water. It definitely looks like muddy water. I didnt mind it but it made my tongue go numb. You have to drink it if it is offered to you as you are thought rude if not.

We also took the bus, which plays the radio at full blast and plays music like Snoop Dogg and Britney Spears – very odd, to Nadi town. The town is bustling and it is so humid and sunny that it is tiring to walk around.

We have had our first Fiji Gold beers though in Nadi town. The beer is very very nice.

On Friday we moved to another hostel for the night where we met up with my friend Jenna. It is good to have 3 of us together now. Yesturday we checked into ‘Club Fiji’. We have a little bungalow on the beach – it is amazing. Today it is raining but yesturday was so hot and sunny – we sunbathed in our bikinis.

The tide goes out really far and the sand is unfortunately not golden but black. It is still soft though. Everyone has told us to head to the islands where it is beautiful and the beaches are better.

Fiji is a wonderful place – I cant wait to explore the islands.

11 June 2006

Since I last wrote I have done quite a bit. The LA tour was great because it gave us a glimpse of lots of the different parts of LA and meant that I could then decide which bits to go back to.

Near our hostel is a place called the Farmers Market. They sell lots of fruit, veg etc and it is like being in a Thai market except, obviously it is American. The amount of food places here is tremendous. You can get so many different types of burgers and hot dogs and it is pretty cheap to eat so there is no excuse to go hungry.

We have also been to Griffith park which was very picturesque. I really enjoyed laying in the sun there.

We went back to Hollywood Boulevard to have another look at the stars and while we were there we go asked to go to a free show. It was called the Jimmy Kimmel show. It was a chat show and bit like Jonathan Ross etc. He had three guests and one was the first ever super model!!! It was such a fun experience although my hands really itched afterwards as you have to clap alot. When I say alot – I mean ALOT!

We also had ice cream in the Disney Soda Fountain and Store. A very chocolaty experience.

If I could have taken something with me that I have not it would have been a decent towel. So I have now bought 2. A big beach one for when I shower and a hand towel for my hair (I am sure you all realise that with my big hair it is a problem). I had taken a travel towel with me which is great at soaking up water and folding neatly away but it doesnt dry you properly and also it looks dirty already!!! Im not that dirty and I was chatting to a few peope here in the hostel and they said that they start smelling after a while. I’m ditching the travel towel!!!!

Yesturday we went to Venice Beach. So nice to relax in the sun and such a breeze too. The beach is so long and big – I dont think I have seen such a long beach.

We also went to the cinema yesturday to see ‘The Break Up’. The cinemas here are massive and the chairs are like our luxury seats (like the posh ones in Bluewater that you pay extra for).

Hoping to go out to a few bars tonight. Should be fun.

“You have a good day now!”

PS. I also really REALLY miss my phone!

7 June 2006
Hi,

Have arrived in LA. It’s just like the movies here. The strees are really long, never ending and tree lined avenues with rows upon rows of housing could be seen as we were landing.

Today I did a tour of LA and took loads of pictures. I saw the big Hollywood sign in the hills and we went to all sorts of different places to give us a taster of LA. Very interesting.

My hostel is good, it is clean and we are sharing a six bed dorm which is quite different when you are used to a nice cosy bedroom all of your own.

The weather is humid and smoggy. It is sooo hot but no sunshine really, kind of strange. It is great to be able to wear sandalls and no jumper/jacket though.

This week we are planning to go to Venice beach as we went there briefly today and loved it.

Nobody has said ‘have a nice day’ to me yet…

Welcome to my blog!  This is very exciting and scary all at the same time!  I leave in 5 days…..prepare for the adventure…..