ruth and ed in nz

Writing now from the YHA in AUckland and in posession of a Mobile phone brought from a china man at a reasonable price with a vodafone sim card so we are ready to communicate with the NewZealanders. However if you feel like sending us a text or even calling to hear our dulcit tones the Number is 0064 210635821.

Finishing off the Oz part:

Thursday we got up early packed up the tent and made it to MacKenzie falls which were majestic and mystical until a group of short wearing loud teenage europeans clambered over the well maintained horizon and preceeded to take photographs as if the area needed forensic analysis after we had visited.
On our way back up from the falls we saw a kookaburra and there is a photo which will appear at some point. They are quite big, and unafraid of humans as we later found out..
Driving on southwards to get back to the coast we saw a few ‘roos and had a bit of a close encounter with one as it stuffed its face, which was magic.
We ended up spending the night further on towards Adelaide after a few coastal towns and a hint from the tourist office about a good campsite by the Glen Elg river. This was where a Kookaburra landed on an open car door and wouldn’t be dissuaded until the boot was opened and shut very loudly.

Friday we woke up to a sparrow like bird lodged between the fly sheet and inner tent. I’m not sure who was more panicked, it or us.
Once again packed up and munched some brekkie and set off again for the biggest day of driving yet. We drove almost non stop 10:30 ’til 6:00 between us to get through the Coorong and close enough to Adelaide to make it in time for the car drop off.
The Coorong was deserted long stretches of road, quite beautiful. We stayed in Port Elliot campsite, just like the ones in france tidy with little power supplies and tons of old age campers retired and travelling around. We had Fish and Chips and watched out for “schoolies” – school leavers up to no good. There was a really nice Swimming beach just at the bottom of the campsite.

On Saturday we drove the last part to Adelaide through vineyards and farms. We also stopped and had a dip in Brighton Beach! This was however horrible compared to the real thing. Not a pebble in sight and the sea was almost warm! It didn’t help that is was really sunny too, most disappointing.
After dropping the rental car back we had a nice Chinese in Adelaides Chinatown. Everywhere appeard to be closing as we walked round. Throughout our stay in Adelaide it gave the impression of a big city with out that many people in it.

Hello blog-fans. This is Ed’s first forray into the world of actual blog writing.. not just commenting or doing photo things whilst Ruths fingers buzz across the key board. We have an ‘arvo in Adelaide where it is hotter than a blue tounged lizards belly so it is adviseable to stay inside and not watch the Ashes! So.. After the last post (blog post, not trumpet solo) we proceeded as follows:

Tuesday 21st : Lighthouse with carpark under construction on Cape otway. We were back tracking a bit to see some more an accompany Nikky and Conrad on teir return(in the hope of just one more delicious impromptu meal) Saw a Koala up a tree not doing much. Said goodbye to the other half of Team Yaris (Nikky and Conrad). We drove back past some Apostles and saw some more amazing Sandstone edifices decaying in the enormous Antarctic swell.
We drove to a halt here at a small place called Killarney where we got a toilet key from a couple in a converted school bus when they charged us to camp next to an Aussie rules pitch. A nice walk along a beach that could have been in Ireland as it was grey, cloudy and windy.

Wednesday 22nd:
Eeek, no petrol. The indicator was flashing and we were sure there ahd been a bit left the night before. Also yesterday we had been noticing some fluid leakage from under the car whenever we stopped, not particularly smelly but unidentified so we surmised the worst. Not wanting to hit the highway and get stuck on the hard shoulder, we went to pow wow with the folks in the converted bus. After a pedigree Siamese cat was restrained inside the bus ( he had been the recipient of some expensive plastic surgery we were informed) the general concensus was that we were in a tight spot. Johnno, who had previously been sat by the club house watching the pitch being watered and presumably remembering some former Aussie rules glory, came to the rescue. The decided solution was definitely a blue job…. Johnno would suck (yes mouth to filthy hose) a few litres from the buses fuel tank so we could make it to the next town. Looking like he might do this sort of thing for fun anyway; Jonno being a good 65 or a bad 50, skin like leather that has been folded and pressed into shape and less than a full set of teeth; we didn’t feel to bad when we gave him 3 bucks and high tailed it to Port Fairy.
When there we had coffees and rang Hertz who despatched the RACV man from round the corner. He was there in a Jiffy and told us we had a dodgy petrol tank gauge and when you run the air con all day whilst driving the condensation makes a pool under the car. So that mystery solved we were on our way.
We drove directly inland from Port fairy into the Grampians. This change in landscape went from rolling yellow fields of grass and corn to the green and black hills jutting from the ground. The first one you see is aptly named Mt Abrupt. So motoring on we sighted a Kangaroo that was to be the first of many. Once in the range we stopped at Halls gap for Tucker – crisps, cucumber, tomatoes, gherkins, water, beer, homous, carrots.
We then drove up into the mountains to find our campsite. This ended up testing the Yaris’ off road capabilities on unsealed tracks. We eventually saw an Emu in the woods too. We pitched out tent in a clearing so as to avoid the sudden dropping of red gum tree branches which apparently happens all the time although we didn’t see it.

Signing off now as I have rambled for too long….

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