Tuesday 30th March

This has been our last full day in Sydney (we think as our flight has not yet been confirmed!). We had spent the week preparing so ‘tanned and toned’ (no pictures) we made our way to Bondi Beach. Regrettably it was raining so the beach was virtually deserted!! We nevertheless strolled along the front and marvelled at the few hardy surfers trying to manage waves no more than a couple of feet high (there was also virtually no wind). There was also some striking ‘Pop Art’ on the sea wall with a couple commemorating locals lost in the Bali bombings. Bondi Beach is actually quite small but it is pristine; smoking is not permitted on the beach and we saw no litter. There were a few people out ‘training’ including the obligatory fit and leggy blond beauty (to keep Ben happy)! We then returned to the City and spent the afternoon in the Museum of Sydney. This was very interesting and had a lot of material about the early days – we had not realised that as well as being chucked off the Bounty, Captain Bligh was also removed from his post as Governor by another mutiny!! There was also a section on the Great Depression which was also very informative. We are going to go to China Town again tonight as it is a great place to visit with lots of options for eating out. Hopefully we will see you all after our return on the 1st April.

Monday 29th March

TODAY WE CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE!!!!! We have the photos and certificate to prove it! There is a lot of preparation for the climb which starts with declarations that you are fit and have no ailments to preclude the climb – fortunately there was no definition of what they meant by ‘fit’ so we signed with alacrity. We dressed in our grey suits with all the accoutrements attached, including the all important safety harness! The weather was pretty humid but dry and not very windy. Having ‘clipped on’ to the safety wire we climbed and descended about 1400 steps up and down ladders and gantries. The hard bits were at the beginning and end to get on/off the top arch of the bridge; once we were on this the climb was pretty easy. The top of the bridge is 139 metres above the water and as expected the views were excellent (the only way you can prove this is to do it yourself!!). It was novel to watch the helicopters flying along the harbour below us.
When our legs had returned from their jelly state, we walked around and took some photos of the Opera House. It is an interesting building which looks more stunning on the skyline than it does from close to. There were lots of schoolchildren going in at the time for a concert.
On our return to the hotel we had to rest our weary legs and within a few minutes Ben was snoozing (Liz says fast asleep but this is not true). Liz had to go out to Woolworths up and down the hill to get the supper. Now we are ‘fit and toned’ we hope to hit Bondi Beach!!

Sunday 28th March

Today, along with lots of ‘Sydneysiders’, we decided to get the ferry to Manly. It is a town on the north side of Sydney which has the feeling of a holiday resort with a beautiful sandy beach. We sat on the rocks at the end of the beach for about an hour, watching the swimmers and surfers. Unfortunately we hadn’t got our swimming costumes with us, but had we got them we would have been tempted into the water- maybe we’ll go to Bondi Beach on Tuesday and take them with us then!
After eating our sandwich sitting on a wall outside the Manly Council buildings amongst the pigeons, we got the ferry to Watson Bay, which is on the south side of Sydney harbour. There was lots of activity on the water with boats of all persuasions, yachts racing about and a seaplane. It had become a bit cloudy during the afternoon and a lot of the people had decided to go home - the sky looked quite angry, however, it cleared without any rain. We took a stroll along the front, sampled a cream tea then returned back to our hotel for a light supper ‘in’ this evening!
Tomorrow we are all set to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge; having managed 910 steps in the cave yesterday, we feel we can manage a challenge like this - time will tell!

Saturday 27th March

We have had another full day today. We set off early before 8am on a bus trip to the Blue Mountains, which are to the west of Sydney and part of the Great Dividing Range. The first stop was at the top of the mountains at a place called Katoomba, where there was a panoramic view of the rocks called the Three Sisters and the rest of the mountain range. We then went on to Scenic world, where there is the steepest cable railway in the world down to the valley floor. Having descended on the train (front seats) we walked along a boardwalk track on the valley floor through the rainforest before riding back to the top in a cable car. We followed this with a brief stop to see some bronze statues commemorating a chain gang building the road system west from Sydney – these would have been unfortunates deported from Britain!
We then drove on to the Jenolan Caves, which is the largest cave system open to the public in the world, with huge caverns full of stalactites and stalagmites as well as other limestone features. Our previous caving visits had been to the Blue John Caves in Derbyshire, which pale into insignificance when compared with these. The lighting had also been done very effectively to show the cave features at their best. We were in the cave system for 2 hours and even Ben’s knees stood up to the 910 steps we climbed/descended during the tour.
As we were late back in Sydney we again visited China Town to eat because it is close to our hotel. Ben commented on the number of ‘stick insects’ in their very brief attire that were wandering about – we also saw a ‘party bus’ which was jammed packed with young things pouring alcohol down their throats to very loud music – we are obviously staying in the ‘in’ area of Sydney!

Friday 26th March

Today has been very hot, sunny and humid - about 30°C. We decided ‘to get to know’ the public transport system so we bought our week’s transport ticket for use on the water ferries, buses and trains, which is great value. We have included pictures of the city and a couple of other ‘well known’ features! Our first journey was on the water ferry up the Parramatta River to the 2000 Olympic park-this involved going under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and by the Opera House. After a short bus ride to the Olympic Village it appeared to be very quiet, but having had a chat at the visitor centre, they explained the layout of the village for the Olympics and the current usage of the site – several million people a year still attending national sporting and other events. They were remarkably upbeat about London 2012!! We have included a picture of a statue which we thought captured the ethos of the Village.
On our return to Darling Harbour we visited China Town which was bustling with people. We had a Chinese meal in a street cafe and then walked through the rest of China Town back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we have booked a coach trip to the Blue Mountains – forecast 32°C.

Thursday 25th March

Our first day in Sydney was spent in the area local to our hotel, which is in easy walking distance of Darling Harbour. This is an area buzzing with waterside cafes and all sorts of boats. We started by going to the aquarium, which was one of Ben’s ‘must do’ list. It was quite a relief to be inside in the air conditioning as it was hot and humid outside. Here, with lots of schoolchildren milling around, we saw every kind of fish and water animal to be found in Australia. Of particular interest was the shark area, where not only sharks, but other types of large fish are swimming all around you as you walk through a glass tunnel. Unfortunately the platypus was hiding somewhere so we were unable to see it. Hopefully we will get a chance to see one at another time.
Next door to the aquarium is the Wildlife World which has every conceivable kind of Australian animal. Here we found spiders, snakes (one of which is on Liz’s arm), a huge crocodile, kangaroos, a kookaburra, a cassowary and koala bears.
After doing 2 circuits on the monorail we walked around the harbour area. One of the striking ships is a replica of Captain Cook’s ship - the Endeavour, which is outside the maritime museum.

Wednesday 24th March

We spent most of today travelling from Christchurch to Sydney. However, we did manage to find time to go and look around Christchurch Cathedral, which is a replica of Christchurch, Oxford. The New Zealand church was built in the late 1800s and only took 30 years to build. The ceiling and roof are all built of local wood. The local tram system looked like an interesting ride but we did not have time to try it.
We enjoyed the relaxed feeling of Christchurch, as we did with all of New Zealand, so it was with some sadness that we had to wave goodbye. It was quite a culture shock to arrive in Sydney – wall to wall people and traffic from the airport to hotel. We are staying in Darling Harbour and the view from our 11th floor room is not quite up to NZ panoramas! It nevertheless seems a vibrant area as when we went to do our grocery shopping this evening the place was full of ‘young things’! We will no doubt find out more as the week progresses.

Tuesday 23rd March

Our penultimate day in NZ was another lovely sunny day. We drove north from Timaru through agricultural land until we were about 50 kms short of Christchurch. We then turned east on to the Banks Peninsula. This proved to be another of Liz’s excellent ‘diversions’ as the peninsula is a mini fiordland with hills dropping down into the sea. We first drove to the sea at the beginning of the Kaitorete Spit. This has a gravel beach to the Pacific. There was a shelf just off the beach where the water depth dropped to about 7 metres. Consequently it was extremely dangerous to go into the water because if you went over the shelf you would never get back on shore due to the wave action. We watched a local man fishing off the beach who hauled in a dog fish from his first cast - which looked like a small shark! We then drove into the peninsula over a pass to the main town, called Akaroa, where there are still quite a few French street names – this is where the first French settlers landed. The town was very pretty with an esplanade and a wharf; it does help when the sky is a brilliant blue and the sea colour almost the same. We continued on to Christchurch with a nail biting drive on a narrow gravel road snaking up and over the hills. Our first view of Christchurch was from the top of the Dryden Pass, which was again an impressive scene.
Christchurch seems to be a vibrant city and we are staying tonight at the Holiday Inn in the city centre.

Monday 22nd March

We drove north today up the east coast from Dunedin to Timaru. Before we left Dunedin we drove up Baldwin Street, which is the steepest street in the world with a gradient of 1:2.86 – the car’s brakes held on the way down!! Having left Dunedin we soon reached the coastal plain which is mainly agricultural and not that interesting. We did, however, see a couple of things to report on. One was the boulders on Moeraki beach, which resemble tenpin bowling balls, scattered on the beach. As the sea has eroded the cliffs the boulders have been deposited. We also went to have a look at the little blue penguin sanctuary in Oamaru. Most of the penguins were out on their daily feeding trip in the sea, but we managed to see a few that were moulting and still in their nests. It is amazing how small these penguins actually are.
We are staying the night in Timaru, which has the feeling of a ghost town. It is quite large but when we drove in to get a take-away at about 7.30 p.m. it was virtually deserted. We continue north to Christchurch tomorrow for our last night in New Zealand.

Sunday 21st March

We had a fairly early start as we had to be at the railway station by 9am. The trip up the Taieri Gorge proved to be as spectacular as we had been led to believe. The train left Dunedin using the national rail system but once clearing the Wingatui tunnel (circa 2km) it branched off onto the Taieri Gorge line. As it progressed climbing a steep gradient (2 big diesel engines) the river valley gradually got deeper and narrower as the photos show. The line through the gorge had been cut into the mountainside and was a major feat of engineering. There were a number of viaducts to cross with steep drops either side, including one which had a bend in it. Eventually we reached the plains some 3000 feet above sea level and Middlemarch which was the end of the line. We had an hour to look around the typical dilapidated town (population 150) with quaint buildings including hotel, church (3 in this case) and bar; this town was created in the Otago gold rush when thousands sought their fortunes. Once the gold was exhausted the farming prospered but eventually the railway closed to commercial traffic and is now wholly a tourist experience. It was then back on to the train and back down the gorge again to Dunedin.
As it was mid afternoon when we got back to Dunedin we decided to drive around the harbour area of the city. It is very hilly so we went on the coast road which involves driving with rocks on one side of the road with a sharp drop to the sea on the other. The port turned out to be busy with lots of containers and one ship being loaded with them. Further on we came to beaches where the sea was quite choppy but the wind surfers were enjoying it! On returning to our motel we decided to eat in this evening.

Saturday 20th March

We decided to take the coastal scenic road from Invercargill to Dunedin. The scenery was different with low green hills and some lovely sandy bays below cliffs. It was still very windy on the cliff tops.
We have been very surprised by Dunedin. It is a university town with lots of students and was in the midst of ‘fringe week’; we have seen lots in bizarre costumes, which generally seems to involve the men cross dressing!
The highlight of the day was the trip when we arrived in Dunedin around the Otago peninsular. From the top there are terrific views of Dunedin and the harbour. We were looking for penguins and albatrosses, but only found sea lions on the beach. We then went to a penguin conservation reserve. The reserve owns an area in which the penguins live naturally, but can be observed from hides. The types of penguins which live on the reserve are the yellow eyed variety of which there are very few left. We watched one penguin getting a drink from the sea and playing around at the water’s edge. We also saw a ‘soap opera’ where a female chased another female away as her male had been unfaithful with that female. They were fascinating to watch and Ben managed to take some photos.
Tomorrow we are going on a train journey up the Taieri Gorge Railway.

Friday 19th March

We awoke to a fine sunny but very windy morning. Knowing that we were going on the ferry across to Stewart Island led Liz to a little trepidation. Having departed Bluff, and as suspected, the sea was rough with the boat rolling sharply from side to side. Liz was very pleased to be able to put feet on terra firma an hour later on Stewart Island. The island measures about 60kms x 40kms, but only a very small area around the harbour at Oban has habitation and roads. We went on a bus trip which gave us a very good idea of island life. The resident population is about 400 but this increases in the summer with visitors to around a 1000. The terrain is hilly and there is one mountain of 950 metres. There are also some lovely sandy beaches.
At midday we went on a trip by boat around some of the local coast and islands nearby. This was when we had the opportunity to see at very close quarters the albatrosses. There were also many other types of seabirds which we saw including a glimpse of 4 penguins despite it being their moulting season when they are usually hiding inland. This trip also included a walk on an island which has been cleared of all pests, so we got a chance to see some of the native birds which are quite tame; the NZ robin (white breast) was quite a poser!
On our return to Oban we were supposed to go on an underwater explorer cruise, but unfortunately the sea was too rough and it would have been too murky to see anything.
The sea was calmer by the evening so the ferry back was a bit more comfortable, although still bumpy.

Thursday 18th March

We awoke to a very cool strong westerly wind which was rather chilly, however, the sun shone later in the day. We travelled south leaving behind the mountains which had surrounded us for the last week. The Southlands are not nearly as picturesque, but we found some bays and coves which had beaches covered in debris that had been washed in by the sea. For the ‘twitchers’ we saw a huge flock of mutton birds (sooty sheerwater) flying just off the beach in quite a stormy sea, which was very impressive. We also saw fields and fields of sheep - something we had expected to see more of during our travels. Apparently the number of sheep overall in NZ has halved in the last 30 years (they still nevertheless outnumber the population by a large margin!). We eventually arrived at Bluff, the most southerly town in NZ, which is an important port and has the ferry terminal for Stewart Island where we are going tomorrow. There was a very good high lookout point showing the harbour and coastline around Bluff and beyond.
We are staying the night in the city of Invercargill about 20 miles from Bluff – the police had a roadblock just up from our motel with a big sign saying ‘breath testing’; they were also pouncing on drivers who pulled up before reaching it!