Adventure

Early start and a quick breakfast before setting off for Manapouri and the beginning of our tour of Doubtful Sound. Last night when I’d checked how long it would take us to get to Manapouri it turns out I had Google Maps in cycling mode as the 1hr 15min journey only took 20 minutes. Our early arrival did give us chance to find a parking space and walk back into town to get a coffee and buy some more insect repellent. ...

Due to last nights festivities and the long day before we had a lie in and a late start. I made sausages and fried eggs on the BBQ for breakfast and we sat outside in the sun. We decided not to drive to Milford Sound today as originally planned as we wanted a break from driving and we’d seen a sign for a mountain bike trail from lake to lake on the way here which we decided to try out instead. As luck would have it, the trail started on the opposite side of the street to the camp site. ...

Today is our Kayak adventure on Lake Wanaka. The activity Diana has been most looking forward to and what started the whole idea of a trip to New Zealand. It’s also New Year’s Eve. Up early, breakfast and ready for collection at 8:45am by reception. We’ve parked the camper in the camp site staff car park as we’re supposed to check out this morning. It’s a beautiful day for it, the sun is shining and it’s mid 20’s. ...

The adventure begins. We had a lie in and a leisurely breakfast, finished the packing and took a Taxi to Heathrow at 11am. We had a delicious lunch at Heston’s The Perfectionist Cafe, a glass of champagne to celebrate and off to board the plane. We flew Air New Zealand Economy to Auckland via LA. The first leg of the flight was 14 hours to LA and seemed to pass by quickly. A movie and food but mostly trying to sleep. I bought some Bose noise cancelling headphones at Heathrow duty free which made an amazing difference to comfort levels on a long haul flight. ...

Our bags are packed, we’ve planned the route, watched the YouTube videos of how the camper works and we’re ready for 28 hours in the air. The adventure starts tomorrow!

During our family beach holiday to Mexico we took the opportunity to visit Chichén Itzá, something I’ve always wanted to see - we weren’t disappointed. As part of the trip we also had the opportunity to swim in Cenote Hubiku which was great fun. Chichén Itzá Cenote Hubiku

After arriving back in Sydney it was time for a nights sleep and to get back out there. Morning flight up to Cairns to do the Great Barrier Reef and the Rain Forest. Caught a shuttle bus into Cairns from the airport and got out on the Esplanade. Walked straight into a nice looking seafood restaurant and enjoyed a delicious red claw lobster salad while I figured out where I wanted to go. ...

Final score: 9 days, 3268 km’s, 2 x Speeding fines, 1 x Dropped bike, 1 x Deep sand incident, some really really really amazing riding and some pretty boring freeway Day 6 Wake up about 5ish on account of the heat and light in the tent and get up for a swim. Seaweed seems to have overtaken the beach overnight and so don’t really fancy it in the end and settle for a shower. Pack up the bike and walk into town to get a large hangover relieving breakfast. Take the back roads south heading for Brisbane. Take a tourist drive which sounds nice and turns out the be the one I went on before which was a waste of time. Doh! Get back on the freeway and head towards Byron Bay. Pretty boring freeway riding but just want to get back to Byron for the night. ...

Fraser Island is just north of Brisbane. Completely made from sand which has drifted along the mainland shores. Picked up by a double decker bus, which seemed like a bad sign since I’d imagined a small 4WD mini-bus. Get the ferry and leave the bus behind and ride on the deck. Nice view and some breakfast for the 30 min journey over to the island. Arrive at the island and board a massive 4WD truck/bus for about 30 people. Better than I was expecting. Tour guide is a real character and has some great stories to tell. ...

So. After 3.5 days, 1700 km’s, 1 x $350 speeding fine, 1 x dropped bike, stuck in sand, some really really amazing riding and some pretty boring freeway (hence the fine), I’m finally at the most northern point of my trip. Hervey Bay right next to Fraser Island. Day 1 Set out from Sydney pretty late in the day on Monday and headed over the harbour bridge and up the Pacific Highway. Take in a nice ride through a national park just north of the city on the old pacific highway. Decide to get some distance done and get back to the free way. Heading for Seal Rocks, recommended by Craig’s friend Suze. ...