Author: odohertyelaine

I’m a bit more organized with my drive time today and there won’t be as many stops on this route as the last few days. There are two options to get to Adelaide – a coastal road or an inland road. I choose the coastal road which I’m told is more scenic and apparently the same distance. A couple of hours in, I stop at Robe which has a pretty beach and little downtown. The signs on the road to pull over every two hours and rest, are everywhere so I take heed and stretch my legs and use a public bathroom (spotless clean by the way).

As I’m driving along mostly empty roads and wondering if I’ve somehow managed to get on the inland route as there’s very little sea to be seen… I’m singing away to the local radio stations or learning my choir song [side bar to any of my choir crew reading this – I have learned Wayfaring Stranger], I see a sign for a pink lake and almost screech the breaks to come to a halt and turn off. It’s not as impressive as some further west but I’m delighted to get to see one. I walk out as far as I can but it’s very muddy and my shoes are squelching a bit so I decide I’ve gone far enough. I meet more random strangers (that’s been happening a lot on this trip) and have a chat with them for a bit before getting back in the car.

I arrive in Adelaide and drive around the town a bit before finding the hotel. I only have two nights and am using that time to meet up with an old friend from work and a scrabble friend of my mothers!!

First off I get to see Vicki who I worked with at Juniper more than ten years ago. We have a lovely catch-up over pizza at a place that was on my list of go-to restaurants so that’s a bonus. She looks the exact same as she did when we met all those years ago and it’s so nice to reminisce and find out what she’s been getting up to since moving to Australia. I must admit I feel a bit protective of her as she was young and new to Dublin when we first worked together so it’s great to be able to give her a big hug.

Next day I have a tour to the Barossa wine region. I get to sit up front in the coach so have a prime view of the surrounding countryside and better still I’m sitting alongside a super cool lady called Helen and we hit it off straight away. The bus driver gives us a bit of a city tour on the way out and is really good at telling us all about the area we drive through. He tells us about the O-bahn which I knew nothing about. Apparently outside of Germany this is the only one in the world. It’s essentially a bus on a train line and it goes a constant 100km speed.

On the journey we see an emu and some kangaroos but the koalas remain elusive. As we approach the town of Tanunda we are welcomed by Jacobs Creek, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) exporters of Australian wine:

Our first stop is at TeAru winery where we have cake and tea before moving onto the hard stuff. It’s a small family run winery and the wines are very nice. Our next stop is Maggie Beers farm shop. Apparently she’s a famous celebrity chef with lots of cook books. We get to taste all of the different jams, chutneys and oils that she makes. The shop is set on some beautiful grounds and there are turtles in the lake:

The next winery is Lambert Estate where we have a delicious lunch served while tasting more wine and we get to taste some of the grapes off the vine:

Next we stop at Mengler Hill for a scenic look over the countryside and to appreciate some stone artwork….. not that impressive to be honest!

Our final winery is Pindarie which is set on some beautiful grounds. The hay bales are crying out as a photo opp so we oblige and enjoy the sunshine after the obligatory white then red then dessert wine tasting!

The tour was great fun and all the wines were delicious but the highlight of the tour was definitely meeting Helen 😀

Back in Adelaide, after an hour or so downtime at the hotel, my mothers friend Beryl comes into town to meet me with her daughter Felise. What a treat, considering these are people I’ve never met or been in touch with, we have a really fun evening. We are all wine drinkers and politely sip our first glass but it’s clear that we’re going to need another as there’s just too much to chat about! We chat for ages about all sorts and even put a call into mama at home so these two scrabble buddies can actually talk to each other for the first time. It’s a super evening and I’m delighted I got to meet these gorgeous ladies – I really hope I’ll get back here some day.

I didn’t get to see a whole lot of Adelaide so early the next morning I go out for a run and at least get to see a few kilometers of the Botanic gardens and the streets downtown.

It is a really nice city and I’d happily spend more time here on a return visit. For now it’s a flight to Perth for me and a wedding to go to!

Day 1: Melbourne to Apollo Bay – 200km

Having said my goodbyes to Hilary, I pick up a rental car and start on this famous road journey. They’ve upgraded me to a small SUV so I’m delighted with myself. It’s easy enough to get out of the city and the route is well sign posted. My first stop and where the ocean road begins is Torquay, which is in the state of Victoria. It’s a full on surf town….. I stop for a quick walk on the beach and then a brief walk along this coast:

Next stop is Bells beach where the Rip Curl Pro surf tournament is currently on. I see lots of surfers in the water but apparently none of them are competitors as the waves are not big enough today and it’s been called off. There’s still lots of people checking out what look like fairly decent waves to me:

Although 200km doesn’t sound like a huge amount, it takes all day as there’s so many beautiful spots along the road to look out at the coastline. In the photo below you can see the road I’m about to drive behind me:

I stop at Lorne for a quick lunch. Pies are particularly popular and there’s a bakery so I grab one of those and a cup of tea before heading onwards. Another nice lookout is at Mount Defiance:

When I arrive at the Apollo Bay guesthouse it’s already starting to get dark and the landlady seems surprised to see me. Alas there is no room at the inn! It’s a really nice guesthouse and the lady who runs it makes me a cup of tea while she tries to figure out what’s happened. Apparently she had me booked in but got a cancellation from the tour company and now she’s all booked out -yikes! She makes a few calls and we quickly find out that there is literally one free bed left in the whole town and at this stage it’s dark so I don’t want to do more driving. The available room is at the Best Western motel… a bit disappointing as her guesthouse looked fabulous but I’m happy to have a bed and it’s actually very comfortable. I get a great nights sleep after a delicious meal at Casalingo, an Italian restaurant just across the road so I suppose I won’t cause a ruckus with Trailfinders!!

Day 2: Apollo Bay to Mt Gambier – 360km

I start the day with a run along the front which sets me up for the day of driving ahead.

Now as coastlines go, this section is hard to beat. We do have a beautiful coastline in Ireland and the Cliffs of Moher in particular are beautiful (and Slieve League in Donegal), also the Pacific coast on Route 1 in California is stunning but this coastal drive from Apollo Bay to just beyond the Twelve Apostles, I think beats both. It is truly awesome.

My first stop is a quick 1km loop to see Maits Rest Rainforest:

Against the advice of some locals I decide to take on an additional 50km along the Cape Otway Peninsula looking for koalas. It’s a slow drive as everyone is looking among the trees hoping to see some wild koalas but they remain elusive. There are lots of bare trees which apparently are from the koalas eating all the leaves.

At the end of the peninsula is Cape Otway Lightstation which is Australia’s oldest working lighthouse:

Next is the big attraction – The Twelve Apostles. Now there are no longer twelve of them anymore as some have eroded and fallen away but what is there is stunning and there are lots of vantage points to see them. My first stop is to walk down the Gibson Steps to a beautiful beach and this is what I see:

The waves are really rough and as I’m taking a photo a big one comes in and soaks me, I hadn’t noticed everyone run out of the way and there are just a couple of us who get soaked – that’s gonna mean a footwear change. Looking the other direction from the beach is also beautiful:

I carry on to the visitor center and the main look out points which give a different view backwards to what I’ve seen:

And looking the other way to more “apostles”:

There are so many more places to stop along the road. Another spot they call London bridge:

And the grotto:

I also stop at the Bay of islands and the Bay of Martyrs, I can’t stop myself:

There are so many scenic lookouts and places to stop for another view of these stacks that I’m nearly sick of it… only nearly though I don’t miss any of them. I’ve clearly underestimated the driving and at 5pm (sun will be setting at 6:15pm) I’m finished all the stoppinng for views but I still have 200km to drive to my overnight stop. When I finally arrive at Mt Gambier I’ve crossed into the next state which is South Australia and the time is now a half hour different from the state of Victoria!

Day 3: Mt Gambier to Adelaide – 440km

I’m awake early so decide to get a run in around the main attraction in Mt Gambier – the blue lake. The lake was made from a huge crater so you are looking down into it and the water is really blue:

The next big attraction in this neck of the woods is the Umpherston sink hole. It was once a cave and the sinkhole naturally occurred when the chamber’s roof collapsed. Mr Umpherston then turned it into a garden! It is really impressive. I walk down the steps and the gardens maintained below are gorgeous:

The great ocean road officially ends at Allansford so I get on the Princess highway and continue to Adelaide.

It’s Easter weekend and we are off to Melbourne – me to continue my travels heading west through the country and Hilary for a girlie weekend away. It makes leaving Sydney a little easier having my buddy with me as I’m sure there’d have been a lot more tears exiting Sydney 😭.

The flight is easy although check-in was ridiculous. First time to travel with Virgin Australia, I checked in on-line then had to check in at a machine to get a tag for my bag and then had to queue for forty-five minutes and basically check in again. There were a lot of frustrated people in that queue and we were getting hangry…. Anyways we get through security with enough time to have some lunch, thank God cos we may have killed someone! Fed and watered and a book purchased for Hils we’re ready to get this show on the road.

We arrive to our hotel which is on Flinders Street by the railway station which is a beautiful old building:

I’ve organized some wine and chocolate strawberries for our arrival… start as we mean to go on.

After checking out a cool wine bar we go for dinner at Hochi Mama which serves Vietnamese fusion and is an amazing start to the weekend.

Saturday morning and you know what’s coming don’t you… yes, it’s another parkrun. Melbourne’s parkrun is held in Albert park at 8am so we dust ourselves off and get out there. Another of the Sri Lanka crew joins us for the run.

After parkrun it’s hotel brekkie time and we spend most of the day wandering through the streets and shopping. Hilary does particularly well as there’s a Debenhams in Melbourne – it’s the only one in Australia. There are some nice old arcades along the main shopping area:

We meet up with a friend who I used to sing with at choir, who now lives in Melbourne, and have a great night catching up at Botega Italian restaurant. We have a lot to catch up on and there’s quite a bit of laughter from a slightly raucous table!

Sunday is our touristy day and we start by visiting the National Gallery of Victoria. There’s some very interesting stuff – old and new. There’s an exhibit called Triennial and the pieces are dispersed around the gallery among the permanent collection. It’s a great opportunity for the selfie enthusiasts and I see a woman (yes a fully aged woman as opposed to a teenager or child!) ask someone to take a photo of her in front of a single skull that’s in a beautiful room full of 16th and 17th century works of art…. wait for it though… after she’s done the splits in front of it. Seriously, what is wrong with people. The skulls below (they look small in the photo but they were huge) filled a whole room and the selfies being taken were unreal…

I particularly liked the reclining Buddha with the Roman and Greek figures on it. And the below was a video in the style of Marylyn Monroe:

We check out Federation square and pass by the famous Spiegal tent and have a jaunt around the free tram area. In the evening we take the tram to St Kilda where we see a beautiful sunset:

Once the sun goes down the little blue penguins swim ashore and burrow in the rocks for their nights sleep. It’s a bank holiday so the pier is busy with people but we do manage to see a few of them:

This little fella insisted on crossing from one side to the other:

After the excitement of the penguins we head back to the city to the Comedy Festival and we go to see Shitfaced Shakespeare. Tonight it’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s a shortened one hour version and of the five cast members one has been drinking before the show and as you might gather from the title is shitfaced. They change who’s drunk each night and tonight it was Juliet – she was hilarious and it was a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be. We got a great laugh out of it and it was a great way to finish out the weekend.

All in all we had a great weekend in Melbourne and it’s a cool city to visit. I’m going to miss Hilary but onwards I must go….

I arrive back to Sydney on St. Patrick’s day and head from the airport to Hils Irish friends house for a BBQ. It’s roasting, too hot even to sit out on the deck until later in the evening. We have amazing food (thanks Lesley & Dave) and a few drinks… sure what else would you be doing on a St. Patrick’s day in the sunshine!!!

The rest of the week I tick off more Sydney highlights. I visit Cronulla beach which is gorgeous:

I run the 10k Bay run and another day I cycle it.. twice!

I’m loving the light rail which takes me to Pyrmont bay and Darling Harbour. This is my favorite way to get into town and I’m in and out like a yo-yo.

I do the Sydney Opera House tour which is really interesting and if you buy the tour ticket you get a discount on all opera tickets.

Hilary and I have a fancy meal at Benalong restaurant and see La Traviata. It’s a fabulous production and we love it.

I visit Mrs Macquaries chair where there’s a great view looking back on the city

and the Botanic Gardens:

I got to meet up with more of my pals from the Sri Lanka trip:

I really want to see a platypus and I find out that I don’t actually need to go to the zoo as there’s one at the Sydney wildlife Centre which is on my way into town. There’s so many cool animals and I spend hours there. The koalas are so cute:

I see the platypus actually two of them – they’re a bit smaller than I was expecting and they are in a dark tank but I watch them scurry around, hide, then come out again. I see an animal that I had never heard of until today… a cassowary. They’re related to the emu and ostrich and are extremely vicious.

The name of this guy is Princess and I got a chance to feed him which was great . They do all their damage with their claws so feeding them is not dangerous at all. Princess ate grapes out of my hand and took them from between my fingers and he was very gentle – you wouldn’t want to be getting near those clays though, they are considered the deadliest bird in the world.

I’ve eaten amazing food while I’m here.. got all my Asian cuisine fixes including yum cha (or dim sum), sushi, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, ramen, banh mi and I even tried kangaroo which was on a pizza and delicious! Hils, Pete and I got out for a great meal at Osaka in the Tramsheds – a really cool building with loads of different restaurants.

The bao buns with pork belly were particularly good:

I got to meet so many of Hils & Pete’s friends which was a real treat and everyone was really welcoming and friendly

I got to hike in the Blue Mountains which was amazing. From Blackheath to Pinnacle rock:

Saw this gorgeous bird:

And of course the obligatory visit to the Three Sisters:

I saw The Book of Mormon which I’ve been dying to see for ages and it was hilarious. On my last day I take a final trip to town and spend some more time in the botanical gardens and at the NSW art gallery which I love. They have lots of old art from all over the world and the building itself is beautiful. On the way home I spend an hour at the aquarium and see lots of different fish, dugongs, penguins and sharks swimming over my head.

For our final family meal we hit the local, aka The Royal and have a great dinner and lots of rose. I’m going to miss being au pair to Orla and Joe (sniff sniff). I just hope they’ll be ok without me – at least they won’t be blinded by the sun when forced to take a photo with me!!!!

I’ve had an amazing time in Sydney.. it’s such an easy place to be and I can’t wait to get back.

I really am very lucky to have such good friends all over this country and I get to spend a couple of days “out in the country” with my pal and old boss Maree. She lives on a farm in Chatsbury which is a few hours from Sydney. I take a train to Bowral which is a cute town to walk around and see and have some tea. I had an orange poppy seed cake and Maree went for biscotti…. guess who was a little disappointed!

Before leaving town we pick up some award winning hot cross buns for next mornings breakfast. I can confirm that they were really delicious and apparently the cross was made from real custard.

It’s a further hour and a half or so to Chatsbury so we are really out in the sticks or the bush I suppose!! It’s great to be able to get out this far and see Maree and her husband Tom and it’s a nice change from the city for a couple of days.

We take a walk around the farm and see kangaroos looking at us from the hill top:

Tom cooks us a delicious meal and we catch up on all that’s been going on since we last saw each other which must be over a year ago. Next morning I get to meet the animals and check out the rest of the land… well not all of it but we get a good walk around.

Today we are spending the day in Canberra which is the capital of Australia. On our way we stop off to visit the big merino… it’s a thing – love it!

Onwards to the city and we start by visiting the new parliament buildings. Both houses are sitting today so we get to see a session – it’s really interesting. I must do a trip to our Dail when I get home although not sure you’re allowed visit when they’re in session [note to self : must check]. Anyways we spend much longer than we thought we would as we got sucked into the topic for discussion which was a bill to reduce corporation tax… interesting for two accountants!!

Next it’s time for lunch and we have really tasty ramen at Ramentik. With that sustenance we head for the national library. It has an exhibition of treasures which is really interesting but the library itself, i.e. the shelves of books is modern and not all that impressive.. which is to be expected I suppose. Mind you the library of New South Wales was gorgeous and they have a room dedicated to Shakespeare, anyway, I digress… The library building is close to the national gallery so that’s our next stop.

Most of the artwork is modern and there’s some interesting video installations that I get sucked into. Hours pass so quickly in these places… My favorite piece was called Mao, Buddha and Me. Each face is made up of small pictures of the previous person.

Next the Portrait Gallery which I love even though I don’t know a lot of people… Nick Cave, Olivia Newton John, Captain Cook, that’s about it…. where was Pat Cash and Russell Crowe???

A quick visit to the war memorial on our way out of town and then it’s back on the road for the hour plus journey back to the farm.

We go out to the local pub for curry night and have a great meal and some wine to round out the visit.

Next morning I take the Southern Highlands train back to the city. It takes three hours through countryside before hitting Sydney and then I’m back on my light rail “home” to Hils & Pete. Today I’ll be collecting the kids from school and taking them for some treats.

Soooooo excited… my friend Megan is flying in from California to do this Tasmania trip – it’s a win win, time in a new place (and we have a great itinerary planned) and Megan time… bring it on! Alas I’m arriving with a hangover but that’s a whole other story! I decide to see it as a way to sympathize/match Megan’s jet lag so that’s all good then!!

The flight time from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania is only one and a half hours. We pick up a rental car and after checking into our hotel, head straight to MONA – the Museum of Old and New. This is the weirdest museum I’ve ever been to. I’d read some reviews and met a few people who’d been and there was no consensus… opinions ranged from “brilliant, don’t miss it” to “I was offended”. Once I heard that last comment I definitely wanted to check it out!!!!

There was one really cool installation that Megan and I both loved. It was called “Bitmap” and it is a wall of water going through some sort of machine and creating words.. I’d never seen anything like it – very original:

There was a “museum of everything” which seemed to be a museum of art work by crazy people…. decide for yourself.. creepy dolls, a cats tea party and that wasn’t the worst of it.

Anything with video was really weird but I did enjoy a room with people singing karaoke where you can’t hear the background music just their voices… very amusing.

And of course there was the infamous “wall of vaginas” well that’s what we called it, the title of the work was a bit more crude so not going to repeat that here… there were 77 of these around the walls…. (sorry mammy!!)

For our Friday night dinner we hit Franklin, a fancy spot with a limited menu that when hungover or jet lagged is not gonna cut it, so we have a glass of wine with a couple of small appetizers and head to the nearby park where we noticed food trucks. Way better comfort food options here….. I try an Indonesian martabak which is basically veggies and chicken in a light pastry shallow fried.. it’s delicious. Another glass of wine and we are happy out!

Saturday morning is park run time. We drive out to Risdon Brook park and the run takes place around the reservoir. It’s pretty but “undulating”, not words I wanna hear when I’m running! After parkrun it’s time to leave Hobart and set off on our tour of the island of Tasmania, which by the way has a population of just half a million (ish). Our first stop is at the top of Mt Wellington:

The views of Hobart are impressive…

Onwards we go to the central plateau and Great Lake. It’s pretty scenery on the way although not much to do around the lake when we arrive. We check in to the Great Lake hotel which is really a motel and along with our key are given 4 slices of white bread for our breakfast.. that’s a first.

We hit the bar, hoping for a bit of local banter, but not much is happening other than a few bar flies playing keno (looks like a mixture of bingo and the lottery) and a stag party with a youngfella dressed up in a corset, gold bolero jacket and small hat on his head… quite bizarre! There’s a for sale sign over the bar (which apparently is for real and the place is going for $1m). There are “roo” patties on the menu so I jump at the chance of trying that! They’re not too bad but we call it a night after a couple of beers and the mediocre pub grub.

Next day we head for Cradle Mountain. There is so much roadkill on the road and we find out later that most of them are pademelons, a small wallaby type animal. They are in the middle of the road, on the side of the road, there’s big ones, small ones… they’re literally every few hundred metres… very sad really. I manage to get through the whole week without running one over although I did drive over a dead one at one point (ugh… I can see Megan’s grimace) and I did knock down a seagull… since when do seagulls not move when you drive toward them on the road… I felt terrible, for about five minutes then remembered the news stories this past year about them being vicious in Dublin so got over it fairly quickly!

It’s a lovely sunny day and we drive through some very quiet rural roads. We pass through a cute town called Doloraine and have lunch at a raspberry farm which is delicious. We do an 8km hike to Liffey Falls:

Before we hit cradle mountain we drive through Mole Creek and stop at the Trowunna sanctuary to see some Tasmanian devils. They are crazy looking animals:

They eat the roadkill we saw en route here and we watched as a group of them tear apart the remainder of an animal killed earlier that day… a little gruesome but fascinating to watch:

We also got to feed some kangaroos which was great fun especially when they hoped over to you… they come flying at you as if they’re going to run you over but then they stop dead straight about a foot in front of you. I loved it.

We also met a couple of wombats:

We are staying at Peppers Cradle Mountain resort which is quite a bit fancier than last nights accommodation!! It’s 100m from the entrance into the national park. We take a walk around the area and follow an “enchanted path”… truly not all that enchanting but we did see a very cute little animal on the way out and a nice waterfall on the way back.

Next day is our big hike day but we wake up to rain… a lot of it… we decide to put our raincoats on and just get on with it. After discussions at the visitor Centre we realize it’s pointless to do what we’d wanted to do as that involves hiking high up but there won’t be any visibility because of the clouds so instead we decide to do the Dove Lake circuit with a little extra path to get there. Even in the rain you can see how lovely it is but it’s a pity it’s such bad weather… (seems to be following me around)

Ah well we manage 7 miles which we’re happy enough with and it’ll have to be books and relaxation for the rest of the day.. not a bad way to spend a Monday afternoon. We end up getting stuck into a local Pinot noir (Clemens Hill – best we had) and playing Trivial Pursuit.

Next morning it’s time to leave Cradle Mountain but not before sneaking in another short hike before breakfast.. we do the King Billy trail, King Billy is apparently a tree and we see more pademelons on our way.

From Cradle Mountain we head for Launceston and stop at Mole Creek on the way. We visit Morikooba cave which has amazing stalagmites and stalactites and my favorite little critters – the glow worms. We climb a lot of steps upwards inside the cave which seems counter intuitive to being underground but we are obviously under quite a big mountain. The area we climb up into is known as the cathedral and it has amazing acoustics. Our guide Dawn is amazing and she belts out a bit of Nina Simone which sounds amazing. On the way back down she turns out the few basic lights that are turned on along the way and we experience full darkness which must be what it’s like to be blind… we can’t even see our hand right in front of our faces.

In Launceston we take a walk around the downtown area which is very quiet and seems almost deserted. We find a really good seafood restaurant and both have poke with some delicious wine.

Next day is our longest day of driving as we drive the scenic route from Launceston to the Bay of Fires before finally getting to Bicheno. We have a busy day planned which includes visiting a cheese factory and Columba falls where St Columba visited (all the way from Ireland possibly via Scotland) many many years back… isn’t it amazing that he would have made it to Tasmania – crazy!

Onwards to the bay of fires for a hike along the coast.. again the weather is a bit cloudy so the views are not as spectacular as they probably often are… still it’s nice to get some fresh air and hear the ocean. The rocks are an interesting orange color:

We arrive at Biceno to our beach front retreat (which sounds really fancy but not so much!)…. it is a great big two bedroom unit with the best view of the bay. This is the view from my bed:

Today is our day to hike in Freycinet National park…the weather is decent and this is definitely going to be the highlight. We start by heading up to the Wineglass bay lookout which is the highlight of the National Park. It’s well worth the steep climb and the view is amazing:

We continue downward to the beach itself which has beautiful white sand:

Onwards along the coastline of the park we do the Hazards bay circuit, which the sign says takes 5.5 hours and is an all day hike which you need to pack food for… ehhhh well we had some cheesy toast before we left and we’ve got nothing with us (Suzanne MacLean you’d be horrified at our lack of planning!) but all in all we complete the hike in three hours and we even throw in a couple more of the 60 short walks before devouring lunch.

We have a nice lunch at Geographie cafe in downtown Coal Valley and decide a lazy afternoon is on the cards after all that so we adjourn for some downtime. By 8pm the sun is gone and we have a date with some little blue penguins. These tiny penguins (also called fairy penguins) live in the water and at night they waddle onto land to their burrows. It’s moulting season right now so we don’t see a huge amount but we do see nine in total. You’re not allowed take photos so this one was taken by the tour operator:

Our week is nearly over and it’s time to drive back to Hobart. Again we drive through some lovely countryside and see a lot of roadkill. We stop at Spikey beach and Spikey bridge:

Along the way we read some of the history of the island. Well I’m driving, Megan is reading! Apparently the last of the aboriginal people died out here. The history of the convicts is also very interesting. We are now driving through some wine country so we stop to check out a couple of them… we are on the hunt for a great Pinot noir. Poole wines is delicious, will be bringing back one of those for Hallas HQ!

On our last night in Tasmania we have our best meal at Syra, a Mediterranean/Lebanese place on Salamanca street. The owner chats to us about the restaurant and the food. They have amazing dishes including their signature fried cauliflower and they happen to have our Clemens Hill Pinot which we treat ourselves to. We couldn’t have picked a better place for our final meal.

Another Saturday morning and another parkrun to be done. This time we hit a newish one in Hobart at Queens Domain.

Then it’s off to the airport… goodbye to Megan, sniff sniff, and back into the arms of my Irish red head… on St Patrick’s day…. Hils I’m on my way….

In total, I’m in Sydney for the month of March bar a week in Tasmania. I’m thrilled to be met by my fabulous friend Hilary and after a really busy week in the South Island of NZ I’m looking forward to a bit of downtime and “normal” life.

The flight from Queenstown to Sydney takes me over the Tasman sea and the views coming into Sydney are quite spectacular as we fly over a massive coastline of beautiful beaches. Hilary is at the airport waiting for me and we have loads to catch up on so we get started with that pronto, collect the kids, Daddy home, grub, glass of wine… happy days! I feel right at home!

First family dinner out in Leichhardt with my Hallas family:

Although the main focus of my Sydney visit is to spend time with friends, I do have a list of things I’d like to see and do. We tick one of those off the list straight away as Hilary and I set off to Bondi beach and walk the coast to Coogee beach. We start with a photo and a man offers to take it for us. It just so happens to be Brendan ‘off the tele’ (Coach Trip on Channel 4!). He’s hilarious and keeps us yapping for ages telling us about his Irish mammy.

It’s sunny and the water looks amazing, if not a bit wild for me and we tick off all the beaches along the way – Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee.

There’s a number of sea water swimming pools that look amazing. Imagine those waves coming over you doing your laps:

There’s a graveyard between two of the beaches – it’s the one in season two of Top of The Lake (guess what I’m starting to watch!)

A quick dip in Coogee before heading home:

On Saturday morning it’s park run time and there’s a newly opened one in the local park in Leichhardt. We rally a group of the girls together and it’s a beautiful morning to do our 5km along the canal:

Energized and ready for more activity I head off on the “greenway” for a bike ride with one of the lads from my Sri Lanka trip. I expected a straightforward cycle along the train tracks or water but this “greenway” involved getting onto main roads for a bit then getting back on, then getting into elevators to cross platforms and getting back on… it was a bit of a nightmare and I really had no idea where I was going. Plus trying to look at a map on your phone while cycling is not easy!! Eventually a local came to my rescue and took me to where I needed to get to….. there are so many nice people out there. Not sure how many kilometers we covered but the rest of the cycle was on nice paths in glorious sunshine. We ended up at a really cool brewery for lunch and had one or two drinks before cycling back. A brilliant afternoon!

After a few days of relaxing at Hilary’s I made it into the city two days in a row. Well let me clarify relaxing…. we did a gym class or went for a run every day, I just didn’t do any real touristy stuff that I need to tell you about…. just lots of family fun stuff with the kids and plenty of good food and wine and tv!! Lots of this:

And this:

It was lovely to get to see Sydney again and I recalled Darling harbor and some of the streets around Pyrmont. I walked to Hyde park and saw the ANZAC memorial:

Then I visited St Mary’s cathedral which was lovely:

I visited the Opera house and booked the tour and tickets for La Traviata:

Saw the Harbour bridge which I’d climbed last time I was here…

Walking up Macquarie street I saw some lorikeets in the trees. They are really colorful:

There are a number of things including the zoo, botanic gardens and art gallery still on my list, so post Tasmania it’s going to be busy!!!

• It’s just like home with regards to toilets and drinking water – happy days!
• My friend Karina has lived here for fifteen years and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to visit.
• Most hotels checkout time is 10am.. early!
• So much great food…
• So much great wine… in particular Pinot Gris on the north island which I hadn’t drank much of before this trip and who knew so much Pinot noir.. I feel like I’m with my people!
• I’m surprised to hear a fair amount of American country music over here!
• The landscape driving through country roads on the north island is not unlike Ireland.. very green and very wet a lot of the time.
• George Bernard Shaw visited NZ in 1934.
• You can’t get away from the smell of sulphur in Rotorua … there’s no getting away from it until you get out of the town and then suddenly you realize you can’t smell it anymore… ah, delightful fresh air.
• There are a lot of flies and most of the hotels provide fly killer spray.
• They say “eh” in the tone of a question after more or less everything they say.
• Flying within NZ using the regional airports is really easy and fast.
• The safety video they show on New Zealand Airlines is brilliant. Its not set on an airplane with a bored looking person fastening their seat belt, it’s outdoors with a guy thumbing a lift… It’s a clever way to get people to watch something they usually ignore.
• Those Finn brothers knew what they were talking about when they wrote “Four Seasons in One Day”….the weather can change very quickly and quite drastically here.
• Eating out is as expensive as home….great food though
• A word on the Maori. The Maori people are the native people of New Zealand and they have a very specific culture that they continue to maintain and cherish. The population is approx 15% Maori. To my eye, they are a very pretty race with beautiful skin color although I can’t say I admire the tattoos. They appear to be genetically disposed to being, let’s say, more voluptuous. Anyone I met was super friendly but I didn’t do a lot of the Maori culture stuff.. visit a marae, go to a show, see a haka… it didn’t really appeal to me – I think it’s because the haka is so aggressive, it kinda freaks me out, but for those interested in that side of NZ there is lots to keep you busy.

I arrive in Queenstown just in time to attend the briefing for our hike starting the next day. I have a couple of hours to walk around the town and get my bearings. I can see why everyone raves about this town – the backdrop of water and mountains is amazing.

ROUTEBURN TRACK DAY 1: It’s a 6am start to get to the start of the Routeburn track. This track is considered by some to be the best in the area and it’s one of the “great walks” in New Zealand. We are a group of thirty-four mostly my age and above with four young guides. The bus drive takes us to the Divide, through Te Anu and passing Whakatipu lake, which is a huge lake and I figure must be the one referenced in the tv program (I’m now obsessed with) Top of the Lake.

We have a beautiful first day for our hike which starts with a steady climb through a forest of silver beech trees. I’m carrying my pack with two nights worth of gear which I’m not used to, but I manage it handy enough and get used to it pretty quick. We climb to Key Summit and get a nice view of Lake Marion.

One of the coolest things about being out here is that you can drink the water from the falls/stream. It is the coldest and yes I’m gonna say most delicious water I’ve ever had…the guide was great filling my water bottle at any opportunity: by the way this guide was only 19 and this was his first season, his name was Tarn but he was the image of Luke from Modern Family.. even he thought he looked like him!

Continuing on we stop at a hut in Lake Howden for lunch. You are not allowed to leave anything in huts or along the trails, not even an apple core or a bit of your leftover sandwhich!! Everything has to be packed back in your bag and carried out of the National Park.

After lunch the track gradually climbs to Earland Falls:

The last part of today’s journey takes us around the mountainside and after climbing for a while we tackle a steep descent to Lake Mackenzie:

This is where we stay for the night. The lodge is fabulous. It’s a lot more plush than I was expecting. There’s facilities to wash clothes and a drying room which is essentially a big sauna for your clothes! The food at the lodge is amazing and the guides also act as our servers and they run the bar. Such an added bonus to get good wine when we are miles from a road… apparently they get supplies once a week via helicopter and the staff stay for two weeks at a time coming in and out on the helicopter with the supplies… what a way to work!

I’m sharing with two other ladies, one from Japan and one from Singapore and luckily I have a single bed and don’t have to get in a top bunk – me and top bunks… not a good combination!!!! I warn MC (my Singapore roomie) of the potential possibility of me screaming in my sleep and she tells me the next morning I was quiet as a mouse… that may be because I got no sleep due to some light but regular snoring from elsewhere in the room!!!! Next night I apparently get my revenge when she tells me I sat up and let a few roars out of me in the middle of the night! I must have got a better sleep!

We have a lovely evening getting to know everyone in the group. The glasses of wine and beer make it super easy and everyone I meet is really nice. In particular three couples from Brisbane, who stick out as the drinking crew and are great fun, (definitely going to be hanging around with them), a guy from Holland, a group of four ladies from Brisbane and a couple from Liverpool & Scotland. It’s lights out at 10pm which is just as well and we can’t do too much damage.

ROUTEBURN TRACK DAY 2: It has been raining all night and continues to rain as we set off on our second day. We start off from the Mackenzie lake lodge and hike about an hour uphill through some trees which keeps us somewhat sheltered. We have varying degrees of wet weather gear, I’ve got a decent raincoat but my bottoms aren’t weatherproof and I’m praying my feet stay dry in my boots. At a certain point we stop to layer up (apparently it’s going to get windy and cold) and have a hot drink to get us ready for what’s ahead.

The guides explain that around the next corner is going to be very windy and exposed and we need to stay together. She suggests “small” people go in the middle and we might want to hold onto each other….. holy crap that doesn’t sound good… I get a hold of the Dutch fella and ask him if he’ll go in front of me and hope he’ll mind me if needs be. Cut to two minutes later and no joking, we are on the edge of a mountain with a gale force wind, hunkering for protection against a rock and I’m holding onto the Dutch guy for dear life. It was insane! When the wind eases for a minute we move along but it’s very scary as it’s a narrow path and very exposed. Luckily I’m hand in hand with this lovely guy who is taking it all in his stride and smiling away while I’m squeezing the life out of his hand trying not to be blown off the mountain. The next hour goes by very fast as I’m concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other safely and not falling over. Each time the wind whips up or there’s a really steep bit the hand comes back and he pulls me along… thank God for the kindness of the Dutch.😀

Finally we arrive at the Harris Saddle hut for our lunch stop and everyone is soaking wet. So much for waterproof gear…. you just can’t hide from these elements. I change my top layer to make sure I don’t get cold but my bottom layer is completely drenched and my boots are squelching. I take a little comfort knowing that everyone is in the same boat. We don’t hang about too long so we don’t get cold and everyone just wants to get the next few miles done and get to the lodge. It continues to rain and we are essentially walking through streams and waterfalls. Not only are the falls gushing with water and yes, beautiful to see, but there are waterfalls where usually there are no waterfalls…. that’s how much rain there’s been.

The itinerary suggested beautiful views over the Darran mountains, Hollyford valley and an optional climb to Conical hill but none of that happens!!! I’m just delighted everyone makes it to the lodge in one piece – we did have one man fall and bust his lip but nothing serious. We all head straight for the showers and the drying room…. this may be the best shower I’ve ever had. We have another fabulous lodge with great food and drink and I stay up with the Brisbane crew til the bar won’t serve us anymore and lights are about to go out!!!

ROUTEBURN TRACK DAY 3: No one believed our guides when they told us the forecast would be sunny, but low and behold when we wake up on our final day the rain has gone and the sun is out. In fact, the waterfalls that were gushing with water just the previous night are no longer even there…. crazy!!! We get our gear on and head off to the Routeburn Flats:

We have an early lunch by the river and do a nature walk before passing over a rope bridge to meet the end of the track.

From there we are back on the bus for a short journey back to Queenstown. It’s been an amazing three days and tough as the second day was, it was a super experience that I’ll never forget.

Back in Queenstown when I get to the hotel, the receptionist suggests I use the private spa which has a sauna and jacuzzi… what a great idea…. I lounge in that for a while, it’s private so no swimsuit needed… her suggestion not mine, and after a little rest I head downtown to meet up with the Brisbane/Dutch crew for a celebratory meal and some well earned drinks!! We have dinner at a really cool restaurant called the Botswana Butchery and drink a lot of wine. Then we hit a karaoke bar and there is a lot of singing and a lot more drinking…. an absolutely fantastic night with this crazy bunch but I’m going to be in a heap tomorrow…. I think I get home around 12:30am but it’s hard to say…

So in NZ bar staff are very strict about enforcing the law that says you cannot serve alcohol to someone who’s already had a few too many. Well clearly I am able to hold it together very well because even post karaoke bar I got into another bar and ordered more drinks! I have a vague memory of this so I admit I was twisted but they obviously thought I was ok. And to add insult to injury when I ordered two drinks for me and one of the others I was told “you can have one but your friend can’t”….. the cheek of me I took a corona for myself (like I needed another one) and a glass of water… hilarious!!! [side note for my mother – now Ma I know you’re reading this and are horrified thinking I’m getting drunk and disorderly in a foreign country by myself, but sure I was grand and let’s face it, you do it a bit yourself!!!!!!]

Next morning I have a 7am pickup to go to Milford Sound. I’m definitely still drunk but I drag myself out of the bed, throw on the first thing that comes to hand, put a smile on my face and get on the bus. The first couple of hours of the bus journey is the same as the journey to the Routeburn so I don’t feel bad that I’m missing the scenery and my eyes are closed the whole way. When we reach Te Anu I get a pie for breakfast and that seems to sort me out, from here on I’m reasonably ok and able to enjoy the trip. We stop along the way to enjoy the scenery, not quite as spectacular without with blue sky:

When we arrive at Milford Sound we get on a boat to cruise around and admire the views. The weather is not ideal and it’s overcast and grey. Although still beautiful I can only imagine how much better it would look with a blue sky.

I get chatting to a lovely lady from Lithuania who is just starting her NZ adventure and we have loads in common and chat for ages. After a couple of hours on the boat it’s time to go back to Queenstown which for the tour group is four hours on the bus, not for me though, I’m taking a scenic fight home and will be back within the hour after a fabulous flight sitting beside the pilot in a 4-seater plane.

The views are amazing flying over Fiordland National Park, in particular as we fly over Sutherland Falls, one of the highest in NZ:

The color of the water and the varying landscape en route back was amazing:

Back on terra firma it’s time for food. Fergburger is a really famous spot in Queenstown for yes you’ve guessed it, a burger! It’s a small fast food type set up and the queues are always out the door and regularly down the street.. it can take on average an hour to actually get your burger. I’m not a big fan for queueing for something when there ar other options all around but in this case I thought I’d give it a go. I stood in line for about half an hour (not too bad) and had a great chat with one of the girls working on keeping the line in check.. making sure customers weren’t blocking other shop doorways etc. When I got to the top of the queue and put my order in the girl said “oh you don’t have to pay” I was totally stunned and asked her why and she said, literal quote “because you’re lovely”…. I couldn’t believe it, how nice and it was a $24 burger with fries and onion rings!!!! I was delighted with myself! The staff are all really lovely and the burger was well worth the wait – it was delicious and even more so I’m sure cos it was free!!! Thanks Fergburger will definitely come again!

I finish the evening watching a beautiful sunset and have a beer with my new pal from Lithuania.

It’s my last morning in New Zealand and what better way to spend it than running a few miles around the lake. It really is stunning and I keep stopping to take photos. It’s so picturesque everywhere you look:

I’ve really loved my time in NZ even with all the weather hiccups. I definitely want to come again with more time and flexibility in the itinerary. For now goodbye NZ….. Australia here I come!

Well here I am in Lauder, central Otago where they grow a lot of the grapes that make delicious Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. It’s a happy accident to be here and although I’m arriving late after a delayed flight and delays on the road due to rock slides I think this is going to be a nice couple of days. Even with the rainy weather on the way here, I can see that there is amazing scenery all around. Unfortunately I’ve missed the tranz alpine train journey and the glaciers but I’m going to make the most of what Lauder has to offer. First and foremost the Airbnb…. it’s a beautiful old house that used to be the doctors house and surgery, my room is the big room at the front and it’s gorgeous:

Having dropped my bags I’m ready for some dinner and a wee drink so I walk to the local hotel/pub which is only about 500 meters from the B&B. It’s very much a rural pub in the sticks and there’s a few locals propping up the bar who are very eager to find out who I am and what I’m doing here. First things first though a glass of wine…. no matter where you are on this island you get good wine – this one is from just around the corner:

I have a lovely dinner of local lamb and a couple of glasses of the red (they are large pours) and have a great chat with the locals who are very interested to know if I get propositioned often on my travels… ahem….. and one has a cousin who’ll be in the pub tomorrow night and apparently will be dying to meet me… sounds like I’m in for a treat! There’s a few offers to drop me home when they hear I walked to the pub but I laugh as it’s so close sure why wouldn’t I walk. When I finally say my goodbyes and go outside it’s pitch black and there are no lights on the road… now I get it! I get dropped to the door by a “local” who, would you believe it, is a Donegal man!!!!

I’ve started watching Top of The Lake, which is set around the Queenstown area, and next morning when I go for a 5km run I feel like Elizabeth Moss running in this stunning area. I pass this picturesque scenery:

Wanda, the Airbnb host serves up a lovely brekkie and loans me a bike and helmet so I can go for a cycle along the Central Otago Rail Trail. It’s a 150km trail on an old railway line that goes right past the house so I jump on and cycle to the next big town about 23km away called Oreturua. It’s so peaceful, the sun is shining and I feel like I have the whole trail to myself. I’m cycling toward the snow capped mountains. I take my time and soak up the views, stopping regularly for some photo ops.

The town of Oretura has the coolest general store:

Old school or what:

On the cycle route the scenery is stunning, I pass a number of bridges, gorges and go through two really dark tunnels

The bridges are really bumpy to go over and this one made quite a few scary creeks as I went over the boards.

When I finish the cycle and return to Lauder it’s still quite early so I decide to do part of it again so I can capture it on the go-pro. I see a couple of people I’ve already passed on the trail and they must think I’m lost but off I go to capture the footage. By the time I return for the second time I’ve clocked up 60km so I’m happy with that.

Back at the doctors house it’s time to feed the animals – they have alpacas – love their facial expressions:

After a shower it’s time to head to the pub again… well it is the only place around. I arrive to a chorus of hellos and feel like a local. I sit in the same spot at the bar and order a steak and beer. When the cousin arrives he makes a beeline for me and sure enough we’re chatting all night… he’s a lovely man, could be my Da but the craic is ninety and we even end up playing darts – Ireland vs New Zealand. I start well, hitting 20’s but quickly I lose my few fluke shots and I’m basically rubbish! None of us can make a finish and both teams end up needing double 1 – mortified!! Where’s Michael O’Doherty when I need him! Great craic though… It’s such a great little spot. It’s late enough getting out of there and I know I’m gonna pay for those beers tomorrow.

Next morning (after a couple of panadol!) I set off early for Queenstown and decide to stop off at all the scenic spots en route. It’s a sunny day and the countryside is amazing.. it’s hard to resist taking photos as I’m driving along. I stop at Clyde to see the dam:

and some various other points along the way including Dunstan Lake, Roaring Meg and Cromwell.