Melbourne, Sydney and now flying to New Zealand

I should start by apologising for the lack of photographs accompanying this blog, time and access to wi-fi has beaten me. Take a look at Mike's blogs at mikedevitt.blogspot.com for daily, humorous accounts with photos. 

Well that was a relaxed car drop off, check in at Sydney airport and take off to NZ... phew. This flight from Sydney to Auckland is supposed to be 3 hours 15 minutes and the pilot has just told us that because of strong winds it will only be 2 hours 20 minutes - yippee. So I intend to make the most of this time and attempt to remember all that we have seen and done over the last 10 ish days before we land in a new country. I am sad to leave Australia, it seemed to have everything including the best climate, which is always high up on my list. Yes, yes I am sure going through the seasons in the UK has its merit (so people like to remind me), but there is no getting away from it, I love the sun, blue sky and oceans every day of the year. We have been so lucky to have had this opportunity and it's what Mike and I now call our silver lining.

We stayed in a place called St Kilda just a few miles south of the city of Melbourne for our first night on the south coast after our afternoon 3 hour flight from Cairns. It was a chilly evening and we took a night time stroll along the esplanade with a view of the lit up city across the water. We finished the evening with a jug of beer in a local bar and then slept the night in a fairly shabby motel. I am now pleased to say that having moved from hotel to lodge to motel every night for the following six nights on route to Sydney, they were all far superior. The next day we did the 'hop on hop off' bus tour around Melbourne city. At first I was not sure that Melbourne was all I thought it would be but I was very wrong. It doesn't have the wow factor of Sydney, New York, Rome and of course our lovely London, but it is a city of art and sport and absolutely worth the visit. We had the best smoothies ever in the afternoon and got a great look round the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with the World Cup in progress and the home of the Australian Tennis Open. I thought of Sam as we walked around the tennis courts and Mum as we saw one of the international cricket teams practicing, they would both love it. My mum is now in Dubai, soon to move onto Perth and pretty much following in our tracks around Australia with the addition of Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. I am really excited for her and John. I read a post from my sister on Facebook recently commenting that our Mum is now in Dubai, our Dad in Cyprus and her sister in Aus not to forget her nephew in Nottingham. It made me smile and I am glad to say that she will join us in Cyprus in April for my birthday.

So, back to the travels. We departed St Kilda the next morning embarking on a six day road trip along the Great Ocean Drive to Sydney. This (not surprisingly) hugged the coastline along the way as well as many miles along tree lined roads. We stayed overnight at Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory, Mallacoota, Lakes Entrance, Narooma and Jervis Bay. Each stop took our breath away with its beauty and what it had to offer. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, penguins and sea lions up close in the wild, walked many beautiful (and sometimes challenging) tracks and boardwalks, walked, sat, baked and bathed on paradise beaches and even took in a boat cruise of the lakes. We have watched surfers out on the waves and been almost tempted to join in, shopped for our dinner in the local Woolworths and covered almost 2,000 kilometres in the car. We generally drove for about 2 to 3 hours each day, which always left us plenty of time to enjoy each stop and partake in ice creams, coffees and teas. Just wanted to add that petrol averages 55p a litre here!!! We have met many lovely Australian locals in every location, which has always enhanced our experience. The photo album is bulging with scenery, views and stupid selfies of Mike and I but coupled with our blogs we already have the best catalogue of memories we could ever dream of.

Can you believe that we have only cooked one barbie while in Aus which was while we were in Wilsons Promontory and there is no excuse for this because there are gas barbies everywhere free to use. We have made sure that we have dipped our toes or swam in every ocean and water we have encountered: the Southern Ocean, the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Coral Sea and the Persian Gulf, I think my favourite is the Indian Ocean. Australia is an amazing place to visit, have we really done so much? I have lived in my bikinis under shorts and t shirts for the last four and half weeks and loved it. Suntan lotion and sandfly repellent spray is a pain but I am happy to pay the price tee hee. At our last destination before we drove into Sydney, called Jervis Bay, we spent the morning having a leisurely breakfast overlooking Hyam Beach and then relaxed on this very same beach for the morning. It is in the Guiness Book of Records for being the whitest sand in the world. It was stunning and we did not want to leave, but the bright lights of the city were calling again so we completed our road trip on a final 3 hour drive into Sydney. 

Our accommodation was in a place called Manly just north of the Sydney harbour, a harbour town itself with its own surfing beach and a little cove called Shelly Beach. We stayed in our third AirBnB house with a young couple called Tom and Celine. We stayed with them for 3 nights and it was really cool and relaxing despite our 13 mile walk around Sydney City on our first day, more of that in a moment. So on our first morning with them I got up early in order to FaceTime mum and found Celine in full yoga pose followed by blending up her own juice and then heading off to work for an animation company who create for NBC, BBC and Foxtel. I duly made my cup of tea and headed out to the back yard which backed onto a park featuring an open air gym and more joggers, dog walkers and speed walkers than I could count. Feeling mega unfit and not worthy I greeted our host Tom good morning who was on his way to surf some waves before work. Kitted out in his wetsuit and thongs (flip flops) he grabbed his board from the kitchen, jumped on his bike and off he went. Mike dragged himself from the bed, grunted morning, grabbed a coffee and went back to his I phone. Mike and I have since chatted about this lifestyle many times, theorised about it, deliberated and agreed we would be well suited to it but the other side of the world is probably just one step too far.

As we sailed around the corner of the Sydney harbour that very morning (apparently the most beautiful natural harbour in the world), we had our first view of the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the city skyline under a clear blue sky, perfect sunshine and crystal waters... Am I allowed to say wow anymore? Stupendous!!!! We took far too many photos and couldn't stop smiling as we repeatedly viewed these iconic sights. We walked around the city, through the beautiful botanic gardens and ventured out to Darling Harbour, all were magnificent. We know that Canberra is the capital of Australia and although we haven't visited Canberra, Sydney would have my vote if it were up for grabs. We may not have the healthy lifestyle of our lovely Celine and Tom, but as mentioned, we did walk 13 miles this day, that has got to count for something right? The good news, if you are worried that Mike is doing too much, is that we tempered this walking with much sitting and taking in of views including a 2 hour leisurely drink in the open air Opera Bar below Sydney Opera House, watching day turn to night and Sydney come alive with lights. Add to this the bonus of the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner (beyond huge) moored opposite the Opera House half way through her around the world luxury trip... Magnificent. A long but truly unforgettable day.

Like the 2 sensible Brits that we are, we spent the next day at Shelly Beach sunbathing, snorkelling with gear supplied by our fitness gurus Celine and Tom and relaxing in the shade with a Pepsi Max. We finished our time in Sydney with a meal in Manly at a cafe recommend by our hosts with a 2 for 1 on the main course (woohoo, local knowledge is great) and an evening stroll along the beach with frozen yogurt and toppings in hand accompanied by floodlit beach volleyball. These Sydney dwellers are fitness crazy....

We have left the blue skies of Australia now (we did have some grey as well), and as I look out of the plane window at the clouds below and brief glimpses of the Pacific Ocean and the Tazman Sea, I am truly unsure of how this next stage in NZ will roll. Temperatures may reach mid twenties in the North Island but it is autumn in NZ now and we will see temperatures drop to about 18 degrees in the South Island and rain is very possible. On top of this we will be in a camper van for the whole 3 weeks that we tour the 2 islands... Yikes. Never been much of a camper but Mike and I will continue with our "YES" approach to this adventure and hopefully the night stars, mountains and vast freshwater lakes will be more than good enough company to withstand the horrors of camping. Please don't feel too sorry for me, I think we will be alright, although there may be some navigation arguments and "clear up your mess" fights to accompany our roaming.

Excited.... Absolutely!!!!!