I've been quiet. What's going on?

It's been a long time since I last wrote a post, and I'm so sorry for neglecting you all. I've actually been incredibly busy starting a life in a new country. And that (hopefully!) is no exaggeration.

Since my last post, I have been offered a permanent position as assistant manager at The Camera Shop where I work. And though there may only be 4 staff members there, this technically puts me in a higher position than my dad (many of you know as the infamous manager of Park Cameras in the UK), an achievement that I'm pretty proud of anyway.

It's official. I have a business card

This role has been keeping me very busy, and is a LOT to take on, especially after only working for the company for 2 months.

Joe also recently landed himself in a good job, and we're considering the prospects of extending our visas for the foreseeable future, and quite possibly, forever.

But enough adulting, before all that can happen, we need to go on an adventure.

Keeping us busy on our days off from work is Gimli, who not only has taken us to some of the local scenic areas, but has been undergoing a complete makeover. Meaning, we removed everything from the back of the car including seats, shelves and bed frame, and completely re-assembled a structure in order to make our van self contained. It now includes a travel toilet, sink, water tank, and foldaway bed/seating area.

Freedom camping in New Zealand is legal, but there are many campsites that have amenities only available to those in a vehicle that is marked with a valid self contained sticker. The vehicle must be approved by an official self-containment dude to gain this classification. We will hopefully be getting our self contained sticker this weekend.

So, why such a rush to get the van fixed up? This friday will be the start of our month long adventure travelling the whole country before going back to work. There's a lot of cool places to fit in to this visit, and I can't wait for what we're going to encounter! We're not quite sure where we're going yet, but our top 3 must-sees are:
1. Hobbiton movie set
2. Franz Josef Glacier
3. Rotorua geysers and natural spas
...and a lot of awesome scenery and breathtaking views on the way!

Piha, Auckland
The cold will still never stop me going to the beach

Currently in New Zealand it is winter time, and unlike Australia, the kiwi winter is actually cold. Where we live in the north is a very mild climate, mostly sunny and slightly warmer than the UK, but the south where we are headed is bitterly cold and snowy. I love the snow, but I'm a little worried about how well we'll survive living in a van in these conditions, as it's not something we've ever done, so any advice would be welcome!

So that's where we're up to now. I will definitely write more posts about where we go on our trip. For now I just have to get through one more day at work! If anyone has any advice for us on where to go during our trip, please leave a comment - we want to see as much of the country as possible!

Walkies at Goat Island

Waipu - the Scotland of New Zealand

Earlier this week, Joe and I took a short drive to the small town of Waipu for some culture, coffee, and caves! Waipu has all of these things, and is a New Zealand town that prides itself on its Scottish heritage.

The 55 minute drive to Waipu was made slightly longer as we were forced to stop in awe of the ever changing landscape. Rolling green hills, sea, and mountains could all be seen in one view, and it was so spectacular that we had to stop at the side of the road and snap a picture.

View from the highway

In the 1850s, five shiploads of scottish clans from the highlands arrived in Waipu, led by Rev Norman McLeod - and keeping up with scottish tradition, the town now hosts the annual highlands games every New Years Day.

As hungry travellers, we stopped for lunch at "Logan Maclean", a cafe on the main street serving sandwiches, pastries, and of course a full scottish breakfast aptly named "The Full Kilt". Unfortunately missing black pudding, but was an enjoyable meal nonetheless.

Opposite the cafe is the Waipu Museum; documenting the history of the town and the story of its Scottish migrants. 

The caves first sanction

So, thats pretty much the whole town if we're not including the small supermarket and dairy. But much of this towns adventure and intrigue lies just outside, in the Waipu caves. These were our main reason for the trip, as they came as a recommendation from a colleague as a free and lesser known alternative to the widely popular (but expensive to visit) Waitomo caves south of Auckland.

Crawl under here to continue? Yes/No

The Waipu caves consist of three main sanctions, glowworms being present in their thousands mostly in the third. This is something neither Joe or I have experienced before - not caves, nor glowworms - so it was completely thrilling to see. Walking in the caves is completely unguided, unlike some other caves in the country, and these three main sanctions are relatively easy to navigate on your own (with the help of a torch and some good footwear) though it does become pitch black and you WILL need to walk in water at least at ankle depth. Stalagmites and stalagtites fill the caves interiors, and they also harbour many fossils and ancient reptile remains. Past the 3 main sanctions, much MUCH more of the cave can be explored by crawling under a very low ceiling, emerging into chest-high water, with space opening up on the other side. Having my camera with me at the time, I wasn't prepared to go so far in such deep water, but we will definitely be going back there to venture on further at a later date (and with better torches).

The caves first sanction

Around the caves are very pleasant walking tracks through woods and fields, with giant boulders, hills and ditches to make you feel like you're right on set in a Lord of the Rings film. After visiting the caves, we checked out the Piroa Falls on our way back to Warkworth. There was such pleasant sunshine on this day, that really made the falls look even more spectacular after last week's rain. From the carpark, its a short walk down to the bottom of the falls, where we were greeted by a family enjoying a swim in the pools beneath. The water must have been a little cold, as it is now autumn, but they looked like they were having fun sliding down the rocks in their rubber rings.

Piroa Falls

Gimli (the new van) brought us back to warkworth, wet and muddy from exploring the Waipu caves, but pleased to have explored such a wonderful region.

The Matakana Coast Wine Country - Why this region is a MUST see

For almost 2 months we've been living in a small town called Warkworth, which is located about a 40 minute drive north of Auckland. Before we arrived, I'd never heard of this town, but now I'm going to tell you why it is SO worth visiting.

Warkworth wharf on the river

We don't tired of a swim in the pool after work every day!

We originally found the place through a job ad online - cleaner/receptionist wanted to work part time in return for a weekly wage and a room in a beautiful motel, The Warkworth Lodge. The lodge has pool, spa, and charming living areas. Their company, Matakana Tours offers wine tasting and tours of the local vineyards, as well as limousine hire for parties, events and people with too much money who need a ride from Auckland terminal 1 to terminal 2 (actual request!). This job was a great opportunity, and to earn a bit more money on top of that, Joe and I both went into town to find an additional job. Having worked previously at Park Cameras in the UK, I thought I'd try my luck and walked into the town's small camera shop, asked for a job, and was told to start tomorrow. I've been working on their website (check it out here to see how sexy I've made it), as well as serving customers and printing on the mini lab. Now we're more than a month on, and I don't want to leave!

Bethany and I showing off canvases (image stolen from their website)

The stretch of coastline that homes the towns surrounding Warkworth is the Matakana Coast Wine Country; named so after Matakana, it's central town, and the numerous vineyards in the area. If wine is your thing, this is definitely the place to go. As well as wine, the region has a number or micro breweries producing exquisite beers, ales and ciders. Tahi Bar is a local pub in Warkworth serving only locally brewed drinks. They also have jolly staff and a great atmosphere!

Having a beer in the Rusty Pelican, Matakana

 Now, I haven't been everywhere (as much as I'd like to), but I'm pretty sure this town is the friendliest place in the world. The welcoming attitude and hospitality of every person I've met has been overwhelming. The community feel is unlike any I've experienced anywhere else.

Feijoas given to me by a customer

I've seen it in almost every instance - shop owners going out of their way for customers; locals welcoming visitors and foreigners as their own; a customer at work gave me a bag of feijoas* that she had grown herself because she knew I'd never seen them before. Joe and I even ended up booking a horse riding tour in the carpark of the supermarket after seeing the company vehicle. The guy was extremely friendly, and even picked us up from our accommodation and dropped us back after at no charge, giving us the scenic route to allow us to see the absolutely monstrous Kauri tree outside the Warkworth museum (800+ years old, standing at about 40m high!)

Here's Joe standing next to a massive Kauri tree... can you see him?

The horse riding tour was outstanding! It was a birthday present to Joe from his aunty back in England, who loves horses. The company, Horse Riding Warkworth, were fun, professional and accommodating. Neither of us had ridden horses before, but that wasn't a problem - we were trotting in no time. The hour tour took us through some beautiful countryside, up hills and through woods, and for a second I really thought I was a character in the hobbit (not just because I'm small).

Joe and I on horseback

The best view

As well as awesome people, this region has so much to offer! Knowing that Joe and I work 7 days a week and don't yet have a car, my boss at The Camera Shop offered to take us on a drive one saturday evening. And in that one evening I got to see pretty much the whole region, tasted the fine delicacies (fush and chups) and drank at numerous watering holes (too many that night, if I'm honest!). He gave me a polaroid camera and unlimited film to document our adventure.

Polaroid Snaptouch and pictures of the evening

The drive started with a bottle of feijoa wine in the backseat of the car (I felt like a proper celebrity being chauffered around), and we visited nearby areas of Leigh, Omaha, Snells Beach and Goat Island marine park.

Omaha Beach

Goat Island

Goat Island

The quaint town of Matakana is not to be missed either, with plentiful shops, bars, restaurants, a cinema, and apparently - killer eels (I saw a sign for them, but never actually found the eels. Much disappointment). The cinema, where Joe and I went to see Kong, has 2 large screens. We had one to ourselves on this occassion and it was quite possibly the fanciest cinema I've ever seen, with a large chandelier on the ceiling!

Snapped a sneaky picture before the film started!

So, it's been a relaxing few weeks soaking up the chilled out atmosphere of this region, and we're learning to appreciate just how beautiful the landscape is and how awesome the people are in this country. For the last few days we've been looking at getting a car or van, so lots more adventuring to come and I'll keep you updated!

* Feijoas - a fruit native to south America and widely grown in New Zealand. They have a gooey and slightly gritty consistency, but a sweet, delicious taste.

How to speak Kiwi

Following on from "British to Australian dictionary" - a blog post I did around this time last year, I've now been living in New Zealand for a month and a half, and have definitely noticed some differences between British English, Aussie English, and Kiwi English, and the accent! My list doesn't include Maori, which is a completely different language that is still widely used in New Zealand - as I haven't got round to learning it yet.

Choice - Good/Nice one
Eh - (Ay) Used at the end of pretty much every sentence
Sweet as - Cool
Chur - Thanks
She'll be right - It'll be OK
Heaps - Loads
Wop-wops - Middle of nowhere
All Blacks - The only sports team that matters, the NZ rugby team
Jandals - Flip flops
Togs - Swimming costume
Chilly bin - Cooler box
Hokey-pokey - A popular and tasty ice cream flavour
Electric jug - Kettle
Kumara - Sweet potato
Tramping - Hiking
Dairy - Convenience store
Skull - To down a drink
Bogan - Chav/White trash
Pom - British person
Op shop - Charity shop
Smoko - Work break
Capsicum - Pepper
Manchester - Bed linen
Fush and Chups - Fish and Chips
Seven - Seevin
Yeah - Year

If, like I was before I got here, you are naive and not used to Aussie or Kiwi, you may think the accents and dialogue are pretty much the same. I've come to learn this is definitely not the case. Mostly with the differences in words, New Zealanders more often take the British form, and Aussies just make something up completely. Examples:

Duvet (in NZ) - Doona (in Aus)
Aubergine (in NZ) - Eggplant (in Aus)

Like the last few on my list, the New Zealand accent is very defined, and usually easier to make out different words than in Australia, where they tend to mumble all their words into one "sound". Having said that, it's not always easy to understand what that word is. Forming the accent is all in the harsh vowel sounds. Just imagine pretty much every vowel is an "i" or "ee"

Ten minutes = teen meenuts
Jindals = jandals

That's my quick guide on how to speak Kiwi. It's actually a beautiful accent to match their beautiful country!

Adventures in Auckland

It's been a busy few weeks - Joe and I arrived in New Zealand exactly one month ago, and have been based in Auckland (up until now, but I'll get to that later!). Our intention was to first find jobs, and then continue in our travels; but the job search was harder than anticipated. We did, however, get to see most of the city centre, and I'll tell you all about it here.

New Zealand has a population of 4.7 million people, and 1/4 of them live in Auckland, making it the country's largest city, and also making the rest of the country largely uninhabited! Although, as cities go, I found Auckland to be a lot smaller than expected. There are still the skyscrapers and tall buildings that give it that sense of grandiose, though the majority of this large industrial and consumer section of the city is centred around one long road - Queen's Street - and not spread out for miles and miles like much larger cities such as London, Paris and Sydney. Having said that, the suburbs are very spread out, giving Auckland a nice size, but giving it's inhabitants a good bit of breathing space - the perfect balance for city life.

The city itself is rather beautiful. on a scale of 1 to Sydney, I'd give it a perfect 5/7. Unfortunately I didn't get to take many pictures as I thought I'd be there longer! You can take a walk down by the harbour and look out across the water. The view from the harbour bridge looking into the city is immense! The shopping areas are great, there are bountiful shopping centres and leisure parks, and for some reason the malls in this country actually look stunning and I enjoyed just admiring them rather than buying anything. My favourite has got to be the Queens St Metro building which is home to a 3 floor cinema, bowling alley, laser tag, and mini golf with dinosaurs. Yes, DINOSAURS!

There are many many places to visit within a short drive or bus ride from Auckland, including beautiful beaches, islands, and mountains. But unfortunately, we didn't get to go to them this time because we were primarily job searching. We will be back in Auckland in a month or so and will definitely put them on the list.

View from the skytower

During our stay, we were offered free tickets to the Auckland Skytower (normally $30 each) which is a viewing platform 328m high (60 storeys). Someone in our hostel had gone earlier in the day when it was cloudy, and couldn't see a thing so got offered another free entry for the same day. They weren't going to use it so gave it to us and we couldn't turn down such an opportunity. At first it was the same story. Nothing but clouds and not a lot to see. But as the clouds started moving suddenly the whole city lit up below us and we could see for miles and miles over the skyscrapers, across the bridge to north shore, over to mount Eden and the islands off the coast. It was sensational! Whether or not you like the city life, everything looks beautiful from a height, and you can put yourself away from the hustle and bustle for just a few minutes to look down on life below. It's awesome!

View of the city from the skytower

While in Auckland, we stayed in 3 different hostels which I like to call "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Now, let me explain why...

The Good - Borders Beyond
This is where we spent most of our time, and would have spent a lot longer if we didn't find a job out of town. "Borders Beyond" is a small hostel located in the suburb of Grey's Lynn, a 30 minute walk from the city centre. It's everything you could want in a hostel: great company, comfortable bedrooms, good facilities. We were in a room of only 4 beds, and prices are cheaper than all the places in the city. It's run by a French guy, and a lot of the guests are French so it's a perfect opportunity to practise the language - though mostly they prefer to practise their English, but everyone is welcoming and there's a great social atmosphere unlike I've seen in any other hostel.

A good bunch at Borders Beyond

The Bad - Fat Camel Nomads
Ok, so this one isn't bad as such, but lets just say it could be better. We were in a room with 8 beds, and each floor had a shared kitchen and a couple of toilets/showers. The facilities were clean and the place seemed well managed. The staff could help you book tours and coaches, etc. It is located right in the city centre, very close to the main train/bus station. The best thing about this hostel was the free snack you get in the bar every night which would be something like fish and chips, nachos or chicken salad. Now, this was only a snack, so don't expect piles of food, but you can upgrade to a full plate for only $3, which is not bad! The bar was also a pretty cool place to chill out, and played some great cheesy music, but can be annoying when you're trying to sleep.


The Ugly - Silverfern Backpackers
Just the sight of the front entrance scared us. The reception desk had bars infront of it like you'd see in a bank, post office, or a prison. The guy behind the desk was screaming at the small crowd infront of him "Check outs only! You can't check in until 11!". But when check in time came around, we found our room - in the basement - with 14 beds. And for a much less peaceful room, we paid almost double the price of our room of 4 at Borders Beyond. There was no locker in the room (but there were down the corridor), and wifi was pretty expensive for just an hour or so of browsing. However, despite our first impressions, we found that the facilites were pretty good and bathrooms etc were clean and well maintained.

So, where are we now? 5 days ago we found a job in a small town called Warkworth, which is located 45 minutes north of Auckland. The role included 2 days of cleaning and running the front desk of a beautiful motel called Warkworth Lodge in return for free accommodation, and a few extra hours of cleaning during the week paid hourly. The motel is stunning, with a pool, jacuzzi and large lounge. They even offer chauffered limo hire and tours of the Matakana wine region.

Warkworth Lodge (picture taken from their website)

For a bit of extra pocket money, I found myself a second job in a local camera shop (aptly named "The Camera Shop") and is much like my role at home with Park Cameras - I work mostly to fix their website, and also help customers when needed.

The town, being in the middle of the Matakana wine trail has many glorious vineyards operating tours and tastings, as well as good proximity to beautiful country walks, beaches and areas for snorkling, surfing and more. So that's where I'm going to be for the next month and a half. I can't wait to see what's in store, and when I do, I'll tell you all about it!

All About Sydney!

It had been 5 months we'd been settled in Byron Bay, and knowing that neither myself or Joe are big-city-people, I was pretty anxious about coming to Sydney. So, a few days ahead of our visit, I did a bit of research and planned some fun activities so that we had something to look forward to and not get too stressed out by big city life.

It was also the first time in about 9 months we would be staying in a hostel. Another scary thought! We booked in for 10 days at Funk House hostel in the Kings Cross area (which is full of hostels and strip clubs), but with a good location within walking distance of the city centre, or right next to a train station for those who are lazy and/or have more money to spend on travel than we did!

After touching down at Sydney airport, we grabbed our bags, got on a short train ride to Kings Cross, and found our hostel without too much grumpiness from either of us – which in my eyes means success. As it was late afternoon we decided to just chill out and start the exploring tomorrow. The hostel itself wasn't as much of a nightmare as I'd expected. The rooms were small and pretty hot in the summer heat, but only sharing with 3 other people felt quite a lot more relaxed than larger rooms we'd stayed in before. There was a small but well equipped kitchen, and TV room which was a lovely space to chill and meet new people. There were different daily events such as movie night, free bbq, free entry and bus to various clubs, which always made the evening exciting, but the general vibe was chilled out and friendly.

So now to the city. It was cloudy, but I still needed to get my standard picture of the Sydney Opera House for instagram (most instagrammed location in the world). So we grabbed a map and walked through the botanical gardens, to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and through the city. And something surprised me when instead of feeling stressed out, overwhelmed and crowded, we fell in love with the place. The city has large and bountiful parks and gardens creating a peaceful space amongst skyscrapers and apartment blocks, and city views to die for. The majority of the action is along the waterfront (with blue water, not brown like the Thames in London) and stretching out into the outer suburbs will find you more beautiful beaches.

Dugong at the sealife centre

There are many attractions in the city, including Luna Park, Sydney Zoo and Madame Tussauds
amongst others. We decided to check out the Sea Life Centre, and had a great day with the highlight being seeing a dugong! Dugongs are a type of manatee native to Australia and are commonly referred to as sea cows because they spend all day grazing and farting – a bit like Joe. They can be seen when you go snorkelling in areas further up the coast such as Lady Elliott Island. We would have loved to do a tour here but it was a bit out of our budget, so I'm glad that we at least got to see a dugong in Sydney!

Luna Park

Sydney celebrated the Chinese new year with these fantastic lantern sculptures dotted around to brighten up the city. We first saw these in daytime, but they really come to life at night!

Lantern sculptures dotted around the city

No visit to Sydney is complete without a visit to Bondi beach. Australia's most famous beach (where they film Bondi beach rescue) is located in the city and is a great place to sunbathe, catch some waves or grab an ice cream. Surfers can enjoy pretty high waves here! (higher than I'd seen in surf town Byron Bay).

Palm beach, further up the coast, is shooting location for popular Aussie soap “Home and Away”, which I admit to being obsessed with as a teen. I would have loved to go here to see the beach, diner and surf club used in the TV program but unfortunately never got the chance. Tours are available here, or you can just rock up on a train and have a look around!

Minne-Ha-Ha Falls

Just behind the city lies the Blue Mountains, a national park spread out over some 200,000 hectares with some amazing views and stunning landscapes. Joe and I took a day tour here with a company called Loka, that included travel from the city, a hike down to the beautiful Wentworth Falls, a refreshing swim in a little-known watering hole by Minne-Ha-Ha Falls, and over to the “3 Sisters” incredible rock formation and view over the mountain. It was an amazing day, and our very informative tour guide showed us all sorts – from the plants that aboriginals used for food/medicine, to the distinctive home of a Sydney funnel-web spider, most deadly in Australia. The tour was well worth it (free lunch and beer was the selling point) and we had an awe-inspiring day seeing the beauty of the Australian hinterland one last time. 

The 3 Sisters

Wentworth Falls

Sydney was the last stop on our Aussie adventure, and our time here was a nice send off.  I'm now writing from the bunk bed of a hostel in our next destination - Auckland, New Zealand, having arrived not long ago. I'll be blogging about all my adventures to come whilst here, but for now feel free to read back over my posts from the past year about my time in Australia!

10 Things Australia Taught Me

There are many things to learn from Australia. Here's my top 10 list of things Australia taught me during my year travelling the country, and some differences between the UK and Australia. Some are pretty surprising!

1. Cockatoos are noisy. I always wanted one as a pet but now I've heard them in the wild, I'm rethinking.

Cockatoo in flight, Hervey Bay QLD

2. Geckos are noisy too. Surprising little buggers.

3. Christmas should be in summer. Screw the snow and being cosy by the fire. Wintery Christmas in the UK mostly just means shopping in the cold rain and having to don an ugly jumper. Give me a warm beach and cold cocktail and I'll be happy.

Ok, so Christmas day was cloudy. But warm!

4. Europe is tiny in comparison. Driving to France is like driving to the next town over in Australia, so now I've no excuse not to travel Europe.

Here's a little driving distance comparison between the Australian east coast, and the UK and Europe.

Melbourne to Sydney
9 hours - 542 miles

Melbourne to Brisbane
18 hours - 1,032 miles

Melbourne to Cairns 
32 hours - 1,830 miles


Brighton to London
2 hours - 52 miles

Brighton to Sheffield
4 hours - 229 miles

Brighton to Inverness
10 hours - 618 miles

Brighton to Moscow, Russia  
30 hours - 1,812 miles

Admittedly, until I google-mapped that, I had absolutely no idea that it was actually quicker to drive from my house in the UK to RUSSIA than it is to drive a portion of the east coast of Australia. Crazy!

5. How to survive a deadly snake bite. Thankfully never needed this info, but a snake bite bandage really can save your life. We learnt this at an informative presentation at the Townsville show, which also brought out a display of deadly snakes for our viewing!

Step 1: Call an ambulance
Step 2: Get an antivenom
Step 3: If, like most people, you don't have an antivenom handy, get a snake bite bandage and learn how to apply it properly. These are special pressure bandages that do not restrict the blood flow but help stop the spread of venom. Do not apply a tourniquet or suck the poison out. If bitten by a deadly snake, you have 15 minutes to get an antivenom. If one of these bandages is correctly applied, you have 1 hour.

My favourite moment from snorkling the Great Barrier Reef

6. Certain experiences can give you a legal and healthy high. Watching a sunrise over the sea.
Swimming face to face with sharks, turtles and dolphins. Witnessing a breathtaking view - of which Australia has many. So many times this year my whole body has felt an immense ecstacy just from experiencing something new and exciting.

7. To see the best views, you'll have to climb. At almost every waterfall and scenic route, there's a path with sign stating "This walk requires a medium level of fitness". Well, my less-than-medium fitness level was challenged a few times this year, but every time has definitely been worth it.

Wallaman falls was a tiring 2km climb down to this point, and back up again!

8. Australia is hot. The bushfires are a bit of a giveaway, but so is walking out of your house unsweaty, and 2 minutes into your journey, you're a soggy mess. Australian winter is the equivalent of a British summer (although it can get chilly in the south).

9. Pretty much everything can kill you. Sharks, spiders and snakes are common. We've come across redback spiders (deadly), eastern brown snakes (deadly) and reef sharks (harmless) during our time here. In the north you have an even higher chance of dying, with their population of crocs - and the deadliest coming in a form most of us wouldn't even think of - blue ring octopuses, and marine stingers. The Irukandji jellyfish is the world's smallest jelly, measuring at just 1cm, but a sting from one of these badboys almost certainly ends in death if not treated immediately. Sufferers will experience severe vomitting and pain within about 10 minutes. However, across the water in New Zealand, there are almost no dangerous animals whatsoever!

10. Travel is worth it. It's worth the effort. It's worth the money. It's even worth the struggles just to experience the good times. And there WILL be struggles. There will be times where you'll cry, get angry, feel uncomfortable, lose your money or lose your mind. But this will always be heavily outweighed by the times you experience ecstacy, feel youthful, get excited, and drop your jaw in awe.

Sunrise Paddle, Hervey Bay QLD