Hey honey, take a walk on the wild side...

Our visit to Taupo was a brief one but when we woke after our ‘crazy night’ out at the festival, we agreed that despite the miserable weather,  we needed to visit Huka Falls. We walked along by the Waikato River, passing the hot springs where the young & brave donned their swimwear to sit  in hot steaming water,  their top half exposed to the wet & windy weather. Not my idea of fun. By the time we got to the falls the rain was heavy & our lightweight rain macs finally gave up pretending they were showerproof or anything proof. Our next destination was up in the mountains, so we needed something that was up to the challenge.  Our route skirted along the side of Lake Taupo and should have afforded us beautiful views but, as the rain continued & the clouds moved in, we could barely see anything. As we turned off the main highway, we pulled off the road to make some lunch at a spot that promised a scenic lookout, but all it actually offered was a wall of fog. We did what any self respecting Englishman would  & made a cup of tea and sat and looked at it anyway. It was only a short drive to Whakapapa. It describes itself as a village so I assumed that it would have a shop where we could buy new waterproof jackets. However we discovered all it consisted of was a bizarre looking chateau hotel, a tavern (bar), a caravan park  & a visitors centre. We were greatly relieved to find that the centre sold some equipment including waterproof jackets so purchased were made. We booked into the campsite & headed to the tavern where Mr L got his own back on my luge victories by beating me at pool three times. Shameful performance on my part. It was Mothers Day in the UK so in the evening our time it was a delight to get lovely messages & pics from H&A. I miss them so much.   M our son in law had told us about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing,  reputedly the best one day walk in NZ. That sounded like something Mr L & I could do I thought . The advice from the visitors centre was that its not for the faint hearted. Gulp. The weather report for the following day was grim so we decided to do a short walk, to test out our jackets & our legs. The trail was about 2hrs but branched off to a lake. We were feeling fine so decided to carry on further & ended up walking for 5hrs & over 17k. Some warm up walk! We felt pretty sore & the Alpine crossing the next day was in doubt, but an encouraging text from M said we would regret it if we didn't do it. He was probably right & we didn't want to let him down! We set our alarm for 6am. It seemed to go off seconds after we set it & poor Mr L barely slept. But we decided we were going to give it a go so boarded the bus that would transport us to the start. I was surprised by how many people were doing the walk – a continual stream of hikers or trampers as they call them in NZ, mostly young, a few much older than us, some seemed ill equipped (we saw several doing it in plimsoles!!) but as the sun rose, we were all aiming for the same goal – the end, only 19.4km away. The thing about this walk isn't the distance, it the terrain & the altitude, passing Mount Ngauruhoe & Mount Tongariro, skirting the red crater, the beautiful volcanic lakes & springs, the landscape changes so many times. At one point it felt like we were on the moon as we crossed a vast area in between the mountains where there was no vegetation at all but scattered with fallen rocks. On other parts of the walk we were in rain forest.. At times the ascent was so steep I struggled to breathe but we took it steady and gradually we made progress. The weather stayed dry and for the most part clear so we had spectacular views – ones we won't forget. The descent down a steep and narrow track of volcanic dust was a real challenge. There was no grip whatsoever – every step and your foot slid forward 6-10 inches & holding on  didn't really work as you ended up pulling each other. I found that pretty hard but Mr L kept making me laugh & got me through it. It took us 6hrs 40mins – definitely not a record but it didn't matter because we did it & we felt very pleased with ourselves & surprisingly refreshed, without too many aches & pains. Not surprisingly we slept for 12 hours. 

I can hear music, sweet sweet music...

It wasn't until our third day in Rotorua that we actually saw the place. We had spent our time reading, relaxing in the sunshine or sleeping at the quiet, comfortable campsite we had found just on the edge of town. By then we were ready to adventure out and explore. You do however, need to be prepared for the smell.  The air in & around Rotorua is described as ‘sulphur rich’, which translates as strong eggy stink,  caused by the hot springs, mud pools and geysers, which is where we were headed. Te Puia describes itself as ‘one of the worlds most beautiful & exciting geothermal areas’. As I've never been to another geothermal area I can't possibly comment on this claim, but it was fascinating watching the mud pools bubble  & see the geysers erupt – not quite the 30 meters promised but I'm nitpicking now. Rotorua is also famous for offering ‘thrill seekers’ plenty of options – white-water rafting, off-road dirt tours & extreme mountain biking. We weren't seeking any of these thrills. Instead we headed to the luge track, where we got to hurtle down tracks  on a plastic go-cart, taking corners at crazy speeds, braking only when necessary. And we loved it!  It would have been even better if the kids were with us – especially A as he is  so competitive & Mr L is not, which kind of takes the fun out of beating him – which I did every time!!
The following morning,  energised by my luge victory, we headed to the Redwood Forest to enjoy the canopy walk, where we learned lots of things about trees & ferns which I have already forgotten but it was good all the same. There was no time to hang around though – we had places to go. We were going to a music festival! I say festival – well in fairness the leaflet I read called it a festival. I guess that is what it started out as but due to the threat of rain, they had changed the event from all day to just evening & moved it to an inside venue at a hotel, making it more of an event I would say. I know all this because I emailed ‘Karin’ the organiser who was “super excited” we were coming -she had obviously never met us. The original Venue  was at a glass sculpture park about 12km outside of Taupo so we called in to visit it as we passed. All around the gardens there were some lovely glass pieces displayed  & Mr L, who has an Interest in glass sculptures, really enjoyed it.  It would have made a great venue for a festival, with tiered seating & intimate surroundings. We carried on our journey to Taupo where, as luck would have it, there was a campsite right next door to the new venue, so en route we did a reckie to check it out. It was like a ghost town. The hotel reception was locked & there was not a soul about. We drove to the campsite, checked in & had a swim in the pool, before getting ready. As we headed out, expectations were pretty low, so we were pleased that when we turned the corner, we could see lights on, cars parked outside & people milling around. As we entered the venue, the first band were already playing. I introduced myself to Karin who was still ‘super excited’. It's hard to describe the venue. It had a sort of Wild West façade outside and inside a bit like a huge social club, where the vast majority of other gig attendees were hippies. The bar had mini bottles of fizz  & pale ale so smiles all around. We got some chairs & sat to the side as the 40 odd crowd were sitting at tables talking, whereas we wanted to actually listen to the music. On a trip to the loo I was fascinated by some graffiti that proclaimed ‘I love 1814 forever’. Wow I thought that must have been a fascinating year in history until I discovered later it's the name of a band. Anyway I digress. There were 6 bands altogether- what I would describe as mixed ability. During one performance I became distracted (what I really mean is irritated) by a young moody looking teenager playing pool.  The problem was the table was just to the side of the stage so you couldn't watch the band without seeing him just hitting the balls around the table. I spotted Karin & mentioned that it was distracting. Next thing I know Karin swept across the room, with her skirt swirling and swishing as she went, to talk to the boy.  I was expecting a quick word & that would be that. What I hadn't expected was seeing her, & then her partner hugging & kissing the boy. It was Karins son. She was no longer super excited and we were now persona non grata. As usual they saved the best for last & the final two bands made the evening. We left happy & headed back to the campsite, it was after all, 11pm! 

If you start me up, if you start me up I'll never stop...

Everywhere we have driven so far the landscape is beautiful – lush and green. Where wild pampas grass line the sides of the road & so many different types of fern growing everywhere – hence the fern being so prominent on NZ emblems & sports jerseys.   Which reminded me of something I read in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney – Lady Gaga has 19 different species of fern named after her. I have no idea why but it's  a fact you can fascinate your friends with!
Once we had collected the new Camper van, from a company called Spaceships & returned  the car, we stopped for food & essentials, then drove the short distance to Te Kauwhata, a free campsite, where we put our feet up & relaxed in the sunshine. Exactly what we needed. 
The new van is called ‘Slartibartfast’ a character from The Hitchhiker’s Guide, which is not something I ever got into & so we  just refer to it as the spaceship; it is a small people carrier; smaller in height than the hippie but fresher, newer & v comfortable seats for driving. The bedding area isn't quite as comfortable, the fridge is smaller &, whereas the hippie could be configured to have a rear seating area, this can't & as the fridge & storage is located underneath the bed area  it's more difficult to get to. No matter, we were happy to have a little place of our own to call home again. 
Fully refreshed, the following morning we were up & ready to go. Unfortunately the spaceship wasn't. Turned the key. Nothing. The battery was dead.  I made the call to the company & their first response  was to inform me that the battery had been checked recently and was fine. We were then told we had to  pay $50 on the premise that ‘if it turned out to be our fault’ they would have the money already. Not sure what legal system they work to but it seemed to me like  ‘guilty until proven innocent’. I was unimpressed.   Thankfully the garage was there within minutes to jump start us & it fired Up straight away.  We knew we hadn't left anything on that would have drained the battery but we were faced with the option of  have the battery tested for a fault, which would take the best part of the day or drive off without it being checked, thereby accepting that we were at fault. Given that we had already been told the battery was fine & the mechanic had already declared he didn't think it was a fault with the battery (in other words it was our fault) we took it on the chin, took the and van & left. We explored the town of Hamilton, visiting the museum (very informative) & walking along the river, but the weather was dull & overcast & the morning’s drama had dampened our spirits. We got back in the van and carried on driving to a town called Cambridge where we Camped for the night knowing that we would have the same  problem with the van again the next morning.  Sure enough as we turned the key the next morning nothing happened. We went through the same process again of calling the company & having a garage out to jump start us,  although the company did agree to waive the $50 charge this time, conceding that  maybe something wasn't quite right. Once the van started we took it in to the local garage to be fully checked – the prognosis possibly the battery (really? Why didn't we think of that!!). Meanwhile,  we had 4 hrs to kill in Cambridge,  which is pleasant enough town,  but in 4hrs you can visit every shop & still have time to spare. We know because we did. However,  by 4pm we had one new battery , a $50 refund from the first call out, 2 days rental charges refunded & huge apologies all round.  Hopefully, now  we could get on with our travels. The van fired up & confirmed it was ready for action. Hmmm we shall see!  Our plan had been to visit Waitomo caves but it was too late in the day,  so we headed in that direction to camp nearby ready to go the following morning. Our campsite for the evening was on a farm, which Mr L loved & I didn't. It had rusty tractors, animals & ‘quirky’ toilets & showers. I didn't want quirky I wanted functional! When we woke the next morning it was a relief to hear the engine start as we headed off out. The history of the caves was interesting & it was  great to see the little glow worms lighting up the roof of the caves,  but it was very touristy & by then I had had enough. I had to admit I hadn't been feeling well for a few days so Mr L bundled me in the van and drove us to Rotorua, to a lovely campsite where I was forced to nothing but sleep &  recharge.  

I can see for miles and miles and miles

Our next few days in New Zealand made us realise we had, as usual,  been over ambitious. View to the left; View to the right; exciting/interesting place just ahead. It was impossible to see all of the Northlands in 4 days,  but we did our best. We left Warkworth, heading to an area known as the Bay of Islands, stopping in towns along the way to explore. Our accommodation was not in the Bay or the islands  but in the mountains above & to get to it required  a “hold on to your seat” ride up a long, windy,  gravel road for about 20km. Definitely worth the effort though. Our accommodation was a cosy (small) self contained unit (summerhouse), with a small veranda & huge views across the hills & down onto one of the inlets. It was mesmerising, particularly as the sun went down & turned the sky into an array of different colours. Inside,  the accommodation was compact,  with the shower and loo separated from the kitchen area by a curtain (lucky we know each other) and a bedroom where the bed  was the primary feature. It was lovely &  we woke in the night to look at the stars in the huge sky. The following day we drove back down the mountain to a town called Russell that overlooked the Bay. A sweet little town but not much going on so we caught the car ferry across the bay & got back on the highway. We stopped in a town called Kawakawa, which is famous for its toilets – which I have to say are quite impressively decorated with ceramic  mosaics & glass, but not sure I would live in a town that has such a claim to fame. Next to a town called Waiotira (you will probably notice, as I did,  that an awful lot of the towns in NZ begin with K or W) where after a walk around, we began the very steep climb up an unmade road that made the previous days one seem quite tame. Mr L was driving with my expert advice on speed & sharpness of corners being continually shared, to aide him in the task, which I’m sure he appreciated but didn't say so. Our accommodation for that evening was what I would describe as “unusual”. Again, a self contained unit at the back of the owners house, with an outside shower & laundry area as well as a separate outside compost loo – all looking like little hobbit houses. In fact I speculated that the owner had worked on the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film set & when it was finished he couldn't stop making little hobbity things so he just carried on building them at home instead. It had a certain charm though,  but more importantly it had the most spectacular views looking down across the valley laid out below us. So good I bored people with pictures and even FaceTimed the kids to share it with them. I must say they did well to be enthusiastic at 6.45am their time ,whilst they were busy getting ready for work, for a view they could barely see,  but we appreciated their efforts.
We spent what must have been a typical evening before television was invented, listening to music & reading by the dim light of the standard lamp before retiring to our hobbity bed. 

Our plan had been to explore Hokianga Bay and go sand surfing but time was against  us. The following morning as we drove south we pulled into the town of Opononi that looked across to the huge sand hills so we could at least admire the views. We also called in to a little craft fair  and purchased a huge slab of homemade carrot cake for $7! A good way to keep spirits up.  Next stop  Waipoua Kauri Forest – home to the most magnificent 2,000yr old tree, where tourists pointed lengthy camera lenses to get a good shot & Mr L blew them away with a panorama pic on my iPhone which made the camera boffs gasp in admiration. 
We stopped for lunch in Dargaville. It doesn't sound like an attractive town & we had been told by C&T that it wasn't but that just made us want to go there even more. We had lunch at the ‘blahblahblah’ café, where the wifi code was ‘Idontknow’ which amused me & strolled around town which was buzzing as a result of a cycle race taking place there. After a whole day of driving we arrived at the accommodation in Kaukapakapa – another airbnb find, cooked, had a glass of wine/beer & watched a film. The following morning we were back in Auckland, swapped the  car for a Camper van & promised ourselves we would take our travels a little more sedately this time. 

These boots are made for walking....

I was convinced our flight to New Zealand was going to take  5-6 hrs. In fact it was only 3 ½ hrs – plus another 2hr+  time difference which means we are even further away from UK time. As you would expect, I read the border entry form very carefully & declared that we did indeed have boots & we had walked on soil (not water)  in the preceding 30 days,  and I was confident our boots would pass inspection. Mr L finds it highly amusing that I feel the need to scrub our boots every time we fly, but I hate the idea of being held up as a poor scrubber as it were. So, as you can imagine, I was absolutely mortified when the boots were  were inspected & deemed to be ‘contaminated’ & removed by the customs officer for cleaning. I felt judged & rightly so.  It also meant that we took 1 1/2 hours to get out of the airport. We called our car rental company, ‘lucky’  to collect us. We weren't quite so lucky when we were handed the keys to a sad looking Nissan that had seen better days but we had only paid £20 p.day so we were fine with it. We wanted to have a Camper van for our whole time in New Zealand but we weren't able to get one for the first 5days so we rented a car instead,  with the plan to explore places to the North of Auckland then drive back, swap the car for a van and continue with our tour of NZ. 
I have to confess that when lots of people asked us before & since we set off ‘which island are you going to’, I had no idea which was which, which Town was on which island & whether we should be going to both or just one and if so which one?  So my response was always vague. As you will be aware from our blog planning our travels is pretty much on the go & this time was no different. We had contacted family for their ‘best places to go’ advice & that forms the basis of our travel plans. I should add  that pretty much most of Mr L’s family have been to NZ so I am therefore legally obliged to include more details of the places we go to and the towns we visit, so they can relive their experiences. They are not to be messed with.
We arrived at our guest house on the edge of Auckland, grabbed some food, connected to the wifi, laid out our free maps & secondhand (recently purchased from a charity shop) NZ guidebook circa 2007, and planned the next few days &, with the help of airbnb we booked 3 nights accommodation. Sorted. Then we drove into downtown to explore the city of Auckland. Not the best place to start I would say. Perhaps because the sky had clouded over, or because we were tired,  but we were v unimpressed with the place. We headed back to our guesthouse  in the hope that NZ would offer us a lot more the next day. Thankfully it did. We hadn't given ourselves too much driving to do on day one of our trip, so the first stop was Warkworth. As soon as we left Auckland the scenery kicked in. Stunning. Rolling hills, the greenest fields contrasted against the bluest skies & lots of winding roads.  Along the way we stopped off at a beach and did what we normally do, strolled along it and then back again. 
Our next port of call was at Waiwera thermal spa resort, where we boiled our bodies in 38degree water, then immersed ourselves in the ‘movie pool’ where they were showing “Petes Dragon” – quite a bizarre concept, then we got a fit of the giggles as we rode rubber rings down the laziest lazy  river ride ever - I'm sure you can just picture it - before Mr L hit the zooms, whilst I opted to record his landings for posterity. All good fun. Our accommodation was a modern, self contained apartment above a garage & v nice it was too. Such a contrast to life in a Camper van. We had a tour of the town then sat on their veranda in the sun reading. Perfect. I could get used to it. Later we drove down to Snells Bay & Algies Bay where we sat and admired the views before calling into the appropriately named 'Liquorland' for some refreshments on the way back to town.

Moving down the highway of my life....

We had 4 days to get the Camper van we were relocating, from Sydney to Melbourne. Except we didn't. We didn't get on the road until 11.45 on Monday & we had to deliver it by 2pm Thursday, which meant we only had 3 days to cover the 1100km coastal route. We had hoped to  stop in at Canberra but quickly realised that wasn't on the cards. I also had a long list of ‘must see’ places  which was unlikely to be fully achieved. It was mid pm  before we put Sydney behind us & once on the open road & we were suddenly aware of the  strong cross winds that battered the van making it hard to drive. However, on the plus side,  it created some spectacular waves, so when we stopped at Kiama to observe the ‘blowhole’ where the sea comes up through a gap in the rocks it was like a huge explosion of water shooting right up in the air. We joined the groups of school kids watching it & screaming at  getting soaked – yet waiting for more. Back on the road & the wind was still making it a challenge to keep control so we called it a day about 4.30 pm & found a campsite, where ‘the computers were down’ so they let us in for free. Result! The next morning we stopped off in Ulladulla & walked along the deserted  beach before getting back on the Princes Highway, stopping in Batemans Bay & Eden for a look around. When we finally stopped we had covered nearly 350km & the camping was free due to a dispute with the local council about who collected the money. Result! We found a lovely walk that skirted a river then crossed it via stepping stones which I did with great trepidation- I think you know by now I'm not the adventurous type, then we Jogged back to the van to get our legs moving. We were in bed by 8pm & despite the man singing David Gray songs at full volume we were asleep moments later.  We got up early & drove to Lakes Entrance  & walked out past the lakes to 90 mile beach where the surf looked impressive in the sun. We had breakfast in a car park (glamorous)then back on the road, stopping only to steal wifi from McD’s  in their car park. Another 350km completed, we pulled into our stop for the night, Warragul caravan & retirement park – a glimpse of the future perhaps?! It wasn't free but it did have a washing machine, dryer & a swimming pool so we got to it. As we loaded the machine we realised we wanted to wash the clothes we had on so we shut the door & stripped off in the laundry room, put our costumes on & went swimming as our clothes washed. Later, when we were back in the laundry room folding our clothes I noticed a sign that said ‘CCTV in operation’  then looked up and spotted the camera – oops!
The last leg of the journey was mostly motorway & the high rise buildings of Melbourne grew as we got nearer. We dropped our bags at our hotel in the city & drove out  to deliver the van. Mission accomplished but we were both exhausted so when we got back to the hotel we crashed out. Later we went out to explore & to have a drink at the oldest pub – the Mitre (it was like being back in London). The following day we had an important on to do. Get a haircut. Easy enough for Mr L, he found a barbers that did an excellent job of restoring him to his normal self. I struggled to find somewhere for less than $250 until we found out about a hair academy where I got the full treatment for $90 – although it did take 3hrs!!
We had 5 nights in Melbourne but we really didn't have the energy to do it justice. We loved Victoria Market & the hipster areas of Brunswick & south Yarra, the street art (but not the graffiti) & the buildings, the great transport systems & the very relaxed vibe of the place. We met up with C&E who we had met on our travels now giving Melbourne living a go in a fab flat with city view and we chilled in a few local bars.
Our niece C will be v disappointed to hear that whilst in Melbourne we did not make it to the set of ‘Neighbours’ & get her the list of autographs she requested. As am I, but  Australia is such a vast country with so much to see,  we didn't get there or get to so many of the places we had wanted to see; we didn't even scratch the surface. We did however, have great fun. We had no expectations of Australia but it has surprised to us. The road trips took us back in our minds to our travels in the USA in 1983 when we were planning our future & a family, and now, with our beautiful children fully grown &  at a different stage in our lives,  having a different experience, we have relaxed & enjoyed  what it has had to offer - the landscape, the people, the towns, the buildings, similar at times to England & America but for the most part it has its own identity . We will be back to see you again Australia but for now it's time to move on. New Zealand awaits.

I can see clearly now the rain has gone

The rain continued to plague our visit to Sydney, as M took us out to explore the local area including a  redeveloped area of warehouse conversions housing, shops, cafes, microbrewery & an intriguing space that had axe throwing. Two targets marked out on a wall made from old palates, with a flimsy rail sectioning the area off, whilst axes are thrown at the target (or not). Something different for a stag do I guess but I can't see it passing Health and Safety regulations in England. It did seem quite popular though  - as well as very dangerous!Thankfully the rain held off in the evening as we travelled into the centre of Sydney to join the huge crowds on the streets to celebrate Mardi Gras. It was as you would expect, colourful, bright & loud but a very chilled out vibe. Everyone seemed well prepared with small stools to stand on so we walked along, to try to find a good vantage point. We stood with a small group who cheered & clapped everyone as they went past. Not one derogatory comment or criticism – just encouragement particularly for those in the procession who were running out of energy. A really lovely atmosphere.
The following morning we were up early & heading to the Blue Mountains. The weather wasn't great but we were hoping to catch a break when we got there. M our guide, an optimist & big fan of the Mountains, enthused about the views  we hoped we would get the chance to see if the clouds were kind enough to step aside. Our first stop was Jelly Bean lake – a great spot for an early morning swim, however not on this morning. The water looked cold, dark and uninviting so we remained fully clothed. Next we drove to the start of the under cliff /over cliff trail which, as its name suggests, skirts along the edge – almost too close at times, but gives great views across the huge expanse of mountains & valleys. The weather cleared long enough for us to see the great views but quickly closed in again. Then after a cup of tea & cake we drove to the three sisters – 3 towers of rock which spur off from the land they are attached to. M told us that he and E had climbed up & camped on the top of one of the sisters & tabseiled down when they first came of Australia but this is no longer permitted as the rocks are deemed sacred by the Aborigines. We did however climb down a very steep set of steps to stand under a ridge on the first sister which gave us some idea of how much of a challenge that must have been. They are a great sight to see but I was more taken back by the views across the whole area – for as far as the clouds would allow me to see there were mountains. Stunning. As was the very brief glimpse we had of the area known as the Grand Canyon, before the clouds moved across like a set of curtains & shut out our view. Sadly the sun did not allow the blue of the mountains to shine & let us see it in its famous colour,  but it was still definitely worth the trip. On the journey back to Sydney we did a brief detour so M could show us his beehive. He has a friend who shares his interest & provides the space for keeping the hive which produces some very tasty honey. I observed from the safety of the garage but Mr L got v close (too close for a man in shorts & no protective clothing). Thankfully no stings. Back at the house, we joined M&E & their invited friends for a lovely afternoon  dinner in the garden for our final evening in their home & in Sydney . Great food & great company. M&E had been fabulously generous with their home & their time & made us feel so welcome. Sydney had not been at all what we expected. It's still retains so much character. In parts it reminded us of Brighton, but fresher – a bit less jaded (no offence) & we both really took to the place. The following morning we were back on the road & back in a Camper van. But this time it was different. We were relocating van from Sydney to Melbourne for $1 per day plus they paid for our fuel. We were given 3 days to do it I'm but we had opted to extend the trip by a further day for an extra $75. We weren't sure what type of van it would be so we were very pleased to find it had a built in cooker, microwave & you could stand up in it!  How the other live. Our route would take us along the coast which meant we had to cover over 1100kms. Sounds pretty straight forward .

Stuck on you....

We were in Sydney for 3 days before we made it to the harbour. What an earth were we doing you may ask?! Well we had a ‘day off’ to catch up with sleep & chores such as washing, future travel plans etc & we also had to return the Hippee Camper to the depot,  so we took advantage of being that side of the city to explore the Royal National Park. We said our goodbyes to the van & drove to the park  (M&E had kindly lent us a car). First stop the visitor centre which also sold great muffins! Then we took to the waters in a canoe on the tranquil waterways at Albury where Mr L & I had a useful discussion on oarmanship & who might/might not be responsible for causing the canoe to veer into the reeds. The conclusion was it was probably the canoe – we are far better in a kayak. Then we drove further into the park to find a trail that took us through an area of  rain forest. We walked for nearly an hour through moderate terrain but quite wet in places due to the recent weather & because it's a rain forest! When we got back to the car I felt something on my ankle & when I reached down to get it I discovered it was a leech! I couldn't get out of the car quick enough to get my trainers & socks off. Mr L thought I was being dramatic (as if) until he realised he had leeches stuck on him too. Total count: me – 4 attached & 3 on/in my socks & trainers; Mr L – 6 on him. When we were sure we had removed them all we drove to the beach & stood with our feet in the sea to wash away the blood & clean the wounds. Leeches have been added to my ever increasing list of creatures I do not like. Currently in top position.  The next day M acted as our tour guide, starting with the coastal walk that took in 5 different bays/beaches including Bondi. The weather was particularly unkind to us, with heavy rain & strong winds which meant we didn't see the beaches at their best. The sun did come out later though when we strolled around the well tended botanic gardens and where we got our first glimpse of the iconic Harbour Bridge & Opera House. When you are travelling for so long you forget or take for granted that you are in another country- in this case one that is across the other side of the world but seeing that view reminded us of how far we have travelled & made us stop to enjoy the moment. Our next stop was an area called 'The Rocks' which we loved - lots of original buildings, houses & pubs that have been preserved & gave us a feel for what Sydney was like 100+ yrs ago. We went into some of the pubs – just for a look of course – and strolled around the streets & under the start of the Harbour bridge. Definitely an area to visit. With great train links to the city M&E’s house was ideally placed for exploring Sydney & we spent several days visiting the sights. Our trip coincided with the arrival at the Quay of the Queen Mary 2 Cunard liner – a great sight to see when we caught the ferry to Manly – described by my mum in her holiday diary as an Island. It isn't but I could see why she thought that & why her and Moy made several trips here when they stayed in Sydney. Cafes & shops line the pedestrianised walkways & seats along the beachfront to watch the surfers and the sea. We also explored Darling harbour & also took E up on her offer to show us around the Federal Court where she works (how could I resist!), where we sat in on an appeal being heard by the Lord Chief Justice. The courtrooms are very impressive and the building has great facilities. The real bonus is it's located right in the heart of Sydney so from  the 16th floor we were treated to great views across the city. The area where M&E live was also good for exploring,  with the majority of shops & houses, including theirs, built when Sydney began to develop as a city with beautifully preserved period features – definitely not what we expected. A great community feel too. One evening We got tickets to see an Irish band ‘The Young Folk’ at an unusual venue – Streatham Bowls Club. I've never been to a gig at a bowls club so my expectations were quite low. As we pulled up the place looked empty & we thought we had the wrong place but as we went in there were 4 rows of chairs set out in front of a small stage & tables at the back. By the time the band came on the place was packed – the vast majority Irish or of Irish origins & so plenty of support and interaction with the band. It was a great night – the band were good & it was nice to hear some live music.