After a cooked breakfast (we’re making the most of having tasty bacon again now we’re in Oz) we drove inland so that we could head up the coast. First we stopped at a deserted Stockton Beach. In the distance were the large sand dunes tempting us over, but unfortunately without taking a tour we couldn’t get to them. The surf was looking good and I took off my sandals and went for a paddle, only to get drenched when a big wave caught me.

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We should have worn Wellington boots! Wednesday 3rd December 2008 On Monday 1st December we left Lake Taupo and travelled east to Napier. On the way we spent some time in the nice little town of Taupo by the lake and then stopped to see the beautiful Waipunga Falls. We found a lovely camp site by a black beach just north of Napier, in the wine-growing region of Hawke’s Bay. The next morning we set off for the long drive south to Wellington, 333 kilometres in pretty awful windy conditions.

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13hrs on an overnight bus and we arrived in Rainbow beach. A nice quiet town.....but one where we felt ever-so-slightly left out - I'll explain later! The town sits on a sweeping coastline with beaches that stretch for miles - "so?", I here you say, "isn't that the whole East Coast of Australia???!!!"......Yes it is! but the difference here is the colour of the cliffs, made up of hundreds of different coloured sands....which would explain it's name then!

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Every other Kiwi male has a moustache! That’s because they call this month Movember and grow moustaches for charity donations. We’re wondering whether they will all be shaved off next week on 1st December or kept for Christmas. Yesterday’s journey from Whangarei down to the Coromandel Peninsula was one of complementary colours, red and green; green lush sub-tropical vegetation and red road cones. New Zealanders have the English habit of leaving miles of red cones restricting traffic and closing lanes all along the highway where nobody is working!

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Austrias is a land of northern Spain calls itself ”The Land of Cheese”. There’re thousands of caves hidden in the hills and for centuries residents have been using them to made delicious cheese. This women is just in front of her chese cave, where she made a blue cow’s cheese named after the town of Austrias.

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Så er rejselivet for alvor skudt igang, og hvilken start det har fået. Fredag morgen tog jeg et fly fra Melbourne, der dog var forsinket en god time pga. lyn. De fleste af de andre danskere havde været i Cairns et stykke tid, og Christian havde bl.a. mødtes med en gammel barndomsven, som nu bor i Cairns, og arbejder som pilot. Derfor blev vi alle inviteret med til en stor fest for piloter og stewardesser fredag aften. Det var en udklædningsfest, og vores $5 udklædning var mildt sagt underdressed! Alle havde gjort forbavsende meget ud af deres udklædning.

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Andrew Graham-Dixon’s third Art of… series begins next week on BBC4. First there was Art of Eternity in 2007, on early Christian art; earlier this year there was Art of Spain; and, weekly from Wednesday, is a four-part Art of Italy. In three of these programmes the Sunday Telegraph art critic and veteran telly art expert – “You have to realise I’m a very, very old man in a trendy young presenter’s body. I’ve been doing this for about 20 years…” says Graham-Dixon, 48 – examines aspects of the Renaissance art world. In the fourth, the filmmaker Tim Kirby looks at the architect Andrea Palladio.

via telegraph.co.uk

Time is flying by here...and i am not keeping up with the blog. We are still up in Cape Tribulation, and were told by the man at the campsite that there was a really cool watering hole nearby. We decided to try it out...plus he said he was sure there are no crocs there!!
After a short hike, we found the watering hole !! There were a lot of little fish in there which i was not too happy about. There also was a swing you could use to jump into the water.

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Loy Loy Krathong, Loy Loy Krathong…my students sang this to me last Wednesday, November 12th in honor of one of the most popular festivals in Thailand. It takes place on the full moon day of the 12th lunar month. The festival was not complete without kids dressed in elaborate, authentic Thai attire dancing and singing on stage, my matium 2/1 girls (six grade) taking my hand as soon as I arrived to play games, and stuffing my face with sticky rice and ice cream (2 scoops of ice cream in a hotdog bun with sweet corn and beans).

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After breakfast we drove into Kaikoura, a truly picture post card town. Long, clean beaches with white surf all backed with the setting of snow capped mountains, WOW. The sun was really hot this morning, if fact the weather has been really good to us for 95% of the trip. We headed straight for the Whale Watch tour office. We expected to have to wait around for a couple of days to get a booking; luckily we squeezed in on the 11am tour. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Visibility was a good 5 miles and the sea was calm.

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Escape to your own tropical island paradise, Wadigi Island is nestled in the Mamanuca group of islands just off the Fiji’s western coast and it’s all yours to discover! Wadigi Island will greet you with rejuvenating sunrises and breathtaking sunsets as you relax in the infinity pool. Stroll and sun yourself on one of your two private beaches and immerse yourself in the crystal clear lagoon of Wadigi Island while experiencing some world class snorkelling.

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Got the Greyhound to Townsville, we had a 6 hour bus ride. The girl in front of us stank of BO it was making us urge...Yuk! We arrived at townsville then had a 20minute ferry ride to Magnetic Island aka Maggy. When we got on the island we herd there was a crocodile on the loose.... Ahhhh, abit sceary!! Checked in to Travellers Hideaway at Picnic Beach really nice little hostel, with a swimming pool, with hammacks by it, bbq area, tv+internet room. We are in a 4 bed dorm, sharing with 2 swedish girls, who seem really nice!

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This two day independent coach tour includes the highlights of Kings Canyon. Travel by luxury coach from Ayers Rock to Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. Experience the opportunity to walk around rim of the magnificent Kings Canyon, or alternatively, an easier walk along the canyon floor. Day 1: Ayers Rock - Kings Canyon
Depart Ayers Rock at 12.30 p.m. and travel through the vast desert landscapes of the Australian 'Outback'. Stop to view the amazing Atila (Mt Conner) mesa, or flat-topped mountain.

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The only way to appreciate the sheer magnificence of the Red Centre, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the stunning Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) formations is from the air, by helicopter. Come aboard for this scenic helicopter flight to the wonders of the Australian Red Centre. With pick up and drop off from your Ayers Rock Resort Hotel, there is nothing for you to do but enjoy this great spectacle and adventure when you arrive at Ayers Rock.

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In rained all night and disappointedly the dive was cancelled because of an unusually large ocean swell. It seems the whales don’t want to meet us. Oh well we set off again to the Bay of Islands via a visit to the ‘Longest Foot Bridge in the Southern Hemisphere’. To our surprise we were met half way across by a lady leading a beautiful horse. The horse was in the water swimming, his morning exercise apparently, he seemed to really be enjoying himself.

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