Kiwi Experience - Part... I can't remember where we're up to! :P

So since my last main travelling update (aside from the Whale Watch), I have left Queenstown and travelled up the east coast of the south island, spent a couple of days in Christchurch enjoying the World Buskers Festival and catching up with an old friend :) Spent a couple of days in Kiakoura whale watching, seal watching, sunbathing, sea-food eating, rockpooling. Then I waved goodbye to the south island and crossed back to Wellington, meandered back upto Taupo and this afternoon I arrived back at my starting point in Auckland!!!! The Kiwi Experience 'Funky Chicken' pass is finished!!! Sad times but VERY VERY excited to be going home soon to see a certain someone :) :) :)

Just gonna go for a few days upto paradise in the Bay of Islands (as you do) this week then have a 28 hour flight home!!! Will be in the care of Qantas this time next week!!!

Here are some general photos from the last few days - enjoy!

Beautiful Kiakoura - The view from stood ouside my hostel!!!

 Walk around the Kiakoura Peninsula to see the Seal Colony (this was the only cloud in the sky!!)

 Are you looking at me!?

ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME!!!??? (P.S. Yes I know I'm not very witty :P Can't blame me for trying!)

Check out this poser!

Think he was pretending to be a statue!

More of beautiful Kiakoura!

Went rockpooling (at sunset, outside the hostel.... I know, I know, amazing! :)) Anyhoo, went hunting for the famous Paua Shells that get washed up here (you pay $8 + for a good one in a tourist shop).... and look what I found!!!! :) And all because I was prepared to get my feet wet lol! :)
(NB: I didn't find them all nicely arranaged like this for me unfortunately, this is post finding them!)

Couple of days later, back in Taupo - Huka Falls

No coulour editing at all - this is actually what the water looks like there!

Another Taupo sunset! :) :)



Mike - I Love YOU! See you in 1 week!!!!! :) :)

Whale Watching - Kiakoura = ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!

I LOVE it when expensive things you pay to do turn out to be worth every single penny and more - don't you!? Well I have just arrived back from a Whale Watch in Kiakoura (East Coast, South Island), renowned for it's sealife and I literally couldn't wait to jump online and share this with you - IT WAS FANTASTIC and I literally can't stop smiling!

Kiakoura has resident Sperm Whales 12 months a year. However, even though we saw 6 of these, they don't really do much, though still very awesome in size and granduer, and I managed to 'very-nearly' get a good tail raise photo. The best was by far to come when we ran into a rare occurance - a Pod of 15 Orca (Killer Whales)!!!! And we didn't just follow them, oh no! They played around, alongside and under the boat for the best part of an hour! Even the guides say that they only see orca maybe once a month tops and seeing them playing with us like that was one of their best sightings in years!!! And this is on MY particular boat trip - WOW! Can you tell I'm buzzing people!!!??? lol!

So I managed to achieve a few ok photos and some awesome video - enjoy!
(Please note that holding a camera still on a choppy boat, trying to get a good photo of things that don't stay still is near impossible - the following are the best I could get I'm afraid!)

Sperm Whales

Nearly got the tail-raise here - 2 seconds too early - bum! :P

Orca/Killer Whales (Pod of 15, complete with gigantic male, mums and babies!)

Big Daddy (trust me he was HUGE!)



The Great Ocean Road

So, I decided to splurge a little and do a trip/tour thingy and the one that comes highly recommended in Melbourne is a One Day tour of the Great Ocean Road. Even better they have a 'Sunset Tour' option which naturally was my choice so yesterday off I went in a bus with 24 other people from all around the world and a very friendly, hilarious, aussie driver (though he definitely had his own politcal/environmental agenda lol. Though his quirks did make it all the more entertaining!).
So I played co-piolet for the day, sat at the front with the best views and prayed for good weather!
Here's what the tour incuded...

Bells Beach

Historical Light house

Seaside Villages

Great Otway National Park

Lush Rainforests

Wild Koala spotting

Port Campbell National Park

Sunset at the world famous Twelve Apostles

Loch Arc Gorge

London Bridge

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great and the sunset we got was just about there but very stormy looking skies (quite nice though actually). Thankfully the rain came only in the times we were in the bus so all in all a good day was definitely had and it was just about worth the money :)

At the end of the day it was nice to spend the whole day travelling with a whole bunch of other people.... it can get quite lonely always doing stuff on your own!

Here are some piccies as promised...

So that was that!

And now I am in Wagga Wagga, with family, in the sunshine, in 'real' Australia contryside, with the dogs and the horses and the chickens, relaxing, unpacking, ready to spend a lovely 9 days over Christmas! I've been here 7 hours and already it's lovely! (Though I did get bitten by 6 mozzies within the first 5 minutes lol - typical!)

Love to you all for Christmas!

Mike - wishing you were here!! xx

Taronga Zoo (Sydney) and Melbourne Aquarium

Taronga Zoo

Melbourne Aquarium