-
Four Days on Water
Milford Sound is the most popular, and possibly most “dramatic” of the fiords. However, it is also fairly short, and can be seen in two hour cruise. The most exciting part was when the skipper put the nose into a waterfall, so everyone could get wet from the spray. I have booked four days in…
-
South-East Coast
I’ve covered a lot of territory since the last post! From Christchurch, I headed towards Mt. Cook, which is not only the highest peak in NZ, it is the highest in “Australasia”. It was in the news in the last few days, because two Japanese climbers died while descending. The chunk of rock they had…
-
Sea Kayaking
I went sea kayaking at Kaikoura, yesterday. It was fun, and a lot of work! The purpose was to paddle out to the seal colony. If the seals are hungry, you might be able to watch them catching and eating octopii. However, when we were there, the seals were just sunning themselves on the rocks.…
-
NZ Camper
Here is my home for 54 days. NZ is small enough that I can drive everywhere. There is no need to fly between regions and get new campers at each one. I have arranged for the ferry to cross to the north island, in February. This camper is based on the Toyota Town-Ace van. It…
-
The Future, Yesterday
In 1965, the Futuro house showed us what type of dwelling we would be living in, now. This “Futuro House” is on display at the Christchurch botanic gardens.
-
Arrived In New Zealand
I arrived in Christchurch, yesterday afternoon. I am staying at the Jailhouse Hostel. It is an old jail, converted to a hostel. The cells are now rooms. I haven’t arranged for a new SIM for my phone yet. I will post my New Zealand number once I have it. On the 23rd, I pick up…
-
East Coast
I’ve spent the last few days travelling from Sydney to Brisbane, and past. I am surprised at how developed the whole coast is. There are many, many beach resorts north of Sydney, and north and south of Brisbane. However, I am not a “beach person”, so, after seeing a couple of beaches, I am ready…
-
Halfway Finished
Well, I am about halfway through my trip. I will be leaving Australia for New Zealand in about a week. (I have updated the previous two posts – “Tree Huggers” and “Hook Turn” – with photos. Scroll down to see the updates.) I am driving from Melbourne to Brisbane. I am currently back in Sydney,…
-
Tree Huggers
I did see some Koalas”in the wild”, yesterday. They were laying around in some trees, along the “Great Ocean Road”. There was six beasts, in all, including two very small ones, and one “teenager”. Koalas are certainly “tree huggers”. They just flop on a branch and sleep all day! Unfortunately, I can’t post a photo.…
-
The Hook Turn
The “hook turn” is a (legal) driving maneuver that seems to be unique to Melbourne. This description is changed to North American (ie. driving on right-hand side of the road) driving: Let’s say you want to make a left turn, at an intersection. To do so, you would: start in the rightmost lane; drive into…
Got any book recommendations?
Michael Chmilar's Travels 