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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 01, 2010 07:00 PM I have my Japan Rail Pass!
Still in Australia I have to think about my onward travel. For Japan I need unlimited travel railpass. It is available only abroad. Few places offes this pass - you can buy it mostly in the bit cities around the world, where Japan has its travel offices. I decided to apply in Sydney. First news was bad - I found Japan Airlines Office, but they say that they sell the pass only to those who travel to Japan with JAL. I do not! They sent me to the JNTO office - Japan National Tourist Organization. Sorry... It is open only two days each week in the afternoon. Not today! Finally I found the third office: JTB - Japan Travel Bureau and thel sold me the pass. Two weeks of unlimited travel for 579 AUD - in the expensive Japan it is great deal!
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Feb 28, 2010 07:00 PM Why I do not like Sydney now...
It is a joke of course... I still think that Sydney is one of the most beautiful natural ports in the world... But... The street traffic discriminates the pedestrians. So many cars. You push the button of traffic light and you wait, wait, wait... Then I paid 4 AUD for the loaf of the bread. Expensive! Dear Australia please come to Poland and you will get three times more of tasty bread for that amount of money!
Unfortunately this was a cloudy day. I started my walk to the well-known places from the El Alamein fountain in the King Cross, then old wharf, St Mary's Cathedral on the edge of Domain Park. It was already raining there... Almost all monuments of Sydney are located along Macquarrie St - just go along and you will see St james Church, The Mint, Parliament and Library.
But the pearl of Sydney is of course at the far end of this street - this is famous Sydney Opera House... I was climbing to the high Harbour Bridge to take the best - aerial picture of the opera. You can also climb the pylon (tower of the bridge) for 9.50 AUD - I decided it is not worth. Long walk - partly in the rain. It was already darl when I took the bus 323 for 2 dollars to come back to King Cross...
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Feb 27, 2010 07:00 PM Time to say goodbye to Kiwilandia...
To be back in the Auckland airport at 1 pm I started from Tongariro at 7 am. Oh my poor legs! After yesterday's trek they require a long rest. But that is normal...
On Sunday morning the roads were almost completly empty and I reached the airport on time. Do not forget to fill up the petrol before returning the car - other wise they will charge from your card extra money!
Then it was the time to say goodbye to New Zealand.
After 4 hours in the air I safely landed in the cloudy Sydney. Welcome to Australia! Declade again all the food you are bringing! The custom officer was very tolerant - he let me go with my can of sardines and dried soups /it is my emergency food/. Train from the airport to the King Cross station in the center cost hefty 15,80 AUD !!! For 19 AUD you can easily find the dormitory bed in one of many backpackers accommodations.
I was already in Sydney - some 22 years ago... Not many changes, except the prices rising up... An hour of internet in the street cafe costs 5 australian dollars in the centre but in the backpackers quarter of King Cross you can find the place for 2 dollars/hour... I pray for the better weather for tomorrow...
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Feb 26, 2010 07:00 PM Tongariro Alpine Crossing - done!
The strong sun was rising when we boarded the bus (30 NZD round trip) to the trailhead. Tongariro Alpine Crossing has an opinion to be the nicest and the most popular day trek in New Zealand. The path takes you to the pass between two sleeping volcanoes. They say that the path is 19,5 kms long but in the mountains is is better to define the trail by hours of walk - it takes 7 to 9 hours to complete the trek.
Yes, I must tell you that it require a lot off effort (especially climbing "Devil's Staircase") but it is worth such en effort. Views are great and I will bring beautifull pictures from this trail. We had excellent weather and visibility. There are also beautiful Emerald Lakes on the way...
After 8 hours on the trail I rached the parking place where the bus was waiting for us. I am happy I did it - it is one of the nicest trekking routes I was walking in my life...
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Feb 25, 2010 07:00 PM New Zealand - Lake Taupo
I was driving again via Napier to the picturesque Lake Taupo. Weather was fine so the lake was deep blue with the green hills on the horizon. Imagine the lake 30 kms long. There is a river going out of the lake. Some 5 kms out of the Taupo town there are Huka Waterfalls where 100-metre wide river is squized into 11-metre wide stone gorge. Down the gorge it is again 100 - meterts wide and silent... Very nice place! In the evening I reached Tongariro National Park village. There is only one backpackers accommodation - youth hostel. I keep the fingers crossed for tomorrow's weather. It is time to hike the volcanoes!
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Feb 24, 2010 07:00 PM Morning in the Cathedral Cove
Today we started journry at the sunrise time - crossing Coromandel Peninsula in about an hour. On the other side of the peninsula there is famous Cathedral Cove - little bay with a paradise beach surrounded by caves and rocky cliffs.
Walk to the cove from the parking area takes about 40 minutes. Scenery is beautiful - a lot of high fern trees, birds and the voice of the waves... Once on site you will see that there are in fact two little beaches divided by the rock with a huge hole (like a hall) inside - That's probably the "cathedral".
It was cloudy morning but the place was definitely worth to see. Then I drove the Pacific Coast Highway - long road going along the coast to the south. I passed KitaKita on the way. Again many great views on the way and a passage through the gorge to Gisborne, where I will spend a night. 8 hours driving - I need a rest!
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Feb 23, 2010 07:00 PM Picturesque Coromandel Peninsula
If you are looking at the map of the world it seems that New Zealan is a small country. But in fact two main islands are big and you will drive hundereds of kilometers to get from end to end. Today I spent more then 7 hours driving from the Bay of Islands via Aucklend to the Coromandel Peninsula.
Fuel cost here 1,73 NZD per litre so you spend some 10 NZD to drive 100 kms plus rental fee. Speed limit 100 km/h
There was nice waterfalls on the route and great viev of Auckland from the Bay Bridge. In Coromandel City - little, tiny township I stay in the Youth Hostel paying 54 NZD for the twin room - quite a good deal in this expensive country!.
Coromandel is very picturesque - the coastal road goes to the turquoise bays, climbing also green hills with the herds of cows. I regret that I did not plan to stay here longer then one day - there are nice trekking trails through the mountains - you will know - it is one of the most picturesque areas in New Zealand.
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Feb 22, 2010 07:00 PM New Zealand - Bay of Islands
The best way to explore this picturesque bay is of course to take a boat tour. Paihia is small, but very tourist place - a lot of backpackers accomodations and boat companies competing for the passengers. I took full day tour - even with a discount the cost is painful for the backpacker - 89 NZD! Sorry, but I am here once in the lifetime - I paid and we departed at 9.30 by big motorized catamaran. Green, hilly islands sprayed out in the bay are really beautiful. A lot of sails. We sailed rough sea as far as Cape Brett to see the lighthouse and the famous rocky island "Hole in the Rock" showed on the pastcards from the area. There was also a picnic in the cozy bay, but instead of eating I was climbing the hill at that time for the better pictures - I hope you will like them... We returned at 4.30 pm - another great day! It is summer here - dat temperatures around 22-24 deg. Celsius. Little cloudy today - but is is also pleasant because sun is here so strong...
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Feb 21, 2010 07:00 PM Via KeriKeri, but not as far as KawaKawa...
I am again on the road... drive left lane Mr Wojtek, drive left lane... not like in Europe... Some country roads are gravel roads here but in general the pavement is good. Landscape is great with giant fern trees in many places. Also cabbage trees are common. You have to take care on the one-lane bridges - they have plenty of them. KeriKeri peninsula is worth a stop - I founnd there old Anglican mission with a lovely little church on the hill and the Stone Shop - the oldest shop in New Zealand.
I have a feeling that New Zealand is now more "Maori" that some 20 years ago when I was here for the foirst time. Maori names are common - some of them are just funny: I was driving from KeriKeri in the direction of KawaKawa. But I stoped in Waitangi to visit the Treaty House where Maori Chiefs signed treaty with Britain. The place is nicely located on the Bay of Islands. But it is sghame that they charge 20 NZD entry fee from the foreigners to visit the place (locals go for free)... Night in the dorm in Paihia youth hostel...
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Feb 20, 2010 07:00 PM 90 Mile Beach
In fact this famous beach is some 63 miles long, but they did not measured it exactly when it was named in the past. Lovely morning. Sun, 24 deg Celsius, palm trees around. We started to drive the beach at 10 am. This is one of the main tourist attractions of the northland. By bus /45 NZD full day tour including the lunch/. Why by bus? Because it is too dangerous for the regular cars to do this route. You have to know tides times, streams mouths and - how to grive in the Te Paki streem to exit the beach at the end. Great experience. Exiting the beach we visited lage Sand Diunes - like a little Sahara in New Zealand. Finally we reached Cape Reinga - the most northern tip of the Kiwilandia. Maori believe that the spirits of the dead people depart from here to the legendary Hawaiki - the land of the fathers... Great views from the bottom of the lighthouse... On the way back we visited also few lovely bays and beaches on the eastern side of the island. The lunch was weak but what a day!
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