There and Back Again

Another lovely trip to Sydney...initially for work then some play. We managed to indulge in just enough wine and touristy-ness to make it a welcome break from work.

Made it to Taronga Zoo which was a good effort, regardless of the philosophical discussions that can occur about zoos.

Sleeping 23 hours a day - could be worse...

This emu works for MI6

Popped out to Manly for the evening and had a spectacular steak at The Manly Grill (tee hee hee). Definitely an area that we'd like to live in - 30 minutes by ferry from downtown Sydney (Circular Quay) or 16km by road (I imagine the time varies!).

We risked the tourist trap and took a trip out to the Blue Mountains run by APT Tours. It was really well organised with a good tour operator. Stopped at the village of Leura, which was quite Arrowtown-esque where we managed to find our favourite type of souvenirs - wine from Leura Cellars. Bless the allowance.

Had a great time at Scenic World - an old mining area in the mountains that has been opened up with the use of a railway and gondolas to see the sights. Didn't like how the rainforest below had become super-accessible with paths made from boardwalks. That's not a hike through the bush! Still, a pleasant stroll.

Katoomba

Three Sisters Rocks

Katoomba Falls from the Skyway

Looking down - vertigo!

The Scenic Railway - pacing up a 52 degree slope

Toddled round to Featherdale Wildlife Park which we would have been unlikely to go to otherwise due to the "too twee" issue however we really enjoyed ourselves. Took the ferry back down the Parramatta River.

We generally spent quite a lot of time wandering around in the beautiful sunshine, checking out shops and getting around the city including North Sydney and Bondi. As always, the food in Sydney was excellent. Baia in Darling Harbour was excellent as was L'Incontro in North Sydney and Pancakes on the Rocks - try the crepes :)

The best tip for getting round is to buy the Sydney week-long train pass and use the trains like taxis. Covers all the ferries as well so you can go all over the city.

Downsides? Duty free really isn't what it used to be, even the perfume, the stupid Air NZ safety video and coming home to freezing cold, no sunshine and rain. Sigh. Time to plan the next trip!

The Rose

Philosophy of the Onion

Why is it that, despite best efforts, I always end up with half an onion in the fridge? EVERY TIME! I have even tried to buy smaller onions...with no success. What does it mean??

I'm slightly concerned that the half-onions are galvanising the mushrooms and mung beans to mount a vegetable revolution in the fridge against the bacon...

Maybe wine will cure this worry?

The Rose

Holiday...it would be so nice

Finally took a couple of days out from work for a welcome long weekend escape.

Lake Taupo
Camped overnight in Great Lake Holiday Park which was a pleasant experience. Dinner at The Bay Bar & Brasserie was excellent.

As always, I'd recommend the Sugar Plum Cafe on SH1 - stopped here many times over the years for the excellent food and coffee.

Set off the next day to see the carvings at Mine Bay, Lake Taupo. Beautifully carved by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the 1970's, they are only accessible by boat...a trip for the kayaks then! 11km from Acacia Bay South.

Kayaking out was like paddling through silk with beautiful clear water and great views of the lake bottom. Enjoyed a snack on a private beach before heading back. The way back was a shocker! 1 - 1.5m broadside swells courtesy off a suddenly easterly that whipped out. Near...death...experience. With tired arms.













Whakapapa
Went down to camp in Whakapapa Holiday Park for two days of outdoorsy fun. The campground was nicely set up although geared towards campervans rather than tents. The Discovery Lodge looks nice too.

We did a number of the short walks around Whakapapa - The Ridge Track (30mins), the Taranaki Falls track (2 hours), the Silica Rapids loop (2 1/2 hrs) and the Tawhai Track (20 minutes).

The Ridge Track
Lovely views of the mountains and the Chateau








Taranaki Falls Track (7km loop)
A very pleasant walk through tussock and forest to the waterfall - the water must be falling from 30metres.

Wairere Stream












Taranaki Falls






Silica Rapids Track (7km loop)
This was the real surprise - multi-coloured rocks secondary to mineral deposits that are more typically seen in Rotorua.

Waikare Stream


Silica Rapids












Tawhai Falls




We're hoping to do the Tama Lakes and Tongariro Alpine Crossing at some stage.

And FFS, how long does it take to upload to Blogger?

The Rose

Reflections

Well, it's been just over a month since moving north. There's been both pros and cons with this process. We've taken a "suck it up" approach to being back in Wellington - probably will be here for 3-5 years so we'll just have to make the best of it.

Pros...
-Moore Wilson's selling Havana, Supreme & Peoples beans
-2 hours free parking in town. WCC finally clicked that to get people spending in town, you have to let them in...Perhaps if the public transport actually worked it would be more reasonable to limit car access into town!
-Kayaking on the inlet
-Working with some good people
-Exploring the local region e.g. the Pinnacles, Battle Hill Forest Park, Rimutaka Incline Rail Trail

Cons...
-The bloody weather. Such a big reason why we left. Only cracked 26 once since we arrived, at least we could enjoy this on the deck. Frequent rain. And the wind - relentless, frustrating and ruins your life. As always, enjoy Wellington "summer" in your car.
-Public transport. I love how Wellington goes on about how great this is. It's rubbish! Trains broken and never on time. Bus service is shocking - we're near a major bus route however each bus is nicknamed the "X not in service" as they never are! Sheesh.
-Pricing to attend events - even if the ticket price is reasonable, the additional cost for parking/transport/food etc means that you have to plan going to shows, events and games rather than be spontaneous
-Wellington drivers. They really are rubbish
-Feeling like we've never left/stepped back in time
-Being so far away from Central Otago
-Being more difficult to get out of town...and nowhere close nearby that's worth going to
-Local Lush being shut. Oh well, mail order it is...
-Intermittent success with the "wonderful" cafe culture

Perseverance, that's the key...

The Rose

P.S. Recent cafes...
Ruby's Cafe - located in Mana. Good parking, great coffee and excellent food. As a connoisseur of the triple shot, this will keep you buzzing for some time (I had two). Highly recommended.

Espresso Garden Cafe Petone - no idea how they do it, but the food and coffee at the Mitre 10 cafe in Lower Hutt is regularly very good. Every time. Really can't fault this place! Favourites are the omelette and eggs Montreal. Does cabinet and black board really well.

Scorch-o-Rama in Scorching Bay. Although the coffee was good, the serve was small compared to most other places. Location was good however far too small - although I'm sure 1 out of 365 days they can open the french doors to add some space. The cafe seemed not to know what it wanted to be - Gourmet? Cabinet? Vegetarian but add bacon? Food was too sweet for my palate. Can't see us hurrying back.

The way is shut...and the dead keep it

Instead of veging out and watching the last game (and dead rubber) of the Ashes, we thought we'd take a trip out to South Wairarapa to check out the Putangirua Pinnacles. This is the very cool site used in the Return of the King for the Paths of the Dead.

Unfortunately the drive out there was shocking - yet another reminder of why Wellington drivers are the worst of any city in NZ (breathe...)

Although the rest of the coast, including the lighthouse, was pretty boring, the Pinnacles was an excellent climb. Lots of cool rock formations to look at and clamber over!

Interesting that this is defined by DOC as an "easy" track - while the track is obvious (it's a stream bed), it's all uphill and you need to be sure-footed to get up and down. Plenty of people didn't make it to the top although it is worth the effort. Takes around 90mins return. Take plenty of water and something to nibble on the way home!























The Rose