The first day in New Zealand proper, and I awoke at 0600 – hot as the air-conditioner only runs for an hour before having to be reset and because I was still stewing over last night.
Eventually I got up at 0700 and made cups of tea and we had them with Teddy Bear biscuits. After I had put the air-conditioner on again, I finally rose at 0730 and showered and dressed. Fran followed, then we packed and were down just before 0800.
Here I had my confrontation with the desk staff now on duty (the night clerk, Leo, had gone). After a few minutes I got the duty manager and she agreed to arrange to have the ticket paid by the hotel. Let’s just say I can be forceful when there is a problem which I perceive to be of another’s making.
We were soon out of the hotel and I left Fran on the kerb with the luggage while I went to extricate the car from the parking station next door.
One I had got the car, I loaded it up and we were off out of Auckland. Within a few minutes we were on the motorway, heading north over the harbour bridge (and its Nippon Clip-ons). Despite roadworks, we had a good run out of Auckland and into the country.
We stopped at just after 1000 for breakfast at a place at the side of the road. Although it had “We are simply the best” painted on its driveway, it looked a bit iffy. Once in the parking area, there was an excellent view and the place turned out to be clean and cheap , with good food and a good view from inside.
After that good fortune we continued on to Whengerei. Here we stopped at the Pack’n’Save supermarket and did some shopping to see us through the rest of the day and perhaps a few more days.
We continued on to Paihai, on the Bay of Islands, and checked into the Bounty Motel. At first glance it seemed good. We booked trips for tomorrow (to Cape Rienga) and the day after (the Cream Run through the actual bay) and then had lunch in the room. We had no problem getting a twin, but apparently the New Zealand Tourist Board has us booked as a double – this is worthy of a stern note.
Once lunch was over, we drove to Russell on the ferry. In Russell we looked over the historic church (with its bullet holes) and walked through much of the town. We had our first New Zealand ice creams there.
On the way back to Paihai we called in at the old capitol site (Okiato). This was now just a grassed area and a walk to the bay, but it had wonderful houses built around it.
Our return ferry ride was on other ferry – the one we went over on was all women in the crew, including the captain, but this had a male captain. The trip is only five minutes.
We returned to the motel, parked and then had a look around Paihai on foot. Then wedrove to the treaty grounds at Waitangi, arriving about 1730. Here we saw the treaty house, canoes and meeting house and then saw a short film on the area. We left about 1840.
Back at Paihai we got fish, chips and potato cakes for tea and drove back to have them at the motel. While I was copying pictures, I found wireless Internet was on and went and got the password. After that, I checked my email, set up the photos and started to write tonight’s blog, but was too tired. I did a summary and went to sleep. Fortunately I had my iPod with earphones to listen to, so I could get to sleep despite noises within and without the room.
For anyone holidaying in this area, I can recommend the Bounty Motel – friendly, helpful staff, clean and comfortable rooms, close (but not too close) to the centre of town and free WiFi Internet (if you have your laptop).
I got to sleep very soon.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
December 27
Today was the beginning of my (our) New Zealand adventure, but it didn’t seem quite real. I was up at 0600, got the paper from the front lawn, unwrapped it (how can papers campaign against plastic shopping bags when they wrap their papers in so much and so difficult-to-remove plastic?) and read it while having a cup of tea, orange juice, psyllium husks in water and toast (with Vegemite of course). The last task was to feed the turtle with one meat block and his antibiotic injection (into the meat, not him directly).
Then it was finish packing, check all was put in, shower and dress. Then all luggage was out to the car and Ashley (nephew) drove Fran and me to the Adelaide Airport (International Terminal departures) and dropped up off not long after 0910.
Once we were in, it was easy to find the check-in counter and we managed to get the luggage through (not overweight) and were told that we could go through into the Gate Lounge (18) by 0930. I got Melbourne papers to read and at 0940 we went through the security check to enter the airport departure area. I was xlear – no problems. Fran had her dillybag “sniffed” and it was all clear. However, when we walked around to the Gate 18 Lounge area, we were told it would NOT open until after 1030. It was back around the front of the lounges and read the papers and wait until 1030. We waited until the majority had walked through and then off we went. Again I went through cleanly, but Fran must have set something off because she was checked by a wand. Then we went to Gate Lounge 18 and had plenty of seats to choose from – because our flight was now leaving from Gate 22. So we duly upped camp and went down to Gate Lounge 22.
Here we waited – mainly because there was no plane in yet. It did arrive about 1050 and was ready for us at 1105 to board. It was Air New Zealand NZ 822, serviced by an A320 Airbus. We boarded after the majority as we already had our seats, and were settled in 27A and 27B within a few minutes. The plane left on time at 1135.
We had drinks and soon lunch was served. Alas – one of the problems of sitting at the back of the plane was that they ran out of hot food for us for lunch. The alternative, slices of cold roast beef with potato salad, tomato and lettuce, with a piece of cake, was quite good.
The flight landed on time in Auckland at 1815. As soon as I switched my mobile on I got a message from Jason about Christmas, then rang Fran’s home to report in that we had arrived safely.
Entry into the country was good and quick, with passports stamped quickly and then the declaration of packed confectionary was accepted as no problem, so Fran changed some money, I got some from an ATM and then I rang the rental car company. They gave explicit directions, meaning we had to walk about fifty metres and wait for a few minutes. While waiting, I rang Colin (an ex-school mate) and arranged to drop around after we had picked up the car. At the same time (well, really a few minutes later, I rang the hotel we were booked into to say we would be late. The reception desk would be open all the time, so that was okay.
W got picked up a few minutes later and were duly delivered to the company’s depot. I did the paperwork and the desk clerk did the most thorough explanation and then check of the car I have ever had in using rental cars, in now over twenty years of renting them while away.
Finally we left about 1900 with the SatNav plugged in and Colin’s address entered. It predicted half an hour, so I rang him again to tell him.
We arrived at Colin’s place about 1930 and caught up with Joss (wife) and Sarah (who had been the partner of another school friend). An enjoyable time followed, with drinks first (no alcohol for me, just in case the rental company is following my adventures), then dinner and a lost of discussion.
Suddenly I realised the time was about 2310 and we had to say goodbye and head off to our hotel, which was right in the centre of Auckland (yes, RIGHT in the centre).
We soon arrived in Auckland at the hotel and I had to park in a loading zone, but was assured all would be ok. After getting the luggage in, and Fran buying the parking ticket for the station next door, and going to the room, it (204) was – a DOUBLE! Agh! Down to the desk again and explained we wanted a twin, as we were brother and sister. We got another room (208) which was – ANOTHER DOUBLE! Down again and finally we got a twin (308).
I went back to the car and moved it into the parking station (NZ$8) and finally found an empty spot on the seventh level. However I was not in my seventh heaven as I found a parking ticket on the car.
I walked back to the hotel (it was now 0010) and I was very upset. I filled out a written complaint, but have resolved I will not be paying the ticket and will leave the hotel to sort it out.
Finally I was in the room and after changing, was off to bed but still furious. I found it difficult to get to sleep, which wasn’t helped by the room being hot and the air-conditioner having a time limit of one hour. I did a blog summary and found there was no free Internet, and eventually dropped off about 0200.
Then it was finish packing, check all was put in, shower and dress. Then all luggage was out to the car and Ashley (nephew) drove Fran and me to the Adelaide Airport (International Terminal departures) and dropped up off not long after 0910.
Once we were in, it was easy to find the check-in counter and we managed to get the luggage through (not overweight) and were told that we could go through into the Gate Lounge (18) by 0930. I got Melbourne papers to read and at 0940 we went through the security check to enter the airport departure area. I was xlear – no problems. Fran had her dillybag “sniffed” and it was all clear. However, when we walked around to the Gate 18 Lounge area, we were told it would NOT open until after 1030. It was back around the front of the lounges and read the papers and wait until 1030. We waited until the majority had walked through and then off we went. Again I went through cleanly, but Fran must have set something off because she was checked by a wand. Then we went to Gate Lounge 18 and had plenty of seats to choose from – because our flight was now leaving from Gate 22. So we duly upped camp and went down to Gate Lounge 22.
Here we waited – mainly because there was no plane in yet. It did arrive about 1050 and was ready for us at 1105 to board. It was Air New Zealand NZ 822, serviced by an A320 Airbus. We boarded after the majority as we already had our seats, and were settled in 27A and 27B within a few minutes. The plane left on time at 1135.
We had drinks and soon lunch was served. Alas – one of the problems of sitting at the back of the plane was that they ran out of hot food for us for lunch. The alternative, slices of cold roast beef with potato salad, tomato and lettuce, with a piece of cake, was quite good.
The flight landed on time in Auckland at 1815. As soon as I switched my mobile on I got a message from Jason about Christmas, then rang Fran’s home to report in that we had arrived safely.
Entry into the country was good and quick, with passports stamped quickly and then the declaration of packed confectionary was accepted as no problem, so Fran changed some money, I got some from an ATM and then I rang the rental car company. They gave explicit directions, meaning we had to walk about fifty metres and wait for a few minutes. While waiting, I rang Colin (an ex-school mate) and arranged to drop around after we had picked up the car. At the same time (well, really a few minutes later, I rang the hotel we were booked into to say we would be late. The reception desk would be open all the time, so that was okay.
W got picked up a few minutes later and were duly delivered to the company’s depot. I did the paperwork and the desk clerk did the most thorough explanation and then check of the car I have ever had in using rental cars, in now over twenty years of renting them while away.
Finally we left about 1900 with the SatNav plugged in and Colin’s address entered. It predicted half an hour, so I rang him again to tell him.
We arrived at Colin’s place about 1930 and caught up with Joss (wife) and Sarah (who had been the partner of another school friend). An enjoyable time followed, with drinks first (no alcohol for me, just in case the rental company is following my adventures), then dinner and a lost of discussion.
Suddenly I realised the time was about 2310 and we had to say goodbye and head off to our hotel, which was right in the centre of Auckland (yes, RIGHT in the centre).
We soon arrived in Auckland at the hotel and I had to park in a loading zone, but was assured all would be ok. After getting the luggage in, and Fran buying the parking ticket for the station next door, and going to the room, it (204) was – a DOUBLE! Agh! Down to the desk again and explained we wanted a twin, as we were brother and sister. We got another room (208) which was – ANOTHER DOUBLE! Down again and finally we got a twin (308).
I went back to the car and moved it into the parking station (NZ$8) and finally found an empty spot on the seventh level. However I was not in my seventh heaven as I found a parking ticket on the car.
I walked back to the hotel (it was now 0010) and I was very upset. I filled out a written complaint, but have resolved I will not be paying the ticket and will leave the hotel to sort it out.
Finally I was in the room and after changing, was off to bed but still furious. I found it difficult to get to sleep, which wasn’t helped by the room being hot and the air-conditioner having a time limit of one hour. I did a blog summary and found there was no free Internet, and eventually dropped off about 0200.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Travels to and from Perth
Driving over to Perth is now a regular occurrence for me and I will describe my current timeline and activities. After I travel over next, most likely early next year, I will post a complete set of explanatory photos on my Flickr site.
Day 1
After packing, I leave home and fill up with petrol at Barry’s service station. From there it is a quick drive up the road to the Western Highway. There is little to comment on while traversing the highway (freeway until just after Ballarat and single carriageway thereafter) until I arrive at Kaniva. Here I stop for refreshment (if I say chips, Australians and English will know what I mean, but for Americans it was fries). After that, there is little to see until I resume freeway conditions just outside Tailem Bend, and I keep those until I arrive at the suburbs at the foot of the Adelaide Hills. A quick right turn into Portrush Road and then another right into Main North East Road and soon I arrive at my sister’s.
A total of seven and a half hours driving, seven hundred and ten kilometres and usually about sixty-three litres of fuel.
Day 2
I leave my sister’s about 0745 and fill (or top up) with petrol, leaving to actually set out before 0800. After getting onto Grand Junction Road, it’s only a short time until I turn right into Pt Wakefield Road. Three hours later I pull into Hungry Jacks (Burger King) for the last meal I have until I arrive in Perth. Within twenty minutes I am back on the road and start on the Eyre Highway. An hour and a half later I stop in Kimba (well, with that much to drink, you’d have to stop too). Then it is another three hours until I arrive at Ceduna, after seven and a half hours driving, seven hundred and seventy kilometres and usually about sixty-two litres of fuel. I usually have an ice cream here, as this lowers the price of the petrol by another two cents per litre.
After leaving Ceduna I am driving along what is commonly called the Nullarbor. In truth that only refers to the section about twenty kilometres to the east of Nullarbor Station. At first travel is through grain farms, then grazing properties (which include the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve). The town of Penong, about seventy kilometres west of Ceduna, is the last town until Norseman, nearly twelve hundred kilometres from Ceduna. There are services (usually motel, café, hotel and fuel) at places such as Nundroo, Nullarbor, Border Village, Mundrabilla, Madura, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna, Balladonia and Fraser Range, while Eucla has police, ambulance, nurses and a meteorological depot. The speed limit along the road is one hundred and ten kilometres per hour (both day and night, a bad thing) with ninety along short sections at Eucla and Madura and a stop at the border when travelling east to west for plant quarantine. It is possible to travel ant an average speed of over one hundred and eight kilometres per hour legally.
Depending upon road and weather conditions and traffic, I usually arrive at the border about 2115. After a quick inspection, I leave at 2030 (clocks go back forty-five minutes). Then I decide whether to fill up at Eucla or Mundrabilla – and that is determined by the time when each closes. The cost of petrol at both of these can be up to twenty-five cents a litre cheaper that at the other places and they are both approximately halfway to Norseman.
After filling up, it is usually dark. My decision as to what to do is determined by the visible population of kangaroos. If there are none, I continue driving until I take a rest. If there are a few, I lower my speed to about eighty kilometres per hour and continue driving until I take a rest. If there are many, I drive slower until they become too dense, and then I stop to sleep until nearly dawn.
Day 3
I reach Norseman between 0500 and 0900, depending on the evening before. If it is after the Shell station opens, I refuel there. Otherwise it is the BP. Either way it is a brief stop and then I leave the Eyre Highway and turn north onto the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. Here the scenery includes salt lakes and hazards include road trains of ore entering the road. After one hundred and sixty-five kilometres and just over an hour and a half, I enter Coolgardie. This now has significance for me as an aunt was born here. There are about a thousand people here now, a far cry from its mining boom. It is now only an hour and a half until Southern Cross, where I stop again for a few minutes. Now I am on the home run and within four hours I am at my destination in Perth. This can be anywhere between midday and 1600. The driving time from Ceduna is about eighteen hours and the car consumes about one hundred and sixty litres of petrol.
While driving over, the vehicles seen are:
Cars, often overloaded with too much equipment, yet not properly prepared;
Cars and Four-wheel-drives towing caravans, spread between families and “grey nomads”;
Motorhomes, varying in size from small converted minivans through to “fifth wheelers” and converted buses and full-sized Winnebagos;
Light trucks carrying specialised loads;
Heavy trucks including semi-trailers (22 wheelers) with one trailer, B-doubles (34 wheelers) with two trailers, B-triples(46 wheelers) with three trailers, road trains (semi-trailers with “dogs”) with between one and three trailers.
Heavy and oversized loads include mining machinery and specialised factory components, as well as boats, caravans, water tanks and trucks!
Day 1
After packing, I leave home and fill up with petrol at Barry’s service station. From there it is a quick drive up the road to the Western Highway. There is little to comment on while traversing the highway (freeway until just after Ballarat and single carriageway thereafter) until I arrive at Kaniva. Here I stop for refreshment (if I say chips, Australians and English will know what I mean, but for Americans it was fries). After that, there is little to see until I resume freeway conditions just outside Tailem Bend, and I keep those until I arrive at the suburbs at the foot of the Adelaide Hills. A quick right turn into Portrush Road and then another right into Main North East Road and soon I arrive at my sister’s.
A total of seven and a half hours driving, seven hundred and ten kilometres and usually about sixty-three litres of fuel.
Day 2
I leave my sister’s about 0745 and fill (or top up) with petrol, leaving to actually set out before 0800. After getting onto Grand Junction Road, it’s only a short time until I turn right into Pt Wakefield Road. Three hours later I pull into Hungry Jacks (Burger King) for the last meal I have until I arrive in Perth. Within twenty minutes I am back on the road and start on the Eyre Highway. An hour and a half later I stop in Kimba (well, with that much to drink, you’d have to stop too). Then it is another three hours until I arrive at Ceduna, after seven and a half hours driving, seven hundred and seventy kilometres and usually about sixty-two litres of fuel. I usually have an ice cream here, as this lowers the price of the petrol by another two cents per litre.
After leaving Ceduna I am driving along what is commonly called the Nullarbor. In truth that only refers to the section about twenty kilometres to the east of Nullarbor Station. At first travel is through grain farms, then grazing properties (which include the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve). The town of Penong, about seventy kilometres west of Ceduna, is the last town until Norseman, nearly twelve hundred kilometres from Ceduna. There are services (usually motel, café, hotel and fuel) at places such as Nundroo, Nullarbor, Border Village, Mundrabilla, Madura, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna, Balladonia and Fraser Range, while Eucla has police, ambulance, nurses and a meteorological depot. The speed limit along the road is one hundred and ten kilometres per hour (both day and night, a bad thing) with ninety along short sections at Eucla and Madura and a stop at the border when travelling east to west for plant quarantine. It is possible to travel ant an average speed of over one hundred and eight kilometres per hour legally.
Depending upon road and weather conditions and traffic, I usually arrive at the border about 2115. After a quick inspection, I leave at 2030 (clocks go back forty-five minutes). Then I decide whether to fill up at Eucla or Mundrabilla – and that is determined by the time when each closes. The cost of petrol at both of these can be up to twenty-five cents a litre cheaper that at the other places and they are both approximately halfway to Norseman.
After filling up, it is usually dark. My decision as to what to do is determined by the visible population of kangaroos. If there are none, I continue driving until I take a rest. If there are a few, I lower my speed to about eighty kilometres per hour and continue driving until I take a rest. If there are many, I drive slower until they become too dense, and then I stop to sleep until nearly dawn.
Day 3
I reach Norseman between 0500 and 0900, depending on the evening before. If it is after the Shell station opens, I refuel there. Otherwise it is the BP. Either way it is a brief stop and then I leave the Eyre Highway and turn north onto the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. Here the scenery includes salt lakes and hazards include road trains of ore entering the road. After one hundred and sixty-five kilometres and just over an hour and a half, I enter Coolgardie. This now has significance for me as an aunt was born here. There are about a thousand people here now, a far cry from its mining boom. It is now only an hour and a half until Southern Cross, where I stop again for a few minutes. Now I am on the home run and within four hours I am at my destination in Perth. This can be anywhere between midday and 1600. The driving time from Ceduna is about eighteen hours and the car consumes about one hundred and sixty litres of petrol.
While driving over, the vehicles seen are:
Cars, often overloaded with too much equipment, yet not properly prepared;
Cars and Four-wheel-drives towing caravans, spread between families and “grey nomads”;
Motorhomes, varying in size from small converted minivans through to “fifth wheelers” and converted buses and full-sized Winnebagos;
Light trucks carrying specialised loads;
Heavy trucks including semi-trailers (22 wheelers) with one trailer, B-doubles (34 wheelers) with two trailers, B-triples(46 wheelers) with three trailers, road trains (semi-trailers with “dogs”) with between one and three trailers.
Heavy and oversized loads include mining machinery and specialised factory components, as well as boats, caravans, water tanks and trucks!
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