Hello Australia

Since arriving in Australia a couple of weeks ago we have had a whirlwind tour of Sydney and Canberra, exploring the cities and meeting up and staying with friends. "Toto, we're not in New Zealand anymore": this country is HUGE.

So we arrived - but only just made it. We actually made the BIG mistake of forgetting to arrange our Australia visas and only just realised when waking up on our last day in NZ. However, we luckily managed to get some last minute visas online and we were able to board our flight later that evening. We 'crash landed' late in Sydney, tired out, staying in a cheap and cheerful hotel in what we realised was a rather seedy part of the city (Kings Cross).

However, the bright sunny morning that greeted us was much welcomed having escaped the rain from NZ. As we took a stroll outside we were immersed in the vast, cosmopolitan city that is Sydney - quite a shock to the senses. That morning we walked through the beautiful botanic gardens, spotting the new and exotic birds and dodging some rather scary looking spiders. Walking round the headland to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, we were able to see the majestic view of Sydney Harbour bridge and the Opera House. Fantastic.

We met up with Juliet and Mark: Ali's friends who have been living in Sydney for a while and who had very kindly arranged for us to stay at her friend's house while their family were on holiday. The house was perfect for us as they also have two young children, so there were plenty of toys and books to keep Sam and Ben happy. The house was in the Balmain suburb, a great spot full of charming Victorian buildings with independent coffee shops, bars and eateries. It was lovely to have 'our own home' for a few days and a sense of normality: we enjoyed having Juliet and Mark come over for dinner, enjoying good company with the boys tucked up in bed. A walk away down the main bustling street was the Balmain ferry terminal so it was simple to hop on a ferry that took us 10-minutes to busy Circular Quay passing under the harbour bridge and past the Opera House. Our stay in this part of Sydney took us to The Rocks and a great Sunday craft market. We had a day out to Manley beach where Juliet and Mark live playing on the local beach and getting a 'feel' for the Sydney lifestyle. Ali even had a night out for another school friend's birthday in Bondi, whoohoo!

Our next stay was with Dick and Jenny who are friends of Ali's parents. They live in a Pymble, a suburb north of the city and on a train line that takes you 30mins to get into the city. Dick and Jenny were so kind to let us stay with them and made us feel very welcome. The boys were happy exploring their house and playing with old family toys and model trainset (under Dick's careful supervision!). They even babysat for us one evening so that Ali and I could head out to the local winebar and enjoy a delicious dinner sans kids. Hooray! We fitted in a few more Sydney activities: the aquarium and the Eye Tower. We also had a day out at the Royal Easter Show which is a big annual event full of agricultural-based stalls, shows and entertainment. We enjoyed baby animal petting, horse displays, food tasting and a train ride. Sam event won a cap for dancing along to 'George The Farmer' and his children's songs.

We said farewell to the big city and headed to Australia's capital city: Canberra. After a 3hr bus ride we were met by Ali's lovely friend Eve. We were to stay with Eve and Tim and their dog Wilma for five nights, with them being such super hosts and letting us and the boys into their home. We packed so much into our Canberra stay as well as celebrating the Easter weekend. We visited 'Questacon' - The National Science and Technology Centre. It was an awesome place full of 'hands-on' experiments for both children and adults (Ali and Jonny tried the 'freefall' slide...) I'm sure we all learnt a lot as well as having lots of fun. The National Museum of Australia is a big modern museum with some interesting displays and artifacts - our visit gave us just a glimpse of the history behind this great nation.

A day out to Tidbinbilla nature reserve saw us head out to the beautiful hills and bushland. On our nature walks we were thrilled to spot koala bears, kangaroos, wallabies and even platypus splashing in the wetlands.

For Easter Day we set up an Egg Hunt for Sam and Ben in Eve's garden (with eggs hopefully out of eye-sight and smell from Wilma the dog). They loved finding all the eggs and a 'giant' egg at the end. Tim cooked a beautiful leg of lamb for our Easter feast lovingly and slowly spit-roasted over the BBQ. With salads and trimmings it was the most delicious meal.

While in Canberra we made a rough plan for our next two or so remaining weeks in Australia that will take us to our final destination, Melbourne. We decided to visit the Australian Alps and then head to the coast. With a hire car arranged (much needed for all our baggage) we said 'farewell' to Eve and Tim and headed off to Thredbo, home to Mt Kosciuszko and at 2228m, Australia's highest mountain. We enjoyed two nights at a YHA enjoying the last of the sunny weather before the winter season opens in June. Jonny had a fantastic day downhill mountain biking on the hills, hiring a bike and with a ski-lift pass took rides to the top before descending down on the steep, twisting routes down the mountain. Ali, Sam and Ben also had fun and took a ride on the lift to the top. It's hard to imagine that these parched slopes will eventually be covered in snow and full of skiers and snowboarders.

Just a note: we've just worked out that since leaving Dougie and up to the end of our trip, we will have stayed in 17 different places (hotels, hostels, houses, cabins). Wow. That is a lot of packing and unpacking...

Sydney Botanic gardens (with Ibis birds)

View of Harbour Bridge and Opera House

Classic Sydney view

On the passenger ferry from Balmain

Arriving at Circular Quay

The beautiful Opera House building

At Manley Beach with Juliet and Mark

Picnic under the Bridge near The Rocks

Walking up to the Opera House

Old buildings of Balmain

Top of the Eye Tower

Goat grooming at Easter Show

Easter Show

Playing at Dick and Jenny's house

With Dick and Jenny

Koala at Tidbinbilla nature park

Huge heron

Kangaroos

Easter egg hunt

Big eggs

With Eve and Tim in Canberra

Looking out at the lake in Canberra

Easter feast

At the top of the ski lift in Thredbo

Mountain biking from the top

Painting New Zealand

New Zealand scenes in watercolour.

The Farm, Whangaruru

Rawene, Hokianga

Trout stream, Rotorua

River colours by Sam

Twilight, East Cape Camp

Cook's Cove, Tolaga Bay

View from Whaririki Beach Campsite

Whariwharangi hut, Abel Tasman

Lake Hawea

Lake Hawea - Sam

Dougie, Moke Lake

Goodbye Dougie!

So we did it. We sold Dougie - our beloved home, van, tour guide, (t)rusty friend and extended family member. He/she has been an absolute beauty of a motorhome and rarely let us down. A true workhorse on our travels around New Zealand, Dougie took us hundreds of miles around the country - right to the top (Cape Reinga) and all the way down to the bottom (Slope Point). Farewell and may Dougie continue to bring joy to the lovely couple who are now the new owners.

Ok, so slightly rose-tinted glasses about good-old Dougie. Sure, a great van but she was certainly hard work: I don't think we ever got use to the gears, we had four punctures, we feared breakdowns as we climbed hills at a snails-pace and the interior was in a constant state of repair and upkeep due to four-months of continuous use by our family and the antics of two young boys. Even the day before we sold the van, Jonny was out fitting a new front headlamp and campervan lock to make it sale-able for the new owners.

However, we were super-pleased to sell the van to the first people who viewed Dougie (we had lots of people lined up to view the van) - and make the sale even before we had made it to Christchurch. We also received the full asking price of $25,000 (we originally paid $20,000 so the extra profit will cover our modifications such as having seatbelts fitted, new tyres and repairs/service). I'm sure Dougie will go on to travel for many more miles to come.

So we happily spent five days in Christchurch relaxing now the van sale was taken care of. We stayed at a cosy 'sleep out' owned by a lovely family who had two young girls so the boys made friends and used their trampoline and borrowed toys. There was also a BATH which made Ali immensely happy. The weather unfortunately was not great for us - wet, cold and grey which is apparently quite unusual for this time of year. But still we managed to get out and about to explore Christchurch riding around on the historic old trams, visiting the grand old Canterbury Museum, building Lego at the Imagination Station and treating ourselves by eating out - especially on Mother's Day. You can't help but feel sorry for the city as evidently as you wander the streets, it is still recovering from the devastating earthquake in 2011 - progress seems to be slow with buildings still in ruin or fenced off and condemned. The Cathedral is sadly still a half-ruin as the authorities are still arguing on what best to do with it: try and salvage the historic remains or knockdown and rebuild (at least, this is what I can gather).

Being without a motorhome now means we have hired a car for the remaining days we are in NZ before we fly out of Christchurch on 5th April. We have also arranged to stay at a variety of lodges and cabins suitable for the four of us. We decided to take a trip North to Hanmer which is an alpine resort but famous for its hot springs pool spa. We spent a day here and loved swimming and splashing about in the various outdoor hot pools you can relax or play in. Most people sit in the lovely 40 degree waters but there are also children's pools with water playgrounds and slides which the boys really loved.

We also spent two nights in the Waipara valley staying in an old railway sleeper carriage which was really fun and unusual. They have been converted into accommodation and fitted out with beds and sofa etc. This was in the town of Waipara which is a region famous for it's wineries. Obviously we couldn't pass on the opportunity to indulge so we spent a sunny afternoon at the Waipara Springs winery sampling a tasting menu of their fine wines (a sandpit full of diggers was on hand for the boys). Perfect.

Heading South, we headed for the Banks Peninsular region east of Christchurch, a spectacular region formed many years ago from volcanic activity so there are huge hills surrounded by beautiful waters. On route we stopped off at the small town of Lyttelton to visit the Saturday morning farmer's food market selling all kinds of food and crafts. We sampled some delicious treats in this lovely bohemian area of Christchurch, sadly badly damaged by the earthquakes but getting back on its feet again. We continued on a long, twisty-turny route which took us into Akaroa, the main town on the Banks Peninsula. We enjoyed two nights at Onuku Farm Hostel with beautiful views out across the bay, relaxing and having fun on the beach. Now we have only one night left before we sadly say 'Goodbye' to New Zealand.

So despite the lack of motorhome, we have still found ourselves 'on the road'.

Oh well, perhaps we can rest in Sydney. But I doubt it...
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Van truths

Using the loo
Do you have a cupboard, small, quite difficult to access, say under the stairs? Or a wardrobe that all the stuff gets put, the winter coats, the broken bits of equipment that might come in useful to mend something in the future, clothes that are too big/small that might fit one day? You pull a muscle trying to unhook the kite stuffed behind the old bbq, you get a face full of moldy material as you try and prise the wellyboot out of the corner just out of reach. Now put a glorified potty in this 'space' try and turn in the none existent floor space and sit down and shut the door. You are now sitting in on our loo for the past 4 months. Dougie's shower room was, for us, a cupboard that stored all manner of things including a pushchair, a picnic basket of shoes (overflowing - Jonny's shoes are huge), wellies and snorkels, at least 4 towels hanging up plus sponge-bags etc, a trike, occasionally a lawnmower (toy), the dining room table top, x2 camping chairs...
Oh and the loo didn't empty itself. About twice weekly it needed dragging out of a hatch in the side of van and pouring down a drain at a 'dump station'.

Sunsets (missed every night)
By about 8pm we were all exhausted (Ali and Jonny more obviously than the smaller ones) and so it was bedtime for Sam and Ben. This process was not a simple pjs, teeth, milk, stories and lights out, although all those things did happen too. It involved rearranging the whole van from day mode to night mode. Heaving cushions the size of single bed mattresses had to be dragged into place and the sheets and duvets has to be assembled over said cushions, to make up the double-ish bed at the back of the van for Jonny and Ali. If you have ever tried to make a bed with two small people sat/rolling/thrashing around shouting 'Magic Carpet Ride!!!' you will know how exhausting this process can be. This had to be undertaken EVERY NIGHT. Then because Sam and Ben were sharing a bed high up it was necessary to get Ben off to sleep in our arms before he went up to his bunk. An often long and frustrating process, but not always. So anytime after 9 all is quiet and dark in the van. Sunset missed.

For more van truths, question or queries contact jalicrook@gmail.com

Our final morning waking up in Dougie.

Dougie love.

Christchurch trams.

Canterbury museum

Mother's Day treat out in Christchurch

Cathedral - still fenced off and in ruin

Unstable buildings

Waterslide fun at Hanmer Springs pool

Water playpark

Staying in an old train carriage in Waipara

Comfy and cosy inside the carriage

At Lyttelton food market

Waking up in Akaroa - Onuku Farm Hostel

Bons Bay beach, Akaroa

Banks Peninsula

Akaroa pier