Day: September 25, 2013

For Nat especially…the only girl I know who played (and probably still does) Lord of The Rings Online. Also a mention of Vero and Martin has to be made considering they seem to want to point out that they are pretty big fans as well! (Judging from the comments section).

We hit the non flooded roads of New Zealand on our way to the greatest spot on earth…I mean Middle-Earth! We were off to check out Hobbiton!

First off, I have to say that the rolling hills of sheep and the winding roads to Hobbiton win New Zealand the award for best roads to travel! It’s amazing how the scenery changed from one end of the country to the other. It’s probably like crossing Canada but in a third of the time.

We rolled into Matamata which is the start of the trip to Hobbitton. They really embrace The Lord of the Rings tourism..the town visitor center looks like a house from the movie. Even the tour operators really get into it with their tales of the films.

Hobbiton was built on private land for the movies. The sheep farmers living there knew nothing of LOTR and when they visited the set a few times they thought it was the strangest thing. It wasn’t until seeing the film that they understood a few things.

When the original LOTR films were done, they destroyed the Hobbiton set. But once the land owners started getting tourists wanting to see all filming locations, they started tours. Now, imagine that years ago, it was just the remnants of a destroyed set. Fast forward to now with the filming of the Hobbit films…the producers (and no doubt the land owners) were smart enough to build Hobbiton with proper materials so that it can last for fifty years and more. Hence, the tours!

The tour bus broke down on the way and I wondered if this was an awesome part of the tour where a bunch of Orcs would attack us from behind a bush…but no such luck! It was just an old bus.

The tour lasted two hours which was a great amount of time. They know people want to take pictures so they allow for a lot of time for photos at every Hobbit hole and then continue talking about the set.

My favourite part was the Green Dragon Inn which is a fully functional tavern with free dragon ale upon arrival! It had great little details around the Inn like maps of the Shire and a hilarious lost and found section. Turns out that people also can rent the place to get married! Imagine getting married in the Green Dragon Inn!

Here’s some factoids we picked up along the way:
– we couldn’t walk into Bag End (the main hobbit hole) until the last Hobbit films will be released. Probably in case there are reshooting.
– there is a scene in the films where the sun is setting but it is an impossible shot as the sun is setting in the east! They had to digitally manipulate the shot.
– there are two thousand visitors per day to the set!
– one time there were a bunch of French girls dressed as elves who just wanted to dance for two hours in the field. The tour guide said that was definitely the most interesting group he has ever seen but has also seen people dressed as hobbits, elves, dwarves…all the characters!
-the hobbit holes were built at varying scales…30, 60 and 80 percent real size for perspective.
– when Gandalf walks into Bag End for the first time and smacks his head on a beam, he really did do this as the holes are tiny.

It was a great time to visit an actual movie set and I’m sure if I find others in the future they will be just as fun! Hobbiton was definitely a highlight of the trip and I’m glad they don’t rush the tour. I think even non LOTR fans would enjoy it.

We continued down the road to the town of Rotorua, home of some interesting smells! There are thermal pools everywhere which let out a sulphur smell. We settled into and excellent motor inn and decided to take a walk round the lake before it got dark.

We had never seen thermal pools or geysers before and it was quite the different experience. THIS is why we love travelling…seeing things we have never witnessed before. Imagine that the ground around a geyser can be one hundred degrees Celsius! It is unheard of. The land around Rotorua is full of these wonders and is quite remarkable.

We picked up some groceries and beer and headed home where I realized I never put my headlights on considering a car pulled out in front of us like he never saw us! That was a close call and I have to thank the Mazda3 for having automatic lights for this predicament.

Lets put a few things into perspective before chatting about Auckland, shall we? We spent two weeks in Australia where we were wearing shorts the entire time. So much so that one pair ripped wide open in the Outback while gathering firewood! It was fabulous weather.

If Australia is The Rolling Stones then Auckland is the singer you see on American Idol who sound like a cat breathing its last breath in the form of a really bad Celine Dion song.

The morning we awoke to a day in Auckland turned out to be the day they were calling for rain. Not just any rain as we found out later in the day, but there were flood warnings across the country.

Some lessons learned from this:
– One should really look into the local weather forecast before heading on a hike up a volcano.

We hopped on the ferry which would bring us to Rangitoto Island…home to an active volcano! Or maybe not. I think we mixed up Rangitoto and Rotorura. Either way we rode the ferry over to Rangitoto and they announced that due to heavy winds they would land at another port which adds forty five minutes to our hike up the volcano. Well, how long is the hike anyhow?

It took us awhile to get a straight answer from the crew…even to the point where we hadn’t hopped off the ferry and it was pulling away while we were talking with the crew! In the end, they figured the walk up would take 1 hour 45 minutes up one way. But the ferry was returning in in two and a half hours around twelve thirty. The next would come around three thirty. It was already pissing rain on us at the dock…there was no way we were going to spend all day on this shower of an island!

We hightail it down the trail…I believe Vero may have shoved an old lady off the path at one point. Nothing was stopping us!

We ended up getting to the summit in fifty minutes. We now realize that the time estimates must be for those who are ninety years old (Nanny Sybil excluded of course!). We enjoyed taking a break from the gruelling hike up the hill and admired the rain cloud directly in front of us, instead of a lovely view. All kidding aside it was a decent view but could have been better.

On the way down we figured we had time to check out the Lava Caves and we are glad we did! They were full on caves that we can walk through. I was waiting to encounter some bats but they never appeared. Very cool!

The terrain is interesting considering it has volcanic rock strewn about the land. Luckily most of the trail was gravel.

We arrived back to the dock where we chatted with some French folks who gave us some tips for the next part of our travels.

Considering we were soaked and miserable we decided to call it a day around two PM and do what two sane people in floodwaters should do…go to the cinema!

We watched the new Ron Howard film Rush which was great. Highly recommend it.

It took awhile for us to figure out where we wanted to eat that night and we ended up having a lovely Thai meal down the street from the hotel. There were gale force winds out and we watched the news to see if we would have problems the next morning when we were going to hit the road.

Auckland unfortunately fell victim to the bad weather but I also have to say that one day was plenty.

We were looking forward to our stay in Byron Bay as it was to be the relaxing portion of our trip. Vero scored the win with the best spot on Earth…the treehouse was our rental unit along Belongil Beach and it was fantastic. Cabin like feel, hammock, small BBQ on the balcony…it was great. We arrived and immediately headed to the beach (which I thought Vero was joking about it being clothing optional! Turns out I didn’t see anyone partaking in it.) where we walked to town. There is nothing like the ocean and I now know why my parents choose to go back to Gaspe each summer.

It was Spring Break in Byron Bay so there was tons of people there. We walked down the main strip and picked up some kababs to BBQ for the night. On our way back we stumbled onto a drum circle along the beach. I appreciated the lone guitarist but felt she was out of place considering the thundering percussion section. We stayed for a bit and then walked down the beach while the sun set and luckily made it back to Belongil before the tide had completely come. And blocked our way.

We had a lovely feast and chatted while the cold air settled in for the night. There was no Internet at this place which is a jarring but welcome experience.

The next morning there was no real schedule so we woke up late and eventually headed for a walk to the lighthouse on the other side of the bay. It’s a shame that Vero only brought her flip flops (known as thongs) as the trek turned out to be quite the three hour hike up a hill. Fantastic weather, but sore feet after that hike up the hill. Good thing I was in shape for that hike! We heard that Paul Hogan had a spot in Byron Bay so we imagined that we would stumble by his place and he would offer us some lemonade after a long walk.

After the hike we had lunch downtown and headed back to the beach one last time with the boogie board, then leftovers from the night before and relaxing for another evening.

The next morning Vero picked out a nice pair of beach pants from a shop and we hit the road for an afternoon in the airport before heading into Auckland around midnight. Byron Bay was definitely a highlight of the trip because of the great weather and sights and the relaxing time.

Hervey Bay was a nice drive from Brisbane. I found that the countryside reminded me of Quebec in a lot of ways with their hills.

The Emeraldene resort turned out to be a big score in terms of accommodations. We felt like we were treated like royalty by Rob. The room was so fantastic that we decided to pick up some chicken at the grocery store along with some Coopers Pale Ale and spend the night there instead of heading out. It turned out to be a good idea to save some money.

With those of you who are familiar with my first trip to Germany and seeing my amazement at radio controlled clocks, then you will be happy to know I was amazed once again…with the shopping cart at Woolworths! This cart handled better than any of the high end cars on the road. It glided across the floor with ease. I had to keep it in check going around corners. Vero was having a ball watching me go around the grocery store with this cart. I was trying to think of ways to offer them money for the cart but I figured there was no way it would fit in the overhead compartment on the airplane ride home!

The first day at Hervey Bay brought us on a Hummer tour to Fraser Island. Craig picked us up in a Hummer and we picked up two others who were from Canbera up for their aunt and uncles 60th birthday…coincidentally their aunt and uncle share the same exact birthdate!

We hopped on a ferry for forty five minutes and hit the sandy roads. Fraser Island literally is a sand island and you can’t bring a regular Mazda3 onto the island otherwise you would get stuck. Hence the Hummer. Unfortunately for me, the off roading was way too intense and I started to get motion sickness like when I was a kid. I hadn’t felt that bad in years! Where was the Gravol for this ride?

We crossed one part of the island and stopped on the beach for some tea and biscuits. Then we drove on the beach at 80 km/hr. The beach is actually a part of their highway system and police can pull you over for any infraction. But there’s no lines on this highway and the only borders are the woods on one side and the ocean on the other and you have to mindful of the waves coming in. It reminded me of a boat as you observe similar rules when approaching an oncoming vehicle. I bet Steve would love to be patrolling these highways instead of the great white north!

The day involved cross crossing the island on those nasty motion sickness trails, stopping at spots with trails and getting a bite to eat, and swimming in me of the lakes on the island. All in all, it was a fun day other than the motion sickness every time we got back into the car.

The next day we were picked up by a limousine which Vero thought would be a little over the top just to go to the airport. Turns out that we fell for the alligator trick again…the limousine was simply their name for a taxi cab! We had a great laugh when it showed up.

We headed to the Lady Elliot Eco-Resort which is a small (you can walk around it in an hour) island along the Great Barrier Reef. The bonus on this trip is we got to fly in a Cessna over Hervey Bay where we saw whales. Quite amazing to fly in a small plane overtop the world. I can only imagine how Rick feels over Toronto now that he is getting his pilots license. Too bad the motion sickness nipped me in the bud again today and didn’t let up on any mode of transportation.

We landed on a grassy strip and were welcomed by the manager of the Eco-resort. The rules were simple…don’t walk back onto the landing strip if you see a plane coming! We had an orientation session which outlined the activities of the day.

First up, a snorkelling lesson in the swimming pool. Vero and I had tried snorkelling in the Dominican for Steve and Anne-Marie’s wedding but I definitely didn’t get the hang of it there. There is a mental block you have to get over when you put your face in the water and need to breathe through your mouth. At least I had this block…my brain was saying “Your face is in the water! Don’t stay too long!”

We then hopped on a glass bottom boat out to a spot of coral where we could snorkel. We saw sea turtles and manta rays along the trip. When we got to the snorkelling bit, we actually encountered a sea turtle swimming with us to get some air! It was fabulous to be amongst the sea life at such a close distance. Quite the highlight. The coral was fabulous to peer at and I have to admit that unless you have some shipwrecks to look at, it must be fairly dull to dive in Ontario compared to the marvels of corral, sea turtles and countless coloured fish.

We got back to shore and had a lovely buffet lunch in the sun and then headed out for a corral walk since the tide was down. The entire area is made of corral so you have to watch where you walk. We found a sea turtle stuck in the corral since the tide went down so we helped the guy out. We also encountered an actual shark which I’m sure Joelle will be thrilled to hear about. I wasn’t too thrilled when the thing came a few feet away from me but considering the guide didn’t say anything I figured this trout sized shark couldn’t be too harmful. We also saw an eel so we were pretty happy with the trip out to the corral.

It was tour guide Kim who spotted a sea urchin and I said “Good eye Kim!” And she replied “G’Day to you!” I then realized that Good Eye and G’Day definitely sound the same in the Aussie accent! I explained what I meant to tell her and we had a good laugh.

Afterwards we had a tour of the island with a history lesson of the place as well as checking out a spot where they feed hundreds of fish.

Our day at the Lady Elliot Island was fabulous and in hindsight we would have skipped Fraser Island to stay a night on the island. The first day can be spent going to the activities while the second could be spent doing whatever you wanted.

We flew back while having a spot right up front so we could see the airplane controls. I have zero knowledge on flying an aircraft but was intrigued by how the plane seemed to fly itself until Vero reminded me of the concept of autopilot. I will have to ask Rick how that all works when he one day brings me in a plane. Wink wink nuge nuge (that’s not a typo but an old joke…Sonia once said that instead of nudge nudge and I thought that was hilarious.)

That night we headed into town to Maddigans which reportedly has the best fish and chips in town. Considering we waited for forty five minutes I would think there must be some truth in this claim! The place was packed with people who seemed to come up to Hervey Bay for a weekend of fun in the sun. The meal was great but we definitely could have split one meal as it was too much.

We headed back to the hotel and was going to walk around the area until a low flying helicopter with a spotlight came over us and we figured that the worst case scenario was an escaped convict so we locked the doors and stayed in for the night! It flew over the place six more times that night but Lord knows what it was searching for.

Hervey Bay was definitely worthwhile of a visit and we recommend it to anyone.

We headed to the airport to start our next great adventure…driving on the other side of the road!

We picked up our Mitsubishi Mivec with ease and after getting acquainted with the vehicle, we hit the road. In our brains was the single message…keep left on the road!

We had no GPS but we had some maps and some google maps images I had saved onto the ipad. With these in hand, we have to admit that the trip went pretty well considering. Google Maps hp gets strange with their directions sometimes but it reminds me of the GPS on the 401 where you go straight and it thinks you are changing highways all the time.

Driving on the highway is easy work, its when you get into the town and make turns where you have to remember where to drive. All in all, Vero and I got the hang of it over six days and between us we only hit the windshield wipers instead of the signal lights under ten times!

First stop…the Australian Zoo, home of Steve Irwin’s clan! Crikey! This place is definitely playing up the legacy of the Crocodile Hunter and why not?! He is a great lover of animals and put Australia wildlife on the map with his over the top personality.

Our favourite part upon entering is the statue of the Irwin family…quite surreal.

We only had a few hours to kill before we headed to Hervey Bay. We didn’t want to be on the road around dusk because of the kangaroos.

John and Maureen would have loved this place. I only have faint memories of going to a zoo when I was a kid but it was nothing like this.

First up was a show of the wildest creatures in Australia…when we arrived late a giant bird swooped in towards Vero when we entered the arena!

Then we got to see a crocodile come out and entertain the masses. Crocodiles are massive and would be scary up close. Quite interesting to see.

Next up,were photos with animals…Vero wanted to hold a koala in a photo and there was also a photo with an alligator available today! Bonus! Imagine getting a photo with a huge reptile! Vero has always wanted to wrestle a creature such as this and this was her chance to prove it.

The koala was quite soft haired and was holding onto Vero with all her might. I think it might be because they live in trees so their hands are always grasping at something.

Next up was the alligator…we saw a massive bench set up and figured that it would hold this mighty beast.

Then we saw the alligator come out and we couldn’t stop laughing. It was the size of a hot water bottle! We felt like fools thinking they would bring out a large alligator to pose with. Luckily they refunded the photo opportunity we had already purchased.

We walked into Roo Heaven which held the kangaroos. I didn’t realize how awesome this zoo was until I realized they let us into the actual kangaroo area and we can approach and pet them! Definitely different than animals in cages! It was a fabulous experience.

The Australian Zoo definitely didn’t disappoint and its a shame we only had a few hours there before hitting the road to Hervey Bay.