Sydney surely ranks among the most stunning cities in the world to arrive in by air ( or sea for that matter ). When approached from the Pacific it’s exciting to catch that first glimpse of coastline, admire the miles and miles of golden beaches and ( still ) be amazed by so many red tiled roofs…! I gaze in awe though, when the plane banks around ( as it often does ) giving a birds eye view of magnificent Sydney harbour, the bridge and especially the Opera House. Along with Ayer’s Rock ( Uluru) it’s probably the image most people associate with Australia. Hard not to get a bit sentimental whenever one comes “home” ( no matter where home is ) and I’ll confess, as an Aussie, that I often find myself humming a few lines of that Peter Allen classic ( de facto national anthem ? ) “I Still Call Australia Home”, to myself. The song became so popular in fact that QANTAS featured it prominently in at least one of its marketing campaigns. I’ve included a clip below – Aussie readers will know the clip well and our many non-Australian readers can just enjoy the song ( it’s only 3 minutes ) and get a glimpse of some of the stunning scenery and amazing sights that we have come so far to see. Enjoy…….
Sydney was, of course, our first stop and just an easy 3 hour flight across the Tasman from Auckland. Uneventful, other than being a bit late, the flight got us in, bags came through OK and Lois’s long stay visa was processed in minutes. Could not have been easier ( hope our van is processed as quickly ! ). Given our long term plans it was reassuring to have had this special visa done well in advance.
Our dear friend Roxanne ( who we were delighted to host in Canada just a few months back when she joined us for our daughter’s wedding ) was expecting us and, as always, it’s so nice to be greeted by good friends. A relaxing evening of catching up was followed by a scrumptious breakfast at one of Balmain’s many funky boutique eateries before a short visit with other good friends, Justin and Angie. We’ll have more time for a detailed catch up with both ( and hopefully many other Sydney-based friends ) when we get our van and can spend more time there – for now the plan was simply to move on to Forbes and rest up a bit after almost 2 weeks of pretty continuously moving.
We were excited to catch up with Roxanne when we landed in Sydney. She even provided this little Aussie welcome treat tray ( knowing my penchant for chocolate !).We enjoyed breakfast with Roxanne and her nephew, Gus, at this nearby boutique cafe.Roxanne’s place in Balmain. The weather was awesome for our short stay in Sydney.
I come from a beautiful town in Central Western NSW called Forbes; as the local saying goes, “You can take the boy out of Forbes, but you can never take Forbes out of the boy”. There’s definitely truth in it and while our travel plans in Australia are expansive, both Lois and I were truly excited to be spending time in Forbes with the many, many friends and family that are still lucky enough to call it home. It’s where we plan to spend most of the time between now and when the “Talisman” unloads our van onto the docks in Melbourne ( more on that saga later – for those specifically following the shipping side of this trip see the postscript at the end of his blog ). Forbes is ( usually ) an easy 5 hour drive but torrential rain slowed us up just a bit. The last thing needed was rain since the whole area around Forbes had been severely impacted by heavy flooding only months earlier, evidence of which was still apparent in nearby towns we had to pass through, and ( as we would later see ) in Forbes itself.
Crossing Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on the way to Forbes.Once out of the city it did not take long to see some familiar Australian signs ( but we saw no kangaroos ).We’d seen kiwi signs in New Zealand ( but no kiwis ), hopefully we’ll see koalas in Australia ( likely not on these roads but they can be seen around Cape Otway in Victoria ).Forbes ! The arrival sign may not be that imposing but……….the locals all know exactly where Forbes REALLY sits among the world’s great cities ( poster in Forbes shop ).
My younger sister Kaz always opens up her wonderful home to us and this visit was no exception. Great to catch up with her, my other sister ( Sue ) and all the kids and grandkids as well as many old friends who still live in, or near the town. The rest of the week gave us plenty of time to catch up with all. It’s just the kind of wonderful small country town you can return to after many decades away and feel like you never left – priceless ! Many relaxing days here with Kaz and visits to other old friends and a few local sights during our first week back.
Kaz outside her home in Forbes.Good friends, Maria and Dennis, hosted ourselves, my sister, my cousin John and a couple of other good friends (who had just left). They are doing a stunning renovation of a classic old Australian home in Canowindra ( near Forbes ).Us, at Maria’s, with good friend Vicky.
With our ship’s unloading delayed ( see below ) we’ll spend a bit more time in and around Forbes in the coming week before making our way to Melbourne as the ship docks. It seems like an eternity ago that we parted with our van in Savannah and now it’s just off the coast of Australia. Small world…….!
Shipping Update:
What’s that old saying, “When it seems to good to be true, it usually is” ? Alas, so it goes with our shipping saga. The Talisman arrived early in New Zealand and left in time for a January 25 arrival in Melbourne, fully 3 days earlier than originally expected when it sailed from Savannah. Wonderful, we thought ! Then we noticed it proceeding very slowly across the Tasman Sea to Melbourne. Reason ? Port congestion in Melbourne. Ughh ! So much congestion, in fact, that it will likely sit outside the harbour until it’s expected day of cargo discharge on February 7 ! Won’t bore people with the minutiae of why, how etc…..it just is ! More details next blog when there will hopefully be an update.
Our ship, “parked” off the coast of Melbourne with many others waiting for its slot on the Melbourne docks.
Barely minutes from the ferry dock in Wellington one comes face to face with Wellington’s iconic “Beehive”, as the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings is colloquially known. The building is open to the public for regular tours and hoping to get in for one ( but managing our expectations ), we “sheepishly” ( no pun intended ! ) inquired if a walk-in opportunity was possible. Unfortunately, all tours for that day were full. Not to worry, it would give us more time to make our way up to Napier, which was, in any case the prime attraction for us on the North Island.
Arriving in Auckland, we flew first to Queenstown to start our journey in the South. We followed the route in blue through both islands.Approaching Wellington harbour. Unloading from the ferry on to the North IslandThe Beehive.
The scenery heading North-East was generally rural ( and consistently green ! ) with Palmerston North being the only town/city of any size in between Wellington and Napier. Heavy rains and floods in the days before had forced us to take a slight detour giving us an even more “rural” perspective on the North Island. While the road out of Wellington was a typical 4 lane motorway that soon gave way to more typical, and often windy, two way arterial roads. Like in the South these roads included quite a few of the the country’s notorious “single-lane” bridges. Essentially a two-lane highway becomes a single lane road on many bridges. No problem to navigate on longer, straight roads but can be hair raising when approaching from almost blind corners. There is a defined priority etiquette and people seem to generally obey it.
Waiting our “turn” on a single-lane bridge.New Zealand is not blessed with oil but has a natural geothermal source of energy ( much of the country is volcanic) and in many places now wind power generators.
“Art Deco, short for the French Arts Décoratifs, and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s, and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920s and 1930s.” (Wikipedia).
Who would have known ( in the early 1930’s) that this contemporary architectural theme would soon have a profound impact on a small, and otherwise relatively unknown, coastal city in New Zealand ?
To this day New Zealand’s deadliest natural disaster, the great Napier earthquake (measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale ) devasted Napier in the early hours of February 3rd, 1931, killing 256 people. The town and surrounding area was obliterated. What happened next, though, ties in to the Art Deco trend that was sweeping the world. Napier now had to be rebuilt from scratch and the town leaders and architects of the day aggressively adopted the Art Deco theme. As a result, much of Napier ( and most of its public buildings as well as many of its commercial ones ) were built in the Art Deco style. Napier, to this day, is recognized as one of the best preserved Art Deco cities in the world and attracts devotees of the style from all corners of the globe. If you’ve ever been to the South Beach area of Miami, you’ll immediately recognize the style. Distinctive and iconic, Napier’s city leaders have done an outstanding job of preserving ( and promoting ) this unique heritage. While examples appear elsewhere in the country, due to the tragic events of 1931 nowhere else in New Zealand has the range of examples that Napier does. We love the style and spent hours wandering the town just soaking it all up. Some of its building are the most photographed in the country.
Napier buildingEven the shopping streets display Art Deco features.Napier’s “most” photographed Art Deco building. While the Daily Telegraph newspaper itself was established in 1871 ( see plaque above the door ) this building was rebuilt in the early 1930’s AFTER the earthquake.The Art Deco Trust building had a store full of Art Deco materialWe were very impressed by the wall art. So 1930’s !Authentic Art Deco period attire worn by all staff at the Art Deco Trust building. They proved to be experts on their subject matter. That went for the ladies…….….and the man !As mentioned, almost of all of Napier was rebuilt in the 1930’s ( see sign on building ) in the Art Deco theme. All Street name signs are in Art Deco as are many business name signs. Lots of funky cafes sidewalk here.Flowers, Bluff Hill, NapierYours truly, relaxing in the van (probably working on the blog you are reading now).Another great freedom camping location , this one in Napier, right on the beach. We had lots of company.
Our travels in New Zealand were impacted by the cyclone-like weather that had rained down upon the North Island just days prior to our arrival. Gisborne, just to the North, was our our next planned stop where we had long looked forward to a reunion with Carol ( a very good friend from our days in Japan in the mid-80’s ). Sadly, the road between the two cities was cut and we had to settle for a FaceTime call. Lots of catching up was done and it was wonderful to reconnect after so many years. Funny how, in such circumstances, it is so easy to simply pick up right where you left off ( our last visit, we eventually determined, was in 1996 ! ).
The Napier region is famous for wine. Here, Lois sampling some of Linden Estates’ finest.Linden Estates winery, Napier.
In the same way both of us had missed the far South in previous travels here, we’d also both missed New Zealand’s famous Coromandel Peninsula and wanted to make sure we got to it this time. It too, had been cut off by the same North Island storm and floods just days earlier but fortunately the roads had been cleared enabling us to visit this time. Cutting through Rotorua ( where we overnighted ) we detoured to the Waikete Valley to enjoy the area’s famous thermal hot pools before continuing North up to the town of Whitianga in the Coromandel area.
Originally a Bath House, this beautiful Rotorua building later became a museum. Sadly it was damaged in an earthquake and is now fenced off. Considered the most impressive Elizabethan building in New Zealand it still looks striking.Everything a traveller needs is well sign-posted in New Zealand. Here, our freedom camping site in the Government Gardens, in the heart of Rotorua, across from the Polynesian Spa and just beside the iconic Bath House building. A perfect location!Waikite Thermal Pools, Rotorua.Thermal pools, Rotorua.Lois relaxing in the thermal pools, Rotorua.
Prior to reaching the Coromandel Peninsula there was a rather lengthy but reasonably scenic drive up through route 2 and 28 to reach the Coromandel area. Easy travelling, as it was mostly flat agricultural land with no major cities in between, though we passed pretty towns and a large waterfall along the way.
Town of Te Aroha. Typical of many smaller towns which look so very similar to towns in Australia. The signage, the building styles and the angled parking especially.Fitzgerald Glade, near Tirau on Route 5.Wairere Falls.
While the South Island probably gets the nod for the best beauty and roadside scenery in New Zealand, the Coromandel Peninsula in the North must rank a very close second – the area is simply stunning. I’ll let the next few pictures tell the story – it’s a major draw for Aucklander’s many of whom have cottages/cabins ( “baches” in Kiwi slang ) in the area. We could have spent much more time here !
Coromandel coastal view.Whitianga, Coromandel Peninsula.Coromandel coastal road.Coromandel coastal view.Despite driving the 7 kms and scouring the road no kiwis could be seen ! Far more likely at night. The only place in New Zealand we saw kiwi signage was on the Coromandel Peninsula.
From Coromandel it was an easy 2 hour drive back down to Auckland where we ( sadly ) bid adieu to our van delivering it back to the folks at Britz. Having spent almost 2 weeks in their vans we can both attest to what an incredibly enjoyable and easy way that is to see New Zealand. Highly recommended – we’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Our last days in the country were spent in Auckland, exploring more of its sights, this time in considerably better weather. Folks had suggested we get out on the harbour ( Auckland’s setting is stunning, attracting private yachts and cruise ships from all over the globe – the Cunard “Queen Elizabeth” was in port while we there, as was the “Le Laperouse” a French Antarctic adventure cruise ship ) and on our last day we did just that – the quaint seaside community of historic Devonport lies just to the North of Auckland and we had a very enjoyable day sampling it stores, sights and restaurants while ambling along its tree-lined foreshore.
Leaving Auckland ferry terminal for the trip across to Devonport on the north shore. That’s the Cunard “Queen Elizabeth” docked in Auckland. A massive cruise ship ! The much smaller Le Laperouse is on the right of the picture.The Queen ElizabethDevonport foreshore. It was a beautiful day for beachside walks.Devonport’s classic Hotel Esplanade. There are so many striking similarities between Auckland and Sydney, both stunning harbour cities.
All good things must come to an end, though, and so it was with our impromptu New Zealand detour. We absolutely loved the country, it’s people were incredibly hospitable, travel was “uber” easy and it’s natural beauty unquestioned. I hope it wasn’t be our last visit as there are definitely a few corners we’d like to explore further. As we started to prepare for Australia we took a look at the progress of our ship ( the Talisman ) as it made its way across the Pacific; we had not looked for a while but seems it is now 3 days ahead of schedule so we might, with luck, just get to pick it up a bit early. Fingers crossed !
Talisman’s arrival in Melbourne has come forward 3 daysAt time of writing the ship had crossed the Pacific and was about to dock in Auckland harbour. Next stop….Melbourne !
Queenstown, is by any measure, located in one of the world’s most beautiful settings. Perched on the azure shore of stunning Lake Wakatipu, set against the backdrop of the South Island’s ( usually snow-capped ) “Remarkables” mountain range, the city draws tourists from all over New Zealand and all corners of the globe. Whether you come for the skiing in Winter or the plethora of outdoor activities in Summer, the place has something for everyone. If you’ve not been to New Zealand, think of Banff ( or Whistler ) in Canada, Lake Tahoe in the US or a dozen other year-round global tourist meccas where you can get your adrenalin rush in all manner of ways. It was great to revisit the place ( 45 years since I’d been and 40 years for Lois – scary when you can look back that far and actually still remember it ) – it’s just as pretty as ever, but with a whole lot more tourists. One of those times when you kind of wish you weren’t there in the middle of high season. This time we contented ourselves with the gondola ride to the top of Bob’s Peak and a celebratory drink in the lounge up top, soaking in the unforgettable views.
In Queenstown one is implored to “Live More and Fear Less” by going bungy jumping. We thought we might live longer by NOT bungy jumping.Downtown Queenstown. It reminded us so much of Banff.
Campervan collected, historic Arrowtown was the next stop – a tastefully restored old mining village just outside Queenstown. From there it was immediately south towards Invercargill but the first night with “wheels” was spent in a wonderful “freedom camping” campsite just outside Kingston recommended to us by some folks in Queenstown. Right on the shores of the afore-mentioned Lake Wakatipu it is one of many such campgrounds which are hugely popular and dotted all over the country……we’d find many more in the days ahead.
Classically restored building in Arrowtown.Downtown “Arrowtown”.Our first night camping in NZ. Could not have picked a nicer location, right on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. Our van in the middle.
Invercargill, though, was the real attraction, but just before visiting the city we had a brief pit-stop to make visiting a young Kiwi who had stayed with us in Canada many years ago. Matt gave us a big New Zealand welcome and we enjoyed catching up with him over a fine “cuppa” on the family property just outside the city. Matt, the hospitality was awesome and the travel tips much appreciated – so great to see you, however briefly!
On the way to Invercargill we passed passed what at first looked like a bus stop – actually, an outdoor laundry !….and a little further on, a quaintly named small town !Family friend, Matt Wild, on the family property near Invercargill.
This most southerly city in New Zealand is home to the late ( though still legendary) Burt Munro ( he of “The World’s Fastest Indian” fame ). Sir Anthony Hopkins played Burt in the movie and many relics from the movie along with a host of original “Indian” motorbikes owned and raced by Burt can be found among an amazing collection of other classic motorcycles in the E Hayes Hardware store in downtown Invercargill. Burt tinkered with Indians for years before ultimately setting a land speed record on one during races on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the late ‘60’s. The movie chronicles the story of Burt’s life – if you haven’t seen it, check it out; it is, as the movie poster says, “One hell of a true story !”. A quick glance at the guest book showed people coming from all corners of the globe to visit this “shrine to the god of speed !”.
“World’s Fastest Indian”, movie poster.The E Hayes hardware store in Invercargill where it can all be seen.Burt, and the original.A replica of the actual bike – believe this was the one used in the movie.The 1920 Indian motorcycle modified by Burt for the record.
Between Invercargill and Dunedin, along the bottom of the South Island, lay the Catlins region, an area we’d heard much about but which neither of us had visited during previous travels to NZ. A little less worldly-known than other highlights of New Zealand but no less beautiful, we ambled through its multitude of natural attractions over the next two days – coastal walks, dunes, petrified forests, playful seals, quaint towns, short hikes, stunning waterfalls and windswept coastal views kept us occupied as we meandered along the South Island’s most southerly ( and very narrow and windy ) road. Thanks for the great tips Matt, we absolutely loved the area, it was everything you said it would be.
Rural scene, so classically New Zealand.….and somewhere, always a “black sheep”.En route to Invercargill, one passes beautiful farming land and thousands of dairy cows.Lighthouse, Catlins region.At the very bottom of the South Island lies Slope Point, its southern extremity. The winds are gale force – I arrived with a visor but left without it.Matt had told us there have been many deadly accidents in NZ involving foreign tourists not familiar with driving on the left. There are now many signs and road markings reinforcing the need to “keep left”, especially near intersections.And “keep left” road markings as well. You see these everywhere.Waterfall, Catlin Coastal Rainforest.Catlin Coastal Rainforest.Beautiful ferns seen during in a hike in the Catlin Coastal Rainforest.Most places in New Zealand have designated “freedom camping” spots, often in stunning locations. Here in the far south we were camped near Curio Bay along with many others. The rules are pretty easy to live with.Petrified logs, Curio Bay, Catlins region.Nugget Point Lighthouse, Catlins region.Rock outcrops, Nugget Point.One of the stranger signs we have seen, on the way to Nugget Point. We never saw any crossing the road !South coast scene, South Island.Stunning beach scenery near Papatowai. We were surprised to see no one surfing.
Lois had an old high school friend that had moved to New Zealand over 30 years ago and settled in Dunedin. Given Dunedin lay directly in our path up to Christchurch we squeezed in time to enjoy a delightful evening with Kim and Kari while catching up on old times. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world – one of the joys of travel is reconnecting with old friends who have ventured to different corners of the globe but it’s amazing how easy it is to just pick up where you left off, sometimes decades ago.
Welcome selfie with Kim and Kari in Dunedin.
Dunedin is a pretty easy drive north to Christchurch- scenic for the first couple of hours, less so in the last couple and with some of the South Island’s most historic towns en route, Oamaru and Timaru among them. Detours through them revealed some outstanding period buildings and, as seems to be the norm for New Zealand towns, everything clean and beautifully restored.. or maintained.
One of Oamaru’s classic buildings, the “Opera House” ( formerly Town Hall ). The town is famous for the incredible condition of many of its heritage buildings.A beautiful misty morning as we drove from Dunedin to Christchurch.
Dropping the first van in Christchurch gave us the opportunity to take a break from the road and relax in a nice hotel. We’d looked forward to seeing Christchurch and wondered how it would look not too many years after the massive earthquake that flattened much of the downtown and especially ( and heartbreakingly ) it’s eponymous cathedral. We can say with authority that the damage has been all but totally repaired, the city looks great, and the famous Avon River still flows through it; the cathedral however will be a much longer term project and remains far from complete, still covered in scaffolding.
The Avon River, Christchurch.Queen Victoria, ChristchurchChristchurch Cathedral, as it was before the earthquakeAs it is today. Many years of work have gone into restoring it but many more remain.
We wrapped up our time in Christchurch sharing dinner with a young Kiwi couple we’d met in California just prior to crossing into Mexico during the early stage of our Pan American adventure, back in 2019. We’d followed each other’s Covid hiatus sagas and given our common interest in van builds we jumped at the opportunity to connect when we realized our paths would cross again in New Zealand – what a small world it is. Renee and Carl, I hope our paths cross again, it was wonderful to catch up with you both!
Jeff, Renee, Carl and Lois in Christchurch.
Picking up our new van was as straightforward as the last one. With some basic instruction and “how to” guidance, a simple knowledge test and repeated reminders about “staying on the left” we were on our way. Like the last one, this was a big van, a 6 berth – the layout was identical – the only difference being this was a Mercedes Sprinter and the last was an Iveco. At least we were familiar with Sprinters.
Loading up the second van in Christchurch. There are so many camper vans on the road in New Zealand – seems the whole world has descended on New Zealand to rent a van !
After a run of great weather, most of the journey north was in rain with only intermittent breaks of sunshine. With our Cook Strait ferry crossing booked for the next morning we had to get to Picton ( or at least Blenheim ). This part of the South Island took us past some impressive coastline ( managed some dolphin spotting near Kaikoura ), lush agricultural land ( and ever-present sheep ) along with some very pretty parts of New Zealand’s wine country. A consistent theme about New Zealand is simply how pretty ( and mostly very green ) it is everywhere.
The Marlborough region in the Northern part of the South Island is famous for winemaking, many beautiful vineyards were visible from the highway.Along with the ever present sheep farms.Building some of the roads on the South Island was quite a feat of engineering and we drove through many tunnels. These ones seemed barely big enough for the van we were driving.
With some flooding in the far north it seemed prudent to stop in Blenheim for the night and with an early start we got to Picton and the “Interislander” ferry. This would take us across the typically rough Cook Strait to Wellington, a 3.5 hour crossing. Fresh in my mind was this crossing ( in the opposite direction ) back in 1978 when most of the folks on that passage were violently seasick. Approaching the check- in booth we noted that the crossing conditions on this particular day called for “moderate” swells, the swell index showing just 3 little wave lines. When we realized each line represented 1 metre it became obvious we were in for 10 foot swells which seemed rough to us. The forecast was accurate, it was not too rough, and the big ferry handled it with ease.
Waiting to load on the Cook Strait ferryA 3 metre swell on the day we crossed. Seemed scary but was not bad at all given the size of the ferry.Leaving Picton.
Cook Strait conquered, our van was unloaded on to the dock in “Windy Wellington”, New Zealand’s capital city – the North Island was now ours to explore. More on that next week !
Some readers may have noticed an error message that popped up when they tried to make a comment on last week’s blog. Chris, one of our regular readers, picked it up early Saturday morning and let me know so we could investigate. The message, in case you saw it, looked like this:
Last week many of you may have seen this error message on our site. All fixed now !
It seems the site had simply gotten a little out of date ( apparently these things happen over time ). A quick call to our WordPress consultant, Michael had it resolved fairly quickly. If you ever want to comment, and can’t, just send us an email at 1endlessroad@gmail.com to let us know ( since I never make comments it’s hard to know when the “Comment” functionality fails ). Thanks again Chris, and thanks to Michael for the quick solution.
The snow ( and neighbours’ Christmas lights ) made for a very festive feel when looking out our from our deck at New Years.
Hard to believe but by the time you read this we’ll be well into 2023. Not sure what your New Year resolutions were but ours ( truth be told, they are more “wishes” than resolutions ) included the world getting back to some semblance of normality – Covid not being the big story, the war in Ukraine coming to an end and travel in general becoming easier and safer for all. We have many more wishes of course, but those are the ones relevant to a travel blog ! Lois and I considered ourselves fortunate to be able to spend the entire holiday season with close family and friends ( is there anything better than that ? ) and enjoyed a true “White Christmas” this year – we usually have snow on the ground here ( which makes for a pretty scene ) but it’s just that little bit more authentic when it’s actually falling on Christmas Day as well ( and we had a little bit of that ). A real bonus this year was to spend a couple of days with Lois’s brother and his wife at their beautiful chalet on Silver Star mountain – it couldn’t have been nicer ! During this time we also did a little “ship watching” as the Talisman made its way to Panama and then on through the canal before sailing out into the Pacific.
Silver Star Mountain in Vernon had lots of snow and the sunsets were beautiful.Our time with Lois’ family was delightful. Along with with a couple of other friends who visited we had hours of entertainment playing “Where’s The Dude?” a charade-like game involving a blow-up “Dude” mannequin.Entering the Panama Canal ( from the Atlantic ), most ships ( including ours ) make a brief stop in Colon before transiting the canal and exiting into the Pacific. At this point ( image above ) the ship is almost through the canal having transited the final set of locks at Miraflores. It would soon pass under the Bridge of the Americas ( which joins the North & South American continents ) before heading out into the Pacific. We had very fond memories of driving through this area and over the “Bridge of the Americas” on our way down to South America in 2019.
As New Year approached our own sights were set on taking off again “Down Under” – repacking for what we hope (and expect) will be some extended warm weather and planning how we’ll spend the time between getting there and then later in the month, getting back in our van. With almost a full month in between those two dates it made sense to take a little detour and with Air Canada having recently started a direct flight from Vancouver to Auckland, a pit stop in New Zealand seemed like a logical idea. We’d both been to New Zealand a couple of times before but had missed out on some of its lesser known attractions and decided with a couple of weeks at our disposal we might just be able to see them this time around.
Given the variable weather conditions at this time of year ( and heavily booked flights ) we opted to drive to Vancouver rather than fly. The trip down was uneventful and as scenic as the white stuff can be, hopefully this will be the last we see of it for some time !
As is so often the case, getting out of Kelowna by air in high season can be difficult. We decided to rent a car and drive the easy 4 hours to Vancouver. Lots of snow around but the roads were clear – just a week or so earlier a tragic bus crash occurred in icy conditions on this very road killing several people. We took it slow………Vancouver airport ( YVR ) – pleased to see that ( so far at least ) the Auckland flight was on time. Surprised to see 5 flights to either Australia or NZ that evening. Popular destinations !
New Zealand is a lengthy 13+ hour flight from Vancouver. That’s a tough stretch anytime but after 4 hours on the road to get there, then 6 hours waiting at the airport we were ready to just collapse in our seats once on board. Had a couple of remaining airport lounge passes that made the airport stay bearable !
Relaxing in the airport lounge while waiting for the flight.Vancouver (YVR) to Auckland (AKL), 13 hours and 10 mins. Tiring !Driving into Auckland from the airport was about as nice as the weather got during our stay. Continuous rain after that ! I always find the street scenes and buildings in New Zealand so similar to Australia ( felt almost like home !).Not much to do in rainy Auckland on the day we were there but Queen Street and the harbour front area is always interestingLots of boutique shopping just off Queen Street.We’d missed Auckland’s popular Sky Tower on previous visits so had it in our list this time – sadly the weather was not cooperating. Figured if we could not see the viewing deck from the ground then we would not be able to see much from the deck if we did go up.
The feasibility of taking our own van off the Talisman in Auckland ( it stops there en route to Melbourne ) and spending a month or two traveling with it in New Zealand was considered – we would, in fact, have been thrilled to be able to do that, however the idea was quickly nixed for a number of reasons:
The ( already high ) shipping cost went up considerably
There would have been 4 sets of port charges, rather than two
New Zealand has biosecurity rules equally as tough as Australia’s so going through that twice ( for perhaps only two months of travel ) made little sense
And, finally, two months in New Zealand would have cost us two equally great summer months in Australia and we didn’t want to sacrifice that
Fortunately, an appealing substitute existed and when it was determined that the dates lined up nicely for us we decided to jump on it. Now this “solution” would not work for anyone on a fixed schedule ( we aren’t ), or for anyone that hadn’t already seen New Zealand to some extent at least ( we had ), nor for anyone that can’t live with some restrictions ( we can ) but when you can tick all those boxes and your travel dates DO match vehicle availability, the “Imoova” van relocation option can provide incredible flexibility and value to travellers who want to get around the country and take their accommodation with them. Check out the details at www.imoova.com. We have used this service before ( many years ago ) in Australia so know the drill pretty well. Long story short, we managed to get a 4 berth Sprinter van from Queenstown to Christchurch, followed by a rest day in Christchurch then another (6 berth Sprinter) van from Christchurch to Auckland. The good folks at Imoova even cover the cost of the Cook Straight ferry between the South and North Island. What’s not to like ?
A short 90 minute flight got us from Auckland to beautiful Queenstown, where we picked up our first van. Stay tuned next week for our adventures around the southern South Island !
Picking up our relocation van in QueenstownOur Maui 6 berth Iveco van – quite the deluxe rig !Much more space than we needed !View of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu from Bob’s Peak
As readers can imagine, much time and research was put into picking this route, securing our passage, and getting all the pieces of the puzzle together just to get the vehicle to Savannah. While going to Australia via the US East coast was neither the shortest, nor most obvious route, it was the ONLY way to get an over-sized vehicle to Australia WITHOUT trans-shipping. By oversized I mean one that won’t fit in a conventional 40ft hi cube container. Hence Savannah being our chosen departure port (it could have been Baltimore as the ship also stopped there). We have a couple of overlanders ( with future plans to ship to Australia ) following the shipping blogs so I’ll be outlining the shipping process in more detail than most people would normally be interested in – bear with me on this one if you are in the latter group ( or just skip to the bottom ! ).
Driving towards Savannah, we kept a close eye on the progress of our ship coming from Europe, the “Talisman” ( hopefully the name is a good omen ). So far so good. At the time of the screen shot below it had left Southampton ( UK ), it’s last European port call. Ships are seldom delayed on the open seas but port hold ups are the norm these days. It stops only in Baltimore before Savannah and then has only two stops before Melbourne. The code “NO” means it is a Norwegian ship. I’m always amazed how many ships there are on the ocean at any one time.
The route taken by the Talisman from Germany to Australia. Think there is scheduling issue in Baltimore, it should only be there one day. It’s 33 days from Savannah to Melbourne.The Wallenius “Talisman” steaming across the North Atlantic towards Baltimore, the first stop before Savannah.
Having enjoyed exploring the sights of Savannah, there was now much work to do preparing the van for shipment. The next series of pictures show how we spent that time.
We visited this high clearance car wash on several occasions to clean the vehicle as thoroughly as possible, especially the underside, wheel arches, the engine and radiator ( reportedly areas of close inspection by the BioSecurity people at the Dept. of Agriculture in Australia). Vehicle fumigation is done at the port prior to loading on the ship.Shipping via RoRo one pays based on vehicle dimensions in cubic metres (LxWxH). Everyone removes ANYTHING that unnecessarily protrudes – so off came the front nudge bar.Just a fraction of the gear we carry which was all pulled out, cleaned rigorously, and packed into stackable ( and collapsible) crates. The five military style fuel bags fold down to almost nothing yet hold 100 litres (26.5 US gallons ) of fuel, more than doubling our driving range to 1,400 kms ( 870 miles ).In preparation to drive the vehicle in Australia one needs a “Left Hand Drive” warning decal and a decal showing it’s country of registration ( CDN indicates it’s a Canadian registered vehicle ). While driving on the left in Australia will be familiar to us, driving a “left hand drive” vehicle on the left side of the road will not !Prior to clearing ( stamping ) our Carnet out of the US, the Border Patrol folks closely checked our VIN against the Carnet. Conveniently they allowed us to have this done the day before we took the van to port.Our copies of the Carnet ( CPD ) stamped in and stamped out of the US.
Once in Savannah contact was made with the local representative of our shipping agent and, just like in Buenos Aires, a port delivery date and time were firmed up. As in Argentina, we had to deliver the vehicle well before the ship arrived and have a “port escort” arranged. Access to US ports is, as one might expect, VERY tightly controlled. Shipping insurance was also arranged, it costing almost as much for our van to be a month on the ocean as it does for it to sit for a year in our driveway – and with a whole bunch of coverage exclusions !
Arriving at the port, security was predictably tight. We met our rep, Logan right at the gate.One needs to be accompanied by an employee with a TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential ) clearance to enter any US port. It was the same process in Brunswick. Of course there is a fee for every such escort !
Interestingly it costs exactly the same to ship the vehicle to Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane. We chose Melbourne simply because it was the first stop in Australia and closest city to Tasmania, the state we hope to explore first. Crazy to think that, after 33 days on a ship across the Pacific the very next thing we plan to do in Australia is…….put it on yet another ship !! Victoria state also seemed to be one of the easier states to insure our vehicle.
Removing licence plates – a favorite souvenir in some ports and a hassle to replace. We took them with us.Logan, our port escort ( and shipping line representative ), was amazing. Made it all go smoothly in Savannah. Here holding our licence plates after I had removed them.The paperwork was very simple. They confirm the vehicle is yours (VIN), check your dock receipt, and tell you where to go ( in the port I mean ! ). From start to finish, less than 2 hours in the port. Faster than any other port we’ve been to when delivering. Leaving Cartagena and Brunswick was very easy. Let’s hope it’s the same in Melbourne.A lot of heavy equipment is also shipped by RoRo. Logan gave us a quick tour of the port so we could see what was being shipped from Savannah.Not our ship, but exactly the same style, it was loading the day we dropped our van off. Vehicles of all kind are driven in from a large door that opens in the rear. The next image is our ship, the Talisman.The ship that will carry our van, Wallenius’s “Talisman”, approx 67,000 tonnes, and 241 metres long.With multiple levels inside, these types of ships can be adjusted for unusual size vehicles. Our van, parked among hundreds of others going to ports all over the world.Keys must be left on the driver’s seat, doors unlocked. Multiple people will drive it before we get it again in Melbourne. Leaving it unlocked is indeed a bit nerve wracking ( moments after we drove away there were already a few port workers checking it out ). The sheet of paper taped to the dash explains the starting procedure of the van.All vehicles are “tagged” so port workers know which ship to put it on ( and when it goes ). It’s meant to ensure none get missed ( but some do – hopefully not ours !!!! ). “MEL” means Melbourne, our destination.For added protection we taped the cabinet doors closed. We also took photos of the vehicle on all 4 sides showing the condition it was in ( perfect ) when we left it ( hopefully we’ll find it in the same condition when we see it again on the other side of the world ! ).
We’d both confess to a sense of sudden detachment ( and more than mild concern ) leaving our precious rig sitting on a distant port, with ( like all others ) doors unlocked and keys on the seat, especially after our last shipping experience – let’s hope the Savannah port security is good. Between us leaving the van at the port and the Talisman arriving to take it away, just one process remained – fumigation. The shipping line contracts a local company to fumigate EVERYTHING on the dock that is heading to Australia. It’s designed to kill any bugs/pests on/in the vehicles. They take all vehicles to a separate area, create a plastic “tent” around them and then pump in “Profume” ( sulfuryl fluoride ) as dictated by the Australian BioSecurity folks. We are assured the smell will be gone by the time we get the vehicle back and it won’t harm us 🤞. While the vehicle had not been fumigated when we left. Savannah, I asked the fumigation company to send me some pics when they did it ( I was curious as to what it was like ) – they kindly obliged and I got these images just before I uploaded this blog.
Our rig in the fumigation “tent”We were squeezed in between heavy industrial equipment.Presumably the blue tape indicates it’s been fumigated.
With the van now out of our hands all that remained was to arrange flights back to Kelowna which was straightforward. No real flight “deals” were available out of Savannah ( it’s so small ) so we took an easy one-way car rental to nearby Atlanta, spent a night relaxing in a hotel there and flew home via Calgary the next day. It took less than 5 hours to do in the air what had taken almost 9 days by road !
We flew home on what must have been Westjet’s most brightly painted plane.
So, what next ? Well, for now we can only wait, hope the “Talisman” arrives in Savannah on time, the ship picks up our cargo and successfully delivers it to us in Melbourne by the end of January. Wish us luck ! I may get time to do an update or two in the coming weeks but if not I will start up the blog again in early January once we fly to Australia.
In the meantime both Lois and I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and that the New Year brings you all much joy, good health, and time with your loved ones. Thanks especially to so many of you who have shared your comments along the way. We love hearing from you all so keep them coming in 2023 !
Post Script: The Talisman did indeed arrive on time ( Christmas Day ) and left as scheduled ( December 27 ). On the morning of December 28 we received word that our van was loaded successfully, so it’s on its way. No turning back now !
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
