To be honest, we’d been more than just a little disheartened this past week after the ongoing unloading delay outlined in the last blog ( I dare not even mention the “s” word – we just call it a “transportation delay” now, it’s so depressing ). It’s typical when things go wrong on the road to start feeling sorry for yourself ( and we certainly did some of that ) but there’s nothing Iike a truly traumatic event ( or two ) somewhere else to put your problems in context. The tragic Turkish earthquake and terrible New Zealand cyclones this past week really have put things in perspective ( those and a litany of other problems around the globe ). Reality check time – our problems are actually truly trivial.
Map showing Mornington Peninsular map ( relative to Melbourne ). Phillip Island is the “island” just to the bottom right, connected now by a short bridge to the mainland.
“Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care” was an old marketing slogan used for years by the Manly ferry to draw visitors across Sydney harbour to Manly’s beautiful seaside beach. I was reminded of it as we used the past week to explore the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, which is ( in some ways at least ) to Melbourne what Manly and its surrounding beaches are to Sydney – for many, a nearby escape from the hustle and bustle of big city life.
Exploration of the Mornington Peninsula ( and nearby Phillip Island ) was in our plans with our van, but in the circumstances ( no van ) we decided to simply explorewithout it. A couple of judiciously timed car rentals and some long walks allowed us to explore the area quite extensively in the end. Having moved away from the seaside and further down the peninsula, it seemed Frankston was a good place to start since it was close by. While I would not call the city itself a holiday destination ( the good stuff is further down ) the sculptures and murals for which it is renowned (among other things) are worth a look as one passes through.
Frankston muralFrankston muralFrankston mural.And one of the rather eclectic sculptures in Frankston…!
Further down the coastline it gets more interesting and we really enjoyed the scenic beaches, the Bass Strait coast, the many hikes and walks as well as the sighting of much more fauna than we had expected. There’s also a great deal of history in the area, some of which dates to the very earliest days of Victoria as a British colony ( “Australia” as a country was far off in those early days ).
Historic buildings, Sorrento.Smack bang in the middle of the otherwise very flat Mornington Peninsula sits a rather abruptly positioned outcrop known as Arthur’s Seat. You can drive, or “gondola”, up for some pretty amazing coastal views.The coastal walks were very impressive with lots of points of historical significance. The area was some of the earliest settled when the British first came to Australia. A windy day though !Valentines Day 🙂 – Point Nepean beach.Lois, Point Nepean beach.Part of the coastal walk system near Point Nepean – steep in places !An oceanside beach, Mornington ( they refer to them locally as “back” beaches versus the much calmer “bay” beaches inside Port Phillip Bay).Sorrento cafe – Melbourne’s cafe culture seems to extend down to Mornington ( they are everywhere ). Lois loves sampling coffee, especially the cappuccinos!Approaching the National Park ( and on nearby Phillip Island), signs caution drivers to watch for local wildlife, these four types in particular- we saw many wallabies and one echidna ( only two out of the four) 🙁On the drive out the Pyramind Rock there were lots of wallabies around. Much smaller than a kangaroo but otherwise broadly similar to the untrained eye.An echidna – unlike a porcupine ( to which they are sometimes compared ) the echidna cannot eject its spines.I’d actually forgotten, until we drove right by it, that Phillip Island ( just off the Mornington Peninsula ) was home to a Grand Prix circuit ( mostly for motor cycles but cars race there too ). Motorcycles were practicing while we were there- loud !
While Phillip Island has many attractions, undoubtedly one of its most well-known is the Parade of Penguins. The picture below shows exactly what they look like when they emerge from the sea. It’s hilarious to watch them waddle out, waddle back in, and then waddle out again before summoning the courage to eventually cross the beach ( where the risk from predators is highest ).
Little penguins coming ashore, Phillip Island (picture courtesy of Parade of Penguins website – no visitor photography allowed after sunset !)
We were not allowed to shoot pictures or video of the penguins after sunset ( which is when they waddle ashore ) but peeled this video off YouTube to show what the experience was like. Very impressive…!We managed just one picture of a penguin in its nest while there was enough light. No pics allowed after sunset.
Technical sidebar: ( a read only relevant to those with an inquiring electrical mind ! )
In the expectation that we should ( hopefully ) soon be reunited with our vehicle it only made sense to use some of this enforced downtime to get as much done as we could in advance of it being released. One of those things was to solve the issue of charging the vehicle’s leisure batteries from an Australian mains/household supply. Not an issue when we are driving ( charge comes via the vehicle alternator and onboard 40 amp DCDC charger ), nor when we are stationary on a sunny day ( 700 watts of rooftop solar and 300 watts of external solar should do it ) however there will be times when one ( or both ) of those options is not available and we need to “plug in”. Not a problem in our 120v AC world ( US/Canada/Central America and parts of South America ) but in Australia ( as in most of the rest of the world ) it’s all 240v AC. What to do ? There are really only 3 options: A) do without the plug in option, B) get a step up/step down converter, or C) get a 240v (input) charger that will tide us over while in Australia. Doing without was not a viable option. The step up/step down converter, while giving us “constant” AC power, would have to be very big, very expensive and very heavy to handle the draw of several of our appliances so was also ruled out. A local ( lithium compatible ) charger with 240v input was sourced, with the bonus being it was a Victron unit and thus compatible with the whole electrical system we have. Many thanks to Paul at Retropower in Clayton ( Vic.) who not only provided us a new 25amp Victron unit, he delivered it right to us ( service with a smile ) ! So, while we will never be “plugged in” in the strict sense of the word, when we do have access to 240v AC power, the 25amp charger will keep our batteries topped up sufficiently to match/(or limit ) the battery drain from the fridge, cooktop etc. via our inverter – hopefully anyway !
In anticipation that the van will arrive ( someday ! ), we sourced a secondary 25amp Lithium battery charger that will run off the Australian 240v AC system. The one in the van of course, is 120v AC.
Postscript: Shipping Update
Back in August, 2022 when we pre-booked the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania, we had hoped to get a nice short connection with the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania. The Talisman from the US was scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on January 25 and we could not get confirmed ferry passage on to Tasmania until Feb 28. That left us an awkward month in between where we could not ( effectively ) roam too far from Melbourne. Never, not in our wildest dreams, did we anticipate things would be so delayed with unloading the Talisman that it would potentially jeopardize us actually being able to make that Feb 28 departure date for the Melbourne to Tasmania ferry ! Sadly, that is now exactly where we stand. Unless we have a very speedy customs/quarantine clearance at the Port of Melbourne next week it could be a “salt into the wound” experience – getting out of Melbourne port too late to catch the ferry to “ Tassie”. For over-height vehicles like ours changing the dates ( out and back ) is next to impossible. So, very nervously, we just continue to wait……..and wait.
Current status of the Talisman for unloading. It’s literally been one step forward and then two steps back all week. Feb 20 is the new projected unloading date now 🙁That’s it…..tantalizingly just offshore. Actually visible a few days ago when we walked the headland on the Bass Strait side of the Mornington peninsula.
Not sure where the time went but it seems suddenly we looked at the calendar and it was time to head to Melbourne for a long-anticipated rendezvous with our rig – or so we hoped anyway. The “car switch” a week before meant we now had a Victorian-plated vehicle making a convenient one-way trip from Forbes to Melbourne possible ( no need for what would have been a long detour via Sydney ).
For those readers not so familiar with the geography of Australia, we are currently in the South East corner of the country. The white dot is Sydney, “A” is Forbes, “B” is Temora and the blue dot is Melbourne.Our route from Forbes to Melbourne via Temora, travelled this past week.
Forbes lies on the main highway between Brisbane and Melbourne so it’s a very well travelled route. Given it’s about a 7 hour trip from Forbes and I have an older brother in Temora ( 90 minutes South-West and more or less on a direct route to Melbourne ) it made good sense to stop in for a quick overnight visit and shorten what would have been a longer journey from Forbes (and it’s always wonderful to catch up with family).
Over the past 25 years, Ian and his wife Anne have travelled Australia probably more extensively than anyone I know so it was extremely helpful to be able to lean on them for some route planning regarding our own upcoming adventures. They were full of great tips on possible routes, seasonal travel considerations and a requisite list of “must do’s” – the family barbecue was a real Aussie treat as well. They have a large hangar-sized workshop at their place and have generously offered us the use of it to do some minor finishing work on the van when it lands in Melbourne ( so we expect to be returning to Temora )- these were just a few weather related things we could not do before we left Canada. My god, that now seems so incredibly long ago ! Little did we know that Temora had an unexpected surprise in store for us – and if you’re an aviation buff it does not get better than this.
Sign outside Temora promoting its aviation museum.
Sometimes your timing works and sometimes not but on the day we arrived the gods were really smiling on us. I’m an avid WW2 aviation fan and it just so happened that many WW2 planes ( from the Temora Aviation Museum ), would actually be in the air on the day we arrived. Apparently pilot accreditation dictates certain minimum flying hours be done in these classics – and today was the day. We’d visited the air museum on an earlier trip so knew they had some pretty special planes, a couple of flying Spitfires among them. To say we were all entranced as the Spitfire did some climbs, rolls and low altitude passes would be an understatement ! Simply incredible, especially the throaty sound of that Rolls Royce V12 Merlin powering what I consider to be the most iconic of WW2 planes, through the sky. Just priceless to see and listen to it doing its moves right above their house. And, not even a crowd – Temora folks are quite un-fazed by it all, this is a regular occurrence and quite routine for the locals. While the two pictures below were shot with just an iPhone at great distance ( apologies for the grainy quality ), the unmistakable shape of the Spitfire is clear, as are its markings.
Close up shot of a Spitfire in the Temora Aviation Museum, cowling removed showing the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine.Spitfire in the air over Temora on the day we visited.Who could mistake that unique wing design !
As beautiful as the plane was to watch, I could have stood blindfolded and enjoyed it as much – it was all about the unmistakable roar of the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine for me. Managed to capture a bit of it on the same iPhone…….you’ll hear the plane coming before you see it ( crank up the volume on your speakers now and look above the middle of the roof in the short video below ):
Spitfire over Temora.
Certainly hard to top that for excitement and nothing on the 5 1/2 hour drive to Melbourne did though it was a pleasant drive through countryside we had not visited in a very long time. Quaint, historic towns, some of Australia’s richest agricultural land and crossing the mighty Murray River ( which divides New South Wales from Victoria ) were some of the highlights. One thing, though, did stand out, and it has since we started driving in Oz – the national campaign against speeding. I don’t think we have ever seen as many signs, as many cameras, nor ( thankfully ) have I ever noticed so many people obeying the speed limit !!! Back in the day there was always a crazy speeder or two that would pass you – we noticed none in 6 hours on the road. They have been in for quite a while now and most drivers are simply used to them, but I found the omnipresent speed cameras rather nerve-wracking, constantly wondering if I might have been just a few kms over the limit as I drove by. We are used to the the police still having to catch you and ticket you ( now seems almost old fashioned ! ) but here you simply get your infraction notice/fine in the mail ( with the attendant demerit points ). Many, myself included, don’t like it – but it’s certainly effective.
Welcome to Victoria !Once we crossed into Victoria it was a 4 lane highway all the way to Melbourne.One of the many, many speed warning signs.
Rental car returned to Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, it was straight in to the city for the first few days where we’d booked a great little AirBnB right in the heart of a Melbourne – directly opposite Flinders Street station in fact ! A great location from which to explore all downtown Melbourne’s sights, we were kept busy wandering it’s beautiful parks, legendary laneways, the Yarra River, museums, classic old buildings and simply soaking up the ambience that radiates from what must be Australia’s most multicultural city. There is so much to do here !
Melbourne streetcars (trams). Free to ride all over the downtown area – very tourist friendly !Flinders Street station, the heart of Melbourne.View from our Airbnb.Rowers, out in force on the Yarra River.One of Melbourne’s many legendary downtown “laneways”. Great open air restaurants and superb coffee everywhere ! The city has a very European feel which sprang from post-war waves of immigration, largely from Southern Europe. Now immigrants come from all corners of the globe.If not cafes and restaurants, murals and vegetation bring the laneways to life !The first picture we took after crossing to the South side of the Yarra River. We had lamented how overcast it was, then barely 10 minutes later the weather improved. It’s often said “If you don’t like the weather in Melbourne, wait 5 minutes and it will change !” It would appear to be true.It lightened up for this shot ( on the other side of the bridge )….then look what happened just minutes later ( below ):Queen Victoria GardensA Melbourne fountain, near the Queen Victoria Gardens.The Marquis of Linlithgow, Australia’s first Governor General.Botanical GardensShrine of Remembrance, a very impressive exhibition of Australia’s military sacrifices.The phone company ( Telstra ) is very kind to people who don’t carry mobile phones..!As is the City of Melbourne – downtown core tram rides are all free in the zone marked by the grey line. It’s a very easy city to get around, and very tourist friendly.The revitalized Docklands area was impressive.While walking to the Docklands area we could see ships in port. Here, a Wallenius car carrier, just like the Talisman. Sadly it was one of her identical sister ships.
An important step in Melbourne ( before our vehicle was offloaded at the port ) was to have our Carnet reviewed and processed – that’s where the ABF ( Australian Border Force ) approve the “legal” aspect of the vehicle’s temporary entry to Australia. It involved a long haul back out to the ABF building near Tullamarine airport but the officer was super friendly and had it all done in about 40 minutes. While that was a critical step in the importation process out of the way, it is the next step that is the challenging one – getting the vehicle through the port and the quarantine inspection. More details on that in the latest shipping update in the blog postscript below ( honestly, it’s a skip unless you are intrigued by the machinations of Melbourne’s port – that’s why I always put it at the end 🙂 )
Just follow the signs, see the officer, hand over all the documents and you are done ! This part of the process was refreshingly fast and easy.
We were not entirely surprised to see the port unloading process delayed ( quite seriously ) so opted to spend the rest of the week out by the beach. A second AirBnB was found, right by Aspendale beach, so for the rest of the week it was time to relax and enjoy some swimming, long beach walks and beautiful sunsets over Port Philip Bay.
If you are going to be stuck in Melbourne you might as well enjoy what it has to offer !
Our beachside AirBnB- owned by a wonderful couple originally from New Zealand, the front part of the house is a self-contained AirBnB unit.Looking towards Frankston on the Mornington Peninsula.Aspendale beach.Water was warm but I could not drag Lois in.Lois on the beach.Locals fishing at nearby Mordialloc pier.Billy Souvlaki Bar, Mordialloc – a favourite local sidewalk eatery which we liked.Local kids being taught surf life-saving in the great Aussie tradition, Aspendale beach.Colorful beach sheds on Aspendale beach.
Postscript: Shipping Update
Many years ago a children’s song became popular – you know the one, “The Song That Never Ends ( It Just Goes On And On And On !)”. I think of it every time I look at the unloading schedule on the Port of Melbourne website – our ship delayed again and again and again, it just goes on and on and on !!! It truly is beyond frustrating. January 27th initially, then pushed back almost 2 full weeks to February 7, then again to the 9th, then the 11th and now February 13th ( meaning it will likely be the 15th at best before we see it and that’s if, and only if, further cleaning is not required by the Quarantine folks ). Fingers crossed we get lucky on that !
The Talisman, whose unloading is now delayed through to Monday next week.
“Post” Postscript – Further Shipping Update:
Just prior to posting this blog I took one last look at the Port of Melbourne unloading schedule – the “Talisman” ( in a particularly cruel irony, the name means ‘good fortune’ ) has beeneven further delayed, now not expected to finish unloading until Friday, Feb 17, meaning the earliest we’d get our van would be the following week. The original unload date was January 27… 🙁
To follow our ( seemingly never-ending ) shipping drama please see the postscript at the bottom of this blog. It’s so depressing I simply could not bear to put it front and centre in any update. That said, it does dictate our life right now so it can’t be ignored. What’s important I suppose is how you make use of the down-time while you simply have to wait. And wait. And wait.
For the most part we’ve been doing the only thing we could which is to enjoy time here with family and friends ( and that has been absolutely wonderful ) while taking in a few local sights and making nearby road trips, some of which were on our larger travel itinerary anyway. Travelling around the Forbes area has been truly enjoyable, the weather superb, the sights always interesting and, because I was born and raised in the town, much of it has been ( as noted in the title of this week’s blog ) a bit of a walk/drive down memory lane. Previous trips home have almost always been fleeting so our shipping-induced “long stay” this time around has allowed us to explore and visit at a much more leisurely pace. After the slightly more hectic pace of our New Zealand travels, that’s actually been rather refreshing.
Australia Day festivities in Forbes with Lois, my sister Kaz and my brother in law, Peter.It’s great to be home and to enjoy classic Aussie treats – Lois insists this doesn’t count as “grocery shopping”..!The town of Parkes, just north of Forbes is home to a large radio telescope. It played an important role in the first moon landing in 1969, a story rather irreverently told in the Aussie cult classic movie, “The Dish”. While set in Parkes, the movie was substantially filmed in Forbes.Lois and my sister Kaz, downtown Parkes.Albert’s legendary “Rabbit Trap Hotel”.Lois in the bar. We enjoyed a great steak sandwich here.Local Albert legend, Jason Owen ( whose family owns the Rabbit Trap Hotel ), was runner-up in “X Factor-Australia” a few years back. His run to 2nd place in the show generated much interest in the town of Albert ( population 12 ) and the hotel specifically. People still drive from miles around to have a drink at this local ‘institution’.Mel B ( of Spice Girls fame ) judged the Australian “X Factor” show. She visited Jason in Albert.Lots of long endless roads in NSW. This one just outside Albert.Directions to the toilets in a fuel station in Trangie – Aussie style !“The Goanna” metal sculpture near Forbes.….and a close up look reveals the amazing detail and intricate welding required for the project.“Bird in the hand” sculpture near Forbes…….One has to be careful walking though the Australian bush.The small town of Trundle, rumored to have the widest Main Street in Australia , ironically named Forbes Street. The town was certainly very quiet.A scenic view of the Blue Mountains en route to Sydney from Forbes. A vehicle switch necessitated a quick return trip during the week.Thanks to old friends Justin and Angie for arranging our first car.Passed through CircularQuay, downtown Sydney and when returning the car, noticed that the Cunard ship “Queen Elizabeth” seems to be following us around the Pacific ( last spotted in Auckland harbour ) !Beautiful rural sunset in Forbes.My old school.The beautifully restored Forbes Post Office. The town retains many classic period buildingsForbes Town HallVictoria Park, ForbesMemorial at the place near Forbes where infamous local bushranger,, Ben Hall, was shot.
By the end of the week plans were being hatched for our road trip to Melbourne. Based on the procedures outlined by our shipping agent ( who has been absolutely wonderful in guiding us through all the steps ) it looks like vehicle collection in Melbourne is going to be at least a multi-day affair ( Carnet review and quarantine checks are separate parts of the process ). Hopefully we can minimize that, get back in our vehicle ASAP and just be on our way. We should know that by the next blog !
Postscript: Shipping Update
Preliminary excitement at the possibility of our camper being unloaded on January 25 ( based on ETA’s provided through the Wallenius shipping website ) was quickly tempered; first, disappointment that the ship was sailing very slowly towards Melbourne ( making the 28th a more likely arrival date ), and second, via a call from our shipping agent – while the ship would arrive off Melbourne close to its original ETA, cargo unloading was going to be delayed almost 2 weeks ! The revised unloading date was now February 8 with the real possibility of further delays beyond that if secondary cleaning was required.
Port of Melbourne scheduling site: Not only can we track when the ship arrives, we can track when it is scheduled to unload – good to know, but it does not help much when that date is so far away !
To say that was a bit of a gut punch would be an understatement. The whole uncertainty thing is beyond frustrating from a travel planning standpoint but there are 3 issues in particular that are especially disappointing. Firstly, this was cutting into prime summer travel time ( something we had timed our planned arrival to maximize ). Secondly it was burning up precious “Carnet” time (think of that as the time-limited “visa” for our van). Finally, and depending on how long this process drags on, it is squeezing the time we had allowed between arrival in Melbourne and then getting on the ferry to Tasmania ( during which we had many other things planned ).
This whole port congestion thing has been an ongoing issue around the world since the onset of Covid 19, and, like Covid itself, is very contagious. The Talisman will now be seriously delayed into every port on the rest of its route, as will dozens of others. Melbourne is by no means alone and at various times the same thing has happened to ports in other countries – that’s little consolation when it is wreaking havoc on your own long-held plans.
Tormenting to see the Talisman, still just off the Melbourne coastline, but it might as well be a million miles away – so near, and yet SO FAR !
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 !
We are Lois and Jeff, of Kelowna, BC, Canada. Recently retired with a serious overlanding travel bug, we hit the road in our truck camper in May 2019, initially tackling the Pan American highway. The PanAm completed in April 2022, and truck camper sold, we plan to continue exploring again later in 2022 in our Sprinter 4×4!
