Day 97: St Kilda

Friday 11th March

Albert Park

Grand Prix track and park

Beach front and pier

St Kilda Botanic Gardens

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Staying in hostels with the 18-21 vibe and surrounded by people who are either hung over or rushing to their next trip isn't much fun, so yesterday my last job was to get down to St Kilda. A friend I met in New Zealand who now lives in the city advised Habitiat HQ as the place to go. It's $5 per night more, but comes with a free breakfast and has a friendly, homely, vibe to it. When I arrived last night there was a charity event going on. A work mate did the same thing last year in NZ. It's caller "Shave for a Cure" and involves people volunteering to have their head shaved to raise money for a leukaemia charity. Tonight one of the hostel staff was doing it- a guy with a huge afro and pirate beard. Everyone was in the main room watching, many with a cheap beer from the hostel bar, as he was shaved and the collection bucket passed round. Afterward there was a FREE barbecue dinner. Love this place- no wonder there's various awards all over the reception area!

I didn't feel like doing a great deal his day though. I decided to go have a quick walk down to Albert Park- a large park surrounding a long lake. I'd planned to walk around it whilst reading. However Melbourne was about to host the Grand Prix, and the route was around the lake. The park was still open, but so was the site of the race. Time to explore.

Walk like you know where you're going, don't look threatening, and don't stop. Those guidelines have got me through and into many places without causing (too much) fuss. I don't think though that there was anything that stopped me from being here though. So I walked some of the track and wandered through what would be the VIP area. It was still mostly under construction, but the main structures were up. I was in Tasmania for the race, thankfully. Would have been nice to go, but expensive and the hostels all put their prices up to make the most of the busy period.

Having done that I (with some difficulty) found my way out of the Grand Prix enclosure and went out to the beach. St Kilda has a long, lovely beach, including the time honoured Luna Park with its many rides and the pier. I walked along the coast, and out to the pier, where many old men sat fishing. At the end is a small kiosk- much more reasonably priced, oddly, than the one at the shore end of the pier. So I had a sit down with a $2 ice cream, a wee old school glass bottle of Coke, and read about the local wildlife. If you come here at sunset the penguins swim onto the rocks at the end of the pier and the Australian water rats can occasionally be seen.

It was beginning to get late, but I had just enough day light left to make a quick trip through the St Kilda Botanic garden. This wee garden is as well kept and as nice as all of the small botanic gardens I've seen in Austalia and New Zealand. Today there was even a wedding going on, with the guests now milling around as the bridal party had photos taken in various locations.

Afterwards I was off to Aldi. Food's quite expensive in Australia. I'd expected this in New Zealand- it's a relatively small, under populated island in the middle of the Pacific so shipping anything in is going to make it expensive. Yet here, even I. The cities, the price can be similar to New Zealand. Aldi's started to move in to challenge this. The European supermarket often charges far less than the local stores and is gradually forcing prices down. Note, I don't believe it's to the detriment to farmers- they're buying from the same market and don't have any home brands- it's mostly cheaper European stuff.

Day 95: Great Ocean Road, 8/12 Apostles, MELBOURNE!

Wednesday 9th March

Many sea front viewing points along the well worn limestone coast

"12" Apostles

Great Ocean Road- built by returned servicemen after the Great War

Trailer swap and me the Bird Man

Melbourne

Distance: 

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We quickly flitted between viewpoints this morning, getting a variety of views along the coast. The cliffs are limestone which is eroded by the sea easily. This has left many formations. One of these WAS The Bridge of London- a stretch of rock sticking out into the sea with two arches beneath. However in the early 90s the arch closest to land collapsed, leaving two tourists stranded. Only the one arch remains now.

Further along is what was initially called the Sow and Piglets- one large rock and many small. These were renamed the 12 Apostles to tempt more tourists in. The name stuck, despite the fact that there are only 8. When Europeans first arrived there were 9 of the great 50m high limestone stacks. They stand out in the sea, battered by waves, slowly eroded at the base, waiting to be toppled. 

We carried on along the Great Ocean Road. Built shortly after the Great War to connect the isolated farming and fishing townships it used the skills and abilities servicemen had learnt in digging the trenches at a time when there were limited jobs. My favourite story about its creation occurred after a shipment of beer and rum came in. The load was supposed to last them for 2 years. Instead, being good Aussies, they decided to take a 2 week vacation! They then hammered through all of the booze in short order until all of the rum was gone. Given that most of the rubble removal work, after blasting with dynamite, was done by hand they undoubtedly deserved it. Must have been one hell of a party!

After we were of the officially Great ocean road we found a small cafe to wait at. We got through over a week in the desert without any rain. It's a desert, I doubt this is special. However the group coming through after us had managed to find an enormous storm. What's more it had happened whilst they were in William Creek- the place with nothing but a pub and airfield surrounded by dirt roads. The weary was so bad that they would be stuck there for at least 2 days, the roads being impassable, and might have to be flown out. Not a bad lace to be stuck, if we're honest, so long as the beer and air-con continue to flow! Anyway, our bus having been serviced recently it was needed to go back north to help out. Thus we swapped Gilbo for Gemma.

Whilst waiting at the stop we went for a little walk. There was a park next door full of parrots. And the store sold little bags of bird seed which the parrots would happily take out of ones hand. Two Canadian girls were already there and getting quite terrified as dozens of parrots attempted to land on them , battling for seed. In swoops BirdBoy, gently picking off the most obtuse birds. They thanked me and gave me what remained of their bird feed. So I spent half an hour feeding parrots, ducks, and a few smaller birds. I'd have parrots in each hand, each shoulder, and one on my hat as I talked to other people about them and to the parrots about not being bullies to one another. There were a fair number of larger green parrots and a few smaller red parrots- still haven't bought a bird book, still don't know what they are. Happy and entertaining was enough for me. Thus people from my group have photos of me covered in parrots. No photos of my own, I was too busy being BirdBoy.

Finally we got into Melbourne. Many of us had chosen to spend one night in the Nomads hostel as that's were we were due to be dropped off. From here a few of us decided to sally forth (she's a lovely girl) into the city to find food.

Melbourne's full of restaurants, many Asian, ranging from expensive posh places to small cheap take always. We were out looking for somewhere in between. It was late, we were tired and hungry. We ended up in a Korean barbecue restaurant that turned out not to be as cheap as the adverts on the front door. Not only that but the menu was primarily raw ingredients one was given to then cook on the barbecue in the middle of the table. It's not very British to leave a restaurant once you've been sat down but no one could be bothered. Half an apology was made and we left.

There was a Nandos across the road. Neither the Gerrmans nor Canadian had been before. It's basically Portugese spicy chicken served very quickly. In the UK I've normally found it very dry and tasteless, other than the hot sauce. But it was cheap and fast. Turned out to be quite good too, compared to the UK edition. It arrived nearly the moment we'd ordered and seemed to do the trick.

We went back to the hostel and despite my best efforts to go shower I found my self waking up at 4am still dressed having accidentally lain down on the bed.

Day 74: Driving to Yamba for the beach

Wednesday 17th February 

Hung over, drove...drove...drove...food in the mountains, down to the beach for a swim

Distance: 430km

Total Distance: 11735km

Mildly hung over we spent much of today driving towards Yamba. The township has been awarded Australia's "Most Beautiful Township" award and is viewed as the next place to grow into significance. 

I can sort of see why people are moving here. It's a nice place. Decent beaches (mind the jellyfish), there's a harbour for all of the fishing boats. The countryside is lush and green from having enough rain (unlike some of Oz). We passed through large fields of sugar cane which is processed locally and exported in huge amounts.

The afternoon was spent on Yamba beach. A few went swimming in the sea until someone got a light jellyfish sting. I got out my miniature kite to play around with as the girls took to sunbathing.

Eventually there was just my German mate, Hendrick, and I left. At one end on the beach there's a sea water pool- a place to swim free of jellyfish! We went to do a few laps, but ended up in the defense pool. With the tremendous waves this beach gets the pool should get swamped every 5 seconds. Instead there's a crenalated wall which reduces the waves power. Behind this is a small pool into which the waves fall, dropping their debris as they lose power. Then a thick, low level wall before the main pool. This keeps the swimming pool relatively flat and clear. It also means there's a poo, full of warm, fresh, sea water that bubbles away- like a spa pool. We joined an Australian couple to enjoy the refreshing, healing, relaxing properties of several tons of the Pacific Ocean pushing us up against the dividing wall a few times a minute.

For dinner I tried the local Fish and Chips. Not as good as NZ or the UK! Someone must be doing it wrong, I'll have to try again elsewhere. Equally the beer was good, but not good enough to aid my pool playing. The guide and I won again, but I just wasn't getting my shots in.

We did have a decent chat at dinner though. All the phones were piled in the middle of the table so people would stop worshipping them. After this everyone opened up more. Nothing like proper civilised conversation on an evening.

Day 57: Kaikoura Whale Watching

Sunday 31st January 

Sperm Whale off the starboard bow! And Dolphins! And a frogging great Albatross!!!

Distance: Bus, 181km, Boat, 18km

Total Distance:  6368km

Starting back on the Kiwi bus with only 2 days remaining was something of a shock. A significant number of people leave at Christchurch, and an equally significant number get on. New, young, inexperienced, people, not knowing how the buses work. As it turned out they don't know how to wash or dry their dishes either. (Old man grumbling noises)

Time to go to Kaikoura (Kai=food/eating, Koura=Crayfish) , the home of whale watching in NZ!

Boats leave every half hour and at least one sighting is virtually promised. The reason for the whales being here in such numbers is due to the deep sea trench just off shore. Here cold southerly currents meet northern warm currents and life thrives.

The Sperm Whale is the main species seen. The waters are relatively cold such that primarily males inhabit these waters. The males are larger and thus can survive comfortably at lower temperatures. Sperm whales are champions of deep sea dives, using the trench's ecosystem as their feeding grounds. They have large teeth, not combs, and eat any number of large animals such as squid and sharks (even great whites!)

Each whale dives down for around 2 hours before resurfacing. Here they are made obvious by the great sprays of water with each exhilation. They steadily bob in the water, breathing, digesting, defecating. This last for about 15 minutes before they dive again, head going down, tail giving a grand swish before slapping the water. The slap was known as The Hand of God by whalers, as it could destroy any little whaling boat sending everyone aboard to God. As the whale swims into the deep a patch of smooth water appears. This is caused by the whale's propulsion, but was believed by whalers to be a small oil slick left behind by the whales.

Sperm Whales get their name from the first whales caught having a white substance in their heads which looked like semen. It took them a little while to realise that's not where the reproductive organs are, but the name has stuck. It kind of works in other ways though-they have the largest head to body retro in the animal kingdom. They are 1/3 head, 1/3 torso & abdomen, and 1/3 tail.

The white substance in their heads is actually oil. It was harvested for years to be shipped to Europe and America for uses such as lamps. The biological purpose of the oil is uncertain. There are two theories:

1. At the surface, as the whale breathes, the oil cools becoming more solid, denser, and less boyant. This acts like a diving weight, pulling the whale down for its next dive. In the deep, once out of adequate oxygen, blood can be pumped around the oil. This heats it, creating less dense liquid which is more boyant. The whale is then able to swim more easily to the surface.

2. In the depths the whales use their echo location to find food. The oil could be used to aid sonar emission and/or detection, enabling them to see better in the dark.

We got our one whale easy enough and were joined by 2 other boats from the same fleet to watch as a creature as long as the boats and far heavier breathed. They are quite big...

Then he had enough, got hungry, and with a great slap of his tail descended.

During the rest of the ride we found bottlenose dolphins and a seal playing in amongst them, like a dog at a family gathering. The Dolphins swam around us and further off could be seen performing flips and playing games. 

My favourite though was the Albatross that flew at the boat and was nearly hit, had the skipper not slammed on the brakes. Wings out, it sailed past the windows. The span was phenomenal. You can't tell when they're out on the ocean, and can't really see it from the museum models. This thing stretched out to nearly the height of the boat. The average wingspan for a Wandering Albatross is apparently 3.85m. It was huge. Like a bird with wing extensions. And it nearly got plastered against the windscreen. 

Didn't even have time for a photo.

Day 39: Invercargill to Stewart Island

Wednesday 13th January 

Took the ferry to Stewart Island (I've left the South Island!) and landed on the birders paradise.

Distance: Bus to Bluff, 29km, Ferry ~40km

Total Distance: 5121km

There was a German kid going from the Southern Comfort hostel to Stewart Island so we set out together on a boring, neither grey nor blue, morning to take the bus out to Bluff. Along the way we chatted about our plans- like me he was going to do the little three day "Great Walk" of Stewart Island.

At the ferry our bags were packed away into large steel tubs and hoisted on board. We followed onto the little craft and found seats in the cabin with a table.

The start was rough, having to get out of the swell around Bluff before getting into the only slightly less turbulent Foveaux Strait. Outside the winds wiped up the surf as the boat hammered through the waves. We headed outside for photos and to try our sea legs, whilst chatting about how we were finally leaving the South Island and joking that we'd better look after the complimentary sick bags just in case.

Within an hour we reached the calmer waters of Stewart Island to disembark and set foot on a new land. There were already a multitude of birds in the sky and forest surrounded the little township of Oban, the one small community here.

We found our hostel, then went out to find the Department of Conservation building, getting the tickets for our walk accommodation. I dropped in to organise a ferry for the next day to Ulva Island, the largest island in the inlet by Oban, now virtually cleared of rats and deemed the best bird sactuary in the area.

The Kai Kart is on the next street serving the best Fish and Chips in all New Zealand. No kidding, we went for lunch and it was glorious. The seagulls looked at us expectantly as we tucked in, leaving nothing for them. The Germans in the hostel are presently talking about them as I write (in German- I'm able to get a few of the words, like "Fish und Chips")

We couldn't help laughing over lunch at the number of cars here. 400 people inhabit Oban. It's the only settlement on the island. There's maybe, including every side street, a total of 50km of road here, with the maximum travel distance between two places maybe being 10km, though Oban's only about 1/2km across the main centre. Yet there looks to be 200 cars. WHERE IS EVERYONE GOING??

Kind of surprised they haven't all just chipped in to buy 10 utes to leave for anyone wanting to move anything heavy. Not like anyone's going to steal them. I can understand the people further out having cars. I'm sure there's good reason for the rest, but still.

It's such a small place. And it's filled with cars! Half of them must be doing 2km per day! Oh well.

My German friend was starting the walk the next day so he went to pack as I went for a nap. I hit the hay pretty hard and was awake just in time to make it next door to the island's cinema. Yeh, they have a cinema. A proper one. Small, but it has proper seats and a decent screen. They have short-film festivals and every day at 11am, 2pm, and 4pm show a 40 minute film about the island and its history, presented by the cinema owner's dog, Lola. In the foyer Lola sits patiently for photos and cuddles- there's a hall of fame of her with such big names as Prince Harry. Before the show started a couple of people lined up to use the "make your own popcorn" machine before Lola rang her a little bell, relieved a thin slice of carrot as a treat, and we all went to find our seats.

The film revolved around "stories from the pub", going back as far as when the Maori arrived, through early days of whaling, sealing, and forestry, to the setting up on Oban. For a while Stewart Island wasn't actually part of New Zealand. No one really noticed this for years. The islanders brought supplies in from Sydney and life went on. Yet without checks at the port into Oban, and no checks from Oban to the main islands there was a loop hole. This was used by a local Maori to smuggle in gunpowder and guns which were traded to Maori on the main islands, so that they could have the advantage in intertribal wars. The initial attempt to stop this failed due to the legal loophole. Thus the island had to be bought by New Zealand from the Maori, with certain exceptions in laws such as allowing the continued traditional harvest of Mutton Birds by the local tribe, and protection for the rest. And thus Stewart Island became part of New Zealand.

There were attempts her to farm cattle and sheep, but these weren't profitable. The locals funded and built there own fish processing plant, enabling the local catch to be frozen for export on the island, making this business significantly more profitable for the island. Now there are fish and mussel farms, as well as the summer tourism, which is built up around the fact that nearly the entire island is a reserve hosting the country's rarest birds, including 50,000 kiwi, and off shore the one island to still have Kakapo.

That evening I walked around nearly all of the paths on the western side of Oban, seeing the wharf where I would be leaving for Ulva Island the next day, and a few of the birds still flying around.

As I arrived back at the hostel I was met by a phenomenal sight- everyone was in the garden and surrounded by one of New Zealand's parrots, the Kaka. The large birds were taking food off the table and people's hands as we all took photos.

Photo from Google images. Sorry, none on my phone, only camera. If anyone wants to sponsor an upgrade to tech that allows for transfers I'm all for it

Day 11: Cathedral Cove Kayaking by the Coromandel, and a trip to Hot Water Beach

Wednesday 16th December

Kiwi Experience bus from Auckland to Hot Water Beach, Kayaking around Cathedral Cove and the wee islands, then down to Hot Water Beach to burn our feet on the boiling water coming up through the sand.

Distance: Bus, Auck-Hot Water Beach 174km , Kayak, 6km, minibus, 10km

Total Distance: 2168km

This is my view as a write this in the early morning light of Day 12. Sadly I can't say this is my accommodation- we stayed in the huts- but it's a pleasant view all the same.

Yesterday began slightly early as we left Auckland, followed by a talk from the driver for all of us new guys. We then drove off, through Thames, a small agricultural town next to a river that had reminded Cpt James Cook of the other Thames, and up through the mountains.

On the far side of the mountains lies Hot Water Beach, a place where water descends through cracks in the rocks, down towards a channel of magma, to be boiled before ascending. This marvel of geothermal activity is what the tour came here to see, as did a significant portion of the country, it seems. We went there later in the day to find the place filled with people, each group with its own hot pool dug into the sand. Hence why a small group has gone this morning to see it after the tide had washed away all of the pools. I'm not going because I have a festive cold. And it's 5am. And I'm lazy.

But before all of that happened, yesterday afternoon I went kayaking! This time we were in proper tandem sea kayaks. There were 5 of us plus guide, and as the other 4 were couples I went with the guide. Which would normally be weird, but he has just finished his first year of veterinary school, so we had plenty to talk about. Also his grandfather used to farm the local area, including keeping sheep on a small island in the bay (having to transport the sheep via a small rowing boat), and used to own the tourist destination that is the Cathedral Cove, until he donated it to the Department of Conservation 

We paddled round towards Cathedral Cove with the wind and sea spray in our faces, bobbing over the coastal waves of the Pacific Ocean. On our way we passed through the shallows, running through gaps in the rocks and taking a detour into Lovers' Cave, a small sea cave with a miniature, romantic beach within. 

Cathedral Cove is effectively two beaches, joined by a huge hole in the rock, hence the name. There is a small waterfall and cave on the eastern beach, and a large number of cairns built by tourists on the other. Atop the cliffs hang a myriad of trees, the odd one having crashed into the sand leaving behind the skeleton of a tree on the shore. 

The Cove and cliffs were formed from volcanic debris, including pumice and ash. The Rock is relatively soft, and is steadily being warn away by sea salt having an effect similar to the freeze-thaw effect. As sea water splashes on the rock it deposits droplets containing salt. The salt forms crystals, which expanding, owning gaps in the rock. Over thousands of years this multiplies into an effect that gives he rock a honey comb appearance and forms the caves.

We walked around the cove, meeting up with the rest of the tour group who had walked here. Our guide made us ridiculously good mochas on a travel stove and we planned our next move. Further around the coast is Sting Ray Bay, but it's the wrong season to see them. There are more islands further out, part of the Nature Reserve that makes up the area- New Zealand's oldest and smallest ocean nature reserve. However the wind looked to be picking up so our guide didn't think we'd make it. Instead we could use the sail!

We formed a raft, the central kayak holding us side by side. The outside kayaks each got a corner of the large black sail, the people at the back hoisting it on their paddles. The sail filled with wind, ready to push us forth...and then died. Islands it was!

The sail was packed up and we set off for the closest island. A pair of Canadian girls were struggling with their craft, so the guide and I tied a line to their prow and towed them out to sea. Out on the ocean stood the large edifices of rock, topped by trees, now maintained as nesting sites for birds. We saw a number of cormorants, but no little blue penguins. We paddled through a hole in the rock before heading back to our starting point.

As we left the guide pointed out the shape of the island to us. Hundreds of years ago a chief travelled by canoe through the area. He looked at the island and decided it looked like his nose. In Maori tradition if a feature looks like one of your body parts then it was created for you. Thus, when his tribe agreed that it did look like his nose, he climbed to the top and claimed all that he could see for himself. The terracing of a local hill can still be seen where he build his fortified village.

After kayaking we went to Hot Water Beach, burned our feet, then came back to the hostel for fish n chips, a bottle of local Chardonnay, and some Tim Tams.

Day 8: Cape Reinga (Most Northerly Point on NZ), Sandboarding, and 90 mile Beach (Dead whale too)

Sunday 13th December

Tonto and I took a bus tour north to the top tip of NZ

Distance: 450km

Total Distance so far: 1718km

The morning began at 7am with a bus full of young people and a middle aged Australian who was hard of hearing- who had his dog with him! She was very well behaved until told not to be and let off the lead- at which point she'd travel up the bus for pats and cuddles, or to run in the surf when at the beach. 

We drove north through numerous townships mostly of historical significance. There was the site where the Waitangi Treaty was signed, the first place Pakeha organised to settle land in New Zealand (they were missionaries from Australia), the resting place of the Rainbow Warrior, Green Peace's ship sunk by the French, and we took a walk through a reminent of native forest using a board walk through the swamp built for Queen Elizabeth II for her 1990 visit. Our driver was amazingly knowledgable about the area and told us more than I can remember.

I'm not going to tell you a great deal about these places at present because

A) Wikipedia has a far better memory than me, as well as maps.

B) I can't spell all the place names

C) Happy Hour starts in less than an hour

I'll try write something interesting about it all in the future, but for now let's move on to Cape Reinga

At the tip of the North Island sits a little squat light house watching as the Pacific Ocean crashes against the Tasman Sea. The depth of the Ocean gives it a deeper, darker, hue compared to the lighter, greener, sea.

This place is vastly important to Maori culture. From here the spirits of the deceased are released from their mortal body. As a sacred place no food is allowed (as its disruptive to Mana, the spiritual force of Maori mythology).

The day wasn't as bright as one might have liked, but the rain receded enough to allow for some nice photos and a chance to wander around. 

We then moved on for lunch, going to a small cove which was slightly sheltered and inhabited by a roving pack of seagulls. The main road is high up on the ridge of the peninsula so driving down is slightly hairy in a large coach. Coming up wasn't much better, made worse by our having to swerve around a car parked up to help a group- who's rental car had taken a tumble of the edge of the road! It had flipped, but everyone looked well. We got waved at but if the coach stopped on the hill path it wouldn't start again. Therefore we carried on until the driver had radio reception. He contacted head office, the police, and the Department of Conservation. Someone else was able to help them and we carried on.

Just before 90 mile beach are ridiculously huge sand dunes. Probably about 50m high, may be more. 

These we climbed holding onto sand boards (body boards/mini surf boards/ironing boards without legs), before throwing ourselves onto them (keeping faces over the board, not in the sand) and hurtling down, using legs that are off the edge for "control". It's sledding for people who like sun, surf, and sand in your eyes. Swimming goggles or those goggles racing horse riders wear would have been very useful. I just had my glasses.

After 3 attempts our time was up. We patted the sand out of... Well, everywhere... And got back on the bus. After a short drive DOWN A RIVER we got onto the beach. Here, having found a spot the driver was sure wouldn't swallow the coach, we were released, as was the hearing dog. She charged off ahead of us all, storming the waves and scaring young women. The tide was going out, but the waves slid lazily out before crashing back in a far greater distance than the most keen travelers were prepared for. The screamed and shouted as they ran back in, trying to not get swamped, the dog deciding it was a great game.

The beach runs for 90 nautical miles, charted by Captain James Cook in his notes as the "90 mile desert", the beach being so big that from his ship he couldn't see its depth inland. We drove along the 55 (land) miles, at one point taking in the astonishing sight of a dead beached whale. It landed there a week ago and was significantly decomposed at this point. Shortly the Department of Conservation and local Maori will have a ceremony for the Whale. The bones will be taken for ceremonial purposes. The soft tissues will either be buried or allowed to feed the local wild life.

Finally we stopped off at a local "Fush n Chips" shop for the usual fresh fish. Similar to Britain, but fresher fish, smaller (manageable), portions, and far cheaper.

Tonight we'll have some R&R, then tomorrow I get a lie in, before going sailing at 9am.

Taranaki Part 3: New Plymouth

A continuation of my trip to Taranaki, this entry is primarily about New Plymouth. This is the primary city in the region of Taranaki, out on the Western coast of New Zealand's North Island. I wasn't really expecting much (not much of a city person) but really enjoyed my short stay here. The beach front is beautiful, and the tourist center combines the city's large museum & library. Hoefully I'll be able to go back at some time. I don't have a great many pictures of the city, but I've bought a few books about the region which I'll be sending to my mother soon, and I'm sure she'll be happily showing anyone who visits.

I didn't have time to visit the local parks, only spent a small time at the beach, and spent the time on the city looking at the museum. I'll give you some details of what I learnt there later, but for now I thought you'd like to see the HUGE rock that sits on the water front. This stands high above the city, allowing views far out over the region, out across the Tasman sea, and across to the mountain. The climb to the top of this bastion isn't easy and involves a decent section of rock climbing near the summit (wouldn't be allowed in the UK, Health & Safety gone made!)

This is the rock, from the bottom

And this is the route I undertook, with a few steps and chains to help get up

There were some phenomenal views on the way up, including the port, the city, and the mountain

At the top was a beautiful view of the coast

Finally, I'll leave you with a weird thing that was at the top, a Trig Point that has been rigorously adorned with birds

Nearly forgot the one thing I did take pictures of in New Plymouth- glowing chairs! They were in the museum's cinema, made of translucent plastic, with constantly changing internal lights. I want one!