Arajilla Retreat Lord Howe Island

Tonight we had the perfect ending to a good day! We went down to the beach by our lodge at sunset. I rode my bike and tried to ride all the way across the beach but it was tough! As I was about to go in the ocean to meet Dad and Lu, a rainbow appeared over the mountains. It is about to storm here so it was nice to see it ...

... max. The hike started with a 200-meter scramble over big volcanic rocks on the beach.  The sheer cliff face of the mountain loomed above us in the mist.  Using safety ropes, we climbed 80 meters more or less straight up, and then walked along a narrow grassy ledge, with the waves crashing beneath us.  Dean listened quietly to India's and my tough talk about our experiences hiking in South ...

... you and even try to jump out of the water to get the food - some of them were bigger than me! These are called kingfish. Sometimes Whaler sharks even come up but they are not dangerous. It is not scary, though, and I even touched some of them. Last night, after we had dinner with Mom's friend in Sydney, I really did not want to come here. Mainly I was tired of flying around. But after today, I am SOOO glad we came. It is a tropical paradise here!

... especially out to some really amazing formations ( I can't remember what they are called). Mid winter, the water is so warm that if you are out at sunrise you won't be able to resist taking a dip. The people are really friendly and casual. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and you wanted to be surrounded by nature and pristine forests. If you want to have fun.... I recommend Lord Howe Island, take a friend, you'll love it.

... got out because I was too cold and also needed to pee. Watched Mandi to make sure she wasn't eaten by the Kraken, until she had had enough. Took some photos of her as proof for the kids as she came out, though I was sorry that I didn't get any of her floundering on her back trying to get her flippers off. M: Some highlights: a fancy-schmantzy clam with decorative spots on its blue lips, that I finally managed to ...

... The glass bottom was smaller than the one we went on in Tasmania but much cleaner. Nevertheless, you still lose colour and clarity through glass and also that feeling of being in the fishes' domain. But a big advantage is that Gray can see better so it all breaks even. G: The skipper was great, a really dour and serious looking man with a dry sense of humour, and a deep love for his coral that is in 'such good ...

... in order to feel that the flippers were actually in the water and not just splashing about uselessly on the surface! G: Having stuffed ourselves into the neoprene, we looked rather like two black blimps as we waddled down to the sea. Mandi had asked a bystander to take our photo, as the kids would never believe us otherwise. Eventually with a great deal of flopping about in the shallows, we ...

... but the morning was beautiful - such a pity I still feel too lousy to enjoy it. G: Woke finally at 7am on our anniversary day - 27 years! The sun was shining, what a glorious day. Mandi didn't look too great, but that could just be a night after one of those cold mutis. M: After a cup of coffee and an aspirin, I started to feel fairly human and we set off to walk the short track down to Ned's Beach. It is an ...

... the windy path from the bottom of Ebb Tide down to Ned's beach. From the path there were glimpses of a jagged headland with those terrible rocks. The path comes out onto the manicured lawn above a pristine and apparently deserted beach of white sand. I then noticed a truck and some people. Kicked off my shoes and walked the other way down the beach, looking at the little lumps of coral that dot the tide line. When I came ...

... wasn't on the departure board. But we found it, and the teeny tiny check-in counter waaay over in a corner. The very nice girl made us feel very guilty about our 14.4kg and 16kg bags saying that the 14kg limit was because the aircraft can't refuel on Lord Howe Island so if they burn extra fuel on the way out, they'll run out on the way back. But she looked at our carry-ons (which we tried to make look ...