TravelStream™ news feed for member chrisandmarg on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/chrisandmarg en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:38:30 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandmarg/1/1208261700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandmarg/1/1208261700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandmarg/1/1208261700/tpod.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:38:30 -0400 Long way down

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Gravesend, United Kingdom

What a great time we had in Hong Kong. A week later and I am still dreaming about being there - some form of jet lag perhaps? We had four days of mist and low cloud but this didn't hold us back in the slightest - in fact, with the sun coming out on our last day, maybe it assisted us as it was extremely hot and humid as we tried to find the walled city of Kowloon (even the locals didn't know what we meant) and we nearly gave up. However, after much studying of the map and excessive walking, we did find it and were glad we had made the hot and sweaty effort. Even though it was sunny, the mist didn't really clear so that a visit to The Peak will have to wait until next time.

Our day trip by train to the real China at Shenzhen was quite an experience. It's about 40 minutes to the border where we had to apply for a visa. For UK citizens it is £30, whereas other nationalities only paid £10! However, it was worth it. We left the station and came out into a large plaza with hotels on two sides and a huge shopping emporium on the third. This was built on seven floors with escalators and lifts. On each floor must have been a hundred or more small outlets selling bags, shoes, belts, childrens clothes, hats, jade, ivory, nail manicures and pedicures, massages, food, toys, ladies and gents clothing, curtains, cushions, scarves, etc. etc. each attended by two or more assistants who assaulted our ears on both sides trying to enveigle us into their shop if we showed any interest at all in their wares. It was obvious that you had to haggle and, being British, we were not used to it but in the end, I felt we did rather well. As Andrew has just written from China, you have to walk away if you can, because they grab your arm and say "why you go?" and then they say, "how much you pay?" and thrust a calculator in your hand. We really were quite exhausted after a few hours and had to rest in the B B C Western Restaurant where we found similarly tired "westerners" having a cup of coffee to revive them. As you all know, Chris is not a "market" person but in the end he really got into the spirit of the game and it was me who had to drag him away!

Our ride on the tram was quite exciting, as was our quest to find the Mid Levels escalator. It runs for over a mile and in the early morning it goes down from the top carrying the office workers etc. and then mid morning it goes up, taking tourists like us. There are stairs alongside, so the further you go up, the more stairs you have to come down, unless you wait until late evening, when the escalator switches direction and goes down again. We found a very pretty tea house - very French - in the Soho area and had tea and French pastries! Not very Chinese, but delicious. Not so the authentic Chinese meal we tried - I could have had Fried Pigs Blood but settled for Roasted Duck and Chris had a selection of Duck and Chicken. The restaurant was packed with Chinese people which we took to be a good sign but on the whole, we think we prefer the western version of Chinese food.

Our flight home was uneventful - our luggage appeared on the carousel without any hiccup (it was really an awful feeling when my case went AWOL at Hong Kong airport from Auckland, via Brisbane. I thought I might never see it again and have to spend five days in the clothes I stood up in, not to mention the loss of my new Ugg boots, Crocs and my cherished holiday book.) We were delighted to see Maureen and Gary at Heathrow and they were very patient whilst we chewed their ears off with our experiences.

When we arrived home the garden was looking lovely. We had missed some of the daffodils but the apple tree is in bloom. as are the tulips and thank you Paddy for cutting the lawns and taking in the post which stood at least two feet high and is still being "processed."

We've had a really wonderful trip - one that we will remember all our lives. We liked everywhere we visited without exception. Bangkok was so different from anything we have experienced, Australia was great, expecially seeing Andrew and Sarah in Sydney - I won't mention the Bridge Climb if you don't - New Zealand has the most stunning and magnificent scenery, all day every day, even in the rain. I have almost forgotten the damp and muddy shower blocks endured in the South Island and recall only the sunny days in Una United in the North Island. Our only regret is that we didn't have longer in the North Island. Hong Kong was fantastic - we would love to visit again.

It is great to be home - to see Christopher, Louise, Ollie and Amelie and all our friends. We will see how this friendship endures once you have been subjected to the thousands of photos, video film and our repetition of the highlights of our holiday.
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Hong Kong, China

Hi Now in HK. So much to do so little time to tell. Been by train into China. Very much like Hk but weather has been overcast since we have been here. Probably no chance of going to the Peak. Been to Aberdeen - facinating harbour with the fishing fleet. Also Stanley with very good market. Been to 2 night markets and back and forth on the Star ferry. Going on a very old fashioned tram today and hope to find the mid levels. Hotel very good. Whole place is not as crowded as we thought it would be, the underground is fast efficient and spotlessly clean (and cheap). Lots of buses and taxis everywhere and they are very cheap. Markets are the best part as they seem to have all human life there.

It was rather a nightmare to find that my (MJW) luggage was not on the carousel at Hong Kong airport but Qantas gave us both an overnight bag containing toiletries and shorty pyjamas and because we were so tired (we had been up at 3.30 am NZ time so goodness know's what it was HK or UK time) we fell asleep quite quickly - me mentally making a note of all I could remember being in the case. However, next morning was a message on the television and also by phone saying a package had been delivered - relief all round when my case was delivered.
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Brisbane, Australia

Hi everyone

As I said earlier, we are at Brisbane Airport now waiting for our flight to Hong Kong. Quantas was very good and we travel on with them to HK. We have heard about the chaos at Heathrow so hope that will all be sorted out before we come home. New Zealand was lovely. We liked both islands - the South is more spectacular but the climate is better in the North. Got to go now as people are coughing behind me and I have been here a little while now. I may offer some cough mixture as I had to wait quite a while!
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Auckland, New Zealand

We travelled through some very pretty countryside to reach Auckland, but not before we had a look at the Green Lake and Lake Tarawera, and then a look at Rotorua Town, which was very pleasant with a big broad street leading to a huge lake and with some very nice old buildings along the way.

We were quite sad to see Una returned to United. I can't remember how many km we did but over 1600. (I am typing this at Brisbane Airport and don't have any travel details with me). We stayed at the Rydges Hotel on the 12th floor, so had a good view over the harbour. It was lovely to have crisp white sheets instead of the navy ones which seem to be supplied to camper vans. We always knew a fellow camper at the thermal baths because they had the same navy towels as us. Also, lovely white towels and, of course, the toiletries!

Our first morning Chris sailed on one of the Americas Cup yachts. It has been the highlight of his holiday. I can't give you any nautical information except that it was very windy and they did 22 knots, which the skipper (a female) said was too violent for racing. There are several photographs of Admiral Withers at the wheel. Chris said he wished I had been with him but he also said he knew I would have been scared to death! He was out there braving the elements for two hours along with about sixteen other farepaying sailors and five crew.

In the afternoon, we went by ferry to Devonport - about 20 minutes across the water. We climbed Mount Victoria and had wonderful 360 degree views of Auckland and surrounding islands. This was an extinct volcano, all covered in grass now, of course. Devonport was very quaint and we had a real Devonshire cream tea in one of the numerous cafes. Dinner was in The Koreans - a buffet where you picked the food you wanted and cooked it yourself on a stove in the middle of the table. It was a large restaurant holding about a hundred people that evening and we were the only Europeans there - the rest presumably were Korean and we were amazed at the amounts of food they were consuming. Because it was a buffet - prawns, oysters, mussels, chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, salads and lots of things we didn't recognise, we came away feeling far too full!

Yesterday we went to Waikeke - an island about 35 minutes away by Fullers ferry. They seem to have everything sewn up from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and no doubt beyond. It is a fast and frequent service. We also had an all day bus pass and travelled all over the island, stopping at various bays, collecting shells etc. Louise had recommended the Mud Brick Cafe to us and so we took a taxi to this very pretty Winery. It was the perfect spot to taste the wines and have lunch. There were lovely views of the water looking back to Auckland in the distance. We had a very nice day out and then came back to our room to do the packing!!
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Rotorua, New Zealand

We dashed from the Coromandel Peninsula to the Blue Lake, about six miles from Rotorua. For the record, we travelled 3000 km in Carole the Camper van! We stayed two nights at this very nice Top Ten site and one thing having a van, you do notice the sky as you make your way to the block last thing at night. The stars were really bright and one evening whilst we were at Kaikoura we chanced upon a young man called Adam from Barnstaple and he told us all about them. Anyway, we raced to see the geysers and mudpools and the Lady Knox geyser blowing her top at 10.15 precisely. She does this every day as they pop a bag of detergent into the crater, she then bubbles for a few moments and then spurts foam and water about twenty feet into the air. Quite a spectacle. We saw some bubbling, glugging mud pools and sometimes it looked as if little faces were popping up and then plopping down again. In the afternoon, we found our way to Waiteke, a stream of boiling water which has been diverted into thermal pools. We soaked in these for an hour or so and it was one of the nicest thermal springs we have visited. We followed their eco trail and found the source of the springs - it was a pool of frothing boiling water with steam rising some fifteen feet into the air. I couldn't help thinking that nothing would survive in that boiling cauldron, although some of the mosses and ferns seem to thrive on it.
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Coramandel Peninsula, New Zealand

We decided to stay only one night on the peninsula but saw some stunning scenery on the way along the Firth of Thames. We stayed at Shelly Beach. The site was right on the beach, strewn with shells which crunched under our feet. We went to Coramandel town, and also to Colville where they had a Co-operative Store which sold everything from mothballs and mousetraps to semi precious stones and bread. It was fascinating. We went to Hahei beach, which was a golden stretch of sand and then to Hot Water Beach. I was bitterly disappointed not to be able to dig on the sand and place my feet in the hot water, but the tides were wrong. Never mind, next time perhaps. After that, it was a race to Rotoroa.
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Piahai, New Zealand

We had a lovely day for our cruise round the islands with Graham and Pauline on the Fullers Original Cream Cruise so called as they used to call at the islands to collect the dairy products. These days they ferry we tourists and make the odd delivery - this time a newspaper as it was Easter Sunday.We did not actually dock - the paper was put in a bucket on a line and this was hauled in by the islander. We stopped for lunch and Chris and Graham had a swim in the bay, Chris also had a kayak out for half an hour, whilst Pauline and I climbed a hill and took some photographs, and then we all had lunch. We embarked again and went along the coast to Cape Brett and then to Piercy Island which had an arch carved out by the sea and Hugh, the captain, took the boat through the arch and out the other side. There was plenty of room but it didn't seem so at the time.We also saw shoals of beautiful blue fish but no dolphins although sometimes they are seen. It was a lovely run back to Piahai. The Bay of Islands is a beautiful place. We bade farewell to Pauline and Graham who now travel to Fiji and Los Angeles before going home.
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Hanmer Springs, New Zealand

We made a detour on our way to Christchurch and called at this pretty town with a thermal spring park, comprising rock pools, a swimming pool and a pool for children with slides and flumes.We enjoyed a soak in the sunshine. We arrived in Christchurch in the evening and prepared to hand back Carole the following morning and not before time!
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Auckland, New Zealand

After an uneventful flight, we made our way to United to pick up the new van - she was a beauty - a Fiat Ducato and so quiet, we could hear ourselves speak as we drove along, which was nigh impossible in Carole. Everything about Una was better - decor, bedding, we even had an electric toaster and kettle and they gave us a bottle of wine as well. We drove straight away to the Bay of Islands, staying on a nice site at Kerikeri for three nights.
There is the oldest stone house there, built around 1835 and had we had our National Trust cards with us, we could have used them there and also at the Mission House, both interesting buildings.We also went to Rewas Village - an old Mauri settlement, all three places on the Kerikeri inlet.

We then went to Piahai and met Pauline and Graham again. They had come from Rotoroa. It was a beautiful day and we took the ferry to Russell, an old colonial town across the bay.The houses and police station looked very picturesque and we enjoyed a meal in the Duke of Marlborough and watched the sun setting over hills and the water.It was idyllic.
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Christchurch, New Zealand

Cannot really say much about Christchurch - it was raining when we arrived three weeks ago and it was windy and overcast when we left having waived a fond farewell to Carole and made our way to the airport for our flight of one hour and five minutes to Auckland.We did see the owner of the Hotel So at the airport with a mock up of one of their hotel rooms. He told us they plan to open three more in New Zealand. It is a brilliant concept.
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