Tina Bean's Travels All about the adventures of beanie baby!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2006-09-10:/blog/?domain=tina-bean 2007-09-18T19:42:38Z Tina Bean img/travel-blog-feed.png The United States of America (California anyhow!!!) tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-09-18:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=44&entryid=79157 2007-09-18T19:42:38Z 2007-09-18T19:42:38Z Los Angeles When you think of LA you think of all the glamor of Hollywood Blvd. Believe me i stayed in a hostel slap bang in between Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd and they are far from glamorous! They are pretty ace streets but the scale of types of people roaming them is vast! Lots of homeless and beggers amongst the stars on the sidewalk. Cutting through this crap however it was awesome to walk along the stars and check out ... Los Angeles

When you think of LA you think of all the glamor of Hollywood Blvd. Believe me i stayed in a hostel slap bang in between Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd and they are far from glamorous! They are pretty ace streets but the scale of types of people roaming them is vast! Lots of homeless and beggers amongst the stars on the sidewalk. Cutting through this crap however it was awesome to walk along the stars and check out all the hand prints and foot prints located in the chinese theater.

I went on a Hollywood stars home tour in a limo which was cool...saw Britneys, Johnny Depps, Paris Hiltons, Opera's, Kevin Costner, The Beckhams, Tom Cruises and loads of others. Also saw the Happy Days diner, the viper lounge and loads of other cool hangouts on sunset strip.

Visited Universal Studios which was a playground. The Jurassic park ride was welcomed as it was a water log flume and it was over 100 while i was there. Went on the famous tour and watched while they filmed Desperate housewives in Wisteria Lane!

Went to Venice beach, Santa Monica and checked out Rodeo Drive and the other well known Shopping streets.

San Diego

What an awesome city. Hostel was located in the Gaslamp district which was crammed full of amazing Cafes,bars and restaurants. Met some amazing people and caught up with a few guys i met in Fiji. Visited Balboa park and went to the Photographic arts museum, arrived in Pacific beach to see a labour day riot, went to La Jolla, and crossed the border into Mexico and visited Tijauna!

Lots of drinking was had in SD, so many great places to go out...one problem, they stop serving alchol at 2am, the silver lining you can party till 4am and drink water...hangover sorted!

Las Vegas

Not much to say....lots of Casionos on one massive strip in the middle of the desert. Was so very hot and to get from one casino to the next was a mission. Saw the tigers at MGM Grand, watch the volcano eruption at the mIrage, the water show a few times at the Bellagio but the pirate ship show at treasure island was cancelled! Also saw white tigers at the Mirage too. The casinos are out of this world...everything here is obscenely huge....it has to be seen to be believed.

Myself and 5 others hired a car for the day and went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. The 10hr round trip was well worth it...it takes your breath away, an absolutely must see place before you die type affair! The trip home was made more bearable by fast food and a thick shake in a 60's style diner on route 66!

San Francisco

Absolutely one of my favorite cities of my trip so far! Would actually consider living here. Stayed in North Beach right in Little Italy. The Green tortoise hostel i stayed at was awesome...really hippy vibe, lots of people had just come from the Burning man event....imagine Glastonbury 200x more hippy and drug infested in the middle of the desert with lots of crazy cars and you get about by bike!

Went to Alcatraz, Berkley (watched the cheerleaders and band in full swing on the lead up to the Bears game (American football) being played that arvo) and biked across the bridge and through to Sausalito and Tiburon.

Walked around most of the city, went to Golden Gate park - got involved in the drum circle, watched a production of a mid summers night dream in Presidio park, took in Fishermans wharf, climbed Coit tower and walked the windy Lombard street..san frans crookedest street! Decide to be cultured too and went to SFMOMA (SF Museum of modern art)..saw a electric powered car that had been stripped down and water had been pored over it in freezing temps so a 2 inch layer of ice had formed....i had to don a couple of blankets and go in a big freezer to see it.

An amazing place that has to be revisited!

The United States of America (California anyhow!!!) remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Tahiti - Papeete & Moorea tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-09-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=43&entryid=79156 2007-09-16T08:26:46Z 2007-09-16T08:26:46Z After travelling from the Cook Islands back to Auckland then onto tahiti, entering sunday just to go back to the evening of saturday i was a bit all over the place. Was very lucky and met a Kiwi guy and a local Rugby player who helped me find accommodation in Papette after everyone i asked where the place i'd booked was, gasped and pulled a face! Once i finally got settled into Camping Nelson in Moorea i was happy. The prices ... After travelling from the Cook Islands back to Auckland then onto tahiti, entering sunday just to go back to the evening of saturday i was a bit all over the place. Was very lucky and met a Kiwi guy and a local Rugby player who helped me find accommodation in Papette after everyone i asked where the place i'd booked was, gasped and pulled a face!

Once i finally got settled into Camping Nelson in Moorea i was happy. The prices here are stupid, catching a cab is expensive and the food is way overpriced sue to everything being imported. I lived on the traditional french fare of baguette and water!

The campsite was located right on a fabulous beach. I made friends with a cool couple called Cari & Matthew who were travelling with their 11 month old girl, Shanna. Was so impresssed with how much they had achieved with her, by her 1st b'day she will have been to 12 countries!

Also hung out with a guy from Cairns and a French guy. The french guy came in handy what with the 1st and only language spoken being French! It made it possible for us to hitch hike all over the island and see beauty spots such as Cooks bay.

Nights were quite on the island which is only approx 50kms in circumference. Star gazing and reading were the main passtimes, although watching the sun set over the sea with a beer in hand was

Managed to get a trip on a small catamaran for free with a french poloynesian guy & an Italian couple. We swam with stingrays and sharks. Couldn't help but be scared of the barb! Did some amazing snorkling out by the reef and exploring some submerged tikis. We were dropped off on a desert island and picked up on the other side...crazy to think people live on these small islands, all self sufficient. It was an ace day where i saw true beauty. Even got treated to a dolphin show.

Wouldn't probably return here in a hurry. Think French poloynesia has lots more to offerm just a shame it is so hard for the backpacker to get to the other islands.

Tahiti - Papeete & Moorea remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> The rest of New Zealand tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-09-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=42&entryid=79154 2007-09-16T08:08:59Z 2007-09-16T08:08:59Z Why should i change now...my lame attempts at keeping this up to date has failed miserably so here is just a quick list of where i went to after lake Tekapo. If you want to know more, e mail me or wait till i get home and ask me then! Christchurch Much like Canterbury...it has a church and everything! Akaroa Went on a day trip from Christchurch to this french colonial town. The weather was chilly so i took refuge in a cafe for ... Why should i change now...my lame attempts at keeping this up to date has failed miserably so here is just a quick list of where i went to after lake Tekapo. If you want to know more, e mail me or wait till i get home and ask me then!

Christchurch

Much like Canterbury...it has a church and everything!

Akaroa

Went on a day trip from Christchurch to this french colonial town. The weather was chilly so i took refuge in a cafe for a sausage roll...oh so french!

Kaikora

Went whale watching and was lucky enough to see 5 and 2 pods/school of dolphins. It was totally breathtaking seeing the tail flick up out of the water and dissapear.

Blenheim

Part of malborough sounds, hired bikes and went to the local winerys...partook in some tasting!

Picton

Liked it so much the first time i revisited the hostel with the ace hot tub and home made apple crumble!

Wellington

A friend i made on the magic bus managed to get us tickets to the Wellington vs Otago rugby match. Great to see and lots more fun was had in the pub crawl we

Napier

Art Deco tastic. Loved the place...of course being by the coast and the sun shining didn't sway my opinion at all. On the way to the Mt we stopped in Rotarua where Lindsay, Karl the magic bus driver and I did swoop....being raised to 100 meters in the air in what is in essence a sleeping bag on a harness all strapped togetehr and one of you has to release us so we swoop like a bird towards the ground and pendulum swing back and forth.

Mt Manguanui

Even nicer! The sun stayed out for me as i explored the coastline and the township. Great coastal walks with awesome views over the bay.

Auckland

Back where i started. Met up with Anna who i met when i first arrived. Also met a guy called James who i met in Cairns. Strangely, both times it was at the end of my time in that country and then saw him again on the yasaw flyer in Fiji...small world!

New Zealand is beautiful.

The rest of New Zealand remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Fiji: Nadi, The Yasawa Islands and The Mamanucas tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-09-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=41&entryid=77385 2007-09-16T07:48:41Z 2007-09-16T07:42:33Z So I booked myself on a 6 night ultimate lei package trip with 2 nights added on. I spent my first night in Fiji in the mainland of Nadi. The morning after my night staying in possibly the worst hostel in the world (however they did give us a welcome Kava ceremony) I got on the Yasawa flyer and travelled 4 hours to my first island, Tavewa. This is an account of each of the 8 islands in 8 days ... So I booked myself on a 6 night ultimate lei package trip with 2 nights added on. I spent my first night in Fiji in the mainland of Nadi. The morning after my night staying in possibly the worst hostel in the world (however they did give us a welcome Kava ceremony) I got on the Yasawa flyer and travelled 4 hours to my first island, Tavewa. This is an account of each of the 8 islands in 8 days that i visited.

Tavewa

One of the most northerly Yasawa islands. My first resort was Coral view. Amazing staff, so much fod and a restaurant and bar with sand beach floor!

We (Laura, Jenna, Flick, Charlie, James and Kat) watched the sunset, did the fiji conga, bula dancing, ate lots...including yumy bannanna cake, snorkled and saw lovely fish and chilled in the hammocks.

Nanuya Lailai

In a cute wooden dorm and the best camp as a row of pink tents host we (Clare, Ali, Andy, Andy and I) drank lots of Kava, walked to the blue lagoon (as in the film) right across the lush island with stunning views to laze on the beach there. We were also treated to a bagpipe show by a fellow irishman!!

More banana cake and tea were consumed in Lo's Teahouse.

Nanuya Balavu

I stayed here for two nights at Manta Ray resort. Here is where I met Amy for the first time who is now living in Pakeman street...cool eh! Bit of a long way to go to recruit a new housemates but hey, i was never one to do hings the simple way!

Lots more volleyball was played here, snorkling galore and an eating frenzy as this is well known as being the resort to fill up in. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all a buffet feast not to be missed.

Stayed in a 32 bed dorm where we shared our bed with a massive cricket! Mosquito nets were deffo needed. The dorm was awesome and so was the whole resort....not to mention the perfect white sandy beach and the tree hammocks.

Beth, this is where the luggage men must have ripped off the lovely luggage tag you bought me :(

Waya lailai

My 4th Island. We (Sam, Ed, Jeni, James, clare, danny and Sabrina) had an awesome time chilling on the beach, playing volleyball, and climbing the summit for sunrise.

We also had a fun evening of drinking games and limbo, and of course the bula dance!

Kuata

Just across the water (no literally...we could see it from Waya Lailai) but i still had to go onto the yasawa flyer by fishing boat just to cross to the other side of the flyer to get onto another boat!

Met another great bunch of people and we were treated to an amazing show of fijian dancing - strobe lighting and all! Drank under the stars and decide to avoid the kava ceremony this time.

Reunited with Jess, Freddy and Karen who I met in Manta Ray. We ended up skinny dipping in the sea in the middle of the day...very liberating, you should all try it sometime.

South Sea Island

There is one word for this island....small! I wasn't the sad one but apparently it take 630 steps to walk around the island...that takes under 4 mins if you were wondering. There is just the one resort on the island, the have a submarine (glass bottom boat) which they take out when the weather allows. When we arrived we played volleyball until the sun went down.

Dinner was awesome, a massive buffet of goodness! The best part of this island was being reunited with Ed, Sam, Claire, Danny, Lina and Chris. Teli...one of the hosts was so much fun (and the only fijian i have heard swear!) She got us all playing lots of games including crab racing and hide and seek. Now on an island this size it was quite tough! We continued playing drinking games and then i had to try and sleep with about 40 other people in a large room and where there was tarpaulin n the roof which was crashing about in the wind....all good fun!

Bounty Island

For some of you you will know this island from the reality tv show, celebridy love island. This is the perfect island for love, aqua marine blue sea, white sandy beaches and scorching sun. The swimming pool all still remains the same but the love shack is over the other side of the island to the resort ( 10 min walk). It has been totally trashed...the one way mirrors all smashed and graffiti all over the wall (tina bean, London & the date is scrawled on the back wall!). I watched the sun go down where the presenters sat.

The vibe on the island was very much one for honeymooners. Had a chilled out night and had a dorm room all to myself. The entertainment was both the welcome and leaving songs which are normally sung to you when you arrive and leave...different!

Treasure Island

Now i was never suppose to be going here but i had to visit this island before i was taken back to Denaru. Deffo not complaining and in the time i had i wandered along the shore trying to soak up the island 'fiji time' atmosphere. Strangely in this small traveller type circle i bumped into the group of irish girls who i shared a room with in Queenstown, NZ. They had met up with Dave who i knew from Manta Ray. Caught up with them and it was soon time to head back to the mainland

Nadi

Glad i only had a day here. Checked out downtown, did some shopping, or more like it was dragged into shops! Went to the temple and relaxed by the pool in the hotel. Had heard many a good thing about Nadi Bay hotel resort so thought i deserved somewhere better than the hell hole i stayed in on my first night in Fiji. Mass reunion with Karen, Sam, Ed, Danny, Claire and chris. Had a chilled out evening before my flight to the cook islands and watched a film. Doesn't matter what i did really, from 5.30pm i will be reliving it all again the next night due to the time difference..oh yes, 2 friday nights!!!

In a nutshell, i LOVED fiji and would recommend it to anyone...especially loved up couples, it really is paradise.

Fiji: Nadi, The Yasawa Islands and The Mamanucas remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Cook Islands: Rarotonga tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-31:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=40&entryid=77381 2007-08-31T19:57:49Z 2007-08-31T19:57:49Z Despite the not so good weather i managed to have a fantastic week at Vara's hostel. The crowd of us residing here at the time was awesome...we had so many good nights of drinking games and general lazing around. I won a darts match at a local bar one evening, spent a day crusing the island in a red soft top sports car and another on the back of a scooter seeing the internal roads and museums of the island. ... Despite the not so good weather i managed to have a fantastic week at Vara's hostel. The crowd of us residing here at the time was awesome...we had so many good nights of drinking games and general lazing around. I won a darts match at a local bar one evening, spent a day crusing the island in a red soft top sports car and another on the back of a scooter seeing the internal roads and museums of the island.

Other highlights include walking to the nearby island with my bag on my head and soaking up the sun on the white sand. You could even get married on this island!! Another was going to church (no i haven't gone religious, its just the done thing here on a sunday) met the locals and was welcomed to morning tea of fresh fruit and other local fare.

I went to the saturday market and took strolls along the miles of beach around the island...even watched one of the guys from the hostel play touch rugby with the locals.

Rarotnga is only 32km in circumfrence so it was a scary experience landing here!

Cook Islands: Rarotonga remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Lake Tekapo tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-31:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=39&entryid=73691 2007-07-31T11:11:17Z 2007-07-31T11:11:17Z This has to be one of the top spots of the sounth island and one of the most beautiful drives to it. Mountains, sunny days and a beautiful lake. Magic has their own accommodation here which was toasty warm and cosy! Took a walk around to see the bronze dog statue and the church...one of NZ most photographed landmarks! The pictures I took of this place speak for themselves...stunning!! ... This has to be one of the top spots of the sounth island and one of the most beautiful drives to it.

Mountains, sunny days and a beautiful lake. Magic has their own accommodation here which was toasty warm and cosy! Took a walk around to see the bronze dog statue and the church...one of NZ most photographed landmarks! The pictures I took of this place speak for themselves...stunning!!

Lake Tekapo remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Moraki Boulders & Oamaru tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-31:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=38&entryid=73688 2007-07-31T10:59:48Z 2007-07-31T10:59:48Z Between Dunedin and Oamaru we stopped at a beach where all of these boulders have been formed by erosion...pretty cool huh. They are fun to play on and make a good photo. Oamaru was a quirky little town and had loads more to offer than first meets the eye. In parts you felt like you had fallen back into the 1920s. There was some wicked Galleries to visit (one a bit creepy!) and if you wanted you could get dressed up ... Between Dunedin and Oamaru we stopped at a beach where all of these boulders have been formed by erosion...pretty cool huh. They are fun to play on and make a good photo.

Oamaru was a quirky little town and had loads more to offer than first meets the eye. In parts you felt like you had fallen back into the 1920s. There was some wicked Galleries to visit (one a bit creepy!) and if you wanted you could get dressed up in period costume and get your photo taken! The buildings were impressive in the main street. One dissapointment was the blue eyed penguin colony i hoped to visit...the penguins weren't coming home so i couldn't see them!

Just as well i liked the place since the driver left me stranded for another night!

Moraki Boulders & Oamaru remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Dunedin tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-31:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=37&entryid=71752 2007-07-31T10:40:26Z 2007-07-31T10:40:26Z Student town with an industrial feel and lots of steep streets..mmmmm what does that remind me of...you guessed it, Leeds. Honestly this place could be either Bristol or Leeds, even Glasgow. Dunedin is the celtic name for Edignburgh. You learn something new everyday. Oh and the dreary overcast weather didn't at all make me feel like I was in the north of England. On the positive side, all of the magic bus drivers say the best thing about this place is ... Student town with an industrial feel and lots of steep streets..mmmmm what does that remind me of...you guessed it, Leeds. Honestly this place could be either Bristol or Leeds, even Glasgow. Dunedin is the celtic name for Edignburgh. You learn something new everyday. Oh and the dreary overcast weather didn't at all make me feel like I was in the north of England.

On the positive side, all of the magic bus drivers say the best thing about this place is leaving it, I beg to differ. It is not a bad city, lots of independent shops and lots of cool bars and pubs, not to mention loads of quirky cafes to warm yourself in. Ate my first chocolate fish with a hot chocolate in Dunedin. Cadburys make so many different types of chocolate here that we don't get...ever heard of a moro bar....thought not!

Talking of Chocolate, I visited the Cadburys chocolate factory. Got loads of free samples including a couple of moro bars, a Banana Chocolate bar (forgotten the name- we don't get it inthe UK) and the famous chocolate fish (another NZ favourite we don't get, its marshmellow covered in chocolate!) and some crunchies and dairy milk! If that wasn't enough i bought a bag of treat size desert range...banoffe pie, lemon cheesecake and fudge brownie!

Apart from chocolate production, Dunedin wasn't much to write home about...just another city. Next!!!

Dunedin remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Queenstown,Snowboarding @ the Remarkables & Milford Sound tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=36&entryid=71533 2007-07-17T06:13:15Z 2007-07-17T06:13:15Z Ok so i suck at snowboarding but it was still a lot of fun. Managed to actually be able to stop (no no by falling on my arse!) and do a turn. Queenstown is a lot of fun, you can do any crazy action activity under the sun here. Call me strange but i don't fancy doing a bungy attached to a chair, the nevis bungy - falling 139metres! into a lake or a canyon swing! Stopped at the ... Ok so i suck at snowboarding but it was still a lot of fun. Managed to actually be able to stop (no no by falling on my arse!) and do a turn. Queenstown is a lot of fun, you can do any crazy action activity under the sun here. Call me strange but i don't fancy doing a bungy attached to a chair, the nevis bungy - falling 139metres! into a lake or a canyon swing! Stopped at the first commercial bungy site - AJ Hackett on the way to Queenstown.

Queenstown in the party capital of the south island and my hangover after a night out here proved it!

The weather has been fantastic and the views breathtaking. Have loved seeing the 2 metres long icicles!!

As part of my magic bus pass I could go on a day trip to Milford sound. What an amazing day. Driven from Queenstown we stopped in Te Anua...a small town with the 2nd largest lake in NZ. We made several other photo stops on the way to Milford including mirror lakes. Spectacular views all the way, snow capped mountains for as far as the eye could see. Spotted my first kea, looks like a fat large parrot! When we arrived in Milford we went on a river cruise along the sound. Waterfalls, mountains and clear waters....beautiful.

Queenstown,Snowboarding @ the Remarkables & Milford Sound remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Wanaka tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=35&entryid=71529 2007-07-17T06:10:23Z 2007-07-17T06:10:23Z One of my favorite places to date. Like everywhere in the south, stunning views and scenery. I could have stared at the lake all day. Took a walk around a part of it (its absolutely huge....we drove for about 30 minutes along it!). Went to Cinema Paridiso famous for it's varied seating including a beetle! Not the bug but an actual car! Maybe a pilots seat would be more your cup of tea, or just a simple sofa! As we ... One of my favorite places to date. Like everywhere in the south, stunning views and scenery. I could have stared at the lake all day. Took a walk around a part of it (its absolutely huge....we drove for about 30 minutes along it!). Went to Cinema Paridiso famous for it's varied seating including a beetle! Not the bug but an actual car! Maybe a pilots seat would be more your cup of tea, or just a simple sofa!

As we were wandering through the town we stumbled upon a massacre....lots of dead deer, boars,rabbits, goats etc all laying out, gutted in front of a pub with the locals checking out their kill and standing drinking their pints whilst standing on the carcasses! We were informed that this is a weekly event of a contest of how many animals can you kill. This was not the only random actvity of the locals, the other, to stand on your car bonnet whilst chatting to your friends!

On my last morning in Wanaka i decided to do some indoor rock climbing. The centre had walls with automatic belaying systems so off i went attmpting walls with block shape steps, rope walls, one in the dark and a zig zag beginner wall....actually managed to reach the top of that one. There was also a clear perspex wall with the same steps on each side where you could race your friends, a wall where you could time how long it takes you to get to the top and a simple rope ladder climb with a pink elephant at the top.

Wanaka remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Fox Glacier & Lake Matheson tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=34&entryid=71526 2007-07-17T06:02:57Z 2007-07-17T06:02:57Z Not having had enough of Glaciers in Franz I decided to stop off at Fox. Fell on my feet as they needed a hand at the hostel so for 3 hours of changing beds and a spot of hoovering I got my bed for the night free and a lift to the Glacier..oh and dinner cooked for me. Sweet! Not much to say really, lots of ice, however as i walked up to it i heard what sounded like ... Not having had enough of Glaciers in Franz I decided to stop off at Fox. Fell on my feet as they needed a hand at the hostel so for 3 hours of changing beds and a spot of hoovering I got my bed for the night free and a lift to the Glacier..oh and dinner cooked for me. Sweet! Not much to say really, lots of ice, however as i walked up to it i heard what sounded like thunder and then a whole load of ice just fell away....crazy!

Visited Lake Matheson when I was on the bus from Fox to Wanaka. OMG...this has to be the most stunning lake in the world. I took so many pitures of the same thing in an attempt to capture the beauty of this place. Nope, couldn't manage it so you'll have to come to NZ and soak up the amazing atmosphere and beauty of this natural wonder.

Fox Glacier & Lake Matheson remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Magic bus day's out! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=33&entryid=71523 2007-07-17T05:58:03Z 2007-07-17T05:58:03Z Cape Foulwind,Punakaki-Pancake Rocks & Greymouth These were all the places i visited between Nelson and Greymouth on the Magic bus. Lots of awesome views and it was fantastic to see such a thriving seal colony at the cape. The waves along this coast were fierce, got to watch them in their full glory as we walked the truman track. The pancake rocks really did look like stacks of pancakes..just a shame the heaven's opened as we got there and it wasn't ... Cape Foulwind,Punakaki-Pancake Rocks & Greymouth

These were all the places i visited between Nelson and Greymouth on the Magic bus. Lots of awesome views and it was fantastic to see such a thriving seal colony at the cape. The waves along this coast were fierce, got to watch them in their full glory as we walked the truman track. The pancake rocks really did look like stacks of pancakes..just a shame the heaven's opened as we got there and it wasn't pleasant to stand around too long. The blowholes were pretty impressive too.

Greymouth didn't have too much to offer but we did stay in Noah's ark...no not the Noah's ark but a hostel with animal themed rooms! The stuffed oversized lion in our 'lion' room did the rounds bed hopping...hussy!!

Ross & Lake Mapourika

From greymouth to Franz Joseph we took in a town that is sitting on $600 million worth of gold. The people of Ross refuse to move until they get better deals from the investors. Visited a gold mine museum and was shown how to pan for gold. Onwards we stopped at this glorious lake just before we reached Franz.

Magic bus day's out! remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Cook Strait, Picton, Nelson & Abel Tasman tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=32&entryid=71517 2007-07-17T05:35:39Z 2007-07-17T05:35:39Z Off to the south island I go! The ferry crossing made me feel a bit queezy i'm not going to lie to you but when i arrived in Picton it was all worth it. This place is just a harbour town but it has some stunning views on offer and a great hostel called the villa where i made use of the spa and loved the homecooked apple crumble! What can i say about Nelson that is positive? This town was ... Off to the south island I go! The ferry crossing made me feel a bit queezy i'm not going to lie to you but when i arrived in Picton it was all worth it. This place is just a harbour town but it has some stunning views on offer and a great hostel called the villa where i made use of the spa and loved the homecooked apple crumble!

What can i say about Nelson that is positive? This town was pretty ugly to be honest...maybe it looks better in the sun!

Went on a day trip to Abel Tasman national park where i went on a speed boat cruise and then completed a 4hr walk of part of the park. Stunning views, stream crossing and walks to bays. Visited by some of the native birds while I was eating my lunch looking out to sea.

Cook Strait, Picton, Nelson & Abel Tasman remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Franz Joseph & Glacier Walk tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=31&entryid=71515 2007-07-17T05:30:35Z 2007-07-17T05:30:35Z The first place in NZ where I have had such a spectacular view of snow capped mountains from outside my hostel. Did a Glacier walk which was amazing...saw lots of blue ice and had to crawl through ice rocks. Kited out with crampons we climbed the glacier by following the guide who cut out steps in the ice. For someone who is always cold it wasn't bad up there..not even below 0 We were up on the glacier for about ... The first place in NZ where I have had such a spectacular view of snow capped mountains from outside my hostel. Did a Glacier walk which was amazing...saw lots of blue ice and had to crawl through ice rocks. Kited out with crampons we climbed the glacier by following the guide who cut out steps in the ice. For someone who is always cold it wasn't bad up there..not even below 0 We were up on the glacier for about 4 hours, i have to say it is one of the most random places i have eaten my lunch on!

The town is very small but beautiful. I strolled through the lanes and looked around the souviner shops, even watch people on an inside ice climbing wall..the only one in the southern hemisphere. Also visted the two churches in the township where from one I took some amazing shots of the mountains and glacier through the church alter window!

Franz Joseph & Glacier Walk remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Wellington tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-28:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=30&entryid=68713 2007-06-29T06:07:31Z 2007-06-29T06:07:31Z The capital of New Zealand. It is known as 'windy welly' as the high winds have caused the council to install glass wind panels along the streets as it gets so blustery...2nd only to Chicago. I visited the amazing Te papa museum...3 times as it is so huge and you just can't take it all in on one vist. Went to both the old and new St Paul's cathedrals of Wellington, the National Library, Archives centre and went on a guided ... The capital of New Zealand. It is known as 'windy welly' as the high winds have caused the council to install glass wind panels along the streets as it gets so blustery...2nd only to Chicago.

I visited the amazing Te papa museum...3 times as it is so huge and you just can't take it all in on one vist. Went to both the old and new St Paul's cathedrals of Wellington, the National Library, Archives centre and went on a guided tour of Parliment and watched parliment in session from the viewing gallery.

Took a cable car up the hills of wellington and strolled around the Botanic Gardens. Many people live up on the hills and have their personal cable cars!

The drive to wellington was stunning as I saw my first snow capped mountains.

Quite like it here, lots to do and i haven't even started checking out the vast bar and club scene.

Did attempt to go to the National tattoo museum where they have lots of examples of traditional maori mokos which are face tattoos that tell the story of that persons life. Got there and it had shut down. Dissappointing!

x

Wellington remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> MY first two weeks in New Zealand tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-25:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=29&entryid=68036 2007-06-25T07:42:14Z 2007-06-25T07:42:14Z u]Hey all, In my usual fashion i am being a bit lame with my blog so i though a few words about each place would be better than nothing so here goes with all of my adventures so far. Auckland My first port of call in New Zealand. First impressions...its b@*$!y freezing! A vast city with the sky tower being its main attraction. Had the opportunity to do a jump from the top but I took the granny way and went to the ... u]Hey all,

In my usual fashion i am being a bit lame with my blog so i though a few words about each place would be better than nothing so here goes with all of my adventures so far.

Auckland

My first port of call in New Zealand. First impressions...its b@*$!y freezing! A vast city with the sky tower being its main attraction. Had the opportunity to do a jump from the top but I took the granny way and went to the viewing skydeck coming down in the elevator! Met up with Bryn who I met in Vietnam who took me on a guided tour of surrounding Auckland. Great to know the locals!

Opononi

So it begins. I've jumped on a bus that is hop on, hop off wherever i like. I am the only one to chose to stay the night in Opononi...result as I had the hostel (more like a house) to myself! A beautiful spot (when the sun comes out!) Got to see one of the biggest Kauri trees in NZ in the Waipoua Forest and enjoyed some lovely coastal walks.

Paihia - Bay of Islands

A beautiful part of the world where I visited another one of the islands - Russell and went to the Waitangi treaty grounds where the treaty was signed in 1840. Paihia itself was one long street where i was staying meters from the beach. It had a little town which i explored by bike...nearly killing myself as it took me ages to work out to pedal backwards to work the brakes!

Cape Reinga

A day trip where i went snow boarding. This is the very top of New Zealands north island. We drove along 90 mile beach (actually 57 miles long approx) and i tried a toutou raw ( a type of shellfish we dug out of the sand!). e also visited the Ancient Kauri kingdom where we learnt more about the various ways the Kauri trees are used. We saw a few costal towns along the way which were quaint.

Whitianga

After we had travelled to the not so interesting Thames we went onto the Coromandel Peninsula. Ok so I didn't look so hot standing on the beach in my rainmac and trousers soaked through by the rain rolled up to my armpits! I was on hot water beach where you should be able to dig your own hot pool...we couldn't find any hot water thats for sure. If we hadn't been a gluten for punishment already, myself and only fellow magic bus traveller were stupid enough to do the hour round walk to Cathedral cove..a spot of scenic beauty. It would have looked so much better in the sun!! Stayed in a great hostel when we reached Whitianga, warm & cosy but we did venture out to a bar for a great burger, chips and beer meal for $6!

Waitomo

This place consisted of literally one street..so I accomplished everything I could..I went Black Water Rafting in the Caves, went to the Shearing shed where they house 350 Angora rabbits and shear 2 each day for tourists to gawp at! Looks cruel but were were assured that they are totally relaxed and not at all in pain- they are used to it as they undergo this process every 3 months! I also visitd the museum of caves and had all my geography lessons from school come flooding back to me...landscapes and volcano formations and life cycles! V.Interseting...i even tried the cave challenge!

So the caving...Wow what an experience;one at times made me think why the hell did I pay to come down 300 metres below the surface, crawl through literally freezing water in cave tunnels surrounded by cave spiders and wetas. It was amazing and seing all the glow worms was ace. We both walked and tubed through the caves, 90% of the time in total darkness. We had to free fall one waterfall and down a slide on the other...both into the icy waters below! On several ocassions our guide let off an explosion without warning which scared the hell out of us...I was not the only one screaming i can tell you!

Rotorua

The city that smells of sulpher, aka, rotten eggs! Oh yes it is truly wonderful! Whatever people tell you, you don't get used to it. While i was here i was both cultural and lazy. I started my day here by taking in the Rotorua museum which used to house the old baths. It includes much about the baths and the basement with all the pipes to supply the baths with the thermal hot mud etc is for all to see. Maori history aplenty and an exhibition of war wives. My afternoon was filled by relaxing at the spa baths..6 different ones varying in temperature and healing properties and cures. My evening was spent going to the Tamaki maori village experience where i watched the welcoming ceremony, haka dancing and ate a hangi meal - a meal cooked under the ground. A fantastic night and great food, however i'm unsure if the pavalova had ben created in the underground stove!

Wai-O-Tapu thermal Reserve & Huka Falls

On our way to Taupo was the thermal reserve..oh goody more lovely sulpher wafts! A great place to go as i experienced the eruption of Lady Knox gyser and got to see all the different bubling boiling mud pits and coloured hot water pools. Huka falls were awsome...enough water falls from them every 3 seconds to fill an olympic size swimming pool! Just before we reached Taupo I watched one of my fellow travellers do a bungy jump. Not much to do in Taupo...consists of three main streets, people come here to do the crazy extreme sports. Oh it does have the biggest lake in NZ...it is the size of Singapore!

MY first two weeks in New Zealand remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> The rest of the East Coast of Australia tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-14:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=27&entryid=65344 2007-06-14T07:48:42Z 2007-06-14T07:42:23Z Sorry guys have been as lame as ever with my blog! Due to moving onto the next country...New Zealand I am just going to give you a quick rundown of all the places i have been along the East Coast. So my last blog told you of the beaches and bars of Surfers paradise. What can i say, in a nutshell that has been the east coast. From Surfers i travelled to Brisbane. Not a bad city, one that has graffitti type ... Sorry guys have been as lame as ever with my blog! Due to moving onto the next country...New Zealand I am just going to give you a quick rundown of all the places i have been along the East Coast.

So my last blog told you of the beaches and bars of Surfers paradise. What can i say, in a nutshell that has been the east coast.

From Surfers i travelled to Brisbane. Not a bad city, one that has graffitti type art on electricity boxes in the hope to make them more asthetically pleasing. They have a terrific southbank...similar to London's apart from you can be guarenteed sunshine and massive pleasure boats. They run a city cat along the river to transport workers but it is also a good way to see different districts that make up the city. The city centre is quite small, spread across a couple of streets. Lots of seven 11's and souviner shops mixed in with the usual Oz high st shops. Visited a lot of art galleries and the museum of Queensland. Stayed in Fortitude valley aka 'the valley' by the locals and the place to be seen out. Luckily was still travelling with Sara, Hannah, Celine and Oj so we made home in a 6 bed dorm of our own in a country style hostel with a tv and fridge.

Noosa

I fell in love with this place as soon as i got here. The lake sunset is so stunning and with a little help from Hannah's great aunt I got to see all the local areas. Midge took us over two days to all the little towns, the glasshouse mountains and several national park walks. I even found an Ely park here! One day i went Kayaking on the lake...luckily i found a fellow backpacker who is a water sports instructor, stroke of luck so i was in good hands. I did some lovely walks including the national park that covers ground along the coast line and into forest. I will definitely revisit someday.

Whilst in Noosa I visited the home of steve Irwin...well a shrine anyway... Australia Zoo! During shows throughout the day and everywhere you go he is remembered and treated like a god! Great zoo and I also spotted Terri and Bindi filming a new show for Animal Planet!

Rainbow beach

Abeach but no rainbow. Only stayed here one night and soaked up some ray on the lovely (if not windy) beach. Met a few faces from Noosa and a girl from Belgium named Kat who was a great laugh.

Hervey Bay & Fraser Island

We were let lose with a 4x4 jeep and taken on a ferry to one of the biggest sand islands in the world to start our safari adventure. Over 3 days we explored the island visiting freshwater lakes, a shipwreck ,coloured sands and fantastic view points. There was 3 groups of us and each night we came together and camped. Group 2 had a bit of an accident 20 mins from the ferry on the last day...whoops! Harvey Bay is a small town that has a beach that could rival southend! Stayed here either side of my Fraser Island trip in a waltons style home.

Agnes water/1770

Loved it here too...really small but i rode a chopper motorbike! We rode around, checking out the local wildlife & scenery. The day was rounded off by watching the sunset on the marina munching on wedges.

Captain cook discovered this place in 1770 hence the name and the town only has a permenant population of 80 people! Agnes water only 2000. The only watering hole in the area, the Tavern, shuts by 9 on a sunday so we striked some poses down on the beach drinking yet more goon!

Rockhampton

The proper australia, true blue Aussies reside here! This is the beef capital of Australia. For this reason they feel it appropriate to place large plastic cow models in random places..like on top of the Queensland government office! Went to the Botanical gardens and cooked a yummy steak dinner!

Mackay

Was planning on finding work here but after a few days decided against it. Small town with not too much to offer apart from a town beach (with lots of crabs) and Art space Mackay. I did have a room to myself which was a bonus. Like Rockhampton it was Occa Australia at its finest, superbly illustrated to me by the swollen and black eyed face of a guy who dared to snore in his sleep...a local fellow room mate decided it was keeping him awake and put an end to it by a kick him in the face! Nice!

Airlie Beach & my sailing trip on the whitsundays

You can't get better than this...well apart from the other 2 beaches that were voted nicer than Whitehaven beach. Thats right, voted 3rd best beach in the world! It was beautiful, the whole islands were. Went snorkling 3 times and walked through forest to a lookout point and the beach. Had to don a sexy stinger suit...i looked so hot! Swam with amazing fish, coral and even a turtle! Stunning underwater bliss that i can't even begin to describe...google great barrierreef and you'll get the idea! Airlie beach had one party street to offer and a man made lagoon. Muchos drinking happens here mostly to celebrate the great time you have had on your sailing trip...apart from bars it doesn't have much to offer.

Townsville

Not much to say about this little place, more of a port to get to Magnetic island. It has a nice strand area and a town that consists of one main street that one end consists of loads of food outlets, restaurants,cafes and bars!

Magnetic island

A small island in north east oz, off Townsville. I stayed at Base backpackers which was right on the beach and its great bar and decking area reminded me of Coaral bungalows in Thailand! Beautiful views but I managed to be here three days of the 25 days that the sun doesn't shine in a year! Great nature walks with pretty butterflies, birds and plants.

Mission beach

As it says on the tin....a beach, but don't get me wrong, miles of perfect palm tree lined beach. Not much else here other a bunch of mad travellers who drew on moustaches and other mexican themed doodles on their face in aid of someones 22nd birthday & i forgot to mention after copious amounts of tequilla! One of the only places in Oz that you can do a skydive and land on the beach. I was lazing on the beach one day, looked up listening to my ipod and though...mmm pretty kites then as i realised they were getting bigger and bigger they landed a few meters away from me!

My next blog tells you of my time in Cairns and the visits i made to both Cape Tribulation (only place in the world where rainforest and the great barrier reef meet) and port douglas (quaint little town).

The rest of the East Coast of Australia remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Cairns, Cape Tribulation& Port Douglas tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-13:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=28&entryid=66219 2007-06-14T06:48:29Z 2007-06-14T06:48:29Z Another one of those places that i had heard of before i got to Oz but still had no idea what to expect. Cairns is a lovely city. So it doesn't have a lovely beach but the lagoon makes up for that. The city centre is a mangable size with some lovely cafes and one off shops. It has an ace english seaside holiday town vibe to it that i like. You would walk along the esplanade after dark and ... Another one of those places that i had heard of before i got to Oz but still had no idea what to expect. Cairns is a lovely city. So it doesn't have a lovely beach but the lagoon makes up for that. The city centre is a mangable size with some lovely cafes and one off shops. It has an ace english seaside holiday town vibe to it that i like. You would walk along the esplanade after dark and there would be the hum of people dining and the glare from souviner shops...could have been in Great Yarmouth! I visited yet another botanical garden, this one offered many pretty flowers and an Aboriginal plant area. Another thing that made cairns great was that i met some awesome people and reunited with i think 14 on my last count of people i had met along the east coast.

During my time in Cairns i took a trip to Cape Tribulation. The drive there was stunning as we drove along the ocean and saw beach after beach. We were taken to the rainforest and taught about the plants and trees. I even licked an ants butt as it tastes of citrus and also gives you an electric shock. The aborigines used them dried in cooking or would crush and snort them as a decongestant!

Stayed in Cape Trib for a couple of nights. Did some more rainforest and beach walks. Her you can admire the rare sight of two ecosystems coming together, the great barrier reef and the daintree rainforest. I also went on a sailing trip out to the barrier reef for the 2nd time to do some snorkling. It was absolutely wonderful...no wonder it is the 2nd on the list of things to do before you die. I'll do the first in New Zealand...a skydive! I saw a huge cod fish and turtle, both as big as my torso, if not bigger! The turtle let me stroke its shell and i got right up close and poped my head out of the water when it did, such a fantastic experience. There were so many types of colourful fish and coral, it was a huge underwater wonderland. I can't describe it so go on the net, write in great barrier reef and look at the fantastic sights i have seen....magical!

After 2 nights in Cape trib staying in a hut in the middle of a rainforest (yes it did rain!) I was picked up and did the rest of my tour. Went to mossman gorge, a fresh water lake and waterfalls. Did take a bit of a fall on the rocks and my camera suffered a dip but all was well. Had fun crossing the rope bridge and shaking it freaked out a few people.

I then spent a couple of nights on the way back in Port Douglas, a sleepy little holiday town with a great atomosphere to relax in. Not much to do here apart from stroll along the long parade of shops and soak up the rays on the beautiful beach and swim in the calm sea. Claire (a girl i met on the trip) and I got asked to take out Body boards to see if we could entice others to hire them...with no waves it was like trying to sell snow to the eskimos (is that a saying??)! For a town that seemed dead at 9.30pm we managed to have a good night out and stay out till gone 3am!

Returned by bus to Cairns, I remained there for 3 more nights. I stayed on the esplanade so it was great for my last place in Oz to be staying by the sea. I spent several days relaxing by the Lagoon and making the most of the few more days i had left in the sunshine.

Sad to be leaving Oz but onto another exciting country...New Zealand.

Cairns, Cape Tribulation& Port Douglas remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Surfers Paradise tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-09:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=26&entryid=62310 2007-06-09T07:51:03Z 2007-06-09T07:51:03Z Only spent a couple of days here. This is one of the places that i had heard of the most before i started my travelling. I hate to say it but found it slightly disappointing. The beaches are nice but they are everywhere along the east coast. This place is full of skyrises and to be honest is no more than an 18-30's haven! This is the place to party. We decided we wanted some of the action so we ... Only spent a couple of days here. This is one of the places that i had heard of the most before i started my travelling. I hate to say it but found it slightly disappointing. The beaches are nice but they are everywhere along the east coast. This place is full of skyrises and to be honest is no more than an 18-30's haven! This is the place to party. We decided we wanted some of the action so we paid $25 to go on the organised pub crawl with our hostel- surfers paradise backpacker resort. It really was like being back on your first holiday without your parents...hilarious fun watching all the kids get trashed on alcho pops!

Not much else to say about sufers paradise, just spent my time being a beach bum and soaking up the rays and took some pics of surf rescue huts and vehicles...what, it needed to be done! Have only seen one life guard in action with his red speedos...and that was to rescue two guys i was travelling with who had been taken away by a dangerous rip around the headland whilse surfing!!!

Surfers Paradise remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Byron Bay tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-22:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=23&entryid=59008 2007-05-23T02:22:50Z 2007-05-23T02:22:50Z This is more like it! Got here and straight away could sense a good vibe. That may be due to this place being well known as a hippy town second only to Nimbin down the road. First night we had to split up, Hannah, OJ and myself stayed in Belongil Beach house while the others had to splash out on an apartment for the night in Aquarius. This was good news for us as we could crash their place to ... This is more like it! Got here and straight away could sense a good vibe. That may be due to this place being well known as a hippy town second only to Nimbin down the road.

First night we had to split up, Hannah, OJ and myself stayed in Belongil Beach house while the others had to splash out on an apartment for the night in Aquarius. This was good news for us as we could crash their place to cook and have a party. Also the campus had a fantastic bar and chill out area with a great happy hour that we went to more than once!

We then stayed in the Cape Byron YHA and met Sara; a curly flame haired beauty from England. Once again PMQC were reunited. Not a bad hostel for a YHA...had a great pool and we could borrow body boards so some more hilarious boogie board action by me was attempted. Managed to keep my bikini on in this session just about!

Spent about a week in Byron, it was a really lovely chilled out place to be. The hippy vibe was everywhere in the form of bead shops, organic cafes and surf shops galore. The great thing about this place is that there is no macdonalds or other chain stores (apart from a supre weirdly.. a womens clothes shop!), just little independent stores. I spent a few hours browsing the many clothes and surf shops...lots of bakerys had to be avoided....my pasta baby is well develpoed now!

Unsure now of how i spent my days as done so much since.One day we hired bikes and went to Broken heads. Hannah, celine, sara and myself all have v sore bums after our epic all dayer on the bikes. We conqured some steep hills and saw some lovely beaches. Once we got to broken heads we took a walk around the headlands. Great views from there across the shores.Another day was spent walking to the light house. This was a really lovely walk and again we got some great views. We stayed here and watched sunset which was lovely.

We took a day tour to Nimbin, which was loads of fun! Nimbin is known as the weed capital of Australia. On the way i noticed a road sign for Tweed heads...however someone had crossed out the 'T', i found that quite amusing! We were taken to the sunday markets in a nearby town to Nimbin which was one of the best markets i have been to in Oz so far. I nearly signed up for woofing but instead of farm work it was instrument making. For accommodation and food you did 4 hours work per day making instruments- it looked ace! There was so many tempting food stalls, the smell was amazing! We were then dropped off in Nimbin and able to check out the town...the whole one street. It was stoner heaven, joints and bongs were everywhere and people smoked openly in the bars. Hash cookies were being sold on the street and the weed culture was all on display in the Nimbin museum...also the place to go if you wanted to by weed it turned out!

On the way back we stopped at some waterfall but due to the drought it was more of a trickle than a waterfall...stunning views none the less.

So after 2 nights in the YHA i was craving some individuallity and something a bit more fun so myself, Hannah & Celine checked into the Arts Factory. We stayed in the pentagon, an 8 bed massive tent! Oh yes i paid $30 to stay in a tent! The place was awsome, so relaxed, hammocks between trees, a lake, massage tent, swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna. The campus was huge and had a restaurant, bar and even a cinema...it was a whole little world. Apart from a few thefts this place rocked and i can see why everyone recommended it- made a nice change from the usual hostels along the east coast. One night we watched Notes on a scandal. Another night we had the obligitory night out in cocomangos and cheeky monkeys. This place is known for its table dancing and 18-30's style games and antics! Needless to say i made sure i was suitably drunk before heading in!

Could have stayed here longer and embrassed the hippy in me! I did go to a meditation session which was cool...sitting in a darkened quiet room trying to find myself....maybe it was good i left when i did!

Byron Bay remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Whats that all about???? tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-19:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=25&entryid=61789 2007-06-25T07:45:51Z 2007-05-20T05:10:20Z Ok so there has been a few things i have noticed while in Oz and i thought i would share them with you...i will add as i find more. 1) Lots of couples especially in cities go for a run and take their children in a stroller with them...dad is always up front pushing the child and mum is lagging behind trying to get rid of the baby weight...is this becoming a phenomenon in the UK too???? 2) I keep meeting people ... Ok so there has been a few things i have noticed while in Oz and i thought i would share them with you...i will add as i find more.

1) Lots of couples especially in cities go for a run and take their children in a stroller with them...dad is always up front pushing the child and mum is lagging behind trying to get rid of the baby weight...is this becoming a phenomenon in the UK too????

2) I keep meeting people who have decided to travel along the east coast of australia where it is beaches, beaches and more beaches and they either:
a: dislike the sea
or
b:hate sand!

AMAZING!!!

3) OUtside all Oz bars and pubs they have a statement that says if you are intoxicated and appear drunk they have the right to refuse entry. Ummm correct me if i'm wrong but aren't a good percentage of people who go to a pub planning on getting drunk and will be intoxicated!

4) OK so New Zealand is the coldest place i have been to so far and i know it is hot for half the year but for a place that gets really cold why don't homes have any central heating or double glazing...madness!

I know there are more but i can't think of them right now...will add when remember. Just wanted to share those with you for the time being.

Whats that all about???? remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Just a little rant!!! (and an update) tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-19:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=24&entryid=61787 2007-05-20T05:05:26Z 2007-05-20T05:05:26Z Well it had to happen sooner or later didn't it! I bet you've all missed my little rants so here is one to make you feel like i'm back already!!!! So i have been sitting in a well known chain of internet cafes they have in Oz (don't want to write their name and end up in some sort of liable case!) since 12.15. I managed to download 15 photos in 1 hour so i decide to splash out on the ... Well it had to happen sooner or later didn't it! I bet you've all missed my little rants so here is one to make you feel like i'm back already!!!!

So i have been sitting in a well known chain of internet cafes they have in Oz (don't want to write their name and end up in some sort of liable case!) since 12.15. I managed to download 15 photos in 1 hour so i decide to splash out on the extra dollar and upgrad to pre -paid which is suppose to be 4 x faster. Well after an hour and 40 mins it has managed to upload 28 photos! Since i have 94 pics alone of Australia zoo you can imagine how annoyed i am getting right now. The staff are useless...its not their fault but have no answers! I am working only on one other window at a time....totally crap!

Also due to joining facebook the time i was planning to update my blogs has been spent trawling through lovely msgs and stuff people have put on my page. Just what i needed guys as feeling home sick at the mo so keep it up!

So just a quick fill in of what i have been up to. After Byron we went to Surfers Paradise, then Brisbane, onto Noosa, Rainbow Beach, Hervey Bay where i went on a 4x4 safari on Fraser island, one of the biggest sand islands in the world. Then we went onto the town of 1770/Agnes water, onto Rockhampton then Mackay. Up to Mackay i was still with a few people from the crew i met back in port Macquarie but am now on my todd again! I am now in Airlie beach where i am awaiting to do my sailing trip to the whitsundays on 23-25th May.

So all is good, looking forward to NZ, think a change of country will do me good. Planning to do a bit of fruit picking an hour north of here in Bowen...give me some routine and to settle for a bit. Of course the money would come in handy too!

Hope all is well with you all back home. Take care and i shall do more detailed blogs asap. Now i hope you can appreciate why everything is a bit out of date, apparently oz have worse internet connections than bloody Thailand and Vietnam!

Love and miss you all

T xx

Just a little rant!!! (and an update) remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Port Macquarie & Coffs Harbour tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-04:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=22&entryid=59005 2007-05-04T09:35:54Z 2007-05-04T09:35:54Z Afraid this is not going to be much of a blog as there isn't too much to say about these couple of stop offs between Sydney and Byron Bay. Port Macquarie..this is where Australians come to holiday, the Southend of the Oz world. It is a beautiful place and it was a welcome retreat after the hustle and bustle of Sydney. I stayed in my first YHA hostel...with only 35 beds. As soon as i arrived i latched onto a guy ... Afraid this is not going to be much of a blog as there isn't too much to say about these couple of stop offs between Sydney and Byron Bay.

Port Macquarie..this is where Australians come to holiday, the Southend of the Oz world. It is a beautiful place and it was a welcome retreat after the hustle and bustle of Sydney. I stayed in my first YHA hostel...with only 35 beds. As soon as i arrived i latched onto a guy named Simon. We got talking as he was holding the resident bugie names buff head! We found loads to chat about (mainly my fav subject of food!). He invited me out surfing with him in the morning and i accepted the offer. Well when it came to it i stuck with the body board as the waves were fierce! I will try again soon....maybe??????

Apart from lazing onthe beach i checked out the Marina, Koala Hospital, the breakwall (each stone along it is decorated by locals and visitors with personal messages and art). It was a really relaxed area and i chilled out and unwound from the hectic lifestyle of Sydney. The added bonus was meeting several other travellers to form the PMQC (port macquarie crew). Celine, a 28yr old from France who has just lived inThailand for the last two years; Hannah, 23 from Chippenham who works for the Police Press office; Rob & Jayme - a guy and a girl from Canada and OJ, a 19yr old from Worchester. We just came together on a goon night out which started at a BBQ at the hostel and ended up on the beach around a campfire.

So after a few days together in Post we then all decide to head to Coffs Harbour together....the home of the BIg Banana!

Ok so that is truly all i can say about it. It has a theme park based around a big banana. Apart from an amusing time in the souvenir shop we weren't that impressed. We walked around coffs and checked out all the beaches along this part of the coast which were nice but nothing special. We introduced Jayme to curry however and taught her how to peel and chop an onion...bless!

We did go out on one of the nights but Coffs really didn't have a nightlife to write home about so we just stayed in the hostel the 2nd night and watched a film.

Lets just say we were ready to move onto Byron!

Port Macquarie & Coffs Harbour remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Sydney tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-04:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=21&entryid=53799 2007-05-04T09:12:55Z 2007-05-04T09:12:55Z I have now been here nearly 3 weeks. I had penciled this long in but feel bad for settling somewhere for so long. Everyone raves about Sydney and although i have enjoyed my time here it is not somewhere that i don't want to leave. I think this may be because it is too similar to London. After living out of a backpack for so long, the culture of having to dress to impress and the suits crowd out after ... I have now been here nearly 3 weeks. I had penciled this long in but feel bad for settling somewhere for so long. Everyone raves about Sydney and although i have enjoyed my time here it is not somewhere that i don't want to leave. I think this may be because it is too similar to London. After living out of a backpack for so long, the culture of having to dress to impress and the suits crowd out after work on a friday night is all foreign to me.

Sydney is full of beautiful 'showy' people and i am unsure where i fit into this crowd. This is a city where if you appear even slightly inebriated you are thrown out and you can't get into many bars unless your toes are covered...apparently it is a health and safety issue of girls cuttting their feet on broken glass...when really it is that they are trying to ban thongs (sorry, flipflops!).

Ok, that was all a little negative. On the positive, Sydney is a beautiful city and by night, the views of the city are spectacular. I have seen it many times over; from darling harbour, on a ferry from the olympic village, on a ferry from Manly and from the harbour and Anzac bridges. The view of the sydney harbour bridge and the opera house all lit up is postcard perfection! It is also pretty special during the day when the sun is shining and the backdrop of blue skies. Be warned though, on a cloudy day, like when i first saw it, it was a little disappointing.

Sydney has been full of catching up with people i have met during my travels in Thailand. On my first day Kasey came and met me and we strolled in the rocks and had a drink in Cargo bar in Darling Harbour. It was amazing to be sitting in an uber trendy bar, sipping on wine looking out from the terrace seats we had onto one of the most famous harbours in the world. It is times like these that make you take a step back and apprecaite what an amzing thing you are getting to do.

I have also caught up with Luke. Due to a house move and uni law degree exams it has been a stressful time for him which has made meeting difficult. He was kind enough to drive me around some of the great beaches in north sydney around his old home in Bellview hills and new one in Veuclouse. I got to see Watsons Bay, Camp Cove and a few others i can't remeber the name of.

My last traveller to catch up with is Tim who gave me an insightful tour from a landscape architecture point of view of the city, circular quay and the botanic gardens on a beautiful sunny day.

I have also caught up with Lucy, Kelly and Emily, the girls i travelled SE Asia with which has been cool. Several other people i met in Adelaide and Melbourne have also passed through Sydney including Tom, Meriam, Oxford and Alex. The most unusual meeting was with my friend from home...Mr Tom Doyle. I was walking down the street on the phone right by my hostel and this familiar voice said 'Tina'. Was great to catch up but unfortunately both of us had plans that evening and he was flying to NZ the next day.

OK, so back to what i did in Sydney. I checked out the nightlife in the cities red light district of Kings cross on more than one occassion and i also stayed in the area. It is an extremely vibrant part of town that i thoroughly enjoyed staying in. The nightlife was cool and many locals have nights here. In the city i also checekd out a couple of bars which all were reminders of London life.

There is so much i could blab on about Sydney...it is safe to say that i did all of the touristy things, the botanic gardens, harbour bridge, opera house, maritime museum, observatory,Art Gallery of NSW, checked out the beautiful rocks area and went to the blue mountains (unfortunately it was more like the grey mountains when i went and to add to the misery the tour guide dropped my camera and cracked the screen!).

I ensured i kept my tan topped up by visiting Manley, Bondi and Coogee beaches. I did the famous Bondi-Coogee walk on several occassions and saw the guy who lives in a cave. Bondi is quite pretentious with everyone checking each other out and for that very reason i much prefered Coogee even though the waves took me out!

Right at the end of my time in Sydney, Luke and I got to catch up with Dan & Phil, two English guys who were travelling with Luke who i also got to know. Was extremely strange to be reunited in Oz. WE had a hardcore night out of a smoothie in a cafe in Bondi!

So overall, i'd give Sydney a 7 out of 10. I will return one day..with some money to burn, eating in all the amazing restaurants and to sip on decent wine in the many trendy bars.

Sydney remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Canberra - The Nations Capital tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-06:/blog/?domain=tina-bean&thisblog_entryid=20&entryid=53787 2007-04-07T06:11:38Z 2007-04-07T06:11:38Z Now again, if i heard the question...'why go to Canberra?' from both Aussies and other backpackers once, i heard it a million times. Ok so maybe they were right in that there isn't too much to see but none the less I am glad that i went. I was lucky and extremely greatful that i was put up by a friend that i made whilst in Cambodia. Dan picked me up from the bus station when i arrived at 7am and ... Now again, if i heard the question...'why go to Canberra?' from both Aussies and other backpackers once, i heard it a million times. Ok so maybe they were right in that there isn't too much to see but none the less I am glad that i went.

I was lucky and extremely greatful that i was put up by a friend that i made whilst in Cambodia. Dan picked me up from the bus station when i arrived at 7am and became my source of knowledge and local history lecturer for the next couple of days.

We had breakfast by the Lake Burley Griffen, so named after the guy that designed the city. After a quick shower and dropping my stuff off, Dan took me to Belconnen Interchange where i jumped on a bus to the National War memorial museum. This certainly, as i had been told, a must see. When i arrived i was asked to join a tour group which was great as the guide took us around both the memorial sights and the museum educating us along the way. After a few hours here i then got another bus to the city, then another to the National museum of Australia. Canberra is made up of satelitte cities so it doesn't make it the easiest of places to get around, hindered by the fact there are only buses as means of public transport! Hard to believe that a place developed so recently did not incorporate a tram, tube or train system!

The Australian Musuem was one of the best I have seen yet. First off i got to sit in a rotating theatre with moving screen in each of the 4 sections. I watched films on Australian culture and what it means to be Australian. Not to be missed in this museum is Phar Laps heart...for those of you that don't know he is a famous Australian racehorse that had an extraordinarily large heart. Also there was a whole wall of australian lingo and the meanings of the words - some quite amusing.

Due to staying with a local, over the course of the two days, Dan drove me around civic (the city) so i managed to see both old and new Parliment buildings, the memorials lit up at night along Anzac parade, the clock tower given to Canberra as a present from the UK (aren't we nice!). If you want a place to party the locals will be the first to tell you that the nightlife in Canberra is not all that, this gave me the perfect excuse while i had a proper kitchen, to make the biggest amount of sausgae and mash for two people that you have ever seen. Dan should have never let me loose in the kitchen while he went to football training! Whilst on the subject of football, this covers two types...aussie rules and the NFL which is like our rugby league. Dan is a massive enthusiast and plays both.

As well as Dan, myself and the girls met his friend Ozzie. Dan and I went over to his bachlor pad one evening where we had a few beers on the balcony. I was surprised to see a picture of us all including me up on the wall...strange now to be in people you meet travelling, homes. They took me to their local watering hole, The lighthouse for a few schooners.

Dan kindly drove me to Botanay bay, Sydney where I stayed with his parents for a night as his sister was expecting her 2nd child on St Patricks day so he wanted to be around if she went into labour. The baby was a little overdue and finally arrived on the following tuesday, mum and baby both doing well. Going back to the football note...i didn't realise how much some Australian Families love their football but it is taken really seriously and a big part of their lives, it was on TV the entire time i was there. Their home was right on the sea front and the area had a lovely quaint English feel to it. That may have just been due to the fact that it was spitting with rain and due to the mist the sea frount could have been Blackpool!

A massive thank you has to go to both Dan and his parents who took care of me so well in both Canberra and Sydney. I had a lovely time and the meals were all awsome...no fear of me starving just yet! I had a really enjoyable time playing with Bella, Dan's niece and it was great just to be in a family surrounding for a day! Dan and his father drove me to mates place in Kings cross on Sunday morning... my home in Sydney for however long.

Canberra - The Nations Capital remains copyright of the author Tina Bean, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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