Miyajima Island
After the sad first day in Hiroshima, I needed something uplifting. A trip to nearby Miyajima Island, best known for its floating torii gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine. The torii is the traditional Japanese gate usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine This one is special though, and it might easily be one of the most […] Read More
Cook Strait
This morning I boarded the ferry to the south Island. 3h10 for the passage from Wellington to Picton, passing through the Cook Strait and Marlborough Sounds with its islands and waterways. The coast line in this northernmost part of the South Island is outright ridiculous, and reminds you of a fractal, in its endless repetitions. […] Read More
Rangitoto hike
Finally got my act together and set the alarm clock to 9 am. So I would make the Rangitoto Ferry at 10.30. The weather looked ok, warm, with lots of clouds, maybe not the worst to hike up a volcano. The Ferry took half an hour and let us ashore at Ragitoto‘s Ferry Terminal. I […] Read More
Beach day
Another day at the beach… Waiheke left me knackered, so I scrapped my plans to go visit and hike around Rangitoto today. I needed something more mellow… On to the ferry to Devonport again and over to Cheltenham beach to be lazy in the shade and a bit in the sun. It was windy, not […] Read More
Waiheke
When I first heard about Waiheke Island I thought they were talking about Hawaii. Many names here, taken over from Māori, have a hawaiian ring to me. I only recently found out that they are indeed all related. Funnily, all those polynesian micro-islands in the pacific have been discovered and settled way before the two main […] Read More
Devonport
My host Harvey gave me a number of insider tips for my stroll around Devonport. I took the ferry in the morning, crossing the harbor in less than 15 minutes, and arrived on the opposite site, in Devonport, a small suburb of Auckland, located on the North shore of the harbor, at the southern end of a peninsula. […] Read More
NZ Road Trip
I have been busy planning my road thrip through New Zealand in the past weeks, and I think I am pretty close to sorting it all out. It’s prime travel time in NZ, the backpackers are everywhere and the hotels and hostels are pretty full, that’s why it took some time to plan it… It’s […] Read More
Harbor trip
At sunset, we took one of the harbor ferries to bring us back to our Bondi home. And enjoy some spectacular views of the bridge and the Opera house at sunset. It is a quick ride of maybe 20 minutes, the ferry bringing you to strategic points along the bay. From there, dinner at Café […] Read More
Arriving in Montevideo
The trip crossing the Rio de la Plata was fast. That ‘Francisco’ speed boat (with the Pope hanging in the main hall…) just took over two hours to cross the nearly 200 km to Montevideo. Impressive. Miraculous even. We had to wear these ridiculous things over our shoes. The boat is new, the carpet thick, […] Read More
Off to Montevideo
Travelling day today. I’ll clean out my beloved SERENA apartment, pack and bring a small suitcase with stuff to Javo who will keep it for a few days. Then I’ll head over to the Ferry Terminal for the two-hour Ferry trip across the Rio de la Plata to Montevideo. I’ll arrive there in the evening. […] Read More