Off t New Zealand

With New Zealand being so close to Australia (only a 3 hour flight) there was no question in my mind that at some point, I would make the journey across the Tasman Sea.  And what better time to go than mid-Summer when the weather would be glorious.  So, at the beginning of February, I hopped on a flight from Melbourne to Auckland to begin my journey around the country.

I decided to buy a pass on the Magic Bus – a hop on, hop off bus that runs circuits of both islands.  It  was the most economical way I could find to see a great portion of the country in the limited amount of time that I had.  I was a little apprehensive at first, as I’d heard stories of party buses, unreliable connections, and general craziness, and after one initial hiccup (where the entire population of the bus had to stand up and introduce themselves, and explain what their problem was that morning – I hate having to do that) I was pleasantly surprised.

Our first notable stop on the journey was the Shire’s Rest Cafe – the jumping off point to tour the set of Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings movie.  You could eat Second Breakfast, and then jump on a tour of the set – which I did.  Sadly, that’s all I can say or show about that, due to the confidentiality agreement I had to sign, as the site will soon be used to film portions of The Hobbit. 

The New Zealand Countryside.

Sheep!!

Entrance to Hobbiton - and that's all I'm saying or showing.

Then it was off to Rotorua – quite possibly the smelliest town I’ve ever been in.  Due to the volcanic activity underneath the township, it’s a hotbed for geothermal activity.  Bubbling mud, geysers, and that distinctive sulphur smell abound.  It was still a beautiful place to spend two nights. 

Black Swans on the lake.

Then it was off to Waitomo, the jumping off place to explore the Glo-Worm caves.  It was a necessity that I visit the caves, and bring Glo along with me.  There’s something to be said for taking a picture of your glo-worm in the glo-worm caves!

The entrance to the caves.

Glo-Worm strings.

Glo

Can you find the glow worms?  The little blue lights are the glow worms.

Tasmania – Port Arthur (or Megan’s Day of History Geekdom)

OK – as anyone who knows me can attest, I’m a little bit of a history nerd.  I don’t know why, but I love history.  I loved Social Studies as a kid – learning about the history of different countries, examining behind the scenes to see how things worked.  I was that nerd in school.  So when I heard about Port Arthur, it was something that I had to do.

The City Lookout over Hobart

So, it was another early morning, as I waited for the van to come pick me up at 7:00am.  And we were off.  The first stop was in the town of Richmond, just outside of Hobart and home of the Oldest Bridge in Tasmania – built by convicts in 1823.  It’s a very picturesque little village, complete with the old Millers house, and the oldest Catholic church.  As a result of my ghost tour experience a couple of days before, I couldn’t help but wander through the cemetery to look at some of the old headstones.  Morbid, but I found it fascinating.

The Richmond Bridge

The original Mill Owner's home - still a private residence.

The Church.

Back on our way to Port Arthur, we stopped along the way to view some of the stunning ocean cliffs.  Pictures are always better than words.

And then we finally reached Port Arthur.  Port Arthur is the old convict settlement on Tasmania.  Essentially, it’s the collection of ruined buildings that remain – although some have been reconstructed and refurbished to give you the idea of what life was like for both the convicts and the officials who lived in the settlement.  It’s a little eerie to be quite honest, but quite interesting.  Also included was a harbour cruise so that you can see the Isle of the Dead – where they buried both convicts and officials – and the Boys prison island, because it wasn’t only adults who were transported.  All in all, it was an excellent day .