New Zealand transport

Well for the last 3 weeks I have been traveling around the North Island in NZ with Emma and she didn't kill me! We drove the whole Island and saw some amazing things. New Zealand is very "move worthy". Enjoy!

Auckland

At least it was paved!

Our home for the last 3 weeks

Emma showing off the tea pot in our camper van

A main road in NZ, 1 lane dirt track!! (Emma's photo)

The main highway has to stop for a 1 lane bridge!!

hard at work (Emma's Photo)

Lord of the Rings sites

I been to Hobbiton and Mt Doom and better pics of the mountians are coming at a later date since I have had to go to film because my digital has died. enjoy!

Glen and Emma's post card moment from Bag End with the Party Tree

They have strange Hobbits at Bag End

View of Mt. Doom from Lake Tapu

Mordor in the distance from Lake Tapu

view of Party Tree from Bag End

the Party Tree and sheep

The Shire

Some sights from around the North Island

Northern tip of the Island, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean come together. This is the point where Maori belive their souls go to start their afterlife.

A Mangrove forest

Mangrove roots

Te Arai Point (Emma's photo)

I don't know the name of this place, but it was sweet

Hot pool beach at low tide. Very cool, I mean HOT! Harangi Falls

NZ sunset while driving (Emma's photo)

Peace pond in Wellington

View of Wellington from the Botanical Gardens

Art gallery in Wellington

Art Deco Maori design

King Kong takes over the museum in Napier

Maori Culture

The Haka

Maori carvings

Maori design on the "ribs" of the meetig house

Detail of carving at Meeting House in Whaitangi

Meeting House in Rotorua

Newcastle and the Hunter Valley

Hi all! just got back from a wine tasting trip to the Hunter Valley, which is a major wine producing region in Australia. I think the guide said there were 150 wineries in the valley! We only went to 7 of them, so it was still good times! It is the first weekend of spring here and I am in Newcastle to visit with Orion before I head out to New Zealand on friday! (wow where is the time going?) Newcastle is a little off the backpackers radar here but the Hunter Valley is a major tourist trap and since it was such a hot and beautiful day many people where out enjoying it! It was quite an adventure and cool trip to get from Pittwater to Newcastle. I am heading back to Sydney tomorrow afternoon to get my stuff ready and say goodbye to some friends, and then the next posts will be from NEW ZEALAND! wow...

cheers!

a vineyard (i don't remeber the name there were so many!) a park in the Hunter Valleyin Newcastle looking down to Bar Beach and Mereweather on the hill veiw of the town and part of WWII defensive structure

Newcastle is on the coast (duh) and is the 7th largest city in Oz Newcastle is the world's largest exporter of coal, so notice the tankers waiting to come into port. There were at least 22 in line!

Pittwater and Ku-Ring-Gai National Park

The start of the trek to Newcastle began about an hour and a half on the bus into the northern part of Sydney. We stayed at a great hostel called Pittwater YHA and the only way to get out to it was by ferry and there was nothing around so you had to make sure you had everything you needed with you! Great place and so quite. It is a very popular place with people in Sydney because they can get out into the bush with out leaving Sydney!

My roomates at the Pittwater YHA were, a King Parrot anoter King Parrot and of course Emma! Halls Warf is where the stop to get to the Pittwater hostel. It's about a 15min bush walk through houses and wallabees Houses along the shore, no cars here only boat access Church Point, where you catch the ferry View from ferry

Transport to the hostel

Great views and bush walks here