Walking in England - Swanage to Corfe Castle

Over the Purbeck Hills

Its been a wet Winter 

Swanage is a bit of an old fashioned seaside resort. It is a regular biking destination which normally means a ride over the Heath from the Sandbanks Ferry to Corfe and then a trip down Sandy Hill Lane to Swanage. Today the Sandbanks Ferry was closed for maintenance so I opted for the Number 50 bus from Bournemouth to Swanage, free with my bus pass, and then a walk to Corfe. The hilltop walk over the Purbeck Ridge is pretty special, wild, windswept and empty. To get there it is simply a matter of walking east along the beach until the steps near the end of the bay. From there you hug the coast to Ballard Point and then cut back North and follow the markers. On your right is Studland Bay and Poole Harbour, on your left Swanage Bay. Ahead is wonderful Dorset countryside and, even on a dull day, you can see for miles. A bit strange being back in UK after our recent travels, still feel bit of a tourist. Had lunch in my favourite bakery in Swanage before I set out, £4.20 for a pastie and a coffee. This is a walk that works both ways, if you walk from Corfe to Swanage in Summer you can have a paddle in the sea and get a Steam Train back to where you started.

Following the Coastal Path, hoping it stays dry

Looking Right - Studland Bay and Poole Harbour

Heading into Dorset and Thomas Hardy country

Looking left over Swanage

Approaching Corfe on Sandy Hill Lane 

Corfe Castle - the Village

Hong Kong Stopover Day 2 - Peak Time

Life at the top - 19th November 2012

Sky High -View from the Peak

Going up the slope to the peak

Safely to the top!

After a good sleep we jumped back into 'The Flying Pan', for eggs, bacon and beans before walking to the Peak Tram Station, about half an hour away.  The Peak Tram, like the Star Ferry, is a bit of an institution in Hong Kong. The tram cars take you up to the Peak via a ridiculously steep track in under 10 minutes. It costs about £5.50 return including the Sky Terrace.
All sense of perspective is lost on the way up and buildings look to have been built at ridiculous angles.  Could have done without the long queue, but it gave us time to read about the history and it was a really good ride up. In early colonial days the Tram had three classes. Third class was for non-resident civilians and animals - that would be us then!

Tourists - Peak performance

Nice View on the Peak

Nice humble abode on the Peak

The route to the panoramic viewing platform 'Sky Terrace 428', at the top, is reached via escalators that are surrounded by shops selling souvenirs and gadgets.  Bit like a vertical High Street.  Anyway, we reached the top eventually and took in the views of the harbour, the tall blocks on the Island and Kowloon.  You could also see the back of the Island with its Power Station Chimneys and also Repulse Bay.  Certainly a good deal fresher and cooler on the Peak which is, of course, why it appealed to the colonials in former times and rich expatriates today.  In former times the Governor used to have a seat on the Tram reserved for him until the last minute just in case he wanted to pop home to the Peak. We elected to spend the day up there, just watching and wandering.  We were just on a stop-over after all!
We had lunch at McDonalds on a lovely terrace over looking the tree clad Peak. That was followed by a beer the terrace at Spagetti 360, then a coffee the Pacific Coffee Company and a circular walk on Plantation Road. Our dinner was in 'Bubba Gump'.  That was appropriate as our first meal of the trip, eight weeks ago, was at the 'Bubba Gump' in Santa Monica.  Very boring I know, but Dim Sum is like a box of chocolates. You have no idea what you are going to get!

Hotel  bound  back in Hong Kong

Table - Night time from Bubba Gump

Back to sea level

Hong Kong Stopover Day 1 - Eastern Inexperience

Hong Kong 18th -20th Nov 2012

Hong Kong Island from Kowloon

After an overnight flight from Auckland on ANZ we landed at the new Hong Kong Airport. Well, new to me anyway. The last time I landed here the Airport was at Kai Tak and you could almost look into the windows of flats alongside the runway.  A fast train sped us into Hong Kong Station where we jumped into a taxi for our Hotel.  The train cost $160 (£14) and the taxi $30 (£3).  The driver did not know our hotel or the street it was in which was a worry.  I suppose Wellington has another name in the Chinese language.  After asking directions he got us to the Butterfly on Wellington.  We were at the scruffy end of the street next to a market.  The Hotel was nice inside though.  It was 25 storeys high but there were only three rooms per floor so it resembled an upturned pencil.  The first thing I did was check out the fire escapes.  There were two staircases, one each side.  I thought about checking out the roof but we headed for breakfast instead.

Kowloon Side

The receptionist recommended a greasy spoon called 'The Flying Pan' or a Dim Sum restaurant around the corner.  A case of Flying Pan or fire methinks.  Actually my eggs and bacon with baked beans wasn't bad and the coffee was very welcome.  The Frying Pan overlooked the Hong Kong prison.  After a jet lagged snooze back in our hotel room, now partially flooded after a mishap with the shower, we headed for a late lunch - tough being a tourist!  We chose an authentic Dim Sum restaurant on Wellington which had been recommended to us.  Dim Sum is typically a number of small dishes chosen from a menu, or from a trolley.  We chose beef in black bean sauce, spare ribs and spring rolls.  Fairly safe choices?  You choose by ticking boxes on a multi choice sheet.  We failed miserably!  The beef dish was chopped intestines and very chewy.  Bit like eating an inner tube,  I suppose that is what it was! The pork dish was not very desirable at all in that it was pink pork, which had not been cooked.  The spring rolls were OK and we ate those, drank our green tea, paid up and left. Put it down to experience, or the lack of it. We then walked down towards the Star Ferry to Kowloon via the HSBC Bank.  It was Sunday and the whole area was inundated with women sitting on the ground playing cards, picnicking, gossiping and the noise was deafening.

The Star Ferry docking in Hong Kong

After managing to work out the ticket machines we rode the Star Ferry over to Kowloon.  Riding the Star Ferry is a 'must do' in Hong Kong and we must did!  After being forbidden from eating the Dim Sum by TW,  I needed to find an acceptable Chinese meal.  In the Ocean Terminal we found a nice Restaurant serving noodles, vegetables and a seared beef dish.  This time we emptied our plates!  It was a popular place, mainly with Chinese doing their Sunday shopping. We wondered why other customers seemed to be shunning us? We found out later that TW's habit of cutting up her noodls before eating them is considered to be diabolically unlucky. Suitably fed we headed for Nathan Road where we were besieged by people trying to sell us copy hand bags and fake watches.  We escaped to the Quay where we could see the light show at 8 pm.  They put on a bit of a laser show on the Hong Kong skyscrapers so we watched that before heading back to Central on the Star Ferry and taking a leisurely walk back to our Butterfly on Wellington. After the comfort and familiarity of the trip to New Zealand and Australia it all seemed a bit strange, a bit of a culture shock.

Crossing Back to Hong Kong Island

Australia Road Tour ends in Victoria - heading back to NZ

The Finish of Our Tour Down Under in Victoria - November 2012

Our Aussie Tour Down Under 

When you look on a map your realise what an enormous country Australia is. We only travelled a small corner of the State of Victoria but we were determined not to hurry and we did not want to spend too much time at the wheel. We could have quite happily stayed much longer in many of the places we passed through on our short trip. There was plenty of variety in terms of scenery, vegetation and wildlife. Did not see any snakes or vicious spiders but I bet they saw us! 

Back over the Tasman to Auckland - 15th to 17th November

Melbourne Airport is a busy old place. Good job we were there nice and early. We always seem to get caught out by the darn departure cards. We waited in a queue for ages and could have occupied part of the time completing the card. Unfortunately we only received the card after we had checked in. We then had to hurriedly complete them 'on the hoof'. Grhhh! Anyway it was a good flight back to NZ. Our attractively priced ticket with Air New Zealand meant we had to fly home from Auckland. Not a hardship really.

Father Christmas in November on Queen Street, Auckland

Our first venture into Auckland, nearly two months ago, consisted of a bus ride to the docks on the first day and a short walk to pick up Yaris 1. This time we were staying in the City, right in the centre on Queen St, just along from the Town Hall, the Theatres and Bars. Not that we intended to visit any places of entertainment. We did go to Countdown to buy Dinner but that probably does not count. Our Quest Apartment came complete with a Washer and Dryer  - so that was our entertainment sorted for the night. Next morning we took the ferry to Devonport on the North Shore. Only a 15 minute ferry ride but a world away from the busy streets of down-town Auckland. Very quiet and sedate streets with wooden houses and nice places to stroll. TW had a very unusual Ploughman's Lunch in one of the many Cafes. We walked round to Cheltenham Beach and then back over the Head. This was a lookout point with gun emplacements to clamber over and tunnels to squeeze through. Great views of Auckland and the Gulf. We were back in the City in time for a meal out in Takapuna with JF and his wife. Had not seen Jim for thirty years, seemed more like 30 days. Very nice evening and glad we made contact.

Devonport with Auckland in the background

Smart streets of Devonport on the North Shore

TW on tour in Devonport

Cheltenham Beach

Auckland - The City of Sails

The next day the rain came with a vengeance. We had decided to take a bus to Mount Eden. It was only drizzling when we set out. By the time we were on top of the Mount it had become a deluge. We splashed and dripped our way to lunch. We had to buy some dry clothes in The Warehouse. Happily we were dry by the time we took our midnight flight to Hong Kong. Cheerio NZ, it's been great!

Mount Eden crater in the wet

Australia Holiday - Inverloch to Melbourne

From the Ocean to the Airport - 14th November

After all the wonderful, sometimes quirky, places we stayed it was somehow appropriate that we should end our trip in a concrete cell. Plain white sheets, white walls and a swipe card for entry. We were at the Melbourne Airport Ibis Budget.(A$114/night) - clean and convenient.

Inverloch Surf Beach

Earlier in the day we had stopped at the Inverloch Surf Beach and then headed back towards the City. Our lunch stop was a Cafe in Baxter from where we carried on into suburbia before joining the bayside coast at Frankston. We had a look at the beach which was OK but we had been well and truly spoiled by the Prom and Inverloch. A very helpful Lady at the Tourist Office copied a map of the Airport and of Moorabbin where we were going to visit an old colleague. We drifted slowly up the coast with plenty of time to spare and took the Beach Road, the famous weekend cycle route. Blackrock and Sandringham were stop off points along the way. Parking in the beachside car parks was very expensive. In the town of Brighton, much nicer than the one in UK, we stopped to buy flowers for the people we were visiting. The Florist was a bit depressed about Australia, reckoned greedy unions were strangling the economy. Possibly they are but Brighton looked pretty prosperous to us, perhaps the Union Leaders live there? Lots of small individual shops like the Butcher and Baker, unlike the UK of today. Anyway we had a date in Moorabbin which we found easily although our route was pretty circuitous and took us through some smart suburban streets.

The P's house was a lovely wooden structure with big open plan Kitchen Diner.

They had prepared dinner for us, a cottage pie to die for, which was a nice surprise. With three kids, two dogs, a cat and the Aussie Lifestyle they were doing very well.

Beach Huts at Brighton

Our last drive in Australia was to the Airport and in darkness but we were given good instructions and followed them North, straight through the City. Impressive infrastructure and good views of the skyline along the way. I think we used a toll road along the way which has to be paid in the same way as London's congestion charge. We did get slightly stressed when we got stuck in a traffic jam because the Hotel had told us we had to check in by 10 pm or we might lose the room. Melbourne Airport is not the easiest of places to drive around but we found our Hotel, signposted as a Formula 1, in good time and decided to return Yaris 3 early. That meant filling the tank at the BP station. Luckily TW was alert to the fact that if we went out the wrong exit we would end up back on the Freeway and return to Melbourne City - aagh. Fortunately we went out the right way, found Hertz and said cheerio to our little Yaris 3. They were quite jolly at Hertz so we were happy it would be looked after. Not sure what they thought about the Koala in the boot. Sorry, we obviously could not take it to NZ, there are not enough Eucalyptus trees.

Always a bit of a relief to get the cars back unscathed. The Rental Companies all try and sell add-ons like CDW and Roadside Assistance and we do not take any of them. We do have our own Annual Policy that is much cheaper but it would no doubt be a struggle to sort out any claims.

Australia Holiday - Wilsons Promontory - turning for home at Tidal River

Last day at the prom - 13th November

On the rocks - Squeaky Beach

We did not know about Wilsons Promontory before this visit so, obviously, it was not originally on our itinerary. What a delight we would have missed! It's a National Park about 90 minutes from Inverloch. The route there is via a good country road. We quite like driving past the paddocks bordered by Gum Trees. Once into the Park it is all Native Bush. They have had a few bush fires but it is evidently growing back. Severe flooding has also caused damage so some areas were closed when we visited. There are camp sites and cabins at Tidal River. It would certainly be good spot to stay and go walking. The beaches are 'to die for'. We only had time for some short walks but we saw Kangaroo and Wombat and a variety of different birds.  The Kookaburra is a personal favourite. We ate at the Cafe in the camp. We both had a gigantic box of Fish and Chips, and sat safely inside. Three Aussie student blokes sat outside on picnic benches and were repeatedly dive-bombed by a Kookaburra trying to steal their dinner. It was hilarious entertainment for a large group of us sitting inside. Fair play to the Aussies for sticking it out. The birdie won by a beak though.

Squeaky Beach

TW out walking

Riverside - Tidal River

Tide going out at Picnic Bay

Wombat not worried by TW

Wombats are surprisingly big animals!

Kangaroo grazing by the roadside - don't jump!

Squeaky Beach is just lovely with very white quartz sand that squeaks when you shuffle. Picnic Bay had a glorious curve and a sandy bottom. The river flowing into Norman Bay made for some pleasant walking.
Certainly a great day out and we realised, as we turned back towards Inverloch, that our trip was coming to a close and that we were beginning the slow journey back to the UK and the Northern Winter.

Australia Holiday - Phillip Island to Inverloch - via Wonthaggi

Heading East to Inverloch - 12th November

Seaside in Cowes, Phillip Island

After a quick look at Phillip Island in daylight we headed eastwards towards Inverloch along the Bass Highway. At Wonthaggi we turned South towards Cape Paterson and followed the coast road. It's a bit like the Ocean Road only much quieter. There was a terrific wind from the West that nearly blew us over as we stopped at the Eagles Nest. Victoria certainly has a stunning coastline! Inverloch is a nice little Town and the helpful Tourist Office in Wonthaggi had fixed us up with accommodation in a street a short distance from the town centre.

Birdies in Cowes

Near the Eagles Nest

Getting some air at the Eagles Nest

Fossil hunting

Inverloch - one of the beaches

Into the wind on the Estuary

Our garden Studio in a tropical garden

Our new hosts had a small, but almost tropical, garden in Bayview Avenue. Within it was a comfortable annexe that was to be our residence for the next two nights. It was a bit like living in an Oasis. In our garden we were sheltered from the strong winds but we decided to brave the elements on the exposed beach. We ignored the fierce wind and had a pleasant stroll down the estuary to the Ocean. Quite impressed with Inverloch, a nice little town. Free internet in the Library. It was a bit noisy in there as there was a Nursery Group singing! Row, row, row your boat gently up the stream.... Had a chat with a lad at the Supermarket who visited the Paralympics in London. He obviously thoroughly enjoyed himself over there. Seems like a long time ago and a long way away.

Australia Holiday - Torquay to Phillip Island - paddling and penguins

Anyone for Tennis? - November 11th

One of Torquay's many beaches

Next day, after a hearty breakfast, we played tennis in the Torquay sunshine. Our host's were good players, we hit the ball OK but I struggled to serve. It was good fun though and was followed by a paddle in the sea. After lunch in Torquay Town we said our thanks and goodbyes and headed for Queenscliff and the 4 o'clock car ferry across the mouth of Melbourne Bay to Sorrento. Perfect calm and sunny weather made this a very enjoyable one hour cruise. It cost about £40. A very reasonable price really as it would cost that much in Petrol if we had driven round the bay in the Yaris. TW had announced that she wanted to see the Penguins at Phillip Island so we needed to step on the gas to get there before dark. We found time for some Fish and Chips at San Remo before arriving in good time for the Penguin march up the beach to their nesting area. Some of the Penguins travel 2 km inland through the Car Park so you have to look under your car before driving off! We saw a couple, thankfully not under our Yaris.  Penguin viewing is now much more organised than it was on my previous visit and there were loads more tourists. I don't remember grandstands last time. It was still good fun though. There were plenty of Rangers around to answer questions. Happily, there are also far more penguins. In the 80's the population was only about 8,000 but now its grown to over 30,000. As it was breeding time there was a large number coming ashore.

We are sailing - from Queenscliff

Getting close to Sorrento - Tee Shirt weather

TW chooses the Healthy Option for Lunch?

Apparently the organisers have bought surrounding properties and closed the road so its a lot safer for our little black and white friends. The Fairy Penguin is the smallest in the world and when they are in the water the untrained eye would think they were small ducks. When they hit the beach there is no mistaking their smart outfits as they warily start their waddle across the sand. They lean forward and run as fast as their wee legs will carry them. You can then wander on the board-walks and see them at close hand. Photography is forbidden which is fair enough. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it capped off a great day and a hugely enjoyable weekend. We headed for Cowes where we crashed out in a Motel. Zzzzz!