After 3 weeks on the ground today we were back in the air! Leaving New Zealand feels stranger than anywhere else we've been. Firstly, I guess, it's the longest we've been in any one place and secondly we're now heading homewards. We've got so much still left to do but only just over three weeks left to fit everything in!
I managed to get our last car hire for America booked last night and all accomodation is booked through until the end. As with the rest of the trip it's all flexible but if we stick with the plan there should be minimal admin left to do.
Throughout New Zealand it was nice to get into a routine with a similar alarm every morning. Today we were up at 5am to get to the airport for our first flight to Sydney. By the end of the day we'll be in Fiji due North of Nz and in the same time zone. How our tickets have worked however has taken us back into Sydney where we gain two hours and then back out to Fiji where we lose our two hours again.
We arrived into Sydney at 9am local time and were treated to stunning views over the city as we were slightly ahead of schedule. We were swiftly through passport control and customs before a 4 hour stopover, using the time to catch up on formatting the blog and uploading pictures onto the web. We worked out that this is our fourth trip to Sydney airport in just over a month! We flew in and out when we came to visit the city and have used it twice to go in and out of New Zealand! It'll probably be a decent while before we're back again!
Our flight over to Fiji was an absolute delight. We both felt very relaxed to be on our way to Fiji with everything booked and paid for. New Zealand and Oz were both amazing but pretty non stop. The people are known for their hospitality and this started on the flight! Drinks flowed and the smiles of the staff were incredibly infectious!
We both managed to squeeze in a couple of movies and by the time we landed were both exhausted! Travel days, especially those including multiple flights are always the most tiring! We had a free transfer to our hostel that we're stopping off at for tonight.The minibus was playing a Fijian version of One Direction! It was very odd but strangely catchy. We arrived to find a buzzing hostel with a lovely bar and cafe. After a short wander though it was bed time for us with book and kindle respectively. Time to begin our Fijian relaxation...
Speak English but with a twang, Edd can't recognise his own name because everyone here calls him Idd.
$1 NZ = £0.56
Maori inhabited the island before Europeans turned up, we learnt a little of the Maori traditions and culture.
We got caught out a couple of times with a massive air raid siren going off in rural towns. It's used to call the local voluntary fire-brigade to help! It scared the life out of us the first time!
They have on average 3 earthquakes a day but most are so small you don't feel them.
Highlights of our time include skydiving, luging, sheep sheering, swimming with dolphins, whale watching, Maori dancing, bird watching, lots of beautiful walks, visiting lovely friends and lots of scenery and driving.
Wildlife:
- National bird is the kiwi (we didn't see one, they're nocturnal)
- Hector dolphins, smallest in the world
- Albatross
- Blue Penguins and yellow eyed penguin
- Sheep, lots of them!
- Sperm whale
- Seals
- Lots of birds but Falcons, Hawks, seagulls, fan tails, Hihi, bellbirds, tuis, takahe.
- Best food:
- Edd's risotto, goats cheese and tomatoes made on the back of the campervan
- And special mention goes to our lovely Jucy that got us around and was home for 3 weeks! Very cool experience now that I'm back in a proper bed!!
No comments:
Post a Comment