Saturday 31 January 2009

Wanganui: Day One Hundred and Four (31 January)

This morning we visited the famous Dugald Mackenzie Rose Garden before heading for Wanganui, further up Highway 3.

We arrived in time for a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Ceramic and then walked across the City Bridge to
Durie Hill Elevator and Tower.

This historic elevator (lift) was built in 1919 and is apparently the only underground elevator in New Zealand. It is reached through a long pedestrian tunnel and you have to ring a bell to summon it. It costs $1 to ride.

Even though it was a hazy day the views were still amazing. We could just make out
Mount Ruapehu, which is an active volcano!

We opted to take the lift back too rather than walk down the 191 steps!

Barnaby

Friday 30 January 2009

Palmerston North: Day One Hundred and Three (30 January)


Although it is the capital of New Zealand, Wellington isn’t its largest city and we found our way out without any problems. The countryside roundabout is quite similar to the U.K.

It took just over a couple of hours to get to
Palmerston North, our next overnight stop. It is named after a former British Prime Minister and the word “North” was added in the late nineteenth century to prevent confusion with the town of Palmerston on the South Island, which is near Dunedin.


Palmerston North is also known as the Rose City because it's home to international rose trial grounds where they develop new varieties.

Our motel was very nice; it even had a spa bath, which we took advantage of later. But first we strolled into town to send parcels home and get an ice cream :-).

Barnaby

Thursday 29 January 2009

Wellington: Day One Hundred and Two - Afternoon (29 January)


We had a look round the Treehouse Visitor Centre and enjoyed lunch in the Rose Garden café before following the route out of the Gardens via Bolton Street Memorial Park.
This brought us out near Parliament so we joined the two o’clock tour along with two couples from Cranbrook in Kent!


There are actually three parts to New Zealand’s Parliament precinct: the Beehive, which houses the MP’s offices, Parliament House and the Library. We looked round them all. It was very interesting.




Barnaby

Wellington: Day One Hundred and Two - Morning (29 January)


We caught the bus from our motel to Wellington City Centre and then took the red cable car featured on all the postcards to the suburb of Kelburn, which has wonderful views of the harbour.
At the top we looked around the cable car museum and then followed the “Downhill Path to the City” through the Botanic Gardens. The flowers were stunning, especially the hydrangeas and agapanthus.


Barnaby

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Wellington: Day One Hundred and One (28 January)


We had a little more time to explore Picton this morning before catching the Interislander ferry to the North Island. Sylvia, the Italian language student we met at Miss Berry’s, arrived on the very ferry we were about to board but because she was on foot and we had a car we could only wave at each other over the intervening railway lines!

The sun had come out again so we went up on deck to eat our sandwiches and admire the beautiful Marlborough Sounds although we didn’t manage to spot any dolphins swimming alongside. The crossing is notorious for being quite rough and once we reached the
Cook Strait it did get a lot more bumpy!

The crossing to
Wellington, which is New Zealand’s capital city, took about three hours. Our motel turned out to be a little way out of the city but the nearby restaurant had lovely views of Evans Bay.

Barnaby

Tuesday 27 January 2009

Picton: Day One Hundred (27 January)


It was Sunday so we went to Holy Communion in Nelson Cathedral before heading for our last stop on New Zealand’s South Island: Picton. This is where the Interislander ferry leaves from.

We opted to take the route known as
Queen Charlotte Drive to get there because it follows the waterside. It was another windy road and as you can see the day was rather overcast but the scenery was still lovely. We stopped for lunch at a lookout with great views of the Marlborough Sounds.

We found our motel in Picton easily and then explored the attractively developed harbourside and had dinner in the Beachcomber Inn.

Barnaby

Monday 26 January 2009

Farewell Spit: Day Ninety-Nine - Afternoon (26 January)


We reached Collingwood about 3pm from where we could see Farewell Spit but hadn’t actually reached it yet! Collingwood is a lovely little town with an interesting museum and a fabulous beach that has been given over as a regeneration area for coastal plants. It was very wild and rugged and, being on the coast, very windy too.

But we found a sheltered spot in the garden of the Old Courthouse Café to bask in the sun while we had a cup of tea. Then we drove onto Farewell Spit itself – only the last kilometre of road was unsealed so it wasn’t too bumpy.

We didn’t leave there until 6.15pm and it was a long drive back. (Just as well it was summer time when it stays light till late in the evening). We stopped for dinner at
Motueka and got back to Nelson about 9.20pm, tired and ready to fall into bed.

Happy Australia Day to any Aussies reading this!

Barnaby

Farewell Spit: Day Ninety-Nine - Morning (26 January)


Today we went to the very top of the South Island, Farewell Spit. Spit in this sense means a long narrow strip of land projecting into the sea and Farewell because it was the last point to say goodbye from when people left the island. It turned out to be much further away than we’d thought but again the scenery was stunning, when you dared take your eyes off the very windy road.

We took the coastal route (Highway 60) out of Nelson and our first stop was
Kaiteriteri where we had hot chocolate at a lovely café overlooking the beach. Twenty-five kilometres of bends further on, we had lunch at Takaka Hill where the views over the valley was stunning.

Barnaby



Sunday 25 January 2009

Nelson: Day Ninety-Eight (25 January)

We drove through the centre of Blenheim on our way out today as we thought we hadn’t seen it properly and called at The Village again briefly before heading to Nelson, in the centre of New Zealand.

It’s a bit confusing because it’s nowhere near the centre of the South Island but if you put the two islands that make up New Zealand together, Nelson is where the centre would be. It was a reasonably sized town when Miss Robb’s Mummy was here about sixteen years ago; it’s now a city!

After we’d checked into our motel, we walked to the actual
geographical centre. You know what I said about New Zealand hills being steep? This one was almost perpendicular! We even tried walking up it backwards to see if that was any easier. It wasn’t but when we got to the top the 360 degree view was amazing.

Barnaby




Saturday 24 January 2009

Marlborough: Day Ninety-Seven (24 January)


As we were in one of New Zealand’s prime wine producing areas, we had to go on a wine tasting tour didn’t we? But our first stop was Makana Confections, just outside Blenheim, which is a boutique chocolate factory. I got to see chocolates being made after all and the free samples were delicious :-).

From there we went to the beautiful vineyard of
Domaine Georges Michel and then to Cloudy Bay, where we were taught how to taste wine properly (except they didn’t tell us spit it out afterwards, although Morris would have if he’d tried it because he doesn’t like wine).

We had lunch at The Village, where there was also olive tasting and a quilting barn before relaxing back in Blenheim.

Another fun day!

Barnaby

Friday 23 January 2009

Blenheim: Day Ninety-Six (23 January)


Our time on the South Island is coming to an end. Today we drove up to Marlborough, which some of your parents might have heard of as it’s one of New Zealand’s biggest wine producing areas.

Our route took us through
Kaikoura and we didn’t even need to take a cruise to see the whales it’s famous for as we spotted a group of them from the road :-). The colours in New Zealand are amazing – the sea at Kaikoura was actually turquoise.

We had lunch (chowder again – yum) at a restaurant our friends had recommended and then drove on to
Blenheim where we were spending the night. At this motel we had a bedroom each (often we shared a room) and there was a swimming pool: more sunbathing in January!

Barnaby

Thursday 22 January 2009

Christchurch: Day Ninety-Five (22 January)


This morning we watched the state funeral for Sir Edmund Hillary on television and then we had to arrange for the car windscreen to be fixed. Fortunately Amberley isn’t too far away from Christchurch where we’d hired the car as we ended up having to return it and get a replacement one. (The windscreen crack proved too severe to fix).

So we said goodbye to Dippy (our nickname for the Mazda) and hello to Dora (our replacement Toyota).

We returned to Amberley and had another pleasant evening catching up with our friends.

Barnaby

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Amberley: Day Ninety-Four (21 January)


Today we were heading towards Amberley, which is where New Zealand friends of Miss Robb’s Mummy live. This took us from the West to the East Coast of the South Island via Buller Gorge and Lewis Pass, where we had lunch.

On the way we stopped at
Hanmer Springs where there are natural hot thermal pools. Lovely after so many hours in the car. Morris and I didn’t go in the water (the hottest pools are 40 degrees Celcius and above) but we enjoyed lounging alongside.

Unfortunately on the way to Amberley a lorry threw up a stone and chipped the car windscreen but we made it our motel safely. Our friends had relatives staying so couldn’t put us up but we had a lovely evening with them and they showed us a bit of Amberley.

Barnaby

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Westport: Day Ninety-Three (20 January)


A quiet day as Miss Robb’s Mummy was still feeling a bit unwell. We drove out to Tauranga Bay on Cape Foulwind (Captain Cook and his ugly names for beautiful places again!) and had a light lunch at the Bay House Café.

Then we walked to a nearby seal colony and had fun watching them, especially the babies. We had an icecream and stayed a long time admiring the view.

On the way back we stopped briefly at Carters Beach and then we watched some of the
Australian Open tennis back at the motel. (Let’s hope Andy Murray gets further this year).

Barnaby

Monday 19 January 2009

Westland: Day Ninety-Two - Afternoon (19 January)


When Miss Robb returned from her Glacier Flight we packed the car and headed up the West Coast. The Kiwis nickname this the “Wet Coast” because it usually rains so much but we had glorious weather.

We had lunch in the old gold mining town of
Ross and then visited the jade factory at Hokitika. This area has always been a good source of the gem also known as greenstone.

Then we drove on to
Punakaiki, whose English name is Pancake Rocks. I expect you can see why :-). I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat these with maple syrup or lemon and sugar though.

Our last stop was
Westport where we spent the night.

Barnaby

Franz Josef: Day Ninety-Two - Morning (19 January)


Today we had planned to take a flight over the Glacier but I wasn’t allowed to go for health and safety reasons :-(. Unfortunately something Miss Robb’s Mummy ate last night hadn’t agreed with her so she couldn’t go either. Morris and I stayed in the motel to look after her and Miss Robb flew over the Glacier on her own.

She got to sit right behind the pilot so she could see everything. They flew right to the top of Franz Josef Glacier from where they could see
Mount Tasman and Mount Cook. Then they flew along the east side of the mountain and could see Lake Tekapo (it already feels ages since we were there) and back over Fox Glacier where they actually landed in the snow. It was such a stunning day they could see all the way to the ocean.

At least I can look at the photos.

Barnaby

Sunday 18 January 2009

Franz Josef: Day Ninety-One (18 January)


Another long drive today – all the way to Franz Josef Glacier. But when the views are so amazing it doesn’t feel like a trial, even when the first bit of road is accurately named “The ZigZag”.

We stopped briefly at
Wanaka and had lunch at Lake Hawea Lookout then steeled our nerves in Makarora for the drive through the Haast Pass. Because most of New Zealand’s mountains are extinct volcanoes the sides drop away very steeply and the roads are quite narrow. At least they drive on the left like us!

We reached Franz Josef a little after 5pm, checked into our motel and, after dinner, walked up to the Glacier. The ice is made of blue in parts not just white!

Barnaby

Saturday 17 January 2009

Queenstown: Day Ninety - Afternoon (17 January)

Then we caught the TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship across Lake Wakatipu and I even had a go at the wheel :-).



It took us all the way to Walter Peak Farm where we had a delicious four course dinner and watched a sheepdog and shearing show. On the cruise back to Queenstown we had a singalong round the piano – a really fun evening.



Barnaby



Queenstown: Day Ninety - Morning (17 January)


Our next stop was New Zealand’s Capital of Adventure, Queenstown, but I wasn’t planning doing any bungee jumping. Instead we took the slightly more sedate gondola (it's reputed to be the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere) to Bob's Peak and admired the “Remarkable” views with clear eyesight.

Barnaby

Friday 16 January 2009

Doubtful Sound: Day Eighty-Nine - Afternoon (16 January)

We went all the way to where the Sound joins the Tasman Sea then turned round because it was getting choppy and rejoined the coach at Deep Cove.

On the way back to Lake Manapouri we called at the Hydroelectric Power Station which is 213 metres below ground. It felt strange driving into it in a coach and it was bizarre seeing something so modern having just returned from almost primeval scenery but very interesting.


We braved more unmade roads on the drive back to Te Anau as we visited Rainbow Reach on the
Kepler Track and walked across another swingbridge.

A tiring but lovely day.







Barnaby


Doubtful Sound: Day Eighty-Nine - Morning (16 January)



We were really lucky with the day we picked to visit Doubtful Sound as it’s often overcast in New Zealand’s Fjordland but the day of our cruise was beautiful with bright blue skies.

We caught the boat across
Lake Manapouri and then joined a coach to reach the Sound itself, stopping en route at Wilmot Pass lookout, which has a fabulous view looking down on the Sound.

Our second boat had windows in the roof as well as along the sides so we could enjoy all around views of the stunning scenery and wildlife. Because the Sound has a layer of freshwater that floats on top of the seawater, it is home to marine animals, including dolphins, yet plants that need freshwater grow along its sides. The waterfalls were fantastic thanks to the recent rain.

Barnaby

Thursday 15 January 2009

Te Anau: Day Eighty-Eight (15 January)


Another day, another new location. We said goodbye to the very friendly people in Invercargill and set off for Te Anau, which we were going to use as our base to visit Doubtful Sound (so named because Captain Cook thought it was "doubtful" he could navigate it).

The Sound can only be reached via Lake Manapouri, which we passed on our way from Invercargill so we checked how long the journey took from there to Te Anau ready for the morning (about half an hour). Our motel was lovely and central and had free Internet access on site so we could email people back home :-).

Te Anau is also where lots of people stay to visit Milford Sound. We didn't have time to visit that as well but we saw a wonderful film about it in Te Anau's cinema, called Ata Whenua - Shadowland. The photography was amazing: almost as if we were in the helicopter with the cameraman. We knew he was good because he was asked to help with the film of Lord of the Rings.


Barnaby

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Stewart Island: Day Eighty-Seven (14 January)


Today we are going as far South as it is possible to go without visiting Antartica.


We left the South Island of New Zealand from Bluff, about 25 kilometres from Invercargill, and caught a ferry to Stewart Island. The crossing via Foveaux Strait is notorious for being rough but it was okay going, despite the grey and damp weather.

We docked in Oban (also known as Halfmoon Bay) and took a tour of the bays, which also gave us a history of the island. Today most of it is given over to walking tracks and there are only 28 kilometres of road. The South Sea Hotel is famous for its seafood chowder so of course we tried some for lunch and it was delicious.

We caught the 3.30pm ferry to the mainland and it was decidedly bumpy: the hour's crossing felt much longer.

Back in Invercargill it turned into a pleasant evening which bodes well for our journey onwards tomorrow.

Barnaby

Tuesday 13 January 2009

Invercargill: Day Eighty-Six (13 January)

We said goodbye to the beautiful Otago Peninsula and joined the Southern Scenic Route through the Catlins. Our first scenic stop was Nugget Point so named because of the rock formations just off it, where we managed to spot several seals. It was also our first experience of unsealed roads. The ride there was distinctly bumpy.


After a restorative cup of tea in Owaka, we drove past New Zealand's Niagara Falls. They are not quite on the same scale as the ones on the Canadian/American border which I've also been to. (I'll tell you about that trip another time).


From there we drove down to the petrified forest at Curio Bay. Although we often use the word petrified to describe feeling really scared it actually means being turned to stone, which is exactly what happened to these trees. They've become fossils.



We eventually arrived in Invercargill in time for dinner and an early night as we're heading even further South tomorrow.



Barnaby


Monday 12 January 2009

Dunedin: Day Eighty-Five (12 January)


This morning we drove back out to Pilot's Beach at the end of the peninsula where we watched the fairy penquins come ashore on our first night here.


We were taking the Unique Taiaroa tour; first stop the Royal Albatross Centre, where we had lots of time to look around. We could see four albatrosses from the observatory. The peninsula is also home to a colony of shags and to seagulls.

Next stop was Taiaroa Fort. We were the only people on this part of the tour so we had the guide all to ourselves. I saw a retracting cannon.


Back at the motel we planned the rest of our itinerary for the South Island. Tomorrow we are heading right to its bottom: Invercargill.



We saw this dragon boat in the harbour opposite our motel.


Barnaby

Sunday 11 January 2009

Dunedin: Day Eighty-Four (11 January)


I woke up really excited because today we were going into Dunedin to visit Cadbury World. Chocolate is one of my most favourite things so I've always wanted to visit somewhere it is made.


We drove along Highcliff Road, which has stunning views, but when we got to the site they said I couldn't go on the tour because I might have germs! I have never been so offended. And they weren't even making chocolates that day because the factory was closed. I sat in a locker and cried. I didn't even have Morris for company because he sneaked round in a bag.


I was allowed to see some of the vans they used to use to deliver the chocolates but it wasn't the same :-(.


It was a sad day generally because when we got back to the motel we learned Sir Edmund Hillary had died.


Barnaby

Saturday 10 January 2009

Otago Pensinula: Day Eighty-Three (10 January)


Another long drive today from Twizel to the Otago Peninsula by Dunedin, which is also called the Scotland of the South.


We stopped on the way for a photo stop at Lake Aviemore Hydro-electric dam. Then drove onto Oamaru where we booked our motel. On the way we saw the strangest thing ... people made out of straw bales!


Finally we arrived. The last part of the drive was along a very very windy road right next to the water. The view was very pretty and I liked it but Miss Robb had to keep her eyes on the road!


Later that evening we went out again, right to the end of the peninsula because the lady at the motel told us we could see fairy penguins coming ashore at the beach there. It was rather chilly, even more than on Phillip Island, but we did see lots of penguins. One got rather scared by some silly people taking its picture and it ran away right between Miss Robb's legs!!


Barnaby

Friday 9 January 2009

Mount Cook: Day Eighty-Two (9 January)


We went back to the Church of the Good Shepherd for another last look this morning before driving to Twizel and booking into a lovely mountain chalet for the night.

Once we'd sorted out our accommodation, we drove to Mount Cook, about sixty kilometres away. This was where Edmund Hillary practised before he and Sherpa Tensing were the first people to climb Mount Everest and a centre about him has just been opened. (Unfortunately Sir Edmund never visited it himself as he was not well enough. He actually died two days after we were there).

We had a quick look at the centre before going on the Hooker Valley walk. It was beautifully bright and sunny and the scenery was glorious but it was rather windy so when we reached the second swingbridge over fast flowing water we decided to turn back.

We had another look round the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre before returning to Twizel.


Barnaby



Thursday 8 January 2009

Lake Tekapo: Day Eighty-One - Afternoon (8 January)


Straight after the dolphin cruise, we drove from Akaroa to Lake Tekapo. This turned out to be too far to drive in one day so we were very tired when we arrived.

But the views were magnificent.
The Church of the Good Shepherd on the lake shore doesn't need stained glass in its windows because the lake and mountains form their own backdrop. The congregation can never get bored because the picture is always changing :-).


Barnaby

Akaroa: Day Eighty-One - Morning (8 January)

We chose to visit Akaroa because it's one of the few places in the world where it's possible to see Hector's Dolphin, the smallest dolphin in the world. But there was a storm forecast and the cruise operators didn't know if they would be running :-(.

Luckily they did decide to go out (but only in the harbour - just as well it's so big) and we spotted dolphins almost immediately. They are so cute and swam right alongside the boat for about forty minutes. It was magical :-)!



We also saw terns and seals but no penquins. I didn't mind: the dolphins alone were special enough.





Barnaby




Wednesday 7 January 2009

Christchurch: Day Eighty (7 January)


Our New Zealand adventure got properly underway today. We'd booked our hire car and the hotel in Christchurch from England but, apart from the date we are taking the ferry from New Zealand's South Island to the North, we are making the rest of our itinerary here up as we go.


We had breakfast at the Cathedral Cafe and checked our emails for free at Christchurch Library once last time before picking up the car. It was a Mazda which was handy because that's what Miss Robb's Mummy drives at home.


We decided to head for Akaroa, an historic French and British settlement on the coast. New Zealanders (or Kiwis, as they sometimes known), measure distances in kilometres rather than miles but we were used to that by now because the Australians (or Ozzies) do too. Akaroa is about 75 kilometres from Christchurch, probably longer if you take the scenic route like we did.

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful place called The Wine Stop. It is a vineyard but we opted to have a nice cup of tea instead. (How very English :-))!


Barnaby





Tuesday 6 January 2009

Christchurch: Day Seventy-Nine (6 January)


Another lie-in. All our early starts to go on tours are catching up with us.

We found out where we need to collect our hire car tomorrow and discovered free Internet access in the library so sent lots of messages home.

In the evening we went to Contemporary Evensong in the
Cathedral before having another walk around the lovely Botanic Gardens.

Barnaby

Monday 5 January 2009

Christchurch: Day Seventy-Eight (5 January)

After a lie in, we went to get Miss Robb’s mummy’s camera fixed and then joined a walking tour.

Christchurch is said to be New Zealand’s most English-looking city and some of the buildings would not seem out of place in Oxford or Cambridge: you can even be taken for a punt on the river.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny. He pointed out the commemorative plaques showing the first four ships to arrive from England and the incomplete statue of
Robert Falcon Scott, in memory of his doomed expedition to Antarctica. We also visited the cathedral and parliament buildings before finishing up at the Arts Centre for a cup of tea.

Afterwards we explored the adjacent Botanic Gardens where there were stunning roses. (Christchurch is known as the Garden City). We had dinner beside the river again.

Barnaby



Sunday 4 January 2009

Christchurch: Day Seventy-Seven (4 January)


The airport shuttle picked us up at 6.20am so there was no time for final sightseeing. Sydney airport was very busy but the time passed quickly – there was free Internet at the boarding gate.
The journey to New Zealand was the shortest international (i.e. between different countries) flight we made – only three hours. We could see Mount Cook poking through the clouds as we flew over it.

When we landed we had to put our watches forward by another two hours. We are now the furthest away from Britain we will be on our whole trip.

Our driver from the airport gave us a little tour of
Christchurch before dropping us at our hotel, overlooking the cathedral. We explored a little and had dinner in a nice restaurant beside the River Avon before having an early night. We were very tired.

Barnaby

Saturday 3 January 2009

Sydney: Day Seventy-Six (3 January)


Our last day in Sydney :-(. I love this city and didn’t want to leave.

After we’d posted more parcels home, there wasn’t time to take a ferry to
Manly (as we’d planned) so we caught one to Circular Quay instead and went back to the beautiful Botanic Gardens.

We walked as far as
The Domain, where they hold open air concerts throughout January leading up to Australia Day on the twenty-sixth, and then wrote postcards looking at our favourite views.

Eventually we tore ourselves away and walked back to Darling Harbour for a take away dinner and to pack.

Barnaby

Friday 2 January 2009

Blue Mountains: Day Seventy-Five: Part Two (2 January)


From the wildlife park, we went to the best known photo stop in the Blue Mountains – Echo Point which overlooks the Three Sisters rock formation.

Then we rode the world’s steepest railway which
ends abruptly over the tree canopy of Jamison Gorge. It was a bit alarming but the walk through the forest and ride back up on the Skyway was very impressive.

After lunch in the Skyway restaurant, we drove along Cliff Drive to Govetts Lookout and called at a local fruit farm, where we bought some cherries.

Our last stop was at the
Olympic Stadium where we caught a ferry back to Circular Quay. Sydney Harbour can certainly claim to be one of the most beautiful in the world.


Barnaby

Blue Mountains: Day Seventy-Five - Part One (2 January)


Another early start as we were going on a tour to the Blue Mountains. They are inland from Sydney, where wealthy people used to go to escape the heat of the city, and are called blue because of the haze from the many eucalyptus trees.

Our first stop was
Featherdale Wildlife Park where we saw some more koalas and wombats but couldn’t spot the elusive bilby.


Barnaby

Thursday 1 January 2009

Sydney: Day Seventy-Four - Afternoon (1 January)


Once we were back in Sydney we caught a ferry to Watson’s Bay, from which you can see the entrance to Port Jackson (Sydney’s Harbour). The local cliff is known as “The Gap” and the peninsulas on either side of the harbour mouth are called North and South Head respectively.

Watson’s Bay has a famous restaurant called
Doyles where we hoped to have fish and chips but there wasn’t time before we had to catch the last ferry. So we had dinner in Circular Quay instead and then got the ferry from there to Darling Harbour, as it was included in the price of our Dayrover Ticket.

I can’t think of many better ways to start a New Year :-).

Barnaby

Sydney: Day Seventy-Four - Morning (1 January)

Happy New Year!

I didn't get up very early as we didn't get to bed until it was 2.30am.

We bought a Daytripper's ticket - which meant we could ride on any bus, train or ferry all day - and caught a bus to Palm Beach, where they film Home & Away :-).



It is ever so pretty but the beach was closed because the waves were too rough. I had my picture taken with the lifeguards and their mascot though.

They weren't filming either - they break for a long time in the summer - but we had lunch in Alf Stewart's surf club.



Barnaby