Our Motel in Londonderry was built in 1790 (the original part). History non existent in NZ. This motel is famed far & wide for their breakfasts. We could see why. In the cost of the room they supply a full a la carte breakfast. I had grits, warm maple syrup with strawberries followed by an omelette & toast. By the time I had finished I felt like returning to my room for a nap!
However we hit the Read on...
with a few short breaks, 40mins in woodland descent before Dorria and 20mins on ridge section before Planoles
A pretty bad sleep was met with a pretty slow morning. It also started with more climbing, as usual, so we felt extra slow. By the time we reached the col we had woken and warmed up though, and enjoyed nice views of the town as the sun also warmed up. There were also old border stones wh Read on...
Fresh from my week on the Great Ocean Walk, I headed to the regional centre of Warrnambool to stock up with another weeks worth of supplies, before continuing along the coast by coach to Portland, where I had ambitious plans for another biathlon of sorts - only this time instead of cycling and drinking my chosen disciplines would be walking and paddling. With school holidays (and the ensuing stamp Read on...
Our next adventure was to head to and climb Gorely Volcano. The Beast came back to pick us up, only this time we had to take ALL our luggage because the hotel would not keep our extra stuff overnight. We were assured that the extra luggage (like, my work laptop) would be kept in the Beast overnight. We stopped again for snacks and set off. This ride would be much longer than our previous one, so w Read on...
I didnt sleep well last night. Im sure my subconscious was going over all the things left to do in the morning despite my best efforts to pack up as much as possible before bed. An easy breakfast of PB on toast and a dish of yogurt with raspberries makes for minimal dishes left in the sink for the evening. Water hose, electric cord and drain the holding talks was about all there was to do but I st Read on...
The last 3 days in Italy were spent in Naples, with our home base at Hotel Rex. It was another one without an elevator, but the air conditioning was glorious, as was the breakfast and location - practically right on the sea.
Our train ride from Rome included a transfer in Caserta, and some major confusion on my part. It was a pretty small station, and the signs above each platform stayed blank wi Read on...
Saturday evening was our train to Leningrad. A very adventurous way to enter the Soviet Union thought I! The train departed from Helsinki Station, designed by Eliel Saarinen, with its destination Finland Station in Leningrad. The Soviet Railways (SZD) train backed down to the platform, and very mysterious looking it was. The sleeping car for four passengers, each with two bunkbeds and a table at t Read on...
We took the Southern Scenic Route drive to Invercargill from Manapouri. Were struck by how little traffic there is down here and how good the road surfaces are. A scarcity of bloody great heavy trucks might have something to do with the latter. South through Borland, Clifden, Tuatapere where we stopped for some lunch and had our best cheese roll to date as we attempt to connoisseurs of the mighty Read on...
Over a year since we have been overseas and it was going to be our last opportunity before the little one arrives. We also had to be careful as to not catch Covid and prevent us from getting to Porto, in the end we made it.
We booked an airbnb close to the river front and most importantly opposite our daily Pasties de Nata shop!
We arrived the Friday to warm sunny weather which stayed with us un Read on...
We were a little unsure about staying in Cairns after listening to the radio shock jocks railing against out of control crime in the area, as we were driving down the Far North Queensland coast. We had booked into Big 4 Ingenia Holiday Park at Worri, which is a fifteen minute drive from the centre of Cairns, and we couldnt have felt safer. Security gates and regular patrols were in place, and the Read on...