Homeward bound

Very steep!

Skybridge

So my time in Malaysia is coming to an end.  A very relaxing stay at the Geopark on Langkawi allowed me to chill by the pool and use all the facilities of a nearby 5 star hotel.  Not my 5 star hotel but needs must and the gym was very well equiped!  The main reason to come to the Geopark was for the cable car and this didn't disappoint.  Heading straight up a very steep mountain whilst swaying in the wind, it wasn't for the faint hearted.  The views from the top were superb.  This combined with the skywalk showed the island at its best surrounded by untouched rain forest and isolated beaches. 

The only tourist attraction in Kuah!

A couple of days in the capital, Kuah, where unfortunately the only attraction is a bizarre giant eagle statue and it's time for my final visit to KL.  Tomorrow I shall run around the towers for the final time and pack my bag for the long flight home, back to see my bambinos (and doggy bambino).  It's time to leave all this behind and come back into the real world!  Until next time!

New Zealand has been a fantastic country and my favourite by a long way,  if only it was nearer the UK and my bambinos it would be perfect.  But all good things come to an end and I have headed back to Malaysia.  The delights of the famous Petronas Parry towers were still waiting in KL for me and a couple of quick nights in the city reminded me of what a cool place it is.  In a lot of ways it's good to be back in the choas that is Asia.  A very short flight along the coast has bought me to the holiday island of Langkawi.  Shortly after arriving here I learnt of the horrific earthquake in Christchurch and my heart goes out to the people there.  It feels so strange to have pictures of buildings which are no longer there, in particular the catherdral where it seems so many have lost their lives.

Sunset on Cenang beach

The biggest jelly fish I have ever seen!  It was like a dustbin lid.

and another one...

just one more..

8.30 at night and the beach is packed.

Langkawi is a nice mix of budget hotels and top range exclusive resorts.  I have opted for something in the middle being a humble backpacker.  I have spoken to some of the guests in the top resorts and they have paid 20 times more than I have a night!  I didn't tell them that though when I used their running track and sneaked into their swimming pool!  Just mingle in and look like you belong, that's my advice.  As much as I like a hint of danger swimming in the ocean here is just too risky for me.  The amount of jellyfish is amazing and although the locals like to keep it quiet a swedish tourist died very recently from a sting.  I counted over 50 washed up on the beach yesterday.  So I've watched as other people go in but it's definately not for me.

I'm heading inland to the jungle tomorrow for my final few days of travel before heading home via KL of course for another look at my towers.

Waiheke Island







Lots of vineyards

Blackpool beach minus the donkeys!

Onetangi Beach

Demolition courtesy of Cyclone Wilma

My running track

View from trig hill of Ostend




  A 40 minute ferry ride away from Auckland took me to Waiheke Island.  Again another place that looks stunningly like England with sunshine.  Life on the island is led at a very slow pace and as such the island has a very relaxed feel to it.  It specialises in winemaking so not the worse place in the world to be.  It's also considered to be a place where old hippies come to retire and I must admit I'd agree with that judging by some of the locals I met.  Amazingly for a sleepy island where you would think it's impossible to commit any crime, the hostel was  broken into on my second night and several items stolen.  Not mine though luckily.  Lots of walking and running led me all over the island to several excellent view points.  You can just see the sky tower in Auckland in the distance and the busy city seems a million miles away.  So a good few days of relaxing and not doing much to prepare me for heading back to the mayhem that is S.E.Asia on Friday.  I'll be spending a couple of days at Katie and Taylors in Auckland before I leave just to keep the Odyssey theme going strong.

Tauranga

Mt Maunganui very artistic in black and white

Barry looks for a new time share

So after a couple of days in Auckland left to my own devices which generally involved avoiding all the religious fanatics who kept making a bee line for me and a quick bit of protesting with the Eygtians, I arrived in Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty to visit fellow Odyssey travellers Barry and Pauline.  These two are the most active and fit people I know so I anticipated a bit of a hard time.  We went for a gentle walk initially, luckily for me the local mountain was closed due to landslips courtesy of Cyclone Wilma, however Pauline soon had us marching up a nearby hill, there's no escape.  A bike ride the next day took me all over the city and I only got slightly lost this time. The coastline near to Tauranga is wild and stunning and myself and Barry took a walk along from Waihi beach.  Of course I had to jog at times to keep up with Barry but the views made every step worthwhile.  So I had a great time and it was good to see the my kiwi friends again.  No doubt we'll meet again somewhere on our future travels.

Able Tasmen and Auckland

Would love to say I stayed on here!

Things got a bit strange on the sculpture walk!

Still strange

I ordered a large cappucino and this happened

Just in case the Kiwis count in minutes

To cap off a strange day this appeared in Auckland Harbour

We arrived in Able Tasmen national park after a hilly/mountainous bike ride to camp at Old McDonalds farm in Marahau. The bike ride was amongst the most scenic we’ve done and the national park looks absolutely stunning. It is rated as one of the most scenic places in New Zealand and it’s very easy to see why. For some strange reason I opted the next day to catch a water taxi 25k up the coast and run back along the undulating coastal footpath. The views on the route were fantastic, so good I had to stop and look for a few minutes. Nothing to do with the fact I was tired! I feel I’ve said this about every place I’ve visited on the South Island but it really is stunning. After a more relaxing afternoon we all ventured out for our last group meal in the local bar. Much better than running. A return journey on the ferry between Picton and Wellington bought us back to the North Island. Having spent most of the voyage feeling sea sick I was glad to reach solid ground and relax in the hostel in Wellington. A couple of long days travelling and I arrived back in Auckland, a place which now seems very familiar. The Flying Kiwi trip was on the whole very good, as always I’ve meet some great people and visited some brilliant places. I’ve cycled and ran up more hills than I knew existed, seen skies and seas so blue they feel unreal and seen more natural wonders than I could ever imagine.




In Auckland I have met up again with fellow Odyssey travellers, Roberta,Katie and Taylor. It was great to chat and swap stories of our different adventures over the last two/three months. The only trouble is with meeting Roberta again is she likes the cultural side more than me and so dragged me around Waiheke Island to see some outdoor sculptures. All very deep and meaningful unless you don’t really get it, which I don’t. After speeding past the cultural people who were studying and analysing each sculpture in depth we found the tea bar. Excellent, I know where I am with a cup of English breakfast, no analysis required. The island is very quiet and relaxing and I have planned to stay for a few days soon once I have visited even more fellow travellers, Barry and Pauline.

Some nice roses for my twinnie Susan x   I actually visited the botanical gardens in Wellington but don't intend to make a habit of it.

South Island

Fox glacier





Pancake rocks

Christchurch

Lake Tekapo

Routeburn track

Mt Hooker

Queenstown

Oh we're a bit tired Lesley!!  I left them for five minutes and this happened!!

An overnight stop in a great hostel in Picton greeted us onto the South island. After a much needed sleep we headed to Christchurch for a all too brief visit. Christchurch suffered an earthquake in September which fortunately caused no fatalities but did leave a trail of damage throughout the city. The city is bizarrely more English than England. With familiar street names and buildings which wouldn’t look out of place in any English town it was all very pleasant. Definitely a place I could have spent more time in. The next day saw us at Raititaga gorge where some of the guys went white water rafting. I went for a run in the countryside dreaming of home. I arrived back from my run to find my tent in a heap due to the extreme winds courtesy of a cyclone currently hitting the North island. A bush camp at stunning Lake Tekapo enabled us to witness a stunning sunset . The water in the lake is an unbelievable opaque blue colour as it comes straight from the glaciers. Everywhere you look in this country leads you to another stunning view and at times it’s hard to take it all in. To us Europeans as well the sight of the half moon being the wrong way round looks very bizarre, not to mention all the different star constellations. A visit to Mt Cook was unfortunately curtailed due to heavy rain but it gave us a chance to visit the Edmund Hilary exhibition which proved very interesting. The bad weather continued as we cruised on the Milford sound and the mist gave the mountains a surreal feel.


Several of us completed the famous Routeburn track. Following a set route over 3 days in Fjordland, it’s a pleasant walk through waterfalls, over swing bridges, up hill and down dale with great views along the way. At less than 20 miles it’s the sort of walk we would do in England in a day but apparently these Kiwis aren’t as tough as us and take longer! We met up with the rest of the group in Queensland which is possibly my favourite place so far. Bungy jumping and sky diving junkies fill the town, but I opted for the more sedate biking and running. Running alongside a blue lake with mountains in the background suits me more than swinging on an elastic band. A hike up Fox Glacier was next led by a very informative guide with the added bonus that he looked like David Coultard. It was fascinating to stand on the ice and hear all the history of the glacier. Bit chilly though!




We’re currently at yet another stunning beach camp although I have upgraded tonight to a cabin. As much as I love camping sometimes a nice bed is too appealing. A visit to the nearby famous pancake rocks ( everything is ‘famous’ here) was in order and even I was impressed. So impressed I intend to return at sunset and take some photos.

New Zealand

So no lotto win for me and I completed my flight down to Auckland via an eventful night on the floor at Sydney airport. I rushed to check in as soon as they opened at 04:00 only to be told that they had no record of my booking. They cannot fool me however as I had the evidence in my hand so Quantas had to concede. Bit of a scary moment though. Flying into Auckland airport over the tiny islands that surround the north east coast the views were glorious and a great fore taste of things to come. After a couple of days exploring Auckland, so called city of sails as it has one sailing boat to every 5 people, I had signed up to a Flying kiwi tour of both islands and so duly joined that in Auckland. Having been on the tour now for 6 days I feel my feet have barely touched the ground and I’ve been busy every moment. Highlights so far include walking the Tongairio crossing, a high alpine trek, considered to be one of the best day walks in the world. It was extremely beautiful but I have to say that I have had just as good walks in our Lake district, I’ve cycled up and down mountains, ran alongside waterfalls, taken forest walks and sat in thermal pools. We visited the oldest Kauri tree in New Zealand. It led to a bit of an error on my part when I looked at the wrong tree for five minutes thinking I’d been scammed whilst everyone else stared at the correct tree in wonder.

Bay of islands

I eventually found the largest tree!

Thermal activity in Rotorua

Lake side camping

Huka falls

Emerald lake Tongariro

Group of valiant trekkers

The north island of New Zealand is uncannily similar to Britain and at every view point there is something that reminds you of the lakes, Yorkshire dales or Snowdonia. It is a stunningly beautiful place with natural wonders in abundance. Every beach is fantastic, there are geysers, hot pools galore, all very lord of the Rings and today we drove past Mt Doom.  As I haven't seen the film I was a bit bemused but everyone else was very excited. Everyone tells me the south island is even better so I’m looking forward to tomorrow when we make the ferry crossing from Wellington over to Picton.