Day 21 16.8.2011 – Motor home moving day Distance travelled: 320km

Hello all,

Today we picked up the motor home!! Its huge, Kia 6 Berth Deluxe, brand new and very spacious for the 3 of us.

So we headed out of Auckland and up to the north, the landscape is beautiful, we have Steven snapping away as well as Michael. The terrain changes very quickly and it a challenge to drive, it took about 4 hours to get up to Whatuwhiwhi, just below 90 mile beach. 

We also did a very large shop to stock up for the week but we will see how long that lasts!! The weather has been very variable, from bright sunshine reflecting off the road to pouring rain that I almost couldn’t see through, to more graiple this far north, which was not expected. 

Got to the campsite and all was well, we were all tired and so had a good dinner of pork chops and called it a night. 

This is me signing off...J

Day 20 15.8.2011 – Into Auckland

Kia Ora, 

We have landed in New Zealand at 5.30am!! All we had to was get in now.....luckily that went off without a hitch, no mud on our boots and we all looked respectable enough to be let through border patrol.

Now this is where it becomes a loooonng day, we got to the hotel/apartment at 6.30am and of course the room wasn’t read and nothing was open yet, so we left tour stuff and wrapped up as we headed out to explore Auckland at 7 in the morning.

It was very, very, very wind, gusts of up to 50mph!! Which kept us on our toes (just about), we headed down to the quayside and found some where to warm our selves up and have a cup of tea! 

We headed up to the Sky Tower (the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere) where we had a great view over all of Auckland and thankfully it looked like it was clearing up. However, after looking through the shops and avoiding the odd heavy shower, we got back to the apartment (after getting very lost for about 30 mins trying to find the darn place we had left at 7am), which has a good kitchen and 2 bedrooms. 

But all of a sudden it was snowing outside of the window, (although I learned later not technically snow as I said to the guys, it was actually graiple (sorry for the spelling) this is pretty much like a soft hail and not full snow (ok I heard that from the meteorologist on the TV but I understood it all)), we found out that it was the first snow in 40 years in Auckland. So we have had gales, heavy rail, snow, sleet and sunshine all in our first day!!!!

We have gone to see some more movies to ease ourselves in due to the jetlag. Cowboys and Aliens was ok and Transformers in IMAX (the only one in NZ) which was great!!!

Now we got to pick up the motor home tomorrow for 29 days, but I am a little apprehensive as there is pretty bad weather over here at the moment so which just take it slow and safe.

This is me signing off...J

Day 19 14.8.2011 – The missing day!!

Hello all,

Welcome to our missing day!!!! This day only technically existied as we travelled across the international date line. So it only lasted about 40 minutes, this was a very strange thing to get our heads around, but hey thats time travel for you.

This is me signing off...J

Day 18 13.8.2011 – The long way down

Hello all, 

Today we had a bit more of a relaxed day as we decided to have a browse around the shops then watched both Captain America (as it seemed fitting in the US) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. They were both pretty good watches and it was nice to not do that much.

We made our way to the airport (without being ripped off!!) and thought we would try and get some extra space and we did!!! We ended up next to the door about midway back with lots of leg room. However just as we were getting settled and the flight had been delayed on its taxi to take off, the stuard named Glenn asked if we wanted some extra room. We wouldn’t say no to this offer, sue to the plane being so empty each of us got a row to themselves!!! So this was the best flight we have had in a long time.

So now just to travel in time to get to New Zealand.

This is me signing off...J

Day 17 12.8.2011 – SAN FRANCISCO

Hello all, 

Its 7am here and we are still on the train after a rubbish nights sleeps, but hey these are the things you have to do. Mikey of course is still trying to sleep. We should arrive in a few hours and then see what we do about getting to the hotel. 

So we made it to the hotel in one piece...again we are high up overlooking the bay but not on the Golden Gate bridge side. We headed out to the Westfield Shopping Centre next door to get some breakfast then explore the shops.

After we headed down to the turn table for the San Fran Trams, it was a long wait but it was great fun hanging on as we travelled up and down the hills. We got dropped off at Fishermans Wharf down by Pier 39. Lots going on there, shops, performers, museums even a vintage arcade with some fantastic classic arcade games.

Along the front we saw Alcatraz out in the bay and hidden in the clouds was the Golden Gate bridge, it was still a great sight as it all sunk in that we were there. We rode back on the trams and grabbed some dinner. It is an early night today as we had such little sleep on the train. So tomorrow evening we head off to New Zealand and on to the motor home for the month, so that could be very interesting!!!!

This is me signing off...J

Day 16 11.8.2011 – Portland and another train!

Hello all,

Today we had a great cooked breakfast thanks to Margie, and then Rod took us around more of Portland. We went to some nice gardens in downtown and then headed into a camera shop where there were some good deals going on due to the exchange rate. So Steven ended up buying a new lense and I was very tempted also but I’m saving it for whatever I come across in Middle Earth!!

So now we are on yet another train bound for Emeryvile just outside San Fran, where we can get the bus into downtown then find our hotel.

Oh by the way I forgot to mention this train is 17 hours long!!!! But thankfully it is very comfy and has ample leg room. I also think Steven is happy as he is sitting new to a very pretty women! 

So then next blog will be after a long journey and hopefully in San Fran!

This is me signing off...J

Supplemental

Steven is a funny guy, he almost jumped out the way to let the girl get back in her seat!! (sorry im just making light of it as it’s very funny) he is actually managed to string a sentence together!

More than that he is actually having a conversion with her!!

Enough of the teasing though, this is going to be a rubbish nights sleep