Finally sunshine again! After the rain in Brisbane and the cold cloudy days in Auckland the Traveling Hillbilly was glad to see the sun shining again. I was ready to get out of downtown Auckland so I took the ferry over to Waiheke Island today. It's just about a 30-40 minute ferry ride from Auckland.
What a truly stunning place. Every corner had a view more amazing than the one before. It was truly picturesque. After a 1 1/2 hour tour of the island, I decided to rent a mountain bike and explore it on my own. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful this place is. It was like riding through the hills of Tuscany but with beautiful blue/green water surrounding all the wineries. It left me speechless. I'll be posting pictures soon, but they'll never do it justice.
It was great to tour on my own, but those long, winding and hilly (very hilly) roads are not easy to navigate on a mountain bike. Especially when one is sick! Despite being sick, I decided to do a little wine tasting before heading back to the pier to catch the ferry home. You know how the Traveling Hillbilly hates to waste good wine, but when in Rome. If you ever make it to Waiheke, be sure and stop by Cable Bay Wineyards. They have a great Syrah and a wine called Five Hills that is a Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet blend and the most amazing view! This winery was like an upscale hotel. It was truly beautiful.
All in all a good day.
What's the plan for tomorrow? Well the Traveling Hillbilly had planned on taking the train to Tongariro National Park for some hiking and an overnight stay. Turns out there are no seats left on the train. Time for plan B. Rotorua National Park? Rappelling down a waterfall? The Bay of Islands?
We'll see. Log on tomorrow and find out.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
The First Travel Crisis Averted
So given the major storms in Brisbane and the forecast of nothing but rain for the next several days, it’s time to move on. While the T raveling Hillbilly sits on the Miramar on the way to the Koala Sanctuary, it’s time to decide what’s next. After much consternation and research the Traveling Hillbilly decides to head to Adelaide for a few days of wine tasting in the Barossa Valley and a quick side trip to Kangaroo Island. The Traveling Hillbilly figured it would be best to get there and tour the wineries during the week versus fighting the weekend crowds!
The Traveling Hillbilly was wrong! After a long wet day, the Traveling Hillbilly hops online to book the flight and hotel in Adelaide. However, for some reason, there was not a hotel available for the beginning of the week. Something big must be going on in Adelaide. What’s a Traveling Hillbilly supposed to do? Well continue searching online for plan B. Should the Traveling Hillbilly head to Sydney instead? Maybe Melbourne? Ayer’s Rock or Alice Springs? Or maybe head to New Zealand earlier than expected.
The Traveling Hillbilly decided to head to New Zealand. Unfortunately the flight out was a little early. Maybe the Traveling Hillbilly should spend one more day in Brisbane and then head to New Zealand. It was just too much to contemplate, so the Traveling Hillbilly went to bed. Upon awakening at 4am and realizing there’s nothing but rain in Brisbane for the next few days, the Traveling Hillbilly decides (early or not) to head to New Zealand. So I go online, book my one way ticket to Auckland, book a hotel and start packing.
I arrive at the airport at 7am, 2 hours before my scheduled departure, and wait in a very long line for about an hour. I finally get up to the desk to check in, only to be informed that I can not leave the country without having a return ticket! What, this is crazy! Why was I allowed to book a one way if I can’t even use it? Now after some thought, it makes sense. It is considered an “international” flight from Australia to New Zealand. So now I have like 45 minutes to book a return flight back to Australia so I can actually take my flight to New Zealand. The Traveling Hillbilly runs downstairs to find an internet connection, does some quick searches for a cheap return ticket, books it and runs back up to the counter. The Travailing Hillbilly gets checked in, literally 5 minutes before the airline closes check in, makes it on the fly and is on the way to the next adventures!
The first of the travel panics averted!
The Traveling Hillbilly was wrong! After a long wet day, the Traveling Hillbilly hops online to book the flight and hotel in Adelaide. However, for some reason, there was not a hotel available for the beginning of the week. Something big must be going on in Adelaide. What’s a Traveling Hillbilly supposed to do? Well continue searching online for plan B. Should the Traveling Hillbilly head to Sydney instead? Maybe Melbourne? Ayer’s Rock or Alice Springs? Or maybe head to New Zealand earlier than expected.
The Traveling Hillbilly decided to head to New Zealand. Unfortunately the flight out was a little early. Maybe the Traveling Hillbilly should spend one more day in Brisbane and then head to New Zealand. It was just too much to contemplate, so the Traveling Hillbilly went to bed. Upon awakening at 4am and realizing there’s nothing but rain in Brisbane for the next few days, the Traveling Hillbilly decides (early or not) to head to New Zealand. So I go online, book my one way ticket to Auckland, book a hotel and start packing.
I arrive at the airport at 7am, 2 hours before my scheduled departure, and wait in a very long line for about an hour. I finally get up to the desk to check in, only to be informed that I can not leave the country without having a return ticket! What, this is crazy! Why was I allowed to book a one way if I can’t even use it? Now after some thought, it makes sense. It is considered an “international” flight from Australia to New Zealand. So now I have like 45 minutes to book a return flight back to Australia so I can actually take my flight to New Zealand. The Traveling Hillbilly runs downstairs to find an internet connection, does some quick searches for a cheap return ticket, books it and runs back up to the counter. The Travailing Hillbilly gets checked in, literally 5 minutes before the airline closes check in, makes it on the fly and is on the way to the next adventures!
The first of the travel panics averted!
Is Oprah's House Okay?
Oprah’s House?
I thought I should do a posting to let you know that I’m okay. I’ve been in Brisbane for a couple of days and they’ve had some major storms here. It’s officially been declared a disaster area. So I thought I should do a posting to let you all know I’m okay. I was not drastically impacted by the storms. Then I realized, wait, no one in the states probably has any idea that there have been major disastrous storms in Brisbane. I’m sure the big news in the states, at least California, is how close the fires in Montecito are to Oprah Winfrey’s house! Everyone here is asking about the fires and wants to make sure that my house is okay. They want to talk about the great new president elect. They are curious about how Prop 8 passed in California. Bottom line, they are aware of what’s going on in the world, where we are just focused on ourselves!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud and thrilled to be an American. I just wish we were a little more focused on what’s going on in the world around us.
Okay enough of the political soapbox. The Traveling Hillbilly will post about winding up in Auckland!
I thought I should do a posting to let you know that I’m okay. I’ve been in Brisbane for a couple of days and they’ve had some major storms here. It’s officially been declared a disaster area. So I thought I should do a posting to let you all know I’m okay. I was not drastically impacted by the storms. Then I realized, wait, no one in the states probably has any idea that there have been major disastrous storms in Brisbane. I’m sure the big news in the states, at least California, is how close the fires in Montecito are to Oprah Winfrey’s house! Everyone here is asking about the fires and wants to make sure that my house is okay. They want to talk about the great new president elect. They are curious about how Prop 8 passed in California. Bottom line, they are aware of what’s going on in the world, where we are just focused on ourselves!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud and thrilled to be an American. I just wish we were a little more focused on what’s going on in the world around us.
Okay enough of the political soapbox. The Traveling Hillbilly will post about winding up in Auckland!
Like a Kid at Disney World
So what did the Traveling Hillbilly do today? Pet Kangaroos? Cuddle a Koala? Look an emu and a dingo in the eye? See thousands of bats hanging from the trees? Cruise down the river on a pontoon boat?
All of the above! What a truly magical day! The Traveling Hillbilly hopped aboard the Miramar and cruised down the river to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was quite an educational and emotional experience. Believe it or not, but Koalas have become endangered in Australia so a gentleman that owned a bunch of land decided to turn it into a sanctuary for Koalas. They have over 130 Koala’s on the property as well as kangaroos, emus, wombats, cows (random) and other exotic animals and birds.
You can actually walk among the animals, well at least the friendly ones. It was a truly unique experience. Although when walking amongst the kangaroos one must watch their step! The Traveling Hillbilly was like a 5 year old at Disney World. Kangaroos and Koalas are something you read about and see pictures of in books. They’re almost things of fairly tales, not real. But here they were. Walking, well hopping, up to the Traveling Hillbilly. The Traveling Hillbilly was actually able to pet them. I wanted to pet the emu too, but he looked a bit intimidating, like he could lunge at any moment, so I opted to take a picture (up close and personal) instead!
All in all a wonderful day. The cold wet rain actually added to the mystique of the day.
All of the above! What a truly magical day! The Traveling Hillbilly hopped aboard the Miramar and cruised down the river to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was quite an educational and emotional experience. Believe it or not, but Koalas have become endangered in Australia so a gentleman that owned a bunch of land decided to turn it into a sanctuary for Koalas. They have over 130 Koala’s on the property as well as kangaroos, emus, wombats, cows (random) and other exotic animals and birds.
You can actually walk among the animals, well at least the friendly ones. It was a truly unique experience. Although when walking amongst the kangaroos one must watch their step! The Traveling Hillbilly was like a 5 year old at Disney World. Kangaroos and Koalas are something you read about and see pictures of in books. They’re almost things of fairly tales, not real. But here they were. Walking, well hopping, up to the Traveling Hillbilly. The Traveling Hillbilly was actually able to pet them. I wanted to pet the emu too, but he looked a bit intimidating, like he could lunge at any moment, so I opted to take a picture (up close and personal) instead!
All in all a wonderful day. The cold wet rain actually added to the mystique of the day.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Traveling Hillbilly Has Arrived in Brisbane
After a long and somewhat delayed flight, The Traveling Hillbilly arrived in Brisbane. It was just 8am local time, on Sunday. Where did the weekend go?
The Traveling Hillbilly’s first thought? Wow, how beautiful. Sunny blue skies, a slight breeze, a little warm, but all in all a beautiful day. The Australian adventure is off to a good start.
I arrive at the hotel and believe it or not, they let me check in. Even though it’s just 9am! I’m very pleasantly surprised. The hotel is right on the river and I have a great view of the river from my room. I’m exhausted but don’t want to waste the day. James, I know you told the Traveling Hillbilly to go a pub straight away, but I had to brush my teeth and shower first. I decided to head down to the river walk and find a bite to eat. I found a great little café along the river, order a sandwich, some chips (translation fries) and a glass of Australian wine. So James, I had my first glass around 10:30am. Hey, it was after 2pm on a Saturday afternoon back home.
After lunch, I continued my walk along the river and wound up at the Botanical Garden. After an hour or so of enjoying the flowers, the birds and the trees, I continue along the river and see the Kangaroo Cliffs on the other side. I cross over to walk along the cliffs and walk back on the other side of the river. The bummer is once I get close to the hotel, I realize there is no bridge to cross over on this end. Luckily, there’s a CityCat dock nearby. In Brisbane, their city transportation consists of buses, subways and ferries along the river. You can buy a pass and use all three to get you where you need to go. For less than $5 Australian Dollars, you can ride the CityCat and get a great river tour of the city! How cool is that?
A storm has moved in so my evening out gets cut a little short. But hey it’s 4am in Los Angeles, so I’m doing pretty good to still be up! I’m hoping to head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary tomorrow but have been informed the weather forecast may not make that a good option.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
The Traveling Hillbilly’s first thought? Wow, how beautiful. Sunny blue skies, a slight breeze, a little warm, but all in all a beautiful day. The Australian adventure is off to a good start.
I arrive at the hotel and believe it or not, they let me check in. Even though it’s just 9am! I’m very pleasantly surprised. The hotel is right on the river and I have a great view of the river from my room. I’m exhausted but don’t want to waste the day. James, I know you told the Traveling Hillbilly to go a pub straight away, but I had to brush my teeth and shower first. I decided to head down to the river walk and find a bite to eat. I found a great little café along the river, order a sandwich, some chips (translation fries) and a glass of Australian wine. So James, I had my first glass around 10:30am. Hey, it was after 2pm on a Saturday afternoon back home.
After lunch, I continued my walk along the river and wound up at the Botanical Garden. After an hour or so of enjoying the flowers, the birds and the trees, I continue along the river and see the Kangaroo Cliffs on the other side. I cross over to walk along the cliffs and walk back on the other side of the river. The bummer is once I get close to the hotel, I realize there is no bridge to cross over on this end. Luckily, there’s a CityCat dock nearby. In Brisbane, their city transportation consists of buses, subways and ferries along the river. You can buy a pass and use all three to get you where you need to go. For less than $5 Australian Dollars, you can ride the CityCat and get a great river tour of the city! How cool is that?
A storm has moved in so my evening out gets cut a little short. But hey it’s 4am in Los Angeles, so I’m doing pretty good to still be up! I’m hoping to head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary tomorrow but have been informed the weather forecast may not make that a good option.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Traveling Hillbilly Goes to Australia
Australia was the first destination on the Traveling Hillbilly’s wish list of places to visit. The beaches, the people, the beauty, the koala bears, the kangaroos. How could someone not want to go? So how is it with all the traveling the Traveling Hillbilly has done, Australia has yet to be on the list? Even the Traveling Hillbilly doesn’t have an answer for that. But that’s about to change. This November the Traveling Hillbilly tours Australia & New Zealand.
It’s been a while since the Traveling Hillbilly has taken a trip alone. It’s time. So Australia it is. Now I just have to decide where to go. Two weeks to do Australia and New Zealand just isn’t enough, Sydney? Melbourne? Tasmania? The Northern Territory? The Great Barrier Reef? Auckland? Christ Church? A bike tour of the wine region? A mountain bike tour through the Outback? What gets crossed off the list? How does one decide?
For those of you who’ve been, I’d love your suggestions. Please email the Traveling Hillbilly your Australian adventures.
It’s been a while since the Traveling Hillbilly has taken a trip alone. It’s time. So Australia it is. Now I just have to decide where to go. Two weeks to do Australia and New Zealand just isn’t enough, Sydney? Melbourne? Tasmania? The Northern Territory? The Great Barrier Reef? Auckland? Christ Church? A bike tour of the wine region? A mountain bike tour through the Outback? What gets crossed off the list? How does one decide?
For those of you who’ve been, I’d love your suggestions. Please email the Traveling Hillbilly your Australian adventures.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sleeping in the City that Never Sleeps
As a lot of you may know New York is known as the city that never sleeps. Is that because of the energy of the city itself? Is it because of the constant noise, sirens and horn honks that go on all night? Is it because people live in such small places, home is the last place they want to be so they stay out all night? Who knows? I do like New York though. There is just such energy to the city and you can’t help but feel alive just walking down the streets. It is such a fabulous place to visit.
So given all that how is it the Traveling Hillbilly managed to sleep for hours in this great city? I actually slept through the night both nights I was in New York, something the Traveling Hillbilly has not managed to do in months. Given the time difference, I was totally expecting to wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours, only to be miserably tired the next day. However, I found myself well-rested and ready to take on the city. It was unseasonable warm but not hot, so the weather was perfect for walking the streets,
Two nights in a great hotel in So Ho, a little room service, perfect fall weather and this is part of work? What more could the Traveling Hillbilly ask for? Well, maybe another day or two to explore the city.
So for those of you who’ve never been to New York, the Traveling Hillbilly recommends you go and now. New York is a must on anybody’s travel list and fall is such a beautiful time to go. It truly is a great city. Don’t forget to take your walking shoes!
So given all that how is it the Traveling Hillbilly managed to sleep for hours in this great city? I actually slept through the night both nights I was in New York, something the Traveling Hillbilly has not managed to do in months. Given the time difference, I was totally expecting to wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours, only to be miserably tired the next day. However, I found myself well-rested and ready to take on the city. It was unseasonable warm but not hot, so the weather was perfect for walking the streets,
Two nights in a great hotel in So Ho, a little room service, perfect fall weather and this is part of work? What more could the Traveling Hillbilly ask for? Well, maybe another day or two to explore the city.
So for those of you who’ve never been to New York, the Traveling Hillbilly recommends you go and now. New York is a must on anybody’s travel list and fall is such a beautiful time to go. It truly is a great city. Don’t forget to take your walking shoes!
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