The Great Ocean Road and the Grampians

Last Tuesday morning I left Melbourne behind and joined a three day Groovy Grape tour heading for Adelaide. Travelling long distances between major cities in Australia by joining a tour, instead of using direct connections like a train or coach service, can actually be quite competitive also from a financial point of view. It's not only a handy way to properly see the attractions on the way, meals and overnight accommodation are also included in the price. Of course it takes a bit longer, but if time is not an issue, it's also a good way to get to know other travellers.

The tour I joined took in the famous coastal road called the Great Ocean Road, as well as the Grampians, a national park comprising a mountain range sharing the name.

On the first day we drove along the Great Ocean Road pretty much all day long. Some travel guidebooks compare it with Highway One in California, but I got to say the two fight in completely different leagues. The Great Ocean Road, despite its flashy name, is far inferior. Most of it looked quite ordinary to me, with one exception. That was the sandstone region, which was quite unique at least in my eyes, as I've never seen anything like it before.

Part of the sandstone region along the Great Ocean Road.

This part of the Great Ocean Road consists of a shoreline with sheer vertical cliffs, dropping perhaps 30 metres into the churning sea. Archways and pillars of sandstone decorate the coastline. Our driver/guide unintentionally tried to make us miss the sunset at the Twelve Apostles lookout. Apparently traffic signs in Melbourne are as bad as in most of NZ, and we all know you should not put petrol in a diesel engine! Anyway, despite of these bumps in the road we made it in time to admire the twilight at this amazing spot.

The sun is setting over the Twelve Apostles.

The next morning we stopped at another few attractions with names like the London Bridge and the Bay of Martyrs. When we reached Warrnambool, where the Great Ocean Road ends, we had the chance to see some whales at the Southern Right Whale nursery. This time of the year Southern Right Whales come to these "warm" waters to give birth and to nurse their young. From a lookout above the beach, we could see about 10 whales very close to the shore. They were mostly just floating on the surface not doing much, but a few were breaching every now and then, and waving to us with their pectoral flippers. Obviously we were very far from them, so as an experience it was nothing compared to Kaikoura in NZ or (especially) Tonga. But it was still a bit exciting for me to see a new species of whales.

In the afternoon we arrived in the heart of the Grampians: a small town called Hall's Gap. There we visited the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the MacKenzie Falls (not enough water to be impressive) and a lookout called the Balconies. From the Balconies we had a terrific panoramic view of the Grampian Mountains. The mountains look like a giant has glued layers and layers of thin stone sheets together, broken the resulting plate, and stuck it into the ground at an angle so the sharp edges are jutting up.

The MacKenzie Falls in the Grampians.

There's lots of wildlife in the national park. Kangaroos were munching grass on the oval right in the centre of Hall's Gap. There is an estimated 40 million kangaroos in Australia at the moment, and it's a huge problem because they destroy crops. Because of human land development, it's very easy for them to find food and fresh water. Under such good circumstances they also breed like rabbits. To top it off, Aussies are a bit sensitive about culling the population since the kangaroo is, after all, the national animal. (Kangaroo meat is sold in specialty shops and butcheries, but apparently it's not that common for Aussies to eat it.)

Wild kangaroos in Hall's Gap.

On the third and last day we were supposed to go for a walk in the Grampians in the morning, but it was pouring down, so we started driving towards Adelaide instead. On the way we stopped in Hahndorf, a (surprise, surprise) German village where the first German immigrants to South Australia settled. We arrived in Adelaide in the evening.

On Friday my intentions were to explore Adelaide a bit, however, it took me so long to book flights to Bali and Singapore, as well as to get all sorted with a traveller's insurance policy, that my sightseeing was limited to a stroll through the city centre. By the looks of it, I didn't miss much.

Yesterday I took a flight from Adelaide to Alice Springs, which is located right in the middle of Australia. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the temperature in the desert town was 33 degrees Celsius, the soil is red and almost every second person you see is Aboriginal. Now this is the Australia I've imagined!

I'll tell you more of tiny Alice Springs and the attractions in this region later. Tomorrow I'm going on a three day tour to Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock), and next Friday I'm heading towards Darwin. Over and out.

MORE PICTURES from the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians are available here.

Life is a breach... and then you dive!

We have safely arrived in Sydney and look forward to exploring Australia's biggest city during the days to come. So far it looks massive, almost indigestible after tiny Tonga, so let's return to our three week holiday in the South Pacific:

The Vava'u group lies about 315 km north of Tongatapu (the capital island of Tonga) and consists of about 40 rocky islands densely covered by tropical trees and plants. We arrived on the main island - also called Vava'u - by airplane on Saturday 25th July. There is much to see and do on Vava'u and we ended up staying there a week, accommodated in the main town of Neiafu.

The harbour of Neiafu: the Port of Refuge.

Neiafu is located in the Port of Refuge, a splendid protected harbour which attracts more than a hundred yachts year round. We even saw an anchored catamaran flying a Finnish flag, but weren't able to figure out whose it was. Fridays are a good day to head to one of the waterfront cafes, bars or restaurants to watch the traditional yacht race in the harbour at 5 pm (the Giggling Whale has the best view of the harbour). The half an hour race is short enough to stay interesting even to laymen, but still long enough to provide a thrilling competition. Of course it's all just for fun and every participating sailing boat gets a price. Naturally the best price falls to the looser: a bottle of rum.

A Friday afternoon spent watching the yachts in the harbour, the 5 o'clock race, and knocking back an Ikale.

Neiafu doesn't have any beaches, however, there are plenty scattered around the main island as well as on the numerous smaller islands. We got mesmerized by the secluded beach next to 'Utula'aina Point in the far north of Vava'u Island. We hired bicycles twice and biked the 12-odd kilometres to the breathtaking lookout above the Point, before descending to the adjacent beach for some excellent sunbathing.

The best part with the beach was the fact that we were there all alone - for a few hours we had our private corner of paradise (conveniently forgetting about the mosquitoes).

'Utula'aina Point.

Neiafu also provided us with an interesting cultural experience: watching a fakaleiti show. Fakaleiti - or just leiti (meaning lady) - are men dressing and behaving as women. These drag queens live all over Tonga, but the group on Vava'u only puts on the show from July to September. The show was all about entertainment. The mock-singing fakaleiti imitated famous female artists and acted outrageously femininely. Their body language and facial expressions were spot on. The audience, us included, roared with laughter. The locals probably found the traditional Tongan and Polynesian dances more hilarious than us foreigners, but it was still terrific.

The main attraction of Vava'u, and the reason we wanted to go there, is whale watching. From July to November Humpback whales come to the warm waters of Vava'u to breed. There were just five people in our group on the six hour tour, not including the two Tongan guides. On the way to the western part of Vava'u we quite quickly spotted a Humpback on a collision course with us. It was swimming very fast and dived almost straight under us. Soon afterward we lost track of it. For me seeing this first Humpback whale was a completely different experience than watching the Sperm whales in Kaikoura, NZ. Whereas the Sperm whales just floated motionless on the surface preparing for the next lengthy dive (they were feeding), the Humpback whale was swimming like a huge dolphin (lacking a dorsal fin) and didn't dive for more than about 30 seconds before surfacing again for one single breath.

Two Humpbacks in a group of three that we saw later in the afternoon.

An hour later we spotted a mother and a calf swimming at a slower speed. It was fascinating to watch their synchronous progress through the undulating sea and we were thrilled to see one of them breach (whale terminology for jumping)! Unfortunately it was so unexpected (and rare!) that we didn't have our cameras ready, but trust us when we say it was a wonderful sight. At the time our boat was on a parallel course with the whales, and the one breaching showed off by turning away from us so we saw its white belly before it landed with a huge splash. The level of excitement among us immediately increased a notch.

The highlight of the tour came about an hour later, following the sight of a flying fish - easily mistaken for a bird - swooshing over the ever changing aquatic landscape.

Another whale watching vessel reported that there were three Humpbacks - two adults and a calf - swimming lazily in the shallow coastal water. Our skipper turned our boat around and approached the three gentle giants once the other boat moved away. Here we were able to parttake in an activity which is only possible in two places on this Earth, Vava'u and the Dominican Republic.

Swimming with Humpback whales.

Having donned snorkeling equipment, the skipper dropped us in the water about 30-50 metres in front of the approaching whales. Seeing the whales in their natural element was simply indescribable. Just watching surfacing whales pales in comparison. We could see over 30 metres in the crystal clear water and had fabulous views of the three Humpbacks as they swept past. What beautiful creatures they are, and how gracefully they move. They were almost close enough for us to touch them, or so it seemed. Smaller fish could clearly be seen hugging the sides of the whales, cleaning them from barnacles and other ocean parasites attached to their skin.

The two adult Humpbacks lazily swimming away.

When the whales had passed us, we swam back to the boat for another run. All in all the skipper dropped us in the water about five times, so we had lots of time to watch the whales, who weren't bothered at all by the tiny creatures peering at them. After the last run, when the whales surfaced to exhale and draw breath, the biggest of them put on a show for us by repeatedly slapping the surface with its flukes (lobtailing), generating great splashes. It then turned on its side and did the same with the exposed flipper. It was like it was applauding us.

On our way back to Neiafu in the afternoon, we stopped for snorkeling at Swallows' Cave. It was a fun and fascinating extra to a perfect day out on the sea.

Up to the surface for a breath.

For both of us, snorkeling with the Humpbacks was probably the most amazing experience in our lives. We were very lucky to be able to swim with them this early in the season, because the calves are usually too small for the guides to let people in the water with them. Furthermore, fortune favoured us with the company of a young lady with an underwater camera. It is only thanks to her that we are able to show you these wonderful underwater pictures of our encounter with the Humpbacks.

For the picture gallery, go here.

Creatures of the depths

The drive south from Blenheim to Kaikoura is scenic to say the least. On one side you have the impressive Kaikoura Ranges with peaks towering to altitudes well over 2500 metres, and on the other side you have heaving blue waves as far as the eye can see. It is a good leg to have a private chauffeur for; me and Giigan certainly weren't complaining as Sanna drove!

Kaikoura is a picturesque, smallish town located at the foot of a peninsula shaped like the tail of a whale. At least if you have a bit of imagination. If it wasn't for the rich marine life of the waters off the coast, Kaikoura might very well just be a drive-through place for tourists. As things are though, Kaikoura is a lively tourist town, most famous for being the place in New Zealand if you want to see whales. Whale Watch is the only marine-based whale watching company in the country. They operate around the year and have a 95% success rate of spotting Giant Sperm Whales. If you're lucky you might see other whale species too, depending on the time of the year.

Together with Sanna and Kaisa, I went on a whale watch tour in Kaikoura. It's not the cheapest thing you can do, but worth every dime without a doubt. We were blessed with fine weather (once again): the sun was a lonely fiery eye in the cerulean vastness of the sky, there was hardly any wind and the sea was calm. A perfect day to spend a couple of hours on the waves spotting the magnificent creatures of the depths that whales are.

As the ship set out, we quickly got to see our very first Giant Sperm Whale because another ship had discovered it bobbing on the waves, preparing for its next dive. Every once in a while we got to see a fountain of spraying water push into the light sea breeze, as it breathed out and the water in its blowhole was cleared. Otherwise it just seemed to float there, content and utterly oblivious to the two floating pieces of aluminum shadowing it. To us, it appeared very much like a gnarled old tree trunk, albeit one shrouded in an aura of suspended vehemence; like any moment, this gentle behemoth could erupt in an awesome display of power, so perilous for the early whalers. Although only a fraction of its immense body was visible, you could feel the "iceberg" looming underneath the rippling surface. Primeval. Majestic in its solitude. A conqueror of the abyssal darkness beneath, whose roof we were traversing like a satellite across the starlit celestial sphere this very instance...

Having oxygenated its blood, it took speed by arching its back once, twice, thrice, and exposed its tail in a graceful motion, rivulets of water running off the triangular flukes like rain on canvas as they rose from one element to another. But before you knew it, this grand gesture of farewell had been substituted by a foam-tipped whirling disturbance in the ocean's natural sinusoidal, tender roll. The whale had blessed us with its presence and now sped on its inchoate descent towards the silent depths. The beautiful monstrosity was returning to its hunting ground.

The Sperm Whale raising its triangular flukes high out of the water before a deep dive.

Reverberating, its engines coming to life in a rumbling roar, our vessel turned around and rapidly gathered speed moving away from where the whale had disappeared. The crew informed us we had plenty of time to try and locate another whale. As Sperm Whales only surface for an average of 8 minutes between their up to 90 minute dives, technology is used to track diving Sperm Whales, anticipating their ascent. Because Sperm Whales use echolocation to navigate and find food, the whales can also be roughly located by listening to the beam of high-frequency clicks they produce while submerged. So every once in a while, our ship would stop and turn its engines off to let the captain lower a hand-held sonar into the water. Through the headset he was wearing, he listened for the clicks as he turned the sonar in various directions.

Through this method we did get on track of another Giant Sperm Whale, but ultimately it wasn't the modern device that spotted the whale. It was one of the crew keeping a lookout on the sundeck of our vessel, seeing the misty plume of the whale's blow in the distance.

Another Whale Watch catamaran and a Giant Sperm Whale clearing its blowhole. The Kaikoura Ranges and Peninsula in the background.

So we got to marvel at another one of these giants, this time a lot longer since it had only recently surfaced. The hissing clearance of its S-shaped blowhole. The lazy sunbathing like forgotten flotsam, a dark void in the glimmering sea. The smooth "wave" of the tail which is the finale of its show; the courteous gesture of parting. "See you again."

Before returning to port, we got to enjoy the sight and acrobatic skills of the highly gregarious Dusky Dolphins. The crew estimated that there was about 500 of these playful mammals in the pod. Like most dolphins, they weren't shy of the ship, but came close and rode in our bow water. Further out at sea a couple of them were creating huge splashes as they momentarily soared above the waves like low-flying albatrosses, only to be pulled back into their aquatic home by the chains of gravity.

Playful Dusky Dolphins.

Such was our excitement watching this congregation of sleek beauties, that we were truly disappointed when the ship had to turn back to port. Oh well.

Moving on from Kaikoura, we followed highway 70 inland towards the alpine town Hanmer Springs. Hanmer Springs is a popular weekend destination for people living in Christchurch, since it's only 1½ hours drive away. Hanmer Springs is the main thermal spa resort on the South Island. Besides getting your skin revitalised you can also do a number of walks in the mountainous terrain and ski in winter. Our options turned out to be pretty limited as there was no snow (February, d'oh!) and EXTREME fire danger in the whole area had forced the Department of Conservation to close all walks in Hanmer Springs. The temperature on the day of our arrival reached a staggering 35 degrees (Celsius)! The fact that the air was hardly moving at all between the rocky slopes of the Hanmer Range made our stay nearly suffocating, but we didn't let it deter us from having a good time.

There are excellent views of a broad river valley if you drive towards Lewis Pass from Hanmer Springs for half an hour. The valley is probably at its best in spring when the snow on the mountains melts and comes roaring down, however, it wasn't bad for us in the middle of summer either. In the evening we enjoyed a delicious self-put-together cheese platter and local wines at our hostel, the Kakapo Lodge, before suffering a poor night's sleep tossing and turning in the heat.

Group photo by the river valley of Waiau River.

Next day (9th Feb) Giigan and the girls tried out the spa (which they were very pleased with), before we drove on to Christchurch in the afternoon. We had dinner and spent a nice evening at the cosy Italian restaurant Café Valentino on Colombo Street. Beware, their Apple Crumble Cheesecake can prove to be a bit too much even for the most devoted cheesecake lover!

Dinner at Café Valentino in Christchurch.

Tuesday 10th February was the girls' last full day in Christchurch before their flight back to Wellington, and ultimately back home from New Zealand. The day was spent sight-seeing and shopping in downtown Christchurch, and ended with a successful dinner (beer and lamb stew) prepared by us two travelling amateur chefs. In a game of Risk at our hostel - the Foley Towers - something unprecedented (and nearly unspeakable) happened: we were both beaten by the girl team in this game of conquest and war, and neither of them had ever played it before! (A clarifying note to all of you feminists reading this: it wasn't the fact that we were beaten by two creatures of the lovely opposite sex that upset us, but the fact that we were both beaten by at-first-reluctant novices, period!) Well done girls! Your skills on the field of battle have been duly noted. We won't make the mistake of underestimating your prowess again ;-)

Time flies when you're having fun, but sooner or later today's date matches the one on the flight tickets. We thoroughly enjoyed having you Sanna and Kaisa visiting us. It was good to see some other familiar faces besides our own, and to share more than a few laughs at the peculiarities of life here on the other side of the planet. The telling in this blog of our road trip together should give our other readers a pretty good idea of what you have time to do in New Zealand on a two week holiday. We sunbathed on the best of beaches, swam in crystal clear seas, got cultural at the national museum, had our taste buds challenged touring wineries, felt the pulse of a capital, admired beautiful endangered species, indulged ourselves at a spa in alpine views, walked through vibrant native forests, goggled at some of the largest creatures on Earth, and much much more. Quite diverse activities if you ask me.

We hope you enjoyed travelling with us and liked what you saw of New Zealand, because (as Giigan and I have been able to ascertain later on) you haven't even seen the best this country has to offer yet; Te Anau, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Queenstown... you won't run out of things to see and do if you decide to return in the future, that's for sure.

We are falling behind in our writing quite a lot, but we'll try to catch up as best we can. It's just that too much has happened during the past two months, and there isn't that much time to write, organise pictures and prepare the blog. Anyway, next time we'll tell you about impressive Dunedin, the university city that has a Scottish vibe to it!

MORE PICTURES from this last leg of our journey together with Sanna and Kaisa are available by clicking this link. Enjoy!