The best of Tasmania in 6 days

I love Tasmania and its surprises on every corner. This is really ideal for those travelers lacking in time. A small island deemed to be the heart of Australia (see the island’s shape), and I agree 100% with its friendly people and so many attractions that would appeal to different interests (see the map below).

I was not following one trail, rather i was weaving my way down from Launcheston, via north east to east coast, than back to the middle (Heritage highway) going to Hobart and others (more about this later).  I was trying to pack in a lot of activities in the 6 days; or less than 6 days as i got there late afternoon on the first day.  After a self-city tour, I did an impromptu visit to Swiss village at Grindelwald.  I still had a good lighting taking photos because of Tassie’s late sunset (around 8.40pm). The road trip to Grindelwald is parallel to Tamar river.  On the way back to our accommodation, I passed Kings Park overlooking beautiful seaport with lots of restaurants (in hindsight, i should had the dinner there than in Swiss village).

Ideally a landmark not to be missed in Tassie is Cradle Mountain which is part of or a last leg of west coast trip and ‘only’ 2.5 hours drive from Launcheston.  After talking to Tassie friends and people who’ve been there before, i decided to give it a miss because: 1. time constraint (around 3 hours return strenuous walking to have a good mountain view.  Actually walking trail ranges from 20 mnt to 9 hours). 2. very small percentage (someone said 20%) of clear view of the mountain (mostly shrouded by fog all year round), even 1 local said “The only time it had a good clear view of it when they took photo for the post card). 3. in bad weather, entrance to the national park is closed (do check opening hours to avoid disappointment).

The next day (day 2), after checking out I went to City park with its Albert Hall and japanese monkey enclosure. Next visit was Prince’s square with its beautiful water fountain which actually was made to be a (drinkable) water supply in 1857s but now it’s a ‘swimable when not caught’ water fountain ……..

Tassie in fact has got a lot of well preserved buildings and bridges dated to around 150 years ago when they started sending convicts because Tassie with its location away from Australia was deemed perfect to be a penal place.

The highlights of today was Grindelwald/cataract gorge which was stunning with the view from above – by cable ‘chair’.  A good alternative is to enjoy a  part of the gorge in a boat with Tamar river tour ideal for having a meal in the boat.

Next stop was to have my lunch at Bridestowe lavender farm, nicely surprised by the many selection of lavender dishes and with such a beautiful view of the lavender farm.

 

I would love to stop by St. Helens’ Bay of Fire but it has to be for another time.  I checked in to my hotel at Bicheno.  Bicheno and Swansea offered Penguin tour at night and museums.  I heard from a staff in the Diner that I could go from Douglas Street (pretty sure it is at Bicheno) toward the beach after 9pm and I could see the procession of penguins going to the water……. oh well this lady just wanted to go to the bed…….
Day 3 – Wineglass bay and Freycinet national park.  Wineglass bay offered a 4 hours tour with lunch by boat.  It was a great idea after about 1.5 hours walking/hiking up to the Tourville lookout (Freycinet national park).  The view of the bay from the lookout did not disappoint thought. 

Day 4 – Heading toward Hobart.  I drove through and visited historic Ross, stopping by Shene estate for tea. Pictured below is Ross Female Factory, a former workhouse for female convicts around 150 years old.

I passed Oatlands and bought the popular scallop pie and then a quick stop at MONA (museum of old and new art) before having my dinner at the recommended and oldest brewery – Cascade Brewery.

Day 5 – Hobart offers many attractions. Salamanca market on the weekend. The Hobart Rivulet (walking) Tour (every Thursday afternoon) for exploring underground waterway route.  Hobart City Council provides outstanding walks guide such as Bicentennial Park on Mt Nelson, Knocklofty Reserve in West Hobart or the network of tracks on Mt Wellington, Huon Valley, Mount Field/Russel Falls

I went to Mount Wellington which was 30 minutes from Hobart and then to the popular Hasting Caves and Thermal Springs Pool.  Those trips were pleasant and I indulged myself on Tasmanian cherries.

 

Day 6 – On the way to Port Arthur (1.5 hours trip from Hobart), I stopped everytime there was a road sign of a camera meaning there is look out or camera worthy .

It offered a guided tour which included 8-9 hours guided tour of Port Arthur, Harbour cruise, guided tour of Isle of the Dead, admission to Port Arthur and lunch (Ghost tour is optional).

I was gobsmacked with the size of the preserved site ……..It is huge!!!  40 hectares of landsize with around 30 buildings.  Good walking shoes is a must.  At the end, I really dragged my tired feet out but found that this place needs a 2 days visit or a revisit in the future……………. This place is a must for a history buff.  The Isle of Dead guided tour is an extra small amount from admission fee but it is worth it to do the tour of this cemetery with its fascinating story.

(Port Arthur picture’s source: Discover Tasmania)

Tasmania has so much to offer for such a small island with its beautiful landscapes, a lot of preserved historical sites and friendly people.  This is a truly 5/5 experience.

 

 

The best of New Zealand South Island in 7 days

This trip ideally should be done (and more enjoyed) in 10 days. But because my dear partner didn’t want to take longer days off so we had to pack in everything during the easter weekend (2011) and a bit over to make up 8days and 7 nites journey.  It was quite a grueling road trip but we could still enjoy and love it.  So, we are including here places that tourists go for your information albeit we didn’t make some………..

DAY 1,  Momona airport – Dunedin

I loved the autumn colorings! The atmosphere felt different. We were just settling in our hotel and taking pics of CBD and the statue (see pic). Places close early too.  So we gave these places (Dunedin Chinese Garden, Cadbury World, Olveston and Otago museum) a miss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 2, Otago peninsula and driving to Te Anau

We went to Royal Albatross Centre. This is the only mainland breeding colony of Royal albatross. not your ordinary bird because it is quite intimidating with a huge one can have as big as a 3 meter wingspan.  They had various tours such as to see penguin place, seal and wildlife cruise. Time constraint only allowed us to see seal on the beach from afar…………..

Larnach Castle If you like botanical garden, you would like this castle. The lunch meal was pretty good.

We arrived in Te Anau after 4 hours driving from the castle, after checked in the hotel, we went straight to Lake Te Anau to go on a tour of Te Anau Glowworm Caves. They had the 2pm, 5.45pm and 7pm tours but we were told and proven that dusk (5.45pm) tour was the best because we could enjoy the sunset from the boat that brought us across to the cave’s entrance.  This place really wow-ed us, the walking inside the cave, the waterfall-like and the darkness were all so surreal…… A must to go….

Day 3, we still stayed in Te Anau.  We went on Milfourd Sound scenic cruise.

We skirted Lake Te Anau to the forested Eglinton Valley and the Mirror Lakes before crossing the ‘Divide’ and entering the Cleddau Valley via the Homer Tunnel. Enjoy some of the most stunning scenery to be found anywhere in the world – towering snow-capped peaks, magnificent rainforest and spectacular waterfalls.

On arrival at Milford, we board a catamaran for a one and a half hour cruise of Milford Sound (we chose all-you-can eat lunch while cruising) viewing the spectacular waterfalls including the Stirling and Bowen Falls and famous Mitre Peak.

An optional scenic flight may be taken for the return journey to Queenstown (arranged through your coach driver on the day of travel if you are travelling by coach).

View from Eglinton Valley

Milfourd Sound Waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 Queenstown

This is THE destination which has been labelled by some travelers as similar to Switzerland (in Europe).  To quote one website: It is the Southern Hemisphere’s premier four season lake and alpine resort. Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown’s stunning scenery is inspiring and revitalising.

Queenstown provides huge range of activities.  Fortunately, we followed a friend’s advise to stay longer here than in Christchurch (2 months after we had booked everything, earthquake happened in Chch and the infamous CBD and its cathedrals were closed/off-limit.  will talk about that later).

One Landmark that shouldn’t be missed is Skyline Queenstown.  It was a memorable experience from the word Start going up hill riding the gondola, enjoying the view of the mountains and lake Wakatipu, paragliders, the thrilling of going downhill with luge which is a gravity fuelled fun ride ( Part toboggan and part go-kart).  and big finishing with 30 minutes of Kiwi Haka show (captivating and engaging) and all-you-can-eat dinner at the skyline restaurant (advance bookings advised as this restaurant is very popular).

Day 5 Miss and Hit in a day

We tried to fit in 4 activities that day.

First in the morning, we thought we could do Lord of the rings tour at Glenorchy.  We went ourselves to the ‘location’ without the tour though.  But soon it lost its appeal without the commentary guidance provided by the tour.  The landscapes looked all the same………… but for those movie fanatics, do engage with a guided tour (usually 4WD) which provides

journey through rural Glenorchy into the beautiful Paradise valley , amazing scenery, short walks, photo opportunities with our LOTR and Wolverine movie props, native flora and fauna, entertaining commentary from our friendly guides and a complimentary refreshment in Glenorchy.
The movie locations covered include: Isengard, Lothlorien Forest, The Ithlien Camp, Amon Hen and The Misty Mountains from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy. Also locations used in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Water Horse, Willow and more.

So without the guided tour, it was a big and only MISS for us.  Move on………….

Then we went to have shotover jet ride (gorge road, Arthurs points).  Now, there are many jet boat rides in the world (river’s, sea’s) but this must be one of the best because of the unique landscape, through narrow canyons (gorges).  check http://www.book.com.nz for combo package (gondola skyline+shotover+rafting, etc………….) wish i knew about this deal beforehand.

Life-size Diorama at Lakes District Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop was Arrowtown for lunch, small town with 2 streets for village center, fully packed with visitors.  A former gold-mining town which was surprisingly charming with its rich history shown through original buildings, gold panning experience and its captivating Lakes District Museum.

We returned back to the center of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu that is to enjoy mid afternoon cruise on TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship Cruise.   Sedately enjoying the tranquil lake, we cruised across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm on the western shores .  Disembarking the vessel, we had a walking tour of the farmyard to the holding pens, where we could feed the sheep, illama and deer, and even get up close to the Scottish Highland Cattle. Then strolled through the lakeside gardens to the charming Colonel’s Homestead for a traditional high country afternoon tea of scones and pikelets.

Afterwards the farmer led us over to the shearing shed where we watched the farm dogs rounding up sheep from the hill paddocks, and saw the farmer shear a sheep.  Now we know the difference between merino wool or not…………….

Finished for the day? not yet, after dinner we went to industrial size freezer Minus 5Degrees Bar and had the infamous Aggy’s shack’s fish and chips for late supper.

Day 6, Lake Tekapo

We went to Lake Tekapo via Wanaka so we could visit Stuart Landsborough’s Puzzling World.  It was a very good rest from Queenstown activities.  The weather was colder as Lake Tekapo is closed to Mt John where people go for skiing tour and stargazing (Mt. John’s observatory).  Not-to-be- missed visit to Church of Good Shepherd, probably the only building on the shore of Lake Tekapo as far as we could see.  We went early at dawn to catch the sunrise, it was freezing but the view of the mountain, the church, the lake were just…..Majestic!!

Church of Good Shepherd, shore of Lake Tekapo

Akaroa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7, Akaroa

This is only 75 km from Christchurch.  It is boasting a historic village with its colonial architecture, French and English history, and to see Hector’s dolphins and other special wildlife cruise (closed for the season).  Usually Akaroa is included in a cruise tour.   We agree that it should be savored by way of a cruise……… the road is winding and exhausting……. it’s not worth it if only for overnite stay.  We only managed to visit the museum but had to miss (the recommended) Little River Art Gallery.

Day 8, Christchurch’s Airport

As mentioned before, we arranged to spend in Queenstown (more than the original 1 nite stay) instead of Christchurch due to Queenstown’s many activities.  We went through Christchurch’s town center and quite disheartened to see it like a war zone with 2 meter fence all around the infamous town center (probably a 2-5km radius from the center) and many uniformed soldiers.  We could imagine the damages and couldn’t help sympathizing with the locals.

On a spur of the moment, we decided to go to Airforce Museum which was a delight and at no cost.

Then we went to International Antarctic Center (closed to Airport) which was really good. It delivered the promise ,”an interactive, fun and exciting experience of Antarctica.”   It was really educating (was not aware before that Antarctic is that closed to NZ), the experience of Antarctic’s weather (wind, cold and all) felt like real thing compared to being inside the big freezer and topped up by the Hagglund ride for Antarctic’s terrain experience.

So we finished our NZ journey with a big smile and a plan already forming to come again.  If the autumn had provided us with wonderful colour, next time a change of colour as in winter will give different experience.  Nevertheless the original landscape of NZ is beautiful, so the seasonal/themed nuance only enhances it.

love it, it’s 5/5 and beyond…….

Bush tucker experience- croc and kangaroo taste different only in my mind…..

Sand toboggan at Carlo Sandblow- Rainbow Beach QLD

tried posting with my iphone so only 1 pic…….. a short review coming up… real soon……….. now….. in a moment….. coming…..(just do it already..!)

ok here we go…….

I can’t believe that this place has not been commercialized …….. or it’s still free!!! I had to pay $38 (sand toboggan) to do it at Tangalooma.  The sand is dark on the picture above because it’s wet after rain.  The Carlo Sandblow spot boasts a spectacular 360 degrees view.  To the East has magnificent views of the ocean where one can often see the migrating whales from August to October. To the S.E. is Double Island Point and the cliffs of coloured sand. Fraser Island and Inskip Point are to the North, while Tin Can Bay and the Great Sandy Straits lie to the West.

 

 

 

 

 

a small regret is only the lack of sign(s), so we missed out on the walk track to have a better view of coloured sand……….

This is definitely a must-to-go if you are in the area…………. It’s 2 hours drive from Noosa (Sunshine coast), however if you don’t have the time to and fro, you can cut short the trip by driving along and thru great sandy national park which only allows 4×4 WD and permit (only recently they charge for the permit to pass thru national park).  First thought would be ,”Oh NO! they are becoming commercial!”. but then after hearing a couple of horror stories including toppled cars as not used to the sandy terrain, having the regulated visitors is for the best………. another horror story is that how there is no defined road so people stop to enjoy the view forgetting that it is one big highway (speed limit 50-55km/hour but cars do speeding to give momentum on the sandy beaches), in this story I heard the dog was only slightly injured though the dog was catapulted 3 m, Thank God…….. (sorry to borrow your story my friend….)

 

i give it 5/5  plus plus…….

Malang/Batu – Secret Zoo and Animal Museum

The best value for your money – family friendly entertainment.  Both the zoo and museum are international standard and more, due to the magnitude of the building.  The content is even magnificent.  I was sceptical when I was told that there would be a lot of imported animals….. I was thinking to myself, here we go……… we are going to see kangaroos and koalas……………..Lo and Behold!! what a nice surprise to see almost all of the animals that I have never seen before as they are mostly from South America.  I don’t think they have elephants and giraffes which are quite………..ho hum (boring)………

The entrance fee is insanely cheap! Rp. 40.000,-  or around US$ 4 for each place.  As I stayed in one of their establishment, I got 50% off the fee……….

I didn’t expect it to be that good so I only stayed in Malang for 1 night and went to those places ‘only’.  that’s right, other establishments are there next door – there are 2 water parks. One was opened together with the zoo and museum (April 2010).  I am giving this 5/5 but with a warning that driving there from Surabaya can be tedious as we have to pass area of lumpur Lapindo or Lapindo’s mud lake so traffic can be pretty bad.

Semarang – Lawang Sewu Building

Historical tour Lawang Sewu Semarang. Quite impressed with this architecture’s ‘Masterpiece’

This building is called Lawang Sewu, meaning a thousand doors albeit it is not the real number. There are lots of door-liked windows which is called ‘krepyak’ style which adds to the many doors look. There are tens of rooms all over level one and two.

Lawang Sewu (Seribu Pintu/Thousands Doors), was built in 1903 by an well known Dutch architect used by the Dutch (during its colonization in Indonesia) or by Nederlandsch Indishe Spoorweg Naatschappij (NIS) as an office for rail transportation. This art deco  3 stories building has got 2 wings (the picture below was taken from behind the building).  Upon entering the main entrance, we can still see the original Dutch’s stained glasses on the top of the main stairwell.

During Japan colonization in Indonesia, this building was used as a gaol/prison/slaughter house for Dutch’s (military) personnel.  Beside the 3 levels, there is ‘semi-basement’ underground which was used for water reserve which mainly used to cooling the building (prior to AC unit).  However, the japs turned this dark, dank and low ceiling place into torture chambers, with some made to be squatting cells ( around 60cm high).  errrr…….. I imagine the prisoners’ agonies……. The ‘slaughter house’ gave me goosebumps.

The tour guide told us there are many (ghost) sightings in this place and the tourists can see them.  I don’t think I am too interested to prove him right or wrong.

We were offered a ‘Ghost tour’ by the tour guide.  He said,” if you want to meet the ghost, you’d better come at night after 11 pm”.  I should ask him, why did he want to make my life more complicated?.  This mystical atmosphere has been made a tourist attraction.  Awhile back, there was a TV’s programme titled something like ‘Other World” or “Test your Guts”, many participants had sightings and there was this one guy who could only stay 1.5 minute in the basement and then he was in episodes of trance for days. Why some people like to inflict damage to themself?  The tour guide said we’d be lucky if we can see a headless Dutch’s army ghost in the basement.  I wasn’t feeling lucky so I didn’t go……….. Actually we were more put off by the smelly gumboots (there were still around 25cm water in the basement), dunno whose feets been there………dont want to unlucky and draw tinea….. so yeah, bring your own gumboots or at least socks……..

Lawang Sewu is (in my opinion) a masterpiece from Dutch architect,  this is one of a true hictoric icons of Indonesia.  I am giving it 5/5, X (file) factor and all………….

Maleny Montville

Sunshine coast is well known for its coast but the hinterland has surprised me…………especially Kondalilla Falls – BEAUTIFUL!! Despite the strenuous walk, the rock-bottom pool and the 70m fall view are worth it.  The hinterland is about road trip, take a longer route (Montville to Brisbane) through Bald Knob road for mountains view along the road  (including the glass mountain).  We had dinner at Montville Bar and Grille which we reckon having one of the best chips. Another place we visited was Maleny cheese, the Edge restaurant which has a lovely view though the food is mediocre.  I give the overall experience 5/5.  If you want a detailed itinerary, request thru feedback below………

Hawaii

I actually went there in my teen, but it has popped up since i started this blog. I guess the experience was memorable to worth a mention. I stopped over there on my way to America.  It was a short stay, I only remembered that we (as a tour) brought to a beach, spent a very short time only doing a group photo………….  Dinner with a traditional dance was quite memorable.  However, I don’t like the highways over and too close to the beach.  So for now, overall experience is 3/5

Tangalooma

A small paradise away from home yet only 75 minutes catamaran (ferry) ride from Brisbane Airport Area.  Tanga for short is a part of 2% commercially managed from Moreton bay island (with 98% of it made up a National Park).

I love the tranquility (not for surfers), the very clear water and clean beach. It is really a complete package with x-factor (dessert with its sand tobogganing and ship wreck snorkeling tour).  The package includes wilderness tour (turtle, dolphin feeding (over too soon), varieties of birds and whale on certain months), inland tour (light house and blue lagoon) which i didn’t go because of bush fire currently going on at northern part moreton bay island; and all the family friendly but not wallet friendly activities (segway, helicopter, parasailing, quadbike,kayaking,etc.).

I give this trip 5/5 for overall experience with only a complain for the price list.

Post-note: here is the video of my kid doing sand-tobogganing.  She didn’t do it properly so she went off the ‘board’ and dampened her excitement to have another go………. it should come with a caption: ‘ don’t do this at home……….’ because……….. who would have a massive sandy hill, around 70m steep incline? I thought I was going to die from exhaustion climbing the hill…… Truly a once in a lifetime experience for me that is….. I m not gonna do it anymore…ever!!