17 September 2021

What a lucky woman I am, to have travelled to this stunning part of the world! After a fantastic time in Australia, we thought, how can we top that adventure! I knew instantly this was going to be a trip of a lifetime from the moment we came into land through the mountains... Queenstown Breath-taking were my first thoughts…. A shuttle bus dropped us off, straight outside The Copthorne Lakefront Hotel and Resort which was home for 3 nights. We were starving when we arrived, so we took a stroll to the small town and had a delicious meal, taking a seat by a lakefront restaurant, with its breathe taking views of the mountains in front of us, stunning! Great way to start our travels in New Zealand. Our first adventure was an early start on a road trip to Milford Sounds. We stopped off at “Mirror Lakes” magnificent view, I could of stayed here all day, so peaceful. We then boarded the Milford Sound Nature Cruise, it was out of this world. We got up so close to a waterfall, twice the size of Niagara Falls. There were seals on the rocks and the clouds was low in the mountains, it really was something… On our last day in Queenstown, my husband had an organised Bungy Jump on the Kawara Bridge. This was amazing to watch, if only I was brave enough to have a go myself, there’s always next time…. As our adventure in Queenstown came to an end, we continued our road trip in a hire car to… Mount Cook Driving to Mount Cook was the awe-inspiring of natural beauty! It was picturesque. Lake Wanaka and Lake Pukaki was literally the most aqua blue colour I’ve ever seen! We arrived at The Hermitage Hotel, staying in a “motel” apartment. The only hotel in Mount Cook, the next nearest amenities are an hour away. The day after we arrived, we took a very, very long walk to Hooker Valley, a must if travelling here to see The Hooker Valley Glacier Lake. After a 4 hour walk, we made it! It was by far the best walk I’ve done, it was spectacular and to get a great view of Mount Cook, was worth that walk. On the second day we did a boat tour of the Glaciers and got right up close. You don’t realise how ice blue they are! We were so close we could touch it. After our trip in Mount Cook it was time for another road trip to… Christchurch On our way, we stopped of a little place called Tepako. Again, aqua blue lakes and stunning views. We arrived at The Towers On The Park Hotel to enjoy a 4 nights stay. It was in Akaroa that one of my dreams had come true. I boarded a boat with a company called “Black Cats” to swim with wild dolphins!!! Hector dolphins, which are the smallest dolphins in the world, they are also very rare. It was amazing just swimming around them in their natural surroundings. They got so close, but you can’t touch them. It was truly an amazing experience, a very well treasured memory. As most of us are aware, Christchurch unfortunately, had a massive earthquake in February 2011 and it completely destroyed their city. It was very sad walking around and still seeing damaged buildings, however, It was so lovely to see that they are rebuilding their city shopping mall. They are doing this by colourful building containers. Would be worth a visit back to see how this finished as this was only temporary. We spent a day in Kaikoura, we walked around the small town and did a whale watching tour. We came across sperm whales, a blue shark and pilot whales. A brilliant tour! Our adventure here ending and then made our way up to… Picton We stayed at the Beachcomber Inn for a night to take one of the world’s most beautiful scenic ferry crossing over to wellington, it took 3 hours across the narrow channel of the Cook Strait. Wellington We stayed at the Comfort Hotel. When we arrived, it was a very wet rainy day. We walk round the town got a bite to eat. Not a lot to do on a wet day. I would like to see more of Wellington one day. Sadly, Wellington was the last part of our Journey in New Zealand. New Zealand, by far has got to be the best place I’ve been to. I had made so many amazing memories and dreams come true. I hope I have inspired you to make your dreams come true in this most beautiful part of the world. Back to Australia for the final part of our travels…..

17 September 2021

There’s nothing quite like spending Christmas and New Year in the sun! This has got to be one of my best Christmas’s and New Years so far! I went on this adventure with my husband, we arrived in: Melbourne Stayed at the Pensione Hotel, in a perfect location with a boutique feel. Our first day in Melbourne was Christmas Eve. It was very strange to spend Christmas eve on a very hot summer’s day. We took a local tram into the city, had lunch watching the world go by and then took a stroll along the river Yarra to reach the Botanic Gardens, listening to the nature. Christmas day arrived and what a better way to spend it then at St Kilda’s Beach. Completely different way of life, on what should be, a cold, frosty kind of day. Instead, we soaked up the sun with a little wind in the air, listening to the waves. Our first tour trip was to Phillip Island. Looking back at this tour, it was one of my favourites! First stop was to Gippsland Region, Warrock, which is a cattle farm. During this stop, we got to stroke and feed kangaroos, so amazing to be up so close to such beautiful animals. We then stopped off at The Koala Conservation Centre. We strolled along elevated boardwalks and spotted Koala’s in the trees. We hopped back on the coach and headed for Phillip Island, arriving at 7pm. We sat on a platform and just waited and waited and waited, for the worlds tiniest penguins to come out of the sea and make their way to their dune burrows. They do this journey every night. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos, so this is a memory to keep hidden. On our last day in Melbourne, we decided at the last minute to go up The Eureka Tower on the 88th floor. It was worth the trip and floors!! The views were incredible. Looking back at Melbourne, there’s something about it which is hard to describe to people until you’ve been there yourself. Our next stop was: Sydney We stayed in The Pensione Hotel, same chain as the hotel in Melbourne. Sydney got of to quite an adventure by taking a tour of The Opera House. You just can’t go all that way and not touch it! Arriving very early morning to start our backstage tour, we got to see the 5 theatre rooms, dressing rooms and even got to see behind the scenes of the fireworks operations room. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see a show, there always next time……. News Years Eve was upon us and what a great experience it was! We had a reservation at The Sea Rock Café located on the Quay Side with stunning views overlooking the Harbour Bridge. We had a delicious 5 course meal, the table was ours all evening. New Year arrived with a bang! With fireworks going off everywhere including roof top and behind tress, it was spectacular! Sydney Tower was another great experience, with great views, we had a 3 course meal whilst sat on a table with a rotating floor. We left our footprints on Bondi and Manly beach, it was beautiful just like you see in the photos…… Our adventure finished here as it was time to head over to New Zealand, enjoy reading my blog there! After New Zealand we headed back to Australia and our last stop was Cairns We stayed at The Discovery Resort which was central and within walking distance to shops and some amazing restaurants. Our first trip here was The Kuranda rail and skyrail. We took the scenic route on the train up to Kuranda Village where we stopped off at the Kuranda koala gardens. It was here I got to cuddle a koala, called “Fred”, something I wanted to do throughout this journey. After a stroll around the small village, shops and cafes it was time to head down by skyrail, the views were stunning. We set sail on a Quicksilver Catamaran for our tour to the Agincourt Reef, within the Outer great Barrier Reef, which is 70 km from shore, where we got dropped off on a pontoon. This was my second ever snorkelling experience, it was the most incredible experience made! The coral was so colourful, surrounded by beautiful fish, it was a true natural wonder! This brings me to the last tour of our dream adventure. Greeted by a turtle and surrounded by coral gardens on The Green Islands. This Island was like a mini tropical paradise! We walked around the whole Island in 20 minutes, taking in the surroundings of rainforest and the sounds and smells of nature. There was a hidden hotel right in the middle with white sand and boardwalks. At this point I couldn’t of been happier to spend our last day here…….. Australia was amazing! It really is a place you must go and see it for yourself. From city to beaches, whether it’s basing yourself in Melbourne to snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, I defy you not to fall in love with it………

11 October 2021

"A cruise is a vacation spent on a ship that sails the ocean"! Some people will say, a cruise is not for the young! I was always one of these people until I took the plunge and booked a cruise for my honeymoon…. I really didn’t know what to expect, but my opinion on cruises changed completely, the minute I stepped onto the ship! It was my dad who suggested to go on a cruise. He had a lot of convincing to do. My dad had done a few cruises and said you’ll love it. Well, he managed to convince me, so on 20th May 2010, me and my husband jetted of to Heraklion to board “Ocean Village” and cruise around the Mediterranean for 14 nights. Arriving in Heraklion airport, we had a transfer that took us straight outside the port to board “Ocean Village”. Everything ran so smoothly, it was very exciting. I still felt apprehensive by the whole thing at this point, so I couldn’t wait to get on the ship and sail away. Once we checked in and boarded Ocean Village without any problems or delays, we made our way to our cabin. We stayed in an outside cabin with a window, it was spacious, comfy and warm. The day after we set sail, it was a day at sea, to reach the first port in Egypt. We spent this day exploring the ship. There was something to do for everyone, whether that was doing window shopping, having a spa treatment, swimming in the many pools or just reading your favourite book on the ships many deck areas for sunbathing. We chose to eat in the main restaurant most evenings, which was buffet style. The dress code was whatever took your fancy and felt comfortable in. We had a gorgeous meal one evening at The Bistro, with head chief James Martin. That evening we decided to dress up for the occasion. The evening entertainment was incredible, there was absolutely loads to chose from. We found ourselves in the theatre room most nights, watching dancers, singers performing, to comedian nights and having cocktails in the bar. We visited 11 ports on this cruise adventure….. Cairo - Egypt, Limassol – Cyprus, Rhodes – Greece, Ephesus – Turkey, Athens – Greece, Heraklion – Crete, Korcula – Croatia, Venice – Italy, Dubrovnik – Croatia, Corfu – Greece, Zakynthos – Greece. In Cairo we took a tour trip to see the Pyramids and Giza, absolutely amazing to see these up so close, you don’t realise how tall they are! We did the best of Ephesus in Turkey spending most of the time at the Amphitheatre. In Athens we took a tour boat trip along the Corinth Canal. It was so narrow and beautiful, crystal blue water. Venice was my favourite destination on this holiday. We took a Gondola ride around Venice, cruising down the narrow, cobbled streets and iconic canals. Looking at the beautiful buildings and the bridge of sighs. We had a walk around St Marks Square, taking in all that history. We had a boat trip and lunch tour in Dubrovnik, I really want to go back here and explore it more, such a beautiful place to visit. Having never cruised before, I was planning my next cruise whilst on this cruise. It’s a wonderful way to travel and to get a feel for each individual place. Still thinking about your first cruise?........... Go on and set sail, like I did! You’ll love it!