Desperately seeking holiday - day 2
To be honest, I was super panicked about today. I only had 6 hours sleep (maybe), and I woke up twice, and I was already tired yesterday. But it went really well. Let me tell you more:
I staggered out of bed at 6.30 and packed up everything ready. I wasn't sure if I'd need the change of clothes because I wasn't sure if I was going to slide down a massive sand dune or not, but I figured I might as well take it.
When I got outside the sunrise was so stunningly beautiful, and I got to talk on FB to my friend in Sydney whose baby is one week old so she was up. The lady at reception was kind and explained that the bus always arrived late, so I didn't stress.
When I got on the bus, it was SO FULL. There were only a few empty seats. I really didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable by sitting next to them, so I plonked myself down on the back seat and felt wretchedly uncomfortable asking a young man to move. I realised that I was well and truly back in the 20th century, no toilet, no WIFI, no chargers (the charger on the seat in front of me didn't work at all). But that was good really because it's good to SWITCH off sometimes.
Then as the bus got fuller, the guy on the seat in front of me moved to be with his friend also sitting solo, so I quickly snaffled the window seat and sat on my own for the whole way up. #winning
The bus driver Rob introduced himself and told us we were going to drive over 500km (and he was not KIDDING).
Our first stop was this beautiful forest "Puketi Kauri". It was very similar to other forest walks I've been on in Tasmania and San Francisco but still beautiful. Everyone headed down and followed the right hand path and so I decided to go left to get some quiet space. It turned out to be a giant circle so I met the others as I went around anyway!
We kept going and then stopped at this gorgeous empty flat beach for morning tea (so much wasted swimming space!) but of course it was a) freezing water b) no time to swim c) no energy to swim. Still I had a vanilla slice and started talking to the people sitting around me (a bunch of young Brits, Canadians, and Germans).
Then we got up to 90 mile beach, which turned out to be only 60 miles long. Only!! The bus drove out and literally drove along the beach for miles!! ALONG THE BEACH. A GIANT BUS. But it was all ok.
There was a seal and it wasn't well and the bus driver drove around it and then got between it and the ocean. I thought it was a bit cruel to be honest. Everyone on the bus was very excited though.
To be honest, seeing a wild seal is nothing compared to swimming and diving with 100's of them which I've done.
I was a bit confused as to why we were going to the beach in the morning instead of the afternoon which is what I expected, but then of course I realised that they have to go when the tide is right.
We got to our lunch place about 11.30am but we were all ready for lunch and had very fresh and crispy fish and chips. It was much nicer than the fish and chips I've had at La Perouse in January (haven't had it since because of glandular), but with the disadvantage of being a good 3500km away!! I also climbed a tree a bit and got to know the Australians on the bus a bit more (an older couple of Bundaberg who talked a lot about how the machinery they developed was eventually sold overseas and the company also went offshore) and also an American mother/daughter combo. The daughter was at university doing engineering and doing an internship in her summer in NZ, and the mother had come to visit. That was very cool.
After lunch, we drove to the sand dunes. They were easily 80m (??) high. I wasn't sure about sliding down them. The driver once again drove through a river to get to the dunes, and then issued these dire warnings about people dying and injuring themselves, so that freaked me out a bit. But still, I grabbed a boogie board and started to climb the giant dune. Half the bus didn't climb but just stayed down the bottom. I got really breathless (SO UNFIT) and ended up not going the whole way up. I was also very aware that momentum is mass x velocity and that if the biggest of the young men was sliding across the water/river/extremely shallow creek-thing at the base of the dune, then I was going to go even further.
So I decided I would not go as high as the others and then I slid down separately. You can see my path. It was fun and not too scary, and if we'd had more time (and I'd had more energy and more fitness) I'd definitely have gone up to the level of the others. I got a bit sandy but who cares.
Then we drove further and ended up at Cape Reinga. It was GORGEOUS. Especially once the brief shower blew over. The lighthouse was about a 15 min walk down a gentle hill and then of course I knew I'd have to walk back up and it wouldn't feel so gentle, but I figured, I could try, and I did, and I got hot, but it was good. And I was pleased I hadn't piked.
As I got back on the bus, the lovely British 22 year old Hayley asked if she could sit on my spare seat next to me instead of the back row. I said definitely and gave her the window seat. I figured I hadn't been able to sleep on the way up so what were the chances on the way back? Slim, to none.
Back on the bus we did a massive long drive back, with only stopping briefly at a cafe where trees had been dug up that had been buried for 45,000 years. I had a brownie and talked more to the American mother/daughter combo.
Then we sat on the bus for AGES. It felt such a long way. At least another 2 hours? I started playing my game on my phone that doesn't require internet, and then my new friend Hayley (definitely not someone who would've liked school I think) started to help out, so we played together the last hour of the trip and it was really nice.
The bus driver didn't announce my hotel so then I missed my stop and I had to walk back. I was pretty tired by this point and decided not to get take away and just not bother to eat.
Once back in my room though, the exhaustion and hunger both hit hard, so I decided, given my mother had suggested I could get room service because I was sick, that I would. I really hoped the burger I ordered would be much better than the previous night's disappointing meal, and it was super tasty. I rang room service to say thank you. When I got up to get room service, I was so stiff and tired and sore, but then I figured, I probably would be anyway if you had slid down a dune for 80m after climbing up, and then done a decent walk to a lighthouse. My stupid watch tells me I've done 22,000 steps but that's not even close to correct, because the bus was so rough we were bouncing all over the place and my watch thought I was walking up hill! It thinks I've climbed 91 floors today. Ummmm
I staggered out of bed at 6.30 and packed up everything ready. I wasn't sure if I'd need the change of clothes because I wasn't sure if I was going to slide down a massive sand dune or not, but I figured I might as well take it.
When I got outside the sunrise was so stunningly beautiful, and I got to talk on FB to my friend in Sydney whose baby is one week old so she was up. The lady at reception was kind and explained that the bus always arrived late, so I didn't stress.
When I got on the bus, it was SO FULL. There were only a few empty seats. I really didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable by sitting next to them, so I plonked myself down on the back seat and felt wretchedly uncomfortable asking a young man to move. I realised that I was well and truly back in the 20th century, no toilet, no WIFI, no chargers (the charger on the seat in front of me didn't work at all). But that was good really because it's good to SWITCH off sometimes.
Then as the bus got fuller, the guy on the seat in front of me moved to be with his friend also sitting solo, so I quickly snaffled the window seat and sat on my own for the whole way up. #winning
The bus driver Rob introduced himself and told us we were going to drive over 500km (and he was not KIDDING).
Our first stop was this beautiful forest "Puketi Kauri". It was very similar to other forest walks I've been on in Tasmania and San Francisco but still beautiful. Everyone headed down and followed the right hand path and so I decided to go left to get some quiet space. It turned out to be a giant circle so I met the others as I went around anyway!
 |
| The track to the right of the main track down is ME |
We kept going and then stopped at this gorgeous empty flat beach for morning tea (so much wasted swimming space!) but of course it was a) freezing water b) no time to swim c) no energy to swim. Still I had a vanilla slice and started talking to the people sitting around me (a bunch of young Brits, Canadians, and Germans).
Then we got up to 90 mile beach, which turned out to be only 60 miles long. Only!! The bus drove out and literally drove along the beach for miles!! ALONG THE BEACH. A GIANT BUS. But it was all ok.
There was a seal and it wasn't well and the bus driver drove around it and then got between it and the ocean. I thought it was a bit cruel to be honest. Everyone on the bus was very excited though.
To be honest, seeing a wild seal is nothing compared to swimming and diving with 100's of them which I've done.
I was a bit confused as to why we were going to the beach in the morning instead of the afternoon which is what I expected, but then of course I realised that they have to go when the tide is right.
We got to our lunch place about 11.30am but we were all ready for lunch and had very fresh and crispy fish and chips. It was much nicer than the fish and chips I've had at La Perouse in January (haven't had it since because of glandular), but with the disadvantage of being a good 3500km away!! I also climbed a tree a bit and got to know the Australians on the bus a bit more (an older couple of Bundaberg who talked a lot about how the machinery they developed was eventually sold overseas and the company also went offshore) and also an American mother/daughter combo. The daughter was at university doing engineering and doing an internship in her summer in NZ, and the mother had come to visit. That was very cool.
After lunch, we drove to the sand dunes. They were easily 80m (??) high. I wasn't sure about sliding down them. The driver once again drove through a river to get to the dunes, and then issued these dire warnings about people dying and injuring themselves, so that freaked me out a bit. But still, I grabbed a boogie board and started to climb the giant dune. Half the bus didn't climb but just stayed down the bottom. I got really breathless (SO UNFIT) and ended up not going the whole way up. I was also very aware that momentum is mass x velocity and that if the biggest of the young men was sliding across the water/river/extremely shallow creek-thing at the base of the dune, then I was going to go even further.
So I decided I would not go as high as the others and then I slid down separately. You can see my path. It was fun and not too scary, and if we'd had more time (and I'd had more energy and more fitness) I'd definitely have gone up to the level of the others. I got a bit sandy but who cares.
Then we drove further and ended up at Cape Reinga. It was GORGEOUS. Especially once the brief shower blew over. The lighthouse was about a 15 min walk down a gentle hill and then of course I knew I'd have to walk back up and it wouldn't feel so gentle, but I figured, I could try, and I did, and I got hot, but it was good. And I was pleased I hadn't piked.
As I got back on the bus, the lovely British 22 year old Hayley asked if she could sit on my spare seat next to me instead of the back row. I said definitely and gave her the window seat. I figured I hadn't been able to sleep on the way up so what were the chances on the way back? Slim, to none.
Back on the bus we did a massive long drive back, with only stopping briefly at a cafe where trees had been dug up that had been buried for 45,000 years. I had a brownie and talked more to the American mother/daughter combo.
Then we sat on the bus for AGES. It felt such a long way. At least another 2 hours? I started playing my game on my phone that doesn't require internet, and then my new friend Hayley (definitely not someone who would've liked school I think) started to help out, so we played together the last hour of the trip and it was really nice.
The bus driver didn't announce my hotel so then I missed my stop and I had to walk back. I was pretty tired by this point and decided not to get take away and just not bother to eat.
Once back in my room though, the exhaustion and hunger both hit hard, so I decided, given my mother had suggested I could get room service because I was sick, that I would. I really hoped the burger I ordered would be much better than the previous night's disappointing meal, and it was super tasty. I rang room service to say thank you. When I got up to get room service, I was so stiff and tired and sore, but then I figured, I probably would be anyway if you had slid down a dune for 80m after climbing up, and then done a decent walk to a lighthouse. My stupid watch tells me I've done 22,000 steps but that's not even close to correct, because the bus was so rough we were bouncing all over the place and my watch thought I was walking up hill! It thinks I've climbed 91 floors today. Ummmm
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