Posts from — March 2025

After flying from Brisbane and staying at an airport hotel on Thursday morning we caught an Uber to downtown Auckland.
Our hotel wasn’t ready so we checked our luggage and went for walk along the waterfront and West Haven Promenade. There were lots of high end yachts and cruise ships in port.

After that we bought ferry tickets to go to Rangitoto Island the next morning. Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island. It is the youngest and largest of Auckland’s 48 volcanic cones.

The next morning we headed off to the Quay to catch the 9:30 ferry. We were required to be there 1/2hr early for an environmental briefing. They also made sure that each person had brought water, food, sunscreen and suitable clothing or footwear.

Once we arrived we decided to do the 1 hr hike to the summit. It was one heck of a hike as a lot of the paths were through very uneven lava fields. Also a lot of the steps were made from chunks of lava and were not even in depth or height. So you really had to be careful.

The first 45 minutes or so the hike was slowly rising and we didn’t think we were actually going to get to the summit of the mountain. However the last 15 minutes was pretty well straight up and there were a lot of stairs.

Once we reached the top we had a stunning view of Auckland and the surrounding harbours.

After the summit we went down to the Lava Caves, Kidney Fern Glen and Kowhai Grove hikes.

The island is a scenic reserve that they are serious about protecting and keeping pristine. There are no stores, no potable water source, no garbage collection, etc. So you must pack what you need for the day and take away all garbage.

The ferry arrived on schedule to take us back to Auckland and once we arrived we were required to clean our hiking shoes as we left the ferry docking site. It was spectacular day and the weather was amazing.

Finally, this is what you look like after a day of hiking in lava fields LOL

Monday morning we went for a walk along the beach walkway. At one point we heard a couple of Kookaburra’s and saw them fly through the trees, it was very cool.
The beach walk is very picturesque and you can tell a lot of locals use it everyday. This morning the surf is huge and no one is allowed in the water/ocean. Lifeguard warnings are placed at entry points to the beach.

After chatting with Dean and Judy we all decided we best get out of “Dodge”.
So, we spent most of the day rescheduling flights, hotels, car rental, etc? to be out of the area before the cyclone arrives. This is not an easy task, since you can never find an actual person to help you work through your travel problem. However we managed to do it and then meet Dean and Judy and go for dinner to a local Greek restaurant. They had as many problems adjusting their schedule even though they were going a totally different direction.
One other thing we noticed was that the Holiday Park on the Beach which is usually full was starting to empty out as a people were moving their trailers and campers to higher grounds.

Tuesday morning we woke up early and went for a walk along the beach walkway. It was beautiful and sunny with fairly calm winds and you would have never known a cyclone was approaching; except for the fact that the waves were enormous. Many locals were watching the surf as it was so impressive with size of the waves.

So, later on Tuesday we packed up and drove to Brisbane to drop off the rental car and spend the night at an airport hotel before the Cyclone hits. It was apparent that the locals were preparing for the worst. They were sandbagging, in smaller coastal communities there was panic buying of water and food supplies, local governments hand set up sandbagging pick up sites, etc etc. The hotel at the airport where we stayed had the staff preparing to stay overnight so they could assist as required.

So here it is Wednesday night. We had an early morning and a long day and we finally arrived in Auckland. We kept expecting our flight to be cancelled as it was delayed very early in the day, however we made it out 1/2 hr late and arrived safely in Auckland. It was interesting as we flew out the Captain announced a change in the normal flight route so we avoided the winds associated with the approaching cyclone.
Here is a photo of beautiful Auckland from our airport hotel.

Before we left Bondi Beach, Dean had sent us a link to the Government Weather site about a Cyclone that was forming off the coast of Queensland. So after some discussion we emailed the Element on Coolum Beach where we were scheduled to stay for the next week. The response was, “Nothing to worry about, these storms happen occasionally and they don’t come this far south and that we shouldn’t give up our vacation”.
So our travel plans to Coolum were on track.
Anyway, Sunday morning we woke up early and went for a walk along the beach to start the day. Then it was time to call an Uber, get to the airport, fly to Brisbane and pick up our rental car. Then it was drive to Coolum was easy and we only missed a couple of “roundabout” exits.
Once we arrived got into the condo it was great? Big, airy and spacious with two balconies and one faced the ocean.

However, that night the wind started to blow and the rain came in sheets. Perhaps this cyclone is building; it was intense at times.
Here are some random pictures from Coolum

Saturday was our last full day in the Bondi Beach area. We are not catching the bus down town as they are setting up for the huge Mardi Gras Pride Parade.
They are expecting a crowd of 200,000 people; count us out.
First thing in the morning we visited the Bondi Beach farmers market. It was small but nice and the flower displays were amazing.

So instead we did an amazing walk along a beach walk path with up and down stairs, etc We went to Brontë Beach which was about 6 km. It was a very warm humid day and that was enough in the sun. Spectacular scenery.
On the route you pass by Bondi Beach Iceberg Club, which you can tell by the picture is for lane swimming and competitive swimming.

Here are some pictures from along the path.

The remainder of the afternoon we walked Bondi Beach, however the winds and stirred up the ocean and there were Blue Bottle jellyfish on the beach, at the south end.

Thursday morning we headed off on Bus 333 to the Circular Quay and our destination for the day which is the Taronga Zoo. We saw Koala’s, Giraffes, Red Panda’s, Gorilla’s, Elephants, Kangaroos, Lions, and a Duck Billed Platypus, etc. etc.
We spent about 3 hrs there, it’s a great zoo, lots to see and lots of interactive displays.
Here’s a few pictures

After the Zoo we caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and went for a stroll through shops and stores in the Sydney Harbour and historic Rocks Area. Then it was back on Bus #333 to Bondi and a great afternoon walk along the beach.

Friday we did the whole bus transfer thing to Circular Quay and caught a ferry to Watson’s Bay, which is a small suburb of the City of Sydney. Once there we did a walk around the waterfront and explored some other local areas. It’s a very small and quiet place until the harbour ferry’s bring boatloads of people over.

Lunch today was at a famed restaurant called Doyle’s on the Beach, it’s been there for 149 years.

Riding the ferries to all the different sites has been a great way to explore Sydney Harbour in such a relaxed and enjoyable way. You merely tap your credit card when you get on and off the ferry or bus. They have made it very easy to navigate a complex transit system at a very reasonable cost.