On advice from someone at Newcastle (not THAT Newcastle the other one!) I went to Port Stephen's with the objective of seeing dolphins and hoping to see some whales, it was the very end of the whale breading season for this year! After searching for whales in New Zealand the mere mention of them and the chance that I might see them I was off there like a shot! I caught the overnight bus and eventually arrived outside the Samurai backpackers. If you ever find you...

Tonight arrived in Newcastle but bus and arrived very very late! I'm shattered! This Newcastle is very very different from the UK version as its a surfer town with beaches pretty much, although i did pass through Wallsend, Jesmond and Hexam on the way to get here! Saw a puffa fish washed up on the shore

TToday i have decided to head out of the big smoke of Sydney and travel the 2 hours by train to Katoomba and the famous blue Mountains. After my kilometer climb uphill with my rucksack (i really should have a bit of a clear out! i'm starting to get the gist that i won't be needing my ski jacket in the 30c plus heat!) I arrived puffing and sweating at the worlds most comfortable backpackers YAY!!!! the first thing i noticed about this place was the noise of the an...

Today i arrived in Sydney about 4pm, although the day did start off with both Oren & Philip both jumping on my bed at 8.30 this morning telling me to get up and "pack all my Cr@p" nice boys! After 17 cups of Yorkshire tea, much commotion & mikey taking. I was finally packed had said my goodbyes to Philip and was being dragged 2km up a hill with the 25kg's of backpack to get the airport bus, of course they fibbed to me and told me the bus stop wa...

After spending 4 days in the Coramandel recovering from my mystery illness, Chilling out and recovering from a mystery illness... I had a really good chance to meet some nice people during my 'recovery' time. Here I got chatting to a really lovely Israeli couple who introduced me to another Israeli guy called Oren who like me was planning to leave Whitianga the next day for Auckland. I was 'persuaded' by all of them not to get the bus to Auckland (the long way ro...