Very glad I hired a car to get here, as you definitely need a car to get around!!

Rocked up at the Avis office to pick up my hire car - the smallest cheapest one I could get, as the cost for an Easter holidays hire was fairly extortionate - to find I had been upgrade about 5 car groups to a very nice mid size executive saloon. I have to say, it's very weird driving a right hand drive automatic - I keep going to change gear, which I never do in the US as everything is on the other side..(think about it for a bit, you'll understand what I mean!!).

Got directions to get up onto the Bridge to get out of Sydney, but managed to miss the turn off for the Bridge, so had to loop back round on myself once. Then managed to miss the turn off for the Freeway up north, so tried to do a u turn and ended up going back over the Bridge back into Sydney again!! After some faffing, I finally managed to get onto the right road out of Sydney and up to Hunter Valley (paid a bit more attention to my directions and road signs after that!)

Drive was nice once you got out of Sydney and the directions turned out to be good, so it took me a couple of hours to arrive at my hotel, after a short diversion in Cessnock. The hotel is really nice and secluded, which is why I am very grateful I had the car, else I would be having to pay for taxi's or tour shuttles everywhere and the food is not so great at the hotel that I would want to eat here all the time!!

Definitely getting the r&r I was planning on, getting up late, sitting by the pool (unfortunately indoor & not as heated as they quote on the website, but nice enough) though sadly the sundeck is not quite as sunny as it sounds and not altogether comfortable, but it does for a couple hours of reading in the sun.

Headed to Tempus Two on Good Friday for some lunch and the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese shop - thought I had died and gone to heaven, several times over. The cheese range is awesome and I could have easily bought about half the shop and the ice cream range is to die for..... Sadly it was heaving with tourists, so it was hard to really spend some quality time there, but got a few bits and a sandwich for lunch.

Lazy day on saturday, spent some more time at the pool and catching a few rays, before popping out in the late afternoon to Hunter Valley gardens. Stopped off at the shopping village first to get some lunch and then wandered over to the Gardens, with a view to having a wander for a couple of hours, but they were charging entry and it was quite late in the afternoon, so decided not to as didn't think I would be able to do it justice in a short time - besides, after a large late lunch all I wanted to do was nap!!!

Easter Sunday today and quite cloudy, so I figured I would spend the day trying to sort out my NZ itinerary - also need to book my first few nights accommodation, so will finish up the bits & pieces I got from the cheese shop and then get some room service for tea and just take it easy.

I'm really enjoying the hotel, not seen any wild kangaroo's hopping around, as per the website, but lots of parrots (or macaws not sure which), flocks of them in greens and pinks and purples. Breakfast is also good, as you can see all the swifts (could be swallows or housemartins, never could tell the difference) flying about from the conservatory.

Last day tomorrow, so will pop over to Polkolbin village and see that, and probably swing by the Gardens again in the afternoon and spend some time there.

Hunter Valley is another place worth a second look, but I think I would go self catering next time, as there is so much nice food and wine to be had that it seems a shame to be in hotel and not really be able to take advantage of it!