I had the attitude, they had the altitude...

and so I jumped. 12.000 feet - 200 kmh






Yes, we did it!

Christchurch to Franz Josef

Hanmer Springs

Nelson Pass and National ParkHot Springs

Nasty Weather in Kaikoura
Playing with our Dinner in Christchurch... still alive.
Scary.

Marahau

Sunrise over Abel Tasman National Park



Aku, me and Clare in Water Taxi. Still on Land.
Split Apple Rock
Scenic Hike back to Marahau

Christchurch - Picton - Abel Tasman

View Kaikoura
Lookout Charlotte Track (Malborough Sound, Picton)
Wine Tasting Montana


Hm... Not quite my Taste.

Stormy Weather Forecasts for Germany,...

a couple of rainy days in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast and finally sunshine in Byron Bay on the Gold Coast again. To be honest, I fell in love with this place the second I got here with the Greyhound. It is a refreshing place after all these sleepy small beach villages. It is still small, but the streets are filled with young people, nice restaurants and bars, live music gigs in the pubs and on the streets and quite an "alternative hippie scene". Met up with Simone from the Great Ocean Road trip for a typical night in Byron Bay for Rails Bar, the Beach Hotel and, finally, Cheeky Monkeys. Survived the night even without a hungover. We went for a walk up to the Lighthouse and its beautiful lookout (spotted a big pot of dolphins) and the most eastern point of Australia, had some refreshing beach time in the waves before heading out for another night of fun.
Now there are only a couple of hours left before I am heading down to Sydney again with the nightbus for 14 (!) hours.

Byron Bay




Back in Sydney

Noosa's cooking Session

Me and my backpack are finally sandfree again. The zivilisation incl. shower and toilet are fantastic again. I am now in Noosa, together with Mirjam, in a quiet but lovely hostel and a super clean kitchen. Thus, we decided to give ourselves a nice treat shopping for tomato with mozarella (well, the Australian version) and fresh basil followed by some nice italian pasta with veggie sauce. Yummi, my first real cooking session within almost three months. How much I miss this!
We are right now staying in a funny 6 dorm bedroom and went out for sea kayaking around the million dollar houses here in Noosa. Gotta pack already tomorrow again for heading to Byron Bay.

Happy New Year 2010 - Beach Party Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!
Rainbow Beach is small and rather quiet (three hostels, one shopping street of probably 100m...) and most people coming here are tourists who want to go on the selfdriving safari on Fraser Island with the necessary briefing in Rainbow Beach hostels. However, arriving from Rockhampton it is quite a small paradise.
Met the dutch guy Luuk (fantastic funny character who I had already met for one day at Myella) and Mirjam after arriving on NYE and decided to find some more people and a new years party with goon (of course) at the beach. The original 8 people party grew with a forbidden beachfire to a size of 150 people (including lots of local youngsters from Gympie). Luckily, we already found 8 people going for the briefing for the Fraser Tour the next day, such that we already made up our plan of going together in one Jeep. Luckily, we were just one Jeep going this day (usually it is about 50 people leaving each day, which can get quite messy).
Left Rainbow Beach with a fantastic group (5 Canadians, 4 Dutchies and 1 German) on the 2nd of January for the biggest sand island Fraser Island with a 4WD Jeep for three days of hardcore camping without toilets, without showers, sharks in the sea, dingos on land (well, we saw one and lots of tracks around our camp each morning), crystal blue and white Lake McKenzie, the Champagne Pools, Indian Head, soaked tents, beautiful moon rise, lots of fun and lots of sand, bloody sand.


Lake McKenzie

Cosy Jeep


Moonrise
Maheno Shipwreck
Indian Head Lookout
Champagne Pools