Why 23 days? 23 days in Tasmania seemed like too long a duration for a small Island. We gave ourselves 23 days because we wanted to do a slow drive around the entire place. We wanted to visit the common…
Day 22 & 23: Richmond & Bye Bye Tasmania
Coles Bay to Richmond to Airport Our flight out of Hobart International Airport was about 1 pm in the afternoon, during our trip planning stage, we were debating if our last night should be at Coles Bay (3 hours to…
Day 20 & 21: Bicheno & Coles Bay
Bay of Fires to Coles Bay We went from one bay (Bay of Fires) to Freycinet National Park. The national park contained beautiful places like Coles Bay, Wineglass Bay, Cape Tourville, Harzard beach etc. We only had time to visit…
Day 18 & 19: Ben Lomond & Bay of Fires
Getting to Ben Lomond From Launceston to Ben Lomond was only 54 km and about 1 hour drive. Ben Lomond though was not one the places where tourists would go, its pictures on the internet looked too good not to…
Day 16 & 17: Launceston
From Cradle Mountain to Launceston From Cradle Mountain was a 2 hour drive to Launceston, the only place we found interesting to stop midway was Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm. We stayed two nights in Launceston and during our two days…
Day 14 & 15: Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain for two days From Parkland to Cradle Mountain there were several routes, the shortest being 100km taking about 1 hour. Most visitors would just visit Cradle Mountain as a day trip or stayed only one night at Cradle…
Day 12 & 13: Stanley
Arthur river to Stanley & around From Arthur River we drove northward Stanley. There were two possible routes to Stanley, one was an hour drive passing through the town of Marrawah and the other was a route that required two…
Day 10 & 11: Corinna & Arthur River
Going north After Strahan we were going northward. Though we could easily reach Arthur river before the day was over we decided to stop midway and stay a night at Corinna too. Both Corinna and Arthur River seemed too beautiful…
Day 8 & 9: Queenstown & Strahan
Lake St Clair to Queenstown It was a 94 km drive from Lake St Claire to Queenstown along the way we stopped at Nelson Falls and Ironbowl Blow Lookout. We did not stop to trek to Horsetail Falls but still…
Day 7: Lake St Clair
On the way to Lake St Clair It was an 1 hour and 45 min drive from Maydena to Lake St Clair Lodge where we stayed one night. The distance travelled was only a mere 141 km and yet we…
Day 5 & 6: Mount Field
New Norfolk New Norfolk was midpoint on our way to Mount Field National Park. The drive took only 30 minutes. Our destination was “Dervent Cliff Walk” which overlooked River Dervent. We parked our car at a carpark by the river…
Day 3 & 4 Hobart & Bruny Island
Mount Wellington Our third and fourth days were in Hobart and nearby. I first destination was Mount Wellington which was practical in the backyard of Hobart City. It took us about 1 hour and 15min to drive from Port Arthur…
Day 1 & 2: EagleHawk Neck
Flying from Singapore to Melbourne to Hobart There was no direct flight from Singapore to Hobart so we flew into Hobart via Melbourne. The original flight itinerary on Jetstar was a 3 hour layouver in Melbourne which was just nice.…
Hawaii Summed Up
Was four weeks enough? The Hawaii Archipelago had 137 islands stretching over 2400km. At the southern end of the archipelago were eight main islands known the Main Hawaiian Islands. Six were habitable (visitable), one was a private island for farming…
Week 4: Big Island
Summary Big Island was the fourth and last Hawaiian island in our 4-week Hawaii DIY trip. Unlike the other three islands (Oahu, Kauai and Maui), Big Island was much bigger so it was only practical for us to stay in…
Week 3: Maui
Summary Our best experience in Maui was on Mount Haleakala Summit. We were practically “standing” on clouds. The sunset experience above the clouds was also a lifetime wish came true. We also had our first encounter with Hawaiian green sea…
Week 2: Kauai
Summary We arrived in Kauai on the 4th of August just after 12 noon and left on the 11th of August very early in the morning. We had about 7.5 days to explore the island which was sufficient enough for…
Week 1: Oahu
Summary Week 1 in Hawaii was spent on Oahu Island. We had 7 full days to explore this lovely island. The island was not very big so 7 days was enough for us. Our accommodations were all located near Waikiki…
Summer in New Zealand – South Island Summed Up
South Island: 3347 km in 19 days From end of October 2016 to mid November 2016 we went on a 19 days DIY driving trip on the South Island of New Zealand. This was our second trip to New Zealand and…
Day 19: Church of Good Shepherd
Plan for the day This day was our very last day in New Zealand, south island. Our flight out of Christchurch was at 9 pm in the evening. Our plan was to leave Lake Tekapo at noon which would give us plentiful…
Day 18: Lake Tekapo
Plan for the day We originally planned to be at Lake Tekapo for just two nights and to leave for Christchurch today and fly out of Christchurch the next day. But since the earthquake happened north of Christchurch four days ago there…
Day 17: Lake Tekapo & Mt John Observatory
Plan for the Day Our plan was to move around Lake Tekapo and the town today. In our itinerary was a trip up Mount John Observatory to enjoy the view of Lake Tekapo from a high view point in the afternoon.…
Day 16: Lake Pukaki, Mount Cook & Lake Tekapo
Plan for the day Our plan was to travel northward to Mount Cook before proceeding to Lake Tekapo. There was no direct route between Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo so we would have to back track to Lake Pukaki before travelling…
Day 15: Lindis Pass & Lake Pukaki
Plan for the day The plan was to drive east and northward to Lake Pukaki. We would be passing Lindis Pass which I understood was another scenic pass. The distance to Lake Pukaki was about 150 km and would not take long to…
Day 14: Wanaka and Diamond Lake
Plan for the day Our plan for the day was to take it easy! Since we had already dropped the trekking trip of 16 km (round trip) to Roy’s Peak, we would have plentiful of time to relax. There were many walking…
Day 13: Nugget Point, Cannibal Bay & Lake Wanaka
Plan for the day We would be visiting Nugget Point Lighthouse and Cannibal Bay in the morning and in the afternoon we would drive to Lake Wanaka where we had already booked a room at Wanaka Hotel for two nights.…
Day 12: Porpoise Bay, Purakani Falls, Cathedral Cave
Plan for the day The plan for the day was to visit six places. They were Porpoise Bay, Cathedral Caves Florence Hill Lookout Purakaunui Falls Cannibal Bay Nugget Point Lighthouse. For the night we would be staying at Hillview Campsite & Backpacker…
Day 11: Clifden Bridge, Slope Point & Curio Bay
Plan for the day Our plan for the day would be a long drive from Manapouri all the way to the southernmost part of South Island, Slope Point. Along the way we planned for a couple of sightseeing destinations. For…
Day 10: Doubtful Sound (Fiordland)
Plan for the day We would be visiting Doubtful Sound (fiord) on a Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise organised by Real Journeys. The entire trip was expected to last 7 to 8 hours. By afternoon we should be back at Manapouri. For the rest of…
Day 9: Devil’s Staircase, Manapouri, Te Anau
Plan for the day After Queenstown our next destination was Lake Manapouri which was about 179 km, two hours and 10 minutes drive away. It would not take long to reach Lake Manapouri and along the way we did not expect…
Day 8: Queenstown, Bennetts Bluff & Glenorchy
Plan for the day Our plan for the day was to explore Queenstown and its outlying areas. In the morning we would go into Queenstown downtown, in the afternoon we would drive north along Lake Wakatipu to visit Bennetts Bluff…
Day 7: Haast Pass & Queenstown
Plan for the day We planned to drive from Fox Glacier to Queenstown, it would a long drive with a distance of 330 km and an expected driving duration of 4 hours. Our drive would take us over Haast Pass,…
Day 6: Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson
Plan for the day This was our second day at Fox Glacier and our plan would be to move around this area. Our primary reason for revisiting Fox Glacier after 14 years was to view Lake Matheson. We had seen…
Day 5: Punakaiki Blow Holes & Lake Matheson
Plan for the day Our plan was to travel southward all the way to Fox Glacier Town. The journey would be about 250 km and would take about 3.5 hours to complete. Our main purpose at Fox Glacier Town was Lake…
Day 4: Lake Rotoroa, Seal Colony & Perpendicular Point
Plan for the day Since our motel was only 20 km from Lake Rotoroa we decided to visit the lake again first thing in the morning. In the afternoon we would travel westward to Pendicular Point where I had already…
Day 3: ArchWay Islands, Lake Rotoroa
Plan for the day The original itinerary was to extend another night at Wharariki Beach Holiday Park, but since the park was not guest friendly we decided not to stay another night. This morning we would visit Archway Islands and then…
Day 2: Rotoiti Lake & Golden Bay
Plan for the day For the morning we planned to explore Lake Rotoiti and its surrounding. In the early afternoon we would travel north toward Golden Bay to finally end at Wharariki Beach. The journey to Golden Bay would take…
Day 1: Hanmer Springs, Lewis Pass & Lake Rotoiti
Plan for the day Our plan was to drive northward from Christchurch to Lake Rotoiti. The estimated travelling was about 350 km and required 4.5 hours to complete, that was if we did not make stops along the way. Four and…
Flying into Christchurch
Annoying Flight cancellation at the last hour! We did not fly straight into Christchurch, instead our flight journey was broken into two legs. Singapore to Melbourne and Melbourne to Christchurch using separate airlines. The flight costs using one or two airlines…