Jack and Niamh's Sabbatical Adventures

Author: jackohanlon13

  • Tokyo is Cold and Wet

    We had to take shelter in an Irish pub and buy me some new shoes after I discovered the holes in the bottom of the ones I was wearing
    It had two toilets, one for men and one for ladies/men who are vomiting
    I also bought an umbrella which lasted a whole day until it was lost. Luckily there’s a shop every 10 m or so where you can get a new one. Or just steal someone else’s
    The deep fried tiny shrimp were great but the onion in foil was an all time great
    The restaurant gave bibs to people who looked like they were in danger
    Cherry blossom season is starting, the feral parakeets love it
    Shiba puppy cafe with plenty of tiny dogs fighting
    After spending a month in New Zealand countryside the number of people in Tokyo is a lot to adjust to
    There’s loads of tiny bars here. This one could hold about 8 people and sells delicious whisky
    These two giant men gave us a sumo demonstration, the big lad on the right weighs 185 kg
    Hang it in the Louvre

  • Leaving New Zealand

    New Zealand was awesome, it’s a massive, largely empty country and the best bits were definitely outside the cities. 3 Weeks definitely wasn’t enough.

    The great thing about a road trip is that you can do whatever the roadside signs tell you to do and take a detour to try the world’s best blueberry muffin, or buy some wearable felt art, or feed some wallabies
    Towns in New Zealand love to have massive statues to let you know what they’re all about like Rakaia’s Iconic Salmon
    We got to stay at some incredible campsites, comfort levels were a little low compared to the hotels but the locations made it worth it. We didn’t get completely eaten alive by sandflies, I think as per usual I bore the brunt of the blood loss. Our final campsite had a giant tree walk, the Maori would make 100-person canoes out of these trees
    Niamh bought wool in the wrong format and had to spend about half an hour winding it into a ball
    We had enough leg room for the 11 hour flight to Tokyo, we’ve gone back a season from Summer to Spring and I’m not sure I’m ready to be cold again

  • Fox Glacier to Queenstown (Kelly’s Return)

    We walked through some old woodland to get a better view of the glacier
    Stopped off at the only restaurant in Haast for lunch, the interior was full of previously owned deer antlers
    The view from the campsite in the evening was drastically different to the morning. Niamh tried to break up a surprisingly violent fight between two tomtits
    Every five minutes on the road there’ll be another spot to pull over and walk to see a waterfall, I think this one was called Roaring Billy
    We picked up Kelly in Cromwell which is famed for it’s giant fruit sculpture and real fruit ice cream
    A boat floating in the Queenstown harbour doubles up as a bar, it’s a little risky if you’re prone to sea sickness
    We rented bikes and cycled down the Gibbston valley, stopping at a few vineyards for a well earned rest. Got pretty soaked and painted our backs with mud in the morning.
    But got roasted in the sun in the afternoon before the bike rental company picked us up and ferried us back to Queenstown

  • Down the West Coast

    The road down the west coast is often very windy, it’s surprising to see a road train make it around the corners
    The west coast is also very windy, the waves smashing against the pancake rocks were so loud
    Seals playing in the pool
    A hungry weka (right) begging for some breakfast
    Niamh fed and petted some ~100 year old eels
    We stopped off for a hot bath in water from the glacier
    It was very windy at Gillespie beach so we had to take the front off the tent. The wind did protect us from the sandflies which ate us alive in the morning. A possum was hanging out in there during the night and rudely did a poo on the roof
    The campsite had some great views, could just about see the milky way in the night sky
    A view of Fox Glacier on the left and Aoraki/Mt Cook on the right

  • Abel Tasman

    We stayed in Marahau on the edge of the Abel Tasman national park, an absolutely massive forest full of birds and German tourists
    The area is full of coves and caves that little blue penguins (not pictured, that’s Niamh) use for nesting
    We kayaked out to the islands where they’ve eliminated all predators so it’s a paradise for songbirds. When you get close it sounds like the whole island is singing
    The Fat Tui sells massive burgers, they’ve gone wide instead of tall
    The rocks around the island were full of seals lounging around and baby ones playing in the water
    We’ve been keeping ourselves entertained on the long drives with murder most Irish, a podcast where they get very angry about murders
    Niamh got her phone out while kayaking to get even more pictures
    Pied Shag colony – they were so chilled about us being nearby
    Because I was in front Jack got to be dragged on to the beach in style every time we landed

  • Martinborough

    Small town an hour away from Wellington with a load of vineyards

    Thai food and a gin flight
    Palliser wines where they promised a life changing sauvignon blanc
    The sommelier at grava was quite wet but very friendly
    Platter and flight at Margrain vineyard
    Niamh blends in quite well
    Final tasting at Haythornthwaite
    They also have space in the town for a brewery
    Dramatic goth pony

  • Tongariro Crossing

    The most beautiful hike I’ve ever done, the only one of New Zealand’s “great hikes” that can be done in one day. It took us just under 8 hours to finish, and we are thoroughly knackered

    At the start line, so much energy, so much hope
    Hanging out with Mount Doom after the toughest climb
    Tried and failed to take a picture with all of the distance markers
    The craters from old explosions are now lakes that feel really out of place
    Wrap for strength
    The view of the way down with lake Taupo in the distance
    Selfie at the finish
    Tried my best

  • Rotorua

    We moved on to Rotorua, a volcanic area which produces 20% of New Zealand’s energy in its geothermal power plants. This also means lots of Roman style hot bath houses that’ll hard boil you like an egg.

    Our second campsite was right by the lake which was the perfect temperature for an evening swim and was full of ducks that let you know they’re there all through the night.
    Rent-a-tent NZ gave us a hand-pumped espresso machine for morning coffee
    Massive bubbling mud pool (Niamh for scale). Like large parts of Rotorua it smelt like rotten eggs, there was a large group of dead birds nearby who probably got caught in a bubble of hydrogen sulfide.
    We visited the craters of the moon which had loads of fumaroles (steam vents) so it looks like the ground is smoking
    We’re staying in Taupo, tomorrow (with Kelly) we’re hiking the Tongariro crossing, a 12 mile hike which takes about 6 to 8 hours and goes between Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe who played Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings.

  • On The Road

    Picked up our car and camping gear from Auckland airport and headed to the first campsite
    Stopped at Pirongia for a butter chicken and a bushman’s pie and a trip to the local museum/village council meeting room and got to eavesdrop on a village council meeting
    Got a great spot by the lake to pump up our tent
    Ate our tea under the night sky with our friends Jupiter and Mars
    Everything packed away and off to Makana blueberry experience for the world’s best blueberry muffin

  • Jack Singapore Pics

    Tall toast for breakfast with two half boiled eggs (Niamh watched a guy crack one open and drink it like a shot)
    Mandai Nature Park has 4 zoos in it, it’s a lot of walking but great to watch a cat fishing
    Snitched on a crab that was trying to escape at the hawker market, feel bad, possibly ate its cousin
    All time greatest vending machines