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Created by KeefH Web Designs, December 3rd, 2022, 17.10 PM A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Genealogy Info No 5, 18th August 1897 to 18th January 1898, 5 months 1 day at sea INTRODUCTION This is a very retrospective blog, during the winter months of November and December 2022 I decided to translate most of the handwritten diaries we hold in our Family Tree data to supplement our Genealogy info featured here under the Family tab, good website design, backing up audiobooks, videos and slideshow with text. Enjoy! MENU Diary Audiobook Video with audiobook overlay showing relevant and irrelevant areas of Australia, ships, and images from places visited, created via Clipchamp by KeefH Web Designs Trailer DIARY GERTRUDE WHITEHEAD’s DIARY: (Anne, Brian, and Margaret’s Granny) Voyage to Australia : 18th Aug 1897-18th Jan 1898 It took 154 days, 22 weeks or 5 months 1 day if you prefer, a lengthy time away at sea Wednesday Aug. 18th/97 Mother, Willie, Jeanie, and I joined the Port Stephens at Tyne Dock to go on our voyage to Australia with Father- Annie, Hilda, Bob and Uncle Bob coming to see us away. 6 pm. We left Tyne Dk. 6.45 pm Uncle, Annie, Bob & Hilda bid us good-bye and went on board the tug boat to go on shore. We then steamed away from Shields Bar & shortly afterwards we went to bed thus ending our first day. Thursday Aug 19th/1897 This has been a fine day & we have enjoyed it very much being on deck nearly all day. We passed Lowestoft at 2 o’clock in the afternoon & Dover at 11 o’clock at night. Passed lots of ships & steamers. At night had some music. Friday Aug 20th. Father tells me we passed Dungeness at 1 o’clock this morning. It is a nasty day strong head wind & sea very hazy. Passed the Isle of Wight at 1 o’clock this afternoon. All feeling a little poorly we went to bed early. Saturday Aug. 21st. Strong head wind & heavy sea. Port Stephens tumbling and pitching about & made us all sick. Mother very poorly. We all remain downstairs. Passed Ushant Isld. in the afternoon. Sunday Aug. 22nd. We are now in the Bay of Biscay & rolling and tumbling about. Mother confined to her roam sick. Willie, Jeanie & I have been on deck most of the day. Monday Aug. 23 This is my 11th birthday and such a lovely day. We have got Mother on deck to get the air. We are now across the Bay having passed Cape Finisterre at breakfast time. We have all got splendid appetites with the exception of poor Mother. Jeanie is running about all over the ship. Tuesday 24th. Aug. Very fine weather. Saw nothing today but birds & salt water & a few steamers. Mother is all right now & we are playing at quoits & other things and are quite happy. Wednesday Aug.25th. Lovely weather today but very hot had to get our summer clothes on. Had my music lesson & played about the remainder of the day. Thursday Aug.26th. We have a good fair wind today with high waves, but we are not sick at all. Friday Aug.27th. We arrived at Las Palmas at 7 o'clock this morning to take coal in. We threw some pennies in the water & the boys from the shore dived down & got them. We bought a parrot from a boy & we hope to make it talk before we get home. We got plenty of fruit grapes peaches and bananas which we enjoyed very much. We left Las Palmas at 3 o'clock in the afternoon all very black with coal dust. We did not get on shore because there was not time to go to the town & it was too hot We were up very early this morning so we went to bed soon. Saturday Aug.28th. We had a nice fair wind today & the Stephens went booming along. We played about the decks all day & had music at night. Sunday Aug.29th. Fine weather but very hot we are nearly roasted alive & have to sit under the awning all day. Had some hymns at night. Roast chickens & plum pudding for dinner and cakes for tea. Monday Aug.30th. It is blowing a gale of wind today with heavy sea & the awning was blown all to pieces. Mother is sick & we all stayed downstairs but it was a difficult job to keep Jeanie & Willie down. Tuesday Aug.31st. Strong head wind. Stephens pitching about a good deal. Passed Cape verde at noon. We have been on deck all day & saw the land & some steamers & a lot of birds. Wednesday Sept.1st. This is Father’s birthday & we had a large cake for tea. Fine day but big waves. Saw some flying fish & some porpoises & at night the water was lovely phosphorus it sparkled just like stars in the water. Music lesson in the morning & again at night. Thursday Sept.2nd This is Jeanie’s birthday. Had chickens for dinner & cake for tea. Beautiful fine weather today. Mother making pyjamas for Willie which father helped to cut out. We take our salt water bath every morning now as the weather is very hot. Friday Sept.3rd. Rainy weather in the morning but fine in the afternoon only a little windy. Saw lots of flying fish today. Willie was dressed up as Father Neptune at night & looked very funny with his big belly and whiskers. Willie got his new pyjamas on & was a proud man when he went to bed. Saturday Sept.4th. Very fine weather today but a little windy. We saw a good many flying fish but nothing close. We have been playing at houses & other games during the day. We have just come down from the deck to get bathed and Willie made Father laugh acting Bob Anderson. We had ducks for dinner and beef, tongue & fish for tea which we all did justice to. Sunday Sept.5th. Fine day but very quiet nothing to do except read. Music and singing after tea and then to bed. Monday Sept.6th. Very fine in the morning but raining at night. Cannot sit on deck as everything is overhead with coaldust and have therefore been obliged to play in the messroom. It is gradually getting cooler & is therefore much pleasanter. Tuesday Sept.7th. Strong head wind with a nasty choppy sea which Father says is the usual Weather experienced in the South east trades to make matters worse the men are working the coal off the deck & everything is covered in coal dust and we are obliged to stay downstairs. Wednesday Sept.8th. Very strong head wind with heavy sea. Ship pitching very heavily & taking seas on board we can scarcely keep our feet the way the ship is tossing about. Mother has been washing clothes today but it has been very difficult to work. Mother is now giving us a tune on the piano. We are going to have a game of cards & then to bed. Thursday Sept.9th. Another day with strong head wind & big seas breaking over the ship. Mother has been washing clothes again today & has got them all ready for ironing. Friday Sept.10th. Still very strong head wind & ship pitching fearfully. Mother has got her ironing done & is making me a dressing gown. Saturday Sept.11th. Still rough weather. Mother finished my dressing gown which is very comfortable and pretty. We had a sheep killed also some fowls. We had a good bath & then to bed. Sunday Sept.12th. Weather more moderate. Passed two sailing ships this afternoon which was Quite a treat as we have not seen any since 31st.August. Saw two birds One being a Cape pigeon & the other a Molly hawk. We have had a musical evening & are now going to have supper & then to bed. Monday Sept.13th. Weather finer. We passed another sailing ship. We then had a game of cards & then to bed. Tuesday Sept.14th. Fine weather but very cold. We saw an Albatross with wings about 6 feet long. Mother has made another pair of pyjamas for Willie & is making Jeanie a dressing gown & I am making a shirt for Jeanie. Wednesday 15th.Sept. Fine weather with strong sea ship rolling about. Saw a 1ot of Cape pigeons & Molly hawks. Lessons from ten o’clock till 11.30 then sewing and games until bed time. Thursday Sept.16th. Strong head wind & ship rolling a good dea1. Great number of Cape pigeons Flying about they are very pretty birds with black & white striped wings & are very tame. We had lessons in the morning & sewing in the afternoon & cards at night. Friday Sept. 17th. Very fine weather today but a strong swell causing the ship to roll a little. We were abreast of the cape of Good Hope this morning but were too far off to see it. Saw a lot of Cape pigeons & two albatrosses. Had a music lesson at night. Had a game of hide & seek. Father Jeanie & Willie are now having a game of cards & Mother and I are sewing. Saturday Sept.18th. Fresh wind with heavy seas. Steamer rolling heavily & knocking us all about. Saw a sailing ship & a number of Albatross & Cape pigeons. No lessons today being Saturday we occupied our time by sewing, reading & games. Had our bath at night & after supper went to bed. Mother has just finished a leather key rack for Father. Sunday Sept.19th. Light wind but still very strong sea. Ship lurching heavily. During a heavy lurch Mother rolled on the deck & we all had a good laugh at her. Mother has not got her sea legs yet, but Jeanie can go about like an old sailor in the heaviest of weathers. We saw a lot of birds today. Had music at night & then to bed. Monday Sept.20th. During the night very heavy rain with heavy squalls no sleep for anybody. During the day the weather moderated & we got a fair wind & sailed along more comfortably. A great number of birds following the ship today amongst them being some very large albatross. We had lessons in the morning, sewing in the afternoon & cards at night & we all had a good night’s sleep. Tuesday Sept. 21st. Strong fair wind & heavy sea some of them being like mountains but the good ship Port Stephens glides over them 1ike a duck. It is too cold to get on deck today so we are amusing ourselves in the cabin with our lessons sewing and games. There are none of us sick even in the heaviest of weather & we can always eat our meals with a hearty appetite. We are now in the Southern Ocean & Father tells me this is what they call running the Easting down, that is we are running due East for Australia.Lots of birds still following the ship. Mother is learning me to do a sampler. Heavy shower of hailstones at night. Wednesday Sept.22nd. Moderate wind & showery weather very cold. Had to light the cabin fire. Too cold to get on deck so we did our sewing & lessons. Willie stayed away all amongst the sailors & had to do his lessons at night. Mother has a very bad headache. Had my music lesson & then went to bed. The fowls & sheep were all shifted under the bridge deck as they suffered from the cold. At night light fair wind & moderate sea. Thursday Sept.23rd. Moderate fair wind with overcast sky & showery much warmer weather. Friday Sept.24th. Fine morning but wet during the remainder of the day. Had a game of cards at night & then to bed. Saturday Sept.25th. Heavy gale of wind right astern with mountainous sea but considering the bad weather the ship is going along very dry. We are not able to get on deck much today. The birds still continue to fo1low the ship. Had a game of whist at night then our bath & off to bed. The ship did 250 miles today. Sunday Sept.26th. Moderate weather today but very cold. Ship steamed 240 miles today. We had hymns in the morning & night also Scripture lesson. Ducks & plum pudding for dinner. Monday Sept.27th. Fresh wind & squally with rain & rough sea. Ship steamed 250 miles this day. I got my hair caught in the log line & had to have a piece cut out before we could stop the log. Tuesday Sept.28th. Moderate wind & overcast steamed 235 miles today. A great number of albatross about today, but very few Cape pigeons. Mother is washing today & being bitterly cold we all stayed down below doing our lessons, sewing & playing games. Wednesday Sept.29th. Light wind & fine weather today. Mother is ironing & I am finishing my sampler. Father says he expects we will reach Port Pirie in about 14 days. Thursday Sept.30th. This day commences with dull rainy weather. At night it blew a gale with heavy sea & the ship rocked about very much. We did not get on deck at all today. We occupied our time by doing our lessons, sewing & games.Jeanie & Willie got dressed up as clowns at night & amused us very much. Friday Oct.1st. Light wind but nasty cross sea. Ship still tumbling about a good deal. We were on deck a little today. And at night played cards. Saturday Oct.2nd. Strong gale right astern with very heavy sea. Engines racing very much & shaking the ship terribly. We cannot get on deck today so we are amusing ourselves in the cabin. Willie & Jeanie went on deck & received a cold saltwater bath as the ship happened to ship a sea just when they got on deck which wet them to the skin & frightened them very much. At night we had our usual bath & went to bed. Sunday Oct.3rd. Strong wind & nasty sea with dull gloomy weather we remained below & read scripture lessons in the morning & had hymns & music at night. We are all longing to reach Australia now as it is getting rather monotonous seeing the same things every day. Monday Oct.4th. Strong fair wind & heavy sea with rain & overcast sky. The lamb was killed today. Lessons, sewing & cards at night. Tuesday Oct.5th. Fresh fair wind & showery with rather rough sea. We were on deck a good deal today the weather being much milder. We had lamb & green peas for dinner. Lessons in the morning sewing in the afternoon & whist at night and Mother & I gave Father a proper licking. We are now looking anxiously forward to seeing land once again as we have seen nothing since we passed Cape Verde. In a week more we should be at Port Pirie all going well. Good suppers of homemade bread just like Mother's & now I am off to bed. Wednesday Oct.6th. Fresh fair wind & high sea & showery. Weather too cold to get on deck. Willie got his hair cut. In the morning we did our lessons, in the afternoon we did some sewing, & at night we had a circus entertainment Willie & Jeanie being dressed up as clowns. Thursday Oct.7th Strong wind & heavy squalls with rain & high sea. Mother laid up with a very bad headache. We remained below all day & occupied our time with lessons, sewing & games. Friday Oct.8th. Light wind & fine weather. We were on deck most of the day as the steward was painting the cabin. Mother’s headache is better today. We had the swing quoits & other games. Saturday Oct.9th. Light fair wind & fine weather with smooth sea. We are now crossing the Great Australian Bight. We passed the barque Invercoe of Aberdeen at noon who wished to be reported. Being Saturday we have no lessons we are therefore enjoying ourselves with games & other things. Willie assisted in hoisting the flags to the barque. The weather is much milder & we can now do without a fire. Sunday Oct.10th. Light wind & overcast sky with smooth sea. We had scripture lesson & then we wrote our letters home. In the evening we had hymns. Monday Oct.11th. Calm all day sea like a bit of glass. Sky overcast & showery we have been busy all day cleaning the cabin ready for port. In the evening we had a game of whist & went to bed. Tuesday Oct.12th. Light head wind smooth sea & dull cloudy weather. We had our lessons in the morning & played about the remainder of the day. Everybody are busy getting the ship ready for port. Father says he expects to make the land tonight. Wednesday Oct.l3th. Fine weather with smooth sea. Saw land all day & anchored at night. Thursday Oct.14th. Arrived at P.Pirie this morning. Mother & I were standing in the poop in coming up the creek when the tug which was to have towed us up came astern & went bang into us which gave us such a fright as she nearly capsized & we had then to take another tug but got safe into berth at 10 am. There is a population of 5,000 people in P. Pirie. Friday Oct. 15th. Very dusty, windy & warm. We went to an entertainment at night which was very good indeed. Professor Hertz was very clever with the cards & amused us very much. We had the Dr & his wife on board this afternoon also Capt. Balchin of the S/S Port Elliot. Sunday Oct.17th. Being a lovely fine morning Mother, Willie, Jeanie, & myself went to the Congregational Church also in the evening, Mother & I went again to the same church. There are a good many churches here they are all very small buildings made of wood & corrugated iron. The singing was very good. Monday Oct.18th. Very fine weather but everything is in such a mess with coke dust. Mrs. Warren came down in the afternoon & invited us to go for a drive with her next day. Tuesday Oct.19th. Very windy & dusty had to stay down below nearly all day. We went for a drive in the afternoon with Mrs. Warren & her mother. At night we went to an entertainment, Hudson’s Surprise Party which was very amusing. Wednesday Oct.20th. Fine day. We went to Doctor Stewart’s in the afternoon & they took us for a drive which was very pleasant. Had a game of cards at night & then to bed. Thursday Oct.21st. Very fine day. We went on shore to visit a Lady but she was not in, so we took a walk round the suburbs. Port Pirie is very flat country & sandy. The principal work is the Broken Hill Co. factory where they extract gold silver lead zinc etc from the ore. Friday Oct.22nd. Windy & dusty remained on board all day. Had several Ladies on board visiting Mother. Capt. J. Redford of Blyth came on board to tea & spent the evening with us. Saturday Oct.23rd. A beautiful day. Went on shore in the afternoon did some shopping & came on board. Capt. Redford came on board in the evening. We had our bath & off to bed. Sunday Oct.24th. A most lovely day. Did not go to church as we had our letters. Willie went for a row with the officers to see a model yacht race. Went to church at night. Monday Oct.25th. A lovely day. Mother Jeanie & I went visiting Willie spending the day on board the reliance a four-masted sailing ship having made chums with the chief officer who made him a model of a yacht. Paper adverts appeared on front page on Tuesday Oct.26th. Another lovely day but exceedingly hot. Willie Jeanie & I was at a party this afternoon which we thoroughly enjoyed coming back ten o’clock Jean being the chief attraction. Commenced loading sulphide ore this morning. Wednesday Oct 27th. Very fine in the morning but a little dusty in the afternoon. Mr. Warren Took us & his family out a-picnicking he had his two carriages & drove us out to a small wood where the cloth was spread & a fire kindled. We then sat down & had a good meal. We had chicken ham & egg pie, salad claret & ices scones sponge cake bread & butter strawberries & cream, bananas, oranges, tomatoes & tea & returned in the evening quite dark after enjoying a most pleasant outing. Thursday Oct. 28th. We finished our loading this afternoon & are now all ready to sail for Sydney in the morning tide. We were through the Refinery today & saw the process of extracting the silver & other metals from the ore which was very interesting. We had the Post Master & his wife down in the evening to say goodbye the Post Master Mr. Watson comes from Newcastle on Tyne & very nice people they are. Friday Oct. 29th. We left Port Pirie this morning at 5 o'clock in the good ship Port Stephens for Sydney. We felt it very much cooler after getting to sea. We had fine weather Down the Spencer Gulf & entered the Investigator Strait at midnight Father being on deck the whole night. We felt the movement of the ship & went to bed early. SS Port Stephens 1894 Milburn Line 3554 tons, Hull 310,102853 105.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 345 ft., speed of 9 knots, specially designed for Australian coastal service. Saturday Oct. 30th. Fine weather but very heavy swell which caused the Stephens to roll about very much & we had great difficulty in keeping our legs. Still, we managed to get on deck & have a look at the South Australian coast which reminded us very much of the coast about Blyth with its sand hills. We retired early as the ship was tumbling about so much. Sunday Oct. 31st. Strong fair wind with heavy sea but the ship is going much steadier & steaming about 11 miles an hour. Father says we passed Portland at four o’clock this morning this being the place where the first settlers landed in Australia a monument being erected there in memory of their landing. Had hymns at night & then to bed. Saw a lot of porpoises. Monday Nov. 1st. Showery but able to get on deck between showers. Port Stephens doing splendid work today she did 257 miles. We passed several steamers. Tuesday Nov. 2nd. Arrived at Sydney at 8 p.m. We saw Sydney at night with its beautiful lights & ferries running to & fro. Captain Sutherland our harbour pilot met us at the heads & took charge from Father & moored us in Neutral Bay. We came along the New South Wales coast very close in & saw some wonderful caves the scenery was very nice. After an exciting day we went to bed at 9 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 3rd. Went on shore. Met Mrs. Sutherland & drove through the principal streets & out into the suburbs which was very fine indeed. Stayed all night at Mrs. Sutherlands where we had a most hearty reception. Thursday Nov. 4th. A lovely day. Mother & Mrs. Sutherland did some shopping. We children went to see the Gardens where we had lunch & spent a pleasant day. Friday Nov. 5th. Had a good look at the shops. Some of them are very fine buildings & very large.In the afternoon a gentleman lent us his steam launch when Father & Capt. Sutherland took us all round the harbour which is the finest in the world. Landed us on Clark Island where we walked round & gathered most beautiful flowers. Again on board of the launch we went to Mossmans Bay which is very fine. Landed six in the evening & all partook of a good dinner on board of Port Stephens. Saturday 6th. Left Sydney 9.30 for Newcastle where we passed some beautiful scenery we crossed the Hawkesbury river which is a most beautiful piece of scenery. Maggie met us & they were all so pleased to see us. Sunday 7th. Went out to Durramatta & spent the day with Capt. Bird. The country there is beautiful. The oranges & lemons growing all around. He has a horse & trap cow pig & poultry. We got plenty of good milk to drink. Monday 8th. A very warm day. We all went to do some shopping & had a grand ride on the bus out into the suburbs. Had lunch in town met Mrs. Brown at the station & joined Port Stephens. Sailed 6 p.m for Geelong Mrs Brown going the trip with us. All the Sutherland family came down to see us off. Tuesday Nov. 9th. Very fine weather today. Mrs. Brown not very well. Passed Green Cape at 6 p.m. At night we all got dressed up & had a very jolly time. Wednesday Nov. 10th. Had fine weather all day but at night it blew very hard the wind being very hot. We passed Wilson’s Promontory at 4 p.m a very high piece of land. We passed that close you could have thrown a biscuit on shore; we also saw a most wonderful cave. In the evening we had games & music. Thursday 11th. At 2/50 a.m. we took the pilot on board at Port Phillip Head it is blowing a perfect gale of wind at the time. 8 a.m. arrived at Geelong pier. We went on shore in the morning to the Botanical Gardens & remained all day, the Gardens were delightful, but the mosquitoes were very troublesome. At night we had a walk through the town & on our return to the ship had some music & off to bed as Father was very tired having been up nearly all the way from Sydney. Friday Nov. 12th. Raining heavily all the morning but a little finer in the afternoon. Went to do some shopping in the afternoon got our teas on shore & came back at 6 p.m. & then went for a walk with Father. Saw a large funnel there being over 60 carriages. Saturday Nov. 13th. Fine weather today. Went out for a walk in the afternoon. Agent & wife came down in the afternoon. Geelong is a very pretty place. Today is Father & Mothers anniversary of their wedding day being 18 years married. Sunday Nov. 14th. Very fine weather. Went to church in the morning & to a children’s anniversary in the afternoon. There were hundreds of visitors looking over the ship we could not get one place to ourselves the Steward collected 18/- among the visitors for the Aged Seamen’s Home in London. Monday 15th. Most beautiful day. Mother & I visited the Agent & his wife such a beautiful house & grounds & most lovely flowers. Same day we went to see some very fine ferneries & came back to the ship laden with most lovely flowers. Tuesday Nov. 16th. Another hot day. We all went on shore when we met an old gentleman who came from Jesmond & who had been out here for 43 years. He took us for a drive to see a large wool factory & again in the afternoon his daughter brought the carriage to the ship to take us for another drive. We went & had tea with him at his house they all came to see us off. Anchored off Williamstown at night. Wednesday Nov. 17th. Raining in the morning but finer in the afternoon. Went up the River to Melbourne at early morning. We went on shore to have a look at the city. Melbourne is a very beautiful city with a number of splendid buildings & shops. Thursday Nov. 18th. Showery all day took the trem out to the Zoological Gardens which is very extensive with a fine collection of beasts & birds did some shopping & came on board. Friday Nov. 19th. A lovely day. We took tram to south beach passing on our way the government house, a large grammar school & many other places of interest. Came on Board to tea when Mrs. Redford came & had tea with us. After we had a most dreadful storm it was quite a sight to see. Had a little music & then Father saw Mrs. Redford off in a cab. Saturday Nov. 20th. Fine day. Mrs. Brown left us today to go by steamer to Sydney. We left Melbourne at 4 p.m. for Portland. Sunday Nov. 21st. Strong head wind with heavy sea. Mother & I were both sick. Arrived at Portland tonight. We are anchored in the bay. Monday Nov. 22nd. Very squally. Father & Willie went on shore. Willie caught two large fish. Father took Mother & we children on shore in the afternoon to spend the afternoon with the Agents wife where we spent a delightful afternoon their house & grounds are most beautiful with a splendid tennis court. Came on board laden with most lovely flowers & strawberries & sailed 6 p.m for Adelaide. Tuesday Nov. 23rd. Strong wind on the side & heavy sea ship rolling a good deal. Saw a lot of Albatross & other birds. Saw Cape Willoughby Lt. House at 8 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 24th. Arrived at Port Adelaide at 5 a.m. Mother Jeanie Willie & I went up to the City in the afternoon where we first went to a circus & then to the Botanical Gardens which were very good indeed we then went & had some tea & then we got the train & came down to the ship tired out. Thursday Nov. 25th. Very hot weather. We went to the city this morning went to have alook at the shops & then we went to the Zoological Gardens which people say are the first in the world we then went to the Museum where there is a fine collection of stuffed birds beasts & precious stones & other things we then went back to the ship. Friday Nov. 26th. Very windy & rainy. We left Adelaide for home this morning at 8 o’clock the ship being full of wool. At night it was stormy, so we went to bed early. Saturday Nov.27th. Moderate wind with strong sea ship rolling a good deal. Mother very poorly & remained in bed all day. We had several games & saw a number of very large Albatross. At night we had our bath & then to bed. Sunday Nov. 26th. A very fine day. We passed a steamer at 5 o’clock. We were on deck nearly all day. Had music at night & then off to bed. Monday Nov.29th. Strong head wind with heavy sea. Had our lessons again. Tuesday Nov. 30th. Strong wind with big seas had our lessons in the morning & played about until bedtime. Wednesday Dec.1st. Very windy. We passed Albany at 4 o’clock this morning & Cape Leeuwin at 10/30 p.m. this being the last Australian land we will see this voyage & all going well the only land we will see until we reach the Gulf of Aden. We had cards at night & off to bed as the ship was rolling about a good deal. Thursday Dec. 2nd. Fine weather & fair wind. We are now ploughing our way across the Indian Ocean towards home. Had some games at night & then to bed. Friday Dec. 3rd. Light fair wind & fine weather. Had our lessons in the morning sewing in the afternoon & cards at night & then to bed. Saturday Dec.4th. Moderate wind on the side weather very hot. Had a game of cards then our bath & then to bed. Sunday Dec. 5th. Moderate fair wind. Had our scripture lesson in the morning, reading in the afternoon & music at night & then to bed. Monday Dec. 6th. Light fair wind & overcast weather getting warm. Lessons in the morning sewing & reading in the afternoon quoits & cards in the evening. A large number of flying fish were caught on the deck during the night of which the firemen made their breakfast. Tuesday Dec. 7th. Moderate fair wind & cloudy with following sea. Had our lessons as usual in the morning & reading & games during the remainder of the day. No birds to be seen now but a number of flying fish were caught after dark. We are now north of the sun. Wednesday Dec. 8th. Fresh wind & showery with strong sea. Nothing of any consequence transpired today. We passed our time in the usual way, lessons reading etc. Thursday Dec. 9th. Moderate fair wind & sea with fine weather but rather hot. We had flying fish for breakfast. We spent the day as usual had a game of whist at night & then to bed. Friday Dec. 1Oth. Fair winds with heavy showers all day we kept a lot of rainwater with which we all had a bath. It is very hot indeed. We have 9 sheep, 7 were killed on the passage, 3 geese 1 turkey which we are fattening up for Xmas 14 ducks & 8 fowls & we delight in gathering the eggs. Saturday Dec. 11th. Slight showers & very warm, sewing & reading & then a game of cards our bath & then to bed. Sunday Dec. 12th. Scripture lessons in the morning which were frightfully hot. Nearly all the crew sleeping on deck at night & we could not get a cool spot & the water is quite hot what we have to drink. Monday Dec. 13th. Another very hot day. Mother was washing today. The Steward was painting Fathers room. Tuesday 14th Dec. Light head wind & hot weather unable to sleep at night for the heat. Finished painting Fathers room & bathroom. Wednesday Dec.l5th. Fresh head wind & lumpy sea with heavy showers of rain. Father & Mother very busy getting their room put in order again. Weather not quite so hot today, slept better. A lovely dove flew on board today. Thursday Dec.l6th. Strong head wind & sea & heavy rain, ship pitching. Father very poorly. Mother ironing. A very peculiar fish was found on the deck this morning called a squid. Friday Dec. 17th. Fresh head wind & sea but beautiful clear weather. The ship has had a very strong current against her for three days which has stopped us a good deal. Mother has a very bad foot & walks with difficulty. We have passed the time away as usual with games etc. Saturday Dec. l8th. Moderate wind & fine weather. Saw a number of flying fish & some large birds. Today being Saturday we were free from lessons. Had games during the day a bath at night & then to bed. Sunday Dec. 19th. Light wind & very hot weather. Had Scripture lesson in the morning & reading during the rest of the day. Monday Dec. 20th. Moderate wind with heavy showers of rain. Had to stay below most of the day. Passed a steamer at night bound the opposite way. Tuesday Dec. 2lst. Moderate wind & fine weather. Lessons in the morning sewing in the afternoon & reading & games at night. Mother washed today. Wednesday Dec. 22nd. A very hot day. We have all been busy today painting & cleaning our room out Willie & Jeanie being in their hobby with bare feet scrubbing the furniture on deck. Fresh wind & cloudy. Thursday Dec. 23rd. Moderate wind & fine weather. Finished cleaning our room & got back into it today. Friday Dec.24th. 3a.m. passed Cape Guardefui & entered the Gulf of Aden. Light wind & very Hot weather. Saw several porpoises & birds today. Saturday Dec.25th. Christmas day. Had roast goose plum pudding & mince pies for dinner. Passed Aden at 8p.m. Willie & Jean got dressed up as Indians at night & amused every one, we had snapdragon & other games & spent a very pleasant Xmas day. Sunday Dec.26th. Arrived at Perim at 7/30a.m. coaled & left again at 1O/30a.m. Perim is a very barren island in the Red Sea & used simply as a coaling station, the inhabitants being all Arabs & a very funny lot they are most of them having red hair. Passed Mocha at 3p.m. a Mohammedan town principally noted for its coffee. Passed Abuail islands at 9p.m. Monday Dec.27th. Light fair wind &. fine weather. Passed Jebel Tiera a volcanic island at 9a.m. We also passed during the morning two mail boats one from Australia & the other bound to Australia. Mother washing today. Tuesday Dec.28th. Strong head wind & sea. Passed several steamers. Saw a large number of porpoises. Mother ironing today. Father made a coach for Jeanie. Played cards at night. Wednesday Dec.29th. Strong head wind & sea ship pitching heavily. We passed a number of steamers during the day. Weather is now getting much cooler. Thursday Dec.30th. Moderate wind & fine weather. Passed a large troop ship at night beautifully lighted up with the electric light. We also passed the Daedulus light house at 9.21p.m. it being on a small reef in the Red Sea. Friday Dec. 31st. In the morning strong head wind & sea in the evening moderate wind. At noon passed the Brothers Islands. At 10p.m. passed Shadwan island at the entrance of the Gulf of Suez. Saturday Jan. 1st.1893. Moderate wind & fine weather. At breakfast time we saw Mount Sinai which is mentioned in the Bible. We anchored at Suez at 5.45p.m took the Electric light on board & pilot & entered the Suez Canal at 9.15p.m. along with the Mail boat & several other steamers as it was late we could not see much of the Canal. Tonight, we were in trouble by hearing of the death of our Grandfather. Sunday Jan. 2nd. We were up early & had a look at the Canal there is not much to see but sand. Some of the stations had nice gardens. We saw several camels, most of the Canal officials live in house boats moored to the side of the Canal. We arrived at Port Said at noon & after our dinners Father took us on shore & we had a drive round the town but we are not in love with it as it is a dirty place & the people are made up of all nationalities. We left Port Said for home at 6p.m. after taking in 550 tons of coal. We saw a large troop ship at Port Said full of soldiers from home bound for India. Monday Jan.3rd. Light wind & fine weather. We are now in the Mediterranean & the weather is very much colder. Tuesday Jan.4th. Moderate head wind & showery. Mother has a very bad headache. We passed the time by sewing, reading etc. Wednesday Jan.5th. Fresh head wind & sea ship pitching a good deal. Passed the day reading etc. Thursday Jan.6th. Light wind & fine weather. Passed two steamers today. As it was delightfully fine we spent nearly all the day on deck. Father says he expects to see Malta tomorrow morning. Friday Jan.7th. Very light head wind, sea as smooth as glass. Passed Malta harbour at about 7.30a.m. Saw a sailing ship & several steamer. Passed Pantalleria island at 10.23p.m. Saturday Jan.8th. Moderate wind & cloudy. Passed the Dog rocks at 1.20a.m. one of the rocks standing perpendicular 250 feet high & looked just like a large ship under sail, this is on the coast of Tunis. We passed a number of steamers today two of which were in Australia with us. Sunday Jan.9th. Light wind & fine weather. We passed Cape Bengut at 9p.m. The weather has been beautiful & warm today. Had Scripture lesson. Monday Jan.10th. We passed Algiers a French coaling station at 2a.m. Had light wind & fine weather during the day but at night it came away to blow strong but as it was a fair wind, we did not mind it much. Tuesday Jan.11th. Very strong fair wind with heavy sea. The steamers passing going the other way are having a hard time of it & taking the seas right over them. We passed Cape De Gata on the Spanish coast at 6.30a.m. We will pass Gibraltar about midnight & we are sorry we will not have the opportunity of seeing it. We passed Gibraltar at 11.30p.m. & met a very great number of steamers in the Straits. Wednesday Jan.12th. Passed Cape Trafalgar at 4a.m. Fresh beam wind. Passed a perfect lane of steamers, they kept coming all day long. We passed Cape St. Vincent at 10.30p.m. & met with a head sea which caused the ship to pitch a little. Thursday Jan. l3th. We passed Lisbon at 11a.m. We have had a beautiful day. Passed the Berlings at 4p.m. Mother has been packing our clothes today as our voyage is drawing to a close. Friday Jan. 14th. Light variable winds & fine clear weather. Passed Cape Finisterre at 4.35p.m. also Cape Villano at 6.34p.m. Saturday Jan. 15th. Fresh wind & cloudy weather with head sea. Sunday Jan.16th. Light wing & hazy overcast. Passed Ushant at 2p.m. Monday Jan 17th. Light wind & hazy. Passed St. Catherine’s point at 12.30p.m. being a little hazy we could not see much of it. Took the pilot on board at Dungeness passed Dover very foggy. Tuesday Jan.18th. Arrived at Gravesend at 3/30p.m.& made fast to the buoys. Father went on shore to telephone to the office. At 6p.m. Father brought the Pilot off. We unmoored & proceeded up the River & arrived off London Dock entrance at 8p.m. Got into Dock & moored at 10p.m. So ended our voyage to Australia & back, which has been a very pleasant trip. We have steamed all together about 27,000 miles including the coasting in Australia. After discharging the London Cargo, the good ship Port Stephens goes on to Dunkirk & Antwerp with the balance of her cargo. We have bet the Port Elliot home which left Australia a week before us. Wednesday 19th.Jan. Father has arranged for us to go home tomorrow. We have been to Stratford today doing some shopping & we are now all ready for our beds. Note. We passed outwards through the North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean & the Southern Ocean & on to the Pacific. Homewards we started from the Pacific, crossed the Indian Ocean up the Gulf of Aden & Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, Mediterranean, crossed the Bay of Biscay & up the English Channel & Thames & so finished our voyage. THE END Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Return to Menu VIDEO Return to Menu THAT'S ALL FOLKs

By keef & annie, Mar 17 2012 01:05PM Worried about your payload? Want to squeeze in a little something extra, maybe another book to read on those long lot summer days, a slightly better (but heavier) BBQ, a few more bottles of wine or beer....? Well if you don't already know about these it may well be worth taking a look and either buying one or trying at the next bottle exchange to swap, could save you a bit of travelling weight. UPDATE 2014: We had to return ours after a recall, the 3rd in their history , read all about it HERE UPDATE 2018: Discontinued, probably unsafe UPDATE 2021: Calor have stopped making them. We got a carbon monoxide ping at 2am when in Brighton, frightening #scary Want to follow our motorhome-travels' pinboard on Pinterest? Image updated 2022 Original image

Created by KeefH Web Designs, November 3rd, 2022, 14.19 PM OVERVIEW We have had a ticking noise issue behind what we thought was the control panel in our van for about 6 months now, and no it wasn't the usual dial on the fire not being set back to zero on the gas half, i.e., it is trying the pilot light ignition. We got to the point whereas the level of noise grew we turned off the habitation switch which charges the 12V battery when you are hooked up to electrics at a site, which on one dark long night recently was not clever as all the internal lights went off. So, I researched Google as you do looking for a specialist in electrics for recreational and / or leisure vehicles and I'm so pleased to say I found Gary. What a lovely fellow with 47 years' experience in the field and just so knowledgeable. We had to drive to his house in Lichfield but so glad we did. He was initially perplexed by the ticking noise but eventually traced it to a hidden transformer gadget (don't ask me I'm no expert) whose fan was partially stuck and as it tried to rotate made what sounded like a clock ticking #hintsandtips #horology So well done, he is going to order a new one for us as it was unrepairable and fit it for us, we will return to Lichfield which as a byproduct of this we managed to call in on, never having been before, fab city. He is always busy so I wouldn't want this post to swamp him with work, but if you need an expert Gary, is your man. Can't recommend him enough to my motorhome-travels fraternity. UPDATE 24/11/2022 Gary now had the part, a replacement 10-amp charger for the habitation (hab) battery, which has no fan and because we have many of the internal lights replaced with LED ones (easy to do folks honest, if I can do it anyone can) the drain on the internal battery is not so much. We drove to Lichfield once again (a lovely city and home of the other Darwin, Erasmus) taking a somewhat torturous route, note to self don't let satnavs take you down long winding single-track roads of in the middle of nowhere #haha where we met again Gary and his very kind wife who was lovely chatty and offered us a drink. Anyhow Gary replaced the offending 18-amp part, and all is now quiet and correctly charging the habitation battery. Whilst in the process of checking all the chargeable mains connections Gary discovered some reverse polarity #overmyhead where someone (to be identified) had put the live in the neutral and the neutral in the live, presumably by mistake, as some stage in the main switch board. #notgood #dangerous #scary Gary sorted this and retested everything. Now all good. We asked what the effects of that would be, if you were touching the metal of the van outside and put your hand on the ground whilst mains were plugged in you could get a nasty electrical shock. Horrible and something we had no idea about. We all reflected on why anyone would do such a thing and concluded it can't have been wrong from when the van was built by autosleeper in the Cotswolds as they know what they are doing. The only thing we know about in our tenure of the van, now 10 years plus, was Don Amott's whom we don't trust having used them for many years as it is where we bought the van put in a new fire as a condition of our purchase, the old one did not work. Gary said the connecting wires were short so maybe, just maybe they did this to make it fit, but realistically who knows. I have to say we had so many issues with their service over the years we would NEVER use them again #hintsandtips So pleased Gary fixed this for us, now no noise whatsoever and the battery we know charges properly, we could not recommend him highly enough a very helpful chap and just so knowledgeable, we would always use Gary for electrical and probably gas work on the van, just hope now nothing goes wrong again for a while. Got the van home, getting ready for winterisation we washed it with the soapy high pressure jet spray, chammied it down to remove the last residues of summer dirt and left it to dry before putting on the breathable cover for winter resting. Happy bunnies now with Wendy houses repair work.

By keef and annie hellinger, Jul 21 2016 12:25PM UPDATE Nov 2022 Retrospectively numbered 9 because these clubs will really help (and reduce costs) for your camping in Scandinavia It is worth knowing that in most if not all Scandinavian campsites it is necessary to have a Camping Card Europe card. You can get away with ACSI, UK Caravan Club & UK Camping & Caravan club if you are lucky in one or 2 sites but that won't last for long and give you unnecessary hassle on what should be a relaxing holiday. Despite ACSI's notes that you MAY need one, you definitely WILL need one. Remember ACSI is a Dutch company, and their card is not used readable on most scandic campsite computers to automatically get your details off. No need to buy one upfront you can get one at the 1st scandic site you stay at costing about £14 (2016). What you will need for cheaper camping in the Scandinavian countries is DENMARK - CC Europe card, ACSI Discount card, pay on leaving (i.e., they keep your cards as security) SWEDEN - CC Europe card, ACSI Discount card, Pay up front FINLAND - CC Europe card, ACSI Discount card, Pay up front NORWAY - CC Europe card, ACSI Discount card, Pay up front Note in Germany, France and Holland the ACSI members card and discount card are fine and there is a mixture of paying up front and on departure. Do hope this hint and tip helps others. Kind Regards Keef & Annie Our site addresses There are 4 types of cards... in sequence on the slideshow Camping Radet / Camping Key card Buy at any Scandinavian site, these are ESSENTIAL ACSI discount card Buy up front online, ESSENTIAL for discount, well worth it ACSI registration card Used in place of your passport, Buy online from ACSI Buy both from their Web Shop UK Caravan & Motorhome club membership buy online

By keef & annie, Mar 8 2012 09:07AM UPDATE retrospectively numbered as a Recommended Leisure Van trader by us in November 2022 Because they were very good to us when we broke down in 2014 in France, but times have moved on and with the cost-of-living crisis our loyalty has had to be dispensed with in favour of price, so we are now with Performance Direct for both our insurance and breakdown cover but (if price didn't win out over Service) we would still highly recommend Safeguard. Performance Direct are however not bad either and covered our relay back when the van's cambelt went in BLOG 152 Previously Here in the UK, we did an enormous amount of research whilst trying to select the right insurance for our Motorhome. Our lovely Wendy house, VW auto sleeper clubman anniversary which we adore, by 2021 had her now for almost 10 years, and 46 trips in her. There are lots of factors to consider. price, cover, breakdown assistance, excess, value for money etc. etc. We found that many of the normal car insurance companies just don't do cover for motorhomes, and you may well have difficulty getting your no claims discount statement from your car insurance company, even though they don't offer the service, as they try to protect what they term 'their business'. You will probably need it as on the basis of your car no claims you are generally given a discretionary 4 or 5 years no claims for Motorhomes. Anyhow after some extensive research and asking friends & family we would recommend SAFEGUARD Comparable on price, if not a little cheaper, but the unlimited mileage (many charges are by the miles you do in the year and frankly we don't know the answer to that question yet) and AA European breakdown cover made it right for us. What do you think or recommend. Have your say in the comments box below. Let's get a discussion going for the good of all of us motor homers / rv-ers / campervanners We used them in France, and they were wonderful when the starter motor went on our van See Blog 71 By 2020 however we had swapped to use Performance Direct as in the growing health & economic crisis that is the global pandemic Covid-19 cost was important to us but I will still continue to champion them for the wonderful help they gave us in 2014, thx again folks The INDEX page has TAGs for all Blogs and by year or month, A-Z INDEX alphabetically or just using the LETTERs in the Tag maps, or you can use the SEARCH page to look for something or just use the search facilities here on the BLOG or the associated Blogs attached to each Blog, entirely up to you, there is a wealth of ways to find what you want, thanks for looking motorhome-travel blog, LIKE to join our Facebook community or have a look at all our great "motorhomes" on our pin board, why not, join the conversation “motorhomes R us” 😉 🌠 ✅ 🤔

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 30 2021 9.11 am Integra We especially LIKE✅ this version of the Eura Mobil motorhomes although there are many more lines to like Their flagship Integra, is redefining the motor home upper class. The emotionally striking and at the same time functional and safety-oriented lighting design underlines the luxurious character of this liner inside and outside. Ambient lighting and state-of-the-art LED technology compose an impressive light symphony. High-quality materials, first-class workmanship, perfectly designed architecture and the extremely spacious interior design are combined to create an incomparable super-comfortable ambience. #vanswelove We spied this one a while back and featured it in our Instagram posts to see more visit their website and have a look around their motorhome show entries in Germany HERE

By keef & annie, Apr 1 2012 05:36PM We met these lovely people at the #sbs small business sunday event in birmingham on 30/3/2012 run by Theo Paphitis (Dragons Den) and Rymans for Annie's small business Serendipity Girls Designer Dresses Just love this vw conversion aptly named 'theo' If you want to learn more about Harrogate Motorhomes please visit their website. They are RECOMMENDED by motorhome-travels Maybe have a look at theopaphitissbs.com as well to see what its all about! Or Annie's entry specifically showing her WIN The INDEX page has TAGs for all Blogs and by year or month, A-Z INDEX alphabetically or just using the LETTERs in the Tag maps, or you can use the SEARCH page to look for something or just use the search facilities here on the BLOG or the associated Blogs attached to each Blog, entirely up to you, there is a wealth of ways to find what you want, thanks for looking motorhome-travel blog

By keef & annie, Mar 17 2012 01:26PM RECOMMENDED by motorhome-travels. We have just had our auto sleeper clubman spruced up by having all the fabrics re-upholstered. Barrie & Mick at Regal Furnishings are lovely guys and make you feel welcome and extra proud of your motorhome / rv. They love it when folk see their updated & refreshed vans for the first time and go WOW! They are based at Ilkeston, just down the road from us. They once had the contract for all new autosleepers so SO know what they are doing People travel to them from all over Europe and it generally just takes a day. You can leave it with them and then come back to a great surprise. They even have electric hook up on site if its gonna take longer than a day #tick Want to see more of what they do, click here

By keef and annie hellinger, Aug 9 2017 12:09PM Here is a summary of our Motorhome Travels in South Island New Zealand Arrived in Picton from Wellington on the Interislander ferry, Early morning start, Very wet day (haha welcome to south island), Shakespeare bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, Queen Charlotte drive, Ngakuta bay,Havelock, Green Mussels (yummy), Read all about mussels opposite (please) its very informative, Lady from Auckland, Freshness, straight from the sea, Long windy wet drive to Nelson, Town centre camp site over a bridge with a stream, nice calming stream noises, WOW museum and classic cars, so many clever costumes (see the slideshows),Lippydeema, Lord Maharajah and the Star bride, Goodbye Versaille starring Mrs Du Barry's monkey, Ishmaelian wingflapper to name but a few... go on look, you wont be disappointed.... What's the line "WOW makes Lady Gaga look like a librarian", Amazing Bras, Cars were Minis , Locomobiles, Vauxhall Vivas, Shaguar and many more, Tahunanui beach reserve , Board walks, Lunch, Winery areas, Pears, Apples, Kaiteriteri, Beach front history, sunsets, Wilsons ferries, Beached Whale pub, Fire, Singing barman, Rugby - Christchurch Vs Wellington, Abel Tasman National Park, The man who emptied his loo in the water area and covered it with leaves (Yuk! Sick!), Abel tasman boat trip, Totaroa, Awaroa, Medlands, Tonga Quarry, Torrent Bay, Bark Bay, Picnic, Coffee, Wind & Sun, New Zealand fur seal, Adele island and many other islands, kayaking, Solar panels, Tides , Motueka river, Kahurangi National park, Low cloud, Hinetai hops, Tapawera,Railways, Old police stations, Wooden Cow, Eels, Lake Rotoiti, Mr Angry and his boat, St Arnaud, Lake Rotoroa, Wet feet, nature walk, Red toadstools, Trees, colourful leaves, Buller river, Murchison, Heritage area, Fuel fillup, Buller Gorge Swing bridge, Waterfalls, Earthquakes, Floods, 2010,1929,White creek peninsular circular walk, Wagtails, Wekas, Bushline walk, Araki waterfalls, Logging on the buller,Springs junction for a pie lunch, Lewis pass, Waiau river, Kaikoura range, Road to Kaikoura Highway 70 via Rotherham and Waiau as SH1 closed due to Kaikoura earthquake 2016, Kaikoura camp site, Fish & Chips in town at No2, the best one (Tiki Takeaways) was sadly closed, Fyffe Quay, Old House chimney remains, Mountains, Snow covering, Boardwalk, The Point, Seal colony, No fishing, Smells, Views, Seals asleep on boardwalk and rocks, Road back, Many roadslips, Woodchester, Monet autumn views, man with coffee, Rejoin empty SH2 via Waiau, Christchurch, Britz office, Extra bedding, C&As van fixed - brakes/ headlamp bulb, Ours for internal light only, School party and rain at Christchurch Top10 site, Blue route bus into Bus station, Ballantynes department store, Devestation, Sad, Cathedral, Customs House, Chalice sculpture, Vintage trams, New Regent Street, Murals, Container City, Quake museum, Kiwi humour in the face of adversity, Columbo street, Mexican restuarant, Workman everywhere, often playing, Rain, Loosing each other on ring road around the airport, Sheffield pies,West coast road, Lake Lyndon, Castle Hill, snow, mountains, roads, State Highway 73, Kumara Junction, Great alpine way, Grasmere, Lake Pearson, great farming flats, Cass laggon track, Otira gorge and viaduct, Jackson tavern, Arthurs pass, Arthurs pass national park, Waimakariri river, Railways,Tranz alpine, Bridal veil falls and lookout, Visitors centre, Cobb & co stagecoach, Devils punchbowl bridge,Kumara gold town, Theatre, Hokitika, Tasman sea, Old town, Signs and chairs, Glow worms, Rainbows (lots of them), Ross Gold mining town, gaol, Heritage walk, Gold panning, Chinese influence, Jones flats, Museum, De Bakker cottage, Philip Ross May (local hero & Historian),Autumn colours, Mine shaft, Catholic church, Mining Memorabilia, New ross gold mine, Hari Hari, Guy Menzies, 1st solo flight Oz to Nz, Southern cross junior, Lunch, Whataroa river, Glacier flights, Rain, Glacier highway, Franz Josef wet walk, receding glacier, pain in knees , Lake Ianthe, Fox Glacier, Blue lake, Moraine, Haast valley, Bruce Bay, Stones for messages, Lake Matheson walks and views, Cafe, Coffee, Snow cover peaks, Knights point lookout, Whale watching, Mother and calf, Fox Glacier ski village, Pollax point peaks, Haast village, Haast campsite, Sunset, Eeerie colours on the peaks, Having to move pitches as the power didn't work at Haast Top10, Haasy-Jackson Bay road, Oturu, Harbour, Fan tails, Oturu river, Whitebait, Lobsters, Bridges (many), Neils Beach, Shearwaters, Hannahs crossing, Jackson Bay, Wharf (dodgy), Visitors centre, Whalers chimney remains, Whale (sighted by Annie), Pioneers, Fishing community, Return to Haast, Fuel station out, haast pass, Cameron Flat, Lunch, Mt Brewster and others, more snow, Mount Aspiring, Lake Wanaka, The Neck, Lake Hawea, Boundary Creek, Makarora Jack, Albert Town, Hawea, Wanaka, Snow predicted -2 it didnt arrive (hooray), Cold at night, Wanaka shore line, Luggate, Old motor cars, Town hall, Luggate - Cromwell Road, Tannersley estate vineyard, Lake Dunstan, 45th parallel, Lowburn, Mountain reflections, Cool seed pods, The Remarkables,Cromwell town - both new and old, Printing presses, Horses, Cartwheels, Paua art,Fruit town, sunshine, Goldfields, Kawarau gorge, Roaring Meg, Hydro power, A J Hackett bungy jumping, Warm outdoor fires, kawarau bridge, Shotover gorge, Queenstown campsite, Lake Wakatipu, Rainbows, Snow, Lumsden junction, Kingston, Old railway bridge, Garston, Mossburn, Stock crossing, Te Anau, lake Te Anau, Picture drome, Library, Coffee, Float planes, Kelpler track, Layby with Kea, Naughty alpine parrots - Kea, Car stripping trims, Homer Tunnel, waterfalls, Road slips, Rain, Milford sound lodge and camping ground, Milford village, Cruise terminal, Milford Mariner (our nature cruise boat), Nature cruise, NZ fur seals, Heron, Milford Sound is one of the true modern wonders of the world, Sigh loved it and nice to do it with pals, Low clouds, Mitre peak, The footstool, Sindbad gully, Many cruise liners, Massive crowds, Fur seals, Coffee, Warmth, Winds and cold,Tutoko Historic Suspension Bridge , Valley and river, Hollyford river and lookout, The Chasm walk and Kea (again) , Homer tunnel return, Mirroe lakes, such reflections, Ta Anau again, pitch where we camped in a tent in 2008, still there by the roses, Mossburn deer capital of NZ, red tussock grass, Lumsden, Gore, Clock tower and art gallery, Balclutha for a fab fish & chip lunch, Southern scenic highway, Dunedin, Otago peninsular (right hand coast), Taiaroa head scenic reserve, Royal Albatross centre, Prince Charles, Pilots beach, Blue Penguins (see video part 4), Portobello, Company bay, Broad bay, Wycliffe bay, Hooper inlet, Sandfly bay, Cape Saunders, Pilot beach viewing platform, Waiwhakeheke bay, Lighthouse, Dick Road, Allan beach, Sheep branding, Flotsam & jetsam, Lovely beach flowers, Highcliff road (scary and roadslips but great views), Dunedin city, Signal Hill lookot and memorial, University Oval cricket ground Dunedin, Baldwin street (the steepest in the world and I have the t-shirt somewhere to prove it!), Dunedin station lit up, travelling back to Portobello around the peninsular at night spectacular lights, Dunedin Vogel street murals, Blueskin Road, 19 Fathoms Foul memorial, Robert Falcon Scott memorial, Blueskin bay, Quarentine and Rakiriri islands, Waikouaiti and river, Karitane, Seacliff lookout, Pies in Waikouati village, Bushy beach reserve, Hide, Yellow eyed penguins, Oamaru victorian precinct, Jetty, Friendly Bay,Farmers market, Grain stores, Brewery, Distillery, Station, Picture frame, Steam punk (lots of it - class),Fat controller and the steam railway,Rakaia - salmon capital and goal, Banks Peninsular, Hilltop views, Akaroa, French very french, Jetty, Cinema, Passport office, Monet, Bedroom with a view, Churches, Roses, cats, Barrys bay, Little river, Silo stays, Over the hills in the rain, Gebbies pass, Dyers pass,Sugar loaf scenic reserve, Riccarton, Apollo motel (room11), Lone star last supper, Early rise, nice family, Airport off to Singapore (us), Hong Kong (C&A), tears, coffee in Sydney airport airside, Great times Want to see more click HERE This is a quick summary video with a lovely Clannad / Paul Young soundtrack #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2017 #campsites #majortrip

By keef and annie hellinger, Aug 1 2017 06:08PM A brief summary of the key highlights of our trip travelling with friends on the Big Trip Holiday 2017 A brief summary of the key highlights of our trip travelling with friends on the Big Trip Holiday 2017 Arrived (1st time) in Auckland from Sydney, Overnight then Cook Isles, Walk, Wait, Agapanthus, Arrived (2nd time) from Rarotonga, Cook Isles. 3 days central area, harbour, wharves, ferries,coast to coast walk (for C&A) , Maritime museum, murals, tepid baths,Britomart, Queens wharf, Quay st, Federal St, Churches, slopes,Hobson west marina, Masters games, Wynyard quarter, amazing architecture,Fish market, Heritage landing, North Wharf, Sarah, Pier 4, Rangitoto, Volcanic explorer tour,Summit views, Motutapu, Lava, Sunshine, Day out in Devonport, The Arcade, Esplanade Hotel,Victoria Road, King & Queens parade, various reserves, Mount Victoria, Clarys, Haircut, Hauraki gulf, Auckland art gallery, Maoiri paintings,The body laid bare exhibition, Joseph at the Civic, Collecting vans at Richard Pearce drive, Mangere, Auckland, Extra hidden costs, Orewa, Beach, Man with tourettes, Orewa beach,Countdown/Pac-N-Save/New World,shells, historic Puhoi, Twin coast highway, Mangawhai heads, Ruakaka beach, Whangerai, Hatea river, Town basin, glassblowing, canopy bridge, Tutikaka, Matapouri, Kawakawa, Ohua, Okiato, Russell, Hundertwasser, Hangi,Clapham clocks, Waterfall , Manawoara, Rawhiti, wetlands, marae, Waimarama bay, Bay of Islands, Historic Russell, pier, boat ramps, ferries, sunshine, exotic sub tropical plants, Tapeka point, Rocky bay reserve, Weka, Paihai, Water taxis, Waitangi, Whangaroa, marlin, wharfs & jetties, Volcanic plus, 90 mile beach, Twilight beach, Tapotupotu bay, DOC, Tyres R Us, Kevin the AAman, Cape Reinga, Lighthouse, Te Paki reserve, Old Kahina tree, Views to die for, Te Paki sand dunes, Broadwood, Kohukohu, Hokianga ferry, Twin coast highway, Rawene, Opononi, Aria-te-aru reserve, South heads, historic Dargaville, meeting up with C&A again in countdown car park, Donelly crossing, loggers, fab kiwi trees, Kaiwaka, farm stay, outside loo with a view, C&A visited lake Kai Iwi on the way to Dargaville, we did east coast, they did west coast, remet Whakapapa village then Wellington, Kaipara coast sculpture park, Helensville, Ginger crunch railway cafe, flat whites, Railways, Thames, Coromandel peninsular & Forest park, Wharf, Ferry, Shelly beach, Colville, Horse, Wahine, Music festival, Buddist retreat, Port Jackson, gravel road,Top of coro, Mercury bay, Tairua, freedom camping, waves, rain (lots),fishing off rocks, Waihi beach, Katikati, murals, Mount Manganui, Pilot bay, Marine parade, Motuotou & Moturiki islands, boysenberry icecream, Papamoa beach, beach street, strelitzia,Maori sculpture, bluebiyou restuarant, chalets, sunshine, relaxing, fun, chatting to guy from england , Pikowai, Pacific coast highway, Te Puke, Thornton, Whakatane, 2 islands, Smokin' volcano, Edgecumbe floods, Mt Edgecombe, Galatea road, sickly horse, Lunch at lake Aniwhenua, autumn colours, Hydro electric dam, Kopuriki, Road only just opened due to floods, Murupara, Maori funeral, Forests, Lake Taupo, Reids Carving, Breweries, Fooderies, Outrigger boats, Tourist info, icecream, Lake lookout, DOC site, Free, Tongariro views, sunsets, fishing boats, great sleep, cold at night - getting so, 5 mile bay site, Motuoapa bay, licorice (spelling haha!) cafe, flat whites, black swans, novelty VW cabins, Desert road, Turangi,National Park, Restuarant (not this time), Tranz Alpine station, Whakapapa village, rain, meeting up with C&A again at the dump station, Visitors centre, Cafe coffee, snow, Chateau Tongariro, Taihape, Gumboots, Spooner hill road, sheep, cows, Gentle annie pass, Moawhango, views to die for, Rangitikei river, Silverdale historic bridge, Valleys, Mountains, Hastings , 1930s architecture,Queens & Railway St, Westermans, Clock tower, Te Mata peak, Ocean beach, Waimarama, Blue cod, Fish & chips St Aubyn st, Surfers, Havelock north, Duart house and gardens, Murals, Wineries, Tukituki river, Kairakau beach, reflections, Paua shells, ice creams at waipawa, Waipukurau, Lake Hatuma, Wanstead, Wallingford bridge, sheep (again), Porangahau, Never finding the beach down the gravel road (cooks tooth), Longest name of place in the world (no don't ask me to spell it ;) ) ,Pacific Ocean, Cape Turnagain, Our hero Capt Cook, Herbertville, Wimbeldon, Route 52, Pongaroa, Eketahuna, Pagans, Hippies, Sacrificing virgins (ok maybe not!), Electricity, Late at night, Kiwi country, Herberts store, Steak & Cheese Pies, Museum, Masterton, Wool shed, Joseph Masters, Queen Elizabeth park, Aratoi, Maori ripoff, Tinui, Anzac church & cross, Castlepoint, Deliverance cove, Riversdale beach, Wairarapa wine region, late night into Martinborough, Memorial square, Pain & Kershaw, lake Ferry, Lake Okone and spit, old motorhomes, Cape Palliser, Paua shells, Palliser bay, Ngawi, Tractors, Rock lobster, Road slips,Putangirua pinnacles , Wellington Top10 campsite (so changed), Harbour from Pencarrow head to Lyall bay, shells, ferries, Ward island, Wellesley college, Eastbourne, Day bay,Wahine disaster,Moa point, Middle earth, Trolley buses, Waterfront at night, Te Papa, Macs Brewery, Curry, up early for Interislander ferry, Traffic jams If you would like to see more please CLICK HERE Eketahuna camping ground, quite lovely so peaceful cheap but good near our all time fave campsite at papamoa beach Plus a quick summary video with lovely Clannad / Paul Young soundtrack #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2017 #campsites #majortrip

By keef and annie hellinger, Apr 9 2015 05:54AM We have seen quite a few unique Motorhomes in New Zealand on our various trips there. They are keen on conversion but have a look at the video below, it blew our minds away WWWOOOWWW!!! Can't remember if this one was 2007-8 or 2013 but its definitely a kiwi classic

By keef & annie, Aug 12 2013 06:19PM Ever thought of a use for old veedubs? Found these 2 recently What do you think, is this art, sacrilege or very just practical? Have you say ....PLEASE put a comment below get the discussion going Want to follow our Motorhomes pinboard on Pinterest? where you can find many more weird and wonderful motorhomes #veryweird #motorhomes The 1914 Model T Ford Motorhome, I love it, #wantone Search advice The INDEX page has TAGs for all Blogs and by year or month, A-Z INDEX alphabetically or just using the LETTERs in the Tag maps, or you can use the SEARCH page to look for something or just use the search facilities here on the BLOG or the associated Blogs attached to each Blog, entirely up to you, there is a wealth of ways to find what you want, thanks for looking motorhome-travel blog