"Howdy all, it's Flat Eric here. You may remember my star turn in that Levis ad, but now I'm retired and living in Pocklington with Caitlin. That is, until I decided to go on My Great Big Antipodean Adventure!
First stop was Sydney in Australia, to see Caitlin's sister Carmel. And what a beautiful city it is -- built around a stunning harbour, with lots of original buildings from the first settlers preserved, and some great pubs. Just five minutes walk from her house is the most beautiful clifftop walk. Just look at this view!
I went to the zoo to see Koalas and Kangaroos -- they were so cute! Marsupials are very strange though, I don't think I could hang out with them too much. But the monkeys on the other hand, they were cool...
I also took a trip to the Blue Mountains, where I climbed a giant mountain, saw some great waterfalls, and travelled up the world's steepest railway.
Then I decided to go on a Great Big Kiwi Adventure, and took a plane to New Zealand to see what I could find. NZ is a country to the East of Australia, made up of two islands. I'd heard the South Island was the best, so I headed there.
First of all I was amazed by how beautiful the country was -- I stayed in some cool places where you could have spent the whole day just staring out of the window, it was so gorgeous.
Of course that would have been boring, so instead I headed out to see if I could make some friends.
I did a lot of walking in NZ -- up hills, around crater rims, through rainforests. I had sturdy walking boots and was well-equipped for even the harshest of conditions.
Here I am overlooking the city of Christchurch.
And here I am having a spot of lunch overlooking some old Gun Emplacements. Not sure why the people of NZ thought they'd be attacked, but you never know...
Some walks were so windy I thought I would get blown away, so I held on for dear life!
Sustenance is always essential on such trips. I was never without a large supply of muesli bars.
In Lake Tekapo I made friends with a sheepdog at the Church of the Good Shepherd -- he was very friendly and protective.
As we ventured further South it became very cold, until we eventually encountered snow! Here I am building a snowman.
I became a most intrepid adventurer. I skippered a boat on the Milford Sound...
I climbed mountains...
Hid in tussocks...
Went caving.
One of my favourite adventures was walking on Fox Glacier... I had to have a sturdy Gandalf stick to help me walk on the 200-metre deep ice, and I nearly fell into a crevasse, but it was a totally awesome day.
Travelling is fun -- people in hostels are so friendly, it's easy to just follow your nose around New Zealand and make your decisions about what to do on a day-to-day basis. The hostels are so well kitted out, and I could check my emails, keep in touch with friends from home, even play chess and entertain my fellow guests with the guitar. I could definitely get used to this life!
The beer in New Zealand was great too! I even found one specially brewed for me: Little Creatures.
But as much as I loved New Zealand it was great to come back to Sydney and stay with Carmel for a few more days before heading home to the UK. I caught some rays in Bondi...
Built myself a sandcastle...
And took a boat on the harbour.
Thanks Carmel for a great adventure! Love, Eric."
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