Around The World In 80 Waves

With a mug of coffee in hand we stroll down to the north side of the river which separate Forster and Tuncurry. It is a glorious start to the day but the waves there weren’t enough to tempt us into the water.

It was good enough for these two groms who had skateboarded down to the beach at the same time as carrying their surfboards, but knee high waves for them is not knee high waves for me, so Neil drove us on to New Haven which was a little further north up the coast.

After enjoying the demonstration of a local bikini clad girl’s gymnastic skills whilst trying to figure out where was the best peak in the water, we both got suited up and hit the waves.

I gave Neil a few pointers in the shallows to give him a flying start, but surfing really is something you have to figure out for yourself so it wasn’t long before I left him to it.

Surfing is amazing once you are able to ride clean waves but the honest truth is that just getting out to them can be brutal, and I think Neil discovered that whilst catching a few waves on my board. Another tip is to always keep one eye on the horizon, but I think I might not have passed that one on before this shot was taken!

Neil bagged a few though, riding them in to the beach and the water is warm again this far north so he was able to stay in quite a while before passing the board over to me.

The beach was quiet because it was midweek and I had a ball in the great waves in the sunshine.

This is probably the best shot of my own efforts. You can see how clean and glassy the waves were, and I was having so much fun.

The only downside to our first day was the receipt of an email from the campervan company I had used in New Zealand. It told me that the lovely Berghaus jacket I have travelled half the world with and whose waterproof capabilities were working so well in the picture here (taken at Iguacu falls), has been lost in the post between there and Australia.

It is my own fault for leaving it behind, but I probably wouldn’t have done so if there were not so many issues to deal with in the van I had been given. However the upshot of this news is that I have pointlessly been waiting for three weeks in the rain without a coat and not wanting to buy one because I wouldn’t have had room for it in my bags going forward.

I am now down a $500 coat with no chance of any compensation, and not at all happy about it.

I suppose it is one of the reasons why I took out travel insurance, but I am anticipating them doing everything possible to avoid paying out for it, not to mention dreading the administrative pain in the butt that will go with the process.

None of the above improves my mood. Sorry Neil.

We wake up to discover that Andy Murray has won the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon. Congratulations to him. It is fantastic for a Brit to have finally gotten another victory in the event there. I am sure Fred Perry would be pleased.

I am up with the sun and sort us some supplies for bacon and egg rolls to get Neil and I off to a flying start. After enjoying that we get the van rigged properly for the next week and can see that the waves aren’t up to much locally, so we drive north to Newcastle in the sunshine.

The beach is right in the centre of town and there are a few people out so I don’t need much encouragement to get into my wetsuit even if the waves are not huge.

Neil hasn’t got much board time under his belt so sits this one out, getting a few pictures of me in the water instead.

I have been having far too many technical woes of late so don’t take my camera out with me, because I couldn’t cope with another failure today! (As an aside here Neil deserves an award for his patience in this regard over the next few days. I reiterate that he wouldn’t have believed the problems I have been having if he hadn’t seen it himself, but it isn’t his fault and with more patience than I deserve he deals with the grumpiest of surf bloggers for a few days until things settle down.)

The waves were ok at Newcastle and I caught at least my share whilst in the water for a couple of hours, but they were far from anything special. The biggest thing of note was the current which kept dragging me towards the rocks at the north end of the bay. I had it covered though and enjoyed myself in the midday sun before rejoining Neil in the van.

Neil is at the wheel today so once I have dried off he drives us all the way up to Tuncurry where we stay the night in a camp site there. We also go out in search of some fun, but manage only a cheap meal in the sports club there. However it was a great first day to get Neil in the spirit of things.

Once the hangover from the Lions celebrations has subsided it is time for me to get back on the road. Australia has so many great waves which I’m keen to bag on this tour.

I have secured another campervan for the next month and a half, but before leaving Sydney my first order of business is to go and collect my buddy Neil who is going to be my copilot for the next leg of my travels. He has flown over here on business and to see his family, but has time for a few waves with me.

Apart from being a top bloke generally Neil is the person who has helped me get this blog operational, and has also been the poor sod whose ear I have been bending everytime things stop working.

It is the first time I will be travelling on this trip without flying solo and it is great to have some company while I explore Australia’s east coast. It is already late in the afternoon when I pick Neil up in Sydney so we throw his stuff in the back and then drive north to the Central Coast. There is a lot of traffic on the road so we call time on our journey when we get to a town called Blacksmiths.

Despite our best efforts we cant find a place there to have a celebratory beer in a pub because it is Sunday night. So after drinking what supplies I had put in the fridge before departing we settle in for the night.

The van has two beds, one of which is in the roof space, but we don’t realise how cosy that is until we set it up for the first night. I volunteer for the short straw because Neil is only in the van for a week, but you can see from this picture how cramped it was with a big lump like me in it.

It feels like I am sleeping in a coffin and it takes a few nights to get used to. The ply-wood beneath me is bowing with my weight so I don’t think Neil sleeps too soundly the first night either!

A quick note to congratulate the British and Irish Lions on their first series win in sixteen years. Bring on New Zealand in four years time!

It has been a great tour and particular praise should go to Warren Gatland who has taken a fair bit of stick for some of his selections, however one doesn’t hear much criticism of any of that after the win.

Congratulations too for the captain of the team Sam Warburton, who you can see a picture of here on his way home. I think the snap shows how much the win meant to him.

With so many Welshmen in the squad it bodes well for the next few years for my team too. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the next six nations tournament when I get home and then on to the World Cup in 2015.

After such a successful tour I don’t really want to pick holes in the preparation of Gatland’s coaching team, but had to mention an obvious flaw I have spotted in their training.

I have seen clear evidence of the Lions team going surfing before the first test and further evidence of them satisfying their wave crave before the third test, but no evidence of any surfing before the second test which they lost. I’m just saying…

It is the main event and the whole of the rugby world is looking towards Sydney. There are lions shirts everywhere, in fact so much so you wonder if there are going to be any Australia fans at the game.

Two of my school friends are separately in town and I’m trying to meet up with them before the match because I know how much carnage there will be after the final whistle. Sadly I don’t manage to meet up with Neil, but randomly bump into Emma at a pub on The Rocks before heading to the stadium. We haven’t seen each other since we were teenagers but recognise each other instantly, and catch up over a drink. 

Later on I meet up with my section of the lions support and we head towards the ANZ stadium where the atmosphere is building nicely. Chris had secured some great seats for us and after a few beers the game kicked off.

The lions are doing well but an Australia score late in the first half means things are far from certain whilst we discuss the connotations over a half time beer. However in the second half a team made up largely of Welshmen beats the Wallabies into submission and the game ends in a record victory for the lions. 

The carnival atmosphere had started for the lions fans some time before the final whistle, with every Aussie fan leaving early getting a round of “Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio!” from 30,000 rowdy Brits in the stadium.

It was one of the things I was really hoping to see on my own tour and our own festivities continued well into the night. As you can see things got a bit messy, and I cannot explain why my friend’s wife is sticking her fingers up my nose, whilst I proudly hold the hat I had liberated from one of the fans of our vanquished foes. The rest is a bit of a blur…

The Sydney Opera House, like the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal is one of those buildings which is instantly recognisable all over the world.

You may not be aware that rather than one huge auditorium there are actually many theatres within the structure.

A school friend of my sister who I also know well is in Sydney for a few weeks as part of the production team for the Horrible Histories series.

The Awful Egyptians show has sold out throughout its run and as a consequence Nicola is quite busy during her brief stay in Sydney.

She does however make time to meet up with me, and as Stage Manager can invite me backstage so that I can get an exclusive tour of the Opera House itself.

Here is a picture next to her control station at the side of the stage, from which she controls the video and effects involved in the show.

I feel really privileged having the run of the place and cant resist larking about in the theatre.

This is my one man effort at asking for an encore. I also get to see the green room where all involved in the shows can relax and have a drink.

Sadly Nicola and her friend decide that an early night would be best for them as opposed to enjoying a Friday night out in the city with me which is somewhat disappointing. Not to worry though I will save my energy for the main event tomorrow.

When not venting my spleen about the failings of Windows 8 I have been largely amusing myself in Adam and Rosanna’s house by hanging out with their two lovely Jack Russell terriers called Lily and Spyda.

I invested in a pull toy for the dogs early in my stay which has been a tremendous source of amusement, but I have to give full credit to Spyda for his enthusiasm for ball games. See this video for an idea of how I have spent hours with him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67aNWm_SL6c&feature=youtu.be

In the build up to the deciding test match, a game between Australia and the British and Irish lions was played at the North Sydney Oval close to where I am based. It was an older and fatter version of the main event this week, with the Aussie team being led by David Campese

I persuaded Adam and Romy to come along to the game in a bid to increase the rugby banter in the house in the build up to the final game of the tour.

The game also allowed me the opportunity to catch up with an old flatmate from university, who is out here for the whole tour and visiting family.

Firthy and I were very much in opposite camps during the dark days of Welsh rugby when record losses were an all too frequent occurrence and Will Carling’s England were reaching World Cup finals, all of which meant I had to suffer dogs’ abuse for years. As a consequence it was good to catch up over a few beers and be cheering the same side for once. That the test team for Saturday had already been announced with so many Welsh players in the team was pennies from heaven for me too.

As for the match itself, it immediately became apparent to Adam and Romy that the result was somewhat irrelevant. It was largely another excuse for the lions fans to wear their shirts and sample a few more of the local beverages.

Campo tried a few goose steps much to everyone’s enjoyment and the lions team won the game but the moment of the match was Australia’s try in the corner right in front of us. The Aussie flanker who didn’t look like he had run for anything more than a bus in years had to try and make it down the entire length of the pitch after an unexpected interception. Bless him, he looked like he was running in treacle by the time he reached the try line, but just about managed to stumble over the line in slow motion like a falling tree to score to much applause and laughter from the huge crowd who had turned out for the game.

Chris is up for another surf before the weekend is over, so we go in search of a good wave. The wind seems to have dropped, it has stopped raining (albeit briefly) and we opt for the break at Fairy Bower beach near Manly. It is a gorgeous break where the waves breaking over rocks wrap all the way around the headland and you ride the waves all the way around too.

We have been a bit slow getting started so just have a short period of time before the sun sets and the angry fish go looking for food. It isn’t very crowded and the waves come through pretty regularly.

For one reason or other I haven’t clicked with my new board up until this point but the two of us have a great time here. I catch loads of long snaking rides before the fear of Noah’s gets the better of me. (Noah’s Arks = Sharks in Australia)

This is despite one of the most blatant drop ins I have ever seen by Chris on my wave, who freely admits to it after the fact. These ladies demonstrate that the person nearest the camera should have priority because they are up and riding as well as being nearest the curl. Chris was neither but still barged in. I wouldn’t mind if the view of him doing so was as good as my demonstrators, but it isn’t even close. Bad form.

Apology accepted though and after getting changed in the dark because the sun had actually gone down we go to meet Ben and Kirsty, who is another old friend from London for beers in the Steyne in Manly.

I never found out why but have assumed it was something to do with the lions supporters’ Scottish contiongent, because halfway through the evening there a marching bagpipe band was doing laps of the hotel. Good fun.