Beach Archives - Traveling U

Hot Water Beach or bust.

Some breathtaking New Zealand scenery along our journeys.

We love tidbits of travel information from locals. We were told of a Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own ‘Hot Tub’ in certain parts of the beach where the volcanic tubes heat the water from underneath but …. you need to wait until low tide, so this only works at certain times of the day… but you need to dig deep, trying not to let the cold ocean water in…. but you have to have something to dig with… we were up for the challenge. We were headed to Matamata so we took a little detour, isn’t that what travel is all about?

WOW!

We stopped in the little town of Tairua close to Hot Water Beach for something very important… food. We not only had food but we had a culinary experience at Manaia! Everything was incredibly fresh, gourmet, and hit just the right spot.

We needed towels for our beach visit so we stopped after lunch at an ‘Opt shop’ (better known to us as a 2nd hand store) which you can find all over Australia and NZ — 4 towels and two bowls later (to dig the sand) — total cost $4.

Dale kept digging by himself while others did the same until they all started working together. That is when it all came together.

We had to keep adding to the edge nearest the water to keep that cold ocean water away but then that was half the fun.

This was the best multi-country community hot tub ever. Our time was spent enjoying conversations with many new friends.

Travel Saving Tips:

1- Ask locals about activities that they enjoy in the area you are visiting. On this particular day, we had the Hot Water Beach recommended to us and we were not disappointed. Better yet it was FREE… a bit off our path but worth a little extra gas.

2- We did not want to pack towels with us to NZ so we bought some at a local ‘Opt Shop’. We bought 4 towels and 2 bowls to dig in the sand (otherwise they charge you to rent one at the beach) … all for $4. Never be afraid to buy items from a 2nd hand stores when you need something that might be only used a time or two, you can’t beat the prices.

Welcome to Brighton, QLD

The view from our new home in Brighton, Queensland, what more could we need!

This is the best place to relax at anytime of the day and you can’t beat the view.

Marissa walking on water.

When the tide is low you can walk out almost a half a mile from shore, where it looks as though you are actually walking on water. We have taken walks out there in the mornings and walked for quit a while without having it get too deep to come in.

This beach is quit famous with the windsurfers, the wind seems to be just right.

One evening we decided it was time to introduce Marissa to downtown Brisbane. We took the ferries over to South Bank to enjoy a little dinner and walk about. While walking by the riverfront, a soccer ball rolled our way, a group of boys were playing on the grass next to us. Dale, trying to help the boys out kicked the ball back but unfortunately it hit a wall and swung back over our heads and into the river. Dale felt so bad he jumped over the ledge while thinking about what the next step should be. I, of course, was panicked thinking that he would try and lower himself down another 7 or 8 ft. with nothing to hold onto and fall into the river. Then I received even more news from a passerby that mentioned that the river is full of Bull Sharks which are one of the most aggressive sharks, much like the Great Whites. At that moment I told Dale to pay the kid $50 for his Nike ball and let’s call it good.

The kid who owned the ball said he would follow it down the river until it hit the dock and then he would retrieve it. So we walked with him but it unfortunately went under the bridge so Dale and another guy held his arms, lowered him down, he caught it between his feet and pulled it up. Here he is jumping over the edge. We are grateful no Bull Sharks worked their way into this story anymore.

Farewell to Sydney…

We met a wonderful friend in Melbourne named Lizzy who got us in contact with her sister and family in Sydney. They were so welcoming and even invited us over for an incredible dinner spread… it was so yummy we felt like we ate in a 5 ***** star restaurant.

The conversation and evening with the Thorton’s was refreshing, funny and most times, very lively. Wonderful evening.

Good-Bye to Coogee Beach… we will miss you.

The weather was clear and cool but still worthy of a few photos.

Our last night in Sydney found us attending the temple with some new friends, some of the Thorton family was able to join us… and then a trip for ice cream afterwards. We ordered from a New Zealand Creamery in celebration of our up coming trip to NZ (we were also excited to try something new!).

From Coogee to Les Mis and that is not a trick…. April Fools Day!

I love the holiday where you can get deliciously conniving, all in the name of fun. The one and only ‘April Fools’! This year because we were so busy, had company and I was still trying to recover with my Asthma and Sinus issues I didn’t put as much time into it as I should. But it was just enough…..

Here are my somewhat ‘tweaked’ Super Chocolate Energy Balls (you will find the recipe below with my added ‘tweaks’ or you can find the recipe on food doodles – my favorite place to find good healthy recipes). I had made these a few days previous and rolled in coconut.

For Keaton and Debbie I took cotton balls rolled in chocolate then rolled in coconut and strategically put them in the same container as one other Super Chocolate Energy Ball. Keaton picked first, threw it in his mouth in one full sweep and mentioned very nicely that it was a bit chewy (I had to warn him not to swallow and watch while his mom ate hers). Walking to the next room I offered one to Debbie who, for some odd reason took the bigger of the two balls which was NOT the April Fools ball. I was sadly disappointed that she would not be able to experience such a divinely crafted deviant snack.

We were headed on a hike from Coogee Beach past four or five more beaches to finally get to Bondi Beach for some surfing and fun. The walk was suppose to take a couple of hours so naturally we would need lots of water. I had offered to bring some for Debbie and Keaton as I had put a tablespoon or so of sugar in each water bottle. But again, Debbie declined as she said that they had their own…. I guess Marissa would be the only one to enjoy this gag. She took one sip and made a face before dumping it out. Imagine the girl that loves sugar disposing of it!

Incredible views along our beach walk.

On our hike we came across a guy in the parking lot playing the drums because (A) his neighbors probably wouldn’t like or allow it (B) his wife didn’t know he had them yet. After taking this picture we assured him that we would be happy to text his wife a photo… he just laughed but he did let the kids take a minute on the drums.

A beautiful cemetery overlooking the sea.

After finally making it to Bondi Beach Dale was able to join us for just bit, long enough to try his hand at surfing again.

Dale and Keaton are just headed out to see what the surf is like on famous Bondi Beach!

Marissa and Keaton catching a few waves before heading home to get ready for Les Mis.

The producer of this show flew out previous to us attending and said that of all the ‘Le Mis’ performances worldwide… this was the best.

We would have to agree! The performance of ‘Les Mis’ moves you to make changes for the better in your own life … to us that is some of the magic in this play. Patrice Tipoki performed the part of ‘Fantine’ with extreme feeling and wonder, as a mother myself I cannot imagine what I would do in those circumstances, Patrice has a way of pulling you into feeling her pain and love for her daughter.

This performance of ‘Les Mis’ was definitely a highlight of our trip!

Chocolate Fig Truffles

3/4 C almonds
1/2 C dates
1/2 C dried figs
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch sea salt
2-3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder(or raw cacao for an added boost of antioxidants)
1-2 tbsp water if the mixture is too dry

Blend the almonds till they become a fairly fine meal – but not quite till they turn into butter. Remove from your food processor and add the dates and figs. Blend till there are no large chunks of fruit left. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor including the previously ground almonds and blend. Before it forms a dough stop the processor and taste a little and add more cocoa if desired, then continue to blend till a dough forms. Scoop and roll into balls, press into cookie cutters for fun shapes, or press into a loaf pan and slice into bars. You can also press whole or roughly chopped almonds into them for a change of texture or roll them in cocoa powder to cut the sweetness. These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature but we prefer to eat them straight from the fridge.

*I didn’t have figs so I just used dates, instead of water I used about 3 T. coconut oil, 3-4 T. of Chia seeds, & I used mixed nuts (unsalted) because I did not just have almonds. Don’t be afraid to mix things up in your recipes, that is half the fun.

Mission Impossible almost meets the Bartletts and Martins

The eye catching Bare Island where a bit of ‘Mission Impossible 2’ was filmed is also known as a wonderful spot to snorkel and scuba dive, and so of course we needed to put it to the test. As we walked on the beach we found that it was another ‘squeaky’ beach… what luck!

Marissa and Keaton decided they needed to bury Dale which was fun BUT then Debbie decided to up the excitement. She suggested that they put chips around Dale for the seagulls to eat. And eat they did….

Watch what happens now!

Notice the beautiful swirling colors of these rocks.

After our ‘Seagull Exploits’ we started hiking to the next beach, almost arriving before noticing it was a nude beach (apparently ‘Bare Island’ really means ‘Naked Island’). Yikes! Not surprisingly we spent much of the day laughing until we hurt.

You can never enjoy TOO many beaches.

Dale found this kookaburra sitting outside our apartment. This quiet moment didn’t last too long as the birds LOVE to fight loudly…. very often in the middle of the night. We feel like we live in a bird sanctuary between all the different kinds of birds (and at night the bats are loud also).

Close to Manly Beach you will find this little gem called ‘Shelly Beach’ which is a wonder for scuba diving and snorkeling. We decided to take a few hours to snorkel and soak up the sun.

Dale and Keaton hiked back into the bush and up over the top of the rocks to reach their perch.

Marissa enjoys catching up with Debbie while drying off from a short snorkel swim.

What do girls love more then getting our photos taken in our swim suits…. the dentist?

Of course Dale had to climb the tree. Why you ask? He never needs a reason. Maybe because he never climbed one with buggy boards before.

We enjoyed a dinner on the beach overlooking this incredible view. Maybe we should have brought our sleeping bags.

Sydney has lots of …..

….Beaches!

We now get to find out what life will be like living 15 min. from the beach. Marissa is not sure she is up for this challenge BUT she is willing to take this challenge on!

Now that it is a week after our arrival and we have both had a ‘bit’ too much sun, we are taking a break from the beach for a few sad days. We wanted to spend almost everyday down here exploring as much as we could. Though some days were just finding that happy place by taking a short nap with some music on while listening to the waves hit the shore.

Dale found this wonderful ‘Beach Bath’. We all went for a ‘dip’ (a bit more Aussiness jumping out) one afternoon. Dale checked out the snorkeling in this area of Coogee Beach while Marissa and I slowly reveled in the extremely cold water before finally just taking the plunge. Because the tide was coming in rather quickly it kept pushing us farther and farther so we finally hopped out once we were able to finally stop laughing…. we just got the giggles and couldn’t stop.

The laughing just intensified when we returned to our apartment and found that the key for our place had fallen out of Dale’s pocket on the beach – somewhere. It was now dark and Dale had to climb to get to our 2nd story window. Marissa and I were holding our breath as he climbed so we forgot to get a photo. You will just have to use your imagination (Yep, it was as ‘Spidermanish’ as you can get, without the suit).

Beautiful Coogee Beach.

The view of the Women’s Beach Baths which is insanely gorgeous and serene, we just needed to be strategic on which direction we aimed our camera since many women like to enjoy the freedom of not having males there…almost anything goes.

We finally took Marissa to see the infamous ‘Sydney’. We wandered through all the historical streets close to the wharf, amongst all the architectural beauties that bless this gleaming city. We found a little seaside outdoor market at the “The Rocks”.

Dale has always felt unstoppable, so why not try the hottest chili “Carolina Reeper Pepper” sauce? 100 times hotter then a jalapeño, supposedly the hottest pepper, even more then the Ghost Pepper. After Marissa and I stopped laughing we could finally be of assistance: running for a drink, grabbing some bread to help ease the heat, and of course, taking a video:)! Which he has banned us from posting. Heartbroken.

Marissa receives credit for this pano of one of the world’s most famous icons and cities. She is taking orders!

Travel Saving Tips:

1- All of our beach experiences so far have been Free including all the beach baths EXCEPT the Women’s Beach Baths… it is an outrageous 20 cents – what a deal!

2- We didn’t have to pay for anything on our fun filled day in Sydney except our bus fare to get there (and lunch-see #3). It is much easier to do this then fight traffic, find a parking place and pay the exorbitant amount of $ it costs to park downtown.

3- For lunch we did decide to eat in Sydney. As you walk through town notice which restaurants offer daily specials. Last time we were here we happened upon this classically old European style building by the wharf which offers a few $10 meals, so we ordered two and shared. They were big enough that two was plenty for the three of us.

To Brisbane we go!

We enjoyed a pretty uneventful flight from Melbourne to Brisbane which is always a good thing!

We decided to spend the day exploring Brisbane starting with a drive up the coast to check out the apartment we were going to rent on our return. Luckily the family we are renting from live next door to this condo on Brighton Beach so they invited us in for a drink and a visit. We have found Aussie’s to be very down to earth and fun to talk with….always an adventure wherever you travel here. We also know that Marissa will not be upset about ‘having’ to be across the street from the beach for our month stay here!

We decided to take the FREE water bus (of course) and because of a little rain we had the entire upper level to ourselves….. and the view.

We headed to the ‘South Bank’ to see what travel adventures we could find. As many of you know Michelle is in love with her garden, anything green and healthy… so now you will know why she acted like a kid at Disneyland when she found the Epicurious Garden. This is a garden planted for all visitors to see what can be planted here and for all to enjoy. ‘Epicurious’ refers to someone who is in constant pursuit of great food, drink and adventure. That seems to fit us very well… if you count Green Smoothies as our hard drinks!

Don’t let these cute little purple peppers fool you. Michelle thought they looked so fun she wanted to try one…. HOT! And her middle name is HOT…. she loves anything spicy or hot but this was beyond her limit. She begged for water from a local restaurant before they were even open. Yes, she lived but it was a close call!

Beyond the ‘Epicurious’ Garden was an incredible man-made beach area with waterways and pools for all ages. A great inner city tropical area to bring your kids and make a day of it. Surrounding the beach are many restaurants and shops….anything your family would want for a day of fun. There are also bikes you can rent for a nominal fee (around $7) to see more as it stretches for miles.

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This beautiful walkway wound around much of the beach area. The flowers were incredible but the smell was even more intoxicating!

Dale has discovered how to make tropical bird sounds with just a piece of grass and LOVES to make the sounds when we are somewhere exotic where there just might be birds that sound that way. Here he is showing a little boy how to make the sounds himself. Sharing his magic!

Brisbane at night really lights up especially their unique Brisbane letters artwork… the lights and colors are constantly changing every so many seconds. It is a bit mesmerizing to stand and watch.

On the way back to the hotel we debated on dinner… bugs or….. no bugs? Later we found out that is just the term they use for a certain sea creature. It was a relief to know it was not really a ‘bug’!

Travel Saving Tips:

1- Find out if there is FREE transportation where you are visiting.

We found a Free water bus which came a little less often as the regular water bus but it worked just fine for us (they came about every 1/2 hr.).

2- We did not spend anything walking around the ‘South Bank’ area of Brisbane but we were happily entertained by all that we found. If we would have known we could have brought our swim suits to enjoy the beautiful waterways as we walked around. Even still rolling up your pants and taking off your shoes is a close second.

3- Keep your eye open for ‘Specials’ at restaurants (even on those bugs:).

Tag: Beach