For the Easter holidays, we went overseas - for the first time this year, and the 3rd time since the lockdown ended, and travel restrictions were completely relaxed. This trip was a far cry from much of what this year had been - stress and anxiety from Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland flooding (although I was in Waitomo, having just done the black abyss adventure that day), a terrible incident at the Plane Sailing festival involving some rogue intoxication team staff from Trademark Live, and having friend and family conflicts online resulting from that.
However, the two weeks leading up to the trip were on a much higher note (including St Patrick's Day!), and more happy - only two days prior to departing Auckland, I did a bungy jump in Taupo (sadly, wasn't allowed to go nude, due to some strange policy regarding children, as Auckland and Queenstown bungy sites allow nudity), and a week earlier, Posie Parker was forced out of the country after being juiced with tomato juice as people protested against her transphobic and hateful behavior.
We left on the 31st of March in the morning, and arrived early morning in Brisbane. The flight was smooth initially, but halfway through the flight, it got violently turbulent - to the point that it actually became frightening, and I even screamed a bit. We were so relieved to exit the plane after such a scary flight, even by my standard as an adrenaline junkie. After arriving and checking in, we spent the first day shopping. It was hard to decide what I wanted to buy. I saw a nice Fendi mini bag which functioned as a keychain that I wanted to buy, but my aunt (who I was travelling with) disagreed and didn't like the style. Ultimately, we ended up buying a blue-colored sequin Furla bag. Later in the trip, we did go back to Fendi again, but this time we settled for a wool shearling headband.
The next day, we did the Sea World Cruise in Surfers Paradise, where we were treated to delicious food, including fresh seafood and tasty desserts. We had to purchase drinks onboard, as they weren't included, but the cocktails that we purchased were absolutely delicious, refreshing and sweet.
Once lunch was over, we were given commentary about Surfers Paradise, and the surroundings. We were treated to lovely views of lovely swimmable beaches, natural scenery, the city coast, and even wealthy suburbs which featured large mansions (and are much more beautiful, cheerful and colorful than the estates and the mansions in the Taupo/Wairakei area, Auckland and Queenstown)!
On the way back from the cruise, I had delicious ice cream from Gelatissimo Surfers Paradise, which sells really good gelato. I highly recommend anyone visiting Brisbane or the Gold Coast goes to this ice cream place at least once during their trip.
The next day, we went to Wet'n'Wild a water based theme park, which is also in the Gold Coast. The waterslides were really fun, and the queue wasn't actually that bad! I wanted to go on every waterslide, but unfortunately, the staff did not allow me to ride some due to the fact that I was a solo rider! My favorite slide was the Aqualoop, as it was thrilling and gave me an adrenaline rush, when the trapdoor suddenly opened and I dropped at a very fast speed!
We also saw some wildlife at the theme park, including sulphur crested cockatoos, lizards and other birds!
On the fourth day of our trip, we went back to Surfers Paradise, this time, for me to do the SkyClimb at the Skypoint tower. The skypoint climb is 270 m above sea level, which is considerably higher - and the views are also much more scenic - than that of the SkyWalk (which I also did but last year, during the Diwali Festival) in Auckland's CBD. For this reason, the adrenaline rush is actually greater and it was also more fun and thrilling than the Auckland version! Bonus point: It's cheaper too, despite the Australian currency being higher than the New Zealand currency. The whole experience lasts around 90 minutes, and according to the site, it is Australia's highest building climb.
Above: The Skywalk in Auckland.
After I did my Skyclimb, I went to the observation deck, to level 77 - in the same tower - and my aunt (who I was travelling with) and I had lunch up there. We had fish and chips, and fried chicken as well, and ordered cider to drink with our lunch. The food was absolutely delicious and it was worth it.
Once we had our lunch, we walked around, taking photos of the beautiful scenery of Surfers Paradise from the observation deck. The views were magnificent, and stunning, with 360 degree views of the beach and the city.
We woke up the next morning to go to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. We walked in the gardens for about 1 and a half to 2 hours approximately. We took lots of photos, the scenery was very nice, with many exotic plants (in addition to common plants), and water fountains. We also saw more wildlife - from crows and parrots to lizards and even a turtle.
After walking in the botanical gardens, we had lunch and did some more shopping again, and bought a Fendi headband (as shown in the image above). We returned back to our hotel for a rest, before heading out for dinner.
We woke up on the 5th of April, early morning, to go to Mooloolaba, which is a small coastal town in the Sunshine Coast. We had a nice feast of prawns, barramundi fish and chips, and fried calamari, and a refreshing cocktail, then I went swimming at the beach. Later, we walked around the area and took some photos but unfortunately we had to leave early as it is a long way back to where we were staying. We stayed in central Brisbane, close to the river and the shopping mall, where there were designer stores - from which we bought the designer accessories from.
We went to the Pacific Fair mall in Broadbeach, in the Gold Coast the next day. We went shopping once again, this time to buy clothes. I bought a matching set - a mesh top and skirt, both are stretchable and versatile to wear. We had lunch in the mall, then I attempted to swim at the beach, having swum there last year - but unfortunately, swimming was not permitted due to the weather and wave conditions! At least the next time I go back, I will have that opportunity to swim at Broadbeach and also Surfers Paradise.
Then on the next day, we went to Southbank, across the river in Brisbane. We had early lunch, then I got tickets to the Ferris wheel, having had my photo taken first - before going up on the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel ride was amazing, you get to be on it for a few rounds with plenty of opportunities for photos (I took some photos while on the ride). The ride also gave some commentary about the history of Brisbane and Brisbane city itself. After the commentary finished, I was allowed a few more rounds on the Ferris wheel. We also went to the markets in the same area but nearby, where I bought a straw hat and an artwork of John Lennon - the markets there sell amazing stuff and lots of interesting things, from souvenirs to decoration and jewelry and more. Then, we had dessert and an Easter chocolate drink at Max Brenner, which is a well known dessert café, where they make really good cakes and chocolate drinks which I highly recommend if you are looking for good desserts, if Max Brenner is in your area.
On the second-to-last day - and the last full day in Australia, I did the bridge climb in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. It was my first time ever doing a bridge climb, I have not done it before - not even the Auckland Harbor Bridge climb at the Auckland Harbor Bridge, in Westhaven. The bridge climb is about 80 to 90 meters above sea level. The duration of this bridge climb is about 2 hours, including getting harnessed up and the safety briefing. I got lovely views of Brisbane city, and the river and the guide gave us commentary about the city, the surroundings and the bridge itself.
âLater, we went to the Le Bon Choix café, for dessert. We ordered a Moulin Rouge cake, and the Amaliyah cake as well, and both came with Easter eggs - as pictured. We also ordered iced chocolate. The desserts were really delicious and well presented, and I also recommend this place for dessert as well.
Finally, the last full day we had to pack our suitcases to go back home and check out, but as we had plenty of time left, we went back to the same place we went to for dessert the day before - to have breakfast, as supermarkets were not open due to it being Easter day, and also the fact that we didn't want to carry excess food with us. We enjoyed breakfast and another round of dessert, and spent some time in this café.
Later, after breakfast, we stopped by Opa Bar Mezze, which is a Greek restaurant by the Brisbane river, and had lunch and wine there. After lunch, we sat by the river for a while, to take photos. Then we slowly made our way to the train station to take a train back to the Airport, taking photos outside a historical garden for a while on the way back.
We left for the airport to catch the flight back home - and fortunately, the flight was much smoother this time around. When we got back home, I only slept a few hours even though it was already midnight - because the Easter show at the Auckland showgrounds was on that same day (we were back at home past midnight, in the very early hours of the morning), and I got to see two of my cousins at the Easter show, go on some rides, and ordered lunch at the Easter Show from her BBQ Pitstop food truck! Unfortunately though, due to the weather conditions, I could not ride the Turbo Boost, as it was extremely windy and it was also raining, but at least I'll have other chances to ride it in the future.
Despite all the troubles that we have been through this year, including friendship issues that have resulted as an aftermath of the 2021 Delta lockdowns as well as an incident at the plane sailing festival, the floods and the cyclone, we have had the best Easter in a few years, in part due to being able to go overseas without anymore travel or Covid restrictions, and in part due to the fun things we did before the trip, in Australia and also at the Easter show. We love Easter, it is a fun time of the year due to the fact that we eat Easter treats, and also the fact that we also go on holidays. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and I look forward to more trips, both domestic and international trips this year. Let's hope that the Easter holidays next year - and in the future - will be just as good, or better.
Note: I took the photo featured on the blog cover. The image can be found on my Instagram page, in this link here.
2 Comments
5/4/2023 07:41:02 pm
Lovely adventures and offbeaten path of Australia. Sounds like an amazing trip .
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5/4/2023 09:50:32 pm
It is indeed! It was a really fun trip, did some adrenaline fueled activities and shopping! I highly recommend travelling to these places when you get the chance!
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AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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