We arrived in Wakatane with plenty of time to spare for the White Island tour with the Pee Jay Company which was good since I needed to buy a new pair of sunglasses since I had lost mine in the bay of Islands. I didn’t have too much choice at the Pee Jay’s gift store but I picked out a pair anyway. There were not many people on our tour so the boat was very empty. The ride to the island was terribly rough and the sky was overcast so it did not seem like a good day. Even though I had taken pills I still felt woozy and my friends did as well. We sat in tortured silence for the 1.5 hour boat ride just hoping we could keep our breakfast down.

White Island

Once we arrived to the Island we were taken from the big boat over by a dingy a few people at a time. We were given yellow helmets and gas masks to wear when necessary.

My first impression of the island was that I had never seen anything like it and that it was out of this world. It was like walking through ash while jumping across neon yellow streams and having sulfur bubble at you from all directions. The only thing bad was that it was overcast which made it all seem so dreary. We walked in a single file line behind a guide. I had a short sleeved shirt on but also had my jacket with me and felt burning on my arms and raindrops on my skin. I asked Hendrik whether it was raining considering it was overcast but the guide behind me overheard my question and said it was acid rain. I quickly put on my jacket, even though I wasn’t cold to prevent the burning and was really glad that I had bought sunglasses because that was the only protection I had for my eyes.

Hendrik, me, Lissa, Simon, and Beata at the crater of the volcano

I think they should have also provided us with safety goggles because the rain did blow under and over my glasses making my eyes burn like crazy. It could not have been good for my eyes or skin. We were told we were there on an especially bad day and the tour even had to take a different route to avoid the rain. Before we went on the tour we were instructed to bring a rain coat, and then it made sense. It was for the acid rain. I just wished they had said that, considering I had brought my umbrella. It was completely useless since acid rain didn’t just fall from the sky but it was more like a mist that just clouded you.

Sulfur

No sooner then the rain began that it became very difficult to breathe and it hurt my throat to breathe and I would cough. We all put on our gasmasks at that point and didn’t take if off through the majority of the tour. At the very start of the tour when we had just gathered from the boat a man asked the guide if he would advise us when to put on our gas masks. He just chuckled and said “you’ll know.” Sure enough once we neared the crater we simultaneously started coughing. It was hard to breath through the gas mask and I could hear my breath so it was very Darth Vadarish. It was also very hot in the gas mask and coat, but still worth it. Once we had passed the acid rain zone it was great taking off my coat since I was a ball of sweat.

Walking in a "river bed"

I absolutely loved the Island and being in such a unique environment. I had never been so close to an active volcano and it was truly spectacular. About half way trough our tour the sky opened up and the clouds cleared and it was sunny making the whole place look even more remarkable. I loved seeing all the bright colors that are normally not found in nature and making my way through the mud which was like quick sand. If you stepped onto a wrong area and you sink it would burn your skin.

Old sulfur mine on White Island

Once we were back on the boat we had some really nice views of the Island. The journey back to mainland was much more relaxing since it is only rough one way and we could bask in the sun. Afterwards we drove to Taupo. Days later our clothes which we had worn on the Island still smelled of sulfur and our bags which had metal on it like my backpack’s zippers were corroded. Luckily, Hendrik’s new camera was not damaged.

White Island as seen from the boat when leaving

I was thrilled when I woke up this morning and saw that the sun was shining. We were late coming to the beach since the gate of the campsite was locked and we had to go around and were worried we might miss the tour. When we arrived to the parking lot surrounded by pyramid shaped tank traps or Dragon’s teeth there were two 4wd cars there. The beach was fortified against a possible attack by Imperial Japanese forces during WWII and the pyramids are what’s left of it. I was expecting a bus and more people but we were the only ones there. The driver of one of the cars motioned for us and he told us we were the only tour participants. We assumed he just picked us up in his own private car. Unlike our Fraser island tour guide, this one seemed pretty uninformed and just drove us to the locations without too much explanation.

First we did a bit of sandboarding which is like sledding but on sand dunes. We did that in two locations. It was scary at first but then became fun. The really bad part was walking back up because it was so steep and we were out of shape. So we didn’t sandboard for very long because we got too tired.

Sandboarding

Stockton Beach is less than 3.5 km from a military base and we saw and heard many military airplanes fly over us as we rode along the beach. The next stop was Tin City, an actual town in the dunes with a handful of inhabitants. It was first built to store provisions for shipwrecked sailors because the beach was a popular place to become shipwrecked with almost 100 wrecks between Newcastle and Port Stephens. It was also where Mad Max with Mel Gibson was filmed and I feel like I have to see the movie now. It was interesting to see how some people chose to live, I definitely wouldn’t. The last thing to see on the trip is the wreck of the MV Sygna, a Norwegian bulk carrier, which we stopped at and observed.  I thought Stockton Beach was very unique and really enjoyed the visit.

Tin city

Since it was only midday we drove to Newcastle and had a look around the town. There was a nice beach, but we didn’t have time to go swimming, and a lookout over the beach. The centre was cute and there was a lookout over the central train station so we climbed the tower and had a panoramic view of Newcastle. It was a nice town to have some lunch in and walk around but there was not much else to do or see.

That evening we decided to stay in Lake Macquarie, for no particular reason other than we had liked Port Macquarie, so we figured Lake Macquarie was nice too. It wasn’t particularly nice and we could tell we were getting to a more populated area since people did not seem as friendly and the bbq’s weren’t free anymore. The lake wasn’t a swimming lake and may have been nice if we had a boat but we weren’t too impressed.

We were picked up at our campsite in the morning by a huge 4wd green bus and were brought to the ferry which then took us to Fraser Island. It was overcast so we knew it would either be raining shortly or the clouds would break and the sun would shine though, of course we were hoping for the latter. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and there is only one very short paved road there so, therefore, you need a 4wd to get around it. The main highway of the island is actually the beach which runs along the whole east coast of the island.

Our bus

We first stopped at the Yidney Rainforest which is the only rainforest on the Island which had not been logged since it was the last one which was supposed to be logged. Logging started in 1863, being initiated by American Jack Piggott and ended in 1991. In 1992 the island became a world heritage site. The rainforest is home to some spectacular plants and trees which our tour guide, Kirk, was excited to talk about. He loved the Island and it seemed that he knew everything about it. He was one of the best tour guides I’ve had on a tour, and he talked non-stop for two days which was impressive. We had a nice walk through a part of the rainforest, but we got eaten by mosquitoes which wasn’t too fun. We were told over and over again to “only leave footprints and only take pictures,” so I didn’t think killing mosquitoes really fell into that motto, but nevertheless I squashed a fair share.

As we rode the bus to the place where we would have lunch the rain started to come down and by the time we were supposed to get out of the bus and have lunch it was pouring. It was the kind of rain that gets you soaked in seconds. We all ran to the restaurant and had a buffet lunch and hoped that this was just a shower, but no such luck, it just kept coming down.  I was really upset because I was really looking forward to relaxing in Eli Creek. Eli Creek is the largest creek on the east coast of the island and you can walk to the top via a boardwalk and then use it as a lazy river to get back. I put my bathing suit on before getting back on the bus just in case.

After lunch we went to 75 mile beach which is the highway and even runway but it’s not good for swimming because of dangerous currents and Tiger sharks. We spent most of our time on Fraser Island driving along this beach. It was still raining and a bit chilly when we got to Eli Creek. I first waded into the clear clean stream with my umbrella and when I reached the top of the boardwalk I really wanted to ride the creek back. My clothes were already damp from the rain so I figured I can either be wet and swim, or I can just be wet, so I went for it. The rest of the group thought I was crazy, but I thought, “Screw you rain, why should you ruin my fun?” One other guy followed as well so there were two of us in the creek. It was very relaxing to lie in the water letting it do with me what it wanted, until I hit a root, which was painful. The water was warm, the surrounding silent, and the pitter patter of the rain on my face didn’t bother me at all. It was one of my favourite moments on the island. The rain was probably a blessing in disguise because our tour guide said that on nice days the creek is jam packed with people, or maybe he was just trying to make me feel better. I was a bit chilly after and moist the whole day, but I would have been moist anyway since I happened to have the seat in the bus under a leak.

Eli Creek

The next stop was the S.S. Maheno wreck which was shipwrecked on the island in 1935 while it was being towed after its retirement. We saw before pictures so we could compare and see the drastic effects of salt water and wind in less than 100 years. We also learned that soon after it became beached a wedding was held on it because it was still a beautiful ship. I thought that was a very original wedding location.

Maheno Wreck

The next site was at the Champagne Pools which on a nice day would be a cool swimming spot and people asked me whether I was going to go for another dip. Because the weather was so bad the waves crashed into the pool and caused too much motion so I thought it looked a bit too dangerous to go swimming since it was really rocky, but I did go for a wade.

Champagne Pools

That night we stayed at a campsite where we had a bbq dinner, played cards, and hoped for a sunny day the next day. We slept in tents but they were permanent tents with wooden floors, double beds, and nightstands so they were comfortable except that I could hear everything outside such as the pop pop pop of the rain on the canvas and worse the loud rainforest birds really early in the morning, so I didn’t sleep too much because of that and because I always have trouble sleeping in new places.

We took this day off to relax, do much needed laundry, and decide how we want to visit Fraser Island. Ideally we would have liked to rent a 4wd and drive around the Island ourselves but all the rentals were so ridiculously expensive, that we could go on a tour with meals and lodging for the two of us for less then just renting a vehicle. We asked at reception which was also the booking agent what we should do and the lady said, “tour, no doubt, you’ll get all the information about the island. If you drive yourself you’d be digging yourself out of sand all day.” Coincidentally there was another man at reception that agreed that he got stuck in the sand when he drove around Fraser Island. Much to Hendrik’s dismay since he has fantasies of being a rally driver, we booked a tour. We found a company that we felt was the best value, the Fraser Island Company, and then we didn’t even have to make a choice which one to take since every tour did not depart every day. Since it was a Tuesday we had to go on the 2 day wilderness safari.

Pelican

Then we went to check out Hervey Bay and to find an ATM to pay for the tour. The town is nothing special and the only reason people come here is for Fraser Island. There is a beach with pelicans all in a line which I thought was cool, and we found pineapples for 50 cents each at the Spar and it was really good, so a definite score right there.

It was off to the rum distillery first thing in the morning, where we got a guided tour and saw where all those cane trains were going since Rum is made from sugar. It’s definitely worth a visit, especially if you like rum, and you get to try two of their products at the end of the tour. I volunteered to drive since I don’t particularly like rum.

Bundaberg distillery

Next was a stop at the Ginger Beer brewery. When we entered, we were the only patrons and we asked for 2 tickets and the woman asked us, “You do know this isn’t the rum distillery?” We nodded that we knew that and she said, “Oh, good you don’t know how many people come here looking for the rum tour.” I guess we did fit into the demographic of the rum tour because the ginger beer brewery was unfortunately not a guided tour through the factory but a children’s learning center on how to make ginger beer. I learned over and over again that ginger beer is made from fresh ginger, sugar, yeast, and lemon juice, and that I can make it myself.

I really enjoyed the tasting aspect of the factory since they make a few flavors all from natural ingredients including peach, apple, lemon lime bitter, lemon, and sarsaparilla and they let you try all of them. The one that’s not natural is Burgundy (cherry), and I didn’t like it as much. That’s why I like the ginger beer so much more than ginger ale, because that’s made from flavoring. Though they claim to export to the US, I haven’t seen it there before. I bought myself Bundaberg brewery flip flops since they were on sale and mine would have to retire after the trip because of all the trekking they had to do around campsites to get to the facilities.

Then we drove the rest of the day down to Hervey Bay from where we planned to visit the “must do” Fraser Island.