Victoria by the Numbers, Take 2

We visited Victoria the most out of all the states, as we shipped to and from here and had a place we could use for repairs. We finally left it behind after the fifth visit. So here are our final numbers from our most-visited state.

• Time
  • Time zone: UTC+10:00; participates in Daylight Savings Time
  • Day entered 1: 16-Jan-2017
  • Day left 1: 29-Jan-2017
  • Day entered 2: 15-Mar-2017
  • Day left 2: 06-Apr-2017
  • Day entered 3: 23-Jul-2017
  • Day left 3: 01-Aug-2017
  • Day entered 4: 25-Aug-2017
  • Day left 4: 04-Sep-2017
  • Day entered 4: 02-Nov-2017
  • Day left 4: 04-Dec-2017
  • Total # of days: 14+23+32+9+10=88
    • Nights slept in van: 72
    • Nights slept in tent: 0
    • Nights slept in hotel/etc.: 16 (these were all before we received the van from customs and after we dropped it off for shipping)
• Distance
• Driven: ~6860 km (~4287 miles)
• Hiked: 72.4 km (45.3 miles)

Date	Location	Description	Dist. (km)	Dist. (mi)
1/19/2017	Beaconsfield Nature Conservation Reserve	Walk around reservoir	3	1.875
1/27/2017	Point Nepean NP	Cheviot Hill	2.8	1.75
3/24/2017	Wilsons Promontory NP	Mount Oberon Summit	6.8	4.25
3/25/2017	Walhalla	Tramline Walkway	3	1.875
3/27/2017	Alpine NP	Black Duck Hole	1.4	0.875
3/28/2017	Alpine NP	Mount Cope Summit	3.4	2.125
3/28/2017	Alpine NP	Fainter Falls	1.5	0.9375
3/30/2017	Mount Buffalo NP	Horn Summit Lookout	3	1.875
3/30/2017	Mount Buffalo NP	Old Galleries Track	1	0.625
3/30/2017	Mount Buffalo NP	View Point Nature Walk	4.5	2.8125
4/3/2017	Lorne	Erskine Falls	1.4	0.875
4/3/2017	Lorne	Allenvale Mill Car Park to Phantom Falls & The Canyon	5.9	3.6875
4/4/2017	Port Campbell NP	Loch Ard Gorge	3	1.875
4/4/2017	Port Campbell NP	The Grotto	0.72	0.45
7/23/2017	Little Desert NP	Stringybark Walk	1	0.625
7/24/2017	Little Desert NP	Sanctuary-Keith Hately Nature Walk	1	0.625
7/24/2017	Little Desert NP	Pomponderoo Hill Nature Walk	1	0.625
7/24/2017	Grampians NP	Mackenzie Falls Lookout	2	1.25
7/25/2017	Grampians NP	The Balconies	2	1.25
7/25/2017	Grampians NP	Reed Lookout	0.8	0.5
7/25/2017	Grampians NP	The Pinnacle	4.2	2.625
9/4/2017	Hattah-Kulkyne NP	Warepil Lookout Walk	0.6	0.375
11/15/2017	Arthurs Seat State Park	Summit Circuit Walk	1.8	1.125
11/17/2017	Phillip Island	The Nobbies Boardwalk	1.2	0.75
11/18/2017	Wilson Promontory NP	Squeaky Beach	0.6	0.375
11/18/2017	Wilson Promontory NP	Lilly Pilly Circuit Walk	5.2	3.25
11/18/2017	Wilson Promontory NP	Lilly Pilly Gully Boardwalk	0.6	0.375
11/19/2017	Baw Baw NP	Mushroom Rocks	3	1.875
11/19/2017	Baw Baw NP	Mount St Gwinear	6	3.75
		Totals	72.42	45.2625

• Fuel fill-ups: 16
• Money
• Total spent: $6098 USD ($7818 AUD)
• Consists of the costs of traveling full time in Victoria, including TAC and insurance
• Does not include gear or van conversion costs or shipping costs
• Biggest expenses are for lodging when we were without the van, or for paperwork for the van.
• Average cost per day: $69.30 USD ($88.85 AUD)
• Average cost of diesel: $1.253 AUD per liter ($3.335 USD per gallon)
• National Parks visited: 16
• Alpine
• Baw Baw
• Croajingolong
• Grampians
• Great Otway
• Hattah‐Kulkyne
• Little Desert
• Lower Glenelg
• Mount Buffalo
• Mount Richmond
• Murray-Sunset
• Point Nepean
• Port Campbell
• Port Philips Head
• Wilson Promontory
• Wyperfeld

MOTAT and Rangitoto

As the van’s clearance dragged on, we continued to enjoy Auckland and the surrounding areas. Our next major stop was MOTAT, the Museum of Transportation and Technology.  Pictures don’t really do some of the displays justice.  Everything from huge steam engines to a hangar packed with aircraft.

Massive sea plane anyone?  I wouldn’t mind retiring to one of these.


The two campuses are linked by a very classic tram (trolley) which was rescued from Melbourne's previous tram system and restored.




The next day we took the ferry to Rangitoto.  We had originally wanted to go the day before, but our bus never showed up!  Apparently the rail worker union was on strike, so buses were diverted to cover the shortfall. 

Rangitoto is the newest island in NZ, and still shows plenty of signs of its violent volcanic birth.  Starting as a hot spot in the upper mantle, a blob of magma rose to the surface in a few hours, setting off an eruption that raised the seafloor, and formed a the nearly perfect cone of Rangitoto.
 

Remains of a previous military outpost dot the island.  This is the toilet entry arch.  The toilets were just seats over the ocean.




Plants have made huge steps towards transforming this once-barren island.  On high ground, the nearly bare lava flows remain, though not for long.  A triple threat combo of lichens, moss, and alpine plants break down the rock, and start forming topsoil.  In less than 800 years, the island has  become a forest haven.  Invasive pests such as rats and hedgehogs have been eliminated here, and it is a wildlife refuge.














The view from the top was excellent.  Here is the crater, just starting to fill in.  Less than 50 years ago this was not much more than bare rock.
 





We also spotted a family of quail wandering about on the trail.




On the “back” side of the island, a partially-collapsed lava tube or cave is open to exploration.












On the way back we spotted the van again, still waiting, with less company than before.


Lots of boat and air traffic to be seen.  Several of the islands are inhabited.




It was just a little windy!

Auckland on Foot

While we waited for the van to be released, we took some time to enjoy Auckland.  We opted for public transit, as Auckland's PT system is good, and prices are reasonable.  This still meant a good bit of walking, but that is a good thing.

The first major outing we made was to the Auckland Sky Tower.  At around 300 meters tall (the lookout is much lower), this tower is easily visible from most of Auckland.  It has an observation deck about 50 floors up, and a rotating restaurant above that.  Tickets to the tower are about $30 per person, but a reservation and $30 per person meal at the restaurant give you the same access.  So we opted for food and a view.  The main reason for visiting the tower, was that it overlooked the wharf where the van was supposed to be unloaded.

Here is our ship (viewed from the bridge), just about finished unloading its cargo. 
 

Here is the Auckland Central Business District (CBD) from the harbor bridge. The Sky Tower is at the center.


It is really a neck-cramping look from below.


We thought the van was in the crowd of cars below, but we couldn’t seem to find it.




There were quite a few interesting sights below, as our table completed its 360 degree loop.






We finished with desert, and headed for the ferry terminal.


Unable to find the van, we hopped on the Devonport Ferry to cross the harbor instead of the bus.  As we rounded the corner, something big and blue caught our eye.  Can you spot it?


It was hiding behind a large container crane.  There it is, parked, waiting for the various government-mandated inspections to be completed.

On our way back to the room, we took a detour to North Head. Lying at the entrance to the harbor, this hill was fortified to protect from attacks during WWI and WWII. Now all the remains is some tunnels, a few barracks, and concrete bunkers. Well, and excellent views, of course. Like most of the hills in this area, it is a long-extinct volcano.









A little ways off shore is Rangitoto, Auckland’a newest island, about 800 years old.














While were were visiting North Head, we got to see Trans Future 7 depart Auckland for its next port.