Licorice Allsorts: Sydney... Here I come

Well here I am again... Did you miss me?
No I didn't get lost and no the plane didn't fall
out of the sky.
I arrived safely in Sydney...
Follow the story.

My flight from Christchurch left at 6.30am...
The shuttle picked me up at 4.15am
and I was checked in and ready for coffee
by 5am. This was the only place open so it was
coffee and a croissant... Till I got to Sydney.

Duty free... But I didn't want anything...

I didn't want anything here either... And at that hour
of the morning although several flights were
leaving it was all quite deserted.

Off I treked to my departure gate... Quite a walk

And I arrived in Sydney... People everywhere
of every nationality and a much faster pace.

My first stop was Vodafone... To get a free Aussie
Sim card... And they give you lots of credit.
It took a long time... I should have been more aware
and alert... But finally they got it registered and working...
Or so I thought!
I have since learned... If you are coming to
Australia... DO NOT... use Vodafone.
Their coverage is mostly non-existent...
Even in the middle of the city.
After 5 days of total frustration of not being
able to get online with my phone,
which is also how I connect my laptop,
and after asking lots of Australian people
who have perfectly good coverage...
I was told... Nobody in Oz uses Vodafone...
Use Telstra... So I did. Another Sim card,
some free credit, good coverage and I'm up and running...
And here I am... Online again!

This was the 'way out' to the trains...

The underground train station right at the airport...
It is so easy.

Me and my pack... Do you wonder why I use a pack and not a suitcase?
Well it's because when it's empty it stores flat under my bed in my bus.
I don't have room to store suitcases.
It's still early in the morning at 8.30
Sydney time.

This is where I was going... The Airport Link
into central Sydney...

The Sydney harbour Bridge... Out the train window.
Yes I was definitely in the right city.
This is the 3rd year that I have been to visit my daughter here
so I know the way now... Can hop on and off transport
like I've lived here all my life...
Well not quite!
Then it was the well known bus... the L90 to Palm Beach.
40km from the central city and the longest bus route
in the city... It takes 90 minutes.

This is Whale Beach, where my daughter is living now.
It's just over the hill from Palm Beach.
The first thing I had to do after a cup of tea
was walk along this beach.
It is divine with clean golden sand.
The is the south end...