So we went to Sydney
Sydney, Australia. It's my favourite city that I've visited so far. I love it; there are so many vibrant villages that make up a unique international village right in the CBD. You don't have to go far to experience different cultures and different cuisines.
I went with my sister, and we had an amazing girls weekend away. Below is a recount of our trip. Buckle up, because you're in for one quick fire ride!
Our flight was early morning (0655 departure!) so we had to drive 2 hours to Wellington! That meant we woke up early, ate at an ungodly hour, and drove.
I parked my car in the short term car park at Wellington Airport. If you book ahead, you pay cheaper rates than when you drive up. I used the Wellington Airport website directly, and paid $81 for a total of 84 hours ($0.96 per hour), which I thought was reasonable.
We checked in at the Qantas check in station, grabbed our boarding passes, and proceeded to the bag drop off. Qantas (and Jetstar and Fiji Airways) do this bizarre thing where they give you a tag (with elastic loop) for your carry on bag. The tag indicates that your carry on bag is "approved".
At this stage, we weren't feeling peckish; it was early (5am!), and we'd eaten around 2am. We bypassed the main terminal and headed for the international passengers security check. We figured if we got peckish we could purchase something 'inside', closer to the boarding gate. Having managed to race through security, we spent some time wondering through the singular duty free store. My sister purchased some things she arranged to collect on the return journey, while I browsed. To be fair, there wasn't much of a selection at Duty Free, and most of it was bog standard fare that you could find anywhere (chocolates, technology, liquor, and parfum).
This is an interesting place to note that the main terminal at Wellington Airport has a plethora of cafes that offer a similar variety of overpriced cafe food. There is also a Subway in the lower floor of the terminal that offers the bog standard fare we have come to know.
We went through and found our gate (it wasn't that hard), and sat down. Then it hit us. There are literally three dining options inside the airport. There is another Subway (sigh), a Relay (convenience store with overpriced books, magazines, and a ton of junk food), and cafe called Squawk. Naturally, while Relay and Subway were fairly empty, the line at Squawk was over flowing to the point that we decided to grab a Subway sandwich and have that on the plane.
We boarded, took off, and I slept pretty much the entire trip. I wasn't feeling too flash, and I put that down to lack of sleep, not eating properly (I truly didn't feel like it!), and the flight (the same thing happened the last time I flew to Sydney). We landed, and passed security very easily; we expected to be stopped and thoroughly checked. That didn't happen.
Here's where things get interesting. Last time I was in Sydney, I caught a shuttle to my hostel in the city. When I asked for a quote for a shuttle this time, I was quoted $48AUD per person one way. This was WAY too expensive. This time, we stayed at the Meriton Suites in Mascot. Five minutes of quick research on my phone the night before we left told me that I didn't have to book a shuttle; we could catch the train instead. Once we'd vacated security, we followed the signs to the far end of the terminal where it went down to the train station. Here, we purchased an Opal card each (from the people in the ticketing booth), and used this to board the train to Mascot. The below image shows how the train network links.
We used the green line, jumping on at the International Airport and getting off two stops later. We didn't realise at the time that you pay a station fee of roughly $10AUD for having the privilege of using the airport stops. This was way cheaper than an Uber or shuttle.
Because I'd already informed Meriton that we'd be arriving early, they had readied our suite. This was a godsend; I really wanted to freshen up, and my sister really wanted to lie down for a bit. We changed our clothes, and headed out to grab a bite. Our apartment had a washing machine and dryer, and I'd bought some washing powder so it was easy to do our washing the night before we left. We stayed on the third floor, which has the pool and gym on it. We were a bit disappointed with the pool temperature; it was 'cold'. However, the spa was lovely.
The suburb of Mascot feels as though it's been recently created. The buildings are all very new, and some are still under construction. There is a promenade style walkway where you can find a supermarket, liquor retailer, doctors, pharmacy, nail and hair salon, and many eateries. There is a mixture of independent and chain eateries which means there are many options for you.
We caught the train to Central, and walked to China Town. Here, we visited Paddy's Markets. To be fair, we were rather disappointed with the markets. We weren't expecting upper/high class shopping by any means, however the markets were filled with stalls that were similar in variety. They mainly offered cheap Asian goods that can be found at any $2 store. There were a few one off stalls, such as a lovely older gentleman who does name art (I will add a pic later). We bought an image from him for our little brother. There were also a few massage stalls that offered a free 'tester' massage experience. These are NOT WORTH it.
Following this, we walked through the main street of China Town. I have to add a disclaimer here; it is REALLY DIRTY. FILTHY, even. There is rubbish everywhere, and the grime is so badly built up. I would never eat at any of the eateries here. The restaurant in the images below have street frontal tanks where they keep aquatic life. The water is absolutely filthy, and the animals look so sick and diseased :(
I went with my sister, and we had an amazing girls weekend away. Below is a recount of our trip. Buckle up, because you're in for one quick fire ride!
Our flight was early morning (0655 departure!) so we had to drive 2 hours to Wellington! That meant we woke up early, ate at an ungodly hour, and drove.
I parked my car in the short term car park at Wellington Airport. If you book ahead, you pay cheaper rates than when you drive up. I used the Wellington Airport website directly, and paid $81 for a total of 84 hours ($0.96 per hour), which I thought was reasonable.
We checked in at the Qantas check in station, grabbed our boarding passes, and proceeded to the bag drop off. Qantas (and Jetstar and Fiji Airways) do this bizarre thing where they give you a tag (with elastic loop) for your carry on bag. The tag indicates that your carry on bag is "approved".
At this stage, we weren't feeling peckish; it was early (5am!), and we'd eaten around 2am. We bypassed the main terminal and headed for the international passengers security check. We figured if we got peckish we could purchase something 'inside', closer to the boarding gate. Having managed to race through security, we spent some time wondering through the singular duty free store. My sister purchased some things she arranged to collect on the return journey, while I browsed. To be fair, there wasn't much of a selection at Duty Free, and most of it was bog standard fare that you could find anywhere (chocolates, technology, liquor, and parfum).
This is an interesting place to note that the main terminal at Wellington Airport has a plethora of cafes that offer a similar variety of overpriced cafe food. There is also a Subway in the lower floor of the terminal that offers the bog standard fare we have come to know.
We went through and found our gate (it wasn't that hard), and sat down. Then it hit us. There are literally three dining options inside the airport. There is another Subway (sigh), a Relay (convenience store with overpriced books, magazines, and a ton of junk food), and cafe called Squawk. Naturally, while Relay and Subway were fairly empty, the line at Squawk was over flowing to the point that we decided to grab a Subway sandwich and have that on the plane.
We boarded, took off, and I slept pretty much the entire trip. I wasn't feeling too flash, and I put that down to lack of sleep, not eating properly (I truly didn't feel like it!), and the flight (the same thing happened the last time I flew to Sydney). We landed, and passed security very easily; we expected to be stopped and thoroughly checked. That didn't happen.
Here's where things get interesting. Last time I was in Sydney, I caught a shuttle to my hostel in the city. When I asked for a quote for a shuttle this time, I was quoted $48AUD per person one way. This was WAY too expensive. This time, we stayed at the Meriton Suites in Mascot. Five minutes of quick research on my phone the night before we left told me that I didn't have to book a shuttle; we could catch the train instead. Once we'd vacated security, we followed the signs to the far end of the terminal where it went down to the train station. Here, we purchased an Opal card each (from the people in the ticketing booth), and used this to board the train to Mascot. The below image shows how the train network links.
Because I'd already informed Meriton that we'd be arriving early, they had readied our suite. This was a godsend; I really wanted to freshen up, and my sister really wanted to lie down for a bit. We changed our clothes, and headed out to grab a bite. Our apartment had a washing machine and dryer, and I'd bought some washing powder so it was easy to do our washing the night before we left. We stayed on the third floor, which has the pool and gym on it. We were a bit disappointed with the pool temperature; it was 'cold'. However, the spa was lovely.
The suburb of Mascot feels as though it's been recently created. The buildings are all very new, and some are still under construction. There is a promenade style walkway where you can find a supermarket, liquor retailer, doctors, pharmacy, nail and hair salon, and many eateries. There is a mixture of independent and chain eateries which means there are many options for you.
We caught the train to Central, and walked to China Town. Here, we visited Paddy's Markets. To be fair, we were rather disappointed with the markets. We weren't expecting upper/high class shopping by any means, however the markets were filled with stalls that were similar in variety. They mainly offered cheap Asian goods that can be found at any $2 store. There were a few one off stalls, such as a lovely older gentleman who does name art (I will add a pic later). We bought an image from him for our little brother. There were also a few massage stalls that offered a free 'tester' massage experience. These are NOT WORTH it.
Following this, we walked through the main street of China Town. I have to add a disclaimer here; it is REALLY DIRTY. FILTHY, even. There is rubbish everywhere, and the grime is so badly built up. I would never eat at any of the eateries here. The restaurant in the images below have street frontal tanks where they keep aquatic life. The water is absolutely filthy, and the animals look so sick and diseased :(
After China Town, we walked to Darling Harbour. It has become more of a concrete jungle since I was last here. A new ICC complex has been built, and it's an ugly scar on what would have been a pretty horizon. What is it with developers and councils allowing sea views to be blocked by big, heinous buildings? I'll never understand.
From here, we walked to the main strip of shopping. We trudged through Queen Victoria Building, and the main street the rungs alongside it where we stopped for lunch, and perused Uniqlo, Myer, and David Jones. One thing I noticed is that the shopping in Sydney CBD has become really upmarket; rents have skyrocketed astronomically in a short span of time, killing the little boutique shops that once enriched the shopping precinct.
We caught the train home, and relaxed the day off in the spa and swimming pool before having dinner and sleeping. The next day, we went to the DFS Homebush Mall. We caught the train from Mascot to Central, and then Central to Flemington. A friend picked us up from the station, and we drove to the mall. Before we went to the mall, we checked out the Sydney markets. There are two buildings; one for veges, and one for other goods. We went to the goods market, and it was actually really sad. There were vendors selling new items (cheap things mass produced in Asia that were extremely over priced), as well as vendors selling used items. It seems like the vendors leave their things displayed, even when the market is closed. One vendor hadn't shown up, and his goods were being thrown into a huge skip bin. There were people rummaging through the skip bin salvaging what they could. It was awful. The other awful aspect was how the kids of the hawkers have come to know this as a way of life. And so begins a vicious cycle of hawking rip off goods to unsuspecting people and new migrants.
DFO was interesting. I found it to be overpriced, and only purchased a handbag (only because my handbag broke!) and a pair of shoes from here. My sister and friend ended up purchasing more than me. I briefly considered a Marc Jacobs watch, and decided against it when I realised many women my age have one, and I tend to not go with the crowds. We trained back to the hotel; my friend dropped us off at the train station where they have these cute signs!
We had another quiet night.
The next day, my friend joined us as we discovered Circular Quay. It it easily the tourist mecca of Sydney, featuring myriad ferries, cruise ship liners, and the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We trained here (four stops from Mascot), and viewed a 30 minute street comedy, before going to The Rocks markets. Although it was sticky hot, the markets weren't busy, nor were they very many stalls. It was disappointing; last time I thoroughly enjoyed the markets with the number and variety of stallholders. This time I was very disappointed with the stall holder offerings. We had lunch at the markets (reasonable for the fresh food on offer) before making our way back to the ferry terminal. From here, we caught a ferry from Circular Quay to McMahon's Bay. The views of the Harbour were absolutely stunning. (Ferries from Circular Quay also go to Taronga Zoo.) We were at McMahon's bay for perhaps 30 minutes, before catching the next ferry back to Circular Quay, and then to Mascot.
Back at the hotel, we spent an hour or so in the pools before retiring for the night. We showered and ate, and I did the washing. We packed, aiming to leave by 7am local time, ready for our flight at 0955 local time.
We ended up leaving the hotel at 0730, and the train ride was only about 4 minutes. For us, this was quicker and faster than any shuttle or Uber. Since we'd done an online check in, all we had to do was drop our bags off. Interestingly, there were limited airline staff at the check in computers; passengers checked themselves in. We dropped off our bags, and went through security. This is where things got very interesting.
Australian Border Patrol is notorious for "randomly selecting" anyone who isn't of a particular ethnicity for extra checks. When you arrive at international security, you are required to scan through your passport and have your photo taken, before joining a queue to have your bags screened. The bag screening queue seemed to be determined by which queue was moving faster. Our bags were put through, and we expected to breeze through.
But we didn't.
I walked through the metal detector, and my sister was asked to go through a massive body scanning machine. The body scanning machine scans your body for drugs.
My sister had a large (and expensive!) bottle of sunscreen in her carry on bag that was confiscated. So while I was waiting for the bags and my sister to be released, I had to wait awkwardly. My sister arrived back (the drug scanny machine takes a few minutes per person, plus having to wait for a result), and then we had to wait for her bag to be rescanned to ensure she didn't have other illicit items in there (she didn't). As we walked away, I was asked to step to one side, and the officer explained he was going to do an explosives check on me. He showed me a notice that stated what they were searching for, then he asked me to open my bag. He swabbed the inside of my carry on bag, my handbag, as well as my person. The tests came back clean, of course. I grabbed my things, and I turned around to where I presumed my sister would be waiting. I couldn't find her, and of course my heart started racing. I began looking in every direction, searching furiously, cursing at those taller and bigger than my sister just in case she was hidden behind them. The thought that security had distracted me with another fruitless search to take her away was at the forefront of my mind.
As my anxiety heightened, coupled with the reminder that I had no internet, data, or ability to contact ANYONE, I found her. She'd just been through the same test. We walked away quickly before they could stop us for anything else.
The duty free shopping at Sydney Airport is the best one I have been to so far. All the international luxury houses have a store, and there are multiple options in terms for grabbing a meal. I ended up purchasing a parfum I've been looking at for two years; this was the one luxury purchase I made in Sydney. We boarded the flight (which was late), and headed back home, and back to reality.
We found that we enjoyed our short weekend stay in Sydney. The accommodation was superb, and having the facilities to wash clothes meant that we weren't hoarding dirty laundry back to NZ. The accessibility on the train (both to and from the airport, and within the city) was great so that we didn't have to walk everywhere in the heat. The carriages have been done up since I was last there, and there is air con so you can have a reprieve from the heat. We managed to do everything we both wanted, and we left satisfied with our trip.
PACKING LIST
3x dresses
3x dresses
Swimming togs (the hotel provided towels)
Underwear
PJs
Make up
Jewellery
Hat
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Empty water bottle (in CHECKED baggage)
Book (to read on the flight)
Camera
2x memory cards
Camera charger (last time I didn't take one and I had to buy a new charger because my camera batteries ran out :-( )
Because we knew we were going into a heatwave, we didn't bother with taking cold weather clothes.
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