All In A Sydney Day…Manly Beach to Wicked! (November 19, 2009)

I really have to blow our own horn here, and say we’ve become extremely resourceful travelers. We have had many days called ‘The best day yet’ as our heads hit the pillows, completely exhausted from packing so much into only 1 day. Today was one of those days. We began by heading into the city from Stanwell Tops. After riding the train into Circular Quay, we hopped off, gazing at the gorgeous Sydney harbor and Opera house. Brittany was ecstatic, and we had to pinch her a few times to ensure her that she was awake in the moment. Her childhood dream of one day seeing the Opera house had finally come to fruition, and it was almost as fun watching her, as it was to take in the sights. The giddy smile never left her face. The harbor bridge was stunning, and we look forward to driving across it when we pick up our campervan in a few days!

We hopped onto the ferry over to Manly beach. Apparently history has it that this beach was named by Cpt. Cook & his men as they sailed into the harbor, and after seeing so many masculine Aboroginal men on shore, gave it the name ‘Manly Beach’. We were expecting a bit more ‘Muscle-beach’ (L.A. style) scenery/ people-watching…but it was full of your typical tourist mix. The beach was packed, the waves were big, and we just soaked up the heat and beach-bummed it for the afternoon. Manly wasn’t as great as Bondi, in our opinion, but we enjoyed the sun a lil’ tooooooooo much! We all walked away with brutal sunburns after using spray sunscreen. Haha, apparently you have to spray AND rub it in well. We looked like we had random rashes across our sides, chests, and posterior legs from all the spots we accidentally missed. Whoops! Lesson learned the painful way. The shopping on Manly was awesome, great atmosphere, music in the streets, and an entire Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop! Yes, really! Deadly, but we were good girls and only nabbed a few samples before finding some really great Thai food instead. Valena & Britt bought adorable dresses, and we’re finding it harder and harder to have self-control with all the incredible shopping in Aus! Ugh- it’s torture!

So here comes the efficiency of our group of 4. Not only did we change into our bikinis on the ferry over…we brought our theatre outfits along with us to the beach. So, on the way back to Sydney harbor, rocking back and forth on the wobbly ferry we did a quick wardrobe change. We walked in sunburned, salty, and scalawag…and out in evening dresses and freshly sprayed perfume. It was hilarious trying to balance in the ferry restroom, but a few ladies seemed to be amused by our ingenious clean-up saying “Oh to be young and going out again!” “Have fun girls!”. Jodie snapped a group photo- she’s the queen of taking shots and managing to get all of our heads in- and the background! It’s pure talent.

The highlight of Sydney for me was going to see the musical Wicked! I had been looking forward to this since leaving home, and tonight was the night! We were mesmerized, enchanted, and completely blown away by the unbelievable performance at the Capitol theatre! The theatre itself was beautiful- Britt especially enjoyed the fairy-tale style bathrooms. The stage was unreal- so detailed- and the voices of the performers, alongside the perfectly conducted orchestra, was magical! It was like stimuli-overload as you took in the beautiful show. We even visited with the double-bass player in the orchestra before the show as we took pictures near the ‘Stage Entrance’ after coffees & tea at Gloria Jean’s. A very delightful night to remember! We were all humming a little ‘Popular’ through the park as we walked back to the train.

Bondi to Coogee - Nov 18

The day started off with a every early bush walk at 6 am. We were all used to getting up early to catch the bus when we were in NZ, but 545 am sure came fast and was not welcomed by us girls. But we all managed to get up and out the door by 6 with Karen in tow and met up with their neighbor, Jim, for a short walk to a beautiful waterfall. He had tons of little stories to keep us entertained as we made our way through the bush. We received a quick lesson about the eucalyptus trees, the aboriginals and some other history about Oz. Before we knew it we were at a gorgeous waterfall with an amazing view of the Royal National Park. What a great way to start the day! We got back to the house, refueled with eggs and yogurt, and went off to the Miranda mall for a couple hours, where Danielle and Britt got their Australian phones and then headed off to Bondi beach for the afternoon, meeting up with Valena at the train station. We got to Bondi beach and as soon as we saw the beach full of surfers and beach bums, we fell in love. Between the turquoise waters, white sand and beautiful people to stare at, we could not find one reason why we would ever leave this place (except for family and friends of course). After strategically changing into our bikinis with the help of a beach towel, we scurried down to the beach to sink our sand in the feet and walk down the beach. We decided to walk from Bondi beach to Coogee beach, which takes about an hour and a half, following the coast line, passing by little beaches along the way and beautiful views of the ocean. With the sun shining down on us, we were in bright spirits and off we went. We all really enjoyed the walk for the first hour and ten minutes, but then hunger started to get the best of us and we started to drag our feet, complaining about our rumbling stomachs, how hot it was, our sore feet, and anything else we could think of. At one point I was even dragging my white purse on the ground, cursing myself for packing so much into one bag. Luckily it took no time at all to get to our final destination from there and we were on our search to find food. We totally lucked out and found $5 steak with chips and salad. We couldn't believe it! We quickly got into line and about 10 minutes later we were all sitting down just gazing at our delicious meals (well, they were gazing, I was already scarfing mine down). Our luck didn't end there. After supper I was craving something sweet, so we went into Subway to check out their cookies. Much to my delight they had a new kind, a double chocolate chunk with half of it covered with white chocolate and milk chocolate drizzle. Valena being the deal maker that she is asked if we could have a sample, and we ended up getting a whole cookie to try. Well that satisfied my craving for sweets and we left for our next stop. We made it to the bus stop without any other distractions until we saw McDonalds across the street. Their 50 cent cones are just too good to resist, but somehow that night we managed to and instead Dan stopped there for a coffee fix. The rest of us went for a short walk down the street and ended up getting a container full of two different kinds of salads that we wanted to sample. We were bubbling with joy when Dan met up with us, and she joined in after being given a free latte with her coffee. Seriously, how many free things could we get in one night? Four Canadian girls in Australia seems to be quite an advantage for us and we plan to keep using it to get "samples" and saving money that way. Who knows, maybe by the end we could manage to get free clothes! Wouldn't that be ideal?
Luv Jod

Stanwell Tops and the Wyghts: November 16, 2009

We arrived in Australia yesterday, and for as crushed as we were to leave N.Z., we are already in love with this amazing country... So, to all you people who said we would love Oz when we were whinging about leaving NZ, you can say "I told you so...". Plus, we were lucky enough, for the second time in a row, to have someone waiting for us when we touched down. My Uncle Doug, my dad's brother, was kind enough to make the hour drive to the airport to pick us up and he was smart enough to bring the station wagon to fit all of our ridiculous amount of luggage... I think we've all come to realize how much we massively over-packed when we saw we each have about double what everyone else we encounter has; the sad part is, I thought I had done good in regards to packing.

I can't begin to tell you how fantastic they all have been already. We are set up in a fantastic lil studio with our own lil bathroom. Their house, in Stanwell Tops, is gorgeous, with an ocean view from the living room window, and you need only walk ten steps and you have your choice of fantastic hikes or bike trails. Due to the distance between our families, I've only met my cousins: Byron 12 yrs, Cheyenne 9 yrs, and Annelise 4 yrs, a handful of times, the last being 2.5 years ago. I am so excited for all the time I'll have to spend time and get to know my family here in Oz. These kids are fantastically cute... Their lil oz accents put them over the top. My Aunt Karen, our appointed activities coordinator, and my Uncle Doug have been so great to us. My Unc Doug even made a list of all the hip bars/clubs to hit, including one that is called the dry cleaners because that's where you go if you want to pick up a 'suit'... haha... we didn't end up going to any but we loved how they were always looking for a good activity for us. We are so happy to be in a family environment again, our new home away from home, and are so excited to spend a whole week here. We are getting worried though. Every place we go, we fall in love with it and it's gonna be very tough to decide where to settle down in the end... Which leads us to our second worry; WHEN will we settle down and work? We keep adding on more places we want to see, and things we want to do, that we have no idea when we are actually gonna start working... But I figure, if you are gonna have worries in your life, these are the kind you want...

Cheers!

V

The best of NZ!!

In our three weeks of traveling the North Island we can say we have a pretty good idea what are amazing finds in NZ and we can’t help but share them all with you! These are not only are favorites but if you ever do come to NZ they are a necessary part in being a true KIWI!!

Best chocolate bar: Moro Gold…it is by far the most amazing chocolate bar we have ever tasted!

Best Song: Slice of Heaven by Dob Dobbyn… Download it. Listen to it. Love it. Repeat it.

Best city: Wellington of course but don’t let the wind deter you, there is so much to see in this city and the people are gems!

Best beach: Raglan hands down. The surf is incredible and you have to see the black sand.

Best Tourist activity: It would be a tie between going deep into the caves in Waitoma; abseiling and repelling in waterfalls 80 feet below the surface or skydiving in Taupo (the views are amazing)!!!

Best ice cream: Hokey Pokey

Best candy: the amazing red raspberry licorice that is soft and contains white chocolate in the middle…pure delicacy right there and only in NZ!

Best sports activity: Go to a Rugby game!!! You will live the energy and the pace of the game and you will leave a convert to the sport!

Best hike: Tangoriro Crossing (for those who want to see some amazing emerald and blue lakes) and the mini-hike in Wellington to Mt Victoria

Best purchase: V- blow dryer with diffuser

B- a new flip to replace the last one & my designer dress

D- bow headband & skydiving dvd

J- Black Nike pullover

Best date spot: it’s in Wellington it would on the hike to Mt Victoria overlooking the city while you are surrounded by forest. It is in the scene for LOTR and it is a place where a girl could get swept off her feet easily without the guy having to do much!

Best place to go out: Courtney Place in Wellington

Best burgers: Supremo!!!! They are massive and cheap too!!

Best pies to try: don’t waste your money there are better things to eat!

Best place to stay: The attic or living room in Jaime Dunn’s house.

Best saying to pickup: Oh dear!

Best beer: Rattler

Best vacation spot: Hahai by far. It’s complete relaxation!

Best stray bus driver: Ricky…he always went the extra mile to book activities for us and even let us be the dj’s for a bit!

Best time of your life…go to NZ!

WHITE LIGHTNING’S HATAITAI HIT-OUT! (Saturday, November 14, 2009)

85 Moxham Avenue was the location for our incredible good-bye/housewarming/beer pong/All White’s soccer game party! It was unreal. The Wellingtonian guys went over-the-top with planning this party, making posters, name-tags (and nicknames for us all), buying food (total man-grub with all the sausage rolls, wieners, chips, & meat pies), and educating us on the best beer & wine choices while in New Zealand. And to top it all off, they all showed up in their best fashion- dress coats, shoes, and even a few ties were busted out! We were completely impressed, and not to be outdone, our plan of Canadian style jeans & T’s quickly turned into an emergency change of wardrobe. I think we pulled it off quite well, which is convenient when you can get ready at the same place the party’s at. We were staying in Jamie’s attic, which was the perfect set-up for us to glam-up with our flash-packer gear. I think we may have even showered that day, in appreciation for all the effort put into planning this awesome party.

The most anticipated event of the night was definitely the guys’ performance of their own Huka. They did not disappoint! They were strategic about getting it right, which was demonstrated by the in-sync rhythm of the chanting, moves & fierce looking faces. Shirts-off huka was the best one yet, even beating out the downtown version from a couple weeks earlier. We can’t seem to get enough of watching these boys in full warrior mode. We also watched the All-Blacks do their Huka before playing Italy @ 4am in the morning when the party started quieting down. Britt was relieved to beat out Ged in a game of ‘Toss the ball into the bowl’…avoiding having to snort a line of Paprika. Phew! We loved the company (a house full of great kiwis!), the music (danced the night away), the food (although we have had our fill of meat-pies for now) and loved celebrating the All-White’s first World-Cup qualifying victory since 1982! Valena ended up sitting next to the assistant coach of the team on our flight to Sydney the next day! He nearly laughed when she asked if he thought Canada would have a chance at making the World Cup ;-(. Our nick-names for the night were: Dan= E.C (for being mistaken for Elisha Cuthbert…and unfortunately sounded much too similar to EZ…yeah.). Valena= Danica Patrick (for her mad driving tactics around Wellington…Jamie always had to remind her the speed limit was only 50 km/hr through the Mt. Victoria tunnel cuz she would go 100km/hr). Britto=Darling Bridget (Spitz kept calling her Bridget on our last visit, and it just stuck with Britt’s classy demeanor). Jodie=Mrs.______(I won’t be posting this, but we all loved her name). A few of us enjoyed a lovely dinner on the floor of the sunroom the next day…after cleaning up the heaping post-party mess. The girls enjoyed their last Supremo burger, which will be dearly messed as we head to Aus. We were sad to leave Wellington, but have full hopes of returning next February for the 7’s at the cake-tin! Don’t forget our bet Matt- we return for the 7’s…and you owe us an obligatory visit to Canada! And Jamie, I think you need to join us in exploring the South Island next year! D.

Return to Wellington!!!! November 12, 2009

Today was our final Stray bus ride and the time was well enjoyed thanks to two games. One: kissing the lollipop man. Basically, whenever the bus saw a lollipop man, they'd stop and the first person who ran out of the bus and kissed him on the cheek without any explanation would win an ice cream or a beer. When we first heard this being announced, my first thought was this kindly old man was on the side of the road selling suckers. Turns out, flag crew on road construction are called lollipop men/women... One lollipop guy in particular was less than pleased when a girl from our bus kissed him... We got quite the stink-eye... The second game was no-one was allowed to say "mine" for any reason. If you did, and you were caught, the punishment was 10 push-ups... It's harder than it sounds but on the bright-side, all of us, except Jodie, got in some exercise while on the bus...

We arrived back in Wellington and when we saw the coastline for the first time again, we couldn't contain our excitement. When we wheeled our luggage up the stairs to 85 Moxham Ave, it felt like coming home but it was bittersweet. We were so excited to be back at Jamie's and Matt's we knew that we would have to say good-bye to our Stray friends. It's amazing how 2 weeks earlier, we had no idea who Grant, Mark, Andrew, Danny or Tom were and now we were all choked to say good-bye and know that they would be continuing on down to the South Island and we would stay in Wellington. Our flip camera continues to cement it's value to us by allowing us to capture memories of the people and places we meet and go to.... Sometimes, in the case of Grant and Mark, our memories were captured against someone's will... Sorry boys, but it was worth it.

Jamie and Matt set us up in the Attic this time as the living room was needed to prepare for the amazing White Lightning Entertainment sponsored party saturday night. These guys are flirting with danger by being so fantastic to us, we have half a mind to ditch the rest of our travels and just set up permanent shop here in their attic. Especially, when they introduced us to Supremo Burgers; the best hamburgers with the biggest buns we have ever eaten. We were hooked; not gonna lie, we ate there 3 out of the 4 days we were there.. The burger guy was quite amused when we kept showing up. I think he partly thought/wished we were there for him. Another friend of Jamie's we met, Ged, was kind enough to take us out to Eastborne in Wellington on his day off and show us around. He had a great plan of taking us on a ferry across but unfortunately due to a delay, so Dan could get stop by a drop in clinic, and the weather turning we stuck with a tour from inside the car. But we had a blast making pointless videos and house gazing. Man, there are some wealthy people out there in the hills of Wellington on the coast. Case in point; Some houses are so high in the hills, surrounded by trees that the only way to get up into the house is to build a over-priced cable car system to get you from the street to the house. We tried sneaking on one but we were no match for their security unfortunately...

We are really lucky to have hospitality like Jamie and his friends have shown us. Our tickets to Sydney are on sunday. We'll see if we're on the plane...

Luv V

The 15, 000 ft. DREAM: Skydiving Taupo - November 8

We truly have packed the most epic outdoor activities into one short week on the North Island. After sea kayaking, surfing Raglan, caving/abseiling, white water rafting, and hiking....Danielle & I undertook one of the best experiences of our lives! We went skydiving in Lake Taupo @ 15,000 feet. When we booked our stop over in NZ, right away I said that the one thing that I was going to do while I was here was to skydive because it was cheaper than Australia and the views are just spectacular. Our whole trip I have been waiting for the day to come and when it finally did arrive, I was so ready to jump out of that plane. We left Rotorua around 12:30, almost not getting onto the bus because of a few errors in our online booking, but once we got that all figured out, we were on the bus and headed for Taupo for a few nights and to do some skydiving. Danielle and I were semi-excited on the bus, just thinking about it, but I don't think it really actually set in until we were in the limo that picked us up from the hostel to go skydiving. I don't know if the limo ride made people more nervous or excited for the jump. With nine people in a car, all heading to go skydiving, knowing that within the next hour we will all have to jump out of a plane, there were a lot of nerves and emotions there. Andrew, Danny, Tom and Mark all decided to go skydiving as well and we all kept doing the hand check to see who's hand was the most unsteady. We were all pretty good at concealing how we were feeling. The guys actually admitted being a bit nervous and even considered backing out for a split second. I'd say that Danielle and I were pretty calm until we had to choose what height we were going to jump from. Then Danielle started to break down a bit. Her nerves were increasing and she started to feel nauseous, which Andrew thought would be cured with chocolate. Believe it or not, this time chocolate would not solve it! After some deep breathing and calming words from her friends, Danielle relaxed a bit and was ready to go. Initially, trying to save money, we planned on only doing the 12,000 ft. jump...but Danielle was an easy target to be sucked into doing te big jump, AND getting the DVD of it all. Not to be outdone, I joined Dan up there at 15,000 feet in the little pink airplane. Of course we were the lucky ones that got to go first out of our group, so we got all decked out in our coveralls, harnesses and snazzy flying caps, practiced the flying banana and were ready to go. Up we went in the airplane to over 15,000 ft. and then our tandem partners and then it was time to jump. When I was told to put my feet out of the plane, I was thinking "are you kidding me?!", but nothing was stopping me. I can't even describe the feeling of the free-fall from the plane. It's something that can only be experienced to be understood. Oh my gosh! Seriously - one of the coolest things either of us have ever done. Absolutely incredible! Insane, but serene, as we sailed down in tandem-mode. And yes, our parachutes DID open (Thank you Lord)...and Dan may have thrown out a swear as we dove down...forgetting that it was all on DVD waiting to be seen by her mom & dad at home. Oh dear! No regrets. Once we made it safely to ground, we were both on a high, not able to wipe the smiles off our faces and eager to try it again. It's such an exhilarating and addictive thing to experience! Definitely was well worth the money and hopefully if you are lucky, Danielle will let you watch her DVD to give you a better idea of what we are talking about.

Jod & Dan

Tongariro Crossing: a hiker's perspective

Since Valena already put up a blog about how she liked the crossing, I figured I should mention my side of view since I tend to find some enjoyment from hiking. Now the hike was 19.4 km and we were told that it should take about 6-7 hrs to walk it. We were warned of the weather conditions such as wind and rain that we could get greeted with, and it seemed like all the Stray bus drivers wanted everyone to be extra prepared. Quite honestly, they built it up to be a lot more difficult than it actually was. We started the hike at about 8:10 and I got to the bottom around 2:30, which included hanging out at the top of the stairs for about an hour with everyone, trying to decide if I had time to make it to the summit without missing the last bus, and taking a long lunch break. The first hour of the hike was an easy, very gradual increase in elevation and then we got to what they called 'the devil's stairs." This name was very appropriate as the stairs just kept on coming, they were never-ending. You come up to a corner of the mountain, half expecting that you were at the end, but instead were greeted with another few stories of stairs. And the worst part of it all was being stuck behind the slow people who stop every couple of steps and pretend to not know that you are right behind them, just waiting for a chance to pass. The stairs probably was the most difficult part of the hike, but once we got to the top we got a great view of the valley. At the top of the stairs there are a couple of decisions that one could make depending on the time and how fast of a hiker one was. You could go left and continue to the end of the hike, which they say would take another 5 hours, or else continue up to the summit in 3 hours. We got to the top and in order to make our last bus we would have to make it to the summit and back in less than 2.5 hrs. Of course I wanted to do the summit, but for some reason I chose not to, which ended up being one of my biggest regrets of my whole trip. We hung around these area for about an hour as Mark and Andrew decided to do the summit. Then we kept on with the hike, quickly realizing that the climb wasn't over, and being faced with the strong winds at the top of another hill. This hike was a lot different than any of the hikes I've done at home in Canada. Instead of being in the forest surrounded by trees, or on mountains with views of greenery, this walk was full of volcanic rocks, and a lot of dirt. Don't get me wrong, the views were still amazing and enjoyable, just a lot different than anything I've experienced before. The best part of the whole hike definitely was when the emerald lakes came into view. These lakes were are gorgeous, rich turquoise color that really made the whole trek worth it. The lakes had a sulphur smell to them, and were full of hot spring water, but unfortunately we weren't allowed to touch it. To get down to the emerald lakes we had to carefully walk down the mountain of soft dirt, while Tom tried to capture anyone who tumbled on video. At the bottom we all emptied out our shoes and then decided to make it to the last large emerald lake to have lunch. We were a little surprised to run into snow when we made it to the lake. It was a little bizarre to see a large pile of snow with everything surrounding it being so brown and dry. It was a perfect spot for some pictures and our tasty lunches of tuna, trail mix and granola bars, which brought back memories of the West Coast Trail for me. The rest of the walk was pretty much easy going after this, except for when we were on one side of the cliff and the wind hit us full blast. We all had to stop to pull out our windbreakers and try to cover ourselves as much as we could. i think that I had goosebumps on my legs for at least a half hour after that. Once we got past the hurricane winds, the trail was downhill, first following the side of the cliff, once again giving a view of the valley, trees and houses, and then a boardwalk into the forest. In the forest there was a couple of creeks and waterfalls to stop and check out, but before you knew it, the hike was done. I can see why it was voted one the world's best day hikes as it has a lot to offer. The only recommendation that I would have is to leave early enough in the morning if you want to reach the summit and make it down in time to catch your bus. From the pictures that I have seen from the summit, it is well worth it and should not be missed.
Oh, and thanks to Andrew for the pictures he shared of the crossing.

Jod

Wia-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland - November 7

So while Danielle and Britt were enjoying the Polynesian Spas and Valena was wandering around Rotorua, I decided to rent a car with Tom and Andrew for a day and find some hikes to do. It was an adventure to say the least. The first hurdle we had to tackle was Tom driving an automatic. We all assume that it's only difficult to learn how to drive a standard after an automatic, but Tom proved that apparently it's the same for driving an automatic after driving a standard your whole life. We had to constantly remind him that there was no clutch and he did not have to shift. This proved to be very difficult for him when he tried to pull a U-turn and ended up slamming on the "clutch" and trying to shift into lower gear. Luckily between me and Andrew yelling and Tom's quick thinking, he managed to pop it out of reverse, into drive and off we went. After the rough start, he seemed to do pretty well and finally we were off to our first stop, the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. The park is full of geysers, volcanic rocks, colorful pools, sulphur mounds, bubbling pools of mud, and craters, which are a result of one of the world's most violent volcanic eruptions in the last 5,000 years. Of course the whole park smelled of sulphur, but soon enough we seemed to get used to it. The colors of the pools were amazing, ranging from orange, to green, to blue, all depending on the chemical deposits in them. One pool looked like slime, it was such a bright lime green that I don't think anyone that wasn't there would actually believe that it was a pool. There were a bunch of different paths that we could take, so we chose the one that we could do in just a couple of hours before the park closed. About halfway into the park is the largest hot spring water pool, which is called the Champagne pool. This pool occupies a 700 year old explosion crater that was formed by a hydro-thermal eruption. Everything that we were walking around that surrounded it was ejected by the eruption. There was a long boardwalk to get across the pool and as we were walking across and by it, we were overtaken by the steam that was emanating from the heat of the pool. Tom was about 5 feet in front of me and I couldn't even see him. After being in the steam for a bit, the heat and the pungent sulphur smell was a bit too much, so we rushed for some fresh air. I loved amazing range of vibrant colors that we saw as we walked through the park. Every once in a while I was reminded that at any moment another eruption could occur as we were standing on the volcanic grounds. Luckily we made it through without any volcanic activity.
After the thermal park we were wanting to go on a good hike and so Andrew got out his handy New Zealand book and map and tried to direct us to a few trails with little success. First off, poor Tom quickly learnt how to do u-turns on roads with little to no turning room, and was always prepared to stop whenever Andrew told him that we had just passed the turn off. The first hike that we attempted was a gravel road that apparently went on for about 7 km. We lasted about 15 minutes and then turned back. Next we went to find the blue and green lakes, which we ended up finding, but then took an alternate trail, leading us to a taped off area. Of course we crossed it, figuring that we could find our way through the forest, but ended up turning back once we realized that we'd be stuck in the dark. Nice try Andrew, but next time I think I will be the navigator.
All in all, it was still a great day, ending with Andrew and Tom singing a duet on the way home. Who knew that Tom had such a great backup voice...never knew his voice could reach those high notes!
Love Jod

National Park

The day after a hike should be relaxed and easy going...alllowing the body to recharge from the exhaustion of the day before. Well our prayers were answered when our names were not found on the roster list for the stray bus. Thankfully we could be picked up by another driver and still make it to National Park by the afternoon but that meant that we could have a relaxing morning reading, shopping and then get picked up by the sweetest guy (who is a guide for the Tangoriro Crossing five times a week...he is crazy!) and a big van to stretch out in! Jodie wanted to do another hike that day because she is amazing so she traded seats with a guy on the original bus so it was down to us three in the spacious van!

Apparently pies is the huge rave over in NZ as is in the UK. I think it's disgusting having mince and cheese for breakfast and lunch and supper but they love it over here. So our driver took us to the best spot and I had butter chicken pie and Dan had steak and cheese...not bad actually! Not amazing but good enough to say that the bakery sure knows how to do pies!

We arrived at our hostel tired and not looking forward to hiking all our luggage up the stairs to our room. The best surprise in the world awaited us when we opened our door to find our room to be the cutest loft ever! And beside each bed was our luggage that Jodie had brought up, with a few of the boys' help! It was amazing and when we found Jodie we screamed and bear hugged her due to her kind act and because we had gone six hours without our friend and missed her!

This hostel was like a rustic cabin retreat along with wood-burning fireplaces and huge gathering areas were LOTR marathons were happening. It rained all afternoon and to be in front of a fire and relaxing, reading, sleeping and even skyping was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. It was the last night with our boys (sniff sniff) and in such a manner we had banana pancakes for supper and they were amazing! I need to mention that contribution of a large Nutella by Andrew...it was the icing on the cake. As our last night ended by discussions of head massages, picture transfers and good times we felt so blessed to have met these guys and experience the North Island with them. Luv B

Taupo...a town that is more than meets the eye

When you first arrive in Taupo, all you hear is the great skydiving and adventure packed activites in this area. But once you stay a couple days you realize there is much more that makes this town great! Taupo has quite an interesting history. In 181 AD the volcanic crater erupted causing such a great outburst that it was recorded in both ancient Rome and China histories. After the massive explosion, the resulting hole filled with water and created Lake Taupo (the largest lake in NZ), which is the same size as Signapore
This little town was our home for three nights, due to the fact that the Tangariro Crossing did not happen the day after we arrived due to terrible weather. Tiny shops are unique and surronded by dozens of enticing cafe's that have picture worthy views of the lake. We just couldn't bring ourselves to pay the massive price for a decent meal...which meant we could weasel them out of giving us samples of everything they could; gelato, turkish delight (which all of you at home who love Big Turk aka my dad, it is not the same at all and to be honest quite blah) and anything else they would give us! My favorite part of thie town was the dress shop by a Kiwi designer Annah Stretton. Stepping into the store immediately transmits you back to being an 8 year old in your mother's closet and we all felt like little girls with the delicate and beautiful dresses. I couldn't resist buying one...what can you do if a dress just feels like it was made for you....the only option is to pull out that credit card and say "I'll take it!"
Love you all at home! B

Tongariro Crossing

November 10, 2009

There is a famous hike in N.Z. named the Tongariro Crossing. I had never heard of it before and definitely had no ambition to hike the 16 km/8hr crossing. Luckily, our group of four is split down the middle in regards to hiking. Jodie, having had done the West Coast Trail this past summer, and Danielle, who lugged her hiking shoes across the Pacific but neglected to bring her running shoes, are both keen hikers and were looking forward to this hike since we first touched down in N.Z. Then, on the other side of the spectrum are Britt and I. Britt, who's last hike other than Bear's Hump was in Jr High, and I, who was scarred from a previous 8 hr hike with guys who don't pause to breathe, were practicing our excuses for not going on the hike from the first moment we heard about it's existence.

Britt and I changed our minds every other day and on the night before, we made the self-less decision not to go to ensure we didn't slow down the boys and our hiker friends. Unfortunately, when we told the boys we weren't going, we weren't met with relief and congratulations on making the right choice like we had hoped; instead, the boys were completely adamant that we should come and that we would regret not going. They even went so far as to offer to carry all our stuff if that would help change our mind. Our last hope (that the hike was too grueling for novices) was dashed when the hostel worker told us that old people, overweight people, and children have all completed the crossing and lived. We had to do it.

Bright and early the next day, our group arrived at the start and, determined to not only keep up to the others but maybe even be in the lead, Britt and I set the pace and lead the way...... the wrong way... Luckily, someone alerted us that we were leading about 20 people the opposite direction before we were too far gone... We didn't lead the way after that, but 7 hours later we had hiked across volcanos, past Mount Doom, crossed emerald lakes, and emerged from the woods. I would like to say that we discovered the love for hiking but we didn't. Many times I was miserable, cold, exhausted and sometimes all three at once. But it was beautiful, we kept up, didn't complain and when we came off the mountain I did feel a sense of accomplishment and that was invigorating. I don't think Brittany and I will ever love hiking the way Jod and Dan do, but now we have proved to ourselves that we can hike 8 hour hikes and keep up with the pack.... We just might choose not to. Just like Brittany said once we were finished, "That was awesome, we did better than we thought, and it was beautiful... but never again." haha... This is one of those memories that you are so grateful for, and will always remember fondly, but in the heat of the moment, you would have given anything to be anywhere other than climbing straight up for a km in the freezing wind.

P.S. I feel like I have to give credit where due; to Mark for doing the 3 hr mountain summit hike in 1.5 hours; to Andrew for attempting the summit hike off the beaten path; to Jodie for flying down the last bit of the hike and arriving 40 min earlier than the rest of us (she's a machine); to Dan and Grant for hiking the crossing in the midst of sickness; and to Britt for hiking the crossing, not for the enjoyment but to prove to ourselves that we could hike if we choose to. If...

Cheers! V

November 7, 2009

Rotorua, North Island NZ

We separated and did our own thing in Rotorua today. Britt & I took in the glorious Polynesian spas (natural hot springs in Canadian lingo). The outdoor hot pools are naturally fed by all the geothermic activity in Rotorua. It smells like Sulpher, but eventually you become used to the not so favorable aroma of rotten eggs everywhere J. It was a dream after caving, sea kayaking, and just staying nice & active throughout our trip so far. There was about 7 different pools with different temperatures & designs…all open next Lake Rotorua….stunning! This is one of the Top 10 rated spas in the entire world, so we definitely couldn’t have turned down this opportunity. One of the tubs was 42 degrees, so it was a max 5 minute hop in & out without bringing our blood to a boil. Jodie went hiking to check out the geysers & Rotorua sights with some friends, and Valena checked out the great shopping this cute little town had to offer.

Saturday evening we went out to the Pig & Whistle for our first kiwi fish & chips. It’s also a micro brewery so we tried out the local beer (Pig Lager). The reason we had to find a local sports pub was to take in the Wellington Lion’s final against Christchurch. They were battling in the final game for the New Zealand cup, so we cheered Ged on from the North Island!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in Starbucks. It’s so strange walking into a Starbucks with all the seasonal drinks & paraphernalia displayed….and then walking back into sunshine & 25 degrees after an Americano. I don’t know how it’s going to feel like Christmas this year without snow, in Adelaide, in 40 degree weather on the beach. Regardless, we’ll have each other- which has proven to be such a blessing! 4 is truly the perfect number to travel with. Perfect for all our 4 bedroom hostel rooms, 4 is ideal for making & sharing meals together…and I could go on and on…but will just end saying that these girls are incredible travel companions. Our easy-going ‘Canadian’ attitude is perfect for hopping around New Zealand, and meeting other great people along the way.

Blessings! d.

MAKETU MAORI CULTURAL NIGHT, November 5 2009

We have arrived in Maketu, and it smells a little like southern Alberta (well, Picture Butte) with all the dairy farms. Apparently this area is a wealth for producing dairy & kiwi fruit! (Little side note: our driver educated us on the fact that magic mushrooms grow on the vines of kiwi plants and while they’re illegal to pick by hand it’s literally legal to get on your hands and knees, if you can manage, and eat them as though you were grazing). Yeah, right!? Who knows? This is the same 4 girls that fell for the ‘Shoat’ story on our way to the Waitomo caves. Ricki told us that a group of brothers interbred sheep and goats so that the sheep could handle the rugged terrain better, called them Shoats, and we totally believed them. We got our photo taken with the token giant kiwi fruit and Valena & Dan played DJ for the Stray bus rides in between stops. After being thrilled with our friends’ Huka in Wellington, we managed to take another one in here at Maketu. We stopped at a place called Uncle Boy’s & had dinner & a cultural evening. Us girls shook our hips & danced the Poi while the guys in our group learned the Huka. One of the Maori boys picked out Britt from a group of like 35 girls for her wicked hips! So, we’ve added Shakira to her list of nicknames. It’s hilarious forcefully trying to create nicknames for each other…they’re not quite sticking yet. Another one up for vote is ‘Ritz”, kinda rhymes with Britz…and there’s a story behind it. Feel free to comment and vote!

Cheers! d.

November 4

We arrived in Raglan early afternoon and were welcomed with sunshine, which was perfect for our much anticipated afternoon of riding the waves...or at least attempting to. The hostel we stayed at was very cool, the buildings were built on the side of a mountain, with hammocks on the balconies and everything. It was very surfer-esque (don't think that's even a word). The atmosphere is that place was very chill and easy-going which was very appealing. First on our agenda for Raglan was hoping on the surf boards and showing off our skills!
Britt and Dan have both taken surfing lessons before in Hawaii, while Valena and I were brand new at it. V took the smart way out and opted for a boogie board instead, but I was determined to surf, without paying for lessons. We got to the beach and Raglan surf shop to get all decked out in our wetsuits and grab our boards and checked out the waves. Not gonna lie, they were a bit bigger than I was hoping for my first time surfing, but I was still pumped to give it a go anyways. I didn't have a clue of what to do, how you time the waves, how you are supposed to get up on your board, but figured it'd be all through trial and error. I'd like to say that once we got our boards we ran into the ocean like a bunch of Baywatch beauties, but it was more of us struggling to carry the surfboards without dropping them in the sand.
Much to our surprise, the water wasn't near as cold as we had anticipated, giving us the extra push to jump into the water and get a start on this debacle that was awaiting us. It took V no time to quickly learn how to ride the waves, although she did have some rolls and tumbles along the way where the wave definitely won in the contest. The waves were non-stop, not allowing us much break time in between and so we were always on our toes, ready to either challenge the wave or else jump over or under it and wait for something good to come our way. My first attempt was quite pathetic, I don't even think that it was a very big wave, but it got the best of me. I remember turning towards the beach and paddling thinking, 'oh ya, i got this', but soon found out that i wasn't even near getting it and ended up getting knocked off my board and swallowing a few gulps of delicious salt water. But not to worry, I kept persevering and before I knew it I made it onto my knees on the board, felt the adrenaline rush while i was riding the way and then boom! I was down again! Between the walking and jumping against the waves and getting crushed on my futile attempts, surfing proved to be a tiring sport. But I loved it! I was determined to not give up until I got up to standing on the board at least a few times. Luckily, my wish came true. About 35 minutes into my surfing expedition I actually managed to get up onto my feet and rode the wave. I'm sure that I still looked ridiculous as I was standing, all wobbly and such, but I sure felt like a surfer, cruising to shore, riding the wave. It was so exhilarating that it gave me an extra boost that made me want to stay out there all afternoon and conquer those waves. I was able to get up a few more times, which gave me great satisfaction seeing as that i went into it not really knowing what to do or expect. I think that surfing is something that all of us girls are going to find ourselves doing as much as we can in Australia. Every time I looked over to see how Danielle and Britt were doing, whether it was paddling with a wave or coming up after getting beat by the ocean, they both had big smiles on their faces. We are all surfer girls in making, it may take a while before we can actually say we are true surfers, but it will happen...just wait and see! Valena had a great day body boarding on the waves and probably was a few pounds lighter than the rest of us girls as we all seemed to take in a lot of salt water that afternoon. I think that we have talked surfing up enough that next time she'll give it a chance and hop onto the surfing train.
The best part about arriving in Raglan that day is that we caught up to our friends from the last Stray bus and our group was back together. That night there was a scavenger hunt to win a free pass to caving in the Waitomo caves, which all of us girls unfortunately lost...but we all came so close to winning. I was introduced to my first nutella, peanut butter and banana sandwich, which was heavenly and i was immediately addicted. We all hopped onto the Flying Fox after it took us girls a few extra minutes to figure out what way the zip-line actually went and then had a big ping pong competition consisting of 'around the world' and doubles. The night ended with me challenging mountain man Mark to a singles game of ping pong and losing. After that I think that everyone was in so much shock about my loss that we all stumbled to bed in disbelief. What a way to end another day of fun in New Zealand. Next stop was our cultural experience in Maketu.

love you all,
jod

Rafting down a waterfall

When someone asks you if you want to take a ride down a 7 meter waterfall (largest waterfall you can commercially raft down in the world) you can only say yes and ask where to sign up! We went white water rafting in Rotarua to take on another feat and we are happy to say that we all took the plunge, literally. The raft was only 4 meters long so when we went over, the raft goes about 3 meters down into the water and then pops back up. It was so incredible! Our guide only had to say "get down" and we held on to the ropes, tucked our chins and then wedged ourselves down into the raft and didn't let go. We popped back up and were all giggles until Jodie said "where is valena" and we noticed her floating down the river! She didn't end up holding on as tight as we all did and ended up going for a little swim! After being pulled in we had a little more fun with the river going down smaller waterfalls and then a bunch of people jumped out for a swim...and then rode down some rapids themselves! The scenery was amazing along this river. It felt like we were in a lost rainforest!

The cool thing was that before we even entered the water the guides did a maori prayer and blessings thanking nature and the river. The native language is so beautiful, it reminds of a little of being in Hawaii!

After that we got teased by the sun and it's warmth that we ended up heading to a park to suntan only to fall asleep for about five minutes and wake up to a chilling wind. We hastened back to our room to change and then head downtown. Rotarua is such a cute town with tons of little shops that beckoned us to enter. The annoying part was all the stores and even most cafes close at five! Good for our wallets, bad for updating our wardrobe.

We had another night of making pizzas (seriously the best meal yet...so fresh and good...I am sure that even the guys were jealous of our creations!). It's so easy to do just get tortillas and as many vegetables you can think of (mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, red peppers, asparagus tomatoes, etc.) and put a little cheese on top and then you have a masterpiece! We then all rented Lord of the Rings since we all were craving to watch it since being in NZ. Some nodded off before we even reached Hobbiton and some lasted until Rivendell. Needless to say we were all exhausted and turned it off to have an early night!

PS We are all ADDICTED to Kiwis...we eat at least 6-10 a day and have learned the real way to eat the fruit by eating the peel as well. I know it sounds gross but it really adds something to the kiwi! The trick is to rub off all the hair on the skin and then you can eat it! So good you should try it!

Luv B

November 5, 2009

Today we went to Waitomo Caves, a largely uncharted network of caves that were created by water running through the soft limestone. We choose the Haggus Honking Hole expedition that had us underground for more than 2 hours! It was a wet expedition so we were fully suited up in wetsuits (for the second day in a row), jackets, helmets and rubber boots and we went clomping down into the cave entrance. The caves were breath-taking and I instantly regretted not bringing my water-proof camera. Isn't that always the way though? No matter how much effort and time you put into packing efficiently, you always end up leaving things you should have brought and taking things you should have left at home. Our guides, Russ and Dean, were so fantastically witty! I'm seriously thinking that every Kiwi is born with an amazing sense of humor, I have yet to find a boring one.

We were thrown head first into cave abseiling when we came to our first cliff to repel down and it was down a 20 m drop. It was a bit unnerving not being able to see the ground below you. Next came abseiling down a waterfall and it's safe to say that there was not a dry bone left in me when I got to the bottom. The shock of the water was nothing to when I looked around and found myself in a bathroom sized cavern room with no apparent way out. All the people who had gone before me were nowhere to be seen so I knew there must be a way out but I had no idea what to do. Lesson #1 when in a cave: Listen to the guides... I did not follow that rule... Completely clueless, I decided to just hang out till Jodie, who was next to come down, repelled down and then follow her out but the guide starting calling out from the top to get moving on and I faintly remembered Russ, our guide, saying something about following the water and going feet first but the water from the falls seemed to be going out a lil crevice barely 1.5 ft high... Taking a leap of faith or stupidity I went feet first with the water and sure enough I found my way to the others. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who didn't listen to the guide, Brittany found herself in the same predicament, which figures... The two of us get lost walking around on top of the ground, it's fitting that we would get lost under ground.

My favorite parts of the caving were those moments when you were all alone, with no-one visible in front or behind me and you get the feeling that you are the first to come down this way and looking at all the cave formations, glow worms and just being lost in the darkness. P.S. glow worms are not the cute little creatures they sound like, their true name is Arachnocampa lunimosa. Basically, they are larva stage of a spider-like insect that emits a light to attract food. Ick. But that's why ignorance is bliss... They look so pretty if you don't look too closely. There were definitely times that I was glad I didn't eat those chocolate bars like I had recently wanted to because it was such a tight squeeze that I got my knee caught or my hip. One time we went down a space so small that we had to be lowered down one by one rather than abseiling; Dan was the brave one to go down first and it was honestly freaky because you turned off your light and had no idea how far you were headed down, it's a very lucky thing none of us have claustrophobia cause I'm pretty sure this would be their worst nightmare. We all loved it!!!!

Random bit of information.... If you find yourself in N.Z. in November and all the men appear slightly creepy with mustaches, it is not usually that way. November is officially called "Movember" in N.Z. and all the men grow mustaches in attempt to raise awareness for men's health.. It's fantastic, there's a lot of mustache envy going around and good variety. My favorite so far has been an Irish bloke with a perfect handlebar mustache.

Thanks for following along we us in our adventures! Hopefully everything is well with everyone! We love y'all and miss home but luckily, we are finding out that N.Z is a pretty good place to be our home away from home...

Luv, V

Hot Water Beach: Our Natural Spa

November 3, 2009

After kayaking we hitched a ride to at an appropriately named 'Hot Water Beach'. This amazing geothermic beach provides an amazing phenomenon that is unfortunately tide-dependant so the first day we missed out but we were ready the next day. The idea is that you dig a hole in the sand and try your best not to be burnt by the sometimes boiling hot water that comes up from natural hot springs underneath the sand, and when the sea water mixes with it, you find yourself a perfect lil natural Hot Tub! Armed with a spade, we went to the beach an hour before low tide to stake our piece of beach. Only some areas have hot pockets underneath the sand so you have to find a hot pocket that is high enough so it won't get washed away from the tide but will still be low enough to get some ocean water in to cool it off. Let's just say we deserved our 'spa' that we dug after enduring burnt feet and strained backs from shoveling for an hour. Jodie's farm girl work ethic came in handy because she was the only one of the four who could wield the full size shovel, the rest of us rotated between the spades and mini shovels. It was truly one of those experiences you can't believe you are actually having. Karma pulled through for us today, as we were attempting to walk back the hour and half to our campsite, we decided we should have our first attempt at hitch-hiking and in the end we were picked up by the three French travelers we had just recently shared our hot pool with.

Luv V

November 3

Well, I can personally check sea kayaking off my life list, since we all got to to experience the epic adventure with our trusting guide Hayden. It was incredible being out in the early morning on the ocean, with no worries of a shark coming to devour our kayak, and being able to have such an awesome opportunity to see the coves and little islands dotting the horizon.

Jodie and Valena went in one kayak together leaving Danielle and myself in the other one. We started on our way against the wind but our busting biceps were no match for the wind and waves. We made a slight detour into stingray bay and all got to see wild stingrays in their natural habitat and they were amazing!! In 1992, Hahei created a marine reserve nine square kilometers and since that time the marine life has increased 1600%!!! It's amazing when nature is left alone without human interference, the ability to flourish and sustain life. It's like it can revert to being "untouched".

We arrived at Cathedral Cove in time to see the sun breaking through and for Dan to have her first swim in the ocean. The water is not cold, only refreshing! Our handy guide Hayden took our orders for coffee, hot chocolate or mochachino and we busied ourselves in writing on the beach and hanging out with Hayden. After a lovely coffee break with cookies (that were so good dipped in hot chocolate), we headed back into our canoes and headed out into the ocean to have an upclose view of two islands. We donned some very colorful jackets that definitely added some flair to our wetsuit outfit! But the wind was nippy so we were so glad for them on the way back.

Hayden not only was an amazing guide but he took Valena's camera and was our unofficial photographer for the trip and he got some amazing shots! We really lucked out having him! We reached the islands to find a little cave that we had to "paddle hard into" and felt a sense of huge accomplishment coming out the other side! Every rock we passed, Hayden had a tale to tell us about the Maori, early explorers and legends. What a handy guide! We even got to name a rock. We chose elbow (in Maori it is tuke) since Hayden told us most rock formations were named after body parts. We were sad to see the shore get closer and closer because that meant we were finished and no one wanted to end the kayaking!

This was a fantastic day on the water and even though it didn't seem like it, we got a lot of sun (since there is a massive hole in the ozone layer above NZ) and we all looked a little toasty afterwards!

Luv B