So it's been FOREVER since I've posted my last post and I'm sorry, but I have been on the go since Queenstown. Wow. There is so much to catch up on I don't even know where to start. Lets see...I left you guys off with Milford Sound. After Milford, we drove back to Queenstown for a quick lunch and then drove almost 6 hours to Mt. Cook, which is a magnificent mountain that we only got to see for about 2 minutes before the clouds covered it up again, but if you google it, I am sure you can see what it really looks like. We stayed at the YHA there, which was actually really nice. Wood floors and walls, and a GREAT view!! LOVE IT. We rested the first day we got there, since we got there late afternoon. It was really nice to do nothing. We tried going out that night, but the little bar we went to closed early and the bartenders were mean. There was great live music that night though. We walked back to the hostel that night and I don't think I have ever seen so many stars. It's so clear and clean over in NZ.
The next day, while Bennett, Katie, Maragret, and Jordan went rock climbing with Scott (there werent enough rock climbing gear for all of us :-( Audra and I went on a nice four hour hike up to see Hooker Valley. That was cool because of the suspension bridges we climbed to and the ice chunks we saw in the lake up at the top. LOVE it. Pictures are up on facebook. After the hike Aurda and I (along with Bennett and Katie) just lounged around the hostel watching movies and TV shows...it was the life. :) But Mt. Cook had to end.
So we left and drove to Christchurch, which is the cutest city I have seen in all of New Zealand. A good size, clearly made for tourism and so quaint. It had nice measuems and beautiful botanical gardens! I had fun there walking around taking in the sights. There was a bag pipe thing going on because there had to be 10 bag piping teams in the central square (Cathedral Sq). The hostel was really nice too. We had a balcony!! sweet!! That first night (Sunday) the group went out on the town to see the nightlife. Not much was going on, but we still had a blast. We met up with these crazy guys who just won a Cricket tournment and were celebrating. It was lots of fun hanging with them. One of them is coming to live in Boston in a few months, so we became quick friends. Some of our group stayed out till 6am, while the rest turned in by 1 or 2am. The next day was a day of recovery for some and a day of internet, laundry, secret kiwi, and gift getting for me. That second night we were in Christchurch I got to see Amanda (woo FHer for those who don't know her) That was awesome catching up and seeing an old friend. We had a good dinner. I miss Woo Hockey now :( Around 10pm we ended our dinner. Christchurch was pretty much closed up that late too. I went to sleep when I got back to the hostel because we had a 4am wake up call that next morning to go to Australia!!
But our time in New Zealand had to come to and end. I was sad to say goodbye to the mountains of that beautiful country and I was even more disappointed that I didn't see any before I left that morning because it was 4am in the morning and pitch black dark. It was super early, but I was still super exicted to see Australia, where I really wanted to go in the first place! Though we couldn't leave the country without ONE person having some issues....
We had some troubles at the airport with Dom. Dom didn't inform Scott that his passport number had changed and he had to get a new visa ASAP at the airport and then his bags were 10 kilos overweight, which is really impossible to do, but he did it with all the BOOKS he bought. He loves books i guess. OY!! He had to pay a lot more money for the extra weight, and since we is now living off of a small budget that was not good for him. sigh...i guess he'll learn from his mistakes.
After all that trouble we waited to take our 3 hour flight to the land downunder. That flight was uncomfortable, so I was happy when it was over. Going through customs again was stressful. I was worried I was going to have a problem with the camping gear going through, but where was no problem with that. Well, customs did look at my tent, but it was just because they had to, but the guy was really nice and we talked about my trip so far.
Once we got outside...we could DEF tell the difference in temperature immediately between the two countries. Australia was HOT and HUMID!! I was not prepared, but at the same time that was what I wanted the whole time in NZ when it was COLD. I got my wish, but then I found myself wishing that the temp was more like NZ. OY VEY! hahaha.
After getting our rental van, we loaded up and headed to Brisbane. It's a nice city, but I don't really want to go back. I liked Christchurch better. We ate in a food court and then went to the museum, which was free and fun inside. After that, we drove to Noosa, a little beach town, which was soo cute and I wanted to stay there FOREVER. The houses were nice, the beaches were great, the town was quaint. I loved it, but we were only there for a night. We took a night hike out FIRST night in Australia (Scott said that was impressive considering all the dangerous animals and insects in the country) and we saw a rare Powerful Owl and some toads and spiders. We walked on the beach by moonlight and saw lots of crabs. Then we got lost...oy! but we found our way. I was exhasted, took a rinse shower, packed for our last adventure trip and went to sleep in our HOTTTTT room. I managed to sleep fine, since thats how hot my room is in the summer and I am used to it, but others complained the whole night. I guess its good to live in hott summers. :)
That morning we left around 8 and stopped at a huge market, which had a lot of cute things for sale, but I managed to purchase nothing. It was fun, but i was sweating from the heat and the sun. When we left the market we drove to the barge that would take us to Fraser Island -- our second to last ADVENTURE (last hiking) trip. That was about a 2 hour drive. Once we got there we had to repack our bags with our food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. OUr bags were really heavy this time around. I was exhausted after 50 feet of walking, but you gotta puch through that and you find you walked 5 hours by the end of the day.
The barge ride was about a 1/2 hour long (some of us ate some icecream -- its my new thing here -- i love iceceam -- thanks KATIE). Once we got to the island (the whole island is made out of SAND -- but rainforests, mangroves, etc has managed to grow out of it) we jump in a 4WD jeep and drove for about an hour -- this was a bumpy, jerky, sandy hour ride across the island, but once we got to the beach it was smooth and beautiful. If you ever get a chance to drive on a beach -- DO IT! We finally got to our destination - Dilli Villiage -- where we would be staying our first night. It was nice, but the BUGS are INSANE. The horseflies was HUGE and the mosquiots don't quit. BUt our accomodations were nice. There was flush toliets and showers. There was a lake close by (more like a pond) and it was tea colored (almost blood colored), so that was weird swimming in it. It was also warm. YUCK. No warm water after a hott day in the sun. Oh well. It still cooled us down.
Day 2 of Fraser Island -- We started our expedition! And it was immediatley hot and sweaty. Our bags were heavy, but the good thing was that this island isn't that hilly. Though we still managed to hit some -- but they aren't as bad as NZ hills which are MOUNTAINS. We rain into a lot of spider webs with HUGE spiders in them, and saw some cool lizards. One that first day we saw some amazing sand dunes. It looked and felt like we were in the middle of the desert, with vegetation all around it. Bennett said it looked like a mirage, and he was right. Could we really be on this huge sand dune in the middle of lush forest?? I guess so. We stopped at a lake for lunch, and we all dived into the tea colored water. It was glorious after 2.5 hours of hiking. We ate lunch and then proceeded to walk in the blazing hott sun without any shade for a half hour. It was torture. I drank half my water after that little walk. Our final destination was at Lake Benaroon, which wasn't as tea colored and really cute. Our campsite didn't have any dingo fences (dingos are the wild dogs) so we had to becareful with our food. They had dingo bins at the sites so we put all food in those. After dinner we all had a night swim, which was so much fun and refreshing becuase all y ou do in Australia is sweat.
Day 3 - That morning we packed back up and went on our next 4 -5 hour journey. We crossed paths with Central Station, which is the middle campsite of the island and it was busy with lots of people. First people we had seen since Dilli Village. We ate a snack and then proceeded to Basin Lake, which was small, but had crystal clear water! AMazing and COLD! Margaret, Audra, Bennett and I stayed there for a while, while the other went on to the campsite. Once we deicided we should pack up and go, we had an hour in front of us of hiking. It went by slowly, but at the end was the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. Lake Mckenzie. The water was also crystal blue and the sand was white and it looked like you were in the ocean, but with fresh water. Perfect. I was content, until Scott brought out the cookies (our last bag) to eat, and then a DINGO stole them!! I thought it was a cute dog at first, but when I realized it was the wild dingo it was too late. It had stolen them. Bennett and Scott tried to get them back, but it was no use. They heard the dog eating them in the woods. AND then it had thr audacity to come back out to the lake (in front of us) and take a drink. He strolled away like he was the king of the world. We were not happy.
That night we were sad because this was the last time we were ever going to camp together and the last time Katie, Audra and I were going to be in a tent together. :( But we got over our saddness. We had some night swimming again and then Scott informed us that Dom was bitten by a scorpion!!!! We couldnt believe it! We thought he was joking, but I guess he was stung by a nickle sized scorpion. yikes! It happened in the bathroom. I did not want to go to the bathroom after that, and I didn't. I guess since it was a baby the venom wasn't that bad or the sting wasn't big enough to do any damage (something like that). He's fine though.
Day 4 --- Our last day hiking EVER....It was hard and steep. We thought it was going to take 5 hours but it ended up taking 3 hours, so that was a nice surprise. Dom had difficulty climbing because of his sting...i dont know if i believed it (i know thats terrible, but he was perfectly fine when we stopped at the end of the hike). We were ALL exhausted beyond belief. Scott ended up carrying his backpack and Doms. It was sad. I was on my last legs when we got to the barge. We got there 3 hours early, so we sat around and sawm a little and watched the SWARMS of carbs surry around on the beach. That was cool. Ate icecream and made pb&j sandwiches. YUM! Once the barge came, we started really planning out Scott's birthday, which was on the 8th. We were going to make him a scavenger hunt around the hostel (or beach cottages). and then have a big party. We were all excited to make it all happen. But that night, we were going to Hervey Bay to the Friendly Hostel -- which was super nice (it was an apartment just for us -- nicce) We ended up staying in that night ordering pizza and watching Trainspotting -- good movie by the way.
After Hervey Bay we drove 6 hours to Byron Bay. We dropped off Dom half way because he was going off to visit a friend on our free days. Once we got to Byron Bay we shopped for food and presents for Scott's birthday. We made it a mexican theme. We made gucamole and quesidillas (sp?). We also had chips and salsa, lots of decorations and drinks to spare. He had no idea what was coming to him. Katie ended up making him this awesome sombrero hat out of ferns and the decorations we had. It was so cool. Anyways....
...When we arrived at our beach cottages we were blown away. We had two of them and they have two bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and bathroom. SO nice and it has AC in it too. The beach it is on is BEAUTIFUL. Clear water, white white sand, awesome waves, and good sun. haha. Australia's beaches are amazing!! I wish they were like this on the east coast. ugh! oh well.
Well...skip forward to Scott's birthday night. It was so much fun. We started off with the scavenger hunt, which was ahige success, and then we proceeded to dinner and drinks. We played lots of cards games and it was just rowdiness. We had a night swim in the ocean, though I was super aware of the tide and waves. I did not want to get swept away. YIKES. But it was so much fun. We had sparklers and then had a dance party in our house. Scott was so surprised. He did not expect everything we did for him, which made the nigh so much better. I am so happy we gave him a great birthday, and it was in a beautiful location. Lucky man.
Today -- the 9th -- we woke up early to go sea kayaking, and it was sea kayaking. We had to fight the waves to get into the ocean and then it was up and down on the waves for 2 hours. I didn't get to see any dolphins (well most of us didnt), so they offered us another free ride at some point if we ever wanted one. I guess dolphins are usually more present in the rides. Oh well. It was still a lot of fun being out on the clear blue water. Though I did feel sick an hour and half into it. I was glad to be back on dry land. After kayaking we all came back to the cottages and hung out. Ate, watched TV, napped, went to the beach. I have a killer tan. I am so dark. It's nice. Now we are in town and I can write this ridiculously long blog.
Some other things I would like to mention...
-- the first kangaroo I saw was dead on the side of the road :(
-- Australia has rest stops like the US -- NZ didn't
-- hitch hiking is very prevelant in NZ and Aus.
-- the accent here isn't has pronounced as NZ accents
-- things feel more expensive in Aus compared to NZ
-- its a lot flatter in Australia
-- the beaches are amazing here
-- there 50 cent coin is 5 times as big as there 2 dollar coin
-- there is no daylight saving time in Queenland (on of the states) and there is daylight savings in New South Wales
-- Different time zones between the two east coast states....
Ok that's all for now! I miss you all and I will get pics up soon. This internet cafe doesn't have a USB connection. I hope you enjoyed reading about the last ten days of my life or so.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Queenstown and Milford Sound
I feel like this is going to be quick...for now...because i only have 13 minutes to write, but this is what happened the last few days...
In Queenstown we ate a lot. Winnies is the BEST pizza place ever. We went three times in the 2.5 days we were there. haha. Ferburger was really good too...their burgers are HUGE! One day we all did different things. Bennett got a tattoo. Audra, Jordan, and Katie went bungy jumping on the 2nd highest jump in the world. Margaret, Scott and I climbed an 8,000 ft moutain and saw a LOTR scene site. (We actually climed 3,000 of it, but it was sooo awesome at the top. We were in the clouds! so amazing. And Dom went bungy jumping at the first site ever in the world.
After Queenstown and recharging our batteries, we drove 3 hours to Milford Sound, which is sooo beautiful. We stayed at this place called Gunns Camp, which are tiny little cabins lined up, where the power is turned off at 10pm. The sandflies were horrendous, but we managed to keep them away from our skin. Lots of clothing. We kayaked on Milford Sound which was sooooo pretty. The mountains were huge and some famous waterfall there is three times taller than Niagra Falls. NUTS!! After four hours of it though I was ready for some LUNCH! YUM. we were so tired and we pretty much slept for the rest of the day. After Beautiful Milford Sound we came back to Queenstown and ate lunch and shopped for our dinners at Mt. Cook, which is where I am at now. We can't really see Mt. Cook very well, but it looks like Mt. Everst (the pics ive seen) but smaller. Its absolutely amazing on the South Island. The scenery is breathtaking and I am so lucky to be here. I'll put up pictures later tonight (i hope). We are at Mt. Cook for two nights and then we are off to Christchurch...i might get to see Amanda!! FH reunion. yay!!
I can think of more to say, but i will add them later tonight. Miss you all still. Less than three weeks till I am home. crazy, but i need to make $$ and start figuring out what i need to do with my life...sigh. but so far this has been an amazing experience.
In Queenstown we ate a lot. Winnies is the BEST pizza place ever. We went three times in the 2.5 days we were there. haha. Ferburger was really good too...their burgers are HUGE! One day we all did different things. Bennett got a tattoo. Audra, Jordan, and Katie went bungy jumping on the 2nd highest jump in the world. Margaret, Scott and I climbed an 8,000 ft moutain and saw a LOTR scene site. (We actually climed 3,000 of it, but it was sooo awesome at the top. We were in the clouds! so amazing. And Dom went bungy jumping at the first site ever in the world.
After Queenstown and recharging our batteries, we drove 3 hours to Milford Sound, which is sooo beautiful. We stayed at this place called Gunns Camp, which are tiny little cabins lined up, where the power is turned off at 10pm. The sandflies were horrendous, but we managed to keep them away from our skin. Lots of clothing. We kayaked on Milford Sound which was sooooo pretty. The mountains were huge and some famous waterfall there is three times taller than Niagra Falls. NUTS!! After four hours of it though I was ready for some LUNCH! YUM. we were so tired and we pretty much slept for the rest of the day. After Beautiful Milford Sound we came back to Queenstown and ate lunch and shopped for our dinners at Mt. Cook, which is where I am at now. We can't really see Mt. Cook very well, but it looks like Mt. Everst (the pics ive seen) but smaller. Its absolutely amazing on the South Island. The scenery is breathtaking and I am so lucky to be here. I'll put up pictures later tonight (i hope). We are at Mt. Cook for two nights and then we are off to Christchurch...i might get to see Amanda!! FH reunion. yay!!
I can think of more to say, but i will add them later tonight. Miss you all still. Less than three weeks till I am home. crazy, but i need to make $$ and start figuring out what i need to do with my life...sigh. but so far this has been an amazing experience.
Friday, February 20, 2009
last volunteer project
so we are finally done with the volunteering bit of our trip and this week was actually a lot of fun with a few exceptions. On Monday we left Nelson (Scott's home -- we had dinner at his house with his family one night, which was really nice and watched the best movie i have seen in a while -- Whale Rider -- lots of Maori culture in it, so it was cool watching it knowing what was going on). We drove about and hour and half to get to Nelson Lakes (Rotoirti), which was where our last project was. We set up camp, which was covered in sand flies (those are evil tiny bugs that eat you alive). After we set up camp we realized we were sharing the campsite with lots of families of ducks. I named on Caroline, and a hurt baby Emma. It was a lot of fun being around animals -- that seriously would sit 2 inches away from you waiting for food to drop. Had to watch where you stepped because you might step on them. So that Monday we started to work right away -- we went to the DOC office and met John, Geth, Hayden, Paul, and more. They told us we were going to put some posts in the ground and then go mountain biking, which i hate. Clearing the path and putting in posts was easy, but the short mountain biking trail, which was relativley easy, HURT a lot and made me nervous. I do not like biking on uneven ground. sigh.
We were done after that mountian biking and i was grateful because i was exhausted. This campsite compared to everywhere else was a five star hotel. It was flush toilets, four hot showers, laundry!, and a kitchen area. it was pretty sweet, and i was so happy to be there -- minus the sandflies, which really did eat me alive. The next day we had a treat waiting for us -- a helicoper ride!! however, we had to wait around 4 hours for the weather the clear to take the ride. During those four hours we all did crossword puzzles, which seems to be the game of choise between us all. Finally when the weather cleared we were given the thumbs up to go. The ride was about 4 minutes long, which it was amazing. the views were beautiful. It was a smooth ride up and we landed on top of Mt. Roberts (1500 meters) and started work. We torn our culverts and unneeded stairs and when we were done we hiked down the mountain -- which was beautiful. I took some amazing pictures. I hope to put them up soon. The hike down was rough on my knees tho. they dont like going downhill anymore. Once down, we were done with our day. I believe this was the day I jumped into the ice cold lake by our campsite. It was fun, but I was glad to get out. These lakes were fed by glaciers once upon a time. That night we went back to the DOC offices to watch a presentation about what they are doing around the National Park. Thy are trying to g et all the rodents our of the bush so birds can flourish again -- like kiwis!! which we didnt get to see :(
On day three we went into the forest to fix rodent traps. We split into pairs (i was with Dom) and did a track each. It was fun and a good work out, and i was done after my track, but Scott voted us to clear a bigger and longer track, which turned out to be a mistake because I, and two other people were attacked my wasps. I was stung once, Jordan was stung once, and Bennett was stung four times. NO fun. I was ready to get out of the bush that day. The rest of the day was a lazy day.
On our last day of working (we left early because we were warned of monsoon like raining coming our way -- and there is no way you want to pack up in those conditions) we helped plant trees and brush by a river bank that was wached away in rain and snow storms. These plants were going to help keep the bank solid and in tact. After lunch we then planed some more and cut down willow trees (which are a pest in NZ). That day went by fast. We packed up and left for Panukaiki, a very very snall town on the west coast RIGHT on the Tasman Sea. The sea is so pretty and the waves are the biggest I have seen in life. I went into them and they were so much fun, but the water was cold. My body got used to the temp quickly tho. All that was in this town was a pub, a little cafe, and the pancake rocks, which are stacked rocks that looks like stacks of pancakes. We also walked the Truman Trail, which was scenic. After two nights I was itching to get out of the town. We are now in another bigger town, but I am not sure what its called....oh Hokitika. After we eat lunch here we are going to Okarita (i think thats the name) to go sea kyaking in a lagoon. That sounds be nice. I hope the weather gets better because its raning here right now. Sigh. Well I am out. Ill update with more details when I am in Queenstown. Miss you all!!
Cheers!
p.s. sorry i dont spell check -- but i have to write fast because i dont have a lot of time on the comps and checking for errors takes up a lot of time.
We were done after that mountian biking and i was grateful because i was exhausted. This campsite compared to everywhere else was a five star hotel. It was flush toilets, four hot showers, laundry!, and a kitchen area. it was pretty sweet, and i was so happy to be there -- minus the sandflies, which really did eat me alive. The next day we had a treat waiting for us -- a helicoper ride!! however, we had to wait around 4 hours for the weather the clear to take the ride. During those four hours we all did crossword puzzles, which seems to be the game of choise between us all. Finally when the weather cleared we were given the thumbs up to go. The ride was about 4 minutes long, which it was amazing. the views were beautiful. It was a smooth ride up and we landed on top of Mt. Roberts (1500 meters) and started work. We torn our culverts and unneeded stairs and when we were done we hiked down the mountain -- which was beautiful. I took some amazing pictures. I hope to put them up soon. The hike down was rough on my knees tho. they dont like going downhill anymore. Once down, we were done with our day. I believe this was the day I jumped into the ice cold lake by our campsite. It was fun, but I was glad to get out. These lakes were fed by glaciers once upon a time. That night we went back to the DOC offices to watch a presentation about what they are doing around the National Park. Thy are trying to g et all the rodents our of the bush so birds can flourish again -- like kiwis!! which we didnt get to see :(
On day three we went into the forest to fix rodent traps. We split into pairs (i was with Dom) and did a track each. It was fun and a good work out, and i was done after my track, but Scott voted us to clear a bigger and longer track, which turned out to be a mistake because I, and two other people were attacked my wasps. I was stung once, Jordan was stung once, and Bennett was stung four times. NO fun. I was ready to get out of the bush that day. The rest of the day was a lazy day.
On our last day of working (we left early because we were warned of monsoon like raining coming our way -- and there is no way you want to pack up in those conditions) we helped plant trees and brush by a river bank that was wached away in rain and snow storms. These plants were going to help keep the bank solid and in tact. After lunch we then planed some more and cut down willow trees (which are a pest in NZ). That day went by fast. We packed up and left for Panukaiki, a very very snall town on the west coast RIGHT on the Tasman Sea. The sea is so pretty and the waves are the biggest I have seen in life. I went into them and they were so much fun, but the water was cold. My body got used to the temp quickly tho. All that was in this town was a pub, a little cafe, and the pancake rocks, which are stacked rocks that looks like stacks of pancakes. We also walked the Truman Trail, which was scenic. After two nights I was itching to get out of the town. We are now in another bigger town, but I am not sure what its called....oh Hokitika. After we eat lunch here we are going to Okarita (i think thats the name) to go sea kyaking in a lagoon. That sounds be nice. I hope the weather gets better because its raning here right now. Sigh. Well I am out. Ill update with more details when I am in Queenstown. Miss you all!!
Cheers!
p.s. sorry i dont spell check -- but i have to write fast because i dont have a lot of time on the comps and checking for errors takes up a lot of time.
Friday, February 13, 2009
jumping out of a plane....its nothing
OOMMGGG....i cannot believe i jumped out of a plane today!! Skydiving is the most intense feeling to ever experience. So four of us (Katie, Bennett, Jordan and I) decided we wanted to go skydiving and since this was the least expensive place we could go it seemed like a good plan. As we were driving to the place (a 45 minute drive from Nelson) we all got really nervous and were re-thinking our decisions, but once we got there we all got a rush of excitment. We got our gear on, which was ridiculous looking and waited for the plane to land. Once the plane landed, Dom (my skydiving instructor) and I were the first out to the plane (meaning i was the last to jump out of the plane!!). We all crammed into this tiny plane, which took us up to 13,000 feet!! it was a 20 minute flight until they opened the doors!!! i was freaking out before they opened the doors so imagine what it felt like when the freezing cold air rushed in! and then i had to watch three of my friends disappear under the plane at 120 mph!! when it was Dom and mine turn we shimmied (sp??) out to the edge of the plane. I was hanging out of the plane literally...while Dom was holding on. Then he let go (i am getting goosebumps remembering it right now) and it i couldnt help but close my eyes for a second but then remembered it was only 50 secs of freefall so i opened them and pretty much screamed the whole free fall down. It was lucky because it was a cloudy day so all i saw were clouds at least so it wasn't like the ground was rushing towards me...it was just clouds, which was awsome. It was the most amazing feeling. It wasn't the stomach in my throat feeling, but the IM FLYING, IM FLOATING feeling. it was SOOOO COOL!! and then all of the sudden without warning Dom pulled the parachute, and it was a huge jerk. and then i saw land!! we were 5,000 ft off the ground and it was coming QUICK, but slow. weird. it was so cool seeing the world from that perspective. so cool!! we floated down for what seemed like five minutes, but it was more like 2 minutes and we landed on our butts. OMG i wish i could explain how i felt when i was was up in the clouds. I swear the clouds taste salty and its so cold that ice was forming on me...but i think i was just freaked out i imagined the ice. The one downside is that my ear killed!! going from 13,000 feet to 5,000 ft in 50 seconds can take a toll on your ears, but im back to normal now. All i really have to say is that EVERYONE should do it once because its just pure fun. I am going to do it a lot more in the future!!! yay!!
Cheers!!
Pipes
Cheers!!
Pipes
Thursday, February 12, 2009
back from Bluemine Island
G'Day,
It feels like the last four days went by in a flash. This wasn't the most exciting week, but it had its high points. Lets see...where should i start.
Well, Wellington was a lot of fun. There was a hige street party the last night we were there and we went out and enjoyed that. We met a lot of interesting people, who were dressed up because of the huge rugby tourny going on in the city. It was like halloween, which was cool. Sadly we weren't prepared so we didn't have anything to dress up in. oh well.
On Sunday morning we left the hostel to catch a three hour ferry trip. The ferry was more like a curise ship, which had a movie theather in it, reclining lounges, a food court, an atrium, a bar, and so much more. it was really really cool, but i really liked being outside on the top of the ship watching the beautiful views go by. Oh and this ferry was taking us from the North Island to the South Island, which so far is so much more beautiful. (Oh btw...for those who are interested, Wellington is where Peter Jackson's studio is and a lot of those movies were filmed).
Once we got to Picton (on the South Island) we grabbed some food real quick and then met up with DOC or Josh, the guy who was going to take us out to Bluemine Island and show us what to do for the week. We had to bring our stuff into quarentine because they didn't want any forgien seeds or mice to get on the island since its predator free. After we made it through the blazing hot quarentine, we walked to the water to catch our water taxi. We had to load up all our boxes of clothing, food, and supplies onto a barge, which was tiring. We were maybe about 1/3 of the way to the Island when the skipper decided to turn back because the barge wasn;t doing so well on the choppy water. We had to unload and load another boat up and then make the trip again. We finally got to the island 30-45 minutes later and unloaded everything once again. We got there aroun 4pm and Josh was thinking of going on a hike, but we were all so exhausted, we decided against it. We set up our tents and campsite and made dinner and most of us went straight to bed.
The next day, we went on an island hike. We saw some cool gun installments from WWII and where the men who were stationed there lived. However, they all got drunk instead on fighting because the Japanese never came and attacked NZ. Oh well. We were then instructed on finding the smallest bird on the island and i like in NZ...the Tom Tit or Rifleman. DOC is trying to relocate them to another island because that island only has one male. We found one, who was curious, but he didn't stick around for too long. After the hike (and more bush bashing...ugh), we went from a swim and thought we might be done, but that was a trick. We then had to weed around the campsite. Some of the other group members chopped down cherry trees and other unwanted trees. After that we thought we might be done, but NO...we had to go survey fish at night in a stream and hour away. That was scary because it was night and it was really uneven ground. We were all exhasted too and by the time we reached a beach on the other side of the island we were all willing to walk in the ocean with our boots on to get to our campsite vs. going back in the bush. Walking through the ocean was really cool but kinda scary. We saw some really cool birds that we woke up by accident and Bennett thought he saw a seal, but he was wrong.
Once we got back to the campsite i was out like a light. Before I forget I must tell you about the little birds...or chicken sized birds, that look like kiwis, but are Wika's. They wander our campsite looking for things to steal for their nests. They ended up stealing camdy from me which i wasn't too happy about and they almost stole some of my cookies. They must have a sweet tooth. They were cute until the starting stealing from everyone. Sigh.
Well the next day slept in because we stayed up so late and then went off to survey snails. haha. for real. We went up a trail and then found places 10 meters off the track to find both dead and living snails. we took their measements and documented whether they died of natural cases of a wika. We did three of those snail plots and then had the rest of the day for chill out and have fun. That night we all hung out by the ocean, while Dom played his guitar and we watched something REALLY cool. We found out that there are little tiny alge-like creatures in the ocean that glow green/blue when splashed. It has to be dark to see it, but its sooo cool. its called phosfluorescent. It was super cool to watch and be a part of. Some of the group went swimming. NUTS because the water was ice cold. That was a really fun night.
The next day we were instructed to clear a path we recently went up of any brush in the way. That doesnt sound so bad, but there was HOOK GRASS and thorns we had to clear out. OUCH, but we made it through four hours of chopping and clipping with a lunch break and then had the rest of the DAY off, but we didn't have the night off. We ended up doing more fish surveying that night but it was at a closer stream. However, I had a horrible night's sleep the night before so it was super had for me not to fall alseep. but this time it was a lot more fun because last time...when we got to the steam...the stream was dried up! so lame. but the second time the stream was filled with fish and eels!! eek!! haha. but that was cooool. But once we came upon a huge cliff we had to climb up most of us turned back to get some shut eye. I was happy because i was ready to pass out and i did. it was glorious.
The next day was our last day and we didnt do anything except pack up. however, it was raining!! noo!! it was raining on our last day when we had to pack up our tents...gross. a lot of peoples clothing got soaked because they left them out thinking it wasn't going to rain. Oh well. I guess it did. We got everything packed up and got on the barge, while it was still raining and ruched back to the mainland. We saw Hector's Dolphins on the way back, which was awesome because there are only 1000 of them left in the world. We got really really lucky. It was a fun ride. we got soaked, but we went over really cool waves. YAY.
Once we got back to the mainland we packed back up said our goodbyes to Josh, who was really cool, and then made our way to Nelson (scott's hometown). We had a little tour of the town in the car and then settled into our hostel, which is really nice. its a really big house with lots of niches. ANd they have free breakfast...awesome!! After an hour at the hostel we went to Scotts house to meet his family (Rachel and Kahu--his 3 yr old son). There house is soo cute and quaint, Rachel is so nice and full of energy and their son is sooo cute. We all went out to dinner and for a drink together, which was fun and Kahu came along. so cute. After dinner Scott and his family went home, while the rest of us went on the search for dessert. We found some ice cream and then came back to get some interneting/laundry done. I won't be getting laundry done today...booo, but tomorrow i will be on that!! haha.
well thats all i got for now. I will keep you updated more later. miss you all and ill be sure to get pics up before i leave for the next trip on Monday morning. Cheers.
It feels like the last four days went by in a flash. This wasn't the most exciting week, but it had its high points. Lets see...where should i start.
Well, Wellington was a lot of fun. There was a hige street party the last night we were there and we went out and enjoyed that. We met a lot of interesting people, who were dressed up because of the huge rugby tourny going on in the city. It was like halloween, which was cool. Sadly we weren't prepared so we didn't have anything to dress up in. oh well.
On Sunday morning we left the hostel to catch a three hour ferry trip. The ferry was more like a curise ship, which had a movie theather in it, reclining lounges, a food court, an atrium, a bar, and so much more. it was really really cool, but i really liked being outside on the top of the ship watching the beautiful views go by. Oh and this ferry was taking us from the North Island to the South Island, which so far is so much more beautiful. (Oh btw...for those who are interested, Wellington is where Peter Jackson's studio is and a lot of those movies were filmed).
Once we got to Picton (on the South Island) we grabbed some food real quick and then met up with DOC or Josh, the guy who was going to take us out to Bluemine Island and show us what to do for the week. We had to bring our stuff into quarentine because they didn't want any forgien seeds or mice to get on the island since its predator free. After we made it through the blazing hot quarentine, we walked to the water to catch our water taxi. We had to load up all our boxes of clothing, food, and supplies onto a barge, which was tiring. We were maybe about 1/3 of the way to the Island when the skipper decided to turn back because the barge wasn;t doing so well on the choppy water. We had to unload and load another boat up and then make the trip again. We finally got to the island 30-45 minutes later and unloaded everything once again. We got there aroun 4pm and Josh was thinking of going on a hike, but we were all so exhausted, we decided against it. We set up our tents and campsite and made dinner and most of us went straight to bed.
The next day, we went on an island hike. We saw some cool gun installments from WWII and where the men who were stationed there lived. However, they all got drunk instead on fighting because the Japanese never came and attacked NZ. Oh well. We were then instructed on finding the smallest bird on the island and i like in NZ...the Tom Tit or Rifleman. DOC is trying to relocate them to another island because that island only has one male. We found one, who was curious, but he didn't stick around for too long. After the hike (and more bush bashing...ugh), we went from a swim and thought we might be done, but that was a trick. We then had to weed around the campsite. Some of the other group members chopped down cherry trees and other unwanted trees. After that we thought we might be done, but NO...we had to go survey fish at night in a stream and hour away. That was scary because it was night and it was really uneven ground. We were all exhasted too and by the time we reached a beach on the other side of the island we were all willing to walk in the ocean with our boots on to get to our campsite vs. going back in the bush. Walking through the ocean was really cool but kinda scary. We saw some really cool birds that we woke up by accident and Bennett thought he saw a seal, but he was wrong.
Once we got back to the campsite i was out like a light. Before I forget I must tell you about the little birds...or chicken sized birds, that look like kiwis, but are Wika's. They wander our campsite looking for things to steal for their nests. They ended up stealing camdy from me which i wasn't too happy about and they almost stole some of my cookies. They must have a sweet tooth. They were cute until the starting stealing from everyone. Sigh.
Well the next day slept in because we stayed up so late and then went off to survey snails. haha. for real. We went up a trail and then found places 10 meters off the track to find both dead and living snails. we took their measements and documented whether they died of natural cases of a wika. We did three of those snail plots and then had the rest of the day for chill out and have fun. That night we all hung out by the ocean, while Dom played his guitar and we watched something REALLY cool. We found out that there are little tiny alge-like creatures in the ocean that glow green/blue when splashed. It has to be dark to see it, but its sooo cool. its called phosfluorescent. It was super cool to watch and be a part of. Some of the group went swimming. NUTS because the water was ice cold. That was a really fun night.
The next day we were instructed to clear a path we recently went up of any brush in the way. That doesnt sound so bad, but there was HOOK GRASS and thorns we had to clear out. OUCH, but we made it through four hours of chopping and clipping with a lunch break and then had the rest of the DAY off, but we didn't have the night off. We ended up doing more fish surveying that night but it was at a closer stream. However, I had a horrible night's sleep the night before so it was super had for me not to fall alseep. but this time it was a lot more fun because last time...when we got to the steam...the stream was dried up! so lame. but the second time the stream was filled with fish and eels!! eek!! haha. but that was cooool. But once we came upon a huge cliff we had to climb up most of us turned back to get some shut eye. I was happy because i was ready to pass out and i did. it was glorious.
The next day was our last day and we didnt do anything except pack up. however, it was raining!! noo!! it was raining on our last day when we had to pack up our tents...gross. a lot of peoples clothing got soaked because they left them out thinking it wasn't going to rain. Oh well. I guess it did. We got everything packed up and got on the barge, while it was still raining and ruched back to the mainland. We saw Hector's Dolphins on the way back, which was awesome because there are only 1000 of them left in the world. We got really really lucky. It was a fun ride. we got soaked, but we went over really cool waves. YAY.
Once we got back to the mainland we packed back up said our goodbyes to Josh, who was really cool, and then made our way to Nelson (scott's hometown). We had a little tour of the town in the car and then settled into our hostel, which is really nice. its a really big house with lots of niches. ANd they have free breakfast...awesome!! After an hour at the hostel we went to Scotts house to meet his family (Rachel and Kahu--his 3 yr old son). There house is soo cute and quaint, Rachel is so nice and full of energy and their son is sooo cute. We all went out to dinner and for a drink together, which was fun and Kahu came along. so cute. After dinner Scott and his family went home, while the rest of us went on the search for dessert. We found some ice cream and then came back to get some interneting/laundry done. I won't be getting laundry done today...booo, but tomorrow i will be on that!! haha.
well thats all i got for now. I will keep you updated more later. miss you all and ill be sure to get pics up before i leave for the next trip on Monday morning. Cheers.
Friday, February 6, 2009
check for pics on facebook!
not much to say about today. We went to the Natural Museum and went on a guided tour about Maori culture which was nice, but we were all tired. I am now roaming the city looking for something to eat. I hope you enjoy the pics on facebook. This pic here is a of the Marae we stayed in. A Marae is a community center or gathering place for Maori people. If you belong to the tribe of this Marae you can come here and have parties, funerals, weddings, etc. This one was really nice and check out the view! Check in touch y'all...i miss you
so we capsized....
hey guys! so adventure # 2 is over, and even though you can get bored of paddling real quickly after 4 hours...it was really fun. (we paddled 80 miles)
ok so....day 1...we get on the river (the company we used was Blazing Paddles...hahah get it??) I am with Katie the first day and we are still green paddlers and not used to the rapids. Did i forget to the mention that Margaret and I capsized during Adventure # 1...oh yes we did and the water was freezing...oh well.
So we set out a little nervous and we hit a rapid almost immediatley, but we make it through fine. We are paddling along talking to the other memeber sof the group trying to keep up with the group and trying to keep from falling out when the rapids came, but when the first big rapid came we ended up walking our boat down the side of the river which was scary because when we tried to get back in the current turned out boat around and i was facing the wrong direction and Katie had to save me...yikes!! But we made it through day 1 without another hitch. Once we got to the first campsite -- 6 hours later -- we were ready for the day to end, but we had to carry up all our barrels of food, clothing and tents up a hill to the campsite. It's fun sleeping in tents, until the bugs start to bite. Audra is COVERED in bug bites that have made her use statements like "I want to cut my legs off". It looks like she has a severe case of the chiken pox, but hopefully it will clear soon, but then again our next volunteer project had the flies that have been biting her all over the place. boo! I have been fortunate so far.
The next few days were good. I paddled with Scott next, who is a great person to be with because one paddle takes us far, and i felt confident i wasn't going to run into anything. Same deal with the campsite and the amount of hours we were on the water -- but this time it was 7 hours!! oy! On day 3 i paddled with Bennett.
On day four we had Pirate Day, which was lots of fun. We dressed up as pirates and spoke in pirate language and decked out our canoes with pirate flags. The other people on the wate rwith us loved our get ups. Margaret and I were glam pirates. it was lots of fun and i will get some pics up at some point, prob tomorrow. We saw the "Bridge to Nowhere" this day, which is what it sounds like. Its a random bridge that used to go to somewhere but now that somewhere no longer exists. oh well. it wasn't that great, but it was cool to see. Campsite # 3 was rough because the hill to get up to it was awful! i was out of breath once we got everything up to it. i was ready to pass out, but dinner was still to come and we had to set up the tent. That night i learned how to play gin-rummy(sp?) and learned how to tie some knots. (Scott is a Eagle Scout and a Black Belt..so cool).
Day 4 of paddling was uneventful. We ended up staying at a Marae, which is a place where the native Moari lived way back when and is now used as a palce where people can camp out. it is run by Moari and it is there to keep the traditions alive in travelers hearts. However, the group was more interested in the bar across the river, which we paddled over to...it was actually a nice lodge (the bridge to nowhere lodge), which had a tiny bar in it, but it was really nice and we wished we were staying in the nice toliets, shower, and bed place...sigh. oh well. we slept in our tents. word to the wise...don't paddle across a river at night!! its scary!
Day 5....last day. This was the eventful day...of course. i was exhauasted from all the paddling by now and was ready to get to dry land for good. however we stopped at a cave to check it out and ended up getting into a huge mud fight. I got scott in the face...oops, but it was fun. we were soooo dirty. once we washed off we had our traditional salami sandwiches with pb&j for dessert. And then about 15 minutes later when we got to HUGE rapid # 2....three of our boats capsized, one of which was MINE. Jordan and I watched Audra and Scott capsize before us, so we were nervous, but we had to go through. we thought we got through safetly, but we were WRONG. we were too confident and got stuck in the back current which tipped us over. sigh. However, this time it wasd so much fun because Maragret and Dominick capsized too and the water was super warm. Phew. cold water is no fun.
Once we ended the trip, with no more capsizing occurences, we drove to another Marae 40 minutes away (i forgot to mention that there is a little ceremony before you can stay on the Marae -- you have to be welcomed in, girls walk in first, then you listen to a song by the Moari, then you go up and shake hands with them while touching your nose and foreheads together (one thought, one breath) and then you sing a song for them -- it was cool) -- anyways the second Marae was really nice and had a bar. haha. We had a huge dance party in the bar, which was so much fun. I love dance parties!! ok not a lot of time so i am going to make the rest of this quick...
today...we left Koriniti (the marae) and made our way to Wellington. When we got here we checked into the hostel and then went to the One Love Concert, which is a lot of reggae music, lots of people drinking do doing other such things, people selling food, clothing and other trinkets. it wasn't as fun as i thought it was going to be because i was so exhasted from getting little sleep the night before. When we left I was happy because i was exhausted. We went out to Burger Fuel, which has the best burgers EVER and then i came here to write to all you guys.
Tomorrow we are going to a Moari museam to learn more about their culture and then its the a free day...whop whop!! i am so exicted. i am ready to chill out. I'll prob write tomorrow because i need to put my pics up!! hope you enjoyed the read!! miss you all!
p.s.
-NZ does not have graham crackers
-the don't know what smores are
-they have one and two dollar coins and the smallest coin they have is 10 cents
more of these interesting facts to come later!!
ok so....day 1...we get on the river (the company we used was Blazing Paddles...hahah get it??) I am with Katie the first day and we are still green paddlers and not used to the rapids. Did i forget to the mention that Margaret and I capsized during Adventure # 1...oh yes we did and the water was freezing...oh well.
So we set out a little nervous and we hit a rapid almost immediatley, but we make it through fine. We are paddling along talking to the other memeber sof the group trying to keep up with the group and trying to keep from falling out when the rapids came, but when the first big rapid came we ended up walking our boat down the side of the river which was scary because when we tried to get back in the current turned out boat around and i was facing the wrong direction and Katie had to save me...yikes!! But we made it through day 1 without another hitch. Once we got to the first campsite -- 6 hours later -- we were ready for the day to end, but we had to carry up all our barrels of food, clothing and tents up a hill to the campsite. It's fun sleeping in tents, until the bugs start to bite. Audra is COVERED in bug bites that have made her use statements like "I want to cut my legs off". It looks like she has a severe case of the chiken pox, but hopefully it will clear soon, but then again our next volunteer project had the flies that have been biting her all over the place. boo! I have been fortunate so far.
The next few days were good. I paddled with Scott next, who is a great person to be with because one paddle takes us far, and i felt confident i wasn't going to run into anything. Same deal with the campsite and the amount of hours we were on the water -- but this time it was 7 hours!! oy! On day 3 i paddled with Bennett.
On day four we had Pirate Day, which was lots of fun. We dressed up as pirates and spoke in pirate language and decked out our canoes with pirate flags. The other people on the wate rwith us loved our get ups. Margaret and I were glam pirates. it was lots of fun and i will get some pics up at some point, prob tomorrow. We saw the "Bridge to Nowhere" this day, which is what it sounds like. Its a random bridge that used to go to somewhere but now that somewhere no longer exists. oh well. it wasn't that great, but it was cool to see. Campsite # 3 was rough because the hill to get up to it was awful! i was out of breath once we got everything up to it. i was ready to pass out, but dinner was still to come and we had to set up the tent. That night i learned how to play gin-rummy(sp?) and learned how to tie some knots. (Scott is a Eagle Scout and a Black Belt..so cool).
Day 4 of paddling was uneventful. We ended up staying at a Marae, which is a place where the native Moari lived way back when and is now used as a palce where people can camp out. it is run by Moari and it is there to keep the traditions alive in travelers hearts. However, the group was more interested in the bar across the river, which we paddled over to...it was actually a nice lodge (the bridge to nowhere lodge), which had a tiny bar in it, but it was really nice and we wished we were staying in the nice toliets, shower, and bed place...sigh. oh well. we slept in our tents. word to the wise...don't paddle across a river at night!! its scary!
Day 5....last day. This was the eventful day...of course. i was exhauasted from all the paddling by now and was ready to get to dry land for good. however we stopped at a cave to check it out and ended up getting into a huge mud fight. I got scott in the face...oops, but it was fun. we were soooo dirty. once we washed off we had our traditional salami sandwiches with pb&j for dessert. And then about 15 minutes later when we got to HUGE rapid # 2....three of our boats capsized, one of which was MINE. Jordan and I watched Audra and Scott capsize before us, so we were nervous, but we had to go through. we thought we got through safetly, but we were WRONG. we were too confident and got stuck in the back current which tipped us over. sigh. However, this time it wasd so much fun because Maragret and Dominick capsized too and the water was super warm. Phew. cold water is no fun.
Once we ended the trip, with no more capsizing occurences, we drove to another Marae 40 minutes away (i forgot to mention that there is a little ceremony before you can stay on the Marae -- you have to be welcomed in, girls walk in first, then you listen to a song by the Moari, then you go up and shake hands with them while touching your nose and foreheads together (one thought, one breath) and then you sing a song for them -- it was cool) -- anyways the second Marae was really nice and had a bar. haha. We had a huge dance party in the bar, which was so much fun. I love dance parties!! ok not a lot of time so i am going to make the rest of this quick...
today...we left Koriniti (the marae) and made our way to Wellington. When we got here we checked into the hostel and then went to the One Love Concert, which is a lot of reggae music, lots of people drinking do doing other such things, people selling food, clothing and other trinkets. it wasn't as fun as i thought it was going to be because i was so exhasted from getting little sleep the night before. When we left I was happy because i was exhausted. We went out to Burger Fuel, which has the best burgers EVER and then i came here to write to all you guys.
Tomorrow we are going to a Moari museam to learn more about their culture and then its the a free day...whop whop!! i am so exicted. i am ready to chill out. I'll prob write tomorrow because i need to put my pics up!! hope you enjoyed the read!! miss you all!
p.s.
-NZ does not have graham crackers
-the don't know what smores are
-they have one and two dollar coins and the smallest coin they have is 10 cents
more of these interesting facts to come later!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Here is a preview of what my facebook pictures might look like...hahah they aren't all as pretty as this one...but its pretty cool. That mountain is sooo beautiful. Sigh...wish i could do more in Taupo but we are leaving tomorrow morning. oh well. Today was another free day. Nothing much has happened except packing, eating, and interneting.
But i want to say a few weird or different things I have found in NZ...
1) no free refills
2) no tipping...which is nice but the service isn't as good
3) no napkins
4) the drive on the other side of the road and walk on the other side of the sidewalk and stairs
5) sizes are different and hard to judge
6) toilets have a half flush and a full flush
7) police seem scarce
8) they have some differences in menues at fast food resturante like McDonalds and KFC.
There are many more...but i need to get going cause i dont wanna pay 6 dollars for internet...oy.
miss you all...pipes
Thursday, January 29, 2009
back from the attack of suple jack
OMG....there are no correct words to describe the adventure i just went on, but i will try to explain it all. So we woke up at 5:30am Jan 25 to go to Waitamo. It was about a 2 hours drive from Auckland. Once we got to base camp we all met Doug, our abrasive guide who had a very weird and creepy sense of humor. His way of guiding us was to help us get lost...how nice of him. Anyways, we immeditaley got suited up to go caving and repelling (abseiling). We had to dress in long polypro (warm clothing - pants and long sleeves) and hike 45 minutes UP with wetsuits, harnesses, and helmets to a 350 ft abseil, which was so much fun coming down on. It was super high up and i think i found out i am a little afraid of heights, but i have since conquered that. Once we got down the abseil, we hiked another 15 minutes through "Indiana Jones" like forests, where we had to climb over hanging trees, abseil again, and make sure we didn't fall off a cliff...that was a tiny bit scary, but after the abseil we made it to the cave! I was so excited until i saw the first SQUEEZE we had to go through. It was TINY and we all barley got through, but we all did after some fancy manuvering (sp?). Once we got into some bigger caverns and saw the cool formations it was clear that my hands were going to be raw coming out because some of the rocks were super sharp to hold onto. What was scary about this part was that we had to go into freezing cold water that made it almost hard to breath, esp when we have to completely submerge ourseleves. I was not happy about that, but looking back, it was pretty awesome. We saw glow worms too, and made it th rough after an hour and half under the ground. I was exhausted after that because it was mentally trying, BUT the day was far from being over. We got out of the cave around 3:30pm (maybe) and hiked back to base camp. We then re-packed our backpacks with all the essentials (clothing, food, some snacks, etc), and then started our tramping (backpacking) journey at 5:20pm. With 20 extra pounds on your pack and going up and down hills...is NOT easy.
After tramping through lots and lots of suple jack (a horrible thick vine that tangles you into everything around you) we found our first campsite near a stream (it was a random clearing we found) arounf 7pm. We had to cook dinner and set up our tents quickly (tents being a tarp). The water is clean to drink so we didnt have to worry about that. Not much to say about this night expect that i had a difficult time sleeping (as i did every night after that).
The next day we woke up at 7am and ate breakfast and packed up to go on a 8 hour hike...8 HOURS!!! we went through more suple jack...lots more...got lost a few times, got scraped up by thorns in the dead lands (logging areas), got stung by wasps (not pleasant), slipped a few times in the steep up hills and downhills and found ourseleves with no energy after hour 5, but we still had 3 more hours to go. HOwever, our camping location of day two was by a beautiful waterfall that we abseiled down, which was awesome (a bright light at the end of the tunnel). The only problem with this campsite was that it was super sandy and sand got EVERYWHERE. Oh yeah...our boots were SOAKED because we had to walk in the mud and water in them. NOT fun, because putting on wet boots and socks SUCKS...i swear im having fun here (haha).
Once again not good sleep because i was sleeping on a slope and things got wet because it rained a little. The next day...was just as long, maybe longer. We got up and started a hike up a diabolical hill (as Doug said). It was slippery and it felt like it would never end, but it did and we had a track to follow!! finally! we followed this nice track for a little while until we had to go off track to take a short cut...short cuts can sometimes suck because there was more suple jack!! but once we got out of the suple jack we were by Double Falls, which is a waterfall with two drops. However, it was around here i saw my life flash before my eyes when i slipped and fell down a narrow path, but i somehow stopped myself. That was terrifying. Anyways....at the bottom of the fall we started gorging, which would have been fun if the rocks were so slippery. Gorging is bascially jumping from rock to rock with a ruching river below you, and you have to try really hard not to fall in or you might break a leg or DIE!! Well this was a terrifying experience for me because i have no balance and i was convinced that this was going to be the end for me. There was one part where i panicked, but made it. I was happy to be passed that huge obstcle, but felt foolish for being so scared. Oh well.
After gorging we walked for hours more, making all of us get to our breaking point. i fell face first on some nice thorns, and then felt super light headed/dizzy after climbing the last HUGE hill of the day. My knees felt like they were going to collapse but i made myself continue until we got to campsite # 3, in the middle of a cow field. Not much to sayhere except i am convinced it rained on my during the night and Dom snored all night long keeping most of us awake. UGH!
Day 4....dun dun dun...hahah no this was the first GOOD day. We went tubing down the Tawerau River, which is like white water rafting, but in a tube. We went down rapids, and i evenr fell out of my tube down one rapid. This was fun because we didnt have to walk much and our feet got to rest. I wish we went tubing everyday, because i finally was having a blast. After tubing and JUMPING off a waterfall (which was AWESOME), we walked to our next campsite, (we had to cross the river to get to is, which is scary because the rocks underneath and so slippery), but it was a nice campsite. We finally were feeling light hearted and the trip was looking up.
Day 5...was our canoe day...margaret and I were canoeing parnters. We went down the Marakopa river to the Tasman Sea. Marg and I had issues in the first part of our four hour journey down the river. We did a lot of 360 turns down the rapids and even capsized the boat...the water was FREEZING!!, but after lunch we finally found our groove and were second to the Tasman sea, which has the most beautiful black sand you will ever see. I was so happy to be there because my arms were about to fall off. oy! So we got to our final destination and then drove all the way back to where we started and cleaned all the equipment and got out of there as fast as we could...we needed civilization! we needed showers and we needed beds! and now we have them all...and we are having nightmares about being in the wilderness (all of us, which is funny). Last night i was convinced i was lost in a cave, which was scary and funny.
Today i might parasail, which who knows. its a free day...and i wanns just soak in all the creature comforts i missed the past 5 days. yay for being at a computer. hahaha. well i hope you enjoyed listening to my nice story...but now that I am in Taupo i wanna explore. Cheers!!
p.s. im going to try to put up pics on facebook. i hope it works. there arent that many because i didnt wanna destroy the camera. miss you all!!
After tramping through lots and lots of suple jack (a horrible thick vine that tangles you into everything around you) we found our first campsite near a stream (it was a random clearing we found) arounf 7pm. We had to cook dinner and set up our tents quickly (tents being a tarp). The water is clean to drink so we didnt have to worry about that. Not much to say about this night expect that i had a difficult time sleeping (as i did every night after that).
The next day we woke up at 7am and ate breakfast and packed up to go on a 8 hour hike...8 HOURS!!! we went through more suple jack...lots more...got lost a few times, got scraped up by thorns in the dead lands (logging areas), got stung by wasps (not pleasant), slipped a few times in the steep up hills and downhills and found ourseleves with no energy after hour 5, but we still had 3 more hours to go. HOwever, our camping location of day two was by a beautiful waterfall that we abseiled down, which was awesome (a bright light at the end of the tunnel). The only problem with this campsite was that it was super sandy and sand got EVERYWHERE. Oh yeah...our boots were SOAKED because we had to walk in the mud and water in them. NOT fun, because putting on wet boots and socks SUCKS...i swear im having fun here (haha).
Once again not good sleep because i was sleeping on a slope and things got wet because it rained a little. The next day...was just as long, maybe longer. We got up and started a hike up a diabolical hill (as Doug said). It was slippery and it felt like it would never end, but it did and we had a track to follow!! finally! we followed this nice track for a little while until we had to go off track to take a short cut...short cuts can sometimes suck because there was more suple jack!! but once we got out of the suple jack we were by Double Falls, which is a waterfall with two drops. However, it was around here i saw my life flash before my eyes when i slipped and fell down a narrow path, but i somehow stopped myself. That was terrifying. Anyways....at the bottom of the fall we started gorging, which would have been fun if the rocks were so slippery. Gorging is bascially jumping from rock to rock with a ruching river below you, and you have to try really hard not to fall in or you might break a leg or DIE!! Well this was a terrifying experience for me because i have no balance and i was convinced that this was going to be the end for me. There was one part where i panicked, but made it. I was happy to be passed that huge obstcle, but felt foolish for being so scared. Oh well.
After gorging we walked for hours more, making all of us get to our breaking point. i fell face first on some nice thorns, and then felt super light headed/dizzy after climbing the last HUGE hill of the day. My knees felt like they were going to collapse but i made myself continue until we got to campsite # 3, in the middle of a cow field. Not much to sayhere except i am convinced it rained on my during the night and Dom snored all night long keeping most of us awake. UGH!
Day 4....dun dun dun...hahah no this was the first GOOD day. We went tubing down the Tawerau River, which is like white water rafting, but in a tube. We went down rapids, and i evenr fell out of my tube down one rapid. This was fun because we didnt have to walk much and our feet got to rest. I wish we went tubing everyday, because i finally was having a blast. After tubing and JUMPING off a waterfall (which was AWESOME), we walked to our next campsite, (we had to cross the river to get to is, which is scary because the rocks underneath and so slippery), but it was a nice campsite. We finally were feeling light hearted and the trip was looking up.
Day 5...was our canoe day...margaret and I were canoeing parnters. We went down the Marakopa river to the Tasman Sea. Marg and I had issues in the first part of our four hour journey down the river. We did a lot of 360 turns down the rapids and even capsized the boat...the water was FREEZING!!, but after lunch we finally found our groove and were second to the Tasman sea, which has the most beautiful black sand you will ever see. I was so happy to be there because my arms were about to fall off. oy! So we got to our final destination and then drove all the way back to where we started and cleaned all the equipment and got out of there as fast as we could...we needed civilization! we needed showers and we needed beds! and now we have them all...and we are having nightmares about being in the wilderness (all of us, which is funny). Last night i was convinced i was lost in a cave, which was scary and funny.
Today i might parasail, which who knows. its a free day...and i wanns just soak in all the creature comforts i missed the past 5 days. yay for being at a computer. hahaha. well i hope you enjoyed listening to my nice story...but now that I am in Taupo i wanna explore. Cheers!!
p.s. im going to try to put up pics on facebook. i hope it works. there arent that many because i didnt wanna destroy the camera. miss you all!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
pics on facebook!!
check out facebook for some pictures. there aren't many bc im going to use other peoples pics...but this is the first of many! yay!! I didn't do much today because it was a free day -- but i did some shopping, ate some Burger Fuel (VERY VERY good burgers. YUM), started packing for adventure 1, and got an awesome nap. Now i am at the internet cafe writing to you guys, and about to get some snacks like chocolate and chips...because we dont know what kind of food we are getting, but im sure we will all be so hungry that we will eat anything they give us.
well i need to finish this upload. i hope you enjoy them on facebook. miss you all
piper
well i need to finish this upload. i hope you enjoy them on facebook. miss you all
piper
Friday, January 23, 2009
back from isolation!
so its been five or so days and i am back and SUPER SUPER dark. the sun here is ridiculous!! i even burned which never happens!!
anyways...ill try to touch upon everything. on the 18th we left from Auckland for an island in the Bay of Islands called Urapukapuka. It was a 3.5 hours drive, and we had to take a ferry and a boat to get there. We stopped in a town called Russel first to get some food and some supplies for the week. Once we got to the boat that the Department of Conservation was using we unloaded all our stuff out of the van and took a ten minute boat ride to the island. It was amazing. The scerny was awesome and never gets old. Green green mountains and super blue water. (tho the water isn't as warm as you would think). Once we got on the island we had to upload all the stuff (which was a work out) and set up our tents. It was a relaxing first day on the island, which was nice because the rest of the trip was intense. A few of the girls went for a hike around the island, which is huge and def. went in the ocean. its so nice, but a little too seaweedy where were at. there are def better beaches out there. We all pretty much passed out after dinner. so tired from the long long day.
on day two, we all broke up into groups. I, along with Audra and Dominick, cleaned out a water drain...woo hoo! haha and then Audra and I week whacked (scrub baring - in NZ terms), whihc was fun at first, but then got old real fast. Afetr that we had lunch -- YUM and then all of us herded 200 sheep to another padock. That was AWESOME. it was a lot of planning ahead and making sure all the sheep were found (they weren't -- we eneded up herding three today, but still -- so much fun!!). After herding sheep we all kinda plopped down and relaxed till dinner. (we all help cook -- have our cooking days). We then made friends with the locals, who are all insane and huge drinkers. (it was cool bc one party were there for a wedding on this remote island -- so cool -- reminded me of Steph's sisters wedding on top of a moutain). The hills on this island were super steep so to get to anywhere was a good work out, but we eat a ton of food to make up for it because all the work makes us super hungry.
Showers here were freezing cold, and the bathrooms were AWFULL...i hated going into them. they smelled so bad because they were compost toilets. yuck! oh well...thats over..thank goodness. Oh and apparently NZ isnt that environmentally friendly because of all the sheep they have and their farts create A LOT of C02 emissions, making the country the worst for those emissions. weird, eh?
Oh yeah...our neighbors. besides the wedding party with the annoying kids who followed maragret around there was Charlies group, who got us all drunk on our second night and then Bob and Lil' Wayne, who showed us a good time as well (last night). It was a lot of fun.
On the next day we went to another island called Moturua island (with Chris and Tobey -- part of DOC - deparment of conservation) and cleaned out more water dicthes and then we went to Robertsen Island to take down wire fences. those were touch jobs, but so rewarding afterwards when you kno wyou did something good. Maragret, Dom and I went out to the lookout of Robertsen and saw amazing views with a side of a tough work out. phew.
at this point, the group is becoming a lot closer. we all seem to be meshing very well.
the next day we went to Cape Brett (and the Hole in the Rock -- it is what it sounds like) and we made a new trail (marg, bennett, katie and i) and then got to go in the nice lighthouse, which was recently painted and restored. it was really cool because it was so old. However, this day was a little uneventful. We picked up some hikers form Cape Brett and gace them a ride home on our boat. They were from Holland and Germany...pretty cool.
The last full day we were in the Bay of islands, we cleaned some underwater information panels so snorklers could see what they read, cleaned up another trail and touch up some posts with a new coat of paint, and then went dolphin/blue penguin watching. We saw a whole family of dolphins and the occasional penguin which was soooo cute. Once we got back from that trip, we all went the local bar and hung out there. That was fun and we got to use FLUSH toilets, which are AMAZING. that night was fun -- we hung out with Bob and Wayne. OY.
Today we packed up and herded three more sheep and went back to the mainland. it was sad leaving, since that had become our home and i was super used to having Ba-ing sheep around me....i swear i still hear them bleating. oh well. took some good pictures and will upload when i get the chance. We stopped back in Russel on the way back to Auckland and got some lunch and then we took the 3.5 hour drive back home. it was uncomfortable but i slept a bit, which was nice.
once back in the city most of us did laundry and took a REAL shower, which was amazing. FH girls...i have the rash again...GROSS...like all over my hands. i think its heat rash tho because its worse when im under the sun too long. sigh. hopefully it'll go away before we go out our first adventure trip -- where we will be repelling off a 300 ft cliff, caving for 3 hours, treking through the woods (with our heavy bags on) for 9!! hours, making our own shelters, and floating down a river on tubes. it should be sweet an di can't wait to update you guys on that. But for now we are back to civilization, and probably going to watch some fireworks and maybe get a drink tonight. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what Auckland's nightlife is like. But i def need some sleep too because on sunday we have to wake up at 5:30am...not looking forward to that.
well if i forgot to mention anything im sorry. I'll probably come back tomorrow. but i hope you are all well. ill get photos up as soon as i can. miss you all!!
anyways...ill try to touch upon everything. on the 18th we left from Auckland for an island in the Bay of Islands called Urapukapuka. It was a 3.5 hours drive, and we had to take a ferry and a boat to get there. We stopped in a town called Russel first to get some food and some supplies for the week. Once we got to the boat that the Department of Conservation was using we unloaded all our stuff out of the van and took a ten minute boat ride to the island. It was amazing. The scerny was awesome and never gets old. Green green mountains and super blue water. (tho the water isn't as warm as you would think). Once we got on the island we had to upload all the stuff (which was a work out) and set up our tents. It was a relaxing first day on the island, which was nice because the rest of the trip was intense. A few of the girls went for a hike around the island, which is huge and def. went in the ocean. its so nice, but a little too seaweedy where were at. there are def better beaches out there. We all pretty much passed out after dinner. so tired from the long long day.
on day two, we all broke up into groups. I, along with Audra and Dominick, cleaned out a water drain...woo hoo! haha and then Audra and I week whacked (scrub baring - in NZ terms), whihc was fun at first, but then got old real fast. Afetr that we had lunch -- YUM and then all of us herded 200 sheep to another padock. That was AWESOME. it was a lot of planning ahead and making sure all the sheep were found (they weren't -- we eneded up herding three today, but still -- so much fun!!). After herding sheep we all kinda plopped down and relaxed till dinner. (we all help cook -- have our cooking days). We then made friends with the locals, who are all insane and huge drinkers. (it was cool bc one party were there for a wedding on this remote island -- so cool -- reminded me of Steph's sisters wedding on top of a moutain). The hills on this island were super steep so to get to anywhere was a good work out, but we eat a ton of food to make up for it because all the work makes us super hungry.
Showers here were freezing cold, and the bathrooms were AWFULL...i hated going into them. they smelled so bad because they were compost toilets. yuck! oh well...thats over..thank goodness. Oh and apparently NZ isnt that environmentally friendly because of all the sheep they have and their farts create A LOT of C02 emissions, making the country the worst for those emissions. weird, eh?
Oh yeah...our neighbors. besides the wedding party with the annoying kids who followed maragret around there was Charlies group, who got us all drunk on our second night and then Bob and Lil' Wayne, who showed us a good time as well (last night). It was a lot of fun.
On the next day we went to another island called Moturua island (with Chris and Tobey -- part of DOC - deparment of conservation) and cleaned out more water dicthes and then we went to Robertsen Island to take down wire fences. those were touch jobs, but so rewarding afterwards when you kno wyou did something good. Maragret, Dom and I went out to the lookout of Robertsen and saw amazing views with a side of a tough work out. phew.
at this point, the group is becoming a lot closer. we all seem to be meshing very well.
the next day we went to Cape Brett (and the Hole in the Rock -- it is what it sounds like) and we made a new trail (marg, bennett, katie and i) and then got to go in the nice lighthouse, which was recently painted and restored. it was really cool because it was so old. However, this day was a little uneventful. We picked up some hikers form Cape Brett and gace them a ride home on our boat. They were from Holland and Germany...pretty cool.
The last full day we were in the Bay of islands, we cleaned some underwater information panels so snorklers could see what they read, cleaned up another trail and touch up some posts with a new coat of paint, and then went dolphin/blue penguin watching. We saw a whole family of dolphins and the occasional penguin which was soooo cute. Once we got back from that trip, we all went the local bar and hung out there. That was fun and we got to use FLUSH toilets, which are AMAZING. that night was fun -- we hung out with Bob and Wayne. OY.
Today we packed up and herded three more sheep and went back to the mainland. it was sad leaving, since that had become our home and i was super used to having Ba-ing sheep around me....i swear i still hear them bleating. oh well. took some good pictures and will upload when i get the chance. We stopped back in Russel on the way back to Auckland and got some lunch and then we took the 3.5 hour drive back home. it was uncomfortable but i slept a bit, which was nice.
once back in the city most of us did laundry and took a REAL shower, which was amazing. FH girls...i have the rash again...GROSS...like all over my hands. i think its heat rash tho because its worse when im under the sun too long. sigh. hopefully it'll go away before we go out our first adventure trip -- where we will be repelling off a 300 ft cliff, caving for 3 hours, treking through the woods (with our heavy bags on) for 9!! hours, making our own shelters, and floating down a river on tubes. it should be sweet an di can't wait to update you guys on that. But for now we are back to civilization, and probably going to watch some fireworks and maybe get a drink tonight. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what Auckland's nightlife is like. But i def need some sleep too because on sunday we have to wake up at 5:30am...not looking forward to that.
well if i forgot to mention anything im sorry. I'll probably come back tomorrow. but i hope you are all well. ill get photos up as soon as i can. miss you all!!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
i feel so much better...
so i felt like death after my trip but after some REAL sleep...i feel soooo much better. So now that im rested i can tell you a little bit more about this super warm place. The first thing to stike me is that there is a hole in the ozone layer here. The sun is SUPER warm and you burn a lot easier here...but i havent burned yet. Just have gotten a little more brown. The beach we have gone to (Mission Beach or Bay) is really nice. Super blue water, but there are volcanic rocks that hurt your feet when you sleep on them. YES there are dormant vocanoes around us. YIKES. could blow up at any time....hope that doesn't happen.
Today (Saturday) I met the rest of the group. There is Katie (19), Audra (22), Bennett (18), Dominick (20), Jordan (24), and Margaret (23). I think those are their ages. It's a really cool group of people. We are getting along really well so far, but its only been a day. haha. Scott is our leader and hes nice too. A little soft spoken and we are hoping he opens up a little more. He makes a good dinner, but we are all picthing in on that...i guess i will be a better cook when i get home (yes i will ben!)
After we all met one another we went to Cornwell PArk, which is super nice. We saw SHEEP (they are famous) and climbed down the super steep hill...that was interesting. This park is historical...i forget why...haha...but i will let you know next blog post.
We then ate breakfast, which was lunch casue we ate sandwiches. We then did lame group bonding games (you know things we would have done when we were in high school, but i guess it got us to know one another). We then got briefed on all the stuff we would be doing, which was long and tedious...esp when all you wanna do is sleep some more. AFTER the games and briefing we went to the Mission Beach again and swam in that super blue water.
Then the girls went to grab something to eat and grabbed a bus back to the hostel. The hostel is actually very nice. Its like a dorm (maybes a slight downgrade). Good warm shower and a big kitchen. Laundry, phones, dining area, internet cafe (thats wayy too expensive to use). A lot nicer than i expected, which was a nice surprise.
lets see what else can i tell you...oh...my new watch BROKE...it started beeping and wouldnt stop. Had to go buy a new one. OH the new zealand money is soo cool. So colorful and parts that are see through. makes our dollar look lame. Ill take a pictue of that soon a post it. oh no 5 minutes left! that went FAST!
Tomorrow we are going up to the Bay of Islands (north island) to start our first volunteer trip. We are going to clean up the beaches, weed and do some documenting of birds (something like that). We are sleeping right by the beach, which will be so nice im sure. That will be for a week...so a week for cold showers and no electricty. can't want....NOT...haha but im excited to go see the country side!! enough of the city i wanna see scenery.
I wont be in contact for a week, so I will have a lot to post next friday! can't wait to tell you about my new adventues. hope you are enjoying these posts if you are reading. Miss you all and keep in touch...somehow!!
Today (Saturday) I met the rest of the group. There is Katie (19), Audra (22), Bennett (18), Dominick (20), Jordan (24), and Margaret (23). I think those are their ages. It's a really cool group of people. We are getting along really well so far, but its only been a day. haha. Scott is our leader and hes nice too. A little soft spoken and we are hoping he opens up a little more. He makes a good dinner, but we are all picthing in on that...i guess i will be a better cook when i get home (yes i will ben!)
After we all met one another we went to Cornwell PArk, which is super nice. We saw SHEEP (they are famous) and climbed down the super steep hill...that was interesting. This park is historical...i forget why...haha...but i will let you know next blog post.
We then ate breakfast, which was lunch casue we ate sandwiches. We then did lame group bonding games (you know things we would have done when we were in high school, but i guess it got us to know one another). We then got briefed on all the stuff we would be doing, which was long and tedious...esp when all you wanna do is sleep some more. AFTER the games and briefing we went to the Mission Beach again and swam in that super blue water.
Then the girls went to grab something to eat and grabbed a bus back to the hostel. The hostel is actually very nice. Its like a dorm (maybes a slight downgrade). Good warm shower and a big kitchen. Laundry, phones, dining area, internet cafe (thats wayy too expensive to use). A lot nicer than i expected, which was a nice surprise.
lets see what else can i tell you...oh...my new watch BROKE...it started beeping and wouldnt stop. Had to go buy a new one. OH the new zealand money is soo cool. So colorful and parts that are see through. makes our dollar look lame. Ill take a pictue of that soon a post it. oh no 5 minutes left! that went FAST!
Tomorrow we are going up to the Bay of Islands (north island) to start our first volunteer trip. We are going to clean up the beaches, weed and do some documenting of birds (something like that). We are sleeping right by the beach, which will be so nice im sure. That will be for a week...so a week for cold showers and no electricty. can't want....NOT...haha but im excited to go see the country side!! enough of the city i wanna see scenery.
I wont be in contact for a week, so I will have a lot to post next friday! can't wait to tell you about my new adventues. hope you are enjoying these posts if you are reading. Miss you all and keep in touch...somehow!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
It took forever, but im here!!!
OOMMGG...never ever ever take a 15 hour flight than a 10 hour flight right after. It breaks you. I was convinced i was going to jump out of the plane at hour 13 of the trip to Hong Kong...well not really, but it was awful...im not joking. As of right now i am running on maybe 4 hours of sleep since i left on the 14th. I arrived in NZ at 1:30pm on Friday Jan 16. weird. its almost saturday here. almost a day ahead of you all.
So far I have just checked into the hostel, met some of the group members (who are very nice). I'll go into more detail later, and gotten someone to eat. Oh, and I was also preached to by two God loving people. That was interesting. AH!! I only have 3 motre minutes on the internet. yay for internet cafes. its a dollar for twenty minutes. Guess i needed 30.
Oh I flew over the north pole, which was cool. It felt like I could almost touch the moon.
Well sadly I have to go for now, but Auckland is pretty nice, but i am looking forward to seeing the country side. Miss you all lots and lots. and I will continue with updates as much as I can.
So far I have just checked into the hostel, met some of the group members (who are very nice). I'll go into more detail later, and gotten someone to eat. Oh, and I was also preached to by two God loving people. That was interesting. AH!! I only have 3 motre minutes on the internet. yay for internet cafes. its a dollar for twenty minutes. Guess i needed 30.
Oh I flew over the north pole, which was cool. It felt like I could almost touch the moon.
Well sadly I have to go for now, but Auckland is pretty nice, but i am looking forward to seeing the country side. Miss you all lots and lots. and I will continue with updates as much as I can.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
day before the trip
So I leave for NZ and Australia tomorrow, and I am nervous. I didn't think I would be, but I think its mostly because of the connecting flights I have to catch in New York and Hong Kong. Ugh! I don't wanna miss them. I wanna get to New Zealand. haha.
I am finally finished packing...well almost. I have last minute things to pack like my wallet & coat. (things I need to use today) Today I am relaxing...until I decide to go to the gym and run some errands and do chores around the house, which will happen after I am done writing this post. I think I am going to like writing in this blog (thanks PAN). I thought I would never start one, but like I mentioned in the description, this is a lot easier than writing individual e-mails. Clearly I have no pictures yet, and honestly, I don't know how to post pictures yet. I'll figure that out, but if worse comes to worse i'll put them up on facebook. keep watch.
Well I hope some people keep in touch and read what I write. I'll miss all you guys!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)