The East Coast....only an introduction to Oz

After leaving Cairns, I headed south to Mission Beach. In actual fact, I would have bypassed this little section of the coast simply because I hadn't heard anything about it; but as chance would have it, I had met a guy in New Zealand named Dave who had worked at Scotty's Hostel in Mission Beach and he had asked me to stopover there and deliver a message to the girls at reception for him. Well, as silly as it sounds, a promise is a promise. So I pulled into Scotty's for only one night.....and then decided to stay for a few more!! I was immediately enchanted by the hostel: a pool, lush grounds, fun bar next door, incredibly nice staff...and all of this AFTER cyclone YASI had ravaged and raped the coastline of the majority of its natural beauty. I would not have even known that such a disaster had occurred there, until I saw before + after photos as well as talked to some of the melancholy locals who griped about the government not giving them the funds to clear the beach or even prevent the trees from dying. The trees could have just been replanted as the roots don't need to cling deep underground......and I agreed with the locals. This is a serious issue for a small area of coastline that basically makes a living off of tourism and is now struggling to survive. Maybe I wasn't getting all of the facts, but it seemed very irresponsible of the government to simply mow the trees along the beach up into mounds along coast and then not pay any more attention to the situation. Again, maybe I'm getting the wrong idea.

Apart from that devastation, Mission Beach was a great place and I even regrettably resisted the offer to stay on as a cleaner for free accomodation. One night a group of us were in the bar and, seeing as we were almost the only ones there, we asked for 80s music and proceeded to play a game of guessing the artist, title, and YEAR of the song. If you got all three correct, then you won a shot from the bar. It was a jolly good time, and then Adam, the bartender, told us that he only had enough money left for one more round of the game. It was then that we realized that he had been buying the shots with HIS OWN MONEY! This is what I'm talking about: the staff went above and far beyond any expectations. This is also where I had my first GOON experience (what a crap hangover that was! And don't attempt to drink while lying down....you'll just end up wearing your alcohol. :S ), and also where there was a successful trapping of a 4 metre python next door to the hostel (yah...you heard me right....4 METRES!!). Mission Beach was full of surprises....especially the news that heavy rains had cancelled greyhound buses thru to Airlie Beach. But things aren't always as they seem. This unforeseen delay actually allowed me to see Magnetic Island (a stop which wasn't originally scheduled), and meet up with some friends whom I'd met up north: Amy and Robin, Shane and Willy; and make some new friends: Aine and Orla, and JP and Damien.

So, as usual, something that seemed like a frustrating annoyance of travelling was actually a blessing. Amy, Robin, and I shared a small (small!) bungalow in the aptly named Bungalow Bay: a hostel with a koala sanctuary on site and thriving ecosystem of bats, birds, wallabies, and any other creature that you were lucky to see while walking out of your bungalow. The beach had a pathetic area for swimming (within the stinger nets) because it was still jellyfish season, so we opted to stay near the glorious pool, complete with poolside hammocks and a rough pool floor that felt like sand. Our Irish pal Willy had a birthday while we were there and we spent the night at Base Hostel bar playing limbo and drinking champagne. The next day we visited the on site koala sanctuary and were confronted with exotic birds, lizards, echidneas, koalas, snakes and crocodiles. It was also here that I learnt that a wild koala is actually more dangerous than a snake!! Those long nails arent just for looks! Drop bears.....apparently not just a legend ;) After the obligatory picture holding a koala, you notice that they really dont have much goin on in that head of theirs! Eating eucalyptus all day to the sum of 3% sugar intake doesnt allow much in the way of an active lifestyle. In fact, while you are holding the koala, you are told to resist the temptation to bounce them like a cuddly baby, simply because the koala will think that you, the tree, is moving in a strange and uncontrollable way, so the koala will dig its talons in a little deeper into your flesh. Man, the things that you dont know about koalas!!

After a night of coconut bowling in the bar....yes, coconut bowling...we got the go-ahead from greyhound to continue on to Airlie Beach....and into the wettest weather that I had encountered on the trip so far! I had planned to do a Whitsunday trip there on the boat Venus. Strangely, the trip on this boat continued to be cancelled due to bad weather; even as other trips continued to venture out onto the highseas. I was confused about this, until I spoke with one of the salespeople for the Venus trip, and they confided that the Venus boat was actually an old, woooden, London riverboat and couldn;t handle anything stormy whatsoever (I actually found out later from another source that the company was in a law suit for taking people out on the stormy seas and almost capsizing!) After hearing this and waiting for 4 days thinking that the boat would be allowed out, I declined paying an extra fee to be upgraded to an actual yacht, and instead swallowed my pride and decided that one day I would have to come back to Oz to do some sort of life-defining scuba trip: Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, and Whitsundays all in one tidy package. As it was, the weather was horrible in the Whitsundays and this was not how I had envisioned, nor how I had wanted, my Whitsundays trip to be. And so, with the help of Aine, Orla, Fiona, and Vicky, we drowned our sorrows in Jamisons and Jack Daniels at the hostel bar Beaches, amidst an almost steady downpour of rain. After being in a hostel which smelled of alcohol and who knows what else, having to clean up the dirty dishes of roommates I didnt even know, and then seeing a spider the size of the palm of my hand on the wall (and then, to my dismay, I had to sleep in the room the next night by myself....my eyes carefully trained on the hole in the wall where the spider had retired to the previous day), I was quite tickled pink to catch an overnight bus to Agnes Waters with JP and Damien, my Irish lads.

Agnes Waters is a small township which is virtually connected to the adjacent township of 1770. The latter is the place where Captain James Cook first landed in Australia....in the year 1770 (James Cook is well-known for his completely unimaginative way of naming parcels of land that he came upon!) We stayed at the great little hostel of Cool Bananas ($26 a night, and totally worth it, with its large outdoor area, hammocks, and a feeling of being welcome). The lads and myself opted for a surf lesson on our first day there....and unfortunately, it seemed as though everyone else in the area also had the same idea as there were FORTY people in the lesson! However, the surf instructors took it in stride and created a rotation pattern for us....which got quicker as we went along and were promplty tuckered out by the onslaught of waves and simply trying to keep our boards in the correct position. I had tried surfing a few years back in Costa Rica and had sworn that it would be my last time. This was until someone had keenly observed that I had not had a lesson for my first time on a board and that due to this fact I was actually crazy to think that I would enjoy that first experience AND get up on the board! Hmmmm...okay, so I figured that I had better try it again, and I was pleasantly surprised! I got up, stayed up, and rode into the shore (arms in the air in a show of acheivement!). This happened about 5 times in 2 hours.....it may not seem like a lot but its enough to keep you going out into those waves with a feeling of pride and adventure. The person who had suggested that I take a lesson and try surfing again had been right: the few tips that the instructors gave out had been invaluable. Even just knowing to tuck your toes under the end of the board until you stand up made all the difference. Later on that day I went out with Scooteroo: the most bad-ass bunch of scooters (souped-up to look like motorcycles) that you have ever seen! Everyone in the group (again, about 40 people who decided to get out on the open road) wore leather jackets with flames. Most, including myself, were a bit wobbly at first, but once we got out on the roads around Agnes Waters and opened it up to about 70 kms....spedometer rattling all the while, I realized that ¨hey! Im actually in Australia....and Im on a motorcycle!!¨ The feeling was phenomenal and the rush of the warm air against my cheeks while I sat back and watched the greenery of Oz pass by set my very soul on fire. On the return journey back to the Scooteroo yard, it began to downpour; but, as the Scooteroo staff pointed out, we had now seen what it is really like to ride a motorcycle, rain and all. Upon returning to the hostel, elated and soaking wet, I settled in to watch ¨Into the Wild¨, and once again felt that sharp stab of regret that my loved ones at home werent there to share this feeling with me. As the moral of the movie relates, travelling is one of the best experiences there is to discover yourself, but it loses that little bit of magic when you cant share those moments with the ones you love.

Crocodiles, Venomous Snakes, Jumping Spiders....Why am I going to Australia??

Indeed, why is it that I wanted to send myself willingly to the continent known for having the most venomous snakes, and spiders the size of your hand? Where ancient predators, like sharks and crocodiles, lurk just beneath the glare of the water's surface? I don't know....maybe I wanted to conquer my fears, or perhaps just stare them straight in the face before I turned and ran screaming; but on March 25th I flew from the docile, relaxing cradle of the kava from Fiji, to the harsh, ozone-less, threatening-you-with-every-crack-in-the-wall-that-could-hide-an-insect AUSTRALIA! And after I had spent one day in that country of red-sand, the dreaded taipan, and ockers.....I LOVED IT!!! Okay, sorry for the drastic change in mood, but it's true. Australia is yet one more of those countries which we, over in North America, tend to view in the negative light of the media pigeon-hole; and we eat up every newscast and printed word there is. (Okay so maybe it's just me that focused on the pigeon-hole that declared Australia to be up to its ears in dangerous animals) Sure, there are venomous snakes and creepy crawlies, but they're more scared of me than I am of them! (cliche, but true....wouldn't you attack a foreign species that sneaks up on you unknowingly and then begins to scream?) I think my love for Australia first flourished on my two plane rides to get to Cairns from Fiji when I sat beside, first, Andrea and Tom from Brisbane, and then Matt and Chris (also from Brisbane), all of whom dispelled the myths of Australia's most fearsome creatures (drop bears?) and welcomed me unhesitatingly to call on them at any time, should I need the shirt from their back or the last lolly in the cupboard. "Hmmmm," I thought as I dropped down onto the Cairns runway, "maybe I'm not walking into a death trap." I stayed at Northern Greenhouse ($25 a night...a little expensive by Cairns terms, but a great hostel in my books!) right in the centre of town. For my first Oz excursion, I chose to go up to the hippie markets of Kuranda, high above Cairns. I took the skyrail up, stopping at several landings in the rainforest to take guided tours through the bush flanked by enormous trees whose names eluded me; which added to their glorious sense of intrigue. During these guided tours I saw (in order of 'chances of death if I had touched them'): a tree frog, a golden orb spider, and a red belly black snake (not bad for my first day in Oz, eh?). I continued on to see Barron Falls and finally into Kuranda to roam the sundrenched street (only one) and hippie markets scattered throughout the alleys and surrounding parks. The village was dreamy and full of a "Peace, man" kind of feeling. The frozen yogurt from the Original Rainforest Hippie Market was a fantasy of flavour all on its own. I then hopped on the Kurnada Scenic Railway and coasted down the mountains, through tunnels, and around cliffs for the 2 hour trip back to Cairns. Honorable mention goes to the Earth Hour celebration in Cairns that night, where I saw a harp being played alongside a didgeridoo, and more cracked-out aboriginals than you could shake a fist at! (Think Granville street with a dash of Hastings and you'll get that strange street view which I beheld that night). The following day I set out on Capt. Matty's Waterfall Tour. This was a highlight of my stay in Cairns and Capt. Matty (a barefoot, dreadlocked guide who knew everything and anything there was to know about Oz and wildlife [crocs in particular] and dreamed of owning his own pirate ship hostel within the next ten years) made the day one to remember. We first saw a Cathedral Fig tree (reminiscent of the giant mother tree from the movie Avatar.....I seriously thought I'd get the pleasure of seeing one of those giants emerge from the gaps between the vines!), and then went swimming in Lake Eacham ("What are those bubbles? Turtles?" " Nope, just scuba divers"....bizarre), where pythons had been known to curl up in the rafters of the women's toilet....not sure if that was just a punk aussie story to scare the foreigners, but it worked...I held my bladder til the next stop. We encountered leeches, were warned of causiwaries (the large, flightless birds of australia), and found out that 'Kangaroo' is actually indigenous for "I don't know what you're saying." [Side story: The English blokes who first came to Australia went out in the country and discovered these creatures with giant pouches, hopping on two long feet. The foreigners asked the aboriginals, "Hey, what are those animals called?", and everytime they asked, the aboriginals would say, "Kangaroo" with a strange expression on their face, and oftentimes they would even turn and walk away. So the animals went down in the books as 'Kangaroos', even though it was later discovered that this phrase actually means, "I don't know what you're saying. I can't understand you. Go back to wherever you came from and quit messing with our native species." ....okay so I added that last bit, but good story, eh?] We jumped off rocks in Dinner Falls and sat underneath the pounding waters for an impromptu massage. Next, we stopped at Millaa Millaa pub, in the middle of friggin nowhere, and had the pleasure of dining amongst the most red-neck population of alcohol-consuming individuals that I had ever been around. These blokes were true aussie gents, in their t-shirts, short shorts, socks pulled up, and toothless smiles. The pub was nice enough: clean and friendly, so the experience that we came away with was one of comic relief and awestruck giddiness....and a full tummy of beer and hamburger, mmmmmm. We then went on to Milla Milla Falls where the famous commercial for Herbal Essences had been filmed (yes, we girls attempted the famous hair-flip!) I'd never swam underneath a waterfall to discover that sanctuary of stillness where the water falls just overtop of you....as if the force of the river above pushes it so far out that the droplets have no choice but to follow that gushing force of water. You can actually see them start to fall on top of you, and then get whisked out with the rest of the flow, only to land safely two feet beyond you. The effect was mesmorizing, and I thank Capt. Matty for insisting that I go see it; so much so, in fact, that he slung me over his shoulder, walked out waist deep, and plunked me down in the water. Never again did I tell him that I was too cold to go in. :P The tour rounded out with Zillie Falls, Ellinjaa Falls, Crawford's Lookout, and Josephine Falls; all beautiful and breathtaking. After the final waterfall, we had tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and a plethora of sugary goodies awaiting us. Our group was a fantastic one, and we were all sad to see such a great day come to a close. I thought, "If this is what Australia is all about, then BRING IT ON!!" :D

The Magic of Fiji

As I was saying, I awoke the next morning to a lush, tropical paradise, an enormous pool, freshly prepared food, and a multi-blue expanse of ocean! I was immediately inspired to practice some yoga by the water's edge and was delighted that the sound of the water lapping against the sand was more similar to a lake than an ocean! Voli Voli Beach Resort was a fabulous way to unwind and deeply relax. It wasn't their busy season so there were times when I was the only person in the pool (and the surrounding pool deck, for that matter). In spite of the isolated setting, I made some great friends: Gijs from Netherlands, Rosie from England, Siobhan from Ireland, and Radik from Czech Republic. The staff were excellent and knew you by name. Sasha was a treat as he danced around and made exotic cocktails (he used to do a drag show at the resort, but then it was considered too risque....pity). The kava ritual was the most interesting cultural aspect I came across......again and again and again! Kava is a root found in Fiji which is chopped up so that it looks like tea, is then soaked like tea to create a 'muddy' water, and then drank. You find out later, as your tongue numbs and your brain slows, that Kava actually has a slight narcotic effect and is virtually drank in every resort and social gathering in Fiji! And you should see the looks on their faces when you try to refuse! Good lord! The ritual is an experience in itself as you sit on a giant woven mat on the sand and take the kava from a special, carved coconut bowl. After you choose your size (low tide, high tide, or tsunami) you cup-clap your hands once, say "BULA!", drink the coconut bowl full of kava water, return it, say MOTHA (meaning 'empty'), and cup-clap three times. This ceremony has been happening nightly for as long as the Fijian history can remember and it continues to happen today until the wee hours of the morning. After VoliVoli, I had an uneventful journey back to Nadi (other than a thunderstorm, which are frequent; and a stay in a 40 bed dorm....yes FORTY!! It's actually amazing that this stay was uneventful). The next day I was off to Blue Lagoon resort on the island of Nacula, the island furthest north in the Yasawa chain to the west of the big island. This resort was PARADISE! For a meticulously clean dorm and three 5 star meals a day, it was $110 FJD a day (or $65 canadian). Look at it this way: I would pay at least $40 a meal for these same dinners at home, and THEN we got breakfast, lunch, and accomodation. The lagoon sparkled 7 colours of blue and lapped softly against the blindingly white sand beach. At this resort, the love was in the details, such as the old sailing lanterns lit nightly along the pathways. I would lounge and nap most of the day, in a hammock or lawnchair, and it was here that I actually reached my life's pinnacle of relaxation! I felt it, and it was oh so nice. As for some activities, there was a giant sandbar at low tide located a half hour's walk from the resort which was stunning and we attended a church service in the local Fijian village (where the majority of the resort's staff come from) which had an angelic choir, and adorable, curious children in the front pews. We also went caving in the same cave which is featured in the movie 'Blue Lagoon', made bracelots from plant leaves, visited a small (very small) bakery on another island to have cake and tea, got a $20 cnd massage for an hour (i felt like I was lathered in a vat of coconut oil!), and it was a ritual for Kathrin (my 'sweat sister') and I to have pina coladas on the beach or in the ocean while watching the sunset dance upon the ripples of the ocean.....I can still taste the coconut. I also met some fabulous families, such as the Italian family who is actually living on Vancouver Island, or the Norwegian family of four kids under 12 years old and is travelling for six months around the world! (absolute respect for that one!) After Blue Lagoon, Kathrin and I headed to Octopus Resort, the sister hostel to Blue Lagoon, and again lived in lavish luxury for two nights. We had an interesting game of 'shot for shot' volleyball with the staff.....Fiji vs. Foreigners and you get a shot of alcohol for every good shot....and well, every bad shot for that matter. As you can imagine, it was quite a good time! Coincidentally, I met up with some friends whom I met on the Kiwi Experience bus in New Zealand! (amazing how small the world is....especially when you're all travelling on the same route!) At Octopus Resort, I enjoyed open-air showers under the stars and my first experience with a mosquito net (I strangely felt like a princess....not sure why! :P ), and an extremely large cockroach which had us on edge for the rest of the night. But all in all, we were sad to leave such a haven of relaxation. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was without my camera for this last week in Fiji; but fortunately, I've had several people promise to send me pictures of our time at the resorts, namely, Kathrin, Voltaire, and Kate :) This circumstance of being unable to take pictures made me realize the importance of actually LIVING in the moment instead of experiencing it through a 2 inch x 2 inch screen (sounds silly when you think of it that way, eh?). As a result, I can actually remember the experiences during this week better than any on my trip!! Nevertheless, I did give in at the Fiji Airport and bought a Sony camera for $160 cnd (woot woot! what a price!) It's not waterproof.....but it's a 2 inch x 2 inch screen .....and isn't that what we all want in life? ;) And so the plane lifted off of Fiji territory and landed in a place which has always been shrouded in danger and adventure (well, at least for me): the land of OZ!! (or australia, for those of you who are big Wizard of Oz fans and were feeling a bit confused). WHat was in store next?: a crocodile, a bungy jump, snakes slithering every which way!? Find out in the next installment of this travellin' blog :)

Vina, Una, Raji, and Thomas

BULA FIJI!!!

Welcome to Fiji, indeed!! The names in the title of this blog are the names of my Fijian angels :) But first, we'll start at the very beginning....

After stepping off the Air Pacific plane and out of the Fiji airport, I was almost physically smacked with humidity! But I was oh too happy to be alive and in Fiji. I waddled under the weight of my backpack to the bus stop to catch a local bus over to Lautoka, where I would change buses and then head to RakiRaki at the north end of the big island of Fiji, and then a 15 minute taxi to the tip of VoliVoli beach (gotta love the names, eh?). I was enchanted by the local bus with its bike bells instead of stop bells, an open door policy (literally) at all times, pop music or Indian music blasting through the speakers (for those of you who don't know, Fiji had many migrants from India early on and now I would suspect that the population is almost half of Indian descent), and the pretty much invisible bus stops (not to mention that the local bus doubles as a school bus....I can't imagine the stares I was getting, being the only white person on the bus and NOT in a school uniform!). The white clouds and the lush, green landscape flash by the window and the only thing you can do through the heat is smile. I will never forget the look on a little girl's face as she walked aimlessly along some train tracks beside the road. As the bus drove by, we made eye contact, and her eyes lit up, her smile grew broad on her face, and her hand started waving wildly as she ran her little legs just trying to keep up with the bus. It was all I could do to not jump out the window and start running with her! When I was in China, I realized (while playing hide and seek with a little Chinese boy) that a smile transcends language; but here in Fiji, I realized just how much a smile can cut through tension. The first thing that stikes you about the Fijian people is their smiles, and next on the list is their willingness to help you....no price, no hassle, and no problem. When I glanced around the bus, I realized that a few young faces would continue staring back at me; but as I flashed them a broad grin, I was greeted with giggles and brilliant white teeth. I first spoke with Vina who sat beside me, hesitatingly at first. I leaned over and asked, above the wind of the open window, "How was school today?", she lit up and replied, "Fine, thank-you. How was school for you today?" I was instantly charmed. As we continued along I made small-talk with her and her two friends Una and Raji. Suddenly I realized that we were stopped alongside a sign which read 'Lautoka' and rushed to get up. The girls put there hands up for me to stop and asked me where I was headed. I told them that I had to change buses in Lautoka to get to RakiRaki. The girls ushered me to sit down again and told me that this was not the correct stop. As we rumbled on towards my actual stop, I realized what a situation it would have been to have gotten of the bus at the first Lautoka stop: an industrial district mostly comprised of hardened looking men and about a half hour walk from the true Lautoka bus station. My three little angels then told me that they'd help me find the correct bus (which was much appreciated at the busy bus station). It was not until I had safely stowed my bag and got on the bus that these three little girls (maybe 10 years old, at that) waved an enthusiastic good-bye and disappeared into the crowd. I was already amazed at this country. But the next angel took the cake. About halfway to RakiRaki, an older Fijian man named Thomas sat next to me. Even though it was extremely difficult to understand him (what? sorry? pardon me? ohhhh! [and nod head even though i still don't understand]), we managed to talk about our families and my trip to Fiji, etc... He then asked me if I had planned to get a taxi in RakiRaki when the bus stopped. When I replied yes, he informed me that the taxi services generally stop at 6 pm in RakiRaki! I balked at this and sputtered pure nothings because, well, what could I say? But immediately Thomas asked the bus attendant to get a taxi on the phone, which prompts the attendant to call his best friend and ask him to be waiting for me. I could not express my appreciation!! The sun had already gone down and it was a 15 minute car ride to where I needed to be! Thomas made sure all was ready for me and then got off the bus before rakiraki, waving farewell and smiling a huge squinty smile at me. I flashed him one back.

The taxi was definitely waiting in town and swiftly brought me to volivoli beach resort. It was dark at the time, but the next morning i was to awaken to a masterpiece of nature and R & R.
[stay tuned for my next Fiji post!!]

So Long Kiwi Adventures!

Well, if you've been watching this blog closely, then you'll have noticed that there hasn't been much activity for several...ahem....weeks (oops!). Now, I could throw in a few excuses here; such as laziness, procrastination, expensive internet fees, busy schedule...., but who really wants to hear excuses ;) Here's the low-down on my last week in New Zealand....the land of adventure, Maoris, and the long white cloud :)

From the hustle and bustle of Queenstown, I hopped on another Kiwi Experience bus and headed from the west coast of the South island to the northern end of the East coast: the town of Kaikoura. This bus trip took about 10 hours as we bypassed Christchurch so as not to add to the confusion: us being a bunch of camera-happy tourists who can't understand fully the devastation of the quake and who mindlessly eat and drink the scarce resources (and not to mention use the toilet paper!). So, although Christchurch was originally supposed to be the highlight of my trip, as I would have got to see my friend Anita (who got through the quake fine, thank goodness!), we instead detoured and headed to the next stop: Kaikoura and dolphins!

Now, I feel that I'm pretty good about being optimistic with the weather, but I can admit that I almost drowned in the downpour of rain that was Kaikoura for nearly the whole two nights and days that we spent there. It's a pity because I really feel that this town flourishes in the sunshine; but even so, some amazing things happened there. First off, I SWAM WITH WILD DOLPHINS!! We were up at 445 am (ugh!) and it was freezing, but oh so magical! The boat operators tell you to make as much movement and noise as possible because these dolphins are not trained to come to you....YOU must entertain THEM! If they like you, then they will continue to frolick with you. Well, this 'entertainment' of mine was exhausting (!!) but was so worth the pay off! They'd glide by you and then begin to circle, and if you could keep up with those circles then they would go faster and faster until you were absolutely dizzy and disoriented; and then they'd slow down and look you straight in the eye before dashing off into the murkiness of the distant ocean. I'd often (against the wishes of the boat operators) try to touch the dolphins (who wouldn't?!) but then as I realized that these creatures were much more in their natural environment than I was and with a flick of their tails could shoot a thousand metres away (a possible exaggeration), I thought, "What am I trying to prove to myself?" and then sat back and enjoyed the interaction; with immitations of dolphin squeals erupting from my snorkel.

The rest of the time in Kaikoura was spent dodging large raindrops from overhang to overhang and meandering through little shops and checking out menu prices. Worthy mention goes to the Strawberry Tree Irish Pub where the mahogany decor was so saturated with the memories of its drunken patrons that it smelled sweetly of revelry and merriment. And the potato and leek soup wasn't too bad either. Also in Kaikoura, as a few of us waited out the rain in the hostel while watching Lord of the Rings 2 (an intuitive experience, mind you, to watch any of the films of the trilogy while actually IN New Zealand), we experienced a small earthquake (!!!) Only about 5 seconds long and nothing to really write home about, but it was the first of it's kind for me! (we were told it was an earthquake and not an aftershock because Kaikoura does not share the same fault line as Christchurch). Let me just say that I have a whole lot of respect for earthquakes and what the people of Christchurch have had to go through in recent days. This small, tiny, i would guess non-existent blip on the rictor scale which we experienced that day actually shook the house AND the couch which we were sitting on!! IMAGINE!! And this was nothing compared to the quake a few weeks earlier!! Respect, man. Respect.

As we left Kaikoura and headed to the Picton Ferry the next day, we enjoyed several viewings of seals on the rocks (ya gotta love the little barks that the baby seals give to their parents!). These seals look so utterly pathetic trying to get around on the rocks that I had to remind myself of how versatile they are in their own natural aquatic environment. After the ferry back to the North Island, I stayed for several days in Wellington. On the way south on the bus, I had stayed only from 7 pm to 7 am in this wonderful city; consequently seeing absolutely nothing except the hostel bar (in which Stine and I were the only ones dancing, lol!). This time around I took a few days to relax and really experience the city. And Wellington was fabulous! A boardwalk full of active residents and equally restless tourists surrounds the grand expanse of harbour, and the city is littered with bohemians, government officials, and backpackers alike....all living in harmony. (awww). I visited the Te Papa museum (NZ's largest museum, boasting 6 levels of artifacts and interactive wonderment). Here I spent 3 and a half hours perusing the facts and features mainly highlighting the Maori and European interaction and even THEN I missed some exhibits! The photography exhibit (I believe it was Brian Bryce) was the highlight for me; as well as relocating my lost camera at the lost-and-found (thank-god my brain-dead ways of losing my things is supplemented by kind souls who return them) :) Cuba Street had a fantastic artsy feel, with Fidel's Cafe (a bohemian-esque cafe with outdoor, undercover seating, camo-mesh walls, bright colors, good music, and delicious carrot cake) being a highlight for me. On the way to Wellington is also where I met my two favorite dance buddies: Yuval from Israel and Dave from England. If you've ever seen my dance moves then you can appreciate the scene of the three of us dancin' the night away and ignoring the gawks and looks of bewilderment from the innocent bystanders.

Alas, the final days came and the bus moved steadily up from Wellington, with a brief stop in Taupo (where I had a creepy run-in with a german man who owned a second-hand book store....after an hour of chatting I left the store with his psychic assurance that I would be fine with regards to poisonous creatures in Australia and a growing concern that I had just spoken with the devil), and then up through Rotorua and back to Auckland. This bustling metropolis which I had already visited twice on my kiwi trip, was not too much in my books: the outlying suburbs such as Parnell peaked some interest, but I couldn't even muster up the money or the fascination to hitch it to the top of the skytower and take a look around (what a boring backpacker I am!). On the other hand, I took a ferry out to Waiheke island (about 30 minutes from Auckland) and stumbled upon beauty and wine in the heart of hippy bohemia. Waiheke has a charm that is similar to what I imagine Byron Bay will have: long, white sand beaches (with optional nude sections), friendly locals, brilliantly-colored buildings, and WINE!! I spent my day doing yoga and sunning myself at the rather isolated Palm Beach, then taking the local bus back to the main town and walking over to the closest winery (which, at this point in time, I have forgotten the name of....dammit! It started with a 'c' though, haha) ....perhaps a little too much wine was drunk. I do remember the barman taking pity on my lonely travels and giving me a few extra tastings along with some very interesting wine knowledge. I then stumbled along to the next winery where I realized that I had planned my day incorrectly and should have done the wineries first as they were all getting ready to close. Oh well, it was a beautiful walk through the scenic backtrails from wine country to the ferry. After another two nights in Auckland I said good bye to Aotearoa (Maori for 'land of the long white cloud), and all the adventures which I had had there. Five weeks of bus tour was just enough to get an introduction to NZ; but I feel like, with my own means of travel, I could stay in this green and gorgeous adventure country (pathetically free of ANY dangerous animals, excluding the nasty sand flies) for several months. There's always time ;)

And so, on March 14th, I flew on to my second destination country: FIJI.

Queenstown parties and the beauty of Milford Sound!

Hello Hello!

Well, last time I left off I was headed to Wanaka where I spent one very chill night with good friends. First off we settled in to the hostel and then off to the best burger joint in town! (too bad I can't remember the name of it!) Honestly though, this was the best burger that I have ever had....in my entire life....and lives to come! (that includes having tasted a reknowned fergburger!) Gourmet burger patty, garlic aoili, bbq sauce, ANOTHER sauce (gotta love the sauce!), tomato, lettuce, onion, pineapple, shredded edam cheese, and an enormous bun (are you drooling yet??) After we had filled our tummies and were completely satisfied, we waddled across the street to experience the most fantastic idea for a cinema that I have ever encountered: it was a small theatre, filled with COUCHES and all kinds of easy chairs and then halfway through the movie we paused for an intermission and went to grab some fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and a hot chocolate, or a latte, etc...and then settled back into our comfy seats to enjoy the last half of the show. In my opinion, the world should be filled with these places!! :P We saw The Fighter (a must-see show, by the way! Fantastic acting....and that's coming from a person who cringes when she has to watch a boxing movie!). I left the theatre jogging and giving a jab, jab, right hook combo all the way back to the hostel (and you KNOW that I did! haha)

Our next stop was Queenstown. I would describe Queenstown as a magical place. Very touristy, but so much so that it is just accepted. It is rumoured that you would have to spend a year here and $70,000 before you could complete every activity that Queenstown has to offer! Obviously, I have neither that time, nor the money, so I am being very low-budget and just enjoying the spectacular (and cheap) views that this Whistler-esque village has to offer! The town itself is surrounded by towering mountains named The Remarkables (they really weren't very imaginative with the names in NZ, but at the same time, this makes their naming system unique and quite adorable :) On the other hand, you can't say that these mountains AREN'T remarkable! Their craggy peaks snake their way up to the sky and change their colours as the day wears on. There is a gigantic lake situated right at the base of Queenstown, as well as parks, mountains, and a gondola which climbs to the top of the nearest mountain and....of course....boasts a bungy which plummets you through the air right over the heart of Queenstown (is this place great, or what??) It's a haven for the adrenaline junkie, a romantic getaway for honeymoooners, and a sanctuary for the worn-out Kiwi Experience buser, such as myself. Queenstown has it all.

I went out on the town here for the first two nights....no matter that they were monday and tuesday nights and that we only visited two bars in all! But that's the way this place works: every night is a Friday, and the crowd is full of cheap backpackers dancing and drinking til the wee hours (those hours being 130 am for myself, lol!) The hostel bar at Base named Altitude has a karaoke night on mondays...and you know that I can't resist a good karaoke night! The girls and myself did a great rendition of "Man, I feel like a woman!" (complete with Rich, our resident outgoing guy, doing a short stripp-tease on stage....just the top, just the top ;) ). Then I selected Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses" to sing solo, and immediately began to question my choice. I'd sang it well before when in Vancouver, but the crowd here was much bigger, much rowdier, and much more....well, critical. But after hearing a few slow love ballads sung (and sung not too badly either), I decided to just go for it.....and drank a little more, haha! So then I was called to the stage, the music started (I could hardly hear it, or myself!) and I looked out into the crowd and saw the face of everyone of my buses around NZ, from the first bus to my current one (as everyone tends to meet up in Queenstown). They were all cheering me on and it gave me the courage to sing my heart out, act out every emotion, and dramatically air guitar my way to a free night at the hostel as a prize! The whole crowd was singing and air guitaring along with me. I tell you, that kind of rush is up there with skydiving and delicious burgers! :P After that amazing feeling we continued on to World Bar and enjoyed teapots of alcohol (Russian Roulette is my absolute fav: vodka, kahlua, triple sec, and coca cola!).

Yesterday I ventured out to Milford Sound on a bus tour. This place is a World Heritage Site and is on the nominee list for the 8th wonder of the world. The Sound was covered in ice by a huge glacier 20,000 ago. The ice carved through the mountains towards the Tasman sea, and then left enormous sheer cliff faces as it melted and created the water at the moutain base. The Milford Sound should technically be named the Milford Fjord as it was created by a glacier, and a 'sound' is created by a river which erodes away the surrounding mountains. At any rate, this place is one of beauty, serenity, and grandeur as the mountain faces drop thousands of feet to the water below. We were greeted by downpour rain for the bus ride in, but soon realized that this made the day more dynamic as the small ribbons of waterfalls appeared on the mountains surrounding us....like veins for these mammoth beasts of rock! Once we hit the Sound, we stepped onto boat for a hot lunch buffet, and the rains immediately cleared up and Mr. Sun paid us a visit! Perfect weather! The boat brought us directly underneath the waterfalls, we cruised beside some seals sunning on a rock, and we gazed stupidly at the sheer size of everything around us (there's nothing else that you could really do!) Several times I put away my camera, telling myself that there is no way to capture this on film, and everytime I had to bring it back out again, just in case THIS was THE SHOT of the day!! Such a fantastic experience and I recommend it to anyone travelling through NZ.

Only two more nights in Queenstown....time to enjoy the sunshine! :D

From Taupo to Wanaka: crossing the islands and then some

Hellooooo everyone!
First off, thanks to everyone who has left comments and suggestions for tasks on this blog. I really appreciate the time that you take to do that, and it makes me feel that much closer to home :)

So after hitting up the East Coast, the bus found it's way back to Taupo (home of the skydiving jump, if you've been following closely). On this return trip through the area, I decided to take on the Tongariro Crossing: a hike through the mountains, tundra, and 'jungle' in the region which averages 7 hours! The hike was incredible and exhausting! Halfway through they have a point of no return where you have to turn around if you feel that you won't make it the rest of the way....a route that I momentarily considered and then kind of regretted not taking during the arduous last 2 hours of downward path through a hot jungle forest. But all in all the views were spectacular and the feeling of having completed a feat as difficult as this hike was amazing. I htink that the strangest thing about this hike was the landscape which was constantly changing: tundra to mountain to flat crater to mountain to deep red crater to emerald lakes to moutain paths to jungle.....just incredible!

The next day the bus ventured to River Valley Lodge with a stop at Tongarki Falls (sp?) to do a hike which ended at the river where part of Lord of the Rings was filmed (which part? I don't know. Which scene? I don't know....but it definitely looked like a landscape from Lord of the Rings, haha!) At the picturesque River Valley Lodge we played some sand volleyball (with the menacing sand flies...don't even get me started on those little pests! They are my arch enemies at the moment!). The game was great for meeting a busload of new people. I didn't do the rafting there (I'm actually starting to watch my bank account now), but I took in some eye-opening swimming in the icy cold river and then a nice break in the hot tub. The next day was a bit of a disappointment because we drove all day to Wellington and then I had only planned one night there. This meant arriving at 7 pm and leaving at 7 am....thus, I've planned on 3 days in Wellington when I return to the north island in about 8 days. (wow, 8 days! It's wierd to think that my time in NZ is almost over!)

Next we crossed the beautiful Marlbourgh Sound to go to the south island and then drove to the ever-sunny Nelson....in which, the next day, it rained. But we made the best of it as 7 of us rented a van and attempted the 2 hour drive to Abel Tasman National Park; on which we went to a brewery, got lost, found a quaint winery in the countryside with $2 wine tastings, and then eventually found our way to the park where we dined on wine and all the fixings of a great picnic: cheeses, crackers, fruit, meat, and chocolate. Next we walked to the first lookout (in a park which takes a few days to walk its entirety) and enjoyed the views...even on a cloudy day.

It was on this day that the earthquake occurred and we, fortunately, didn't even have the slightest idea while we were in the park. However, although the devastation is isolated, the whole country has felt the impact of destruction from the quake and is grieving for the city of Christchurch. It's gotten quite emotional a few times while watching newscasts and knowing that the inhabitants of the city of, in some cases, lost home and loved ones and are just trying to pick up the pieces...while dodging aftershocks and the apparent arrival of another giant earthquake (although these have just been rumours). Thank god that my friend Anita, whom I was going to stay with, was okay. One of the hostels which the bus frequents in Christchurch was flattened and yes, there were some casualties...none from the kiwi experience, but it's still a horrible situation. The kiwi buses are now detouring around christchurch except for those people that have flights out of the airport. These people are told to bring enough water, food, toilet paper, etc... to last them until their flight leaves. I just received a message from Anita who said that they are now able to use the toilets, but they still have to boil their water. If you are able to donate any money to help the situation for the people fo Christchurch, then please do.

Onto brighter notes, the next day out of Nelson I was on Morrie's bus. Morrie is a dread-locked, surfboard-toting New Zealander who is constantly seeking adventure and is quite a laugh to talk to. He gives out beer to anyone who jumps off the bus and kisses lollipop men and women (or construction workers) when we have to stop for contruction. The beer count goes up the more undesirable the worker seems to be. Double points for a ginger (or redhead) because Morrie is one. We haven't had the honor of witnessing this spectacle yet, but I'll be sure to get lots of pics if it ever happens!! We continued on to Lake Rotiti: nestled in the mountains and full of....eels and ducks. Well, okay, not FULL of eels, but seeing them under the dock and then NEEDING that jumpshot off the dock into the same water was a little unnerving, but I did the jump, got the shot, and then got my ass out of the water. The ducks there were SUPER friendly....as in they would crawl all over you trying to get at your food! One guy in the group even got his nipple bitten as a young duck attempted to snatch his slice of pizza. Crazy little buggers! We then rolled into Westport .....which is not much of anything, but gave us a chance to go to a pub for dinner and drinks and a pool game (involving the whole bus!) and meet the crew which was a good night.

On Morrie's bus, he tends to stop at any and every stop there is for a scenic snapshot or a short walk through the forest. At first these stops are abhorred as you try to relax or catch up on some sleep, but then you realize that this IS New Zealand and these stops are getting you up close and personal with it. Next we went to Lake Mahinapua, home of the legendary Kiwi Experience Poo Pub night (no, no 'poo' is involved...this comes from 'Ma-hin-a-POO-a'). Every bus has different costume themes to fulfill for the night, and ours was "tight and bright: anything tight and bright". At first we balked at the idea as we didn't have time to shop at thrift stores, but with ingenuity, and some rummaging through the hostel's clothes box, we all came up with fabulous costumes (you MUST see facebook pics for the feel of this night!) Every kiwi bus that comes through (which is every night) gets a group photo and these photos are put on the walls, and then in albums when the walls are full. The night was merry and BRIGHT as we drank $10 jugs and chose our own music from the jukebox. :P

The next day (without a hangover for myself! AMAZING!), we ventured to Franz Josef, the site of the incredible Franz Josef glacier! 2 nights here allowed us to enjoy a day of trekking out on the glacier. We climbed the ice through caves and crevasses (sp?) and ultimately hiked a total of 16km (painfully reminiscent of the Tongariro crossing!). Halfway through the hike i thought, "Well, this is just like any other hike." But as the day wore on, I realized, holy shit! I'm on a glacier!!" and this feeling was incredible!

Now we are in Wanaka. Tonight will be an easy night as a group of us are going to the local cinema which employs couches for seats and serves hot chocolate and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in the intermission :) :) The movie being shown is The Fighter, which my parents have told me is a must-see! Tomorrow we are off to Queenstown where I will spend 5 days (a luxury in the life of bus travel!) and will see the magnificent Milford Sound.

Kia Ora!!