Glaciers, Mountains and Lakes…Oh My!

I know that I have said this about almost everywhere we have been to in NZ so far… but the places we have been to in the last week, have been some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  (I had to include a little disclaimer because I can already hear my Dad saying: “You say that about every place you go to!”) :) Starting off from where the last posted ended on February 18^th, we left Greymouth and stopped at the Monteith’s Brewery tour on the way out of town. Although I had already been on brewery tours in Dublin (Guinness) and Amsterdam (Heineken), this was very different and well worth it. It wasn’t over commercialized at all, and took us through the brewery itself from all of the machinery to the bottling and packaging area. It was interesting to learn that two women manually put all of the bottles into the cases from the assembly line, and they can package four bottles per second! At the end of the tour we got to try each of their seven product lines in a little bar they had on site, and even pour our own pints from the tap (the highlight of course!) Here we met a couple from Denmark that we really got along with and ended up chatting with them until we got kicked out because the next tour was starting. We exchanged contact info and are hoping to meet up with them later on in Australia. After the tour, we continued to head south down the west coast and eventually reached the Franz Joseph township around 6 pm or so. We checked into a dorm because it was raining so much, and we knew our little tent doesn’t handle rain too well. That night we just got settled in, had some dinner and then headed to the Monsoon Bar (their motto is “it rains, we pour”). We sat down to watch the rugby game on TV and met three guys from England, who started to explain the rules to us. They ended up being part of a ‘Kiwi Experience’ tour, which is kind of like a Contiki tour. Later on, they introduced us to a few others from Ireland and Scotland, and we ended up hanging out with all of them for the rest of the night. The next morning we got up early and drove half an hour to Fox Glacier, where we went on a half-day guided glacier hike! There were about 25 of us on the bus up to the trail head, and when we got to the top we were split into two groups with one guide each. Just because of where we were standing, Keith and I ended up being the only two grouped with a Japanese tour group of teenage girls. The funniest part was when our guide asked us where we were from and I replied Canada, all of the girls starting screaming, “CANADA! JUSTIN BIEBER!” Then all started to sing “Baby, Baby”… we didn’t really know how to respond, but it’s good to know what our country is known for in Japan! haha To get up to the glacier itself, we actually had to hike through a rainforest and climb about 700 steps. It was strange walking through a warm rainforest in a tanktop and then arriving on the cold ice and putting on several layers and a big jacket. We had a great guide who we were able to talk a lot with because we were always waiting for the rest of the group (I don’t think they really knew what they had signed up for). When we got to the ice, we strapped on some crampons, grabbed a walking stick and started to make our way through a crevasse with some blue ice! It was such a unique experience and I really enjoyed it. In hindsight, I kind of wish we had coughed paid the extra sixty bucks to do the full day tour instead, so we could have had more time on the ice, but it was still awesome. That afternoon, we walked around beautiful Lake Mathieson (which is famous for its mirror like appearance) and then checked out Franz Joepsh Glacier. Later that night we went back to the bar to meet up with everyone and had another great night out.

Sunday morning we left pretty early and made our way down to Wanaka. It was a pretty long drive and we didn’t really make any stops along the way. We got there mid-afternoon and decided to go to a 4 pm movie in the coolest movie theatre I have ever been to. Forget boring old movie theatre seats; this small theatre had about 15 comfy couches to lounge on while you watch the movie. Or you could choose to sit in the old car they have sitting in the corner for a drive-in movie experience. It was so cool! There is also an intermission where you can go out into the lobby and buy some freshly baked cookies, or homemade ice cream! We watched 127 hours, such an incredible movie; we highly recommend it if anyone hasn’t already seen it. After the movie, we drove down to Queenstown and checked into our hostel almost directly on the lakefront. As I have heard from so many people, this town reminded me so much of Banff; it was beautiful. We met two awesome girls in our room from Sweden and England, and agreed to meet up with them later in the night. Then Keith and I grabbed some pizza for dinner and took a nice walk along the lake, before getting to World Bar at 10 pm to meet our roommates. This bar was really fun because you could have cocktail drinks out of teapots! We stayed there for a while, and then hit a couple more places before finding a bar called Cowboys - just what we needed for a little taste of home. :) This place was hilarious; the first thing you see when you walk in the door is a massive stuffed grizzly bear. The bar stools were saddles and the beer taps were pistols. There was even a mechanical bull to ride, which of course we did and Keith impressed everyone. It was a really fun night. We had a bit of a slow start to the next day, and went for breakfast at a café near our hostel with our Swedish roommate. There was a great hike we really wanted to do in Wanaka so we drove back there, only to find out the trail wasn’t accessible because of all of the rain. Since we were already there, we did the Diamond Lake hike for a couple hours, which was nice but nothing too special. When I was in Berlin last October, I met a girl named Laura who is from NZ. Although she lives in Dunedin, she was staying in Glenorchy for a couple nights before starting a four day hike. The timing worked out great, so that evening Keith and I drove there to see her. The forty minute drive in between Queenstown and Glenorchy along the lakes and mountains was incredible, and the town itself was so serene and peaceful. The mountains in the area were actually used as the ‘Misty Mountains’ in the Lord of the Rings films. Laura had just messaged me her address that day and wasn’t sure if I was going to read the email, so she was so surprised and excited to see us when we arrived. We also met her friend, sister and dad; all of whom were so nice, and invited us to stay for dinner. We ate outside overlooking the mountains, had a wonderful meal of salad and delicious lamb (had to try this in NZ!), and had a really nice visit. That is such a cool part about traveling – when you start visiting people you have met in other parts of the world. I love it! It was great to see her, and we ended up spending the whole night there; not getting back to Queenstown until pretty late. It was our first time driving on the highway at night, and we saw tons of possums hopping along the side of the road (they are considered pests here and are very common road kill). Luckily we didn’t hit any – although Laura’s Dad said that we should try to.

Tuesday morning we got some groceries before leaving Queenstown and were surprised to see the Heritage Classic hockey game in Calgary being played there on TV! Go Flames! Then it was on to Te Anau, only about two hours away. It was here that we first heard about the horrific earthquake that had hit Christchurch mid-day. We were very fortunate to have been so far away, because we could have very easily been there. We didn’t even know the extent of the damage until a few days later because we were pretty isolated from any news sources. I’m sorry again for all of those who were worried about us, thank you so much for all of the messages! We went to the information site here and booked a kayak trip and accommodation in Milford Sound. Then we continued north on another nice drive to the lodge, passing more beautiful waterfalls and lakes on the way. Through these mountains, we were also able to get a close up look at some Kea, which are the world’s only alpine parrots. They are known for being very mischievous, and are called ‘clown’ or ‘teenager’ birds by locals. We had a relaxing night in preparation for yet another early wake up time the next morning.

The Milford Sound kayak trip that we did on Wednesday was easily a trip highlight. Even compared to the Abel Tasman kayaking we enjoyed so much, this trip was just on another level. We met up with our guide and the other five people in our group at 7 am sharp, and headed down to the waterfront. At this time in the morning, we were the ONLY ones on the water for about an hour, which was unbelievable. The water was so calm, and it was a perfectly warm and sunny day (very lucky considering it rains 200 days out of the year in Milford). We got suited up in our stylish purple stripped thermal leggings and sweater, rain jacket and life jacket; then it was into the tandem kayaks and out on the water. Our guide was really great, telling us a lot about the area, history and wildlife. Along the way we saw so many huge waterfalls, and even kayaked underneath one! We got soaked, but it was cool to look up as we went underneath and see the droplets falling under a shimmer of a rainbow caused by the sun. Just amazing. I really think the only way to truly experience Milford Sound is by kayak, because only when you are so low on the water, are you able to really get a feel for how HUGE the majestic cliff walls on either side of you are. Then just when we thought it couldn’t get better, we looked down and noticed seals swimming next to us! We also passed a seal colony lounging in the sun; it was definitely the closest I have ever been to these animals in the wild. Around four and a half hours later (after paddling for about 20 km across the entire length of the Sound), we reached the Tasman Sea. It really felt like an accomplishment and I continue to surprise myself with what I am capable of! From there, we hopped into a speed boat and enjoyed a nice cruise all the way back. Keith and I have truly found a new passion in kayaking! After saying goodbye to our group, we got back in the car and headed south for another five hour drive.

When I said at the beginning of the blog that these places were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen; I meant it. However, another major observation we made was how similar these areas were to Canada! A lot of people we met along the way said the same thing. We both feel like we haven't taken enough advantage of where we live and look forward to enjoying these activities back home as well!

North Island to South Island & Everything In Between!

Six more jam-packed days have passed without a blog post, which means this one is overdue as well! We haven’t found free internet anywhere, and when it is available, it seems so expensive. We both feel so behind on messaging and updating all of you back at home, so hopefully we can get caught up today.  Back to February 12, our first full day in beautiful Taupo, after a wonderful sleep in the dorm room we had to ourselves. We woke up to beautiful sunny weather, which was a nice change from the previous couple days of rain. That morning we stopped in at a place called the ‘Honey Hive,’ where there is free honey tasting, honey ice cream and lots of bees on display. Keith got his honey fix, and we actually learned a lot of interesting info about bees! Always looking for free attractions, it was a fun and different way to spend an hour or so. That afternoon we headed down to the harbour and boarded ‘The Barbary,’ a sailboat originally made in 1926. For the next three hours, we sat back and relaxed, sailing around Lake Taupo, and getting an up close look at the Maori Carvings. We also got the chance to jump off the boat and go for a quick swim, as well as bring our own beer on board. We were able to score the best seats at the back of the boat behind the steering wheel, so were able to talk to Captain Luke (a really nice local guy) and the deck hand, who was a German girl on a working holiday. It was a perfect way to spend a nice afternoon. Walking back to our hostel, we decided to sit out on a patio and enjoy a beer. I tried a pint of Guinness, which of course just wasn’t up to par now that I have been to Ireland, but good nonetheless. I have now tried Guinness in Canada, England, Ireland, Spain, Greece and now New Zealand! That night we cooked a gourmet dinner of chicken and rice and had a relatively early night because of our big upcoming day.

Sunday was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 19.7 km hike, 800 metres up, 1100 meters down, through a volcanic mountain range. For you Lord of the Rings fans out there, this was where the Mordor scenes were filmed, including Mt. Doom! (Keith was very excited about this). That morning we woke up at 5:30 am, ate a quick breakfast, put together our day packs and were outside waiting by 6:15 for a shuttle bus to drive us to the trail head. We decided not to drive our car because there is so much car theft that takes place in the parking lot, so we were ready to pay this shuttle company $50 NZ dollars each to drive us. Our pick up time of 6:20 am came and went, and after waiting outside for almost 45 minutes, we realized they weren’t coming. When we told the hostel owner they didn’t show up, he immediately delivered an angry phone call to the company and then told us that if we drove to another location nearby, the company would drive us from there free of charge. Although happy to be saving 100 dollars, we were already a little frustrated by the inconvenience, and were anxious to get going on the 7-8 hour hike. When we arrived at the next location, we found out that the guy wanted to drive our car, drop us off and then pick us up at the end of the day. After a little reassuring on his part, we agreed to this; he even gave us 10 L of gas free and ended up being a really nice guy. After a slow start to the day, we finally got to the trail at 10 am and started on our way; in fact it all turned out better because we didn’t have to pay for anything :). The hike was INCREDIBLE. The first 5 km were relatively flat through volcanic rocks, with very little vegetation. Then the incline began and it was so steep! We passed a few craters, and eventually made it to the summit. The view was breathtaking. From the top, you could see the ‘Blue Lake,’ the three ‘Emerald Lakes,’ along with the ‘Red Crater’; it was amazing. It was all scree (loose rocks) down from the summit and very steep; but once we got down to the lakes, we sat and enjoyed our packed lunch. We couldn’t have asked for a better day, because the weather can sometimes get pretty volatile in the mountain range. On the way down, the vegetation completely changed to green fields with flowers and we passed several natural hot springs. The very last few kilometers were through a rainforest type setting along a beautiful stream; so many different landscapes in one day! We were pretty tired by the end of the hike, but we finished in just under 6 hours, much faster than we expected. Definitely a trip highlight! After getting back to our hostel and cooking dinner, we decided not to give in to how exhausted we were and headed to a bar in the town. Right away we met three guys, two from Adelaide, Australia and one from NZ. They all worked on a race car team (one driver, one engineer, one mechanic); really nice guys and we spent the night talking to them. One of them even said he might have some job connections in Adelaide or Melbourne, so we will see if those pan out in the future! Back to our room around 2 am for a very much needed sleep.

The next morning we checked out and started our long drive straight from Taupo to Wellington; which took about 5 hours in all. Since it was Valentine’s Day, we decided to treat ourselves to a hotel stay instead of a tent or dorm room, and found a nice place downtown near the ferry harbour. After checking in, we went out for a nice dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, which brought back memories from our Europe trip with Italian food and Turkish beer. We walked around a little bit after that, and it was a really nice night. We got up early the next morning to catch our 8 am ferry to the South Island, so we saw virtually none of Wellington as a city; we are hoping to spend a little more time there on the way back. The ferry ride was about 3 hours and passed through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, arriving in Picton around noon. We bought some groceries, then drove the Queen Charlotte Scenic Drive along the coast and decided to make it all the way to Motueka; a town just south of Abel Tasman National Park. We stayed at a really nice campsite where we swam in the pool, barbequed burgers and played a game of chess on the giant chess board (something I have always wanted to do!) We had a little boy from England watching us and giving us pointers the whole time haha.

Wednesday morning we got up early and headed out on a full-day excursion to Abel Tasman with a great tour company. There were only six of us in the group, two girls from Switzerland and a couple from Holland; and a great local guide. We started the day off with three hours of kayaking, stopping at a secluded beach for some ‘Milo’ (NZ equivalent to hot chocolate) and biscuits along the way. The water was so beautiful and clear, and every beach we saw had perfect golden sand. We had a lot of fun as a group, the guide called each of our tandem kayaks “Team Canada” or “Team Swiss” etc. We kayaked over to Adele Island and spotted some baby NZ fur seals! They were so cute. After the kayaking, we relaxed on the beach for a while before getting picked up by a speedboat that took us to Bark Bay. We hit huge waves on the boat and were going so fast, I was laughing the whole time; loved it. Once we arrived at the Bay, we hiked along the trail for two hours and made it to Torrent Bay (6 km). This section of the 51 km hike is supposed to be the most picturesque and I could see why – it was incredible. We found the trail to be a little too busy though, it was nice to talk to other travelers but I think we are usually spoiled with having trails mainly to ourselves. Once we got to the next beach we got picked up by the same speedboat and taken back to the beginning. Walking up the beach back to the shuttle van was interesting because the tide had gone so far out; we saw lots of crabs, starfish and seashells. We got back to our car around 5 pm, and headed southwest right away, making it to Murchison by 8 pm, where we stayed at another campsite.

The next morning we got up and packed, and made time to feed some of the animals at the campsite. I wanted to feed the sheep but couldn’t get their attention, so I was stuck feeding the ugly emus and chickens. There were also ducks walking around everywhere, and even a few deer. We left by 10:30 or so and drove west to Westport, where we stopped to eat lunch at the beach and take a look at a seal colony. Then we followed a beautiful coastal walkway for about an hour out to a lighthouse and back. We continued south down the west coast, which is one of the top ten road trips in the world, according to our Lonely Planet guide. It was a stunning drive. Along the way, we stopped for some ice cream and checked out the ‘Pancake Rocks,’ a unique geological rock formation on the coast. We arrived in Greymouth around 6 pm, where we stayed last night at one of the coolest hostels I have ever seen. We actually pitched a tent in the backyard, but had access to all of the facilities. The decorations are incredible with African and Asian themes, and a really nice kitchen and living room; it felt like being at home. We cooked some dinner and then made use of the free bikes they provide here. We wanted to ride down to the beach to watch the sunset, but the chain came off of Keith’s ancient bike about 10 minutes into the ride, and then the seat fell off; so we just walked them back haha. We spent the rest of the night relaxing in the common room, catching up on emails and enjoying a few beers.

That brings us to today, February 18! We are going on a Monteith’s Brewery Tour and Tasting in a couple of hours and then heading further south to the glaciers; we are really looking forward to exploring those. It has been amazing to see beautiful places every single day on this trip and to be able to explore the country through walking, hiking, kayaking, boating etc. I am really enjoying how active we have been. This trip is so different than our Europe trip, which was so awesome, but much more focused on sightseeing and history. Both types of trips are incredible and we are very fortunate to be experiencing both and to be together. As we always say to each other, “life could be worse.” :)

Road Trip - Kiwi Style

This is the first time we have been able to access the Internet in four days, so this blog post is a little overdue (especially considering everything we have been up to!) Hopefully this entry isn’t too long :) On Tuesday morning we picked up our rental car in Auckland and were very pleasantly surprised with what we ended up with. We are driving a silver station wagon, a 2004 Nissan Wingroad. The interior is actually a lot nicer than expected with a good radio, A/C and power locks/windows. We love it! Keith has done most of the driving and is starting to get the hang of driving on the left hand side of the road, and having the windshield wipers on the left and turn signal on the right. My job has been navigator, accommodation finder, and activities coordinator…so much responsibility! Our Lonely Planet guide will be falling apart from overuse by the end of this road trip. We packed up everything and grabbed some groceries before heading south out of Auckland and then west to the Coromandel Peninsula. Before this trip, I had never really heard about this area, and I don’t know why; it was amazing. We drove NZ’s version of the Pacific Coast Highway, which was beautiful but soo curvy. On our way to Whitianga (on the east coast), we saw the option to veer off of the main highway and take an unpaved, back road instead; so of course we did. It was definitely worth it. We made a few stops along the way to walk through a Kauri Tree Grove (huge, wide ancient trees), and walk to a waterfall which you could actually swim under. We made it into the small beach town around 6:00 pm not having anywhere booked, so we stopped at a campsite and they had spots available. After we pitched our little tent (using the same tent my Dad used when he was traveling), we cooked a pasta dinner that worked out to costing us 75 cents each. Not too bad. Then we headed to the beach, walked along the sand and looked at seashells. After the sun set, we did some trip planning back at the campsite and played some cards before bed.

The next morning we woke up to rain, and some small puddles in our tent; nothing too bad though. We quickly packed up and got back on the road, making a quick detour northwest. Thanks to a local newsletter we had checked out, we learned about New Chums Beach; which is rated one of the top ten ‘deserted’ beaches in the world. Once we found out how to get to it, we could understand why. First, we had to cross through water at a point where the ocean met a river. With clothes over our bathing suits, we took off our runners and waded along a sand bar, where the water was only up to our knees.  A couple of minutes later, just over the half way mark, the water got much deeper. I held up both pairs of shoes, while Keith held the backpack over his head to protect our passports inside. We started toward shore and at one point, I was up to my shoulders in water. The whole time I was laughing soo hard. I just loved it, and thought it was hilarious. We made it to shore safely with everything dry except for ourselves. Then it was time to strap back on the shoes and hike up and down a narrow path through dense forest. About 20 minutes later, we came to a clearing and saw one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. A massive, beautiful beach…and we had it completely to ourselves. There were no footprints on the sand except for our own; I have never experienced anything like it. We spent a couple hours there playing in the water and just relaxing on the sand; true paradise. Although it was hard to leave, we had to get back on the road. From there, we headed back down south along the coast and ended up at Hot Water Beach. There are geothermal cracks directly underneath certain areas on this beach, which cause hot steam to seep up to the surface, heating the water. Everyone rents ‘spades’ (shovels) and heads down to the beach during low tide to dig themselves a hot water spa in the sand; worked pretty good! The rest of the night was spent setting up our tent, cooking dinner and more trip planning.

Thursday morning, we woke up feeling ambitious and wanting to make it to Cathedral Cove. Normally there is a walking trail that leads to this famous part of the coast, but it was closed because of landslides caused by the big storm a couple weeks ago. There was a sign at the trail head mentioning it was about a ten minute swim from another cove, so we walked down intending on swimming the extra distance. Once we got down there and into the water, we realized it might be a little harder than the sign suggested. We got there during high tide on a cloudy day, so the waves were very strong. We swam for about ten minutes just getting to an outcrop of rocks and were already pretty exhausted. After talking to other swimmers, we decided not to go for it. The only people who seemed to be doing the swim were those with flippers on. We were really disappointed, but our swimming skills just didn’t seem up to par for the risk of crashing into the rocks. Something to see next time! Then back on the road for a couple hours until we came to the Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway, which followed the river along an old railroad track. It wasn’t actually as exciting as we anticipated so we didn’t end up doing the full 5 km. That night was spent in Tauranga at another campsite. We took the opportunity to do some laundry and have a late dinner before heading into town. There was a really cool street along the waterfront called ‘The Strand,’ where all the bars are. We stopped at a few different patios for some beers; it was a really fun atmosphere. Around 1:00 am, it started pouring rain so we rushed back to the campsite to close up our tent and take our clothes off the dying rack. Everything was pretty soaked.

After sleeping in a little bit the next morning, we drove over to the beach (part of the Bay of Plenty). It was raining pretty hard, but we still decided to climb up to the summit of Mt. Maunganui (235 m).  This didn’t take us too long, but unfortunately the view from the top wasn’t very clear due to all the rain. We hurried back down pretty quick because we were soaked, and then drove on to Rotorua. When we arrived, the weather was still cold and rainy which would hinder a lot of out outdoor plans, so we made the decision to drive through and hit it on our way back up to Auckland in a couple weeks.  That brought us down to Taupo, which is where we are now. The town is on the edge of Lake Taupo; New Zealand’s largest lake, which is roughly the size of Singapore. We tried three different hostels that were all full before finding a place to stay at a hostel/motel. It’s really nice and the owners let us have a room to ourselves for the price of a dorm room; a nice break from camping in the rain for a couple nights. We are having so much fun just showing up in places and finding accommodation as we go; such a different style trip from our Europe trip, much more relaxed and spontaneous. More good times to come! Ps. I will add pictures later when we have free Internet!

One Week Down...22 Weeks to Go!!!

Us at Darling Harbour

Our last few days in Sydney were...very hot; well Saturday was at least. A new temperature record was set for Sydney that day, and we heard that the city hadn't experienced a heat wave like it did from Feb.1-Feb.5 since 1858 (which is when the records began). The exact five days we were there, great. For the most part, we just stayed in our hostel that day trying to survive the heat. We went to get some lunch at one point, and as soon as we walked outside it was almost hard to breath. We opted to wait until the sun started to set before we ventured out into the city, and even after dark it was still over 30 degrees. Despite the heat, we had a great night. Took the ferry over to Darling Harbour and walked through Cockle Bay Warf. A very happening place at night, and it looked great all lit up. After a bit of walking, we decided to split a pizza and enjoy a couple beers at a restaurant along the water. I can't tell you how great those cold beers were!

We woke up Sunday morning after the hottest, worst sleep I think I have ever had in my life. It literally felt like we were sleeping in a sauna; stepping outside into the fresh air in the morning was amazing. I skyped home to my family and was able to see everyone, (even Shadow!) which was so great. I loved being able to talk to everyone and see the inside of my house, I miss them all so much already! We checked out of our hostel around 11 am, stored our bags, and then headed back into the city one more time. At the last minute, we decided to take the ferry over to Toronga Zoo and cough up the $30 entrance fee...totally worth it!! Blew my expecations out of the water! We saw koalas and kangaroos, a platypus (Keith was very excited), a komodo dragon, wombats, giraffes, zebras, baby elephants, mini hippos, penguins, emus and more! We even walked in an enclosure with wallabies and got right up close to them. The view back onto the Sydney Harbour was great as well. It was a really fun day, until I got bit or stung by a caterpillar. I didn't even know caterpillars could do either! Just my luck of course. The bite immediately swelled up and turned white, but we asked a staff member who said to treat it just like a mosquito bite. Great, another one of those. Luckily this happened just as we were about to leave, and it had started to rain and turn very windy too. We took the ferry back, grabbed our bags from the hostel and shared a cab with a couple of American girls to the airport. Our flight was delayed almost two hours, so we didn't arrive in Auckland until 2:30 in the morning. We ended up taking a shuttle bus to our hostel, where we found the owner waiting for us to check in! Such a nice man, and a great hostel and location.

One Tree Hill

Woke up this morning around 10:30 after an incredible sleep in a normal temperature room. At that point, I could tell I was already going to love New Zealand. After showers and a free breakfast, we walked down Queen Street to the harbour. Along the way we stopped at a department store to buy a couple of cheap sleeping bags, sleeping mats and a cooler. The total came to $70.00, which is only about $55.00 Canadian. Pretty good deal! Then we lugged it all back to our hostel, and had a quick lunch. Next, we walked back to the harbour - to the starting point of the 16 km Coast-to-Coast Auckland Walk. It was amazing!! It took us just over four hours, including a few stops and wrong turns; and it was a fantastic way to see the city. There were posted signs along the way, but they were sometimes hard to spot, which made it kind of fun. We walked through several beautiful parks, the University of Auckland, up to the top of Mt. Eden and to One Tree Hill (the hill that inspired U2's Joshua Tree). The views from those two hills were incredible, tiring climbs though. We had so much fun on this walk together, just talking, laughing and taking pictures along the way. My favourite day of the trip so far for sure. Finally arrived at the finish point around 8 pm, and then found our way to a bus that would take us back downtown. Back at our hostel, we cooked some pasta for dinner and enjoyed a few beers while planning our upcoming road trip and meeting some other travellers. Everyone has long gone to bed, it's 1 am right now and we are the last ones standing. Tomorrow morning we pick up our car and are planning on heading south. I am soo excited for these next few weeks, I really think we are going to fall in love with this country! Bed time now, good night!

Beach Time!

Our past few days here in Sydney have been nothing but beaches, beaches and more beaches. On Thursday we took the bus down to Bondi Beach, where we walked around for a bit before having lunch overlooking the water. It was a bit cloudier that day, and while it was still probably 30 degrees, it seemed a lot cooler which was nice. We set off on the 6 km coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee and it was beautiful. We passed so many beaches and there are a few I would love to go back to, especially Bronte Beach. After some stops for pictures and lookout points, we arrived at Coogee aproximately two hours later. We both loved this beach, it was a lot of fun. We didn't waste too much time getting into the water, and played around in the waves for a long time. They were huge! Definitely got knocked down a couple of times, but the water felt great. We were also able to test out my new underwater camera, and it seems to work fine! At around 5:30 or so, we took the bus and then train back to our hostel, stopping for groceries again on the way home. We decided to cave in and buy some Toohey's beer at the expensive liquor store nearby. I can't believe how expensive beer is here! Looks like we will be drinking a lot of wine on this trip! We showered, cleaned up and ate dinner before heading back into the city. It was so great to see the harbour all lit up at night :) We heard an outdoor concert going on by the Opera House and even though we couldn't see the stage, we listened for a bit and realized it was Sting singing 'Message in a Bottle'! Very cool. After we got some pictures, we headed to a bar that had some drink specials going on. I tried out Fosters, and wasn't a fan, but had to give it a shot. We had fun dancing and meeting some other people. A good night.

The next day we had a slower start to the day, but made our way into the city before taking the ferry over to Manly beach. What a great atmosphere, definitely lived up to its expecations. We checked out some of the shops and then headed down to the beach. We decided to rent a surfboard for an hour just to try it out on our own, thinking the lessons were a little expensive. We had fun trying, and were starting to get the hang of it by the end, but weren't completely successful in standing up. Lots more opportunity to practice over the next few months!! We were originally planning on hanging out longer in Manly, but headed back around 6:00 because my bug bites were starting to bug me. Lots of mosquitos and sand flies here, and somehow I am always the target and my body just doesn't react well to them. I don't think I have ever had this many bites before, but we stocked up on some stronger bug spray and some cream, so hopefully they go away soon! We had an easy night just relaxing together, and were able to switch to a better room that didn't have open patio doors for 'mozzies' (aussie slang for mosquitos) to get in.

We are off to New Zealand tomorrow, and while I have loved Sydney, we are both a little excited for cooler temperatures! Before we leave we are hoping to check out some different neighbourhoods, see a few more beaches, take the ferry over to Taronga Zoo and maybe back to Darling Harbour. Once we are in NZ, we are planing on camping the majority of the time, so blog posts might not be as frequent because I'm not sure of the internet availability. But I will still be keeping you all updated!

G'day from the Land Down Under!

Well, after 24 straight hours of travel, we have arrived safely in Sydney, Australia!!  

We left Calgary at 4:00 pm on Sunday, January 30 and flew three hours to San Francisco. Four hours later, after enjoying a delicious Boudin sourdough bread dinner and walking around as much as possible in the airport, we set off on our 14 hour flight straight to Sydney. Fourtunuately we were both able to sleep 5 or 6 hours, unfortunately there were no individual movie screens and virtually no leg room. We survived the journey and touched down at 7:30 am on Tuesday February 1st. Due to the time change, we completely skipped January 31, 2011; this day wil never exist for us, we thought that was pretty cool.

Already at 9:00 am in the morning, it was already almost 30 degrees. A complete change from the snow and -30 with wind chill, that we left at home in Calgary 24 hours earlier. We found our hostel no problem, and were able to enjoy a free breakfast and shower before checking in. Wasting no time, we got ready and headed into the city to enjoy the beautiful day. Exiting at Circular Quay, we immedately got to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, we were both very impressed. We walked around for an hour or so, took some pictures and then grabbed a quick lunch before taking the ferry to Darling Harbour. Once there, we went into the Sydney Aquarium..with the temperature at almost 40 degrees, we were looking forward to the air conditioning. After only a few hours in the sun, we were already sunburnt..I guess we should have really listened to everyone that told us how strong the sun here is. The aquarium was great, we saw huge sea turtles, manta rays, sharks, duogongs, and lots of beautiful fish. Weren't able to spot a platypus though, at a big disapointment to Keith. Afterward, we headed back to our hostel, stopping for some groceries on the way. We had a simple pasta dinner and ate outside on the patio. Our roomates (from England, Sweden and Germany) asked if we wanted to join them on a night out which we had originally agreed to earlier in the day, but had to turn down in the end, because we could not keep our eyes open. We were dead asleep by 10:00 pm (4 am Calgary time), after a very long, but great couple of days.

Yesterday we woke up early after a sound sleep, despite our room being so hot. We showered and grabbed some toast and cereal before heading out to the Blue Mountains for the day. We used the City Rail to get out there, which ended up taking much longer than we anticipated due to some poor planning. We arrived eventually at Wentworth Falls, and hiked for just over 3 hours. The view was absolutely amazing, and we saw so many lizards, colorful birds and trees we had never seen before. The hike brought us up to a big cliff face at the top of a huge waterfall, and then we followed the edge along through dense trees and vegetation. It was beautiful. We are hoping to go back and spend a few nights in Katoomba after New Zealand, so much more hiking to come!  By the time we got home on the train, it was already 8:30 pm. We cooked another simple dinner and then just relaxed and did some planning for the rest of the night.

Today, we are off to Bondi Beach!! We are planning on doing the 6 km walk to Coogee beach and going swimming there. Should be another beautiful day..more updates to come!