New Zealand

I am tired of updating the blog, so Amanda is going to take over for the next 2 weeks. New Zealand looked absolutely stunning on the flight into town...I am excited!

Hope you all don't mind an inexperienced blogger taking over for awhile. Tucker was gracious enough to let me join up on his world travels so I asked to be allowed to share our wonderful adventures...

Monday March 2

I arrived in Christchurch a few hours before Tucker so had some time to explore the city. Christchurch is very much a walking town and I was able to get around most of the city. I visited the Cathedral, saw some street entertainers in cathedral square, and visited the beautiful botanical gardens. The rose garden and carnation display were definitely worth the stop if only for the amazing colors...plus it was free! :) It was colder than I expected so I also grabbed a hot chocolate from a local coffee shop - it was much better that the Starbucks that seem to appear on every corner even here in New Zealand.

The highlight of the day for me was when Tucker surprised me. I left a note with the front desk that I was waiting for him in the square behind the hotel and he snuck up on me - a fun surprise and a wonderful start to a great trip.

We were also able to meet up with a long lost friend of Tucker's, Gabby. He met her in Argentina and hadn't seen her since ...the wonders of facebook! We grabbed dinner and a drink with her and her boyfriend. Pizza and pasta for Tucker and I. Little did we know this would be one of the best meals we had on the trip.

Tuesday, March 3
Today was a lot of driving -a theme of this trip since we put over 3000 km on the car in two weeks. On the way to Queenstown, we stopped at the tiny town of Lake Tekapo. This was the definition of a tourist trap but the brilliant blue of the lake was worth the stop. We also forged our own path up a hilltop for a pretty great view.

Upon arrival in Queenstown we learned a few lessons- 1. Calling is the easiest way to find hostels 2. Hostels should be booked a day in advance. Luckily we were able to find a relatively cheap hotel just outside of town.

Wednesday, March 4
A truly adventurous day. We started by zooming around a canyon in the Shotover Jet - coming within 6 inches of the rocks of the canyon wall at top speed and whirling around in complete 360s. The best way to describe it is a roller coaster ride without tracks. Let the adventures of New Zealand begin...in the "adventure capital of the world!"

After a quick wine tasting for some courage, we were off to bungee. (Sorry Mrs. Jones!) We tandem jumped off the original bungy bridge plunging 45 meters straight down. There is no way to describe standing with your feet over the edge and forcing yourself to dive. As Tucker says "very unnatural." [note from TJ - I was scared to death...as my toes hung over the edge all I could keep thinking was "why am I doing this? why am I doing this?!?!] The day was complete with a self conducted wine tasting tour. The area is known for its pinot noirs and there were many great wineries but our favorite by far was Brennan's. A small family owned winery - our
tasting was given by the owner, Sean Brennan. He had a bocci court right by the tasting room, and we had a great time sipping wine and playing a few rounds. I managed to win the first game but then Tucker took over. :)

Thursday, March 5
We had an adventure getting to Milford Sound. Due to a lack of lodging we ended up driving all the way there and back in one day (at least 4 hours each way) but the Sound totally spectacular!! We hopped on the "best value" boat (cheapest for most time) and off we went on a tour of the sound. It's truly a unique place - the mile high rock formations are surrounded by water and they all have "scars" from tree avalanches. We saw the lion rock and got sprayed by a waterfall that takes 10 years off your age...
After this it was back on the road again all the way back to Queenstown but TJ did a great job driving on the opposite side of the road and didn't even mix up the turn signal with the windshield wipers[like I did many times throughout the trip - steering wheel on the right side of the car takes a little getting used to]!
We also picked up a hitchhiker for some additional adventure. This girl was EXTREME! She was a German medical student doing multiple day tramps on her own and staying in a one man tent. Not my idea of fun but she was interesting to talk to even if she did smell like she'd been in the wilderness for awhile!

Friday, March 6
No adventure for me today- I don't know if it was a stomach bug or something I ate but I did not leave the hotel room. Sad!! Tucker managed to have a great day though- white water rafting on a boogie board down a class IV river, surfing the waves along the way! Check out the really cool
video on facebook!

We also enjoyed a ferburger (only a few bites for me) - huge, delicious, and cheap! A must have if you're ever in Queenstown [best burger in the WORLD!]. One thing to note is that NZ is not cheap! After Thailand and Bali the expensive price tags have not been a pleasant surprise for the unemployed TJ.

Saturday, March 7
I managed to get out of bed and do a short hike in Queenstown. The views in NZ are spectacular!! After another stop at Fergburger for TJ to have what "may be the best burger of his life" we were off to our fave winery Brennans for some more wine and bocci. I think Sean was excited to see us again. :) We then waved goodbye to Queenstown and headed to Lake Wanaka. The scenery along the way in New Zealand is so spectacular, it takes your breath away to see such beauty everywhere you turn...wow!

Australia

Feb 23
I arrived in Darwin, Australia at about 3 am, with a terrible layover in the airport until my 8:30am flight to Sydney. The good news - I don't have to pay for a hotel tonight (unemployed people live for some free lodging). The bad news - there is no where comfortable and quite in the entire terminal so I barely got any sleep! ugh. Finally get on the plane to Sydney, and it is a 4 hour flight. I jump on a bus to Bondi Beach and get a room at Noah's Hostel. So, in a span of 1 hour in Australia (the 2 bus rides and paying for a night of lodging), I have already spent more than I would in several days in SE Asia - this is not good. In addition, I have gone from a private basic room with bath to a 4 bed dorm. Fortunately, the place is pretty nice, and actually has views of Bondi Beach. I enjoy the beach for the rest of the afternoon, take it easy and watch a movie at the hostel and call it a night.

Feb 24
I grab breakfast...for US$9 - ridiculous! I need to find a good bakery and fruit stand, no longer do I get to enjoy all the good meals in restaurants...as I have. I rent a surfboard and go surfing for the day. Well, I guess you could call it surfing. Sometimes it is more like trying to drown, or running spin cycle in the washer machine under water - for some reason I am just not that good, oh well. After lunch in the afternoon, I take a spectacular run from Bondi Beach to Coggee Beach and back, 12k along the beautiful coast with exercise areas (e.g. pull up and dip bars) along the way. Pretty amazing run, so nice for a big city to have access to a great beach area like this, only 15 min from city centre. I go out to dinner with a German friend I met the night before, then we hang out at the hostel.

Feb 25
I catch the train to central Sydney and get a dorm room in the Kings Cross area. I didn't think they could fit 4 bunk beds in such a small room...it was a sight to see! I then tour the city from 10am-6:30pm, and am totally wiped out but have great pics of the Opera House, bridge and botanical gardens. I enjoy a cold beer at the Opera Bar as the sun is setting and then head back to the hostel. Along the way I grab a tasty tiger meat pie. At night, I head out with a group from the hostel and we bounce around a few bars with free drinks and no cover charges - pretty good deal the hostel sets up. The people in Sydney are very trendy and upscale, and we have a good time.

Feb 26
So, I had booked a trip out to the Blue Mountains to go hiking today, but I oversleep my alarm. Now, I am totally irritated about this. I can handle oversleeping on my own account (it has been known to happen), but the fact that the dorm room was so loud all night and getting no sleep drives me nuts. During breakfast at the dorm, a few of us our planning our days. We decide we want to pet a koala, and I head to Featherdale with 2 Swedish girls I met the night before. We get there, and it is amazing. We are able to hug a koala, feed a kangaroo - so cool! We have a great day. I get back and grab some take-out Indian food, only to realize that the chicken is raw in the middle...but I realized this a little too late as half my food was already in my stomach! I can't believe it, all through SE Asia I was so cautious about food, and I thought I was safe when I arrived in Australia. So, all night long I am so worried about my stomach, and whether it will be ok. Some of my friends at the hostel tell me alcohol will kill any bad bacteria - sounds good to me so we go grab a few drinks at the local bars.

Feb 27
The owner of the Blue Mountain tour company said I could try to catch the trip again today, as a walk-on. So, I actually wake up, waiting for the bus and jump on. But, the bus fills up and we have no more space, they call me up and I assume I am getting kicked off and bummed about it, but they bounce me over to another bus. I get out to the bush, we see some wild kangaroos, and then go on a nice 3 hour "bush whacking" hike. It is funny how all countries have a different name for a hike! I see the 3 sisters rock formation at the end of the trip, a full, tiring day. I get back at night, grab my pack and head to Circular Quay to catch the ferry over to Manly Beach. The ferry ride at night is absolutely spectacular! The Sydney Harbor is probably the most pretty in the world, and at night the Opera House and bridge are all lit up - breathtaking. I get to a hostel in Manly and call it a night.

Feb 28
I meet up with a friend of friend, Jay, who is going to take me sailing. We hang out at Manly Beach and the surrounding areas for a while, then head up north to where his boat is docked. He has a great 38' catamaran with 3 staterooms. We head out for a little sail, dock in a cove, and cook some dinner and enjoy the night.

March 1
Jay and I fire up the sails and sail a few hours to a bay, where we enjoy a beach and a waterfall, then head back to his dock. Jay is 3 years into a trip sailing around the world, and we enjoy some more great conversations about travel and life.

March 2
Up early, jump on a train and off to the airport for my flight to New Zealand!! Stoked!

thoughts on Sydney:
- expensive
- really expensive
- beautiful harbor
- nice city
- great beaches so close to the city
- not sure I will visit again, value is not very good