As the northern hemisphere starts to finally thaw and the last remains of winter snow melt away, the kiwis down in New Zealand bundle up for what they think is going to be a cold winter.. I dont know about you but I think I can handle 10 degrees C on one of their "coldest winter days." Im told that the winter at home was pretty frigid this year and I must say that I am not sad to have missed it at all. What the Kiwis may think to be cold here can much compare to a October fall day back home; however, New Zealand falls dont compare to the beautiful colours of a Canadian autumn . Many of the trees stay green and those that do lose their leaves quickly turn to a brownish yellow and litter the "footpaths."
Things in Marton continue to go really well. The roomies and I just returned from a trip up to the Coromandel for the weekend. The roads are sooooo windy and the drive was long but in the end it was all worth it. We spent a wonderful day lounging on the beach at Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Again hot water beach proved to be too scalding hot for our bodies so we danced around the sand before quickly giving up. I couldnt understand some of the tourists lounging in the pools where steam was rising.. it was seriously scalding HOT.
Finishing up making arrangements for my departure to Australia next week and I am getting really excited. I am backpacking and camping up the coast from Syndey to Brisbane and working in some surfing lessons as well as snorkeling in the Great Barrier. I cant wait.
My adventures are soon coming to a close and I cant believe how fast time goes by. I leave New Zealand in 3 months and take a trip around Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos before returning home in August. When I return the job hunt begins and reality Im sure will kick in. However, life goes on and I realize that all parts of life cant always be a big traveling adventure.
Take Care
Em
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
New Zealand/Australia Christmas Holidays
After much procrastination and overall a busy time of year as the boarders and scholars return to school I finally have had some time to sit down and put down my past 6 sixs of holidays and travel. It was a good break from school but after the six weeks of traveling around and living out of a backpack and living prodomenetly off of Subway I was happy to see my flatmates and my home. The comfort of the school and of my little cottage with consistent laundry use and a clean toilet sounded all too wonderful to come home to after a very adventerous holiday.
Packed up and ready to go and meet the parents in Auckland I loaded onto the bus for the big 9 hour trek up to Auckland. Counting down the kilometres as I neared the "Bombay Hills" I slowly began to count down from 50 km knowing that once I reach Auckland I would be seeing my parents in person. Skype has really been amazing and I truly havent been homesick at all. For sure there are things that I miss about home but I am enjoying my time here too much to get upset about being away. And so the km began to decline rather quickly and soon I began counting down the streets to the blocks and then there right on Quay St were Mom and Dad. It was such a weird thing to see my parents in MY adventure.. and for the first two days really felt so surreal. We headed north from Auckland for our Christmas Day destination of 90 mile beach where we would spend the night of the 24 and the 25 of December. On the way we stopped in at the Kaori trees which are GINORMOUS trees that are over 4500 years old. Incredible!!! These trees towered over us as we walked through the rainforest the biggest one stretching 15 m in circumference. Truly incredible and really made you feel so mini and unimportant in comparison. The rainforests were incredible.
Christmas Day was perfect, sunny and hot. There is no question that it didnt feel like Christmas Day at all as we scortched in the sun and most Kiwi families were beach carting and bbq'ing. Yet again another different experience. Far from our white Christmas.
Heading south we made our way to the Coromandel region which is known for its white sandy beaches. Having some amazing weather up on the east coast Dad and I snorkeled for my first time and saw some really neat fish. Dad deciding to venture over towards some rocks spotted a sting raye approx 5 feet in width. I dont think I have ever swam away so fast probably due to the first thing that popped into my head.. "Steve Irwin" Yes it was another adventure and I was quick to return to the 10 inch fish. Up on the coast we saw a place called Hot Water Beach which has volcanic activity underneath the sand which makes the sand so hot. It was intolerable! SO HOT! Steam rose from the sand meanwhile cool water crashed in.
Making our way down through the middle of the island we stopped in at Hobbiton where the Lord of the Rings footage was filmed in the Shire. Although it was a huge rip off to tour the set we took our picture with Gollum and continued on passing Mount Doom on our way south to my home for New Years Eve. My flatmates made it down and we all spent New Years together with a Mexican Fiesta and a late night bonfire. It was probably one of the best New Years Eves that I have had.
Spending some time in Marton we toured around doing day trips. Dad decided that he wanted to bunjy jump and seeing as I wasnt about to let the old man outdue me in my new home I joined him. Of course I had to go first. I dont think that I have ever screamed so loud in my life. Jumping from 80 m off a bridge and into a gorge is definately a thrill and definatley a thrill to be had again. Incredible.
We slowly made our way back up to Auckland where Dad would leave and Mom and I would be joined by my Nan. One gone and one incoming! We were going to have a three generation holiday and both Mom and Nan would learn a lot about backpacking and cheap accomodation.
After saying goodbye to Dad the three of us flew south to Christchurch where I would tour the other two around for a week. We visited the pancake rocks and Lake Wanaka where we did a beautiful hike up the mountain to overlook Lake Wanaka. We made our way south to Milford Sound and were blown away by the thousands and thousands of waterfalls that were pouring out of the mountain side.
Waking up that morning one could easily say that I was in probably my most sour mode.. Mostly infected by the horrible weather outside. I didnt see a point in spending the money to take the bus to the Sound if it was pouring. " we arent going to even see the waterfalls... blah blah blah" I was totally wrong. Apparently the sound is the most beautiful at times of heavy rain.. It was truly incredible and a definate must do on any travelers time in New Zealand. Waterfalls were coming from every where and stretching all the way up the mountain side. It was honestly one of the most incredible natural things that I have seen yet.
After the sounds we made our way over to the east coast to see the penguins in Omaru. After a personal guided tour of the reserve we left with over 100 photos of strictly just penguins and seals. It was a great 2 hours. We saw yellow eyed penguins and fur seals. I was standing at the most 5 metres away from a snoring seal who when he woke was not happy to have a lens practicly shoved up his nose.. Again a great photo opp..
We headed back to Christchurch to fly out and head down unda to Australia where we would spend our next 2 weeks of holiday. New Zealand was great and we all really did have a good time. I know I am missing some events but this is really just a small account of 6 weeks. .. Hopping on the plane we headed to Auz...
To Be continued....
+ 30 degrees and 95 % humidity welcomed us landing down in Brisbane. Needless to say our two weeks in Australia were hot.. I know at home when there isnt air conditioning and it is 30 degrees outside it would seem at times unbearable however when you throw in 95 % humidity the word unbearable has been given a new meaning.. The three of us trying to pass the heat by playing a low intensity game of cards still proved to be to much movement for the temperatures.
We landed in Brisbane before hopping on a train and headed North to Townsville which is approx 24 hour train ride up the east coast of Queensland. Unfortunately for us one week prior to us landing in Australia the top of the country had been hit with a tropical cyclone. Floods reached 8 m in height above the roads ( oh well!! we were going anyway and determined to make the most of the experience) Although it rained every day while we were in Australia we still made the most of our time. Spending time on beaches even when it may have been raining. Visiting the zoos and cuddling koalas, feeding kangaroos and draping a water python around my neck are a few of the new experiences that I wont forget. Australia beaches are incredible and if it hadnt have been killer jellyfish season I would have loved to head out in the Great Barrier Reef..
Thankfully I have another two weeks holidays in April and I am headed to Australia again with every intention of snorkeling in the reef. I am traveling for two weeks by myself and I cant wait for another adventure down unda.
So far comparing my time in New Zealand and Australia I think that New Zealand has so much more to offer in terms of sight seeing and travel. Yes, Australia has beautiful beaches but right now I am in love with the Kiwi's mountains, beaches, volcanoes and sheep... Cant wait for April holidays where I will get to give Australia another chance..
Other travel plans include Asia. . I will be headed to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for a month before I head home in August. I cant wait and really am looking forward to planning my next adventures.
Things at the school continue to be great and I love everyday that I am working at the school with the students. Still super busy and still loving New Zealand even if we are headed into winter soon..
All is well.
Em
Packed up and ready to go and meet the parents in Auckland I loaded onto the bus for the big 9 hour trek up to Auckland. Counting down the kilometres as I neared the "Bombay Hills" I slowly began to count down from 50 km knowing that once I reach Auckland I would be seeing my parents in person. Skype has really been amazing and I truly havent been homesick at all. For sure there are things that I miss about home but I am enjoying my time here too much to get upset about being away. And so the km began to decline rather quickly and soon I began counting down the streets to the blocks and then there right on Quay St were Mom and Dad. It was such a weird thing to see my parents in MY adventure.. and for the first two days really felt so surreal. We headed north from Auckland for our Christmas Day destination of 90 mile beach where we would spend the night of the 24 and the 25 of December. On the way we stopped in at the Kaori trees which are GINORMOUS trees that are over 4500 years old. Incredible!!! These trees towered over us as we walked through the rainforest the biggest one stretching 15 m in circumference. Truly incredible and really made you feel so mini and unimportant in comparison. The rainforests were incredible.
Christmas Day was perfect, sunny and hot. There is no question that it didnt feel like Christmas Day at all as we scortched in the sun and most Kiwi families were beach carting and bbq'ing. Yet again another different experience. Far from our white Christmas.
Heading south we made our way to the Coromandel region which is known for its white sandy beaches. Having some amazing weather up on the east coast Dad and I snorkeled for my first time and saw some really neat fish. Dad deciding to venture over towards some rocks spotted a sting raye approx 5 feet in width. I dont think I have ever swam away so fast probably due to the first thing that popped into my head.. "Steve Irwin" Yes it was another adventure and I was quick to return to the 10 inch fish. Up on the coast we saw a place called Hot Water Beach which has volcanic activity underneath the sand which makes the sand so hot. It was intolerable! SO HOT! Steam rose from the sand meanwhile cool water crashed in.
Making our way down through the middle of the island we stopped in at Hobbiton where the Lord of the Rings footage was filmed in the Shire. Although it was a huge rip off to tour the set we took our picture with Gollum and continued on passing Mount Doom on our way south to my home for New Years Eve. My flatmates made it down and we all spent New Years together with a Mexican Fiesta and a late night bonfire. It was probably one of the best New Years Eves that I have had.
Spending some time in Marton we toured around doing day trips. Dad decided that he wanted to bunjy jump and seeing as I wasnt about to let the old man outdue me in my new home I joined him. Of course I had to go first. I dont think that I have ever screamed so loud in my life. Jumping from 80 m off a bridge and into a gorge is definately a thrill and definatley a thrill to be had again. Incredible.
We slowly made our way back up to Auckland where Dad would leave and Mom and I would be joined by my Nan. One gone and one incoming! We were going to have a three generation holiday and both Mom and Nan would learn a lot about backpacking and cheap accomodation.
After saying goodbye to Dad the three of us flew south to Christchurch where I would tour the other two around for a week. We visited the pancake rocks and Lake Wanaka where we did a beautiful hike up the mountain to overlook Lake Wanaka. We made our way south to Milford Sound and were blown away by the thousands and thousands of waterfalls that were pouring out of the mountain side.
Waking up that morning one could easily say that I was in probably my most sour mode.. Mostly infected by the horrible weather outside. I didnt see a point in spending the money to take the bus to the Sound if it was pouring. " we arent going to even see the waterfalls... blah blah blah" I was totally wrong. Apparently the sound is the most beautiful at times of heavy rain.. It was truly incredible and a definate must do on any travelers time in New Zealand. Waterfalls were coming from every where and stretching all the way up the mountain side. It was honestly one of the most incredible natural things that I have seen yet.
After the sounds we made our way over to the east coast to see the penguins in Omaru. After a personal guided tour of the reserve we left with over 100 photos of strictly just penguins and seals. It was a great 2 hours. We saw yellow eyed penguins and fur seals. I was standing at the most 5 metres away from a snoring seal who when he woke was not happy to have a lens practicly shoved up his nose.. Again a great photo opp..
We headed back to Christchurch to fly out and head down unda to Australia where we would spend our next 2 weeks of holiday. New Zealand was great and we all really did have a good time. I know I am missing some events but this is really just a small account of 6 weeks. .. Hopping on the plane we headed to Auz...
To Be continued....
+ 30 degrees and 95 % humidity welcomed us landing down in Brisbane. Needless to say our two weeks in Australia were hot.. I know at home when there isnt air conditioning and it is 30 degrees outside it would seem at times unbearable however when you throw in 95 % humidity the word unbearable has been given a new meaning.. The three of us trying to pass the heat by playing a low intensity game of cards still proved to be to much movement for the temperatures.
We landed in Brisbane before hopping on a train and headed North to Townsville which is approx 24 hour train ride up the east coast of Queensland. Unfortunately for us one week prior to us landing in Australia the top of the country had been hit with a tropical cyclone. Floods reached 8 m in height above the roads ( oh well!! we were going anyway and determined to make the most of the experience) Although it rained every day while we were in Australia we still made the most of our time. Spending time on beaches even when it may have been raining. Visiting the zoos and cuddling koalas, feeding kangaroos and draping a water python around my neck are a few of the new experiences that I wont forget. Australia beaches are incredible and if it hadnt have been killer jellyfish season I would have loved to head out in the Great Barrier Reef..
Thankfully I have another two weeks holidays in April and I am headed to Australia again with every intention of snorkeling in the reef. I am traveling for two weeks by myself and I cant wait for another adventure down unda.
So far comparing my time in New Zealand and Australia I think that New Zealand has so much more to offer in terms of sight seeing and travel. Yes, Australia has beautiful beaches but right now I am in love with the Kiwi's mountains, beaches, volcanoes and sheep... Cant wait for April holidays where I will get to give Australia another chance..
Other travel plans include Asia. . I will be headed to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for a month before I head home in August. I cant wait and really am looking forward to planning my next adventures.
Things at the school continue to be great and I love everyday that I am working at the school with the students. Still super busy and still loving New Zealand even if we are headed into winter soon..
All is well.
Em
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Ruapehu Tramp
Just got home from a two day tramp up Mount Ruapehu. Ruapehu is a volcano that last erupted in 1996 causing huge amounts of damage closing the ski season that year due to constant eruptions of volcanic ash and rumbles into the area. We did not reach close to the top of the mountain but the trip is definetly on my list of mountains to climb. The volcano is predicted to erupt again soon as from the last eruption the lahar is blocking the crater. The scientists are predicting that Ruapehu will erupt again soon!
I headed out with 6 students on a Duke of Ed tramp and we tramped up the mountain to a small hut. I am learning different terms and learning the correct fashion that must be worn while out on a tramp. For starters tramping is what we would know as hiking. And in good ol' kiwi hiking, it is essential that you wear thermals underneath relatively short shorts and knee high possum and sheep woven socks. When I say thermals I mean bright striped green and pink long johns and to top it all off a a good solid pair of tramping boots. For most year 10 girls it is essential to have a good selection of one hit wonders to sing a long to while they scale the side of the mountain and when in doubt and Miley Cyrus just isnt enough for one afternoon some good ol' traditional Nga Tawa Chapel Hyms. (which I might add they enjoy taking a " piss out of") It was an awesome tramp as we headed out of Whakapapa Village (pronounced " F-u - k - apapa " which the girls really enjoy saying because they feel totally "bad ass" ) and tramped down across desert sand and Ruapehu looming over us. It was hard to believe that only 4 months prior to our tramp 4 feet of snow would have covered the now desert sand that we walked on. Our tramping guide told me that he had taken a winter tramp along the same route and they had gotten passed by snowboarders and skiers coming down the mountain. I cant wait to come back in the winter and board down the mountain. A totally different experience from the harsh sun and volcanic rock that we crossed. We stayed the night in a small cabin at the foot of the mountain before carrying on early next morning on our way out. The views here in New Zealand always seem to amaze me as it is always changing. In one day I traveled from desert sand that was backdropped by a snow capped volcano, took a dive in the thermal heated pools in beautiful Lake Taupo and walked by bubbling mud bathes that steamed and squirt! New Zealand really does have it all!
I am now preparing for the Tongariro Crossing which is a 7 hour tramp across the range crossing over lush green forests and emerald lakes surrounded by volcanic activity. This tramp is known as the best walk in New Zealand and can end ( if one choses) - which I am! - at the top of the crater of the volcano. Pretty incredible. Planning to get in a lot more tramps as there is so much to see and do! It was an awesome tramp and I cant wait to set out on another next weekend.
Alls well in N.Z
Month till Christmas!!
Em
I headed out with 6 students on a Duke of Ed tramp and we tramped up the mountain to a small hut. I am learning different terms and learning the correct fashion that must be worn while out on a tramp. For starters tramping is what we would know as hiking. And in good ol' kiwi hiking, it is essential that you wear thermals underneath relatively short shorts and knee high possum and sheep woven socks. When I say thermals I mean bright striped green and pink long johns and to top it all off a a good solid pair of tramping boots. For most year 10 girls it is essential to have a good selection of one hit wonders to sing a long to while they scale the side of the mountain and when in doubt and Miley Cyrus just isnt enough for one afternoon some good ol' traditional Nga Tawa Chapel Hyms. (which I might add they enjoy taking a " piss out of") It was an awesome tramp as we headed out of Whakapapa Village (pronounced " F-u - k - apapa " which the girls really enjoy saying because they feel totally "bad ass" ) and tramped down across desert sand and Ruapehu looming over us. It was hard to believe that only 4 months prior to our tramp 4 feet of snow would have covered the now desert sand that we walked on. Our tramping guide told me that he had taken a winter tramp along the same route and they had gotten passed by snowboarders and skiers coming down the mountain. I cant wait to come back in the winter and board down the mountain. A totally different experience from the harsh sun and volcanic rock that we crossed. We stayed the night in a small cabin at the foot of the mountain before carrying on early next morning on our way out. The views here in New Zealand always seem to amaze me as it is always changing. In one day I traveled from desert sand that was backdropped by a snow capped volcano, took a dive in the thermal heated pools in beautiful Lake Taupo and walked by bubbling mud bathes that steamed and squirt! New Zealand really does have it all!
I am now preparing for the Tongariro Crossing which is a 7 hour tramp across the range crossing over lush green forests and emerald lakes surrounded by volcanic activity. This tramp is known as the best walk in New Zealand and can end ( if one choses) - which I am! - at the top of the crater of the volcano. Pretty incredible. Planning to get in a lot more tramps as there is so much to see and do! It was an awesome tramp and I cant wait to set out on another next weekend.
Alls well in N.Z
Month till Christmas!!
Em
Monday, November 17, 2008
Deck the Halls
As the countdown continues till Christmas and the girls continue to get more and more out of controll as they finish up their end of term exams I still sit here waiting for the Christmas feeling to hit me. Walking by the stores in Marton and the local shopping mall down the highway the stores have decorated their windows and the shoppers come out in larger masses yet the feeling of Christmas is still to hit! Maybe its the fact that I have been swimming outside in November, not at home working retail, my Mom isnt blaring out the Christmas carols over the speakers or the piano and there definetly isnt any christmas cookies to be snitched out of the freezer! Yet the days are being counted until Christmas eve so tis the season to deck thy halls!
I just returned this past weekend from running a relay team event around Mt. Taranaki about two hours north of Marton in New Plymouth! It was a great weekend and a great run. I ran a total of 14 km of the 150 km route and had an amazing time. The views were beautiful as we ran around the mountain stopping in little small towns while we picked up our runners. The mountain is one of the most perfectly formed non active volcanoes in New Zealand. Our first runner hit the pavement at 2:30 in the morning!!!! I woke up for 4 am after a little of a late night to run that morning at 6:30! I was happy to be running by farm fields and the mountain on my left. A rather refreshing and energising way to greet the morning!
I am headed out on a tramp this coming weekend with our Duke of Ed girls and we are tramping up the sister mountain of Taranaki called Rotopehue ( legend has it that Taranaki was naughty and got sent away from Rotopehue and that is why they are so far apart now) Hopefully the rain will hold off as we are doing A LOT of walking and tenting. Im always being reminded to wear my sun hat and sunscreen as the New Zealand sun is so much harsher here than back home. Burning can occur in the first 10 minutes because New Zealand has a hole above them in the ozone! Im trying to keep covered up.. but being Canadian and craving a good tan.. the odd basking in the sun does occur...
Hoping the holiday season is finding everyone well as we all make the trip to see family. Not missing the snow.. :)
Em
I just returned this past weekend from running a relay team event around Mt. Taranaki about two hours north of Marton in New Plymouth! It was a great weekend and a great run. I ran a total of 14 km of the 150 km route and had an amazing time. The views were beautiful as we ran around the mountain stopping in little small towns while we picked up our runners. The mountain is one of the most perfectly formed non active volcanoes in New Zealand. Our first runner hit the pavement at 2:30 in the morning!!!! I woke up for 4 am after a little of a late night to run that morning at 6:30! I was happy to be running by farm fields and the mountain on my left. A rather refreshing and energising way to greet the morning!
I am headed out on a tramp this coming weekend with our Duke of Ed girls and we are tramping up the sister mountain of Taranaki called Rotopehue ( legend has it that Taranaki was naughty and got sent away from Rotopehue and that is why they are so far apart now) Hopefully the rain will hold off as we are doing A LOT of walking and tenting. Im always being reminded to wear my sun hat and sunscreen as the New Zealand sun is so much harsher here than back home. Burning can occur in the first 10 minutes because New Zealand has a hole above them in the ozone! Im trying to keep covered up.. but being Canadian and craving a good tan.. the odd basking in the sun does occur...
Hoping the holiday season is finding everyone well as we all make the trip to see family. Not missing the snow.. :)
Em
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Rugby
Just got in from a weekend away in Wanganui visiting some friends. It was a great long weekend away from Marton and today was Labour Day! Headed up to Wanganui on Saturday morning and headed to my first New Zealand Rugby Game! Amazingly to me it was a pretty tame crowd as Wanganui took on Mid Canterbury in the final Meads Cup. It was a great game and the home town came away with the big win! For the first time in any game I've been to at home and here I made it on the T.V!! Sitting in the crowd and waving like a wild maniac the group of us made it on T.V! Celeb... on the rise.. in little ol' Wanganui. Wanganui won the cup and it was a fun night out on the town as the local pub was packed with members of both sides. Wanganui is a pretty little city and is located right on the river. More exciting than Marton and a nice getaway from the little cottage that I call home. This thursday I am headed to Wellington to the U-17 World Cup Soccer that is beng held in New Zealand. I am going to see Brazil vs England and can not wait! A great week of sport spectating!
Monday, October 13, 2008
South Island Trip
After a wonderful two weeks vacation in the South Island I am finally back home in my little cottage in tiny little Marton. It feels good coming back to the daily routine and constant food source that the school offers. Two weeks living out of a backpack and sleeping in a different bed every night is sure an adventure in itself. My trip to the south island took my as far north as the coasts of Golden Bay and down the west coast to Queenstown and the beautiful Wanaka. It was an unreal trip and the scenery was incredible. It was such a change from where I live and it actually fealt like the New Zealand that we all see in books or postcards. Snow capped mountains, green rolling hills and beautiful blue sea. It was incredible.
We started our holiday heading out early September 28 departing Marton and heading south to Wellington to catch the 3 hour ferry trip across to Picton. The ferry ride in itself was incredible and the green hills welcomed us into Picton harbour. The weather quickly turned to heavy rain and hail as we slowly crept our way through the VERY windy roads in the mountains. After two hours we bunked down in a hostel in Kaikoura which is one of the best whale watching places on the South Island. Kaikoura is a beautiful little town on the east coast and it is mostly known for its whale watching and its crayfish dishes. We spent two nights in Kaikoura spending a lot of time on the beach prior to our whale watching escapde where we chased sperm whales. It was a very rough ride but the view from the sea was again incredible. Kaikoura is settled in a small valley and all around are snow capped moutains and blue sea. Its very beautiful. After two nights in Kaikoura, ( one in a hostel and one camping.. which I may add was freezing!!) we headed south to a small town called Hamner Springs. Our convoy of 20 and 5 cars slowy made our way through the mountains.. there is little straight driving on the south island and there are arrows marked on the road to remind drivers to stay on the right side of the road.. all towns are at least 100 km away so its always best you fill up with gas where you can! Hamner Springs is known for its hot springs and the little town reminded me a lot of Jasper in Canada. After a nice relaxing swim in the hot springs and a late night in the hostel we woke up early the next morning to head up to "sunny" Nelson.
Nelson was one of my favorite stops along the way. The city is similar to Guelph with a small downtown square however the activity in Nelson is endless. A group of us went mountain biking and for 3 hours were biking in the mountains and through fields of sheep and cows and then 2 hours later biked to the beautiful white sand beaches. It was an awesome day and we saw lots of Nelson. We stayed in one of the best youth hostels in New Zealand for two nights and had a great time in the night life of the hostel. We then headed north from Nelson to the Golden Bay area. We had one of our best days in this area and we rented a private sailboat for the 20 of us and sailed around the Abel Tasmen National Park for 4 hours. It was incredible. Our morning began with a 3 hour hike ( approx 10 km) through rainforest and moutain. Making multiple stops for photo opportunities on beautiful lookouts. The views were jaw dropping and unfortunatley my camera doesnt do the actual colour justice ( golden sand beaches and aqua water.. it was beautiful) We stopped for a quick lunch on the beach before we boarded our boat. We sailed to a seal colony and breifly watched the seals sunbathe on the rocks. We continued to sail around the park and my camera quickly filled up with repaeated pictures of the same view. It was a beautiful day to relax and just take in the view. It was one of my favorite days. In Nelson Cara and I ( a fellow Canadian) were craving fish and chips and set out in search of soom good deep fried fish. We found a small shop on the Nelson harbour and returned the following night for seconds because it was so good.
From Nelson we headed to a small town called Motoueka and had the entire hostel to ourselves.. it was interesting booking for 20 people and I think we got lucky when hostels did have enough room for all of us. In Motoueka we had a relaxing day where we just toured the town and went to the beach. We needed a day of nothing and a few people went hang gliding while we all just relaxed and chilled out. Heading further north we stopped in Pohara and used this hostel as a base for the day to travel north up to the tip of the Golden Bay where we drove through some of the areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed, the trip was slow going as the roads were not paved and it shocked us all to think that hundreds of cast and big sets were moved up onto the mountains to film the movie.. incredible. We went for a hike and headed to the deepest cave in the couthern hemisphere. again another incredible stop. The pictures that i took are boring in comparison from what it actually was. Through the lens you cant see half of what reality is and in the photos it looks like plain rock.. but it was unreal. Very Cool. From Pohara we headed back down south making a few stops to hike and see some Wanuia Waterfalls. In this area we also made a quick stop to the clearest fresh water springs in the world. You could see everything beneath the water it was very cool.
2 carloads of us then split from the big group early and headed down south making our way to Greymouth where we would later meet up with the rest of the group for one final night together. We made a night stop in Mirchinson where we were a little spooked out by the hostel but it was here that one of the German boys introduced us to the new slogan of " drinking a place beautiful" basically making the most of a horrible situation.. and that may include a lot of Tui... It was a good night regardless of th sketchy place and we indeed drank that place beautiful. We tried to get our of there as fast as we could the next morning and made our way through westport to Greymouth, stopping at the Pancake Rocks, which were also incredible. The rocks have been formed over the many years of water ripping into the soft stone, and the stones really look like a bunch of pancakes stacked up.
We all met up again in Greymouth at the second best rated hostel in New Zealand. Global Village owned every other hostel that we stayed in, and I know now the difference between real hostel experience and cheap accomodation. It was a neat little place that offered free moutain bike hire and kayake. I went kayaking down the river with a few other girls and although this was the only bad day that we had with weather it was still a fun experience. Something else that I can check off my list of things to do and I would for sure do again.
Taking a break here this is a quick recap of all the things we did and that was only 1 week. To be continued.. for the further trek south to Queenstown and Wanaka and back up!
CONTINUED
We headed out early from Greymouth and headed south passing through the Franz Joseph Glacier and a short hike and continuing on to the Fox Glacier. We got caught in a rain/hail storm on our trek but continued up to the glacier for a few quick photos. We looked like we had jumped into the river and climbed back out again once we reached the car but it was well worth it for the photos. We stayed the night in Fox Glacier and again hit the road to make our way to Queenstown. Along the way we stopped in at Lake Matheson for an hour hike to see Reflection Island. On a clear day you can see an exact reflection from the mountains into the water. We only saw partial reflection because the clouds were fairly low. Regardless it was a nice stop and a good hike. We arrived in at Wanaka after a long drive and just sat on the beach for a bit enjoying the lake and the snow capped moutains that surrounded Wanaka. Wanaka again reminded me of places like Banff. A beautiful little town and amazing views. Continuing on we passed through the highest paved road in New Zealand called the Haast pass. The view was incredible and everything was white leading all the way down the most windy road yet we have driven on ( taking corners at 15 km/hour... We finally made it to Queenstown. . The party center for youth travelers. Queenstown is incredible. After we had a night out on the town the next morning one of the girls I was with went Bunjee jumping off of the highest bunjee in New Zealand. Extremely impressive for someone who had been out the night before! Time was running out and I regret not doing more activities in Queenstown. I know that I will be flying down again to see more of the city however there was so much to do and really it was our last stop before home.
From Queenstown we headed back to the girls placements in Timaru. Along the way we stopped in at the Moeraki Boulders. These are big sphere boulders that are sacred to the Maori culture. They are the only ones in the world formed thousands of eyars ago with lime crystal and mud rock. Very impressive. I stayed the night in Timaru with some of the girls and headed up to Christchurch after a relaxing day. I wish I could have spent more time in Christchurch as it is a very big and happening city. I walked around the whole morning seeing the botanical gardens and the cathedral in the square. I made my thanksgiving call back home to the family while they were all enjoying their turkey dinner and pumpkin pie I was sitting in the sun trying extremely hard to enjoy my sub.. from subway... which wasnt turkey.. and for sure not even close a yummy thanksgiving dinner.. I ended my vacation in Christchurch and flew back home to Palmerston North after a great two weeks it actually was time to head back home to Nga Tawa.
It was a great vacation.. but back to reality..
We started our holiday heading out early September 28 departing Marton and heading south to Wellington to catch the 3 hour ferry trip across to Picton. The ferry ride in itself was incredible and the green hills welcomed us into Picton harbour. The weather quickly turned to heavy rain and hail as we slowly crept our way through the VERY windy roads in the mountains. After two hours we bunked down in a hostel in Kaikoura which is one of the best whale watching places on the South Island. Kaikoura is a beautiful little town on the east coast and it is mostly known for its whale watching and its crayfish dishes. We spent two nights in Kaikoura spending a lot of time on the beach prior to our whale watching escapde where we chased sperm whales. It was a very rough ride but the view from the sea was again incredible. Kaikoura is settled in a small valley and all around are snow capped moutains and blue sea. Its very beautiful. After two nights in Kaikoura, ( one in a hostel and one camping.. which I may add was freezing!!) we headed south to a small town called Hamner Springs. Our convoy of 20 and 5 cars slowy made our way through the mountains.. there is little straight driving on the south island and there are arrows marked on the road to remind drivers to stay on the right side of the road.. all towns are at least 100 km away so its always best you fill up with gas where you can! Hamner Springs is known for its hot springs and the little town reminded me a lot of Jasper in Canada. After a nice relaxing swim in the hot springs and a late night in the hostel we woke up early the next morning to head up to "sunny" Nelson.
Nelson was one of my favorite stops along the way. The city is similar to Guelph with a small downtown square however the activity in Nelson is endless. A group of us went mountain biking and for 3 hours were biking in the mountains and through fields of sheep and cows and then 2 hours later biked to the beautiful white sand beaches. It was an awesome day and we saw lots of Nelson. We stayed in one of the best youth hostels in New Zealand for two nights and had a great time in the night life of the hostel. We then headed north from Nelson to the Golden Bay area. We had one of our best days in this area and we rented a private sailboat for the 20 of us and sailed around the Abel Tasmen National Park for 4 hours. It was incredible. Our morning began with a 3 hour hike ( approx 10 km) through rainforest and moutain. Making multiple stops for photo opportunities on beautiful lookouts. The views were jaw dropping and unfortunatley my camera doesnt do the actual colour justice ( golden sand beaches and aqua water.. it was beautiful) We stopped for a quick lunch on the beach before we boarded our boat. We sailed to a seal colony and breifly watched the seals sunbathe on the rocks. We continued to sail around the park and my camera quickly filled up with repaeated pictures of the same view. It was a beautiful day to relax and just take in the view. It was one of my favorite days. In Nelson Cara and I ( a fellow Canadian) were craving fish and chips and set out in search of soom good deep fried fish. We found a small shop on the Nelson harbour and returned the following night for seconds because it was so good.
From Nelson we headed to a small town called Motoueka and had the entire hostel to ourselves.. it was interesting booking for 20 people and I think we got lucky when hostels did have enough room for all of us. In Motoueka we had a relaxing day where we just toured the town and went to the beach. We needed a day of nothing and a few people went hang gliding while we all just relaxed and chilled out. Heading further north we stopped in Pohara and used this hostel as a base for the day to travel north up to the tip of the Golden Bay where we drove through some of the areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed, the trip was slow going as the roads were not paved and it shocked us all to think that hundreds of cast and big sets were moved up onto the mountains to film the movie.. incredible. We went for a hike and headed to the deepest cave in the couthern hemisphere. again another incredible stop. The pictures that i took are boring in comparison from what it actually was. Through the lens you cant see half of what reality is and in the photos it looks like plain rock.. but it was unreal. Very Cool. From Pohara we headed back down south making a few stops to hike and see some Wanuia Waterfalls. In this area we also made a quick stop to the clearest fresh water springs in the world. You could see everything beneath the water it was very cool.
2 carloads of us then split from the big group early and headed down south making our way to Greymouth where we would later meet up with the rest of the group for one final night together. We made a night stop in Mirchinson where we were a little spooked out by the hostel but it was here that one of the German boys introduced us to the new slogan of " drinking a place beautiful" basically making the most of a horrible situation.. and that may include a lot of Tui... It was a good night regardless of th sketchy place and we indeed drank that place beautiful. We tried to get our of there as fast as we could the next morning and made our way through westport to Greymouth, stopping at the Pancake Rocks, which were also incredible. The rocks have been formed over the many years of water ripping into the soft stone, and the stones really look like a bunch of pancakes stacked up.
We all met up again in Greymouth at the second best rated hostel in New Zealand. Global Village owned every other hostel that we stayed in, and I know now the difference between real hostel experience and cheap accomodation. It was a neat little place that offered free moutain bike hire and kayake. I went kayaking down the river with a few other girls and although this was the only bad day that we had with weather it was still a fun experience. Something else that I can check off my list of things to do and I would for sure do again.
Taking a break here this is a quick recap of all the things we did and that was only 1 week. To be continued.. for the further trek south to Queenstown and Wanaka and back up!
CONTINUED
We headed out early from Greymouth and headed south passing through the Franz Joseph Glacier and a short hike and continuing on to the Fox Glacier. We got caught in a rain/hail storm on our trek but continued up to the glacier for a few quick photos. We looked like we had jumped into the river and climbed back out again once we reached the car but it was well worth it for the photos. We stayed the night in Fox Glacier and again hit the road to make our way to Queenstown. Along the way we stopped in at Lake Matheson for an hour hike to see Reflection Island. On a clear day you can see an exact reflection from the mountains into the water. We only saw partial reflection because the clouds were fairly low. Regardless it was a nice stop and a good hike. We arrived in at Wanaka after a long drive and just sat on the beach for a bit enjoying the lake and the snow capped moutains that surrounded Wanaka. Wanaka again reminded me of places like Banff. A beautiful little town and amazing views. Continuing on we passed through the highest paved road in New Zealand called the Haast pass. The view was incredible and everything was white leading all the way down the most windy road yet we have driven on ( taking corners at 15 km/hour... We finally made it to Queenstown. . The party center for youth travelers. Queenstown is incredible. After we had a night out on the town the next morning one of the girls I was with went Bunjee jumping off of the highest bunjee in New Zealand. Extremely impressive for someone who had been out the night before! Time was running out and I regret not doing more activities in Queenstown. I know that I will be flying down again to see more of the city however there was so much to do and really it was our last stop before home.
From Queenstown we headed back to the girls placements in Timaru. Along the way we stopped in at the Moeraki Boulders. These are big sphere boulders that are sacred to the Maori culture. They are the only ones in the world formed thousands of eyars ago with lime crystal and mud rock. Very impressive. I stayed the night in Timaru with some of the girls and headed up to Christchurch after a relaxing day. I wish I could have spent more time in Christchurch as it is a very big and happening city. I walked around the whole morning seeing the botanical gardens and the cathedral in the square. I made my thanksgiving call back home to the family while they were all enjoying their turkey dinner and pumpkin pie I was sitting in the sun trying extremely hard to enjoy my sub.. from subway... which wasnt turkey.. and for sure not even close a yummy thanksgiving dinner.. I ended my vacation in Christchurch and flew back home to Palmerston North after a great two weeks it actually was time to head back home to Nga Tawa.
It was a great vacation.. but back to reality..
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Quake?
Headed into my fourth week here in New Zealand. A few updates.. Last night I experienced my first ever earthquake.. weirdest thing.. I was sitting in my room sending off some e-mails and all of a sudden my window began to shake and the next thing I know my bed shook.. Im sitting on my bed.. It was the weirdest thing.. I run out of my room and run into one of my roomies Caroline who ran out of her room and the both of us screaming and laughing ran into the common area... Today in the staff room we learned that the quake happened off shore of N.Z.. It was the strangest thing.. REALLY weird!!
Thats it for now..
Em
Thats it for now..
Em
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