Greetings from Hervey Bay (pron. Harvey) Australia,
My morning dosage of Dramamine is still wearing off.... so hopefully all of this makes sense!
Steve and I just got done with a FANTASTIC day of whale watching. We hopped on a tour this morning that took us out to an area of the bay where humpback whales like to hang out and rest during their annual migration between the Antarctic and the warmer waters of the northeastern coast of Australia (around Cairns.) The tour guarantees you'll see a whale or you get another trip out for free, so we figured this would be a good day.
The ride out was pretty choppy (I was fine w/ the aid of my seasickness pills, Steve the lucky guy was fine with no assistance) but it was still a beautiful day. After about an hour's ride out, we stopped close to a smaller pod- just a mother and calf- and watched them swim around, use their blowholes to breathe (sidenote- as they exhale, water leaves the blowhole at a rate of about 450km), we even saw the calf breach a couple of times. This is where he jumps basically out of the water and does a sort of flip- very Discovery Channel. Once those two mellowed out we drove around looking at a few different pods of mothers/calves- all was really tame for a while, just whales swimming around and being pretty quiet.
The most exciting part of the tour was at the very end, when a mother and her calf and her male "escort" decided they were curious and came right up to our boat to check us out. Apparently if you cheer and wave the whales get curious and want to take a closer look, so there were two boats of us (about 80 people on each) just cheering away while these whales swam between the two boats. The male was HUGE- we never saw the whole thing, but it looked to be about the size of our boat. The mother was actually encouraging her calf to come closer to the boat to check us out, nudging it along. They came within 20 feet of us, so you could really see the bumps / details on the head and underside. The calf also treated us with some tail flapping (where it goes upside down and flaps its tail against hte surface of the water- the baby is in practice mode to learn all of the things that will be handy once it leaves its mom.)
It was an amazing day- we were so lucky to have that experience to take home with us. Since leaving Cairns a week+ ago, we have had some great times seeing the local fauna....which I will write about another day- my stomach's growling, it's dinner-time, and Steve and I have decided to give ourselves a break from cooking so we're going to eat out tonight.
Thanks for all the well-wishes we've gotten over the blog and e-mail, it's great to hear from folks and make the trip that much more meaningful for us!
Cheers,
Anna
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bit more on Cape Tribulation
In just a few days at Cape Tribulation, we saw more signs about "dangerous objects" than all of New Zealand. Just for peace of mind for you worriers- we were there during the dry season (so no concerns of our car being whisked off a bridge), before the deadly stingers (jellyfish) had moved from the small streams to the ocean, and outside of crocodile mating season (so we've yet to actually see a crocodile- people going on crocodile tours didn't even see them.) We did see a Cassowary- a large birdthat looks a bit like an ostrich, but with a bright blue head, black feathers, and a large bump on its head that looks like a helmet- that was wandering through the grounds at our hostel- apparently they can be quite vicious, but as long as you keep your distance and don't freak it out you should be OK- which we were (that's the 3rd picture- encouraging you to drive slow/mind the speed bumps as not to run over one of these birds.) If anyone can figure out exactly what the last sign means, we'd appreciate it. This was in front of a coconut tree, but all the coconuts had been cut down so is this a fear of spontaneously falling branches? Not sure....
We have done a few days of camping so far which have been a nice change of pace from busy hostels. The third night of camping we found a great spot that was about 20 ft from the beach (Wonga Beach to be exact), and Steve built a great fire on the beach using drift wood and dried coconuts (except for the match he used to light the fire, I felt like I was in the movie Castaway.)
We now head south, or end-destination being Brisbane by Oct. 2 to return the rental car and then switching to taking buses to make our way down the east coast towards Sydney. Coming up in our itinerary is Magnetic Island, where we'll spend tonight, then down to Fraser Island and Hervey Bay for whale watching.
Happy travels,
Anna
Monday, September 17, 2007
A few new adventures under our belt!
We have definitely made up for our slow pace of last week with a busy few days of adventures. After leaving Cairns, we drove north to Cape Tribulation (home of Mt. Sorrow and several other not-so-happily named places, courtesy of the mariner Captain Cook.) I'm on a slow internet connection right now, so to highlight what we've been up to:
1) Rode a cable ferry to get to Cape Tribulation (only about two minutes, but pretty cool that the only way to get there is via cable ferry. The river we went across had signs for crocodile warnings- but we didn't spot any from our car.)
2) Jungle surfing- basically an opportunity to see the rainforest from above- 20meter tall platforms that is. You're strapped into a harness then take zip lines to different platforms throughout the rainforest. There's an excellent photo of Steve ziplining upside down (on purpose) that I'll try to upload soon.
3) Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef- unbelievable how many types of coral, fish, and general sealife there is in just a small area. There were about 20 people on our tour, spent an hour going out to sea, then did two different dives on the reef and had a great time (Steve's an excellent snorkeler- all that time in the Bahamas going spear fishing has really paid off!)
4) Exotic fruit tasting- this was actually really really cool. We got to taste 10 different fruits, most of which we'd never heard of- one that was called "chocolate pudding fruit"- it had the texture of an avocado, was completely black on the inside, and didn't quite taste like chocolate but was still good. We got a tour of the farm as well, which is run by a husband and wife who have spent hte last 18 years getting this farm going (they basically do all the picking on their own, with the help of a small staff.) Just realized I've written more about fruit tasting than snorkeling, on to the next activity:
5) Sea kayaking- a couple of hours paddling around Cape Tribulation- we saw a stingray and some beautiful scenery, unfortunatley still looking for sea turtles which we've yet to see.
We are catching our breath in Cairns for a day and then head south. Hope to get photos and more info posted soon.
We miss you all!
Anna
1) Rode a cable ferry to get to Cape Tribulation (only about two minutes, but pretty cool that the only way to get there is via cable ferry. The river we went across had signs for crocodile warnings- but we didn't spot any from our car.)
2) Jungle surfing- basically an opportunity to see the rainforest from above- 20meter tall platforms that is. You're strapped into a harness then take zip lines to different platforms throughout the rainforest. There's an excellent photo of Steve ziplining upside down (on purpose) that I'll try to upload soon.
3) Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef- unbelievable how many types of coral, fish, and general sealife there is in just a small area. There were about 20 people on our tour, spent an hour going out to sea, then did two different dives on the reef and had a great time (Steve's an excellent snorkeler- all that time in the Bahamas going spear fishing has really paid off!)
4) Exotic fruit tasting- this was actually really really cool. We got to taste 10 different fruits, most of which we'd never heard of- one that was called "chocolate pudding fruit"- it had the texture of an avocado, was completely black on the inside, and didn't quite taste like chocolate but was still good. We got a tour of the farm as well, which is run by a husband and wife who have spent hte last 18 years getting this farm going (they basically do all the picking on their own, with the help of a small staff.) Just realized I've written more about fruit tasting than snorkeling, on to the next activity:
5) Sea kayaking- a couple of hours paddling around Cape Tribulation- we saw a stingray and some beautiful scenery, unfortunatley still looking for sea turtles which we've yet to see.
We are catching our breath in Cairns for a day and then head south. Hope to get photos and more info posted soon.
We miss you all!
Anna
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A few days in Cairns.
G'day from Cairns, Australia! Since arriving in Australia last Friday (it's now Wednesday morning) we have had one person say G'day to us.... maybe because he could tell we were tourists and would get a kick out of it..... still fun nonetheless.
So we've been a bit lazy the last few days, hence the lack of postings. We are in Cairns (pronounced cans) now, and have enjoyed being in the same place for more than a night. We've been staying at "Tropic Days"hostel- it's been great- they have lots of hammocks to relax in, which we've definitely taken advantage of.
To catch you up, since the posting last week we have been up to the following:
1) Finally went skiing on Mt. Hutt (after being closed for 2 days due to wind/snow, the conditions on the 3rd day were amazing- 29 cm of fresh REAL powder.) The visibility was pretty hit or miss- but the fact that the snow was so good made up for it! At one point, a cloud came over the slope and it felt like being in a blizzard- you couldn't see the horizon, let alone 20 feet in front of you (don't worry- we were on the beginner slope)- I actually got such bad vertigo that I fell- completely unprovoked- 3 times in about 20 feet, on a completely flat slope..... Steve managed to stop laughing long enough to help me up. It was ridiculous, but still fun!
2) Hopped a ride with our new friends from Sydney, AUS- Jared and Lauren- from Methven to Christchurch- much better than traveling on a bus! We spent the next day exploring Christchurch, and finally, FINALLY, saw two kiwi birds. We had to admit that they were much cooler than we expected- a lot bigger than we'd expected, and interesting to watch them run around. But still, we weren't allowed to talk at all when we were in the kiwi sanctuary (not evena whisper), and the kiwis basically hid in the darkest corner of the area (the whole room was really dark already), coming out for just a couple of minutes.
3) Flew from Christchurch to Sydney- where the APEC summit was going on, inc. Pres. Bush, but fortunately didn't run into many issues getting through security crowds, etc, then caught a connection the same day to Cairns, where we've been since Friday.
We haven't JUST lazed around in hammocks for the last few days- we actually looked at buying a car or campervan, then after looking at a VERY crappy station wagon (it made the Taurus look like a true luxury vehicle) and making several other calls only to find out the cars had been sold we decided it was too much of a stress to worry about, so instead we've decided to rent a car for the next couple of weeks to make our way south to Brisbane then do buses after that.
We're still working out our plans for Australia- how long it will take to drive south, what we want to do along the way, etc., but we do know that today we drive north to Cape Tribulation to spend a few days there to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and do a trek through the rainforest, and maybe some camping too. I'm guessing the next post will have a lot more "tales of adventure" than this one.... so stay tuned!
G'day,
Anna
So we've been a bit lazy the last few days, hence the lack of postings. We are in Cairns (pronounced cans) now, and have enjoyed being in the same place for more than a night. We've been staying at "Tropic Days"hostel- it's been great- they have lots of hammocks to relax in, which we've definitely taken advantage of.
To catch you up, since the posting last week we have been up to the following:
1) Finally went skiing on Mt. Hutt (after being closed for 2 days due to wind/snow, the conditions on the 3rd day were amazing- 29 cm of fresh REAL powder.) The visibility was pretty hit or miss- but the fact that the snow was so good made up for it! At one point, a cloud came over the slope and it felt like being in a blizzard- you couldn't see the horizon, let alone 20 feet in front of you (don't worry- we were on the beginner slope)- I actually got such bad vertigo that I fell- completely unprovoked- 3 times in about 20 feet, on a completely flat slope..... Steve managed to stop laughing long enough to help me up. It was ridiculous, but still fun!
2) Hopped a ride with our new friends from Sydney, AUS- Jared and Lauren- from Methven to Christchurch- much better than traveling on a bus! We spent the next day exploring Christchurch, and finally, FINALLY, saw two kiwi birds. We had to admit that they were much cooler than we expected- a lot bigger than we'd expected, and interesting to watch them run around. But still, we weren't allowed to talk at all when we were in the kiwi sanctuary (not evena whisper), and the kiwis basically hid in the darkest corner of the area (the whole room was really dark already), coming out for just a couple of minutes.
3) Flew from Christchurch to Sydney- where the APEC summit was going on, inc. Pres. Bush, but fortunately didn't run into many issues getting through security crowds, etc, then caught a connection the same day to Cairns, where we've been since Friday.
We haven't JUST lazed around in hammocks for the last few days- we actually looked at buying a car or campervan, then after looking at a VERY crappy station wagon (it made the Taurus look like a true luxury vehicle) and making several other calls only to find out the cars had been sold we decided it was too much of a stress to worry about, so instead we've decided to rent a car for the next couple of weeks to make our way south to Brisbane then do buses after that.
We're still working out our plans for Australia- how long it will take to drive south, what we want to do along the way, etc., but we do know that today we drive north to Cape Tribulation to spend a few days there to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and do a trek through the rainforest, and maybe some camping too. I'm guessing the next post will have a lot more "tales of adventure" than this one.... so stay tuned!
G'day,
Anna
Monday, September 3, 2007
A whole lotta nothing in Methven
It's our second day in a small ski town called Methven, and we've yet to go skiing on Mt. Hutt.... or even get onto the mountain actually. Yesterday the lifts were closed because of high winds, and today they're closed because of snow (ironic- snow closing a place where you go skiing- but they're expecting 50 centimeters of snow to fall today alone, so needless to say the roads up to the lifts are closed because they can't clear them as fast as the snow is falling!) Should make for amazing conditions tomorrow, so we're probably going to stay an extra day here to take advantage of it. Where we're at in the valley, it was snowing this morning but now it's just a cold rain (good day for internet!)
We've made a couple of new friends at our hostel (actually, besides two folks that are here all summer- sorry, winter- they're the only other people in the hostel.) They're from Sydney, Australia, and have been a lot of fun to hang out with- we're getting all sorts of tips from them on places to check out since we leave New Zealand for Australia in a couple of days.
One of the topics of conversation we've had is about the kiwi bird, and the fact that it's pretty much the worst country mascot ever. Not only is it nocturnal, so you never get to see it out and about, but it's a bird that can't fly, and it's been almost completely wiped out by people's domesticated pets (dogs and cats.) Steve could go on and on for a long time about this topic, and how other country mascots are far superior- kiwi bird vs. bald eagle, kiwi bird vs. the australian kangaroo, etc. etc. We have yet to see a kiwi bird, but hope to do so at the Christchurch zoo in a couple of days. Actually, I don't think we can really justify flying out of this country before seeing this bird.
Another point of information that might be useful to you is the explanation of the traveling gnome. Steve realized you folks out there might have NO idea what the deal is with the random plastic figuring that keeps showing up in photos. Well, before we left the US, I thought it'd be a good idea to take along some sort of personal mascot that we could use in front of interesting landmarks because you're probably going to get really sick of seeing pictures of me, Steve, or the two of us together. The question of what that mascot should be was answered by Paul Dowdy- someone I had the pleasure of working with on my project in Virginia- who presented me with the traveling gnome (complete with gnome passport and all.) So, thanks to Paul, the traveling gnome gets to accompany us on our adventure around the world, check out some great sights, and get in quite a few pictures of his own.
Before my ramblings go on for too long, here are a few additional thoughts/observations to leave you with on this fabulous country:
1) If you're going to be driving in NZ, be aware that they love 1-lane bridges.... as in car coming from one direction has the right of way, and all opposing traffic has to wait for them to pass before driving over. This is not limited to backcountry roads- but major interstate roads as well (they only have a handful of real multi-lane motorways in this country.)
2) Never read a map/atlas in the dark. Doing so may cause you to mistake an RV dump station for a holiday park (NZ for campground), causing you to end up in a random park, under a bridge, in a sketchy part of town that looks like the perfect backdrop for a Law & Order episode. Why would you make the only difference between these two symbols their color (dark blue vs. black)? Fortunately that mistake only happened once.
3) Don't try to order "American Cheese" on your sandwich at Subway. They will only stare at you blankly, because they don't HAVE American Cheese....riiiigggghhhhttttt.....
4) If ordering deli meat, don't say you want "half a kilogram" of shaved ham. They will again stare at you blankly until someone else ordering at the counter says "I think she means 500 grams." I am guessing this lesson will apply in many other countries as well.
5) The Kea bird (world's only alpine parrot) should in fact be made the NZ mascot. They are one of the smartest animals in the world (up there with the dolphin, apes, etc), have figured out how to solve puzzles/ share, and in a more practical manner know how to remove hub cabs from cars parked at ski lodges. Pretty cool stuff. We have seen several Kea's out and about, and they are pretty neat- way cooler than this kiwi bird (will confirm once we actually see one of those!)
Cheers,
Anna
We've made a couple of new friends at our hostel (actually, besides two folks that are here all summer- sorry, winter- they're the only other people in the hostel.) They're from Sydney, Australia, and have been a lot of fun to hang out with- we're getting all sorts of tips from them on places to check out since we leave New Zealand for Australia in a couple of days.
One of the topics of conversation we've had is about the kiwi bird, and the fact that it's pretty much the worst country mascot ever. Not only is it nocturnal, so you never get to see it out and about, but it's a bird that can't fly, and it's been almost completely wiped out by people's domesticated pets (dogs and cats.) Steve could go on and on for a long time about this topic, and how other country mascots are far superior- kiwi bird vs. bald eagle, kiwi bird vs. the australian kangaroo, etc. etc. We have yet to see a kiwi bird, but hope to do so at the Christchurch zoo in a couple of days. Actually, I don't think we can really justify flying out of this country before seeing this bird.
Another point of information that might be useful to you is the explanation of the traveling gnome. Steve realized you folks out there might have NO idea what the deal is with the random plastic figuring that keeps showing up in photos. Well, before we left the US, I thought it'd be a good idea to take along some sort of personal mascot that we could use in front of interesting landmarks because you're probably going to get really sick of seeing pictures of me, Steve, or the two of us together. The question of what that mascot should be was answered by Paul Dowdy- someone I had the pleasure of working with on my project in Virginia- who presented me with the traveling gnome (complete with gnome passport and all.) So, thanks to Paul, the traveling gnome gets to accompany us on our adventure around the world, check out some great sights, and get in quite a few pictures of his own.
Before my ramblings go on for too long, here are a few additional thoughts/observations to leave you with on this fabulous country:
1) If you're going to be driving in NZ, be aware that they love 1-lane bridges.... as in car coming from one direction has the right of way, and all opposing traffic has to wait for them to pass before driving over. This is not limited to backcountry roads- but major interstate roads as well (they only have a handful of real multi-lane motorways in this country.)
2) Never read a map/atlas in the dark. Doing so may cause you to mistake an RV dump station for a holiday park (NZ for campground), causing you to end up in a random park, under a bridge, in a sketchy part of town that looks like the perfect backdrop for a Law & Order episode. Why would you make the only difference between these two symbols their color (dark blue vs. black)? Fortunately that mistake only happened once.
3) Don't try to order "American Cheese" on your sandwich at Subway. They will only stare at you blankly, because they don't HAVE American Cheese....riiiigggghhhhttttt.....
4) If ordering deli meat, don't say you want "half a kilogram" of shaved ham. They will again stare at you blankly until someone else ordering at the counter says "I think she means 500 grams." I am guessing this lesson will apply in many other countries as well.
5) The Kea bird (world's only alpine parrot) should in fact be made the NZ mascot. They are one of the smartest animals in the world (up there with the dolphin, apes, etc), have figured out how to solve puzzles/ share, and in a more practical manner know how to remove hub cabs from cars parked at ski lodges. Pretty cool stuff. We have seen several Kea's out and about, and they are pretty neat- way cooler than this kiwi bird (will confirm once we actually see one of those!)
Cheers,
Anna
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Our time on the Franz Josef Glacier...
One of our adventures on the South Island, climbing the Franz Josef Glacier- the staircase we're climbing on is actually made of ice.... that the guides carve out with a pick axe every day.
The ice gets a lot cleaner once we go further up, plus we get our very own pick axes to help with the journey (that's me in the bottom left).
I have not included one of the many pictures of us standing in crevasses waiting for our guide to figure out how to get us off the glacier (it grows/changes a meter a day, so no tour ever follows the exact same path and each tour is a new adventure!)
The ice gets a lot cleaner once we go further up, plus we get our very own pick axes to help with the journey (that's me in the bottom left).
I have not included one of the many pictures of us standing in crevasses waiting for our guide to figure out how to get us off the glacier (it grows/changes a meter a day, so no tour ever follows the exact same path and each tour is a new adventure!)
Saturday Night in Queenstown
Greetings everyone! The last week (or was it two???) have been filled with a lot of adventure. We finished skiing Whakapapa an afternoon early (terrible skiing conditions- rainy, low visibility) so we hightailed it down to Wellington where we walked around some of Steve's old study abroad haunts (FYI- The Fat Lady's Arms is now under a new name, same management) and made the most of what was a VERY windy city, turned in the beloved campervan and then hopped on the ferry from Wellington to Picton to start our adventures on the South Island.
On our way, with the traveling gnome, from Wellington to the South Island via the ferry "Arahupa."
Since on the South Island, we have climbed a glacier (literally), gone skiing on "The Rermarkables" and yes, the view really IS remarkable, and sailed our way around Milford Sound (one of the World Heritage Sites, which is actually not a Sound but a Fiord, but they're too proud/stubborn to rename it as such.)
We have spent the last few days in queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of the world- home of the world's first bungy jump. since Steve went bungy jumping the last time he was in NZ, and I did not feel the need to attach myself to a giant rubber band, we have gotten our adventures from skiing (or the bus ride up/down the mountain, which I spent the 45 minutes with my eyes glued shut- it was terrifying, seriously.) The South Island has been fantastic- we spent a day making our way over the Franz Josef glacier with our own pick axes. The glacier actually grows/changes about 1 meter a day, so our guide got a little bit lost on the way down and had to carve several sets of stairs out of the ice, which was unplanned, adding an extra hour to the adventure, but we all arrived back to the start with all our fingers and toes so it was all good fun.
We head out tomorrow morning to Methven, to go skiing on Mt. Hutt, then a few days in Christchurch and then we fly to Australia to continue the adventure in another country.
A few observations about our time in Kiwi-land:
1) We have confirmed that spaghetti on toast IS in fact a NZ breakfast favorite (as is baked beans and toast.) We had the former for breakfast this morning- can't really recommend it on a daily basis.
2) NZ potato chips are AMAZING. With flavors such as prosciutto and brie, and blue cheese and caramelized onion, it is amazing what they have accomplished with a simple fried potato ( i can't necessarily recommend the roasted succulent lamb and mint- that was a bit overwhelming.)
3) running out of time on the internet, so further obesrvations will be added in a future post.
Cheers,
Anna
On our way, with the traveling gnome, from Wellington to the South Island via the ferry "Arahupa."
Since on the South Island, we have climbed a glacier (literally), gone skiing on "The Rermarkables" and yes, the view really IS remarkable, and sailed our way around Milford Sound (one of the World Heritage Sites, which is actually not a Sound but a Fiord, but they're too proud/stubborn to rename it as such.)
We have spent the last few days in queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of the world- home of the world's first bungy jump. since Steve went bungy jumping the last time he was in NZ, and I did not feel the need to attach myself to a giant rubber band, we have gotten our adventures from skiing (or the bus ride up/down the mountain, which I spent the 45 minutes with my eyes glued shut- it was terrifying, seriously.) The South Island has been fantastic- we spent a day making our way over the Franz Josef glacier with our own pick axes. The glacier actually grows/changes about 1 meter a day, so our guide got a little bit lost on the way down and had to carve several sets of stairs out of the ice, which was unplanned, adding an extra hour to the adventure, but we all arrived back to the start with all our fingers and toes so it was all good fun.
We head out tomorrow morning to Methven, to go skiing on Mt. Hutt, then a few days in Christchurch and then we fly to Australia to continue the adventure in another country.
A few observations about our time in Kiwi-land:
1) We have confirmed that spaghetti on toast IS in fact a NZ breakfast favorite (as is baked beans and toast.) We had the former for breakfast this morning- can't really recommend it on a daily basis.
2) NZ potato chips are AMAZING. With flavors such as prosciutto and brie, and blue cheese and caramelized onion, it is amazing what they have accomplished with a simple fried potato ( i can't necessarily recommend the roasted succulent lamb and mint- that was a bit overwhelming.)
3) running out of time on the internet, so further obesrvations will be added in a future post.
Cheers,
Anna
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