I haven't been very inspired to write lately.
This is my last night in Brisbane. Brisbane is a pleasant city. Not as crowded as Sydney. Not as many tall, shiny highrise buildings. It's proximity to many gorgeous beaches is a plus.
I visited Frazer Island, Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast, and Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast. Pristine white sand beaches and clean blue Pacific Ocean water are what they all have in common. Absolutely gorgeous beaches.
Frazer Island is the world's largest sand island. It's white sandy beach on the eastern coast with rainforest on the rest of the island. There's not a lot of activity on the island. I spent only a day on the island, so I saw only a portion of the place. The drive along the beach coast line was amazing: white, white sand, blue water with huge crashing waves. Spent some time on a calmer portion of the beach. It was so beautiful.
On the way back to Brisbane, we stopped at a koala and kangaroo park. There were all sorts of native Australian animals there. Koalas are so damn cute! They sleep even more than cats! It was feeding time when we arrived, so the koalas were lively with anticipation of the day's eucalyptus leaves. By lively I mean, awake. They don't do tricks or cartwheels, although a couple of koalas DID pace back and forth awaiting their dinner.
There was a section of the park where you could walk among the kangaroos. It was an expansive space, and the kangaroos roamed freely. They didn't seem upset by the presence of humans, and you could get very close.
Also saw a tasmanian devil and a wombat. The tasmanian devil seemed a bit neurotic. He circled his habitat non-stop. As for the wombats... they are huge!
But the highlight of this visit was a white parrot, about 12 inches in length. He/She perched on the cage in front of me and said "Ello, ello, ello, ello, ello, ello" for quite a while, and nothing more. When I turned to leave, I say "bye-bye", to which the white parrot replied "bye-bye" with perfect timing! It was hilarious!
There's not much to say about Noosa Beach on the Sunshine Coast. It's a beach town, with gorgeous white sand beaches. There are shops, restaurants and homes. It's a quiet, relaxing place.
Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast, on the other hand... beautiful beach bordered by many tall condominiums, shops and restaurants. And it was raining when I visited, which meant that hanging out on the beach was not an option. That left the shops and restaurants. I suppose this is a great place if you are 20-something and interested in drinking and hanging out on the beach. I was very disappointed.
Tomorrow I fly to Cairns, located on/near the Great Barrier Reef. This should be cool.
By the way, I don't recall if I mentionned this, but Australia is suffering from a draught that has lasted for 5 years! One community near Brisbane has run out of drinking water. Lawns are brown. People are urged to to take 4 minute showers, and to minimize laundry. They can't use their garden hoses. The local reservoir managed to provide water to the area for 5 years, but is almost dry. It's a concerning situation to observe.
cheers,
Stacey
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
G'Day from Down Under
I arrived in Sydney, Australia, three days ago, after having spent several days in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch is a beautiful city. It was designed to be an English-style city, with gardens and greenspace. Many of the homes have an English country feel to them. There is a river that runs through the city called The Avon River. Grass, weeping willows and other trees are planted along its banks. The autumn colors of the trees added to the beauty of the area.
After Queenstown and Franz Josef, Christchurch was rather low key. It isn't a very action oriented city. You can sky dive (did that already in Queenstown), hot air balloon, or simply walk around soaking in the beauty. I did the latter. There's also big culture aspect to Christchurch, so I spent time exploring museums and art galleries. And one afternoon I took a ride to Hamner Springs and soaked in the sulfur spa pools. The end of my stay in New Zealand was very relaxed.
Today is day number three in Australia. Sydney is a beautiful city: sky scrapers, lots of green space, and lots of beaches. In some ways it is similar to Auckland and Wellington, only more impressive. And expensive.
So far I've just spent time exploring different areas of the city: Darling Harbour, Bondi and Manley Beaches, the Sydney Tower, a couple of city parks whose names I can't recall. Wandering and meandering.
Yesterday I visited a few wineries in Hunter Valley. Hunter Valley, located a couple hours outside of Sydney, is famous for its wine, mostly Shiraz and port, although I was impressed by all the wine -- white and red -- that I sampled. I prefer Aussie wine to Kiwi wine. Kiwi wine just didn't do it for me. And kiwi wine is VERY expensive, atleast NZ$20, with the better wines costing NZ$34 or more. And to pay so much for wine I didn't care for... I started buying Aussie wine while in New Zealand because not only was it half the price, but also tasted better.
Tomorrow I will visit the Blue Mountains. That should be nice.
That's what's new with me.
Cheers,
Stacey
Christchurch is a beautiful city. It was designed to be an English-style city, with gardens and greenspace. Many of the homes have an English country feel to them. There is a river that runs through the city called The Avon River. Grass, weeping willows and other trees are planted along its banks. The autumn colors of the trees added to the beauty of the area.
After Queenstown and Franz Josef, Christchurch was rather low key. It isn't a very action oriented city. You can sky dive (did that already in Queenstown), hot air balloon, or simply walk around soaking in the beauty. I did the latter. There's also big culture aspect to Christchurch, so I spent time exploring museums and art galleries. And one afternoon I took a ride to Hamner Springs and soaked in the sulfur spa pools. The end of my stay in New Zealand was very relaxed.
Today is day number three in Australia. Sydney is a beautiful city: sky scrapers, lots of green space, and lots of beaches. In some ways it is similar to Auckland and Wellington, only more impressive. And expensive.
So far I've just spent time exploring different areas of the city: Darling Harbour, Bondi and Manley Beaches, the Sydney Tower, a couple of city parks whose names I can't recall. Wandering and meandering.
Yesterday I visited a few wineries in Hunter Valley. Hunter Valley, located a couple hours outside of Sydney, is famous for its wine, mostly Shiraz and port, although I was impressed by all the wine -- white and red -- that I sampled. I prefer Aussie wine to Kiwi wine. Kiwi wine just didn't do it for me. And kiwi wine is VERY expensive, atleast NZ$20, with the better wines costing NZ$34 or more. And to pay so much for wine I didn't care for... I started buying Aussie wine while in New Zealand because not only was it half the price, but also tasted better.
Tomorrow I will visit the Blue Mountains. That should be nice.
That's what's new with me.
Cheers,
Stacey
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Climbing the Glacier
Kei Ora,
I can't believe I actually climbed a glacier! Yesterday afternoon I climbed the face of the Franz Josef Glacier. We were on the glacier for only 2 hours total, and managed to climb rather high. It was cool, but a little nerve-wrecking. It's like climbing a mountain or hill, but the guide had to cut steps into the ice. Climbing DOWN a glacier is harder than climbing up because as you face out, you realize just how high you've climbed on a block of ice. My body was exhausted after it was all over.
The tour company provides ice cleats (I don't know what the name of these things are. They attach to your boots and they bite into the ice as you walk), boots, socks and raincoat, as well as hats, gloves and overpants if you need them.
The guides are young, chipper, mountain goats that dash up the glacier and carve steps as needed. It's amazing how these kids run around the glacier as if it were no big deal. I guess for them it's not. The harder part is sheparding thirteen novice climbers up a slippery glacial slope. They have to manage our fears and keep us from hurting ourselves and other people. They did an excellent job.
Once again, the weather was spectacular: blue sky with a few clouds. The day before it had rained most of the day. I couldn't imagine climbing an ice mountain in the rain, but people did it. Since the glacier is located in a rainforest, the temperature was warm, even on the ice. Some of the guides wore shorts!
As for the glacier itself, it looks like a mountainous block of snow and ice. Most of the ice is white, but the denser parts are light translucent blue.
I'm glad I did the climb.
Today I took a bus and then the Trans Alpine Train to Christchurch. It took 10 hours in total to get here. Lots of beautiful mountain scenery. I'm in Christchurch for five more days, then I'm off to Australia. Sydney. My New Zealand adventure is coming to a close.
sigh.
cheers,
Stacey
I can't believe I actually climbed a glacier! Yesterday afternoon I climbed the face of the Franz Josef Glacier. We were on the glacier for only 2 hours total, and managed to climb rather high. It was cool, but a little nerve-wrecking. It's like climbing a mountain or hill, but the guide had to cut steps into the ice. Climbing DOWN a glacier is harder than climbing up because as you face out, you realize just how high you've climbed on a block of ice. My body was exhausted after it was all over.
The tour company provides ice cleats (I don't know what the name of these things are. They attach to your boots and they bite into the ice as you walk), boots, socks and raincoat, as well as hats, gloves and overpants if you need them.
The guides are young, chipper, mountain goats that dash up the glacier and carve steps as needed. It's amazing how these kids run around the glacier as if it were no big deal. I guess for them it's not. The harder part is sheparding thirteen novice climbers up a slippery glacial slope. They have to manage our fears and keep us from hurting ourselves and other people. They did an excellent job.
Once again, the weather was spectacular: blue sky with a few clouds. The day before it had rained most of the day. I couldn't imagine climbing an ice mountain in the rain, but people did it. Since the glacier is located in a rainforest, the temperature was warm, even on the ice. Some of the guides wore shorts!
As for the glacier itself, it looks like a mountainous block of snow and ice. Most of the ice is white, but the denser parts are light translucent blue.
I'm glad I did the climb.
Today I took a bus and then the Trans Alpine Train to Christchurch. It took 10 hours in total to get here. Lots of beautiful mountain scenery. I'm in Christchurch for five more days, then I'm off to Australia. Sydney. My New Zealand adventure is coming to a close.
sigh.
cheers,
Stacey
Friday, May 11, 2007
Franz Josef Glacier
Kei Ora,
Last night I arrived in Franz Josef, after a seven hour bus ride from Queenstown. It was raining heavily when we departed Queenstown, so the scenery was obscured by the rain, fog and clouds for the first third of the trip.
Around lunch time the rain stopped, and the magnificent scenery reappeared. Imagine an expansive, bright blue glacier carved lake, surrounded by high, lush green mountains. And above those mountains are higher mountain peaks of jagged rocks, capped with snow, backed with a clear, blue, cloudless sky. Or, remove the lake, and insert rolling greenish, brown pasture land with grazing sheep or cows.
At one point we drove along the Tasman Sea. The Tasman Sea is the body of water on the West coast of New Zealand. The water was gray and turbulent. The shore was rocky with pebbles instead of sand. Violent, crashing waves, and sea foam on the pebbled shore. Not peaceful.
Alot of ride was through rainforest. The glaciers -- Fox and Franz Josef are located in/above the rainforest. Of course, once we hit the rainforest, it started raining again, only lightly. It rains 6 meters of rain each year in this area.
I arrived in Franz Joseph at dusk last night, so there wasn't much time to explore.
This morning I took a helicopter tour to the glacier. It's beauty is beyond words, but I will throw out a few adjectives: white, majestic, awesome, incredible. And the contrast against the green rainforest below is striking. And to think our greedy human self-interest is rapidly destroying this awe-inspiring magnificence! The helicopter landed on the glacier by an ice covered lake. The area was white and pristine. And against the clear, blue sky with wisps of clouds, the glacier was so beautiful. The helicopter ride was cool. It was my first time in a helicopter. Got to sit next to the pilot.
This afternoon I will hike on the glacier. That should be fun. Will write more when I get a chance.
Cheers,
Stacey
Last night I arrived in Franz Josef, after a seven hour bus ride from Queenstown. It was raining heavily when we departed Queenstown, so the scenery was obscured by the rain, fog and clouds for the first third of the trip.
Around lunch time the rain stopped, and the magnificent scenery reappeared. Imagine an expansive, bright blue glacier carved lake, surrounded by high, lush green mountains. And above those mountains are higher mountain peaks of jagged rocks, capped with snow, backed with a clear, blue, cloudless sky. Or, remove the lake, and insert rolling greenish, brown pasture land with grazing sheep or cows.
At one point we drove along the Tasman Sea. The Tasman Sea is the body of water on the West coast of New Zealand. The water was gray and turbulent. The shore was rocky with pebbles instead of sand. Violent, crashing waves, and sea foam on the pebbled shore. Not peaceful.
Alot of ride was through rainforest. The glaciers -- Fox and Franz Josef are located in/above the rainforest. Of course, once we hit the rainforest, it started raining again, only lightly. It rains 6 meters of rain each year in this area.
I arrived in Franz Joseph at dusk last night, so there wasn't much time to explore.
This morning I took a helicopter tour to the glacier. It's beauty is beyond words, but I will throw out a few adjectives: white, majestic, awesome, incredible. And the contrast against the green rainforest below is striking. And to think our greedy human self-interest is rapidly destroying this awe-inspiring magnificence! The helicopter landed on the glacier by an ice covered lake. The area was white and pristine. And against the clear, blue sky with wisps of clouds, the glacier was so beautiful. The helicopter ride was cool. It was my first time in a helicopter. Got to sit next to the pilot.
This afternoon I will hike on the glacier. That should be fun. Will write more when I get a chance.
Cheers,
Stacey
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Free Falling
Kei Ora,
Well, this afternoon I jumped out of an airplane at 12,000 ft, attached to a most handsome skydiver. It was such an incredible rush! We jumped over Queenstown, in front of the Remarkables Mountains and over Lake Wakatipu. The sky was blue with only a few small clouds. What a magnificent view!
The worse part was the actual falling out of the plane. There is no jumping out of small plane when you are attached to another person. We rolled out of the plane and continued to roll until we ended face down. We free-fell for 45 seconds before the chute opened. This part was not so enjoyable, probably due to the wind, the speed and the altitude. The pressure hurt my ears. But once the chute opened and slowed down, the decent was delightful. It took another 5 or so minutes to reach the ground. And the view of the lake, mountains and farmland was breathtaking. The sheep looked like specs of dust on the grass. Would I do it again, you betcha! Would I do it solo? Maybe.
This morning I took a jetboat tour of the Dart River. That was fun! We boarded a jetboat in Glenorchy which is about 45 minutes outside of Queenstown. The boat sped up the river past Paradise Forest, Mt Eanslaw, Rockburn chasm Chinaman's Bluff and out to Sand Bluff. The boat driver would occaisionally do 360 degree turns in the water. Kinda like doing donuts in the snow (or skidding out on ice). The trip was about 50 minutes. The snow capped mountains are magnificent.
On the return trip in the boat, we got off at Paradise Forest. Parts of the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in this forest, and also along the Dart River. They just finished filming parts of the next Narnia movie along part of the river.
Yesterday I went to Milford Sound, via Lake Te Anau. It was a rainy miserable day, but apparently rains most days at Milford Sound. The plus side of the rain is that waterfalls appear on the rocky mountain peaks of the mountains. The falls only exist when it rains, and will disappear when the rain stops. The dark, rocky cliffs are overwhelming. (I need more mountain adjectives!!!)
Milford Sound was incredible. It's actually a fjord, not a sound. Rough, dark blue water surrounded by huge rocky mountains. There was an occaisional waterfall embedded in the mountains. A couple of dolphins swam with the boat. And it was REALLY, REALLY COLD!!!!
Today and yesterday have been filled with unbelieveable sights. My eyes need a rest.
Cheers,
Stacey
Well, this afternoon I jumped out of an airplane at 12,000 ft, attached to a most handsome skydiver. It was such an incredible rush! We jumped over Queenstown, in front of the Remarkables Mountains and over Lake Wakatipu. The sky was blue with only a few small clouds. What a magnificent view!
The worse part was the actual falling out of the plane. There is no jumping out of small plane when you are attached to another person. We rolled out of the plane and continued to roll until we ended face down. We free-fell for 45 seconds before the chute opened. This part was not so enjoyable, probably due to the wind, the speed and the altitude. The pressure hurt my ears. But once the chute opened and slowed down, the decent was delightful. It took another 5 or so minutes to reach the ground. And the view of the lake, mountains and farmland was breathtaking. The sheep looked like specs of dust on the grass. Would I do it again, you betcha! Would I do it solo? Maybe.
This morning I took a jetboat tour of the Dart River. That was fun! We boarded a jetboat in Glenorchy which is about 45 minutes outside of Queenstown. The boat sped up the river past Paradise Forest, Mt Eanslaw, Rockburn chasm Chinaman's Bluff and out to Sand Bluff. The boat driver would occaisionally do 360 degree turns in the water. Kinda like doing donuts in the snow (or skidding out on ice). The trip was about 50 minutes. The snow capped mountains are magnificent.
On the return trip in the boat, we got off at Paradise Forest. Parts of the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in this forest, and also along the Dart River. They just finished filming parts of the next Narnia movie along part of the river.
Yesterday I went to Milford Sound, via Lake Te Anau. It was a rainy miserable day, but apparently rains most days at Milford Sound. The plus side of the rain is that waterfalls appear on the rocky mountain peaks of the mountains. The falls only exist when it rains, and will disappear when the rain stops. The dark, rocky cliffs are overwhelming. (I need more mountain adjectives!!!)
Milford Sound was incredible. It's actually a fjord, not a sound. Rough, dark blue water surrounded by huge rocky mountains. There was an occaisional waterfall embedded in the mountains. A couple of dolphins swam with the boat. And it was REALLY, REALLY COLD!!!!
Today and yesterday have been filled with unbelieveable sights. My eyes need a rest.
Cheers,
Stacey
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Kei Ora from Queenstown
The South Island is impressive. The mountains in the south are more dramatic than those in the north. They remind me of the Andes, only not so high.
After leaving Wellington, I caught the ferry to Picton at the top of the south island. The weather has been perfect, so the ride was calm. The ship carried both people and vehicles.
Once in Picton, I caught the TranzAlpine train to Christchurch, but I got off at Kaikoura. Kaikoura is famous for whale, dolphin, albatross and sea lion watching,, as well as New Zealand crayfish (lobsters without those big front claws). It's another beautiful seaside town. Unfortunately, I didn't see any dolphins. The ocean was too rough on the day my tour was scheduled. I rescheduled for the next day. The weather was perfect, but the dolphins were nowhere to be found. Oh well.
The next day I caught the TransAlpine train to Christchurch. Spent the night at Christchurch, then headed down to Dunedin via Mt Cook. The scenery en route to Mt Cook was spectacular. Snow-capped mountains. It's really amazing. But I still think the Andes are more beautiful.
Dunedin was good. It is the sister city to Edinburgh. They original settlers were of Scottish descent, and wanted to name the place New Edinburgh, but settled on Dunedin. The city is filled with hills, gorgeous gardens and homes. THEY SAY that Dunedin is very scottish in ambiance. New Zealand's number one university is located in Dunedin, which means 20,000 students arrive in Dunedin every February.
Dunedin is also home to Cadbury Chocolate, and Speights Beer. Both are great products.
While in Dunedin, I visited the Otago Peninsula and saw some yellow-eyed penguins. There are so adorable! The is currently mating season for the yellow-eyed penguins. We say several couples emerge from the ocean and walk to their homes. Also saw three type of albatross. They are huge, beautiful birds.
Yesterday I took a train through the Taieri Gorge. It's an old train that runs from Dunedin to Pukeri. The scenery is amazing. Rocky cliffs with rivers running below. Once in Pukeri I caught a bus to Queenstown.
Today I visited Bob's Peak, a mountain peak with a spectacular view of Queenstown, and then did a wine tour. Had some good pinot noir, however, pinot noir is not my favorite wine. The people on the tour were a riot. Two scots and an irishman.
Tomorrow I will go to Milford Sound for the day.
And that's what I've been up too.
cheers,
Stacey
After leaving Wellington, I caught the ferry to Picton at the top of the south island. The weather has been perfect, so the ride was calm. The ship carried both people and vehicles.
Once in Picton, I caught the TranzAlpine train to Christchurch, but I got off at Kaikoura. Kaikoura is famous for whale, dolphin, albatross and sea lion watching,, as well as New Zealand crayfish (lobsters without those big front claws). It's another beautiful seaside town. Unfortunately, I didn't see any dolphins. The ocean was too rough on the day my tour was scheduled. I rescheduled for the next day. The weather was perfect, but the dolphins were nowhere to be found. Oh well.
The next day I caught the TransAlpine train to Christchurch. Spent the night at Christchurch, then headed down to Dunedin via Mt Cook. The scenery en route to Mt Cook was spectacular. Snow-capped mountains. It's really amazing. But I still think the Andes are more beautiful.
Dunedin was good. It is the sister city to Edinburgh. They original settlers were of Scottish descent, and wanted to name the place New Edinburgh, but settled on Dunedin. The city is filled with hills, gorgeous gardens and homes. THEY SAY that Dunedin is very scottish in ambiance. New Zealand's number one university is located in Dunedin, which means 20,000 students arrive in Dunedin every February.
Dunedin is also home to Cadbury Chocolate, and Speights Beer. Both are great products.
While in Dunedin, I visited the Otago Peninsula and saw some yellow-eyed penguins. There are so adorable! The is currently mating season for the yellow-eyed penguins. We say several couples emerge from the ocean and walk to their homes. Also saw three type of albatross. They are huge, beautiful birds.
Yesterday I took a train through the Taieri Gorge. It's an old train that runs from Dunedin to Pukeri. The scenery is amazing. Rocky cliffs with rivers running below. Once in Pukeri I caught a bus to Queenstown.
Today I visited Bob's Peak, a mountain peak with a spectacular view of Queenstown, and then did a wine tour. Had some good pinot noir, however, pinot noir is not my favorite wine. The people on the tour were a riot. Two scots and an irishman.
Tomorrow I will go to Milford Sound for the day.
And that's what I've been up too.
cheers,
Stacey
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