Click on Pic for some more updated photos
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
"Jumping" Back into it!
Hey Folks!
We are back after a long break from blogging. Well...where to start. Since we last left you a lot has happened. Sarah changed her look (notice the piercing in her nose)! I jumped out of a plane from 12, 000 ft over some of the most beautiful scenery in the world (Over Isengard for you LOTR fans) and we left the lush green country of New Zealand for the Hot Continent of Australia.
I would have to say jumping out of a plane is one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life. I can't describe how amazing it felt, I was ear to ear grinning and was on a high for about 3 days after. All I can say is: DO IT! Sar and I were also blessed with beautiful weather when we got back to Queenstown, and it is very clear why this is so many travellers favorite city in New Zealand. One of the mountain ranges that surrounds the city is called the Remarkables, and for good reason, they are stunning! It was extremely hard to leave Queenstown when the time came.
We continued our journey up the east coast of the South Island through Christchurch en route to Kaikora. Kaikora was up there for Sar and I as our favorite destination. The sun was shinning, the water was a magnificent blue and there was still snow on the tops of the mountains. From the water we heard numerous times that it is supposed to be the best view in the world. Very hard to beat with the ocean and mountains so close to each other. All along the coast of Kaikora is an extremely deep gorge, which drops off very close to shore. This makes ideal conditions for all sorts of sea life: whales, seals, sharks, fish and of course dolphins! Now, the dolphin pods here are know to get up in the hundreds. The type of dolphin found around Kaikora are the extremely acrobatic and playful Dusky Dolphins.
If you've been looking at the pictures then you probably already know that we went swimming with them. Again, we really lucked out, the water was calm, the sun was shinning and the dolphins were playful, despite loosing a few friends a few days before to become Killer Whale food. It was amazing! The more you interacted with the dolphins the more they played with you. It was hilarious because they also react to the noise you make so everyone in the water was doing their best dolphin calls. It was such an amazing experience.
While Sar went on one of the nicest hikes she did all trip (Dang), I went fishing. We caught a ton of sea perch and I caught only one of two blue cod caught that day! We also pulled up some cray pots to catch some NZ rock lobster...I wasn't so lucky with this. I pulled up the first one, and inside was a giant Conger Eel which had a delicious lunch of crayfish...I helped with the second one and this time a giant octopus was on the cage, he too had a nice lunch. So, with one cray pot left we left it in the hands of these two japanese girls (girls are always better fisher"men"), and JACKPOT! There were about 25 rock lobsters in this one! And we finally got our tasty lunch! We cooked up a monster feast of lobster and fish that night with a couple of other buddies who went fishing...3 monster lobsters and about 8 pounds of fish between 5 of us!
Unfortunately we had to leave the South Island to make sure we had enough time for the far north. We were supposed to do the Tongarriro Crossing on the way up but due to a forgetful driver (he left Taupo without us in the morning) we missed it...I havn't been that mad in a very long time. As a consilation, Sar and I went to a hot river to try and cool off...it kinda helped except for the fact it was the nicest weather of the whole trip!
At least we had tons of time to do the Bay of Islands up north. We stayed in Paihia for about 5 days...the first 3 all being rainy and miserable...dang. By chance these two girls in our hostel asked if we wanted to tramp out to Cape Brett. We caught a 45 min water taxi to a bay about a 2.5 hr hike away from the hut on the point of the Cape. It was pouring rain the whole time and we were essentially hiking in clouds. We had to jump over streams that had turned into small rivers, hike on narrow trails with sheer cliffs on either side with VERY strong gusts of wind and up and down massive ridges...WOW...It was by far the hardest (and scariest) hike we have done. But it was all worth it. When we got to the hut it was really cool. It used to be lived in by the assistant lighthouse keeper. The sun came out that evening and I made some hooks and a makeshift reel and tried some fishing...the only thing I caught was a huge wave in my shoes! The next day was so much nicer, we could actually see the Bay of Islands in all its glory! It was amazing that we couldn't see all of the islands the day before because of the rain and fog. That hike was REALLY hard!
Kiwis have to be some of the most friendly people in the world. We finished our hike about 2.5 hrs before our shuttle was supposed to pick us up. We went looking for something that might have a phone, instead we got picked up by a school bus and used the drivers cell phone as he drove us halfway there, and then a couple of guys picked us up off the side of the road and insisted on giving us a ride into town (we weren't even hitchhiking!). Amazing!
After the hard days of hiking we took the easy route up to Cape Reinga, the northern tip of NZ where the Tasman and Pacific oceans meet. We took this cool, jacked up 4X4 dune rider. Cape Reinga is believed to be where the Moari people depart the land of the living through the roots of a Kauri tree located on the last peice of land. It is a very spiritual place for them. The tree itself is cool because it is the only tree growing on that part of land. The day also included some sand boarding and a drive down 90 mile beach (which is more like 90km beach!).
Our last day in New Zealand was spent on Waiheke Island just off of Auckland. It is well know for its Wineries and beaches. We did a tasting at probably one of the most scenic wineries around, Cable Bay. It was just beautiful and the wine was tasty.
Now we are in Perth desperately looking for a place to live. We are fortunate that some friends are letting us crash until we find a spot. Sar started work yesterday and really likes the clinic and the area she is working at. I am just on house hunting detail. No fun for us until we have a roof over our heads! That's it for now. We will try to be a bit better at blogging!
Miss you all,
SarahandRoo
P.S. Mom they call trucks and stuff a Ute, so your name is all over the billboards...you're famous!
We are back after a long break from blogging. Well...where to start. Since we last left you a lot has happened. Sarah changed her look (notice the piercing in her nose)! I jumped out of a plane from 12, 000 ft over some of the most beautiful scenery in the world (Over Isengard for you LOTR fans) and we left the lush green country of New Zealand for the Hot Continent of Australia.
I would have to say jumping out of a plane is one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life. I can't describe how amazing it felt, I was ear to ear grinning and was on a high for about 3 days after. All I can say is: DO IT! Sar and I were also blessed with beautiful weather when we got back to Queenstown, and it is very clear why this is so many travellers favorite city in New Zealand. One of the mountain ranges that surrounds the city is called the Remarkables, and for good reason, they are stunning! It was extremely hard to leave Queenstown when the time came.
We continued our journey up the east coast of the South Island through Christchurch en route to Kaikora. Kaikora was up there for Sar and I as our favorite destination. The sun was shinning, the water was a magnificent blue and there was still snow on the tops of the mountains. From the water we heard numerous times that it is supposed to be the best view in the world. Very hard to beat with the ocean and mountains so close to each other. All along the coast of Kaikora is an extremely deep gorge, which drops off very close to shore. This makes ideal conditions for all sorts of sea life: whales, seals, sharks, fish and of course dolphins! Now, the dolphin pods here are know to get up in the hundreds. The type of dolphin found around Kaikora are the extremely acrobatic and playful Dusky Dolphins.
If you've been looking at the pictures then you probably already know that we went swimming with them. Again, we really lucked out, the water was calm, the sun was shinning and the dolphins were playful, despite loosing a few friends a few days before to become Killer Whale food. It was amazing! The more you interacted with the dolphins the more they played with you. It was hilarious because they also react to the noise you make so everyone in the water was doing their best dolphin calls. It was such an amazing experience.
While Sar went on one of the nicest hikes she did all trip (Dang), I went fishing. We caught a ton of sea perch and I caught only one of two blue cod caught that day! We also pulled up some cray pots to catch some NZ rock lobster...I wasn't so lucky with this. I pulled up the first one, and inside was a giant Conger Eel which had a delicious lunch of crayfish...I helped with the second one and this time a giant octopus was on the cage, he too had a nice lunch. So, with one cray pot left we left it in the hands of these two japanese girls (girls are always better fisher"men"), and JACKPOT! There were about 25 rock lobsters in this one! And we finally got our tasty lunch! We cooked up a monster feast of lobster and fish that night with a couple of other buddies who went fishing...3 monster lobsters and about 8 pounds of fish between 5 of us!
Unfortunately we had to leave the South Island to make sure we had enough time for the far north. We were supposed to do the Tongarriro Crossing on the way up but due to a forgetful driver (he left Taupo without us in the morning) we missed it...I havn't been that mad in a very long time. As a consilation, Sar and I went to a hot river to try and cool off...it kinda helped except for the fact it was the nicest weather of the whole trip!
At least we had tons of time to do the Bay of Islands up north. We stayed in Paihia for about 5 days...the first 3 all being rainy and miserable...dang. By chance these two girls in our hostel asked if we wanted to tramp out to Cape Brett. We caught a 45 min water taxi to a bay about a 2.5 hr hike away from the hut on the point of the Cape. It was pouring rain the whole time and we were essentially hiking in clouds. We had to jump over streams that had turned into small rivers, hike on narrow trails with sheer cliffs on either side with VERY strong gusts of wind and up and down massive ridges...WOW...It was by far the hardest (and scariest) hike we have done. But it was all worth it. When we got to the hut it was really cool. It used to be lived in by the assistant lighthouse keeper. The sun came out that evening and I made some hooks and a makeshift reel and tried some fishing...the only thing I caught was a huge wave in my shoes! The next day was so much nicer, we could actually see the Bay of Islands in all its glory! It was amazing that we couldn't see all of the islands the day before because of the rain and fog. That hike was REALLY hard!
Kiwis have to be some of the most friendly people in the world. We finished our hike about 2.5 hrs before our shuttle was supposed to pick us up. We went looking for something that might have a phone, instead we got picked up by a school bus and used the drivers cell phone as he drove us halfway there, and then a couple of guys picked us up off the side of the road and insisted on giving us a ride into town (we weren't even hitchhiking!). Amazing!
After the hard days of hiking we took the easy route up to Cape Reinga, the northern tip of NZ where the Tasman and Pacific oceans meet. We took this cool, jacked up 4X4 dune rider. Cape Reinga is believed to be where the Moari people depart the land of the living through the roots of a Kauri tree located on the last peice of land. It is a very spiritual place for them. The tree itself is cool because it is the only tree growing on that part of land. The day also included some sand boarding and a drive down 90 mile beach (which is more like 90km beach!).
Our last day in New Zealand was spent on Waiheke Island just off of Auckland. It is well know for its Wineries and beaches. We did a tasting at probably one of the most scenic wineries around, Cable Bay. It was just beautiful and the wine was tasty.
Now we are in Perth desperately looking for a place to live. We are fortunate that some friends are letting us crash until we find a spot. Sar started work yesterday and really likes the clinic and the area she is working at. I am just on house hunting detail. No fun for us until we have a roof over our heads! That's it for now. We will try to be a bit better at blogging!
Miss you all,
SarahandRoo
P.S. Mom they call trucks and stuff a Ute, so your name is all over the billboards...you're famous!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Whale of a good time
Hey Everyone! We have done so much and have so much to tell you all about our adventures since last time...but we are going to leave you in suspense! There are some new pictures up on the flickr account so just click the link on the previous post...talk to you soon.
Love
SarahandRoo
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sheep Shearing Fun
Hey Everyone,
Sar and I are stuck in Invercargill at the moment due to some good Southland weather (Rainy and VERY windy). Well, we havn't done too much since our last post so this will be a quickie. We spent the past 5 days in Te Anau: the gateway to Milford Sound. Our first day out of Queenstown to Milford took an unexpected twist because the earthquake had caused some landslides and this closed the road to Milford Sound for a number of days. We made the most of one of the most beautiful days of the trip so far exploring the world famous road to Milford. The highlight being a great hike up Key Summit, which is the first day of the Routeburn hike. The views of the snowcovered peaks are not done justice by the photos. It turned out to be a great day!
We went for an overnight cruise in Milford Sound the following evening. It was so cool. The road up is amazing. We got our taste for winter with the snowcovered ground and massive mountains. The coolest part was going through the Homer tunnel...a man made tunnel through the mountains with only enough room for one coach at most points (our driver had to reverse halfway back up the tunnel). When we got to the other side of the tunnel it was amazing to see how dramatic the mountains are. They are so much steeper then any I have seen before. It was even more evident when we reached the Fiord where they meet the ocean. Once we arrived we had a few minutes before we boarded our boat for the next part of our journey. We cruised out to the Tasman sea, I jumped into a Kayak and Sar jumped into the speed boat and we explored the Fiord. I got soaked and Sar saw a Penguin (who got the better deal??). We had a whole meal of food and it was delicious. We woke up in the morning to a great surprise! Milford came alive with the rain. I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life...one about every 10 feet. Again the road was closed so we got trapped on the boat for a few more hours (and a free lunch). Unfortunately our bus thought we were stuck for the day and left without us...leaving us trapped in Te Anau for 3 more days...oh well!
Today we did a farm tour in Tuatapere, we got to feed little lambs and shear some ewes. Sar got to drive the quad bike with everyone else in the trailer (Dave you would've be proud!). Sar was amazed at how much wool comes off of a sheep (they look really skinny without all the wool). I had the pleasure of shearing the worst sheep the farmer had ever had! I had to put it in a headlock while shearing it. After all our hard work we were treated to some local sausages for breakfast, Tuatapere is the self proclaimed sausage capital of New Zealand (Mr. Nicoletta, not as good as yours!).
Unfortunately, we were unable to go to Stewart Island today because the seas were way too rough...which means we have to come back to NZ again some day!
Miss you all,
Love,
Sarahandroo
p.s. More pictures on the link!
Sar and I are stuck in Invercargill at the moment due to some good Southland weather (Rainy and VERY windy). Well, we havn't done too much since our last post so this will be a quickie. We spent the past 5 days in Te Anau: the gateway to Milford Sound. Our first day out of Queenstown to Milford took an unexpected twist because the earthquake had caused some landslides and this closed the road to Milford Sound for a number of days. We made the most of one of the most beautiful days of the trip so far exploring the world famous road to Milford. The highlight being a great hike up Key Summit, which is the first day of the Routeburn hike. The views of the snowcovered peaks are not done justice by the photos. It turned out to be a great day!
We went for an overnight cruise in Milford Sound the following evening. It was so cool. The road up is amazing. We got our taste for winter with the snowcovered ground and massive mountains. The coolest part was going through the Homer tunnel...a man made tunnel through the mountains with only enough room for one coach at most points (our driver had to reverse halfway back up the tunnel). When we got to the other side of the tunnel it was amazing to see how dramatic the mountains are. They are so much steeper then any I have seen before. It was even more evident when we reached the Fiord where they meet the ocean. Once we arrived we had a few minutes before we boarded our boat for the next part of our journey. We cruised out to the Tasman sea, I jumped into a Kayak and Sar jumped into the speed boat and we explored the Fiord. I got soaked and Sar saw a Penguin (who got the better deal??). We had a whole meal of food and it was delicious. We woke up in the morning to a great surprise! Milford came alive with the rain. I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life...one about every 10 feet. Again the road was closed so we got trapped on the boat for a few more hours (and a free lunch). Unfortunately our bus thought we were stuck for the day and left without us...leaving us trapped in Te Anau for 3 more days...oh well!
Today we did a farm tour in Tuatapere, we got to feed little lambs and shear some ewes. Sar got to drive the quad bike with everyone else in the trailer (Dave you would've be proud!). Sar was amazed at how much wool comes off of a sheep (they look really skinny without all the wool). I had the pleasure of shearing the worst sheep the farmer had ever had! I had to put it in a headlock while shearing it. After all our hard work we were treated to some local sausages for breakfast, Tuatapere is the self proclaimed sausage capital of New Zealand (Mr. Nicoletta, not as good as yours!).
Unfortunately, we were unable to go to Stewart Island today because the seas were way too rough...which means we have to come back to NZ again some day!
Miss you all,
Love,
Sarahandroo
p.s. More pictures on the link!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Bone Shaking Quakes!
Alrighty folks
YES WE HAVE SOME PICTURES!! Yahoo! What a disaster that was trying to get some pictures up...I have gained a lot more gray hair from getting that sorted out (look closely at my moustache and it is quite evident!)
So we last left you off in Punakaiki...What a beautiful spot. From there we headed to the booming city of Barrytown (aka Baz Vegas) poplulation 4. Sar and I did some bone carving in the morning, again it is surprising what you can make with a little expert guidance. Again, Sar topped the class with a sweet as bone carved necklace! I didn't do too shabby, but mine smells like burning...so I can't wear it right now. That night we kicked our shoes off, and pants and shirts for a fancy dress party (costume party). My costume of a Scottish school girl made me look more like William Wallace! Our bus driver's nickname is Gullom and he showed us why...he came out of nowhere with the most amazing Gollum costume of all time: weird hair strands, silver thong, black unitard (and hideous man body according to Sar) and glued on ears so he couldn't hear a thing! The night was a blast and we partied a bit later than usual.
Next morning we hopped on the bus to the scenic town of Franz Josef. It is nestled in the mountains and the views are spectacular. We opted to take the challenge of a full day hike up the Franz Josef glacier the next morning...Very cool (literally.) We were so lucky to have a sunny day for this one as it is supposed to rain about 99.9% of the time there. We had a guide take us up and carve steps in the ice as we went along. Now a bit of science: Franz Josef glacier actually sits down in a rain forest which makes it unique. It is also still growing at a considerable rate because of the 30m of snow the mountain gets each year! All this makes for a steep climb up! All in all Franz was Granz!
Next Stop Makarora. Sar and I went for an adrenalin filled helicopter flight around Mt Aspiring National Park. As a special treat we got to see the newest lake in the area created by a landslide...this lake if it bursts has the potential to put the whole town under water...Dang! The best part of the ride was when we dropped off one passenger to take a jet boat ride. It felt like right out of the movies, the jet boat was going up the river and we went up and sharply banked down right over top of them. One of the guys on the boat said he was expecting the machine guns to start firing at them at any time. That night we had a Karaoke contest to win a tandem paragliding flight in Queenstown...we didn't win...(Lionel Ritchie's 'All Night Long' is harder than it sounds!)
Wanaka was next! We spent 3 days in this quiet, funky little town and Andrew was desparately hoping to skydive! Unfortunately the weather was never quite right and he wasn't able to go up. The mountains seemed almost close enough to touch and we spent a few afternoons in the sunshine just enjoying the scenery.
I had a much needed dentist appointment to fix my aching tooth. Bad news is my tooth is dead. (RIP tooth next to my molar). I feel much better now and the dentist was hot as. Ha! We went to this sweet little movie theater with only random sofa chairs and love seats to sit in (and of course an old convertible car for lovebirds) (we didn't sit there). At intermission they served us homemade ice cream and cookies and that pretty much made my whole trip right there. Pretty good movie too. We also went to Puzzle world and you can imagine what that was like! We had a blast in the illusion rooms and trying to navigate the 1.5m of labyrinth they had outside! Andrew pretended he was the Minotaur and I acted embarrassed. Good times.
Wanaka was also home to Natural Disaster #3 and 4 as we were woken from sleep by another earthquake and felt the aftershock again the next morning! This one was freaky! Our whole room was swaying and we felt like we were in a water bed. It lasted about 20-30 seconds but it felt much longer! Hopefully that's the last of those!
On our way to Queenstown we stopped off at the original bungy site - Karahau bridge and Andrew took the plunge!!! It was great and I got it all on video. Pictures will be online soon!
Here we are in Queenstown and although we know it is beautiful the rain and cloud are masking all the scenery. We're mad as but trying to make the best of it! Tomorrow off to Milford Sound if the weather holds up! Cross your fingers!
Miss you all back home!
Love,
SarahandRoo
YES WE HAVE SOME PICTURES!! Yahoo! What a disaster that was trying to get some pictures up...I have gained a lot more gray hair from getting that sorted out (look closely at my moustache and it is quite evident!)
So we last left you off in Punakaiki...What a beautiful spot. From there we headed to the booming city of Barrytown (aka Baz Vegas) poplulation 4. Sar and I did some bone carving in the morning, again it is surprising what you can make with a little expert guidance. Again, Sar topped the class with a sweet as bone carved necklace! I didn't do too shabby, but mine smells like burning...so I can't wear it right now. That night we kicked our shoes off, and pants and shirts for a fancy dress party (costume party). My costume of a Scottish school girl made me look more like William Wallace! Our bus driver's nickname is Gullom and he showed us why...he came out of nowhere with the most amazing Gollum costume of all time: weird hair strands, silver thong, black unitard (and hideous man body according to Sar) and glued on ears so he couldn't hear a thing! The night was a blast and we partied a bit later than usual.
Next morning we hopped on the bus to the scenic town of Franz Josef. It is nestled in the mountains and the views are spectacular. We opted to take the challenge of a full day hike up the Franz Josef glacier the next morning...Very cool (literally.) We were so lucky to have a sunny day for this one as it is supposed to rain about 99.9% of the time there. We had a guide take us up and carve steps in the ice as we went along. Now a bit of science: Franz Josef glacier actually sits down in a rain forest which makes it unique. It is also still growing at a considerable rate because of the 30m of snow the mountain gets each year! All this makes for a steep climb up! All in all Franz was Granz!
Next Stop Makarora. Sar and I went for an adrenalin filled helicopter flight around Mt Aspiring National Park. As a special treat we got to see the newest lake in the area created by a landslide...this lake if it bursts has the potential to put the whole town under water...Dang! The best part of the ride was when we dropped off one passenger to take a jet boat ride. It felt like right out of the movies, the jet boat was going up the river and we went up and sharply banked down right over top of them. One of the guys on the boat said he was expecting the machine guns to start firing at them at any time. That night we had a Karaoke contest to win a tandem paragliding flight in Queenstown...we didn't win...(Lionel Ritchie's 'All Night Long' is harder than it sounds!)
Wanaka was next! We spent 3 days in this quiet, funky little town and Andrew was desparately hoping to skydive! Unfortunately the weather was never quite right and he wasn't able to go up. The mountains seemed almost close enough to touch and we spent a few afternoons in the sunshine just enjoying the scenery.
I had a much needed dentist appointment to fix my aching tooth. Bad news is my tooth is dead. (RIP tooth next to my molar). I feel much better now and the dentist was hot as. Ha! We went to this sweet little movie theater with only random sofa chairs and love seats to sit in (and of course an old convertible car for lovebirds) (we didn't sit there). At intermission they served us homemade ice cream and cookies and that pretty much made my whole trip right there. Pretty good movie too. We also went to Puzzle world and you can imagine what that was like! We had a blast in the illusion rooms and trying to navigate the 1.5m of labyrinth they had outside! Andrew pretended he was the Minotaur and I acted embarrassed. Good times.
Wanaka was also home to Natural Disaster #3 and 4 as we were woken from sleep by another earthquake and felt the aftershock again the next morning! This one was freaky! Our whole room was swaying and we felt like we were in a water bed. It lasted about 20-30 seconds but it felt much longer! Hopefully that's the last of those!
On our way to Queenstown we stopped off at the original bungy site - Karahau bridge and Andrew took the plunge!!! It was great and I got it all on video. Pictures will be online soon!
Here we are in Queenstown and although we know it is beautiful the rain and cloud are masking all the scenery. We're mad as but trying to make the best of it! Tomorrow off to Milford Sound if the weather holds up! Cross your fingers!
Miss you all back home!
Love,
SarahandRoo
Pictures...Finally!!!
Click on this picture and it will take you to a selection of photos (only a few right now because we don't have that much storage per month with flickr). We hope you enjoy!
SarahandRoo
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Better way to post pics
Anyone have any suggestions on a better way to post pictures???
Thanks!
SarahandRoo
Thanks!
SarahandRoo
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Natural Disasters...
Hey Everyone!
We have been out of computer contact for the last week or so, therefore no posts!
Natural Disaster #1: We made our way to Taupo for the night before we were supposed to do the Tongariro Crossing (one of the worlds best one day hikes). We woke up in the morning feeling good and ready to tackle some volcanic mountains and great views. Our bus driver procedes to tell us that the hike is called off because Mt Ruahepu erupted the night before. Now our bus driver is a character and liked to tell us outrageous stories for fun and was always cracking jokes. We thought this was another one of his jokes...unfortunately not! We turned on the TV and it was all over the morning News, one poor guy got his legs crushed while he was sleeping in a hut on top of the mountain by a bomb flying out of the volcano...dang. Naturally, We decided to do the smart thing and head up to the national park anyway for some hiking! Relax Moms...it was totally safe (we hoped). The day was perfect, blue skies and sunshine. The views were spectacular, I took about 5,000 pictures of Mt Doom from LOTR (lord of the rings for all you fantasy nerds). We did some great hikes and had an absolute blast. That night we stayed in a wicked hostel which looked more like a 5 star ski lodge.
We made our way to Wellington the next day and spent a few days touring around the city. Very cool and trendy city...everyone dresses like Sarah there so she absolutely loved the shopping (window shopping only!). The New Zealand National Museum, Te Papa, is there and it is unbelievably cool.
After Wellington we took one of the scariest (funnest) flights imaginable to the Picton, on the South Island. The plane was this oversized Cesna, which held about 12 passengers. It was so windy that the plane was bouncing around everywhere...it was better than any roller coaster I have been on. The pilot didn't even try to sugar coat it before we took off...he just told us it wasn't going to be a pretty flight. Sar was pretty nervous at parts (So was I!). But it only lasted about 25 min. When we arrived we pretty much headed straight to the vineyards for a wine tour and some much needed refreshments post turbulance. The wines were all good...the region is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc...tasty!
The next day was a bit of a trying one...our bus broke down and I think our new driver did too...not our favorite driver yet. Eventually we made it to Old MacDanalds Farm on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park...there were tons of Llama all over the farm. This was our base to head out and explore the National Park. Sar and I packed up our huge packs and enough food to last us for the duration of our hike and off we went for a 3 day adventure.
We ended up hiking about 24 km the first day...with only a short lunch because it started to rain...Again! To put it short neither of us said much the last hour and a half of the hike...we were exhausted. But the hike itself was beautiful. Tons of golden beaches and blue ocean, and all in a subtropical rain forest complete with palm trees! The hut we stayed in was great...there was only 2 other people in the place with us.
The next day we made our way to tackle the track again. It was much nicer out and the hike seemed so much easier only doing 11 and a bit km. The hut we stayed at the second night was sooooooo good. Right on the beach of a HUGE estuary, 2 km tide change! There was a nice wood stove and lots of wood to chop to keep me busy. Again only the 2 guys from the night before sharing the hut with us.
Natural Disaster #2: The next morning we were getting packed up when this huge noise came from what sounded like the roof. I thought that some possums or something got on the roof and were fighting...but when I looked up on the roof, nothing. Hmmmmm. We found out later that an earthquake hit south of us rating 5 on the Richter scale. Needless to say we survived unharmed! We finished off the hike and caught a water taxi back to Marahau where we started and spent the next day relaxing at Old Mac's Farm. It was such a great hike!
Now we are in Punakaiki on the west coast of NZ. It is really cool here...I think they filmed Jurassic park here. THIS is a Rain Forest...it has rained for 2 days straight. That didn't stop us from doing the best adventure yet: Making a Knife! We made some sweet as knives yesterday. We started with a piece of steel, wood and brass. We had to forge the steel, pound it out, grind it, pollish it, saw our handle peices, drill it on and sand it down...Man are they bad ass. Sar's knife looks so mean! She made one of the best knives of the group and the smile on her face (and mine) was ear to ear. The guy who tought us is a complete showman...so funny! At the end we even had to drink his homemade moonshine! It was tasty. There was also axe throwing and the biggest swing ever! It took 6 people running with a rope attached to the bottom of the swing to get the person up for the swing (way scarier than I thought it was going to be). All in all, one of the best days of the trip. Today we are just taking it easy and getting ready to do some bone carving tommorow!
We miss you all and will do our best to get some picture up soon!
Love,
SarahandRoo
We have been out of computer contact for the last week or so, therefore no posts!
Natural Disaster #1: We made our way to Taupo for the night before we were supposed to do the Tongariro Crossing (one of the worlds best one day hikes). We woke up in the morning feeling good and ready to tackle some volcanic mountains and great views. Our bus driver procedes to tell us that the hike is called off because Mt Ruahepu erupted the night before. Now our bus driver is a character and liked to tell us outrageous stories for fun and was always cracking jokes. We thought this was another one of his jokes...unfortunately not! We turned on the TV and it was all over the morning News, one poor guy got his legs crushed while he was sleeping in a hut on top of the mountain by a bomb flying out of the volcano...dang. Naturally, We decided to do the smart thing and head up to the national park anyway for some hiking! Relax Moms...it was totally safe (we hoped). The day was perfect, blue skies and sunshine. The views were spectacular, I took about 5,000 pictures of Mt Doom from LOTR (lord of the rings for all you fantasy nerds). We did some great hikes and had an absolute blast. That night we stayed in a wicked hostel which looked more like a 5 star ski lodge.
We made our way to Wellington the next day and spent a few days touring around the city. Very cool and trendy city...everyone dresses like Sarah there so she absolutely loved the shopping (window shopping only!). The New Zealand National Museum, Te Papa, is there and it is unbelievably cool.
After Wellington we took one of the scariest (funnest) flights imaginable to the Picton, on the South Island. The plane was this oversized Cesna, which held about 12 passengers. It was so windy that the plane was bouncing around everywhere...it was better than any roller coaster I have been on. The pilot didn't even try to sugar coat it before we took off...he just told us it wasn't going to be a pretty flight. Sar was pretty nervous at parts (So was I!). But it only lasted about 25 min. When we arrived we pretty much headed straight to the vineyards for a wine tour and some much needed refreshments post turbulance. The wines were all good...the region is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc...tasty!
The next day was a bit of a trying one...our bus broke down and I think our new driver did too...not our favorite driver yet. Eventually we made it to Old MacDanalds Farm on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park...there were tons of Llama all over the farm. This was our base to head out and explore the National Park. Sar and I packed up our huge packs and enough food to last us for the duration of our hike and off we went for a 3 day adventure.
We ended up hiking about 24 km the first day...with only a short lunch because it started to rain...Again! To put it short neither of us said much the last hour and a half of the hike...we were exhausted. But the hike itself was beautiful. Tons of golden beaches and blue ocean, and all in a subtropical rain forest complete with palm trees! The hut we stayed in was great...there was only 2 other people in the place with us.
The next day we made our way to tackle the track again. It was much nicer out and the hike seemed so much easier only doing 11 and a bit km. The hut we stayed at the second night was sooooooo good. Right on the beach of a HUGE estuary, 2 km tide change! There was a nice wood stove and lots of wood to chop to keep me busy. Again only the 2 guys from the night before sharing the hut with us.
Natural Disaster #2: The next morning we were getting packed up when this huge noise came from what sounded like the roof. I thought that some possums or something got on the roof and were fighting...but when I looked up on the roof, nothing. Hmmmmm. We found out later that an earthquake hit south of us rating 5 on the Richter scale. Needless to say we survived unharmed! We finished off the hike and caught a water taxi back to Marahau where we started and spent the next day relaxing at Old Mac's Farm. It was such a great hike!
Now we are in Punakaiki on the west coast of NZ. It is really cool here...I think they filmed Jurassic park here. THIS is a Rain Forest...it has rained for 2 days straight. That didn't stop us from doing the best adventure yet: Making a Knife! We made some sweet as knives yesterday. We started with a piece of steel, wood and brass. We had to forge the steel, pound it out, grind it, pollish it, saw our handle peices, drill it on and sand it down...Man are they bad ass. Sar's knife looks so mean! She made one of the best knives of the group and the smile on her face (and mine) was ear to ear. The guy who tought us is a complete showman...so funny! At the end we even had to drink his homemade moonshine! It was tasty. There was also axe throwing and the biggest swing ever! It took 6 people running with a rope attached to the bottom of the swing to get the person up for the swing (way scarier than I thought it was going to be). All in all, one of the best days of the trip. Today we are just taking it easy and getting ready to do some bone carving tommorow!
We miss you all and will do our best to get some picture up soon!
Love,
SarahandRoo
Friday, September 28, 2007
Day 3 - Raglan to Rotorua
We started off at Hot Water Beach but the tide was in! Total bummer! You are supposed to be able to dig yourself a little hole in the sand at a certain point along the beach and soak in your own hot tub. We did manage to walk towards the place and get our feet a bit warm and then I got soaked as a huge wave came and crashed against the rocks! Dang.
Next was our caving adventure in Waitomo called Haggas Honking Holes. We were fully suited up with wetsuits and headlamps and off we went into a massive cave underneath a farmer's field! We learned to abseil (rappelling down rocks on a rope) and did 3 of these as well as all sorts of rock climbing and crawling and sqeezing through various tight spots in the amazing cave!! I was pretty much terrified for the entire first half! It had rained the night before so picture a full on waterfall, in the dark, in a cave.....ahhhhhhhh. Once you got used to it the scenery is absolutely amazing and at certain points we turned off our lamps and were surrounded by glowworms!! Finishing was a total rush and we felt awesome getting out! Our guide was great and we learned more Kiwi slang like Primo! Everything is Primo! Duane B., he was the Kiwi version of you....his name and everything.
As we rolled into Rotorua we were hit instantly with the smell of rotten eggs! It is a town on top of a geothermal lake and it is warm and smelly and steam is rising from the ground! Literally! Our hostel had a geothermal pool! A completely natural hot tub!
The next morning we did a tour through Whakarewarewa, an ancient Maori geothermal village. It was the coolest place ever!!! It is warm all over, they heat there houses, cook their food, bathe, do basically everything with the hot water runnnig through their village! Some of the pools reach 190 degrees at the surface in summertime! Crocs will melt on the pavement in summer! We ate a traditional Hangi meal cooked right there in hot water pools (sausage and sweet corn!) and watched a cultural show which included traditional dance and song and of course the Haka!!!!!! Go All Blacks! We totally loved it here and it was so interesting to learn of the the Maori culture and realize they have been living in that village for hundreds of years! And I was warm and cozy the whole time! (New Zealand is cold!!! I have to wear long johns everyday!)
We also stopped at a Hot Water River to soak and found a bubbling mud lake. Totally science fiction. Andrew loved it.
Next post will be Taupo to Tongariro National Park and beyond. Wait till you hear what happened there!
Sweet as!
SarahandRoo
We started off at Hot Water Beach but the tide was in! Total bummer! You are supposed to be able to dig yourself a little hole in the sand at a certain point along the beach and soak in your own hot tub. We did manage to walk towards the place and get our feet a bit warm and then I got soaked as a huge wave came and crashed against the rocks! Dang.
Next was our caving adventure in Waitomo called Haggas Honking Holes. We were fully suited up with wetsuits and headlamps and off we went into a massive cave underneath a farmer's field! We learned to abseil (rappelling down rocks on a rope) and did 3 of these as well as all sorts of rock climbing and crawling and sqeezing through various tight spots in the amazing cave!! I was pretty much terrified for the entire first half! It had rained the night before so picture a full on waterfall, in the dark, in a cave.....ahhhhhhhh. Once you got used to it the scenery is absolutely amazing and at certain points we turned off our lamps and were surrounded by glowworms!! Finishing was a total rush and we felt awesome getting out! Our guide was great and we learned more Kiwi slang like Primo! Everything is Primo! Duane B., he was the Kiwi version of you....his name and everything.
As we rolled into Rotorua we were hit instantly with the smell of rotten eggs! It is a town on top of a geothermal lake and it is warm and smelly and steam is rising from the ground! Literally! Our hostel had a geothermal pool! A completely natural hot tub!
The next morning we did a tour through Whakarewarewa, an ancient Maori geothermal village. It was the coolest place ever!!! It is warm all over, they heat there houses, cook their food, bathe, do basically everything with the hot water runnnig through their village! Some of the pools reach 190 degrees at the surface in summertime! Crocs will melt on the pavement in summer! We ate a traditional Hangi meal cooked right there in hot water pools (sausage and sweet corn!) and watched a cultural show which included traditional dance and song and of course the Haka!!!!!! Go All Blacks! We totally loved it here and it was so interesting to learn of the the Maori culture and realize they have been living in that village for hundreds of years! And I was warm and cozy the whole time! (New Zealand is cold!!! I have to wear long johns everyday!)
We also stopped at a Hot Water River to soak and found a bubbling mud lake. Totally science fiction. Andrew loved it.
Next post will be Taupo to Tongariro National Park and beyond. Wait till you hear what happened there!
Sweet as!
SarahandRoo
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A Whirlwind Week -Sweet As!
Hi Everyone!
We are having an amazing time so far. There is loads to update you on and we are going to try to add some pictures as well.
Firstly, our bags did arrive! (minus my hiking poles but that is another story!) I eventually got those back as well!
We loved Auckland and explored nearly the entire city on foot. From the trendy, young, full of cafes Ponsonby to the beautiful harbourfront to an old cobblestone section of town named Parnell (where we had fantastic burgers at Al and Pete's!) to Albert Park surrounding the University where we relaxed and watched some uni students playing rugby to the Auckland Museum and surrounding Auckland Domain, a huge beautiful park where we stumbled upon Wintergarden (my favourite!), an indoor greenhouse full of flowers and the a nearby Fernery which smelled of cedar. We trekked to One Tree Hill which was so great as well although it should be called One Stump Hill as the tree has fallen now and is replaced by a huge obelisk in memorium. Awesome views from the top on a sunny and really blustery day.
On Saturday, our first day of Stray!!!!! We were waiting outside, bags all ready, the suspense was killing us.....as 30 minutes went by. The front desk of our hostel puts in a phone call and Stray has forgotten us. Awesome. So on we wait as the bus turns around to come pick us up! (We were silently wishing this wasn't a bad omen for the first day of a 2 month tour!) Thankfully our bus driver (James) was hilarious and we quickly made friends on the bus.
Day 1 - Auckland to Hahei - We offroaded through gorgeous rainforest on the way to Hahei and stopped to see a huge 1500 year old square Kaori tree. The pictures don't do it justice, it was amazing to see. Just before Hahei we stopped at Purangi vineyard to have a little tasting. It is a fantastic, family owned little placed with a hilarious host named Danny. We sampled all types of wine and liquors including Kiwi feijoa fruit liquor! We picked our own kiwis and were given feijoa as a parting gift. Awesome! We hiked to Cathedral Cove which was so beautiful and ended up on the beach surrounded by huge rock formations and sunshine. The tide was in so we couldn't stay long but the pictures are amazing. The took the beach back to our hostel and hiked up to the bluff of an old Maori pa for a sunset view. The Maori culture is everywhere and it is fascinating to learn about. (More on that later!)
Day 2 - Hahei to Raglan
Quite a long drive the the landscape in New Zealand is totally beautiful. It is so lush and green and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Dairy cows and sheep are everywhere!!! We stopped to admire Bridal Veil Falls which is New Zealand's 2nd highest waterfall and we made it to Raglan in time for Andrew to get some surf in before the rain came! (I'm saving up for Byron Bay!) Our hostel was smack in the middle of the rainforest, a surfer's getaway complete with bush sauna!
Pictures are coming we promise!! I can't seem to load them at the moment.
We have so much more to tell you!!! Can't wait to post next! We LOVE it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Miss you back home.
SarahandRoo
We are having an amazing time so far. There is loads to update you on and we are going to try to add some pictures as well.
Firstly, our bags did arrive! (minus my hiking poles but that is another story!) I eventually got those back as well!
We loved Auckland and explored nearly the entire city on foot. From the trendy, young, full of cafes Ponsonby to the beautiful harbourfront to an old cobblestone section of town named Parnell (where we had fantastic burgers at Al and Pete's!) to Albert Park surrounding the University where we relaxed and watched some uni students playing rugby to the Auckland Museum and surrounding Auckland Domain, a huge beautiful park where we stumbled upon Wintergarden (my favourite!), an indoor greenhouse full of flowers and the a nearby Fernery which smelled of cedar. We trekked to One Tree Hill which was so great as well although it should be called One Stump Hill as the tree has fallen now and is replaced by a huge obelisk in memorium. Awesome views from the top on a sunny and really blustery day.
On Saturday, our first day of Stray!!!!! We were waiting outside, bags all ready, the suspense was killing us.....as 30 minutes went by. The front desk of our hostel puts in a phone call and Stray has forgotten us. Awesome. So on we wait as the bus turns around to come pick us up! (We were silently wishing this wasn't a bad omen for the first day of a 2 month tour!) Thankfully our bus driver (James) was hilarious and we quickly made friends on the bus.
Day 1 - Auckland to Hahei - We offroaded through gorgeous rainforest on the way to Hahei and stopped to see a huge 1500 year old square Kaori tree. The pictures don't do it justice, it was amazing to see. Just before Hahei we stopped at Purangi vineyard to have a little tasting. It is a fantastic, family owned little placed with a hilarious host named Danny. We sampled all types of wine and liquors including Kiwi feijoa fruit liquor! We picked our own kiwis and were given feijoa as a parting gift. Awesome! We hiked to Cathedral Cove which was so beautiful and ended up on the beach surrounded by huge rock formations and sunshine. The tide was in so we couldn't stay long but the pictures are amazing. The took the beach back to our hostel and hiked up to the bluff of an old Maori pa for a sunset view. The Maori culture is everywhere and it is fascinating to learn about. (More on that later!)
Day 2 - Hahei to Raglan
Quite a long drive the the landscape in New Zealand is totally beautiful. It is so lush and green and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Dairy cows and sheep are everywhere!!! We stopped to admire Bridal Veil Falls which is New Zealand's 2nd highest waterfall and we made it to Raglan in time for Andrew to get some surf in before the rain came! (I'm saving up for Byron Bay!) Our hostel was smack in the middle of the rainforest, a surfer's getaway complete with bush sauna!
Pictures are coming we promise!! I can't seem to load them at the moment.
We have so much more to tell you!!! Can't wait to post next! We LOVE it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Miss you back home.
SarahandRoo
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
15 years of University and still can't read!
Well...Sarah and I have a combined post-secondary education of 15 years and managed to mess up reading our flight departure time. We were off by a cool 3 hours! Luckily they put us on a plane to LA which landed 40 min before our next plane landed (10 min before boarding time!). We had a nice light sprint across 4 terminals at LAX to get checked in...sweaty.
Unfortunately our bags didn't posses our lightning fast speed and won't be getting here until tommorow. All in all everything worked out and we got to Auckland safe and sound. We also met an Aussie at the airport who invited us to visit him south of Perth for a wine tour and jet skiing...brave guy for only meeting us for 5 min.
That's it for now! Off to explore Auckland.
SarahandRoo
Unfortunately our bags didn't posses our lightning fast speed and won't be getting here until tommorow. All in all everything worked out and we got to Auckland safe and sound. We also met an Aussie at the airport who invited us to visit him south of Perth for a wine tour and jet skiing...brave guy for only meeting us for 5 min.
That's it for now! Off to explore Auckland.
SarahandRoo
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