I have less than 12 hours left abroad. Then, I'm home. Back on Canadian soil. Home, sweet home. Back to Tim Hortons, back to my dog, my family, my friends. Back to decent time zones where I can communicate with others without having to go online and search time zones and hour changes. Back to driving my own car on the right hand side of the road. Back to my own house, with my own shower in which I am not forced to wear thongs. Back to summer. Basically, just back home.
Why, then, do I feel so sick every time I think about my flight in 9 hours? Why am I secretly hoping my plane is delayed, even by an hour? Why is it that every time I think about all the memories and events that happened over the last couple months, I get this sick feeling in my stomach?
Don't get me wrong, I want to come home. Just not yet.
I'm scared that the friends I've made over here will slowly lose contact because of the long distances. I'm afraid to return back to Queen's after an extremely laid back academic term. I'm scared to lose this carefree attitude that has changed my outlook on so many things. I don't want to become the typical Queen's Life Science student all over again - a person who doesn't go out, studies all the time and places all life's emphasis on school. I'm scared that 8 months away from the people I love back at Queen's may change our relationships. I'm afraid that I'll miss Australia way too much.
It's funny to think about, really. I've brought this up a couple times with my Dad, and each time he always says that I have to remember the good times, not let Queen's get to me and realize that it's my outlook and attitude that will determine how well my last year goes. I know I have to have faith that things will work out, friendships will last and that one day, I will come back.
Please don't think I'm sitting here, in the hotel room alone and depressed. It's just been a long time I've spent over here, and I've really come to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle, the lack of competitiveness between students at uni and basically just everything Aussie - the slang, the food, the beaches, the sun, the kangaroos. And I'm really going to miss it.
On that note, suitably, I'm off to pack up my suitcases and watch a movie until I get kicked out of my hotel room. T-minus 9 hours. And counting.
xoxo Danielle
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
The last day in Auckland....
And after 3 posts, we come to the last day and last tour in Auckland. After doing all the tours, I'd say we definitely saved the best for last!
Friday was another long day - we had signed up for a tour to Rotarua, another city about 3 hours South of Auckland. Again, we were up early (5:45am) but this time, Quinn didn't complain. I'll explain why later on in this post....
We were met at our hotel by Bill, a driver of a little white shuttle bus. Now, on the last tour, there was a shuttle bus that picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the Coach Station to catch the coach we took up North, so we thought this was going to be the same deal. Wrong! The shuttle bus in front of us at 6:30am was the bus we were going to be driving in all day. We all shared a look amongst ourselves that only said one thing, "yikes." Nonetheless, we hopped into the bus, picked up the other 2 in our group (a couple on their honeymoon from Ireland. At least we couldn't complain about a large tour size!!) and began our journey south. Our first stop was a coffee break in a coal-mining town called Huntley. From here, we stayed in the vehicle for another 2 hours before reaching our destination, the Maori Village with a super long name that I won't (and can't!) write. We jumped out of the vehicle and almost died - the smell was SO powerful. And it smelled of sulphur/rotten eggs. Basically, Rotarua is built in and around active geothermal vents - that leech out sulphur. This is essential to the Maori people (the indigenous people of NZ) since they use the heat from these vents to heat their houses, cook their meals and bathe. It was so interesting to see the village like it was 100 years ago - our guide said nothing has changed. It also was crazy to see steam coming up from holes in the ground nearly everywhere....the entire village seemed to be covered in thick smoke! From the photos you can see that they have quite the set-up as far as geysers for cooking, others for bathing....as well, Dad and I are covered in one photo from just standing next to a vent!
Our morning activity was a trip to the geothermal spa, Polynesian Spa. Here, we found out that this spa is rated amongst the top 10 in the world under the category of "Geothermal Spas." We had entry for about an hour to over 7 pools, warmed to 40-42 degrees and either alkaline (for aches and pains...aka Quinn) and acidic for the skin. Quinn, Dad and I bobbed around each separate pool, soaking up the sun and just fully relaxing. It was truly spectacular, and as Dad said, one could have easily spent an entire day at the spa alone.
But this could not be done. We had lunch to eat back at the village, a Maori lunch traditionally cooked in the geyser steam, then we headed into the city for some quick sight-seeing of the various Government Houses, the Lake and another park where volcanic activity was seen a mere 6 years ago! I have multiple photos from these events that will be posted on facebook, but I want to save space for photos from the next activity, which Quinn deemed the highlight of his ENTIRE trip in NZ AND Australia.
Zorbing.
For those of you who don't know, or think I just made up a random word, zorbing is an activity where an individual is placed inside a large, plastic ball and rolls down a hill. Think of a human-sized hamster ball and you get the picture. Well, the afternoon's main activity was a chance to get inside one of these balls yourself and roll down a hill. Quinn and I readily hopped inside individual balls, and took a zig-zag path down the hill. We had 2 choices up at the summit of the hill - we could do the zorb dry, meaning we were strapped in and went head over heels, OR we could choose the wet option. We both chose the wet option, meaning water was placed inside the ball with us to make us slip and slide and stay relatively upright the entire way down.
It was epic. SO amazing. I never knew 30 seconds could be so much fun - but it was. The ball was massive, and getting in and rolling down the hill, trying to stay upright but slipping the entire way, getting totally sloshed around and bouncing on the sides....SO SO cool. Dad managed to capture a couple shots in action, and we bought some other photos that were taken by the company. Again, I have too many photos to upload here, so if you want to see more, check out facebook or see me in Calgary.....
After drying off and hopping back into the van, (and Quinn swearing that it was the best minute of his LIFE) we headed back on the motorway towards Auckland, with a quick stop at the Kiwi house to see the native bird. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and forest-dwelling creature, so without this stop, it was highly unlikely we would come across one in the wild. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the house, but we took some outside with another kiwi....hahaha.
The it was back on the bus, driving another 2 hours straight and arriving into Auckland just before 7pm. It wasn't quite as long of a day, but certainly more packed with various sights, activities and the like. We spent the evening packing up, eating leftovers and reminiscing about a great trip.
Quinn and Dad have been in the air now to Honolulu for 2 hours, and I'm sitting inside my nice hotel room, catching up on emails and these blogs. I imagine these blogs will soon come to an end...probably another couple on my flight home, and then one or two about my initial thoughts on being back in Canada (I warn you now, those will be slightly manic depressive). It seems so crazy that only a month ago I was meeting up with the family in Sydney, and I can't believe all that I've seen and done. Amazing.
Anyways, I am going to sign off here, try to load some photos and then take a nap, order room service and see what trouble I can get up to alone in a hotel room under Dad's credit card. Beauty!
Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for the next post - one that will most likely be written on Canadian turf!!
xoxo
Friday was another long day - we had signed up for a tour to Rotarua, another city about 3 hours South of Auckland. Again, we were up early (5:45am) but this time, Quinn didn't complain. I'll explain why later on in this post....
We were met at our hotel by Bill, a driver of a little white shuttle bus. Now, on the last tour, there was a shuttle bus that picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the Coach Station to catch the coach we took up North, so we thought this was going to be the same deal. Wrong! The shuttle bus in front of us at 6:30am was the bus we were going to be driving in all day. We all shared a look amongst ourselves that only said one thing, "yikes." Nonetheless, we hopped into the bus, picked up the other 2 in our group (a couple on their honeymoon from Ireland. At least we couldn't complain about a large tour size!!) and began our journey south. Our first stop was a coffee break in a coal-mining town called Huntley. From here, we stayed in the vehicle for another 2 hours before reaching our destination, the Maori Village with a super long name that I won't (and can't!) write. We jumped out of the vehicle and almost died - the smell was SO powerful. And it smelled of sulphur/rotten eggs. Basically, Rotarua is built in and around active geothermal vents - that leech out sulphur. This is essential to the Maori people (the indigenous people of NZ) since they use the heat from these vents to heat their houses, cook their meals and bathe. It was so interesting to see the village like it was 100 years ago - our guide said nothing has changed. It also was crazy to see steam coming up from holes in the ground nearly everywhere....the entire village seemed to be covered in thick smoke! From the photos you can see that they have quite the set-up as far as geysers for cooking, others for bathing....as well, Dad and I are covered in one photo from just standing next to a vent!
Our morning activity was a trip to the geothermal spa, Polynesian Spa. Here, we found out that this spa is rated amongst the top 10 in the world under the category of "Geothermal Spas." We had entry for about an hour to over 7 pools, warmed to 40-42 degrees and either alkaline (for aches and pains...aka Quinn) and acidic for the skin. Quinn, Dad and I bobbed around each separate pool, soaking up the sun and just fully relaxing. It was truly spectacular, and as Dad said, one could have easily spent an entire day at the spa alone.
But this could not be done. We had lunch to eat back at the village, a Maori lunch traditionally cooked in the geyser steam, then we headed into the city for some quick sight-seeing of the various Government Houses, the Lake and another park where volcanic activity was seen a mere 6 years ago! I have multiple photos from these events that will be posted on facebook, but I want to save space for photos from the next activity, which Quinn deemed the highlight of his ENTIRE trip in NZ AND Australia.
Zorbing.
For those of you who don't know, or think I just made up a random word, zorbing is an activity where an individual is placed inside a large, plastic ball and rolls down a hill. Think of a human-sized hamster ball and you get the picture. Well, the afternoon's main activity was a chance to get inside one of these balls yourself and roll down a hill. Quinn and I readily hopped inside individual balls, and took a zig-zag path down the hill. We had 2 choices up at the summit of the hill - we could do the zorb dry, meaning we were strapped in and went head over heels, OR we could choose the wet option. We both chose the wet option, meaning water was placed inside the ball with us to make us slip and slide and stay relatively upright the entire way down.
It was epic. SO amazing. I never knew 30 seconds could be so much fun - but it was. The ball was massive, and getting in and rolling down the hill, trying to stay upright but slipping the entire way, getting totally sloshed around and bouncing on the sides....SO SO cool. Dad managed to capture a couple shots in action, and we bought some other photos that were taken by the company. Again, I have too many photos to upload here, so if you want to see more, check out facebook or see me in Calgary.....
After drying off and hopping back into the van, (and Quinn swearing that it was the best minute of his LIFE) we headed back on the motorway towards Auckland, with a quick stop at the Kiwi house to see the native bird. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and forest-dwelling creature, so without this stop, it was highly unlikely we would come across one in the wild. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the house, but we took some outside with another kiwi....hahaha.
The it was back on the bus, driving another 2 hours straight and arriving into Auckland just before 7pm. It wasn't quite as long of a day, but certainly more packed with various sights, activities and the like. We spent the evening packing up, eating leftovers and reminiscing about a great trip.
Quinn and Dad have been in the air now to Honolulu for 2 hours, and I'm sitting inside my nice hotel room, catching up on emails and these blogs. I imagine these blogs will soon come to an end...probably another couple on my flight home, and then one or two about my initial thoughts on being back in Canada (I warn you now, those will be slightly manic depressive). It seems so crazy that only a month ago I was meeting up with the family in Sydney, and I can't believe all that I've seen and done. Amazing.
Anyways, I am going to sign off here, try to load some photos and then take a nap, order room service and see what trouble I can get up to alone in a hotel room under Dad's credit card. Beauty!
Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for the next post - one that will most likely be written on Canadian turf!!
xoxo
Tour Number 2
Thursday morning was definitely a lazy morning since the previous day was an action-packed 13 hours of dolphins, driving and cruising. We basically didn't roll out of bed until closer to 11am, had some brekky and then headed into the city to grab some internet. That's when I last updated you all.
We stayed down in the CBD for a couple hours, before grabbing some more groceries and gifts to cart back home. This arvo's tour was planned for 2:45pm - a 4WD experience through the forest ranges outside of Auckland.
It was....interesting. I quickly learnt that I do not know when to properly switch gears, and also demonstrated a fantastic ability to stall my quad on hills. Brilliant. However, I also am a quick learner, and it only took Quinn passing me once to figure the whole thing out fairly quickly and get my act into gear. No pun intended.
Our guide took us on an hour long trip through trees, up hills, on roads, maneuvering around stumps etc and then ending up at a lookout over the beach. We were pretty rugged up since it was rainy, but the entire trip was a blast. I think the most fun was had motoring through massive puddles.....
We didn't snap many photos, since I was on camera duty and was too preoccupied "listening to the engine" and switching gears to take photos en route. I think the ones we took, however, do capture the moment as best as it could be captured!
We stayed down in the CBD for a couple hours, before grabbing some more groceries and gifts to cart back home. This arvo's tour was planned for 2:45pm - a 4WD experience through the forest ranges outside of Auckland.
It was....interesting. I quickly learnt that I do not know when to properly switch gears, and also demonstrated a fantastic ability to stall my quad on hills. Brilliant. However, I also am a quick learner, and it only took Quinn passing me once to figure the whole thing out fairly quickly and get my act into gear. No pun intended.
Our guide took us on an hour long trip through trees, up hills, on roads, maneuvering around stumps etc and then ending up at a lookout over the beach. We were pretty rugged up since it was rainy, but the entire trip was a blast. I think the most fun was had motoring through massive puddles.....
We didn't snap many photos, since I was on camera duty and was too preoccupied "listening to the engine" and switching gears to take photos en route. I think the ones we took, however, do capture the moment as best as it could be captured!
Auckland Tour Numero Uno
Hello again folks!
This time, I am writing to you from a semi-fancy hotel in the Auckland Airport Region. I'm paying $30 for a couple hours on internet access, and probably not enough data to upload all the photos I want to, but still. I am committed to this blog people, trust me.
So, I think I last left off with me and Quinn dangling precariously over the edge of the Sky Tower. Having survived that, the family decided to test their luck (and patience??) on a 13hr day tour to the Bay of Islands the following day. Here's how it started.
5:45am: Wake-up.
Quinn: "Leave me alone."
Myself: "We have to get up and go. You need to eat! We have 30 minutes before pick-up."
Quinn: "I don't want to go. I hate you."
Excellent start, I'd reckon. Anyway, with a little push from Dad, Quinn got up and moving and we made our way to the coach bus waiting outside for us at a brisk 6:15am to start the 4 hour drive up North. It actually wasn't that bad. We stopped along the way for some coffee breaks, as well as a stop at this place that houses an 800-yr old tree and a 600-yr old tree. They were massive. Just massive. And equally as impressive. The photos really don't tell the entire tale!
As we made our way up the coast, the weather became clearer and clearer. Upon arrival into Paiha, the city that our boat cruise was departing from, we had 2 hours to kill before loading up. We spent it on the beach, snapping some shots of the scenic view as well as having a picnic lunch. Yum!
Our boat was called the Dolphin Seeker, and the main purpose of the trip was to sail the 15 nautical miles out to Perry Island, or the Hole in the Rock. We stopped along the way at other islands in the Bay, but naturally, there was no possible way for us to visit all 144 that make up the "Bay of Islands." Still, it was pretty neat to see the various islands on the tour - some as small as a suburban block and others large enough to house entire villages on them. About halfway into our cruise out, we came upon a pod of 20 dolphins and stopped for almost an hour to watch them play and surface around us. Quinn, of course (being the genius child) knows how to work our good digital camera, and snapped some epic photos of them. Seriously, if this child stays out of jail, he could have a career in photography!
After the dolphins, we pretty much set our sights on making it to the hole in the rock. It's this massive island with a huge hole down the center. Nothing lives on the island, except for a couple lizards and birds, and apparently, a piece on the roof of the hole is threatening to fall sometime soon. We took our chances anyways as the skipper masterfully steered the catamaran through the hole and out the other side....with only a couple meters clearance on the port and starboard!
After the cruise, we basically hopped back on the bus and headed home to Auckland. It was an okay drive back, except for our tour guide. Peter, the guide, decided that it was his duty as driver to continually talk the entire ride back. Random tidbits about a guy in the village who designed some saw to cut wood, or how this village housed this random sheep or whatever. Cool and interesting for the first bit, but then I wanted to fall asleep around 4pm and couldn't with his voice over the PA. Finally, he said he would leave us be for a while. That lasted all of 5 minutes before he started up again with another tale about another village. Yikes.
We arrived back home at around 7:30pm, in time for a quick pasta dinner and then bed. We were all exhausted, but even Quinn managed to enjoy the day!
This time, I am writing to you from a semi-fancy hotel in the Auckland Airport Region. I'm paying $30 for a couple hours on internet access, and probably not enough data to upload all the photos I want to, but still. I am committed to this blog people, trust me.
So, I think I last left off with me and Quinn dangling precariously over the edge of the Sky Tower. Having survived that, the family decided to test their luck (and patience??) on a 13hr day tour to the Bay of Islands the following day. Here's how it started.
5:45am: Wake-up.
Quinn: "Leave me alone."
Myself: "We have to get up and go. You need to eat! We have 30 minutes before pick-up."
Quinn: "I don't want to go. I hate you."
Excellent start, I'd reckon. Anyway, with a little push from Dad, Quinn got up and moving and we made our way to the coach bus waiting outside for us at a brisk 6:15am to start the 4 hour drive up North. It actually wasn't that bad. We stopped along the way for some coffee breaks, as well as a stop at this place that houses an 800-yr old tree and a 600-yr old tree. They were massive. Just massive. And equally as impressive. The photos really don't tell the entire tale!
As we made our way up the coast, the weather became clearer and clearer. Upon arrival into Paiha, the city that our boat cruise was departing from, we had 2 hours to kill before loading up. We spent it on the beach, snapping some shots of the scenic view as well as having a picnic lunch. Yum!
Our boat was called the Dolphin Seeker, and the main purpose of the trip was to sail the 15 nautical miles out to Perry Island, or the Hole in the Rock. We stopped along the way at other islands in the Bay, but naturally, there was no possible way for us to visit all 144 that make up the "Bay of Islands." Still, it was pretty neat to see the various islands on the tour - some as small as a suburban block and others large enough to house entire villages on them. About halfway into our cruise out, we came upon a pod of 20 dolphins and stopped for almost an hour to watch them play and surface around us. Quinn, of course (being the genius child) knows how to work our good digital camera, and snapped some epic photos of them. Seriously, if this child stays out of jail, he could have a career in photography!
After the dolphins, we pretty much set our sights on making it to the hole in the rock. It's this massive island with a huge hole down the center. Nothing lives on the island, except for a couple lizards and birds, and apparently, a piece on the roof of the hole is threatening to fall sometime soon. We took our chances anyways as the skipper masterfully steered the catamaran through the hole and out the other side....with only a couple meters clearance on the port and starboard!
After the cruise, we basically hopped back on the bus and headed home to Auckland. It was an okay drive back, except for our tour guide. Peter, the guide, decided that it was his duty as driver to continually talk the entire ride back. Random tidbits about a guy in the village who designed some saw to cut wood, or how this village housed this random sheep or whatever. Cool and interesting for the first bit, but then I wanted to fall asleep around 4pm and couldn't with his voice over the PA. Finally, he said he would leave us be for a while. That lasted all of 5 minutes before he started up again with another tale about another village. Yikes.
We arrived back home at around 7:30pm, in time for a quick pasta dinner and then bed. We were all exhausted, but even Quinn managed to enjoy the day!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Auckland Update
Hello folks!
I'm writing from a very dodgey internet place in Auckland, and also in front of a poster that tells me I am unable to upload anything without prior appointment or I will be subject to a fine. I'm going to try and upload some photos anyway, but they also may have to wait until I am home in a couple days.
Home.
Wow. I never thought I would be saying that word, and it coming up so soon. Like I said before, I am really not looking forward to heading back to Canada....but I'm sure I will write an entire blog dedicated to that subject, so I'll leave that one behind for now.
Anyway, Auckland. Arrival here was interesting. Apparently, it's not good enough to just throw out your fruits, you also have to throw out the plastic bag they were carried in. I learnt this the hard way when the sniffer dog practically attacked my brand new Country Road bag, slobbered all over it, and then because of this, I had to be taken into a separate room and searched. Seriously, I had nothing on me. Even the officers were a little taken back when my bag revealed.....NOTHING. Like I said, I obey the law. Damn dog.
We spent out first day in Auckland getting our bearing, walking around a bit, getting groceries and basically just booking our tours for the rest of the week. These tours will be the basis of my next couple blogs.....
Tour 1, July 27th: Sky Tower.
Sky Tower is a huge building in the CBD of Auckland. It stands almost 300m high, and Quinn and I signed up for the Sky Walk - a walk around the tower, 192m high, with nothing but a harness and a 1.2m wide platform. No rails, nothing. I was pretty confident until we stepped off the elevator and saw how tiny everything was beneath us. It was scary. Add in the wind factor (it basically threatens to push you off the edge of the platform) and the fact the guide was telling us to lean over the edge and trust our harnesses.....it was freaky. And cold. With the wind at 50km/h, the temperature up top was -3 degrees Celsius. Thankfully, as you can see from the photos, we were pretty rugged up!!
Dad barely managed to make his own way up to the observation deck to snap some photos of us. You can see how far he stays away from the windows at all times....even in the safety of an enclosed area, he still is afraid! He would have died on the walk - nothing to hold onto and the winds....lethal.
Anyways, it was a crazy experience and really worth it. Quinn and I both did very well and enjoyed the entire walk, from dangling over the edge, to jumping on the platform, looking down and seeing "ants"....we were almost disappointed when it was all over!
Our other tours (which I will write about in a couple days) include: 4WD beach safari, Bay of Islands and Dolphin tours, Rotarua and Zorbing.....so keep posted and I will update you all as fast as I can.
See you all soon! (and I mean it this time!!)
xoxo Danielle
I'm writing from a very dodgey internet place in Auckland, and also in front of a poster that tells me I am unable to upload anything without prior appointment or I will be subject to a fine. I'm going to try and upload some photos anyway, but they also may have to wait until I am home in a couple days.
Home.
Wow. I never thought I would be saying that word, and it coming up so soon. Like I said before, I am really not looking forward to heading back to Canada....but I'm sure I will write an entire blog dedicated to that subject, so I'll leave that one behind for now.
Anyway, Auckland. Arrival here was interesting. Apparently, it's not good enough to just throw out your fruits, you also have to throw out the plastic bag they were carried in. I learnt this the hard way when the sniffer dog practically attacked my brand new Country Road bag, slobbered all over it, and then because of this, I had to be taken into a separate room and searched. Seriously, I had nothing on me. Even the officers were a little taken back when my bag revealed.....NOTHING. Like I said, I obey the law. Damn dog.
We spent out first day in Auckland getting our bearing, walking around a bit, getting groceries and basically just booking our tours for the rest of the week. These tours will be the basis of my next couple blogs.....
Tour 1, July 27th: Sky Tower.
Sky Tower is a huge building in the CBD of Auckland. It stands almost 300m high, and Quinn and I signed up for the Sky Walk - a walk around the tower, 192m high, with nothing but a harness and a 1.2m wide platform. No rails, nothing. I was pretty confident until we stepped off the elevator and saw how tiny everything was beneath us. It was scary. Add in the wind factor (it basically threatens to push you off the edge of the platform) and the fact the guide was telling us to lean over the edge and trust our harnesses.....it was freaky. And cold. With the wind at 50km/h, the temperature up top was -3 degrees Celsius. Thankfully, as you can see from the photos, we were pretty rugged up!!
Dad barely managed to make his own way up to the observation deck to snap some photos of us. You can see how far he stays away from the windows at all times....even in the safety of an enclosed area, he still is afraid! He would have died on the walk - nothing to hold onto and the winds....lethal.
Anyways, it was a crazy experience and really worth it. Quinn and I both did very well and enjoyed the entire walk, from dangling over the edge, to jumping on the platform, looking down and seeing "ants"....we were almost disappointed when it was all over!
Our other tours (which I will write about in a couple days) include: 4WD beach safari, Bay of Islands and Dolphin tours, Rotarua and Zorbing.....so keep posted and I will update you all as fast as I can.
See you all soon! (and I mean it this time!!)
xoxo Danielle
July 24th - Wallabies game!!
To celebrate my last night in Brissy, I had bought tickets to the Wallabies game with a couple good friends of mine - Alexa and Steph. Of course, I was pumped to wear my new Wallabies jersey and really be a part of the fan crowd, but I had no idea how crazy a night it would end up as!
I started out with dinner, multiple drinks etc with Derek back at the house. I was staying overnight there since Dad and Quinn had already left that afternoon, and I was flying out the next morning. I left for the game around 7pm, where I promptly met up with my mates and we hit the beers pretty hard. The Australians were playing the South African team and the rivalry was HUGE. There was a family cheering for the SA team in front of us, and this one boy kept giving me death stares whenever I cheered for the Wallabies....maybe it was because I was cheering at really inappropriate times, but I attribute that to the alcohol and the general feeling of craziness that accompanies an intense game.
I caught a cab home relatively early, since I was feeling worse for wear and then went straight to bed. I knew that I needed to get up early the next morning to catch my plane to Auckland, and my housemate Muhammad volunteered to give me a ride. Derek tagged along, helped me to get my bags into the airport and also watched me narrowly miss paying for heavy luggage. One of my bags was 22.9kg. The limit? 23kg. Success!! Hahaha.
It was super sad to say goodbye to Derek and Muhammad, but I did what I had to do, and boarded a plane to NZ, leaving Australia behind.
After the game was over (we won - something like 30-8 or another ridiculous whopping), we headed out as a group to Caxton Street for some more pubs, cheering and reminiscing about our time in Australia. Both Alexa and I had to leave the next morning, and both of us were really wanting to stay. I'd say highlights of the night happened when my friend got a SA jersey off of a guy at the bar, in return for nothing, and I managed to spill something lethal all the way down the front of my new jersey, which took 3 days of washing and scrubbing in Auckland to fix. It's still slightly visible, but at least there is a good story behind it all!
I caught a cab home relatively early, since I was feeling worse for wear and then went straight to bed. I knew that I needed to get up early the next morning to catch my plane to Auckland, and my housemate Muhammad volunteered to give me a ride. Derek tagged along, helped me to get my bags into the airport and also watched me narrowly miss paying for heavy luggage. One of my bags was 22.9kg. The limit? 23kg. Success!! Hahaha.
It was super sad to say goodbye to Derek and Muhammad, but I did what I had to do, and boarded a plane to NZ, leaving Australia behind.
July 20th, 21st and Cass's farewell night. Plus the 22nd, and 23rd.
These next couple days were not that filled with any specific activities. We spent one day shopping, and Cass literally cleared out every store she went into (well, not really, but she did support the Australian Economy in a way that won't be forgotten....). My key purchases were a pair of new leather boots, a half price Australian Rugby jersey and some cool rugby shorts to wear when I work out. Cass copied me on those ones, although she would like to think that they were her idea.
On the 21st, we went to my uni to pick up some transcripts and get all those loose ends organized. We spent a good chuck of the morning walking around, and I was able to show my family all the places I hung out at. It was really nostalgic and I got super sad, super fast. Dad and Cass found the uni to be a gorgeous place, whereas Quinn was more into the eels swimming around in the lakes and whether or not people were able to fish in them...
That night, we met up with Marilyn and Derek for dinner out together. We spent a good couple hours talking about nearly everything over some great wine, and some pretty decent meals. I think Dad's was the best - he ordered crumbed Red Snapper and it came out WHOLE. Face, eyes, scales....everything. The look on his face was priceless!! Derek's was a close second, but only for it's uniqueness - wild boar loin. He seemed to enjoy it!
After dinner, we dropped Quinn off at home to watch a movie, and the rest of us headed out to the Treasury Casino to spend Cass's last night in Brissy out. According to her, she wanted to not sleep at all, and then be able to sleep on the plane, so Derek and I knew we were in for a long night. Dad and Derek hit up the blackjack tables for a good hour or so, both of them coming out on top and winning more than they started with. Eventually, midnight rolled around and Dad headed back to check up on Quinn. Derek, Cass and I kept things going with a couple drinks and then a few rounds on the pokies. We all lost. But, that didn't deter Cass, who, at 2am, decided she was hungry and so dragged us to the 24hr pancake place for some 2am wedges and pancakes. Needless to say, Cass and I got home around 3am, and needed to be up at 4am to drive her to the airport. Her plan worked, but as she told us after arrival into Calgary, she didn't sleep at all on the plane over. Too bad!
July 22nd and 23rd were low-key days. We stayed around the apartment, went for a couple walks to Southbank and other key places, had some more dinners with Derek and crew and just relaxed. I said goodbye to Dad and Quinn on the 24th during the day, and then went out that night, but I'll save that for another post!!
On the 21st, we went to my uni to pick up some transcripts and get all those loose ends organized. We spent a good chuck of the morning walking around, and I was able to show my family all the places I hung out at. It was really nostalgic and I got super sad, super fast. Dad and Cass found the uni to be a gorgeous place, whereas Quinn was more into the eels swimming around in the lakes and whether or not people were able to fish in them...
That night, we met up with Marilyn and Derek for dinner out together. We spent a good couple hours talking about nearly everything over some great wine, and some pretty decent meals. I think Dad's was the best - he ordered crumbed Red Snapper and it came out WHOLE. Face, eyes, scales....everything. The look on his face was priceless!! Derek's was a close second, but only for it's uniqueness - wild boar loin. He seemed to enjoy it!
After dinner, we dropped Quinn off at home to watch a movie, and the rest of us headed out to the Treasury Casino to spend Cass's last night in Brissy out. According to her, she wanted to not sleep at all, and then be able to sleep on the plane, so Derek and I knew we were in for a long night. Dad and Derek hit up the blackjack tables for a good hour or so, both of them coming out on top and winning more than they started with. Eventually, midnight rolled around and Dad headed back to check up on Quinn. Derek, Cass and I kept things going with a couple drinks and then a few rounds on the pokies. We all lost. But, that didn't deter Cass, who, at 2am, decided she was hungry and so dragged us to the 24hr pancake place for some 2am wedges and pancakes. Needless to say, Cass and I got home around 3am, and needed to be up at 4am to drive her to the airport. Her plan worked, but as she told us after arrival into Calgary, she didn't sleep at all on the plane over. Too bad!
July 22nd and 23rd were low-key days. We stayed around the apartment, went for a couple walks to Southbank and other key places, had some more dinners with Derek and crew and just relaxed. I said goodbye to Dad and Quinn on the 24th during the day, and then went out that night, but I'll save that for another post!!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
July 19th
Today we said goodbye to the surf town of Noosa and made our way along the highway towards Brissy, with one very important stop along the way - AUSTRALIA ZOO!!
I loved my last visit here, and definitely wanted the family to have the same chance at seeing all the great things I was able to experience. So, we planned for an entire day to walk around the zoo and for Cass, Quinn and Dad to enjoy Steve Irwin's creation.
We began the day with otter and elephant feeding - we even managed to get Dad in on the action! I think Cass and Quinn enjoyed feeding the elephants by hand.....
We also caught the infamous croc show, then wandered around for a bit to snap some more photos of the large crocs that are housed at the zoo. All of them were problem crocs in the wild (meaning they were attacking human boats etc, or migrating too close to human populations) and would have been shot. Instead, Steve saved them by creating this zoo to house them all!
Next stop, we really scared Dad by wanting to take a photo with a snake. The three kids sit side-by-side on this bench, and next thing we know, there is this HUGE albino python wrapped around all of us. I have to admit, when I signed up for this photo, I assumed a slightly smaller reptile. The size of this thing just blew my mind! AND, according to the handler, she was a small one. Yikes!
Cass and Quinn also took some koala holding photos, while I snapped away photos since I already held a koala in Brissy in Feb. We also hand fed the kangaroos, which I think was the highlight of the day for everyone!!
We wandered around for a bit after taking a lunch break, seeing all the unique Australian animals and, by the end of the day, DAD TOUCHED A SNAKE. For those of you who know my Dad, this is epic. He is deathly afraid of snakes and would much rather DIE before getting near one. But, he did conquer his fear a little bit, and pat a snake that was being held by a handler. I have photo evidence!!
We left the zoo around 3pm, drove the remaining kms into Brissy and I was hit with a huge case of nostalgia. I serisouly do not want to leave this country!! In Brissy, we are staying in apartments in the CBD (central business district or downtown to us Canadians!) and because we had made it in before 5pm, Cass and I went to surprise Dave at Zumba class. Here, Cass met one of my housemates and we both were able to fit in a workout! I was also able to say goodbye to the instructors, whom I've gotten to know really well over the course of the semester. It was my first of many final "goodbyes" I'll be making in Brissy and I had to fight off the urge to cry. I've made such good mates here!!
Zumba was followed by dinner with Dave, Derek and the family, then a quick catch-up with the other 2 housemates at the house and then bed. Cass was eager to get up for tomorrow's shopping day, so we all needed all the rest we could!!
I loved my last visit here, and definitely wanted the family to have the same chance at seeing all the great things I was able to experience. So, we planned for an entire day to walk around the zoo and for Cass, Quinn and Dad to enjoy Steve Irwin's creation.
We began the day with otter and elephant feeding - we even managed to get Dad in on the action! I think Cass and Quinn enjoyed feeding the elephants by hand.....
We also caught the infamous croc show, then wandered around for a bit to snap some more photos of the large crocs that are housed at the zoo. All of them were problem crocs in the wild (meaning they were attacking human boats etc, or migrating too close to human populations) and would have been shot. Instead, Steve saved them by creating this zoo to house them all!
Next stop, we really scared Dad by wanting to take a photo with a snake. The three kids sit side-by-side on this bench, and next thing we know, there is this HUGE albino python wrapped around all of us. I have to admit, when I signed up for this photo, I assumed a slightly smaller reptile. The size of this thing just blew my mind! AND, according to the handler, she was a small one. Yikes!
Cass and Quinn also took some koala holding photos, while I snapped away photos since I already held a koala in Brissy in Feb. We also hand fed the kangaroos, which I think was the highlight of the day for everyone!!
We wandered around for a bit after taking a lunch break, seeing all the unique Australian animals and, by the end of the day, DAD TOUCHED A SNAKE. For those of you who know my Dad, this is epic. He is deathly afraid of snakes and would much rather DIE before getting near one. But, he did conquer his fear a little bit, and pat a snake that was being held by a handler. I have photo evidence!!
We left the zoo around 3pm, drove the remaining kms into Brissy and I was hit with a huge case of nostalgia. I serisouly do not want to leave this country!! In Brissy, we are staying in apartments in the CBD (central business district or downtown to us Canadians!) and because we had made it in before 5pm, Cass and I went to surprise Dave at Zumba class. Here, Cass met one of my housemates and we both were able to fit in a workout! I was also able to say goodbye to the instructors, whom I've gotten to know really well over the course of the semester. It was my first of many final "goodbyes" I'll be making in Brissy and I had to fight off the urge to cry. I've made such good mates here!!
Zumba was followed by dinner with Dave, Derek and the family, then a quick catch-up with the other 2 housemates at the house and then bed. Cass was eager to get up for tomorrow's shopping day, so we all needed all the rest we could!!
July 16th
Well folks, this is a bit backwards and all over the place, but I end up having to save the longer blogs with many photos for a time where I can access decent internet. I'm still currently in Brissy, at the State Library while Dad soaks up some sun outside. I'm hoping to try and finish blogs up until this point, but that may be a little to much to ask.....we'll see how I go.
July 16th: Today we woke up quite early to check out of the apartment in Bargara and drove the 15 minutes into Bundaberg to the rum factory. We ended up catching the first guided tour at 10am and proceeded to see exactly how this famous Aussie rum is made.
What an experience. We learnt about all the main ingredients, like molasses, yeast and distilled water, how it gains its distinctive taste, etc etc. Our first stop on the tour was the molasses vat - a large, wooden warehouse that houses over 3 million litres of molasses. Molasses is the by product of sugar cane crushing, and the sugar cane mill is conveniently located next to the Bundy Factory. When we were told exactly what we were going to be looking at, I imagined a huge vat sitting inside the wooden warehouse. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out, the warehouse is the actual vat. Yup, we walked inside across a catwalk above 3 million litres of molasses just sitting in the warehouse. When we were there, it was currently 3 meters deep, but the warehouse can contain up to 6 meters deep of molasses....which would have been mind-blowing to see. It already was crazy as!!
Next stop was the fermentation and distillery portion of the process, and we were able to see how the alcohol was made from the molasses. The rum factory has a unique distillery process whereby the alcohol is concentrated to over 78% between 2 distillers. After distillation, the alcohol travels by pipeline to hand-made vats of American White Oak, imported from North America! These vats hold over 75 000 litres of alcohol and are worth about 6 million dollars each. There are no screws, bolts, glue ANYTHING holding the vats together, since that could compromise the taste of the alcohol. The rum sits here for a minimum of 2 years, and it's from this particular timber that it gets the distinctive taste and color known to all Aussies. The rum factory has over 15 warehouses containing these oak vats, and each warehouse has anywhere between 15 - 96 vats. Each vat, containing that much alcohol and worth that price....you do the math. Bundaberg is where I'm headed for my job after uni!!
Lastly, we went to the warehouse that contains the bottling process. It's entirely robotized, and the factory produces about 120 of the 700mL bottles a MINUTE. That's over 60 000 bottles a day, 5 days a week. This amount barely keeps up with Australian consumption!! Amazing. The other mind-blowing fact was that Bundy rum only exports 4% to other countries - those are NZ, UK and Canada. They tried a couple years ago to increase production by 30% and export more by introducing ads in North America and the UK, but instead of exports increasing, the Aussie's just ended up drinking 30% more!!
To end the tour, we each got to taste 2 drinks each - all three of us had the classic rum and cola, Dad tried the reserve rum (and almost died it was that potent!!), Cass tried their limited coffee/chocolate sipping liqueur (very tasty as a treat....we bought some to try in hot chocolate!) and I tried their Dark and Stormy - a ginger beer mix with Bundy rum. It was quite tasty.
We also supported the Australian Economy through some Bundaberg merchandise purchases. Namely rum. Heaps and heaps of rum. Hence my question the other post about import laws.....
After the rum factory, we continued onto Noosa, with a quick pit stop along the way at Maccas for Quinn to get his coveted Mc Trigger. The entire trip he has been talking about this McTrigger, which is 2 double cheeseburgers, combined with a chicken burger. You order them separately, and create the masterpiece yourself....it's basically a heart attack in a box times 10. Here is the photo. Disgusting.
July 16th: Today we woke up quite early to check out of the apartment in Bargara and drove the 15 minutes into Bundaberg to the rum factory. We ended up catching the first guided tour at 10am and proceeded to see exactly how this famous Aussie rum is made.
What an experience. We learnt about all the main ingredients, like molasses, yeast and distilled water, how it gains its distinctive taste, etc etc. Our first stop on the tour was the molasses vat - a large, wooden warehouse that houses over 3 million litres of molasses. Molasses is the by product of sugar cane crushing, and the sugar cane mill is conveniently located next to the Bundy Factory. When we were told exactly what we were going to be looking at, I imagined a huge vat sitting inside the wooden warehouse. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out, the warehouse is the actual vat. Yup, we walked inside across a catwalk above 3 million litres of molasses just sitting in the warehouse. When we were there, it was currently 3 meters deep, but the warehouse can contain up to 6 meters deep of molasses....which would have been mind-blowing to see. It already was crazy as!!
Next stop was the fermentation and distillery portion of the process, and we were able to see how the alcohol was made from the molasses. The rum factory has a unique distillery process whereby the alcohol is concentrated to over 78% between 2 distillers. After distillation, the alcohol travels by pipeline to hand-made vats of American White Oak, imported from North America! These vats hold over 75 000 litres of alcohol and are worth about 6 million dollars each. There are no screws, bolts, glue ANYTHING holding the vats together, since that could compromise the taste of the alcohol. The rum sits here for a minimum of 2 years, and it's from this particular timber that it gets the distinctive taste and color known to all Aussies. The rum factory has over 15 warehouses containing these oak vats, and each warehouse has anywhere between 15 - 96 vats. Each vat, containing that much alcohol and worth that price....you do the math. Bundaberg is where I'm headed for my job after uni!!
Lastly, we went to the warehouse that contains the bottling process. It's entirely robotized, and the factory produces about 120 of the 700mL bottles a MINUTE. That's over 60 000 bottles a day, 5 days a week. This amount barely keeps up with Australian consumption!! Amazing. The other mind-blowing fact was that Bundy rum only exports 4% to other countries - those are NZ, UK and Canada. They tried a couple years ago to increase production by 30% and export more by introducing ads in North America and the UK, but instead of exports increasing, the Aussie's just ended up drinking 30% more!!
We also supported the Australian Economy through some Bundaberg merchandise purchases. Namely rum. Heaps and heaps of rum. Hence my question the other post about import laws.....
After the rum factory, we continued onto Noosa, with a quick pit stop along the way at Maccas for Quinn to get his coveted Mc Trigger. The entire trip he has been talking about this McTrigger, which is 2 double cheeseburgers, combined with a chicken burger. You order them separately, and create the masterpiece yourself....it's basically a heart attack in a box times 10. Here is the photo. Disgusting.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
July 17 and 18th
The next morning Dad left early morning to golf with Warrick and left us kids at home. Cass and I went for a nice run, then showered up for lunch. Just by chance, family friends of ours, the Sevicks, were driving up the coast and stopped into Noosa to visit for a bit before continuing on to Fraser Island. We all went out for lunch together and caught up. It was crazy considering that both Canadian families were catching up over lunch in Australia!
The rest of the aft was spent cleaning the apartment, packing up and getting ready for our BBQ dinner with Jean and family. We had a fun evening playing with the kids and taking some great photos. All the kids are just adorable and I will definitely miss being able to see them as easily as I have been while in Australia.
After the family left and all the goodbyes were said, we finished packing up and hit the sack. Tomorrow was going to be an early day, and a full day, since we were headed to Australia Zoo!
Keep posted for a blog on Dad's trip to the Bundy Rum Factory. Does anyone know the import laws on alcohol into Canada???
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