Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Melbourne - Day 1





The city of Melbourne - Day 1...

I slept in and decided to take my time heading out for the day. Checked some emails, picked up some maps and tried to figure out what I wanted to do in the city. One of the first things I did was email a gal I met in Queenstown, New Zealand, Nichola. We met at the hostel in NZ and she is from Melbourne. I emailed her and she was kind enough to pick me up at my hostel and take me to her house in Albert Park for lunch. She gave me a driving tour of the city. We visited the St. Kilda neighborhood-where the bakeries are amazing, the conservatory and the community gardens. It was such a nice surprise to be able to get a tour from a local. Nichola was extremely hospitable.

When I arrived in Melbourne the previous night, I was dropped off at my accommodation and Nichola drove me around so, I had no sense of direction. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a busy city and had a hard time getting my barring, but what I had seen of the city to that point, I liked - cafes, parks, restaurants and lots of shopping...so far so good!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Great Ocean Road Day to the City of Melbourne...









The final day of the tour - Happy Valentine's Day!

We were up early, packed our things and had hot chocolate - a Valentine treat from Steve, our guide. We made our way back to The Twelve Apostles hoping to get a nice sunrise. We didn't really get one, too many clouds. It was a quick trip back to the Twelve Apostles and then we hit the road, the Great Ocean Road.

Along the way, we stopped at Great Otway National Park where I saw my first wild Koala Bear - awwww so cute! But, these Koalas are not very bright. Apparently, these poor Koalas are devolving due to inbreeding - cute, but dumb. The next stop was for a walk through the rain forest, then a few more stops along the Great Ocean Road with, what else, Great Ocean views. Caroline and I highjacked a heart in the sand made for MJ - Michael Jackson maybe? The beginning (or end depending on which way you are driving) of the Great Ocean Road has a historic monument as a tribute to the soldiers that came back from WWII. The soldiers were hired to carve out The Great Ocean Road - this was a great gesture from the Australian government as the depression was upon the world and jobs were hard to come by.

And we were off - away from the Great Ocean Road headed toward The Great city of Melbourne. Upon arriving in the city, the first sign I saw said "Making Love? Do It Longer" - I think I am going to like it here. Hahaha! I was dropped off at my hostel and later that evening a group from the tour met up at a pub for a night out. Fun time!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Great Ocean Road Day Two...





Day Two on the tour of the Great Ocean Road...up early, packed, ate breakfast and spent some time at Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Halls Gap. The visit to the cultural centre is the first I've had a chance to learn a little about the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people are said to have inhabited Australia dating back approximately 60,000 years. Their existence is and was truly off the land. They adapted and evolved around what the Australian land provided. Their story is one of injustice and sadness. In early days of colonial occupation, Aboriginal children were taken away from their parents "for their own good" and they had no claim to the land. We were able to watch a video on Aboriginal lore regarding creation and the evolution of man. No pictures were allowed to be taken in or of the Cultural Centre. In these "modern" times, they are second class citizens and it is almost as if the problem has gotten so out of hand that Australians would rather ignore than deal with the poverty, alcohol abuse and overall discrimination. In my humble view, the problem parallels that of South Africa and apartheid.

Another long day of driving. We finally made it to the ocean with several stops along the way. The Ocean Road highlights were:
  • London Bridge - Now known as London Arch, however, prior to its collapse in 1990, it was know as the London Bridge due to the similarity to its namesake and it formed a complete double span natural bridge. Two tourist were stranded on the outer part of the Arc when the bridge collapsed and they had to be helicoptered off The Arc. The Arc/Former Bridge is a tourist attraction near Port Campbell National Park.
  • Loch Ard Gorge - The gorge is named after the shipwreck of the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878 approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Fifty-two people were killed, but two 18-year-old survivors were washed into the gorge and found shelter.
  • The Twelve Apostles - The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks that rise from the Southern Ocean and are the central feature of the Port Campbell National Park. The Twelve Apostles have been created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that began 10–20 million years ago. The Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rock stacks up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore.
We were at The Twelve Apostles for sunset where the views are supposed to be amazing, unfortunately the clouds were out and we didn't get much of a sunset. It was a long day of travel with some picturesque stops along the way. We made our way to our accommodation for the night in Princetown where it was another communal dinner. Caroline and I were lucky to score our own room. Sharing with one other person that you want to share with is a big score for the night!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Journey To and Along The Great Ocean Road...







From Adelaide, I decided to take a tour to see the Great Ocean Road. I was up early the next morning, packed my bag and was picked up at my hostel. After picking up 14 passengers, I was off with the Groovy Grape Getaway tour company. Steve, was our “brilliant” tour guide. The tour was to consist of transport from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road with an overnight stop at the Grampians National Park and another overnight stop at the town of Princetown which is at the start of the Great Ocean Road.

We were up so early and that made for a very sleepy morning drive and it was a long one! We drove and drove into the early afternoon. Finally, we arrived at The Grampian National Park. The Grampians are a series of five spectacular sandstone ridges running north to south with steep slopes on the eastern side and gentler slopes to the west. They are the result of earth movements lifting and tilting the hard sandstones. There are lookouts with stunning panoramic views and a number of picturesque waterfalls. The Park is approximately 413,000 acres and it's beautiful. The rock cliffs make it an ideal place for rock climbers to practice and develop their skills. In January, the area was hit with severe flooding which made some of the normal tourist visiting areas off limits. We were able to take a hike along and up Hallow Mountain. It was only about 1.2 km but it was up a rather steep incline and overlooking a cliff. It wasn't too strenuous and after sitting in the bus for so long, the walk was a welcome activity and the views at the top were great.

After the hike we headed to Halls Gap, the main town in the Park and settled in at our accommodation. Caroline, my new friend, from London via Ireland and of Lord of the Dance/River Dance fame, and I took a walk and spotted hundreds of Kangaroos! Eastern Grey is the species and they are odd creatures. I can't figure out if I like them. They have this long tail that almost serves as a leg, short front arms with claw "hands" and when they are upright they are kind of creepy. But, they do have a cute face. I am undecided on how I feel about these creatures. We also spotted a very large stag deer that was not afraid of us at all. We were able to get really close to him.

The tour included meals and the meals were done communal style. Everyone chips in and either helps prepare or cleans up after the meal. We had a good BBQ dinner - no Roos were not on the menu! Caroline had chatted up the owners of our accomocation and was asking about the event in the main town. There was a jazz festival going on and 4-5 tent venues with different bands. After dinner, he ended up taking us to listen to the music. We were on average about 25 years younger than everyone there! It was a fun time.

Time to Reflect...

Where Am I, Who Am I and Why Am I here?


I have had a few bewildered moments while on this transient adventure. There is one moment in particular when I was in a tent camping in the red center of Australia, which basically the middle of absolutely nowhere. I woke up in the middle of the night and I had to remind myself where I was. Once I remembered where I was, I thought…”Oh yeah, and why am I here?”


I have had quite a few introspective moments over the previous few years and especially over the previous few months. One recent exchange stands out in my mind and caused quite a bit of pondering…A friend, with great intentions, sent an email to a friend of theirs who lives just north of Sydney. I was copied in on the email as this was to serve as an email introduction and it went something like this…My friend from the states is traveling in Australia after a divorce…” etc., etc. Hmmm…I wondered why the divorce part was a necessary addition to the introduction. Is this how I am now defined, viewed or lableled by others, a divorcee before all else? Well, I wasn’t very happy about this label and have concluded that I am many things to many people.


I am called:

  • Mija
  • Patricia
  • Joanne
  • Joannie (that’s my mom’s favorite)
  • Auntie
  • Nina
  • Jo
  • Tia Jojo
  • Jojo

I am:

  • A Daughter
  • A Sister
  • An Aunt
  • A Godmother
  • A Sister-in-law
  • A Cousin
  • A Friend
  • A Niece
  • A Comadre


And I value them all!


Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. How you handle it is the million-dollar question. It’s been almost 6 years since the event that is called a divorce happened in my life and it seems like a lifetime ago. So many events have happened subsequent and it seems so irrelevant now. It was a small chapter in this life I am leading, an event, and I choose not to be defined by it - "no body puts baby in a corner"! With age, 32 (insert big wink here), I have come to realize that I like where I am and how I choose to approach the curve ball events. I have developed a comfort in my own skin, a confidence in doing most anything on my own and I love life. Does this mean that I wouldn’t want to share life’s experiences with someone? – Absolutely not, but until that day comes (and for that matter - thereafter), I am going to enjoy and love this life I am living as I know it is too short!


Why am I here? It's simple, I want to be here. Yes, maybe the beginning of this journey a few years ago was a little eat, pray, loveish, but the truth of the matter is, I want to be here, exploring new lands and learning about different cultures. I love it, period. I recognize how very blessed I am to be able to be here doing what I love and I truly believe that I am where I should be. I am happy!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Vino and Sports in Adelaide...








I was up early the next morning for a wine tour of the famous Barossa Valley. Dallas, our tour guide, made the rounds picking 6 of us up at our accommodations and we were on our way. The Barossa Valley is located a mere 65 kms to the southwest of Adelaide. It is a compact valley and it produces approximately 20% of Australian wine. With hot, dry summers and cool, moderate winters – big red wines are the favorite. The Barossa Valley is 16 years OLDER than the Napa Valley – interesting!


We made our way through the Adelaide Hills where I saw my first wild Kangaroo! The Adelaide Hills area is on the outskirts of the Barossa Valley and is an up and coming region for vineyards and quality grapes. On the way, we stopped off at the Whispering Wall, which is a damn wall where the acoustics allowed one person to walk all the way to the other side and the sound traveled across the wall as if they were right next to you. It was quite impressive.


Winery Stop #1: Our first stop was Chateau Yaldara and the McGuigan Winery – quite a picturesque building. My favorites were a 2009 Moscato and a 20 year aged Tawny – nutty flavor and so good!


Winery Stop #2: Second up was Peter Lehman Winery where Shiraz is king. The Peter Lehman story is one of bravery and loyalty. As a grape grower, there was an excess amount of grapes in the late 1970s and the wine makers were not going to hold to their agreement of purchasing the grapes from the growers. Peter took it upon himself to buy the excess grapes and became a wine maker. Since then, he has been awarded and recognized as the International Winemaker of the year and Best Australian Producer. The Peter Lehman winery is now 85% owned by the Hess Corporation in the Napa Valley. I enjoyed all the wines and found the Sparkling Shiraz the most unique and interesting. Our group enjoyed a lovely lunch of local meats, cheeses, olives and bread.


Winery Stop #3: After lunch we were off to the family owned Langmeil which is home to the oldest known Shiraz vineyard in the world – this is possible because the old vines were transported here from Europe and the European vineyards have been wiped out by phloxera. They also produce a Sparkling Shiraz. My favorite was an old vine Shiraz.


Winery Stop #4: Murray Street Vineyards is one of the smaller wineries on our tour. The owner and chief winemaker, Andrew Steppelt is a 6th generation Barossa wine maker. At this point in the tour, I had stopped taking notes on the wine – they were all pretty good! The icing on the cake was the chocolate served with the final Shiraz – Wow, delish!


What do I think of the Barossa Valley? It was marvelous! Great wine, great tour and informative guide, great food – what more can you ask for? Better than Napa/Sonoma – no probably not, but I am bias.


After the tour, I wasn’t ready to call it a night. I had wanted to see an Aussie Rules Football game, but it wasn’t the season. So, I decided on football (aka soccer). I went to see the Adelaide United play the Melbourne Victory in a football match at the Adelaide Oval. I walked over to the stadium and along the way, similar to my football experience in Argentina, ended up behind the police escort of the visiting fans. These football fans are a rowdy bunch and they have foul-mouthed chants, no doubt about that! I bought a general seating ticket that had me sitting on an outer grass section. I thought to myself, “I can do better”. I made my way to the “nice seats” where you had to show your ticket to get in. I waited and at the opportune moment, I snuck past the ticket checker. HA – I was sitting at half field (is that a term – like half court?). Nice work! There is an advantage to being alone at these types of events. It was a fun game. Adelaide won, 2-1 and my favorite player is now Carlos Hernandez.


It was a long day of really nice vino, good food and fun sports!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Next Up, South Australia and the Lovely Adelaide...






I had contemplated over and over again – what are the main places I want to see in Australia? In total, I had just over 3 weeks in this big country and there is SO much to see and do. I can’t possibly expect to see everything – that would be like trying to see the entire U.S. in 3 weeks, it’s not gonna happen. So, I made the conscious decision to chill out, enjoy the time I do have and no stressing out about what I did NOT fit in – right-O!

I had pretty much ruled out Brisbane, Perth, the Gold Coast and Cairns. Very sad, but with the floods in Brisbane, cyclone in Cairns, and bush fires in Perth, I just didn’t think this was time to go to these places. It’s been a rough natural disaster year for Australia.

That said, I wanted to see and compare the wine region of Australia to my favorite wine region of them all, Napa/Sonoma. I booked a flight to Adelaide. I said good-bye to Tasha and Matt for now and I was off. I arrived in Adelaide at noon with a ½ hour time change – never have I been somewhere that has only a ½ hour time difference. I took the city bus from the airport to the main city center and made my way to my hostel. I felt misled by my handy dandy lonely planet travel guide. I picked their recommended place to stay and didn’t like it one bit. If you are ever going to go to Adelaide, don’t stay at “My Place”. I wasn’t planning on staying more that two nights so, I forced myself to tolerate this cramped, dingy place. I dropped off my bags and first thing on the list - I wanted to see the very popular food market. I started walking and it was hot outside – did I say hot, I mean really hot, upwards of 35 degrees (=95+ degrees fahrenheit) with some humidity thrown in for good measure. I finally got to the market and was overwhelmed by everything they had. I was so hungry, but kept wandering because I just couldn’t make a decision on what to eat. Meats, cheeses, nuts, sauces, breads, fruits, veggies – pretty much anything and everything you’d want was there. I bought some pot stickers, veggies, pasta and some pesto for dinner and headed back to put my goods in the refrigerator. I ate an early dinner and decided to walk the town. I walked, walked and did some more walking and saw: The Adelaide University, The Art Gallery, The Rundle Mall and the grounds where the Adelaide Fringe was to take place - The Garden of Unearthly Delights. The Fringe Festival is an annual arts festival and consists of cabaret, theatre, music, comedy, dance and visual arts. The festival lasts for 3 weeks and is world renown. I was there for the opening , but just didn't have the energy to go the first night. I headed back to the yucky hostel and went to bed. Next up...some vino!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

So You Come From A Land Downunder...






Good-bye New Zealand - It's been a blast and I love you!

Hello Australia...

And now I'd like to re-introduce my friend Tasha. Tasha was also on my trek to Macchu Piccu in Peru and she helped me when I got the awful infection on my legs from some crazy bugs on the trek. She is an Aussie and lives in Sydney. I arrived in Sydney around 2 p.m. and caught the train to the main Central Station where I made my way to her office. Her boyfriend, Matt, picked us up and we were off to her place in Ashfield. He made a great Salmon dinner, we chatted and they gave me tips on where to go the next day. Sydney is 2 hours behind New Zealand, so it felt much later than it actually was. I hit the sack and slept really hard - whew, long day!

The next morning, I hit the tourist trail. I took the train from Tasha's place to Town Hall and started exploring. I purchased a transportation day pass which would allow me to take all methods of transport for the day - train, bus and ferry. I took out my handy dandy street map and I was off. First I wandered over to Darling Harbor. To get there, I walked over a pedestrian bridge and on the other side I found a plethora of shops, restaurants, cinemas and bars. Until the arrival of Europeans, the Cadigal people, the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area around Sydney Cove, called Darling Harbour Tumbalong (place where seafood is found). When Sydney was founded in 1788, the bay was called Long Cove because of its unusual length. The large shell middens left by generations of Cadigal people in the area soon saw the name Cockle Bay come into everyday use. In 1826 the bay was again renamed-this time becoming Darling Harbour in honour of Governor Ralph Darling-Sydney's Governor at the time. In the 1970s, the area transformed from "derelict docklands to a sparkling international playground".

From Darling Harbour, I had plans to meet my friend Karoline one last time. She was heading back home to Germany. We met at the Circular Quay (pronounced K-E-Y), the most popular train stop in the city as it takes you to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. We sat by the water and chatted about our travels one last time. What a great person! We said good-bye and she was off to the airport - safe travels my friend!

From Circular Quay, I boarded a ferry and headed to Watson Bay. Watson Bay is the suburb on the outermost shores of the southern side of the Sydney harbor. I didn't really have a concrete reason for going to Watson Bay, other than there is a famous Fish and Chips restaurant there, Doyle's, and I wanted to get out on the water. I had my fish and chips lunch, wandered for a short while and hopped on a bus to the famous, Bondi Beach. It wasn't a super sunny beach day, but I had to go, it's iconic! There are boobies at Bondi - yes, some are topless - all my male compadres would appreciate it, I am sure! Bondi is a beach community located about 7km east of Sydney's CBD (Central Business District). Bondi or "Boondi" is an aboriginal word that means water or noise breaking over rocks. The Bondi Icebergs Swimmers Club which dates back to 1929 has a salt water pool at the north end of the beach. Speedos are the norm here - hmm. Bondi Beach is also the location of a reality show called Bondi Rescue which documents life guard rescues from the sometimes rough waters.

From Bondi, I took a bus to the train station and caught a train to Central, where I met Natasha. We took the train to Newtown which is an "alternative neighborhood". It actually reminds me of The Mission District in San Francisco. We went to Zanzibar hung out on their wonderful rooftop bar. It was a very cool environment. The really cool thing about this bar was the free manicures! Yes, free! A lady came around and said "Ladies, we have free manicures downstairs". I had to triple check my hearing - did she say free? Yes, free! Very cool. We left with our newly done nails and called it a night!

My first touring day in Sydney was a success! I like it here! It's a bay/harbor city, just like home!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Superbowl Monday...


New Zealand is 21 hours ahead of the U.S, specifically California. Therefore, the Superbowl was on Monday for me, not Sunday. I had done some research to find a bar or pub that was going to have the game on T.V. Turns out, Sammy's Place, a bar in SkyCity Tower, was going to show the game on the big screen T.V. I got there a little early and landed a good table. As it got more and more crowded, a Kiwi guy asked if he and his wife could share the table - of course you can! Turns out his wife was an American from New York - New York attitude included. Little Miss Patriotic gave me attitude because I didn't stand up during the National Anthem. "Don't you stand up during the National Anthem?"(Roll of the eyes included) - Ah - Yeah, when I am AT the event, not in a bar ding-dong! Have you noticed that you are the ONLY one standing? She was a piece of work this one. Her husband was really nice and I have a feeling she walks all over him. I am not even sure why I am writing about this - I think because the Kiwis are SO nice and I haven't encountered an attitude like this during my travels here, I was disappointed that the attitude came from an American. Anyway, by half-time she mellowed out. I didn't really enjoy the game. It never really seemed to get going. Christina botched the National Anthem, Lea Michele was awesome with America the Beautiful, the Steelers lost, they didn't show the commercials from home, only local commercials - it was just O.K. - not great. I did see a few makeshift Cheeseheads wandering the streets - good for a laugh.

Later that evening, Val, Martin and I had the best Dominos Pizza ever, good wine and some chocolate! I said good-bye to Val and Martin because I wouldn't see them the next day before I left. They are such awesome people and I am so happy for them - they are getting married in September, here in New Zealand on Waiheke Island - Congratulations and thank the heavens for these NICE Americans!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Back to the North Island...


I woke up early Sunday morning and caught the bus to the airport. My time on the South Island had come to an end. I arrived back in Auckland, where I started, around 10:30 a.m. I caught the bus to the city center where I met Val and Martin at their place. It was so nice to see familiar faces! They were so kind and offered me a place to stay for my final nights in New Zealand. They really do have a wonderful view from their apartment!

We headed out to an Asian food court where you could purchase every kind of Asian food imaginable - Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, etc., etc. I give a big thumbs up to satisfy and Asian food craving!

I wandered the city for the remainder of the day, picked up some groceries and did some emailing. Val made fish for dinner, again a big thumbs up! It wasn't an eventful day - more of a travel and rest day.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

A Day in Christchurch...



On Saturday, I washed laundry and tried to organize myself. Living out of a suitcase can take its toll. Later in the afternoon, I met my friend Benjamin at the city center and we walked to the Botanical Gardens and had a coffee. It was such a nice day. Benjamin is from Germany, as are most of the tourist I have met. He has come to New Zealand for holiday, but also to work. He just got a job working in a hostel here in Christchurch cleaning rooms and in return he gets free lodging and some meals, but he's also picked grapes and been a personal assistant. On the way back through the city center, we came across a classic car show. I had to shoot a picture of the 196X mustang (not sure what year exactly). This car reminded me so much of high school - my friend Cindy had one and it was quite a car! I said good-bye to Benjamin and hello to my friend Karoline!

Karoline, my friend from Germany who I met in Taupo, and I have been crossing paths across New Zealand and we plan to see each other again in Australia. Karoline and her friend Safi, from Turkey via Germany - now in Sydney, had rented a car and had made their way from the west coast to Christchurch. We met in front of the Cathedral and went out for sushi dinner. It was yum-o! Our plan, since I had officially addicted Karoline to salsa dancing in Wellington, was to head to a salsa night. We headed to the venue and well, it wasn't very nice. It was more of a ballroom dance studio and it wasn't a very inviting place to dance. We didn't stay long and made our way to the city center. We went to a very popular outdoor bar near the Arts Centre. There was a long table with a group of guys that were playing the guitar and singing, actually singing is a generous term. They were having a blast and were quite entertaining. We also were lucky enough to catch a fireworks show that was coming from the Botanical Gardens area. There was a big classical concert there and the finale included fireworks. The night came to an end and again I said good-bye to Karoline and Safi. They were headed to Sydney where I planned to see Karoline very soon.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Back to Christchurch...All Dressed Up and No Where To Go...



After the amazing dolphin experience, I took a stroll along the beach before I had to catch my bus back to Christchurch. I arrived in Christchurch around 2 p.m. and checked into a hostel much closer to the city center - no big hike this time! Once settled, I wandered the town, took a few more city photos and came across a protest regarding the political happenings in Egypt. Ignorance can be bliss! I haven't watched T.V. or the news in about a month - it's been a nice break from all the tragic and troubling stories that the news consistently brings.

I had researched a salsa/latin dance venue and got dressed up, well as dressed up as you can get with a limited amount of clothes and shoes, and headed for the hotel that was to have a variety of latin music and dancing. I showed up and had to double check that I was in the right place - no one was there...hmmm. Apparently, yes there is a salsa/latin night, but it wasn't to start until the following week - boo! All dressed up and no where to go! What to do now? Ice cream always makes me feel better. I bought an ice cream and headed back to the hostel and went to bed. What was intended to be a fun night dancing turned into an early night for me!

Side note: I am a bit behind in my posting and by now, most have been informed of the big earthquake in Christchurch on Feb 22nd. Wow, I just missed it - very scary. I sat in the cathedral in the city center that is now reduced to rubble. I am feeling very sad for the people of Christchuch and very fortunate that I missed it.

Holy Earlyness...For the BEST Thing I've Done So Far...





Kaikoura's in it's history was a whaling town and a crayfish mecca. Today, the town is primarily a tourist attraction for whale watching, sperm whales to be exact and dolphin swims. I woke up BEFORE the crack of dawn at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m. and headed to the main ocean road. I was scheduled for a 5:30 a.m. dolphin swim tour. Why so early? Well, I had a choice of 5:30, 8:30 a.m. or noon. I chose the 5:30 because the seas are supposed to be calmer early in the morning and I needed to catch a bus back to Christchurch after the tour and didn't want to risk missing another bus!

I arrived at the tour office and immediately was given fins, a mask and a wetsuit. I suited up and went into a large room to watch an instructional video. Before the video, the guide gave our group a pretty stern warning. The wind was howling and the seas were NOT calm. She classified the weather as moderate to heavy which meant that they could cancel the tour at any time. She also said that on the way to find the dolphins, the seas were going to be rough and if you have a tendency to get sea sick, you should take some medication AND because we would be swimming in the open ocean, you should be a strong swimmer. Gulp, gulp and gulp! Now was the time to back out if you wanted to - one lady actually did. I considered it because I don't consider myself that great of a swimmer and I am a bit scared of the ocean. If I don't think about it too much, I am fine, but it is so powerful - I was completely taken out by a wave when I was young - now I tend to be wary of swimming in the ocean. I looked around at all the people that were moving forward and I thought if they could do it, I could too! (I've been doing a lot of self motivation/talk these days)

Off we went, loaded into the boat and headed out to sea. I witnessed an amazing sunrise, however this was the most choppy, bumpy, up and down boat ride I have ever been on. You had to hang on for dear life or else you'd get tossed across the boat. People were running to the buckets, getting sick left and right. Oh lord, what have I done? We finally arrived at the dolphin location where the sea had calmed down and were instructed to start the off board procedures we had just learned. I made my way to the back deck and was in AWE! "Oh my god - oh my god" was all I could say - I actually said it out loud over and over again, I was so overwhelmed. There were approximately 200 wild dusky dolphins jumping and swimming right in front of us! The dusky dolphins are a small robust species with a shorter snout and they are marvelous!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I despise cold water and won't get in if it's remotely cold. We had to off board and jump into the water rather quickly so, I didn't have time to notice the temperature of the water. I was in the water and, once again, the self talk came into play. I had to calm myself down and breathe. My heart was pumping so fast and the adrenaline was flowing, I was having a hard time breathing out of the snorkel tube. Once I caught my breath, I was in love! These dolphins just wanted to play. They came close enough to touch, but touching was not allowed. Hundreds were swimming around and with us. There was one lone seal and he was in quite a playful state. I got to the point where I recognized one of the dolphins from a scratch on his side. He kept coming around swimming in circles around me - so amazing! I can't even describe how this experience made me feel. Making eye contact with a dolphin from a meter or two away...WOW! Swimming with the dolphins has been the best experience I've had here in New Zealand! It's a bummer that my pictures don't capture the experience the way I'd like them to, but this day is in my heart as a very special day to remember. I conquered a fear, didn't get sea sick and swam with an one of the most beautiful creatures on earth!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Christchurch to Kaikoura...





My bus to Kaikoura wasn't to leave until 4 p.m. so, I stored my bags at the hostel and wandered the city. Christchurch has recently been in the news because in September 2010, the city was hit with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. There was widespread damage including broken windows, chimneys fallen, buildings condemned and deemed unsafe. Fortunately, there were no fatalities and limited injuries. The city has been hit daily with hundreds of aftershocks. The most significant day of aftershocks was on Boxing Day, December 26, 2010. The damage continued and many businesses have been forced to close operations because the buildings are not safe. The earthquakes aftermath was evident throughout the city. There is a lot of construction and reconstruction happening here.

Despite the earthquake damage, the city seams to be operating business as usual. I went to the beautiful botanical gardens and the main cathedral square where all the shops are extremely touristy. The city has a river that lazily rolls through it. It is called the River Avon and you can take a leisurely punting cruise on the river, through the botanic gardens. It's nice here and I am sure will be even nicer once they get the buildings, streets and sidewalks back in order.

I went back to the hostel and Benjamin, a very nice guy I met there offered to give me a ride into the city to catch my bus. This ride was MUCH appreciated because I was not looking forward to hiking back into the city with my bags! I was off to Kaikoura, a relatively short bus ride - 2 1/2 hours. When I arrived, again I had to hike up a hill - boy I am getting some excercise here! I checked in and headed back down the hill. I grabbed some food - a big burger - Oh yeah...! The burgers are pretty good, they use beet root like we use tomato on a burger. I didn't think I'd care for it, but it's actually pretty good! It was time for bed because I had to wake up extremely early the next day!

Informational side note: Boxing Day is December 26, the day after Christmas, and is celebrated in Great Britain and in most areas settled by the English (the U.S. is the major exception), including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One theory of its origin is that the boxes placed in churches where parishioners deposited coins for the poor were opened and the contents distributed on December 26. Another theory is that the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes. So, Boxing Day in reality has nothing to do with the celebration of knocking someone out! Who knew???