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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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???