Mapping out a Plan

There is definitely no shortage of travel brochures, tours and "deals" here in Cairns. After parcing through a sizable portion of the options we finally have a plan for our remaining 8 or so days here. First, I am sure that you all will agree that one cannot visit Australia without viewing what is touted as the earth's single largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef. Scuba diving is quite expensive here, which we are guessing may be due to the fact that the reef is actually about 30 km off the coast, thus requiring sizable boats and more fuel to actually get there. Two day trips out to the reef (3 dives each) is quite expensive when you factor in hotels for those nights. As a result we have decided to book a 3 day, 2 night stay on a live aboard boat (through a company called Pro Dive http://prodive.com.au). Yes, tomorrow morning we set out at 6:30 am to stay for 2 nights 30 km from dry land with about 28 other divers on the one and only Great Barrier Reef. Our package allows us to do 11 dives during that time, two of which are night dives. I, being a beginner diver, probably will not do the night dives. I figure that being on the ocean for three straight days and 9 dives will be adventure enough for me. But don't worry, I am sure Alan will report thoroughly on his encounters with the ocean's night creatures.

After we get back to shore on Monday, we will recover from any seasickness for one night and then head out for the Tablelands, an area just inland from Cairns that is noted for beautiful scenery, great hikes and waterfalls. Unfortunately you have to rent a campervan for a minimum of 5 days, so we will be using a regular car again. I am a little nervous about the live aboard, but we definitely can't wait for this next set of adventures!
-- Kelly

Cairns Nightlife

We actually have not seen much of it. After our first day recuperating from the flights from NZ to here, we spent much of the second day trying to arrange what we were going to do in NE Australia. Kelly was quite stressed, although I'm not sure why because I was doing almost all of the telephone calling and kiosk visits. At checkout time on the second morning at 10am, we decided to stay two more nights in our current hostel apartment. We have since been shopping for food and cooking (and drinking during movies) more in the room. The picture shows what other backpackers have at our hostel as far as dining room and living room accomodations.


So basically we have been making our own nightlife because otherwise I would feel like I am partying in Transy dorms. Our first night here, we missed out on a bartop pole-dancing contest at a local bar. The second night we were awakened by two girls outside our apartment door frantically making their way to the wet T-shirt contest. And yesterday we spent the day at the lagoon with people mostly 10-15 years younger than us discussing how/where they were going to get their next job, beer or girlfriend for the night.

So we are having fun making our own fun!

-Alan

Hitting the Beach in Cairns

It's difficult to do actually because there is no beach here, at least not what we think of as a beach. This decent-sized city is known for its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, but it has no sand, only mud flats. So it constructed a chlorinated, freshwater 'lagoon' right on the 'beach' with sand on one side and decks on the other. It is actually quite nice, and the backpackers flock here when the sun is out.

Arrival in Cairns

After we last left you on Sunday, we headed down to a bar near Cathedral Square in Christchurch to meet Ronan's brother Colm and his friend Holly for a drink. Through several e-mail exchanges over the last month or so Colm has helped us with our travels through NZ. Though anyone who has exchanged even a mere hello with Colm would know he's from Ireland, he has been spending an extended period of time in NZ on a work visa. Holly is from the Vancouver Canada region and is doing the same. With three weeks of just the two of us, it was great to have a drink and conversation with others.

Bright and early the next morning we headed to the airport. Our plane left at 7:00 am and due to delays in Sydney we didn't actually get to Cairns until around 4:00 pm (which is 6:00 pm NZ time). It was a long day. Cairns is very much a beach / tourist town. Lots of restaurants and bars. After we got settled into our room, happily put on our t-shirts and flip flops, we headed out to walk around for a bit. We had dinner at Sushi Xipang. We both love sushi but I had never been in a sushi restaurant like this (Alan had been to a similar dim sum restaurant in San Fran). Basically, they had a little plates of sushi and other goodies that just rotated around on a little conveyor belt in front of your table or counter. Then, when something caught your eye, you just snatched it up. The food was good and in an effort to try things new we tried a jellyfish and shark fin roll. It was suprisingly tasty, although as you might expect, a bit chewy.

Today, we are taking it easy, doing laundry, catching up on banking and other chores. We are also going to try to map out a plan for our two weeks in this region today. We'll let you know what we decide.

--Kelly

Jet Lag Galore

I have just booked a work trip online to the Philippines. Transy has provided me with a monetary grant to spend two weeks this summer in Cebu to set up a May term course (hopefully for 2008) with my biology colleague Kathleen Jagger, who has traveled there with students before. It would be a service-learning course to teach students economics while actively engaging them with locals that need help. I will be learning about and setting up opportunities for Transy students to help small businesses to grow. Unfortunately with classes starting in early September, I will have to leave for Cebu about two weeks after we arrive back in the US. My body may not be back to normal KY time until Keeneland season starts again.
- Alan

Bye Bye New Zealand

Our trek through New Zealand officially comes to a close tomorrow morning at 7:00 am, when our plane departs for sunny Cairns, Australia. New Zealand has definitely proven an unforgettable experience. We both agree that the highlights of our stay in NZ were the graceful whales and dophins in Kaikora and the powerful glacier in Franz Joseph (the Nascar poster was a close third). But, we also will never forget the stunning views of the ocean, cliffs, pastures, and of course, mountains that were literally everywhere. At every turn it is a Lord of the Rings movie set. This all said there is also a reason that winter is the low season here. It is cold and the ocean breeze certainly doesn't help matters. I think we will both be glad to say bye to the long johns and hello to the swimsuits for a while. Well, we are off for a celebratory beer (or two). Next time you hear from us we'll be blogging from the Land Down Under!

Christchurch

Today, our last full day in NZ, we have spent a low key day turning in our car and doing a little sight seeing here in Christchurch, the third largest city in NZ and the largest city on the South Island (population somewhere between 3 and 400,000). This city is beautiful and is known for its gothic architecture and English feel. First, we went to the Arts Centre, which was built in 1877 as the Canterbury College / University of Canterbury and now is an area of art galleries, craft markets, cafes and other things. Then we headed across the street to the Canterbury Museum and went through their impressive Antartica display. Last we went to Cathedral square, which is in the heart of the city and over which looms the towering Christchurch Cathedral (constructed 1864- 1904). Tonight we are meeting Ronan's brother, Colm for a drink. Alan spoke with him on the phone last night to make arrangements and said that from his voice, there was no denying that he was Poker O'Carra's brother.

Ski Trip

Today, Sunday, Kelly and I went skiing on Mt. Hutt outside of Christchurch. We did not get to make it to the most famous slopes in Queenstown because it was too far to drive and also because they have been open only intermittently with the infrequent, but heavy snowfalls. It was not worth the risk. We stayed last night in the nearest town to the Mt. Hutt ski area, so it was a short drive, maybe 22km. But 10km of that was on a packed gravel two-lane road straight up the moutains' sides. We had to use the tire chains again, so I guess we are getting our money's worth out of that purchase. It was not the best skiing I had ever encountered (downsides were the number of other people skiing since it was a Sunday and the number of trails closed - including all black diamonds - because the ski season has just started and little snow has fallen), but neither of us were complaining. First we were skiing in June and second, we were skiing in another hemisphere. I, of course, headed to the top of the mountain and shoved myself straight down some intermediate (blue) trails several times. My quads will be killing me tomorrow. Then Kelly and I hung out on the beginner (green) slopes together for awhile. By the end of the day, Kelly was sailing down blues with me. I am always amazed at how much she will try. Most importantly, Kelly always enjoys herself. It's great to travel with her!

- Alan

Short Delay on the West Coast

Sorry for the lapse in posts -- things got a little hectic on the South Island when Mother Nature decided to wreak a little winter havoc this week. To jump ahead to the present, Alan and I are now resting easy in the major city of Christchurch (we just got here). But first, to catch you up on things. Thusday night, after our glacier hiking excursion at the Franz Joseph, we backtracked north about two hours to Hokitika for the night. Hokitika is a relatively quiet little town where bars serve men playing pool barefoot in cotton jumpsuits, play 80's music (think Bryan Adams) and hold nightly meat raffles (Alan and I politely declined). It was a great small town NZ experience. Friday morning we woke up ready to tackle the Southern Alps and return to civilization when we learned that high elevations all over the South Island had been smacked with a winter blast overnight and that accordingly, Arthur's pass was "chains essential." We soon found out that this was no polite warning, i.e., "No worries but we suggest you have chains on your vehicle but you'll probably be fine without them. Cheers!" -- No, this means that you have to go through a roadblock to get on the road and you ain't gettin' through if you can't show your chains. What's worse, we weren't able to secure a set of fitting chains for our Mazda Familia until around 2:30 pm (at a painful price of $90). So, alas, we stayed a for second night in Hokitika and another round of meat raffles.

Chains at the ready, we finally got to tackle Arthur's Pass on Saturday morning. Those Kiwis weren't bluffing -- the road was bad. Keep in mind too that this is a MAJOR road. Quite amazing. Anyway, it was slow going but we made and even made time for a short rest in the village at the top for lunch. On the other side, the roads were much better and we stopped at a protected area in Cantebury (I can't remember the name) where the hillside is covered with outcroppings of limestone rocks that were once used by the native Maori as shelters. Very cool. After our short stop, we headed on to Methhaven/ Mount Hutt. -- Kelly

Damn you US spenders

I could not have a blog without commenting at least once on economics. Kelly and I have experienced firsthand the effects of varying currency conversion rates. This is much too simplistic, but basically the average US consumer has been spending more than he/she makes for the past couple of years (you know who you are). I'm sure most of you are aware that the US government has been basically spending more than its intake for decades. In essence this means that you and I are buying the 'extra' that we are not producing in the US from other countries, which also means that we are 'sending' alot of US dollars overseas to pay for these products and services. This makes the US dollar 'cheap' so foreign buyers want even more US dollars less and less (there is only so much they can do with it). That means that the US dollar buys less and less of foreign currencies. See http://www.x-rates.com/d/NZD/USD/graph120.html to see how badly the US/NZ dollar exchange rate has deteriorated over the past four months. It's even worse if you look at it from a year ago. So basically Kelly and I can buy less than we should be able to afford. Please remember this for future purchases if you think you may ever want to travel outside of US boundaries or even just buy foreign goods from within the US.

Back to Fiji: Fijian Church Service

On the Sunday that we were at the Octopus, Alan and I hiked over to the local Nalauwaki village with a group to attend the church service. The trip gave us a chance to see the walk that the resort staff make everyday (over a very steep hill) and let us see the village where they live. In this village the center is the church (unlike the village where the rugby match was held- see other post). The church service was Methodist but completely in Fijian so we didn't understand a word. The elder men sat up front behind the preacher and the other men sat on the left side of the church. Most of the men wore button downs or some other formal type of shirt but with a long sort of wrap skirt in a basic color, like navy. Some men wore ties. All the children sat on the right side in the front and were threatened by a very old man with a very long stick anytime they acted up (quite humorous). But children being children, their attentions wandered frequently even with the 'fire-and-brimstone' (as we were told) sermon being loudly recanted. Behind the children were the women, who dressed in long, often brightly colored dresses. No one could wear shoes inside the church and we were required to wear clothing that covered our knees and shoulders. The main reason we went to the service was to hear the choir which was beautiful. The choirs in Fiji compete for some sort of title and the choir from this village is quite good. It is amazing that in such a poor, small village they can round up such amazing voices. The choir came back to the resort later that night and sang for everyone at Octopus Resort.

Military Coup, Schmoo

We have a couple of other things we've been meaning to tell you about Fiji. The papers here in NZ talk regularly about its strained relationship with Fiji. In December, Fiji went through a military coup where the then-current government was thrown out. NZ issued a travel warning to its citizens which hurt Fiji's tourism. Recently a NZ minister was asked to leave Fiji which just fuels the fire more. Anyway, we experienced none of this. We only spent one night in a major city, Nadi, the night before we left. Pollution was very bad and taxi drivers hinted for a lot of tips, but otherwise it was fine. We saw no military presence at all.

The people of Waya island were incredible! The staff was very friendly. The manager, Chris and his wife Kylie, who are from Australia, were very helpful. Also, they had two kids, Charlie (4) and Paddy (2 or 3), who provided endless entertainment. Morover, the villagers welcomed us into their surroundings. The children were very friendly and inquisitive, though we had limited interaction with them since they stayed mostly in the village. Here is a picture of them loading up into the resort's boat as they do every Sunday to spend the week at school farther down the island. We gave an offering at the church, some money for the choir to travel to their tournament in Suva on the main island, and a small donation to scholarships to help pay for the children's school boarding. Some of these people had so little, yet seemed to enjoy life so much. We wish now we had given more.

Finally, our here is a picture of us with our dive instructer Asaba (sp?). He was awesome and began each of our dives by saying, with a heavy Fijian accent, "Let's take this one on Fijian time, nice and slow."

Well Now I Know What a Crampon Is

Thursday we set our alarm (for the first time I believe) to meet our 8:45 appointment for a guided tour on the Franz Joseph Glacier. We knew that this was going to be a "real" hike (4 hours we were told) but I do not think we quite knew the extent. We walked in the door and they suited us up with two layers of wool socks, waterproof boots, trousers and jackets, wool hats, mittens and yes, crampons, before we were shuffled onto a bus with about 10 other unsuspecting tourists. It was only then that we realized, "shit, I guess we are really going tramping on a glacier." To top it off it was raining fairly hard, which our guide informed us, "happens all the f**ing time." I am happy to report that both Alan and yes, I, successfully scaled the glacier and, even in the rain, it was spectacular. The glacier was massive and pictures in no way convey its magnitude. The ice is striking blue in areas that are not melting. This glacier has retreated several kilometers since the 1980's but has been advancing for the past few years due to higher than normal levels of snowfall. We were completely soaked to the bone after 4 hours of hiking in the rain (which included 2 on the glacier) but it was awesome! - Kelly

Go West Young Man!

On Tuesday, after our whale watching excursion, we began heading west - our main destination being the village of Franz Joseph and its glacier of the same name. On the way we stayed over in Springfield (see earlier post re digs). The next morning after some instant coffee (its either instant or freaking $4 gourmet espresso in this blasted place), we tackle the imposing Southern Alps. The Southern Alps run right through the NZ South Island and unless you go around the coastline you've gotta cross them to get from the east to the west or visa versa. Basically you can only make the cross over at a very few limited number of locations and Arthur's Pass is one. From the outset we realize that Patch is not in her element in mountainous terrain. In fact, I believe Patch is strictly a coastal vehicle, for she kicks into overdrive at even a molehill. Plus we realize after about 20 minutes of driving that we had less than a quarter tank of gas. We stopped to ask some locals outside at a cabin if we should turn back and -in true Kiwi fashion -- they said "You might make it. No-worries, just take it nice at easy and flag down a yellow infrastructure vehicle if you run out." An hour later, with Patch on "E", we pulled into the single gas pump in Arthur's Pass village. It was a beautiful drive even though I was a bit distracted by our fuel situation.

Late that night (around 7 pm) we made it into Franz Joseph Village. We stayed in a decent but not spectacular room at the Glow Worm Cottages (no Nascar posters at least) and, after settling in, checked out the real glow worms. In certain areas of NZ there are these little creatures (larva of a mothlike animal) that glow at night in order to attract insects into their sticky tentacles for a snack. Glowworms are sensitive to noise and light and apparrently only congregate in moist areas (caves or dark stream valleys). The front desk person at the Glowworm gave us a tiny wind up flashlight that wasn't worth crap and we set off into the pitch black night at a trail where she said they'd be. It was a little strange to hike in the dark but after about 20 minutes of walking we turned off out lights and there they were, like little stationary lightening bugs everywhere. It was neat.

Still No Sea Shells

This is a picture of our most recent beach visit in Kaikoura, right before our whale-watching trip. It was sunny and beautiful, but not normal beach weather. And all rocks, no sand or shells.

Comments, Please!

We have received numerous emails that people are reading and enjoying our blogsite, and we are super stoked! But go ahead and post your emails to the comments section so that others can see them as well. Plus you can let us know what else you are doing and what else you would like to hear from us.

Cheers,
Kelly and Alan

NZ reminds me alot of KY

The two have alot in common. They both are filled with beautiful scenery (although more mountainous here), engage in alot of agriculture (more so with sheep than cattle or pigs), have metropolitan areas (like Auckland and Wellington) but consist primarily of small towns (which basically shut down at 8pm sharp here), and also have some tackiness (parts of the country really remind me of Gatlinburg). I am fairly amazed at how far the Kiwis have taken this 'adventure' travel slogan. Practically every large farm pond in the countryside here has a jet boat trip that you G-force you into sloggy hell (haven't you seen these 'tournaments' on late-night ESPN2?). Plus one street's median in Wellington allows you to bounce above traffice and partygoers in King's Island fashion (shown in the picture). But KY may be one up still on NZ. A newspaper article caught my eye the other day with Kentucky in the headlines. Seems the Kiwis have found out that KY has opened the Creation Museum, and they want to know when to book their flights once the Flat-Earth Museum opens next door. Sometimes reputation is not a good thing. --Alan

No More Nascar Posters

I am happy to report that since the Nascar poster experience (which I am trying desperately to block from my memory) we have had great experience with accommodations (what Kiwi's call them). In Wellington we stayed at the Wellington City YHA were we had a great room with a tv, hot nice shower, and even chocolates on our pillows. In Kaikora it got even better at the Dusky Lodge (named for the Dusky Dolphin we presume) where our room was cozy and stepped it up a notch with a flat screen tv. Thinking we had hit the peak of what $60-90 NZ dollars would get us, we had the best night ever last night in Springfield (a tiny town outside of Christchurch), when we stayed at the Springfield Lodge and Accommodation. We had a four room lodge completely to ourselves, complete with a roaring fire, big tv with movies and yes, just like in US ski towns, a hot tub that was warm and bubbly! We also had an astounding view of the Southern Alps and a sheep herd (much to Alan's joy) from our back windows. Here is am in my standard NZ uniform (long johns) looking very happy and feeling like a new woman. Bring on the glaciers (our next stop)!! -- Kelly

Thar She ("He") Blows!!

Tuesday was an awesome day. We woke up to a beautiful warm day in Kaikoura, a beach town on the east coast of the South Island. The focus of the day was a approx. 3 hour whale watching boat trip that we booked yesterday. To say that it was incredible is an understatement. Definitely a highlight of our trip thus far. The ocean was calm and beautiful and we could see for miles. We had been out on the water only a very short while when we saw two sperm whales, one right after the other! These were not just momentary sightings either. Sperm whales come up from the depths of the ocean to reoxygenate for 10 to 15 minutes at a time so we got to hang out with each one for several minutes before seeing their absolutely amazing tails flip up as they dove back down to feed. Both whales were readily identified by the boat staff by the distinctive bumps at the base of their heads and by the shapes of their tails (We saw Rua and Taikiri). Sperm whales live in Kaikora's waters year round to feed on the abundant krill in the area. Only, male sperms live here though. Apparently, the water is much to cold for the smaller females who stay much further north.

One would think that seeing these two magnificent creatures would certainly be the highlight of our day but on the way back to the dock we joined a pod of literally HUNDREDS of Dusky dolphins. Alan got some great video footage of this. They swam with us for at least 20 minutes jumping continuously and immediately next to the boat. It was quite a humbling and moving experience to be surrounded by these beautiful animals. They swam with such speed and ease and seemed to be having some fun with our boat before passing us by. We will never forget it.

Driving thru NZ

On Sunday we dropped off "Feisty", our Mazda Familia near the ferry depot after 4 days and 820km of driving on the North Island. We called it that because it had some real transmission difficulties, rattling considerably when waiting at stop lights. It is ridiculously expensive to transport a car across the Cook Strait to the South Island.

The BlueBridge ferry was a huge, relatively unsightly vehicle from the outside, but it was nice enough on the inside. We were able to catch a nap on short couches, read the newspaper, watch 'Finding Nemo', and see the scenery in the 3.5 hour trip to the South Island. The ports are not right on the outside shorelines, so you get to travel through some beautiful, green straits on the way out and in.

Then we picked up another rental car from the same company on the other side. It's called "Patch" because it's missing a hubcap on the front. This car rental is funny, to say the least. The rental agreements have diagrams of the car (just like in the US) which shows the previous damage to the vehicle. They all have 220,000km+ on them and have been very beat up by the backpackers over time. We joke that they should save time and say "beat to hell" instead of "scratches all over, including ..." We have purchased additional insurance, however, for $US7 a day. The basic rental rate includes insurance, except for a $NZ1500 exception if in an accident or sustaining other damage to the vehicle. No matter whose fault an accident is, the rental company will charge the money to your credit card and it is your responsibility to get it back afterwards, which obviously would be difficult when in another country. So we bought the additional insurance, which makes the exception $NZ200. It saves us peace of mind. Kiwis use 'grit' or small pebbles, not sand, in the mountains for traction, and you hear the constant ping of rock against body panels and the windshield constantly. And crazy steriod-laden mountain parrots try to steal rubber off your car when you aren't paying close attention (see the picture left). Plus we can drive through the rental agency's garage door cheaply if they close early on us.

Day in Wellington

On Sunday, we spent a lazy day in Wellington. It was rainy for most of the day. We spent several hours at the museum Te Papa, which, according to Poker O'Carra's brother Colm, is the best in NZ. It was quite impressive and had a lot of exhibits on NZ's history, natives, culture and animals. I've just asked Alan how to decribe the museum in a way that would convey its impressiveness and he said "you could jump on stuff and crank stuff." To translate, the museum had a great exhibition on the frequent earthquakes and other constant volcanic activity that allowed you feel an earthquake and create fault lines on a display.

That night we laid low and got some take out ("take aways" as they are called here) from a local restaurant and watched a movie in our hotel room. All this eating out in New Zealand is starting to get to me. They don't seem to have a lot of healthy food here. I've been eating more than my fair share of fries, breads and fried meats. I need a carrot! -- Kelly

Happy Father's Day

A few things here remind us of how small the world is (and not necessarily in a good way), such as the ever-present McDonald's, Subway's and KFC's. But they also remind us of what we miss when we travel for long periods of time. Our friends Brian and Amy are expecting their second child any day, and we won't be there to congratulate them. We miss seeing our friends and work colleagues on a regular basis. And we won't be home to wish our fathers a special day. Traveling away from home lets you know how short life is and what to appreciate.

Congrats Whitney and Adrian!!

Alan and I are the token losers in a couples poker club that meets to take our money once a month. If we have our dates correct, Whitney and Adrian, the last of our unwed members, were scheduled to take the plunge this weekend. As we have received no emergency e-mails to the contrary we are assuming that Whitney actually went through with it. Congrats guys, we are toasting you tonight! -- Kelly and Alan

Arrival in Wellington

Saturday after tramping, we drove on to Wellington, NZ's capital and our end destination for the North Island. We got here around 8:30 pm and we will stay here through Monday (tomorrow) morning when we take the ferry over to Picton. The drive to Wellington was long and in Alan's state of exhaustion he actually turned over the wheel to me for a while. Driving on the left hand side of the road messes with the American mind. Especially when you are trying to gawk at the sheep that are grazing on near vertical fields ( yes, the dots in the picture are sheep)! --Kelly

Tramping it Kiwi style

Saturday morning, we left the Waldorf, bought some hand sanitizer and made the two and 1/2 hour drive to gorgeous Tongariro National Park. http://www.nationalpark.co.nz/. There are three active volcanoes in the park, one of which served as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movie series. It was absolutely frigid (I don't know the exact temp as I still have not figured out how to convert from celcius) but breathtakingly beautiful. Originally, we wanted to do the famous Tongariro Crossing, which is a six to seven hour day tramp (which is a hike for non-Kiwis). However, due to inclement weather and gale force winds, they were requiring crampons and ice axes for it. Given that I would barely be able to recognize such instruments, much less actually use one to scale a rock face, we opted for a shorter 2 1/2 hour Taranaki falls tramp. Later we actually read about three Europeans that had been injured (hypothermia, broken bones) trying to make the cross and had be airlifted out a couple of days ago. Although Alan and I's faces are now completely wind-chapped, we survived and it was awesome hike. And no, still no brown Kiwi siting. -- Kelly

The Waldorf It Wasn't

After the thermal pools, we realized that we weren't going to quite make it to Tongariro (the Kiwi version of a "highway," is definitely not the same as in the US), we decided to stay Friday night (that's Thursday for you) in Taupo, a lake town and local ski area that is on the way. Up to this point we've basically been reading up on places to stay as we are driving to an area and then just pulling into the one that sounds like the best for the money for the night. This tactic worked fine until dreaded Taupo. Even though the ski fields (that's what they call them here) weren't even open yet, this town was overrun with people from god knows where. Kiwi's shouting "cheers!" and "no worries!" were everywhere. It was cold as hell, and short of a bunk bed we could not find anything. We ended up having to stay at "Burk's." Burk's was sketchy at best. The hot water was lukewarm and the heater had two settings, blasting out scalding hot air or off. No in between. But the best was the decor, a Nascar poster on a bare chipped wall. I am not kidding. Krista, you would have absolutely refused to stay in this place. Please keep your fingers crossed for good accommodations from here on out for us. -- Kelly

Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

Yes, another hokey name. Friday, we left Rotorura to head for Tongariro National Park.

On the way we stopped at the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland which is a large area of geothermal activity in the central part of the North Island. New Zealand is situated across two tectonic plates and therefore contains a huge faultline. There are numerous active volcanoes in the country and parts of the country experience seismic activity in the form of a small earthquake like once a week. Anyway, Waiotapu is an area of where some of this pressure vents in the form of geysers, very colorful acidic pools and other bubblies. It was quite amazing but smelly (the air reeked of suphur). We are glad we stopped. Here is their website. http://www.geyserland.co.nz/history.htm -- Alan and Kelly

Adventure portion of our Fiji Trip

We had alot of relaxation time on the island, but we also had some adventure. The snorkelling directly off the beach was the best I have ever encountered in all of my years of snorkelling and scuba diving. We went at least once a day. This particular reef was even mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook. It only had one break that could fit a small boat through at low tide. This was an issue around the island so few new resorts will ever go up here, which is not the case with many other islands we passed on the way. We took a 3 hour boat trip there from the airport on a ferry catamaran that stopped at different island to drop off and pick up backpackers. We took a 1.5 hour resort boat directly back today. It was nice to do both to see the difference. We went scuba diving through the resort twice. We would go in the bay directly out from the resort. It was definitely nice, but not the best I had ever seen. But Kelly did great on her first dives! So that's all that matters in the end. She survived and had a great time diving. Plus we got them under her belt before we hit Australia. We also went hand-line fishing at sunset with a local from the resort. We tossed in a hook with bait and a weight and let it fall to the bottom in 40 meters of water. I caught a bonita and Kelly caught a barracuda. We had the bonita cooked up for us for lunch on our last day. It was large and in charge on the platter! Again the snorkelling was the highlight for me. I saw coral and fish that I had not seen in 7 years of scuba diving. Of course we are in an ocean that I have not visited before. But regardless it was completely awesome, especially doing it with Kelly. -- Alan

Kim: I saw a Zorb!

I have been given strict instructions by Kim to keep my eyes peeled while here in New Zealand for something called the Zorb, which is essentially a large plastic ball that you climb into and then roll down a big hill. Apparently New Zealanders are really into this type of thing, which is called "zorbing." Low and behold, between the sheep heards at the Agrodome, we saw one. Unfortunately, Kim, I am sad to report that I did not "go for a spin" in it. Because of the wind conditions, they would only let you do a "wet roll", which meant they put water in the center of the ball with you. Given that it's about 32 degrees here, I decided this was not for me. These pictures are of someone a bit more adventurous. -- Kelly

Farm Life in Rotorura

We arrived in Roturura, New Zealand yesterday, June 14 and are spending the day here. This area is very agricultural and, as far as the people, kind of reminds me of how I might imagine Alaska to be-- more men than women and kind of a salt of the earth type. The night we got here we ate at the Fat Dog and then ventured out to a local bar, the Pheasant Plucker, for some local microbrew beer (very tasty) and dancing with the locals. Somehow I ended up on the dance floor with some guy named Cookie, a 60+ year old Polynesian guy who danced a bit like Elaine from Seinfield -- My loving husband laughing at me from the sidelines.

This morning we went to a huge agricultural farm that gives tours. It seems like everything here is named something hokey and this place was called "The Agrodome." There are more sheep in this area than humans and at the farm they had 19 different breeds of them. They also had red deer (which they farm here for meat and hide) as well as ostriches, pigs, alpaca, cattle and goats.

One more thing about Rotorura, the air here smells of sulphur. There a tons of mineral springs in this area (one of which we are touring later today). We will report on that later. -- Kelly