Rotto Dive Number Thousand

I did a dive on ANZAC day this week. ANZAC day fell on a Wednesday this year. It is similar to our Remembrance day but with more of a relaxed feel.

I got picked up by the president of the dive club. He is a pretty relaxed dude. The dive was pretty cruzy. We did Bouncy Bay just off the eastern coast of Rottnest Island. I reckon that it was my favorite dive thus far. I lasted 68 minutes on 3700 PSI. I legit came up with about 400 PSI cause we had to do two safety stops. My dive buddy got some great shots of me diving and is supposed to email them to me at some point. I have to get a 7 mm wet suit soon. The water has hit about 20 C which is just freezing.

Since it was a public holiday, the boat actually took us onto the island for a drink and a snack. We had lunch at the Rottnest Island Pub. I had delicious margarita pizza. I saw a quokka - it is half kangaroo and half rat. They are adorable but feral little things.

The American Navy is in Fremantle for the next three months. Thus, whilst they are here, their aircraft carriers and several other major navy artilery boats are in the bay. The boat took us around the aircraft carrier. They are massive yet so small for a plane to land. The boats mean that American Navy are in town ruining the city with their drunkness. They got to be in the city for three days and now are patrolling the water for the next three months.

 AFN

Photos From New Zealand

https://plus.google.com/photos/102267298311394255173/albums/5731806624768068497

https://plus.google.com/photos/102267298311394255173/albums/5731558723626402849

Queenstown to Franz Josef, New Zealand - April 11, 2012

Today the aim was to get to Franz Josef to see the Cook and Fox Glaciers. They are one of three glaciers that you can actually just walk onto. A four hour bus ride there was spent sleeping - all I missed was sheep, cows, the odd mountain, and sheep. The town itself is quaint and basically one main street. A spinach salad took an hour to make because, well, salads are hard to make - lettuce, dressing, and pecans.

I did a heli-hike on the Fox Glacier. It is stunning to see blue and green ice. The helicopter ride was pretty insignificant because of the terrain that we saw. I miss hiking and the cold actually. I got to climb through an actual crack to an under ice river. The glacier moves at a pace of 4 m per day. Glacier water from the river was one of the freshest things that I think exists. 

Just before dinner, a couple of girls and myself headed out to the hot pools. They were advertised as "natural" but in reality were just giant hot tubs of various temperatures.

I am just ready to go home to my own bed and not share a room with anyone. 

AFN

Queenstown, New Zealand - April 10, 2012

Today was epic. I woke up to go white water rafting down the Shotover River. To get to the river you have to go down a road named "Goldfinger Road". No lie - it is the scariest road I think in the world. It is barely big enough for the van to be on it. One side is sheer cliff to death and the other is the top of the road with a sheer cliff. It was not for the feign of heart. The forty minute drive was well worth it though. White water rafting was a lot of fun. I guess we did the top ten most dangerous rapids in the southern hemisphere. It didn't feel that big of rapids though. The river was a balmy 2 Celsius and the outside temperature only 1 Celsius. Getting wet was a death sentence.

I literally jumped straight onto another coach to get to my third bungee jump - the Ledge at a 45m drop. Ledge was incredibly terrifying - you can do anything you want to jump off of this one. I decided to back flip off of this one. The view is spectacular as you can see the entire view of Queenstown and surrounding area. You can do a second jump for $30 and since the staff didn't feel like unbelting me then rebelting me, I did the jump twice in a row within five minutes of each other. This really didn't put fear into me. It was a significant amount of time to free fall before the bounce.

The afternoon was spent at the Canyon Swing. It is basically a bungee jump that ends up swinging at the end. Whoever came up with the idea was brilliant. It was the most terrifying thing I did. I jumped backwards the first time then I jumped with my hands behind my back. No hands to grab the rope is more terrifying than not being able to see where you are going. The swing is 209 m long with about a minute free fall time.

AFN

Queenstown, New Zealand – April 9, 2012

This morning started off rainy and cloudy – skydiving was cancelled. I was SOL. I was a little disappointed that I could not jump out of a plane at 15,000 feet. However, I do have another things planned for the day.

I had a coffee and a read on the balcony over looking the Remarkable mountain region.  The mountains are called the “Remarkable Mountains”; it is not just a describing term. They are stunning and have a tiny bit of snow at the top already. It is supposed to snow tonight in the mountains and it may make its way into town. Ski hills open the first weekend in June.

Queenstown is New Zealand’s version of Banff. It is a quaint ski town with the summer options of bungee, sky diving, hiking, paragliding, etc. It is as the adventure capital of the world according to the local guides and tourist shops. There is only one main road with two pretty significant roads beside it to the town. Hiking shops, cafes, adventure tourist shops, and a Starbucks are the majority of shops along the roads.  

I had a bungee jumping booking at 12:10 through AJ Hackett to do the “Nevis” jump. You walk to the shop from the hotel, roughly 20 minutes all down hill, to this shop dedicated to checking people in for the bungee jumps. Once you were weighed then signed your life away, you hopped on the Nevis shuttle. The physical jump is 40 minutes outside of Queenstown. The bungee location is in the middle of a canyon 300 m above a river. You have to take a gondola out to the station that has a glass floor. The physical station moves in the wind and when people jump. I had the same crew as yesterday, so they made sure I had an awesome jump. I gave my camera to them and some of the pictures they took are ridiculously hilarious.

The jump boasts a 143m fall with you attached via your feet. It was about a 45 second free fall before the first bounce. I did not scream this time; I enjoyed jumping off way too much. On the second bounce, you had to release your feet by pulling a strap to get you right side up. I managed to get it on the first attempt but sliced my finger. As such, I filled out a waiver stating that a Band-Aid would be the only thing I would need from the company. I was a lot calmer on this jump than the one yesterday.  It is the second largest bungee in the world behind one in South Africa. You take a gondola out to the station where you jump off of. From the point you jump to the ground is only 1,000 feet. The rope line is 143m for a 30 second free fall. With this jump, you have to actually pull a rip cord so that you can be pulled back up to the top upright.

After the jump, I headed into town and saw all that the town had to offer. Mainly the town had tons of tacky tourist shit and some very cute running clothes. I tried to buy adorable pink Nike trainers but they did not have my size.

I walked home uphill to the hotel before the group meets at a place called the Minus Five Ice Bar. Legitimately, it is made of all ice inside – the table, the glasses, and the seats. You are given Ugg boots, a heavy winter jacket and matching pants, and an ugly hat to wear while in the bar. Neat concept in a town that has snow…

Tonight was another early night. I cannot do the entire party thing when I have to be up at 7 am the next day.

AFN

Dunedin to Queenstown, New Zealand – April 9, 2012

The morning bus ride was a blur. I slept from Dunedin to Cromwell, our lunch stop. Cromwell is a town just north of Queenstown that is famous for its fruit. As such, the town central promenade has five statues of giant fruit - hilarious but very artistic. Subway was the lunch of choice in this small town. I do not know if the name had anything to do with the person, I did not bother asking.

Roaring Meg was the first photo pit stop. The story of the name is that during the gold rush men way outnumbered the women in the area. Thus, a brothel was established in this area to keep the men “entertained”. However, the men would go in have a good time and decide to marry one of the whores. This became such an issue that the brothel owner had to import the ugliest women he could find to keep his business thriving. Roaring Meg became well known in the area for her screaming while on the job. The actual look out point was a view of one of the wealthiest rivers during the gold rush and the surrounding mountainous area. The story was better than the view.

Kawarau River was the next stop. The Kawarau Bridge is home to the world’s first bungee jump by AJ Hackett. This bridge has a bungee set up in the middle. To get you prepared for the jump they wrap a towel around your ankles, then a strap around your ankles, then strap on top of all of that. The strap contraption is then attached to the physical bungee rope. Many people were shaking and a few backed out. Of course, I jumped the 43 m over the river. My choices for jumping on this bridge were either a swan dive or a superman dive. I chose a swan dive for its grace and simplicity. It is terrifying to have to put your toes onto the edge of the platform knowing your going to fall. I let out a small scream on the way down as I was dunked to my elbows in the river. The point where I finally was put into the boat was a moment of “oh thank god”. The experience is exhilarating and the biggest adrenaline rush I have yet to experience.

 After everyone who wanted to jump had, the tour headed slightly down the river to where we went jet boating. The drivers are crazy and have the best tourism based job in my opinion. You drive in boats down this canyon, do 360s, and come close to caves all done at high speeds. Did I mention that the max depth of water was one foot and the minimum depth of water was five centimeters?  

After all of this adrenaline rush, we finally had reached Queenstown - our home for the next three nights. Dinner was at the Skyline Restaurant. This restaurant sits 300 m above Queenstown with a splendid view of the city. A gondola takes you up and down to the main area.  The menu was an unbelievable buffet. My stomach is so full that I think I might have issues sleeping.

Tomorrow is an interesting day – sky diving, the world’s highest bungee jump, and an ice bar.

Wish me luck.

AFN

Lake Ohau to Dunedin, New Zealand – April 8, 2012

Hey y’all,

Today was an early morning brekky at the hotel. A continental breakfast was served at your own pace. We all jumped onto the bus to head to our next destination. The view consisted of rolling hills, three different lakes, and millions of sheep.

Our first picture stop was at the Benmore Dam. It was built in the 1960s out of 28 million tons of land. Lake Benmore is the largest manmade lake in New Zealand. It is a deep blue in color. The machinery to transfer the power to the North Island cost $6 million dollars.

The next picture stop was in Oamaru. It is a quaint little Victorian era town. Fun fact: it is the home of Steam Punk New Zealand. Steam punk is an interesting movement. It believes in recycling technology of today and recreating the old. The history I would recommend doing a quick Google search to learn more about. Whilst the bus filling up with petrol, the group meandered around town. The main steam punk art I visited was a train that actually blew steam out. Roughly, 40 or so Hollywood movies have been filmed in this town. I can understand this due to the landscape and building structures.

The lunch stop was in a tourist location called Moeraki boulders. The attraction is perfectly circular rocks that are on the beach. The beaches thus far in New Zealand are completely different beaches to that of Australia. This beach was more hard packed, orange, and ugly. 130 kids ordered lunch all at once and some lunches were forgotten to be made. Of course, mine was forgotten so I missed out on fish and chips. Dang it.

Dunedin was our final destination on the bus today. The first stop was Baldwin Street. It’s claim to fame is that it holds the Guinness world record for steepest street. At the steepest point, the gradient is 1 in 2.86. The road is 161.2m long and climbs a vertical of 47.22m. I did climb the entire thing in flip-flops. Houses are straight but the fences follow the vertical.

After a quick refresh, the tour headed by foot to the Cadbury Factory.  Chocolate was handed out left right and center. My stomach actually hurts from the sheer amount of chocolate I ate. I didn’t know that certain Cadbury chocolate types are only sold in New Zealand. The sugar comes from Queensland, Australia, the milk comes from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the actual cocoa beans are from Malaysia, Ghana, and the Congo. All Cadbury chocolate is made in the Southern hemisphere and then shipped around the world. The beans are husked and roasted in Singapore then shipped to New Zealand. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are made in New Zealand but the dark chocolate brands are made in Tasmania.  

The chocolate factory was preceded by a tour of the Speight's Brewery. It is the dominating beer in New Zealand. Not a huge fan of beer so I didn't really pay attention. Dinner was at the Ale House attached to the Brewery. I had a chicken salad and ale house bread. 

Tomorrow we make our way to Queenstown. I am bungy jumping off the original bridge tomorrow morning.   

AFN

Christchurch to Lake Ohau, New Zealand – April 7, 2012

There was a small tremor last night in Christchurch that you could feel in the hotel. It is part of the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake of February 28, 2011. I only woke up cause things started to fall off the desk and such.

The morning was a big breakfast with 80 Contiki’ers in the mess hall. There were two trips leaving from Christchurch all from the same hotel. One is a longer tour that includes both islands and the other, mine, is a shorter version with just the south island. Seemingly, everyone is from Australia or studying abroad in Australia. I have yet to meet anyone who is just here for the tour.

Our tour manager explained some of the local Kiwi terms:

-       Bro is a common term similar to the Aussie mate

-       Togs are bathing suits

-       Jandals are flip flops – short for Japanese sandals

-       Sweet as means it’s all good

The drive is stunning. New Zealand is one of the most scenic and stunning countries I have been too. The drive to Geraldine, our first stop, was incredible. You saw tons of sheep, farmland, rolling mountains, and then actual mountains along the way. Each window side of the bus had different views.

Geraldine is home to the Guinness World Record for the largest knitted sweater. It is ugly as all sin. The woman who made it was equally ugly. Lunch was found here in a little café called the “Milk Bar”. I assumed it has something to do with the farmland surrounding it. Food was super cheap.

The bus ride from Geraldine to Lake Ohau (our sleeping destination) was spectacular. All of a sudden it was the Southern Alps and three different glacier fed lakes. Very breath taking scenery. Lake Tekapo was a teal clear blue with amazing views of the mountains. Pictures do not do it justice. Lake Pukaki has the backdrop of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps. Mount Cook is New Zealand’s largest peak. Mount Cook had actual snow on it and the Aussies were impressed to actually “see” snow live.

Kiwi’s actually put canals on the sides of the highway to refill the lakes which feed the hydro dams. New Zealand is powered mainly by hydro. They are teal in color and magnificent.

Lake Ohau was the first stop on this tour for sleeping. It is located in the town of Twizle. It is situated in the beginning of the Southern Alps with a view dead center of Mount Cook. It is very remote located. The water is blooming freezing though. I stuck one foot into it and decided against swimming in glacier water.

The hotel has incredible views of the lake. Sunset over the mountains and lake was astonishing. The restaurant over looked the lake facing the South Alps. Dinner was served to our group quite quickly. The menu was beef lasagna, mixed greens, baby potatoes, homemade bread, and a chocolate brownie topped with whipped cream. All in all a good meal.

Tonight’s occupancy is actually twin share due to the hotel constraints. My roommate for this trip is awesome. She goes to University of Arizona as a marketing major studying in the University of New Castle, Australia. We are not big partiers, so this partnership is going to work very well.

AFN

Perth, Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand – April 6, 2012

Kia Ora (hello),

I met Mrs. and Mr. Charlton in downtown Perth on Thursday for lunch and to get my backpack. They are wonderful people. It was nice to see a friendly face from home and hear stories about my group of friends. We ended up at Cottlesoe Beach for a drink or two and then we parted ways that arvo, me going to New Zealand and them going to Bali.

Air New Zealand has one of the funniest safety demonstration videos. I would recommend goggling it or you-tubing it.

My flight was delayed two hours in Perth to Auckland, which was a hassle. Your not allowed leaving the secured area once you have cleared security. Not shockingly, there is no food on the security clearance side. I was starving once I got onto my plane as I hadn’t eaten since lunch. Since I did not purchase a ticket with meals, I was not fed on the plane either.

The flight to Auckland is seven hours and ten minutes. The kid next to me puked for six straight hours on a full flight. I was not allowed to change seats anywhere. It blew. I didn’t end up sleeping on my overnight flight. The four-hour time difference did not help either. I was not a happy camper by this point in the travel – no sleep and feeling disgusting.

Since the plane was late leaving Perth, my connecting flight had left by the time the plane landed. I must say, going through customs in Auckland was an adventure. I was pulled out by Biohazard New Zealand. I had dirt on my hiking boots and was made to sanitize them right there in the airport. I paid an $110NZ fine for having dirt on hiking boots. The also make me unpack everything and repack it all in front of them.

You actually have to pick your baggage up in Auckland and personally take it to the domestic airport that is a fifteen-minute walk outdoors. I ran to make the next flight out to Christchurch. I did not end up checking my bag on the second flight. My backpack fit above the seat with my little day bag fitting under the seat.

The flight from Auckland to Christchurch is one of the most spectacular I have seen. It goes from beach tropics, to farmland, to mountains comparable to the Rockies, then to farmland again. It is only an hour and spare change - easy flight actually. Landing in Christchurch was interesting. The airport is an international airport but it doesn’t fly to Perth, only eastern states, which should be a three and a half hour flight from there.

I met other Contiki mates when I was checking into the backpacker motel. The three of us ended up walking around Christchurch. It is dead here. The earthquake has destroyed the majority of downtown and the fact it was Good Friday did not help either. The only things open in the city were a coffee bar, a strip club, and the backpackers’ pub.

The tour starts tonight, which should be interesting. This time I am staying in quad occupancy rooms.

AFN

Quick Turn Around

Today, I boarded a taxi at 4:40 am to get on a 6:10 am flight. Whoever thought I was a morning person was misinformed. The flight was easy and I slept the entire four hour flight.

I am only back in Perth until Thursday night to which then I board a plane to go to New Zealand.

This is my itinerary for the time I am gone:

I start in Christchurch and end in Christchurch. I am only doing the southern island this time. I couldn't get the time to do the entire thing. I was thinking that I did all of it when I booked it but I guess I opted to actually attend my midterms.

I am going sky diving, bungee jumping, and heli-hiking the Fox Glacier.

AFN

Bike Ride

This morning I studied while Aunt Sue and Jeff did the final works on their business here. The afternoon was spent doing a "quick" bike ride along the Yarra River in Melbourne.

We rented bikes from city from a program called Melbourne BikeCity. It is an initiative to get people to use greener technology and to improve tourism. You rent a bike for $2.60 for the day. These bikes are heavy as all hell. They probably weight about 15 lbs.

Jeff wanted to bike along the river so we did. Since Aunt Sue and I had gone along the river out of the city the plan was to go inner city along the river. We rode on highways without helmets and then got caught in some industrial area - all Aunt Sue directions. The executive decision to turn around was made. We rode along the river for probably 8 km total in about an hour and a half.

My calves and quads still hurt and I did this ride yesterday arvo.

AFN

Yarra River - Domine-Chadon Winery

The three of us ended up going to the Yarra River valley to a winery called the Domine-Chadon. It is owned by the Chadon family of France who make some type of famous wine.

The restaurant had been raved about - no one could find anything to eat (all "fancy food" items). Thus, we toured the winery then did a small tasting of a Saivon Blanc and a Chardonnay. Sparkling wine is actually distilled twice. The process of making it is more complex than still wine.

The view from the winery was stunning - rolling hills and vines.  


AFN

Great Ocean Road - Day Two

The road stretches 243 kilometres along the south eastern coast of Australia between the towns of Torquay and Warrnambool. The speed limit is 80 kilo most of the way as the road hugs the coastline. You get spectacular views of the Southern Ocean and the natural limestone and sandstone rock formations including Loch Ard Gorge, the London Arch and The Twelve Apostles.

We started the day with a short hike to the Erskine Falls which are about 30m high - unimpressive but still a good excuse to get out of the car. As part of the plan, we explored downstream into the more lush rainforest with giant ferns on the Erskine River Track which has a warning sign that the trail is meant only for "experienced bush walkers". We saw a kangaroo (it might have been a wallaby) bouncing up the river which was pretty cool. Aunt Sue screamed bloody murder. Jeff ended up slipping a few times. The hike was awesome and you felt like you were exploring undiscovered lands with no one else on the "path".

We then drove to Teddy's Lookout and then onto the Great Ocean Road. We stopped and climbed down Gibsons Steps to Gibson's beach where you get a vista of two of the apostles. Then onwards to view the rest of the 12 apostles which are famous limestone stacks. They are incredible.

We were meant to stay the night in Port Campbell but decided to drive inland back to Melbourne. McDonalds was the choice of meal as everyone was set on getting back into Melbourne.

AFN

Start of the Great Ocean Road

This morning I woke up had an early breakfast, went to the gym, and waited around for Jeff and Susan to finish all meetings. Aunt Sue and Jeff wanted to do the penguin feeding that I did previously so we meandered to the Melbourne Aquarium. I took tons of photos for them. Both looked adorable staring at penguins.

From the aquarium, we headed out of Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road. It was a bit of an issue getting out of the city but the highway was good. I have never met two people who can't drive in the same car. I feel like one of them is going to kill me behind the wheel for different reasons - one swerves in one lane and the other plays frogger at high speeds.

I was in charge of planning the entire weekend trip. We will see how that goes. 

We stopped at Bells Beach - the site of the Rip Curl Bells Beach surf competition. It had a rocky orange sandy beach. The waves were massive. I can see why it is an international surf haven. The road to Lorne is twisty and curvy done at mild speeds. The views of the ocean are spectacular. It really is indescribable. I have pictures of it. The final destination tonight was Lorne. Dinner was at Maple Ridge - a seafood place owned by a Canadian. I had king prawn, soft shell crab, french fries, and creme brulee. It was scrumptious.

Tomorrow's plan is that we head to Cape Otway for the lighthouse, do a waterfall hike, see wild koalas, maybe do a wine tour, and have another delicious dinner.

AFN