More Pictures

I was able to get the pictures off of the other camera. I'll be putting up pictures for the next several days, a few each day. This batch will be all pictures from Australia.

Sydney Skyline with botanical gardens (from Jurong Precinct)

A view of Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef

Kakadu National Park: Top, on the hike to Jim Jim Falls. Bottom, looking back from Twin Falls

Uluru: Top, at sunset. Bottom, at sunrise. The red glow is spectacular at the beginning and end of the day.

King's Canyon: Top, a view of the canyon. Middle, the Garden of Eden (amazing to see tropical plants in the middle of the desert). Bottom, waterfall flowing in King's Canyon (only occurs a few days of the year).

Sun setting over Kata Tjuta

Some Pictures

I have made it home and I have finally gotten around to taking my pictures off of my camera. A little problem, though: I can't get the pictures off of one of my cameras (the good one, of course). Hopefully I can remedy this quickly. For now, here are some from the other camera.

Australia

The obligatory shot of the Sydney Opera House

A giant clam and some fish on the Great Barrier Reef off of Cairns (from inside a semi-submersible; I didn't take any pictures when I went snorkeling)

Crocodiles: The ones in the top pic were at a croc farm near Cairns and the one in the bottom was on the Mary River

Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr: Top, depiction of edible animals and how to prepare them. Middle, a warrior (a great story behind it. It's a little long, so if you are interested let me know). Bottom, a Tasmanian tiger (now extinct)

Notice the look of discomfort on my face. Several possible reasons: (1) the flies, (2) the camel behind me just spit on me, (3) it is 105 degrees out and (4) I thought I was about to get thrown off. It was a good time.

New Zealand

Sandboarding at Cape Reinga

Zorbing in Rotorua

Craters of the Moon, outside Taupo. Thermal pools and vents. Very spooky feel, you half expect to see dinosaurs. Except these vents are only 40 years old. They were formed when they started drawing super-heated water from below ground a few miles away.

More pictures to come, hopefully soon.

Last day of fun

I guess it wasn't the last day of fun I will ever have, but the last day of fun that I will have in New Zealand. The best way to describe New Zealand is to say that it is a big playground with lots of toys for you to play with. If you can think of something that is fun, a Kiwi has already come up with it and made it crazier than you could imagine. Fast boats? They have jet boats that can travel at 50 knots...and do 360 degree turns within a length of the boat (it started on the Shotover river in Queenstown). They also invented the bungee jump (A.J. Hackett opened the first commercial site on the bridge over the Kawarau River). And then there is the Zorb. You sit in a big ball (about 7 feet in diameter), they put in some water (about 4 inches) and then you go careening down a hill. You are not strapped in and are free to slide and tumble about in the zorb. If you ever wanted to jump in your washer machine (you know who you are, the people who try to open the lid just enough so they can see what is going on without having it shut off), this is for your. It's like a water slide that continually lays the slide down in front of you. It is the most fun that I have had in a very long time. And that was just what I did this morning.

In the afternoon I went white water rafting. Grade 5, 14 rapids, the tallest being a 22 foot waterfall. I sat in the front of the boat, and took the brunt of the force of the water pouring over the front of the boat at the bottom of the water falls. I probably drank an extra 3 gallons of the river during the trip. Lots of fun, but it didn't compare to zorbing. I should have split them up, but it still made for a great day.

Some things are better left unsaid...

I went to the Waitomo Caves today, and on the trip I did a little cave exploration. The cave in question, named The Lost World, requires that you abseil 100 meters from the surface into the cave. The harness and other equipment would obviously play an important part in safely making it to the bottom of the cave. After jokingly kidding with the guide to not underestimate how fat I truly was, he fitted me with a harness. Everything was good at this point, as I still had two feet firmly planted on solid ground. After attaching to the rope I would go down and starting down, the guide looks at me and tells me I would have been better off with a different harness. Hearing that I was going to have trouble with my descent was not the best thing, especially with 90 meters to go. The 20 minutes that followed were pretty intense, as you could imagine, but everything turned out OK. And what a ride it was. Descending down the rope was exhilarating, and the hike through the cave was tremendous. Granted, climbing a ladder for 30 meters is not fun, but when everything is pitch black around you, save for what your headlamp illuminates and the glow worms on the ceilings, the rush is incredible.

The cave experience was in sharp contrast to my journeys over the last few days, which included a tour of an uninteresting old town that does not resemble its old glory days, a boat ride on which our group was the only boat of the day not to see orcas or dolphins and my arts &crafts trip. Aside from sandboarding (riding a boogie board down a 15o foot tall sand dune), the entire trip was better suited for the 2 pm bingo bus that makes its way around Leisure Village.

Tomorrow brings with it a white water rafting trip, apparently through grade 5 rapids. Saturday brings with it a return to Auckland and the end of my trip on Sunday.

Sailing in Auckland

Auckland is referred to as the City of Sails, so I decided to go sailing on an America's Cup boat. The boat I was on, NZL40, never actually sailed for the cup, though. It started out its life as the cup boat for a French syndicate who ran into financial troubles and ended up unable to compete. The accountant for the syndicate, however, had no such financial troubles as he had embezzled all of the money. And no one noticed for 5 years. So I would say that this boat has a black cloud over it.

Now to the sailing. It is a hands on trip, so the passengers (14 of us) were able to steer and help keep the tension on the sails by grinding. Basically grinding entails 8 people operating 4 cranks, one person on each side of the crank. Each crank has 2 handles that are offset by 180 degrees, so each person on each crank has 1 hand on each of the 2 handles (there will be a quiz at the end). So we are sailing, having a good time, enjoying a nice breeze and going about 12 knots. It's a little overcast, but that is keeping it cool and there was no glare. Couldn't be better. So after an hour, we turn back towards downtown Auckland.

Except downtown Auckland isn't there. It was there, only it was obscured by the rain that had engulfed it. We are now sailing into a squall, with rain pouring down and the wind gusts around 25 knots. The rain felt like needles. We also had to tack, since the wind was not at our backs. I was at a grinding station mid boat when I heard a big thud. I turned to see an older gentleman on his back on the low side of the boat, his glasses cocked at a 45 degree angle. Apparently he couldn't brace himself as we tacked, left his feet momentarily and almost went into the water.

My partner at the grinding station for this bit was a crew member. I believe her name was Helen. The thing about grinding is that the cranks come very close to your face, especially if you lean in. So I am cranking away and all of a sudden, bam, my fist makes solid contact with Helen's face. She leaned into the crank, it wasn't my fault, honest. Now, I have done and said some stupid things to chase women away, but this is the first time that I have accidentally punched one. She was OK, but I felt bad. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon.

Right on cue, the sun came out and the rain stopped as soon as we got back onto the dock. The black cloud over NZL40 added to its legend today. At least in my mind, anyway.

The Ride is Complete

The end of the bike tour of the South Island has arrived. While at times it felt like boot camp (Guide: "You want lunch? Fine, you'll have to cycle uphill for the next 35km. I'll see you there." Me: "Great. Sounds like fun. Are any of the plants on the side of the road edible?"), it was still a great trip and I don't think that there is a better way to experience the this part of the world. The last few days were spent cycling through the fiordlands, kayaking with penguins and dolphins and spending a night on a boat anchored in Milford Sound. The highlight was the downhill to Milford Sound, which was steep and fast and lasted for at least 20 minutes. Control during this descent was only an illusion and the adrenaline rush incredible. Seeing the penguins, dolphins and seals on the sound was also incredible.

I will be heading to Auckland and the North Island on Friday. That will bring me to the last week of my initial trip, but I still have a lot planned. Sand boarding on Cape Reinga, sailing through the Bay of Islands, abseiling 100m into a cave in Waitomo and white water rafting near Rotorua will make the last week in New Zealand one to remember.

The Tour de Two

The bike tour has gotten off to a good start. The other rider is a young Australian named Kristen. She apparently trained for the tour by actually riding a bicycle. This is paying dividends on the more difficult hills and mountain passes. My custom half marathon training (who needs the long runs, I say) seems to have prepared me for the downhill and flat regions, but little else. Especially not the bike seat.

Day 1
The first ride was an uphill climb into the clouds while it was raining. Not the start that I had envisioned. The corresponding downhill through the clouds, however, was breathtaking. We were riding on a volcanic crater, and on the left was a lake and the right the Pacific Ocean. The second ride of the day was through farm lands. I apparently make an easy target for birds (big birds, mind you, with big beaks and talons) who would dive on me and crash into my helmet. It was fun.

Day 2
We started the ride with a gradual 20km climb. Good weather, but the birds were back again. Not too bad. As we passed a field where some cattle were grazing, the entire herd turn and ran with us for several hundred meters. It takes you down a notch when you are peddling as fast and hard as you can and a cow passes you and then stares you down. Then we got to Burke's Pass. This is a mountain pass, emphasis on the mountain. Good news is that there were spectacular views. Bad news was that my lungs and legs nearly exploded. And I walked the last 100m up the steepest section. After lunch we took a 3 hour hike up to the top of Mt. John to check out the views.

Day 3
Made the decision to switch to a new seat. The old one had a second cousin who was a shoe horn. The new one is more like an ottoman. Good switch. The ride today was nice, with some small hills to go up and down. No birds. The afternoon was spent hiking the Hooker Valley to see an absolutely amazing view of Mt. Cook.

Day 4
My legs were more sore than at any other point in my life, and it took an extra long time to get out of bed. In addition to the normal 30-40 mile road rides, we took a ride on a trail that took us along the shores of a lake and a river. The trail was only about 3 feet wide, and one of the sides consisted of a sheer drop down 20 feet into the water. Throw in some large roots, rocks and sandy patches and it was the best ride so far.

Day 5
Brutal start to the day with a nasty uphill, but rain cut short the morning rides (proof that there is a God). The afternoon ride was very hilly, with two of the steepest hills yet. The only consolation during the ride was that Day 6 is an off day with no cycling.

That brings me to today, an off day in Queenstown. It is a bit touristy, but definitely the most beautiful town that I have been to on the trip so far. It is on a lake and is surrounded by the Remarkables, a mountain range that lives up to its name. The goal for today is to rest my weary legs and enjoy the day.

In summary, my legs are sore, sitting down is not an easy thing, but it is all worth it.