“Chit-Chats” with future teabags and a one-armed bandit

I’ll catch you up…

Laura and I decided we wanted to go to NZ several months ago, and decided to book a trip there as our “last hurrah” in the land(s) down under. Sitting in the airport now, waiting for my flight to leave (tomorrow morning @ 6AM), I couldn’t have imagined my trip going more differently than it did. Everything that could go wrong did. We broke just about every traveling rule there is. And I had the time of my life riding it out. I am now going to tell you a story of two young American girl’s adventure in a wild, desolate land, way, way down under.

Let me first start this little story with some background information on NZ (pronounced EN-ZED by the locals). Firstly, the entire population of NZ is 4 million.  1.1 million of these people live on Otago (the south island). The largest city in Otago is Christchurch, which has 300,000 people. The other 2/3 of the population is spread over this giant island, mostly in small towns. Dunedin and Queenstown are also larger towns. Aside from these towns, the whole place is pretty wild. There are a few small towns every couple hours on the road, the occasional sheep farm, and lots and lots and lots of sheep.

All of this is civilization is drowned out by the ominous presence of towering snow capped mountains with their silent power saturating the cool winter air.

NZ is the youngest country on Earth. This means the ecosystems here are young as well. There are no land mammals native to NZ. Everything from reindeer to moose to giant squirrels have been introduced (some more successfully than others) Marine mammals that exist consist of different species of seals, whales, and dolphins.

90% of roads in NZ wind through mountains. On the sides of 80% of these mountains are 99% of the world’s sheep. If I were to guess, I would say the ratio of sheep to New Zealanders would be 1:230. I’ll look that up later and let you know what the actual proportion is.

It's 1:20. There are 60 million sheep in the small country.

It is nearly impossible to get lost in NZ. There is basically one main road that connects all major towns and natural wonders.

The temperature was averaged about 50 degrees for lowland areas and 30 for mountainous areas.

New Zealand has three official languages: English, Maori, and Sign Language.

Outside of the mentioned meals, every other meal that was consume consisted of some combination of peanut butter, tim tams, jelly, bread, apples, and oranges. Livin’ on the cheap as my father would say.

My boot got a puncture right before we left. It was the only pair of shoes I brought. I wore a bag over my foot the entire week like the classy girl I am.  Oh, and I had a box of soymilk I’d take a couple swigs of everyday.

Oh, and I didn’t shower the entire time. Not really even sure why I packed a bag, because I pretty much just alternated the orientation of the layers I was wearing.

I think that’s enough of a basis for me to start this story.

June 9th-10^th – Airport/ Franz Josef

Laura and I depart Newcastle and arrive at the Sydney international terminal for our flight at 7:50 PM. After check in, we are informed that it is delayed until 8:50. No biggie. We get on the plane, go to our seats and strike up a conversation with a guy named Matt across the isle from us. After the plane takes off, we all pass out until we land in Christchurch around 2:00 AM (New Zealand time, there is a 2 hour time difference). We decided to just sleep in the airport because we had reserved a Wicked van to be picked up the next morning at 8:30 AM. We say our goodbyes to Matt and cuddle up on the ground in the cold airport. After relaxing our eyes for 5 hours, we wake up, get coffee, freshen up, etc before trying to book a shuttle into town. We were surprised to find Matt still at the airport, as his accommodation did not come through so he slept in the terminal as well. Colby, Matt’s friend, eventually comes back to the airport from his accommodation and they offer us a ride to get our camper once they pick up their vehicle at a local car depot.

I know, I know… don’t get in cars with strangers. That’s what you’re thinking. Just wait for the rest of the story. God works in mysterious ways is all I have to say.

Matt and Colby are Californians that basically are doing the same Australia study abroad gig Laura and I are.  They are both musicians and are in a band together. All being Americans, we had instant commrodery.

After arriving at the dealership, we all get in their car the “99 Cheapy” (They even let us ride in the trunk!) and they take us to the Wicked depot, take off our blindfolds, we exchange numbers (ever after determining our phones had very poor compatibility), and say goodbye. We were all trying to end up in Franz Josef glacier that night, so we hoped to possibly meet them there. Laura and I got our camper… it was mid-90’s Estima painted with wild colours and designs. The back even had an offensive quote. The van was equipped with 2 beds, pots, pans, plates, cutlery, a sink, a portable gas burner, a table, and a pair of furry pink handcuffs (I don’t want to know why)

Franz Josef is located on the west coast of the island, NW of Christchurch. It takes us 5 hours to drive there, though it seemed much shorter. Laura drove and I navigated (a.k.a. I was pasted to the window “oohing” and “aahing” at the fantastic scenery) I have never seen so many overwhelmingly huge, beautiful mountains. The car ride was like watching a Planet Earth documentary. No wonder they filmed LOTR here…

We arrive in Franz Josef just at sunset and it’s raining. We found some free wireless internet sitting in our camper and took about 20 minutes to check our email, find a campsite, check the weather, etc. When I go to turn the key, nothing happens. Well, clicking happens. 

Dead battery. What a bugger. So we walk around in the rain for about an hour looking for people to help us out (the Wicked call our fee for a dead battery is $140…no way were doing that) Being a veteran of dead batteries, I am confident we can find someone to jump us. We first go to the campground we were scoping out and ask the receptionist if she knows any way to help us out. After some crap advice about calling the town mechanic, a man walks in from the back room and takes over. We end up meeting him out by our camper and he gives us a jump. Afterwards, I remember him saying something like “if my daughter was in a different country with a flat battery at night in the rain, I would want someone like me to help them out” (I love New Zealanders situation #1)

So after that minor inconvenience, we booked a spot in the camper site and holed up in the van around 7:00 because we didn’t know what else to do in the pouring rain at night in this tiny town. Right after our arrival, I get a text from Matt and Colby telling us they are at the Château hostel. Getting a little stir crazy just sitting in a camper, we figure out where this place and go try to find them. We find them and end up hanging out in their hostel for the evening. Matt informs us it’s his birthday so we stay up celebrating his 22^nd b-day with “Chit-Chats” (low budget Tim-Tams), boiled eggs, a warm drink, and a game of Egyptian Rat Screw.

Shortly after the mid-night “happy birthday” song, we all headed to bed to get some rest for glacier hiking the next day.

June 11^th – Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

Rising early at 7:30 AM, we meet up with the boys and again, only to decide to part ways as they want to do the guided glacier hike. Before leaving we all booked a kayaking tour in Milford sound for the 12^th. They head to Franz Josef glacier and Laura and I head off to check out Fox Glacier with hopes to meet up later in the week.

First of all, we found this glacier and I almost had a heart attack just during the drive in. On one side of the narrow valley was a sheer vertical cliff towering over us (had to be at least 2,000 feet) , and on the other side were steep green mountains with waterfalls flowing between them. It looked like a scene from Avatar. I hate comparing things to movies but I’ve literally never seen anything so humbling. These two landforms eventually join to form the terminal face of the glacier.

The walk to the glacier took about 30 minutes and winded about the wide, pebbly valley carved out by thousands of years of sediment transport. From far off, the glacier looked quite small. But as we neared, we could feel the chill of the ice in the air, and the glacier was growing in size. By the time we were at the closest point possible, the air temperature had dropped at least 15 degrees. Things really came into perspective when I noticed two tiny specks atop the ice that I realized were people. 

After sufficient basking in the glacier glory, we headed back to the camper, off to our next destination. Next destination: Queenstown.

We leave the glacier around 11:00 AM and drive 7 hours to Queenstown. Our first roadside stop is under a bridge. There was a glacier river running through and lots and lots of cool rocks! Yay for till!

Second stop was a waterfall we spotted from the road.

Third stop was Bruce Bay. After driving along a coastline littered with rocks and sticks, I noticed there was a level of organization involved. Upon closer inspection, we realized that all the rocks were conspicuously piled and drawn upon by travelers like us. It was nearly a quarter mile of rock piles with funny drawings, signatures, and quotes. Laura and I obviously left our little mark as well.

Arriving in Queenstown by evening, we booked a spot at a camper site operated by an amputee self-titled “the one-armed bandit”.

A little about Queenstown…

It’s located next to a large blue lake and is surrounding by towering white mountains. It’s most well known for the awesome skiing conditions. The entire city is built into the side of a mountain and centers around a lake. If you’ve ever been to Tahoe, it had very much the same feeling. Very chill, everyone’s friendly and outdoorsy.

On the plane Matt told us about a epic burger place called “Fergburger”. I love burgers, so we sought out on foot to find this fabled joint. And DO we find it! This place is a bar/burger place that seemed to be packed during all hours of operation (8:00 AM – 5:00 AM) I ordered classic Fergburger and this thing was literally the size of my head. Ingredients are fresh hourly drove in from local farms several times a day. Buns are huge, warm, and toasted.  I literally couldn’t stop eating it. Literally… that good. The only thing I regretted was spoiling my taste for every burger I would ever eat again. I actually don’t know if I will eat burgers anymore.

With our bellies filled to the brim, we headed back to the camper and fell into a food-induced comatose state, hoping to have digested all the goodness before going BUNGEE JUMPING the next day. Weeeeeee!

June 12^th -- Queenstown

We wake up early to a flat tire of all things. Wtf mate? Since we have a bungee reservation at 10:45 AM, I walk to the front desk to ask if we can leave the van at the site until we are done with our “tour”. They agree, and on the way back to our camper, the one-armed bandit comes out of his camper in his bathrobe and starts asking me questions about our situation. He said he would take care of it while we were gone (I love New Zealanders situation #2)

Very few things scare me in life.

1. Getting chased up stairs and getting my butt smacked (thanks to my siblings)
2. My teeth falling out (recurrent dreams haunt me)
3. Faulty equipment

The third of which had my mind racing before this so called “jump”.

So Laura and I get to the bungee place, and kill 30 minutes on their free Internet waiting for the shuttle to leave. After saying our goodbyes to our loved ones, we load the bus. I had been trying to put this event out of my mind for the last couple days, but it became very real as we were traveling up the side of mountain on a rickety dirt road in a large top-heavy bus. Then, I saw it. The bungee “platform” is a small pod strong on a cable between two mountains. Of course all I saw was a tin can and some dental floss. So we suit up and the 5 people in our group take the transport (a little basket about the size of a bathtub) over to the main pod. We step in and the tunes are jamming, and I relax a little bit. We are ordered to jump by weight, so I am 2^nd to last, and Laura is last. Great…now I spend all this time nervous laughing/almost crying as I watch the others plummet into the gorge. I just keep thinking about if the cable snaps and we all smash into the rocks or the harness fails and I just never stop falling…the list goes on.

So finally it’s my turn. I make the mistake of telling the guide “I like being scared” and he does everything in his power to spook me including releasing the back of the chair so I fly back and then fake throwing me over the edge. By the time I am strapped in and ready to jump I’m quivering with fear. I waddle over to the platform (consisting of a small metal square jutting out from the main pod) and look down into the deep valley below me. Gulp…. I’m shaking… here goes nothing. I yell at the top of my lungs “PEACE, LOVE, NEW ZEALAAAAAND!!!” and launch myself into the cold air with my airs spread eagle. Then I heard screaming… lots of screaming.

Then silence.

I was soaring. 8 full seconds of pure soaring. 134 metres of flying (or as Buzz Lightyear would say “falling with style”) . I finally feel the recoil of the cord and I’m still upside down hearing only the sound of the wind in my ears complemented by some heavy breathing. It takes a minute or two to reel me in. As I near the top I wake up from the shock and start hootin’ and hollerin’ and I can still feel my adrenalin pumping. Now THAT was great. Laura’s turn. She executes a graceful jump and screams only shortly. Upon return she looked just as thrilled as I felt.

What a freakin’ rush!

With a heavily packed schedule we head back to the camper park to check out our flat tire situation. While we were gone, the one-armed bandit called up his mechanic friend to come out and fix up our car for just $50. (My initial plan was to Google “how to change a tire” and resolve it that way. Hey, I’ve always wanted to learn! But… Laura wasn’t comfortable with that) Thanks to him, we were on our way! Off to Milford Sound!

Laura is driving and along the way (well, after passing dozens of cars thanks to lead-foot) we come upon the ’99 Cheapy. Guess who? This country’s a lot smaller than we thought!

So we end up caravanning our way along the highway. Close to the end of the drive, the road winds up into the mountains and we see SNOW! Being from California, the boys were exciting and we pulled off on the side of the road to play in the snow. Its just getting dark and all of the sudden, someone throws a snowball. And IT’S ON!!! After a heated snowball fight in the road (don’t worry, we didn’t see one car for the last 2 hours), we found out way to Milford Lodge and book a campsite. First thing we did was a glow worm walk along a dark path next to the lodge. We could see lots of tiny little lights in the woods glittering through the fresh layer of rain.

The rest of the night was spent playing piano and a three-stringed guitar, going over photos, and hanging out in the lounge. Laura and I head to our camper and fall right to sleep.

Sunday, June 13^th – Milford Sound

We wake up in the morning and are getting ready for our kayaking tour at 9:50 only to find ANOTHER FRIGGING FLAT TIRE! What is it with this van! OMG! I am convinced at this point that the van or tires are faulty and this could in no way be our fault. I am still confident of this.

So you have to understand that Milford sound is located in www.TheMiddleOfNoWhere.com Seriously. It’s like getting a flat tire in Cleveland and the tire shop is in Cincinnati. Except Milford has no gas station, mechanic, or even an organized town. The only reason anything exists up there is because of the Sound.

So here we are. Two flat tires, no spare, no help. So I start dialing up the company, the roadside assistance group, and spend about an hour on the phone with an assortment of people that are of no help. I am told that no repairs can be made on Sundays and we’ll have to wait until Monday to get it towed and repaired in Te Anou. Yeah, right. Like I’m going to waste an entire day getting a stupid van fixed. Eventually, our tour guide shows up and I push the debacle aside and set my mind on enjoying the day.

The forecast for the day had been 32 degrees with snow. So Laura, Matt, Colby, and I follow the guide to the docks and by the time we are there it has turned into the most beautiful bluebird sky with puffy white clouds type of day. We put on like 15 more layers of clothing supplied by the company and the “kayak skirt” (felt a lot more like a diaper or loin cloth) and loaded into our kayaks.

We paddle out on to the calm glassy water and we are all in awe of the massive beauty of this place. Know as a “soft” wonder of the world, the guide told us “even the gods couldn’t leave”. Framing the brackish fjord are abruptly rising snow capped mountains. Densely packed with deciduous trees, the climate there is considered to be sub-tropical grading up into alpine. We took a picture with the Columbus Dispatch so look for us in the travel section! J 

Note about Milford Sound

This “sound” is actually a fjord.

A fjord forms when ocean water fills a glacially carved valley.

A sound forms when ocean water fills a valley carved by water runoff (streams and rivers)

All the sounds were named before this distinction was made, so the entire park was declared “Fjordland National Park”

After the most amazing tour of my life, we headed back to the real world of flat tires and crappy vans.

Exhausting all of my resources in trying to get this van fixed, it is determined that we will miss our skydiving tour the following day if we stick with the van overnight. Also, the boys offered transport for the remainder of the trip (things happen for a reason), and we were all miraculously heading back to Christchurch the same day to fly out. 

So, yes, we ditched the van.

Did my heart drop every time I thought about the charges that would ensue the rest of the trip? Yes.

Was I having a baller time regardless? Yes.

Can breaking travel rules in freakish situations be beneficial? Yes.

Do I regret it? No.

I know, it’s irresponsible, but hey, I’m in New Zealand for 6 days and I’m not about to waste one on some tin can van with 2 bum tires. I arrange to get it towed to Te Anau and we take off in the ’99 Cheapy, headed back to Queenstown for the night.

We get to Queenstown late, but not without stopping at Fergburger (in Ferg we trust), and we all pounded a burger and an NZ beer (much deserved).  We book up in a hostel that night and fall asleep after an amazing yet stressful day. I can’t tell you how good a real bed in a warm room felt!

June 14^th  

^{Milford Sound/ Wanaka/Tekapo}

The plan for today was to drive to Wanaka to skydive. On the drive, we all came to the conclusion that we all had strong urges to chase the sheep. So, after finding a good lookin’ herd, we hopped the electrical fence and RAN!!! The sheep were really skiddish but we got pretty close. It was a dream come true! Like smart sheep do, they headed for the top of a small hill and packed themselves in. Good job, sheep. Baaaad idea.

We arrive in Wanaka just in time for skydiving, only to find out that the conditions are too windy and they want to postpone until the following day. If we were to postpone, we would have to take a bus back to Christchurch, which I wasn’t too enthused about. (I like having freedom on the road…freedom to chase sheep and stuff like that) We were also informed a storm was going to come through and the road between Wanaka and Christchurch might close. After weighing our options we finally decide it’s not worth the risk (everything else had gone wrong, why not this too?) So we depart and head to the town centre to do some exploring.

We hit the beach of the lake first. The lake is crystal clear with giant trees every dozen metres or so. Obviously, we begin climbing the trees. After some tree fun, and a dare ending painfully from Matt to jump off the tree into the sand, we hit the road North towards Lake Tekapo.

About an hour into the trip Laura goes to get something out of her purse, and lets out a “no……..” and puts her head down. “Laura?.... Laura??? What happened??” Then I realize… she left her wallet (containing her camera, passport, money, credit cards, and license) on the beach in Wanaka. So we whip the ’99 Cheapy around, and head back to Wanaka with hopes of recovering her lost property.

We arrive at the beach, and search…no sign of the wallet. After questioning some people in the area, they tell us our best bet is to try the police station. Laura is a step ahead of the game at this point, and we find the police station and Laura at the same time. Then she gives us the good news that someone just turned it in! Yay! The good Samaritan was supposedly an Indian man named Woods Smith who just moved into the area. He reported that he waited in the area for 15 minutes to see if anyone would show. Since no one did, he went home to ask his room mate where the police station was, which is where he ended up turning it in. Thanks to Woods Smith (if that is really his name...sounds fishy to me, but I love New Zealanders situation #3), Laura can leave the country!

We stop at the pub across the street for a celebratory beer from the Cardrona region. After hanging out in Wanaka for a bit longer, we headed to Lake Tekapo for the night. By the time we got there, it was dark and snowy. This tiny mountain town of 500 people had pretty much shut down by 8 PM, save one bar.

We checked into our hostel, Tailor Made Hostel, and lucked out with a room with 6 beds! After jumping around for a bit we hit the town. By “town” I mean the one facility still open. When we got there it was closing. So we ended up driving around trying to think of things to do at night in the middle of nowhere besides wasting gas. Our best idea was off-roading, but this was halted by the fear of the off-roading turning into off-laking. We headed back to the hostel and just hung out before heading to bed.

June 15th - Lake Tekapo/Christchurch

We woke the next morning at 7:45 AM to get the boys to their flight at 3:00 that afternoon. (Not without first stopping at Church of The Good Shepherd by the lake!)

They kindly dropped us off at the Wicked depot to sort out the camper van dilemma, and we said our goodbyes and the “thanks for saving our lives”. I’m not gonna lie, I was very, very nervous to talk to these Wicked people.  We walk in and its obvious they know who were. Known as “the girl who abandoned the camper” (not sure why this wasn’t plural? I’m pretty sure it was a joint effort, but whatever, I’ll get over it), there was certain fees we had to pay that ended up being the single largest purchase I’ve ever made. But, thankfully, all of the employees were very nice and understanding. (Except for the guy that had to fly down to Te Anou to pick up our dud van) They made us coffee, let us use their internet, AND let us store our bags there so we could enjoy the rest of the day in Christchurch (I love New Zealanders situation #4)

We spent the remainder of the day walking around Christchurch. I got some goodies for you people… be excited! Oh, AND I got this awesomely rad sandwich. If anyone wants to make money, make and sell THIS sandwich: On a flaky butter crescent roll, pile smoked salmon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. It might have been my 3^nd favorite meal I had here. (Aside from the burgers OF COURSE!)

Anyways… Now I am at the airport, about to go to bed floor for the night. If the rest of the trip goes smoothly, this is the last you will hear from me.

Cheers!

THE FINAL TALE OF THE BLOODY KNUCKLE TRAVELLERS

You thought all of the travelers just vanished didn’t you? Or maybe you thought the teller of the tales did not survive the last adventure? Or maybe their Internet went down for days because of a giant buffalo stampede?

 I am here now to tell you that none of these things happened.

The small convoy proceeded to execute their schedule just as predicted.

It was a cool May morning when the rested travelers awoke. Their isolated hostel in Port Fairy had proven to be a brilliant decision on the Wandering Walford’s part. Crawling out of their warm beds at 8:00 AM, they dressed appropriately for the drizzly day (not including always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda, of course) and loaded into their trusty steeds for another action-packed day on the south coast of the land down under.

            Their first epic stop on the ironically spontaneous itinerary, was MACCAS! (the Australian Macdonald’s) After filling their bellies with food they would later regret, they set off for WINDY LAND. Upon arrival, always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda and Parrotmaster Patrick jolted ahead of the group with utmost excitement, immediately hurdling over the metal cable fence surrounding a rocky peak and jogged out onto the peninsula. With a large portion of their focus being spent on not being blown off into the angry waters below, they managed to snag a few priceless pictures of the views little seen by the public.

           

The next destination to be conquered was THE GROTTO…DUN DUN DUN! This is a place of both good and bad memories, a place of life and death, but mostly life. Upon arrival, they anxiously spread out among the area, some daring to explore down below, others poking around the upper stretches. The Wandering Walford chose the top center of the arch, of all places. All of the sudden, hit by a surge of curiousity, the Wandering Walford began frantically throwing stones into the pool below. In the middle of this throwing frenzy, the camera that was securely looped around her wrist, became not securely looped around her wrist. It was like slow motion what happened next. “NOOOOO” echoed in the head the Wandering Walford as she watched her camera bounce off the rocks several times before making the seemingly eternal fall into the blue pool of death below. 

“DEVIN NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!” was all over-dressed-for-the-weather- Woda could think. After the Wandering Walford asked “can I cry?” (which the answer to was YES) Parrotmaster Patrick went down into the icy water and retrieved the thirsty camera.

            After recovering the camera, it was determined that the memory card was still viable. THANK JESUS! But the camera was determined to be unrevivable at this point.

After the deserving cry, quickly followed by laugher, the travelers had their sympathies but decided to move on, not focusing on the tragedies of the past. (Regardless of the level of tragedy)

Next stop: Bay of Islands. Exactly what it sounds like: a cluster of small rock islands in the middle of a large blue bay. These rocks have to bashed with water day in and day out for the last few hundred years, creating the formations seen today. There was once a large arch connecting the smaller arch to the land, but collapsed when some adventurers were exploring the other side. Trapped on the large rock island, they had to call for helicopter rescue and were saved several hours later.

Then there was the cave. This rock cave was formed as water traveled underground and creatued this chasm in this middle of the inland. It was very odd.

The Blowhole: a formation in the inland rocks where the ocean had seeped in to create cave which created a giant hole in the generally flat land. It was very strange.

Sherabrook River came next. This was basically an inland river flowing into the ocean. The surrounding area was a rocky cove with angry waves that constantly bashed against the surrounding rocks. The white wash bashed into the rocks and sprayed high into the air, occasionally taking the adventurers off guard.

Next on the famous road, the adventurers stumbled across a wildlife park, or something of the sorts. Although only some of the party actually went in, a representative photo was captured of the outside.

After a long day of sightseeing, the group finally began the long journey back to the city of Melbourne.

Upon their return, Comical Caitlin, The Wandering Walford, and always-over-dressed-for-the-weather Woda decided to explore the city, especially since always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda had to leave the following day due to a final exam that could not be rescheduled) Their first stop was the Eureka Skydeck, the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere. This place was SO WINDY. Stepping out on the outdoor viewing deck, they trio was almost blown into oblivion (and would be if not for the caged nature of the platform)

Once the skydeck was fully conquered/explored by the gang, they departed and headed to Crown Casino, to join the rest of the convoy.  Just by signing up for a card, they give you 5 dollars cash. SCORE!

After a heated game of roulette, always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda lost her $5.00, and they spent the rest of the time routing for Parrotmaster Patrick and The Nedulator.

Realizing she had an early flight in the morning, always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda and the rest of the gang headed back to their hostel for a very sound night’s sleep.

Conclusion

Always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda was actually sweating during the entirety of the trip.

The Wander Walford's camera was never revived. Apparently, her type of camera was did not enjoy swimming. ( She did however buy a new camera, which she will obtain within the following weeks.)

Both vehicles were returned without as much a scratch, but retained a new sense of pride in transporting such an epic crew. 

After always-over-dressed-for-the-weather-Woda left on her flight early the following morning, the rest of the gang spent the day poking around Melbourne and exploring their curiousities in the city. It was a grand trip. It was the only one of its kind. Maybe, just maybe, one day another trip such as this will go down in history.

The End.

Unda the sea down unda!

Day 0 of scuba trip

Several weeks (maybe months, I can’t remember) ago, I realized that I would not be able to leave Australia without diving the infamous Great Barrier Reef. So, I made it my mission to find a get-up where I could get an authentic reef experience. Something more than just a day trip and where there is a bit more freedom. I found a 3-day, 2-night trip offered by Cairns Dive Centre for a decent price. I bought my flight, booked online, and here I am now, sitting on the top deck of the M.V. Kangaroo Explorer, telling you about my time so far here. I arrived to Cairns on June 3^rd and took an airport shuttle straight to my hostel, Globetrotters International. This hostel was very nice. The room was cooled by an extreme air conditioning system and averaged a temperature of about 50 degrees during the time I was there. My room was a 3-person suite with a TV and refrigerator, which I shared with a young English couple.

            After dropping my stuff in the room, I proceeded to go explore the city of Cairns. I don’t feel “city” is quite the right word. Its more like a coastal town… lots of surf shops, touristy stores, art galleries, and outdoor dining. Its really quite colourful and most of the buildings do not exceed 3 stories. Everything is well spaced with intermittent palm trees and other types of greenery.

            I walked around for several hours. After eating lunch by the boardwalk I found some interesting stores got some un-pass-up-able knick-nacks for you people, browsed an aboriginal art gallery, and got some last minute items for my trip. (tim-tams being my main priority!)

            One thing that I felt that is very different about Australia is that everything feels very safe. Australian are very friendly, laid-back, just-wanna-have-a-good-time people, and the atmosphere greatly reflects that. I have met more women traveling here alone than I can count on one hand, something that is rare in other parts of the world.

            As the Sun started to set, I made my way back to the hostel for a peaceful night of studying before my big next 3 days.

Day 1

My pick-up time was @ 8:00 AM sharp. I boarded a bus with several other divers and headed to the dive centre. My fellow divers included Stephanie, a girl from Montana, a couple boys from Switzerland, three more Americans, Stephan, Luke, and Mike, and some English girls. There were about 25 people on the boat in all, including divers, boat crew, hosties (kitchen/hospitality crew), and dive masters.

            We took a 2-hour boat ride to get to the M.V. Kangaroo explorer that is permanently stationed in the reef. The sea was rough getting there. My fellow divers and I decided to hang out on top, which was much like riding a bull. There were several occasions where I would have fallen down the ladder and probably broken my neck if it wasn’t for Luke. Thanks again!

THE BOAT

The overnight boat was absolutely fantastic. The first floor consists of the dive deck and the saloon. This is where all the meals are served, and coffee, tea, and fruit are available round the clock. There is even a bar on board!

            The second floor serves purpose as crew and diver accommodation and a clothesline; this is also where we change into our wetsuits.

            The third floor has an open-air deck that is furnished with tables and chairs. On the bow side of the top there is a library.

           

THE DIVES

Our first dive I was buddied with Stephan and Mike (who I was with for the next two days) It actually worked out quite well, as Mike used air more quickly then Stefan and I, so we could go on for a bit longer after Mike surfaced. They also rented a camera for the 2 days they were here, and I give thanks to them for all the pictures I have now. We took a quick dive to the reef, to check equipment and make sure everyone felt comfortable. Even though my last dive was over 3 years ago, it was just like riding a bike…came back right away!

        

 We got to see what our instructor called “gay nemos”, which were basically pink clownfish. When looking at the coral, it is hard to remember that these towers of were created from tiny little organisms. What used to be desolate ocean is now a bustling city with fish inhabiting every crevice and colourful coral swaying in the current. For every piece of coral there are 30 fish swarming it. We saw a large turtle cruising through the crawling towers; acclimated to the human presence, he seemed to care very little about our presence.

            The second dive was “fun dive” where we were just set free from the boat with our buddies to explore wherever the current took us. I felt like everywhere I looked I saw a fish I’d never seen before. This has happened hundreds of times. It is so incredible how many types of fish inhabit this place!

            Then came the NIGHT DIVE!! ScaRy! They sent us into the dark water with nothing but a torch and a few instructions: 1. Don’t shine your torch in anyone’s face, and 2. Don’t turn off your torch, because it might not turn back on. We followed around our guide and got to see all sorts of night dwelling creatures. This big, red, fish come out at night and kept scaring me as they darted right past my face.

            That evening, they made an announcement about getting an “Adventure Diver Certification”, which sounded like a lot of fun, and something good to have on my dive card. As a 3-day diver, I could also pick two specialties on top of a deep dive and navigation certification. For my specialty, which I will be completing on the last day, I chose an underwater photography specialty, and a boat drop specialty.

            Before heading to bed, we stayed out and watched the stars for a while, counting meteorites, and contemplating the complexities of the universe.

Then I slept like a baby. Literally being rocked to sleep by the waves.

           

Day 2

The deep dive, which allows us to dive to a depth of 30 metres, took place this morning at 6:00 AM. When we got to the bottom, our instructor cracked an egg, which, under such high pressure, stayed as in intact yoke, which was passed around the group before the fish that was described as a “heroin addict” for the eggs, darted in and snatched it up. They also brought down a can of Coke, which at that depth had lost all of its red pigmentation.

One of my favorite moments so far on this dive was while ascending, we came across a school of wrasse. They had to be 15 of them, at least 100 lbs each, and as we approached, I stopped swimming and drifted into the school. They moved slowly around me, curiously looking at me with their big eyes. All I could hear was the sounds of my own breathing and the movement of the water around me. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. (not my picture, by the way. just for a little perspective...) Right after that, we saw a white-tipped reef shark, the first shark I’ve ever seen…wee!

Breakfast was at 7:00 AM, and at 8:00, we got back in the water for our navigation dive. We were given a compass taught some basic navigation skills and had to complete several challenges. Right after we got to the bottom I saw a curious object in the distance. First I thought it was a log, but turns out it was a shovel-nosed ray, which are apparently somewhat of a rare sight. It looked a lot like a shark, but unlike a shark, it can cease from swimming and not suffocate. We also saw a nudibranch, a colourful slug, which comes in a variety of colours

My last dive of the day happened at 11:00 AM. This was another “fun” dive. My two buddies and I headed out on “Moore  Reef” (named appropriately), and paddled around for about 30 minutes. We saw a giant 300 year old clam which had to weigh at least 500 lbs. It was HUGE! Right at the end my ears started to hurt and I got some vertigo, so we headed back. I’ve been taking it easy for the rest of the day so I can successfully complete my boat drop and photography specialties tomorrow!

I am currently procrastinating studying for my two final examinations I have the day after I get back. So…I probably should get on that. 

Yeah. I will. More updates tomorrow. Cheers!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

           

Day 3

Riding on the train, it’s 11:40 PM, and I am finally on my way home from a spectacular weekend diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef.  Because I was flying today, I could not dive. So, instead I spent the day snorkeling and surface diving, which was actually very fun. It’s a bit of a challenge to see how long and how deep I can go without the need for air. For the last few weeks I have been doing exercises to stretch my lungs to increase capacity, and it worked!  I think my best was about 45 seconds at 20-25 feet. I felt like a mermaid swimming through the fish and coral. It was like a dream.

 I almost wasn’t even going to go snorkeling, because I was somewhat disappointed about not being able to dive. But, this girl on the boat (I can’t really remember her name) convinced me that sometimes you could see things snorkeling that you wouldn’t see diving. The reef I snorkeled today was called “Timor Reef East” and consisted of several large shallow platforms and some big drop offs. So after a 45-minute snorkel I realized how right she was! I saw a BIG puffer fish…surprisingly big actually. He was so shy and I chased him around the shallows for a minute or two before he swam out of site. I also saw a large school of black parrotfish, several giant clams, and like a million and one fish. I tried to keep track of all the different kinds of fish I was seeing, but it’s like everywhere I looked there were like 10 new fish I hadn’t seen yet. This reef was especially good for snorkeling as the platform was only submerged in about 3 feet of water so I was looking at everything nice and close. Then I would occasionally swim over to the drop off and dive down as far as I could.

I rented a camera for the day, but the pictures can do absolutely NO justice to the beauty beneath the surface. It’s something you have to see with your own eyes to understand.

After two successful snorkeling sessions I spent the remainder of the day lounging in the Sun I would soon have to say goodbye to. Newcastle, like it has been for the past 2 weeks, is rainy and cold today, and I did my darnedest to absorb every possible ray of warm Cairns Sun before leaving. 

The boat left the M.V. Kangaroo Explorer around 2:15 PM, and after returning I found a travel agency that booked an airport shuttle for me. Upon arrival to the airport, I was having difficulties checking in at the self-check kiosk, so I was directed to the counter. The lady at the counter pointed out that my bag looked like it weighed over the acceptable amount of 10 kilograms. She said it was critical that every passenger have no more than 10 kg because it is “completely booked up”. She weighted it and it was 13.9 kg and she told me I had to check it for 80 dollars. Yeah, right. Let me just got pick some money off the Jetstar money tree outside. Are you kidding me? So, I said I would be right back and headed to the bathroom. I took out all of my clothing for the weekend and put it on. I also took out my toiletries and stashed them in the bathroom behind the toilet. At that point my bag looked much smaller, and I looked much bigger…and sweatier. So exiting the bathroom a soggy mess, I proceeded to pass the bag test and got my ticket. I jetted back to the bathroom, took off all my excess clothing, retrieved my stashed items, and headed to the terminal.

About 15 minutes before my boarding time I hear this announcement over the loud speaker:

“WILL JETSTAR PASSENGER ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO THE CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19? ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19”.

I’m pretty sure my heart skipped like 9 beats. Images of Jetstar-Nazi-Lady saying “keep and eye on that one” to security and them going over surveillance videos noting my noticeably large backpack as I exit the bathroom. I was expecting to walk in and see guards waiting to escort me out of the building. I had a boat load of defenses all lined up about how stupid the policy is and I can go put the clothes back on if its THAT big of a deal. After re-packing my entire bag to walk over the counter, there it is again…

“WILL PASSENGER ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO JETSTAR CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19. ELYSE WODA!!!!!”

Only 6 beats this time. I cautiously make my way up to the desk and the only person there is a lady in a neon vest. “I believe you dropped this” she says, and hands me my driver’s license with a smile.

YIKES I’m way too paranoid.

My flight was smooth. Yet again, I had an empty row (as did several others) despite the “completely booked flight” that JNL was so adamant about. I am now about an hour into my train ride home, yet again procrastinating studying for my exam tomorrow.

Leaving for NZ Wednesday so who cares! Just kidding…..  J

UPDATE------AFTER 40 HOURS WITH NO SLEEP I'M DONE WITH FINALS AND LEAVING FOR NEWZEE IN 2 HOURS!!!!

CHEERS!!!!!

***Some of these pictures are courtesy of Stephan, thanks again! :) ***