Australia Pictures

Australia

The Deadliest Country on Earth

Over my two week Easter break I decided to go to Australia! It was massively fun, and coming back was a sad, sad experience that devastated me for at least a week. Regardless, going to OZ was a great highlight in my southern hemisphere experience.
I began my adventure by flying into Sydney. My good friend Christy is studying there so I stayed at her place before we went off exploring the continent country. We went and hung out at her friends place that night and the next day we flew up to this stunning place called Byron Bay. We met up with my two other friends from Santa Barbara, Jess and Kristin while we were spending time in Byron. It was raining the entire time we were there, but we all still loved it. Such a surf town, but with tons of stuff to do. I will definitely return one day. The town was considerably packed because there was a 5 day music festival that was going on when we were there. We went to the last day of it and I got to see Ben Harper, Xavier Rudd, Missy Higgins, and Jason Mraz. It was a great show minus the fact there the entire venue had anywhere from 4-6 inches of mud because of the rain! The next day we took a bus up to a place called Hervey Bay which is basically a gateway to the famous Fraser Island. Hostels in Hervey run camping excursions on Fraser and they gave us these overally top-heavy, 4 wheel drive tanks, crammed 10 of us in and said go. HA. I laugh now, but i was worried for my life most of the time we were driving. We were doing some serious off-roading and I really felt like we were going to roll. I mean it. The last day we were there one of the cars from a different company flipped on the beach. 2 people died and 4 more were heli-vacated to Brisbane hospital.But, besides all that Fraser was full of beautiful beaches, scenic views, and gorgeous Lake McKenzie, and offered the perfect environment for adventure seeking. We all liked it so much that we decided we wanted to stay another day on the island. We were planning on staying at this extremely classy resort, but on the last day Christy and Jess met some overlly friendly Australians who offered to let us stay with them at their campsite. They provided food and everything and let me tell you, they had beach camping down to a science... They had a refrigerator and freezer, two pantries, a 4 burner stove, a huge canvas covered living area and air mattresses in all of the tents. Not to mention a shower unit with hot water available. They were only staying on the island for 10 days, but it looked like they could have lived there for months. Anyway, after a great night with them we got off the island and headed to Brisbane. Both Jess and Kristin went back home after that because all of the Aussie univeristies only got one week while I got two. So Christy and I met up with our friend Samantha Leigh who studied abroad from Brisbane in Tahoe when I was a senior in High school. We caught up on everything while she showed us the city. The next day Christy flew back to Sydney, but I stayed an extra day with Sam. When I flew back to Sydney I stayed with my old roomate from this past fall, Kai. he lives in a dorm and was able to get me free food the entire time I was there. I had some great times in Sydney. There are a ton of beaches all around and most of them have good waves. Kai took me to this place called "The Baths" at Coogee Bay. It was basically just a bunch of rocks that made a big pool but the waves smashed up on them and you could hide underneath all sorts of little caves and watch the water come over. I spent the rest of my time in Sydney just checking out the city and trying to take it all in. I wish I could have seen more places in Australia, but the country is colossal. I could have spent two weeks just in Sydney.

Abel Tasman

I recently went on a weekend excursion to the beach paradise known as the Abel Tasman region. Billy and I did a three day trek through the region and stayed in huts we had reserved along the way. The place is gorgeous, filled with bays and beaches that blow you away. The pictures don't really do it justice, but take a look anyway. =)

The busses on the way there didn't 'match' our schedule, so we had to hitch hike (using homemade hobo signs). Seven rides and around 5 or 6 hours later we got to the trail head, but far too late. People were looking at us like we rode the short bus to the track, so we decided to take a water taxi halfway to our first hut. The second day we hiked around 25 kilometers and passed out early consequently. The final day was a short 2 hour hike out, where we hitched a ride to Nelson and took a bus to our ferry. Epic weekend.

Abel Tasman

Hey Look a Transvestite

So, school is in session now and my life has suffered a dramatic loss of excitement. Compared to traveling around one of the most beautiful countries in the world any kind of school would be boring, but I am taking considerably hard classes and so most of my time now goes to studying of some sort =( . That is not to say that fun has left the building though. Living in a city is great because there are so many things to do ALL the time. Last night I was walking down the street and Brett McKenzie, from Flight of the Conchords, was coming the other way! I got his J Hancock on a twelve pack of beer I was carrying (it was all I had). However, being the small town boy that I am, living in the city has also shocked the hell out of me. Take, for instance, the 3 or 4 transvestite prostitutes that I pass by whenever I walk home late at night. Yes, they did hit on me once, and yes I did run away utterly afraid. Wellington seems to have no shortage of trannys either. They hang out in different locations throughout the city and as a result people I know alter their walking route home to avoid the whole situation. It really is a situation. But extremely disturbed men isn't a good representation of Wellington. Overall, being the capital of New Zealand, it is a very active, compact, business oriented place. It actually is one of the safest cities I have ever been in. I am loving the city, and the culture, more and more as I get to know it better.

This weekend I am going to Abel Tasman national park to backpack for two nights and three days. It is an incredible place and I am excited to say the least!

Mystical Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Southern Adventures

Southern Adventures

On the Road

The trip down the North Island was really fun, highlighted by bungee jumping and an amazing stay at Tara's family friends house. The Prosor's have a house in Gisborne that is totally self-sustaining. They collect all their own water and are completely powered by solar and wind energy. On top of that, they have an incredible view to enjoy from their incredibly beautiful house.

This past week I have been traveling around the South Island with Billy, Tara, and a French girl named Sandy we met at the international orientation. It was definitely too short, we only had 7 days, but we covered most of the island and had some amazing experiences.
We drove straight to the far south to visit our friends in Dunedin but it rained the whole time we were there. Not too much fun. After that we went to Milford Sound, and my life changed forever. It is the most beautiful place I have EVER been. Hands Down, no competition. Sorry Tahoe. Considerably remote, ridiculously raw, and serenely pristine, it is a magical place. We took an overnight cruise through it and got to see the whole thing. Probably took way too many pictures which I will put up hopefully tomorrow. After that amazing experience, we went to Queenstown where I went hang gliding and had the most incredibly delectable burger of my life. FERGBURGER. the name itself is great, but the burgers are enormous and literally every bite is an experience in itself. I ate two with some fries and could barely move for the rest of the night. Totally worth it. After Q-town we drove up the west coast, stopping at some towns and sites to take in the south island experience. We stayed a little outside of Fox Glacier which was totally overrated and the next day drove up to Nelson where we had a wild night with some crazy kiwi rugby players. Today we took the ferry out of Picton straight to Wellington.
I finally get to move into my apartment tomorrow which is exciting, but University also starts tomorrow so it's bitter sweet.


The waterfall is called Huka Falls, in Lake Taupo which is New Zealand's biggest lake.

Orientation Album

Orientation

Car Craziness and Orientation Number One

On the fourth of February I got back into Auckland for a UC wide orientation. It lasted four days and hosted about 70 students… so yes it was crazy. Very fun, but crazy. They kept us on an extremely busy schedule, which was a huge change from traveling by myself. I loved staying in Raglan and was a little sad to leave, but I know that I will go back before this trip is over.
During the course of the orientation we attended numerous lectures that discussed things like differences between NZ and the US, academics, sports, and all sorts of things. We also did a bunch of fun activities like throwing a big BBQ, going to a museum to see a Maori (New Zealand Native) show, catching a ferry over to a bird sanctuary called Teriterimatengi and hiking around, going across the city to eat a nice dinner with the whole group, and we even found some time to check out the bars (especially karaoke). Somehow, during all this madness Billy, Tara, Ashley, and I found a good deal on a 95 Subaru legacy and bought it for 3000 NZ dollars (roughly 1600 US dollars). And yes Dad we got insurance, which made me feel better considering I was driving a car on the left side of the road for the first time in a big city. To say the least it was scary, but honestly it was also really fun.
Right now I am writing this from a hostel in the Coromandel peninsula. We are right on the beach and it is so beautiful here, even tho it is raining. We are leaving tomorrow for Lake Taupo to go skydiving and bungy jumping with some friends we met at orientation who are actually living in Raglan, and stopping on the way at a natural hot spring touristy spot. After a night or two there we are going to Gisborne to see Tara’s family friends and check the surf! We may possibly go wine tasting in Hawke’s Bay which is just south of Gisborne one day, but we eventually will head down through a town called Napier to Wellington. Once there I have to find some housing and then we are off to the South Island! So many adventures, so few days.

From Karioi Peak Karioi Peak

Oh, and thank you to everyone who has shown concern and support for my overly traumatic experience with gingerism in Auckland. with a little luck and a lot of love I WONT be scarred for the rest of my life. :)

Raglan

Scrumptiously Salty Sea Snacks

Two days ago I took a bus to a little surf town called Raglan. It’s a laid back place with amazing waves. I decided to buy a surfboard, but as my French traveling companion Alex pointed out, I was too gung-ho and didn’t realize that the price I paid was completely negotiable. Even still, the board and board-bag was at least $200 less than I would have paid in California.
I met Alex in a hostel in Auckland along with two other guys who are coming to Raglan today. I also met a surfer from Maine named Erin, here in Raglan, who has been nice enough to drive me to the surf beaches twice a day.
The first day out riding, the conditions were epic. Although Erin told me that the swell was fairly small for Raglan, compared to Santa Barbara the waves were not small at all. 3-4 foot swells rolling in consistently = Happiness, and although I struggled riding a different board than I am used to, I had a great day. Getting out of the water proved to be a bit tricky because low tide left 100 yards of treacherous tide pools and malevolently mossy rocks exposed. As I was precariously balancing/falling on the rocks, two Kiwi men noticed I was having a hard time. They were fishing for pāua and uni (Abalone and Sea Urchin) in the tidal pools and felt bad for me when I ate it hard on some rocks. They offered me some tasty samples of their catch and I have to say that having never eaten sea urchin or Abalone before, getting them five minutes after they were caught was quite an experience. We chatted for a while, mostly small talk, but I noticed that as soon as I mentioned that I had just come from Auckland a slight sense of bitterness emerged in the overly friendly Kiwis. It has become apparent to me, not only from this experience but others as well, that while people who live in Auckland love it quite literally most everyone else in the country hates not only Auckland, but also the people in it. These particular Kiwis told me that they thought that Aucklanders were extremely snobby and “high to do” and one said “I regret it every time I go there”. Alex told me that in France there is a similar feeling of resentment towards Paris. My own opinion is that Auckland is no different than any other big city in the world: there are more people so generally people are less friendly.

Auckland Days 1 & 2

I am having problems uploading pictures, but am setting up a picasa album that will hopefully be up soon.

Sidenote: They drive on the left side of the road here, which is alone hard to get used to, but on top of that they also walk on the opposite side. Let me explain; in the U.S. people generally walk on the right side of a sidewalk, or staircase, or something along those lines. Here, people walk on the left. I keep bumping into people because I instinctively go to the right whenever I am passing someone in a cramped space. Just thought that was funny

Auckland Prejudice

After over a year of anticipation I finally made it to New Zealand! The flight went by easily, probably because there were over 80 movies to choose from, along with a large assortment of TV shows and video games. Every seat had a personal screen on the seat in front of it so you could watch whatever you wanted which was nice.

Getting a ride to the hotel was easy as well, 30 NZ dollars (roughly $20) got me a direct ride to the lobby. After I regained some energy I explored Auckland a little, mainly just walking where my eyes led me. So far it seems like a cool city, but I really haven’t seen too much. Although, something funny did happen to me when I went into a pub to get some lunch. There were four people in this place when I walked in, (the door was open) and as I was looking at the menu on the wall this girl who worked there and was obviously already hammered (at 12:15) came up to me and told me I had to leave because they were closed. I looked around, laughed, and tried my best to determine if she was really joking or not but she just stared at me. So I asked, why? She replied that it was because of my hair. “Because it’s red?” “Yes”. “But there is a Guinness banner outside! Why are you hating on the Irish?” “We are closed”. … REALLY awkward silence filled with this crazy look she kept giving me. “What the hell? Really?” I said. “Yes”. “Ummmm ok I guess I’ll just go across the street then”. “Ok, Bye!”

At first I was kinda pissed, but then I realized how funny it was and am actually glad it happened haha. Hopefully discriminating against redheads isn’t a popular trend in Auckland.