So, we are in Australia, and it is rather different from NZ. The culture seems a lot closer to American culture, although perhaps a little looser, maybe a little more wild. We have had TVs in the last couple of places we’ve stayed, and even TV doesn’t seem that different here. The strangest things are the names and phrases being so different. There also doesn’t seem to be the same amount of environmental concern that was so prevalent throughout NZ. That being said, the country (at least the tiny bit we have seen) has a rugged, wild beauty to it. And the coast is pretty. 

We flew into Brisbane, which is only the third or fourth biggest city on Australia’s east coast, and has a population around ten times that of Auckland. We stayed in the part of the city known as Fortitude Valley, which is apparently the scummier, seedier part. We walked out of the bus station to find dirty streets, sex shops, and some pretty beat up looking people. And ants. Lots of ants. In fact, we went to a Subway for lunch, and when I went to get some soda from the fountain, ants fell out into my cup. The next day was better, as we went to a koala reserve/zoo, and got to feed kangaroos. The following day we headed up the coast.

Things improved when we got away from the city, although the landscape is vastly different from NZ. Instead of lots of green, rolling hills, sheep everywhere, far off mountains, and crazy winding roads, we had long, wide, flat highways driving past more arrid, flatter environs. We made it up to a little seaside town called Rainbow Beach, and stayed in a pretty nice backpackers. In the morning, the couple who were working there told us about dolphin feeding that was available at a nearby town called Tin Can Bay. So we went to Tin Can Bay, and stayed at a holiday park, where we had our own little cabin with a kitchenette and dishes and sink included. The next morning, we got up early, and went down to the marina, where the dolphins come in. You pay your donation ($1-2), and they give you a bucket with a little fish to feed the dolphin. It was very cool, although a little rushed, because there were so many people lined up, and only one dolphin.

Then we headed up the coast to find a town near the Reef, settle in, and book a tour. We stopped in a town called 1770, and the only accommodations were in a holiday park that was nice, but not great. We figured we’d head further up the coast and find something else. Of course, what we didn’t figure was that it was Friday, the beginning of summer, and everyone else had the same idea. A night of paying too much for a crappy motel room has taught us to take the nice places when we find them. Oh well.

So now we are back at the holiday park in 1770, and have a day trip booked to explore the lower Great Barrier Reef tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold, and we’ll have a nice day.

Ok, so it’s been a while since the last post, and for some reason, the news of Sarah’s shaved head has produced many requests of pictures. Unfortunately, although we have many, they are all trapped on my laptop and we’ve had no wireless connections to upload with. Rest assured, when we do, pictures of Sarah will be the first things to go up.

Anyhow, we are almost done with NZ, for now. After Queenstown, we headed up to see the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. We saw the Fox Glacier, and got to walk up to the terminal face. Very cool. It was amazing to walk through the valley the glacier had carved, and then see the glacier itself. The next day we went to see the Franz Josef, but it was raining really hard, and we couldn’t see much. After that, we stopped in Greymouth, where we had a head shaving good time for Thanksgiving. Then on to see the pancake rocks in Punakaiki. We weren’t expecting much, but they were really incredible. Possibly one of the coolest natural formations we’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot. Then we headed up to Motueka, a small town on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. We booked a day trip of sea kayaking in the park, and of course it ended up raining. It was ok, because the kayaking was so much fun, and we had our own little tour, just us and the guide. He was very nice, and really knowledgable about the area. We got to see some seals, but unfortunately none climbed up on our kayak. (It apparently happens sometimes) Then on to spend a night in Picton, before getting on the ferry and saying goodby to the south island.

In Wellington, we decided to stop at the zoo, because the guide book said they had one of the best kiwi houses in the country. It was really dark, (kiwis are nocturnal) and was supposed to have kiwis, moreporks, tuatara, and possibly other animals. We were in that little building for a good half hour and didn’t see a single thing. Oh well, the rest of the zoo was pretty good. We even got to feed giraffes! After that, we headed over to New Plymouth to see Mt Taranaki, a volcano on the west coast. Of course, it was raining, so we could’t see the mountain at all.

Then on to the last thing we wanted to see, the glowworms at Waitomo Caves. We booked one of the “blackwater rafting” trips, which is actually sitting on an innertube in the cave waters. The caves are huge, and there are many tunnels and systems, and the different companies run different tours in each of the cave areas. We once again got our own private tour, and some of it was great (like the glowworms, really beautiful), and some of it not so (cold, muddy cave water up the nose).

Now we are back in Auckland, and will be flying out to Brisbane on Monday morning (our time). I’m not sure when we’ll have wireless again, or even when we’ll have a chance to post again, but hopefully it won’t be too long…