Taupo NZ

Once we arrived in Taupo we got a bite to eat, checked into our hostels and paid for our 4Play Adventure package. The hostel was great, and full of rowdy English rugby fans that were good fun to watch whilst they drank themselves into a stupor. Our hostel, The Taupo Urban Retreat, was known as the cheapest bar in town, so myself and Danish enjoyed Tui, the local beer. It wasn't too bad.

Tui beer

View across Lake Taupo

Taupo is one of two Great Lakes in New Zealand, and we were told it is about the size of Singapore! It was nice to be around fresh water and reminded me of growing up on Lake Erie... except much cleaner! The water was beautifully clear. 
The next day we began our 4Play Adventure package, that was a tour of exciting things to do in Taupo. Guelph and Danish started the day by bungy jumping over the lake. There was no way I was participating in that part of the package! Newmarket agreed, so we just cheered them on from the observation point. 
Next we headed out to the helicopter pad and enjoyed a tour of Taupo in the air. We saw geothermal reserves, the Huka Falls and the surrounding area volancoes. It was awesome, as I had never been in a helicopter before.

Huka Falls

We felt very important after our helicopter ride, because they dropped us off at the Jetboat activity in the helicopter! We walked out and felt like movie stars heading into the tourist booth. The Jetboat ride was a lot of fun and goes much faster than you think! This picture is of us coming around after doing a 360 degree turn in the water. The boat also took us right up to the falls, which was really cool to see- although they are much much smaller than Niagara.

We are all in the second row here

After the Jetboat we were meant to go SKYDIVING!! This is something that has always been on my bucket list and I could not wait to go. However, the weather was grey and windy that day and we were not able to make it. As we were leaving the next night I was very nervous that we wouldn't be able to go the next morning.

Luckily, it was a clear blue day and at about 9:50am I was in a plane climbing 12,000 ft in the air with my 3 best buddies. Strapped to my JumpMaster Leski, I could not have been more excited!! Even when he teased me by saying "at 5,000 ft- remind me to pull the chute eh?!"

We also purchased a package of pictures and a video, this means that when we jump a camera man jumps out after us to video and take photos of our jump. It is a 20 minute plane ride, a 45 second free fall 7,000 ft and then the parachute is opened at 5,000 ft and you sail to the ground in about 5 minutes or so. I got to go first, and it was amazing! I was surprised to find that I wasnt scared at all. Maybe because I have had years of mental preparation waiting for this day. I had a few butterflies as the plane door opened and Leski said "hook your feet under the plane"- not a sentence you hear everyday. But I did it!

I remember it feeling a lot like a rollercoaster and seeing the ground, then the plane, then the ground before we leveled out and Leski tapped me to hold my arms out while I felt the free fall. Here is the result (I'll hopefully be able to upload the video at some point as well).

My "exit shot" meaning exiting the plane!

feeling the free fall and showing how high up we are

Rock on baby!

Happy as can be and a proud salute by Leski

Pulling the chute that saved our lives and sent us flying upwards

It was an amazing experience! I loved every minute of it. Once we pulled the chute Leski spun us around several times which made me very dizzy and I screamed like crazy. I also screamed a lot as we fell out of the plane and Leski laughed at me. He told me I was a brave little Canadian which made me quite proud. I suppose this is similar to the tornado part of The Wizard of Oz, spinning and sailing through the air- minus the protective house around me!

Once back on the ground we decided to do something a little more relaxing and headed to the spa. We got to go into large pool heated by the natural hot springs water. It was the perfect way to wind down after the adrenaline rush and get a tan.

Outside the spa with the mountains and NZ flags in the background

Then it was time to hike back to town and get on the bus to Napier! Taupo's experience was by far the most exciting, but it was also a cute town with an amazing view. I would go back anytime.

Auckland NZ

On Thursday, September 22nd I left Melbourne for Auckland NZ, the first stop on our 8 day spring break adventure. Guelph was already there in the hostel, having left the day before me. Before I continue I should probably explain how this trip came to be.

Outside our hostel on Day 2- in front of the Auckland Sky Tower. Remind you of anything?

Her and I had planned this trip in the second week we met and realised that the Rugby World Cup was held during our reading week. This was towards the end of July. We had no idea who would be coming with us, but we were going to be in Napier for the Canada vs. Japan rugby game- assuming that we had the best chances of winning that match. Guelph and I sat down and looked through her ipad guidebook to NZ. We chose the cities that we really wanted to visit (although, I'll admit, I didn't know anything about NZ). Several people heard about our plans later on and I forwarded our itinerary to a lot of people. Chicago and Denmark were to join us for the game but couldn't leave until Monday because classes. The week before we left I found out that Newmarket and Danish were joining us! They had booked the trip weeks ago based around my intinerary, yet failed to mention it to us. It was an awesome surprise!
This is how Danish and I ended up going to the airport and hostel together. It was quite nice to have someone to travel with and definitely cuts costs in cab fare.
Back to Auckland- we arrived around 1am to the hostel, checked in and passed out. I was put into a room with Guelph luckily, but Danish was on his own a few floors above. Although, I shouldn't say on his own- another cost cutting measure of ours was to stay in hostels in rooms with as many as 16 people! It's a quick way to make friends and allowed us to stay for about $22 per night on average for each of our destinations.
The next morning we met in the lobby at 10am. This all had to be pre arranged because our cell phones didn't work without enormous expenses. Guelph had heard that the Auckland Museum was good and not too far away. We walked through the city, to Domain Park (one of the oldest parks in Auckland that is made up of an old inactive Volcano), and then up a very large hill to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. 

The museum itself was beautiful, but the view from the museum even more so. It also contained a lot of New Zealand information, like the animals that can be found there, the wars they participated in, and the Maori culture (the indigenous population of New Zealand). There was so much to see and I took a lot of pictures. 

Albatross- Native birds to NZ, they remind me of the Disney movie "The Rescuers Down Under"

Maori Ancestral house- you had to take off your shoes. All carved faces or woven patterns made of leaves. Incredible!

The wars NZ people participated in

After the museum we headed back to the city so that I could eat lunch at Wendys! While I know this is not cultural at all, there is only 1 Wendy's in Melbourne and I have yet to see it. I hadn't had Wendy's in 3 months.. so try not to judge me. After Wendy's we took a very long bus through the subburbs of Auckland to Mt. Eden area. Mt Eden ('Maungawhau' in Maori) is the tallest non-manmade point in Auckland. It is an amazingly large crater. There was a long winding path to climb up to the top, although you can also drive. However, that path was not quick enough for Danish, who found a few footholds in the side of the hill. This lead to me and Guelph dragging our butts up the side like mountain goats. I was unimpressed, until I saw that unbelievable view...

The sign to Mt Eden Summit and our explorer poses

The view of Auckland city centre

The crater- to get the full impact of it's size, look for the people along the edge on the other side- MASSIVE!

at the top

After the climb we headed back into the city centre to look at souvenirs. I purchased a postcard at every city we stopped at. We were also able to purchase Canadian flags to bring to the game with us. After a long day of hiking and walking it was time for a backpackers dinner (Mr. Noodles) and then an early bed.

Newmarket arrived in Auckland late overnight and in the morning we took that 8:20 bus to Taupo! Already being extremely impressed by Auckland I could not wait to keep going. We took The Naked Bus (which is like a greyhound) for $16 per person. It was a short 4 hours to Taupo, my favourite stop, which I will write about tomorrow.

Danish and Newmarket, unimpressed about the early morning

Myself and Guelph- travel planners extraordinaires!

New Zealand!

I'm baaAAAaaack!
I arrived from New Zealand today at 6:30am Melbourne time (9:30am NZ time & 4:30pm on Friday Ontario time).
What an amazing trip!! 8 days, 6 backpackers, 5 cities, several tours, 1 rugby game and a partridge in a pear tree.
Since this trip was so incredible and I don't want to make one giant post about it, I will be breaking up the trip by city and posting everyday for the next week. This will help with the fact that now that spring break is over there are only THREE weeks of classes left before exams which means EIGHT weeks until I'm back in Canada on Aussie summer holidays.
To begin, I will briefly outline the trip and the wonderful companions I had along the way. Then tomorrow I'll blog again on the specific city, and so on so that I'm not clogging up your inboxes and I'm able to post a lot of pictures.
I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand at 12:30am last Friday morning (NZT). My friend, who will be referred to as Danish as he is from Denmark, was on a flight just 40 minutes behind me, so I waited for him in the airport and we cabbed to the hostel together. We toured Auckland all day on Friday with Guelph, my fellow Canadian who basically organized this whole trip for us, and then Saturday morning we were on a bus bright and early to Taupo. Taupo showed us a very exciting time- us being Newmarket, Guelph, Danish and I. We spent 3 nights in total there and nearly 3 full days. Then Guelph and I headed to Napier to meet up with the girls Denmark and Chicago to prepare for the Canada vs. Japan rugby game. The boys did not originally have tickets and therefore stayed an extra day in Taupo. However, they ended up getting tickets and meeting us at the game on Tuesday! Wednesday meant 2 quick flights from Napier to Christchurch, Christchuch to Queenstown, where I spent the last 3 days of the trip. Finally friday night I flew back to Christchurch, spent a few hours sleeping in a hostel and then caught the 6am flight back to Melbourne saturday (this) morning. It was a whirlwind vacation but I was able to see both islands and experience a lot in the 8 days (as you will soon read).
Here are a few teaser pictures to get you pumped for tomorrows post and get you acquainted with my fellow travellers (all international students I've met during my time at La Trobe):

Danish, myself and Guelph

Guelph, Newmarket, Danish and I

Guelph, Chicago, Denmark

And now to sleep- It's only 8pm here but I was awake at midnight Melbourne time and stayed up the entire day! Time change, even if only 3 hours and all the travel has me super exhausted, but very happy :)

The Backpackers Packing Guide

Hello readers!

So this will likely be my last post before I fly out to New Zealand for 8 days. This list is probably more for me than it is for anyone backpacking, but it may be helpful anyways. Also, I'll let you know what our travel itinerary for spring break looks like.

Because we are staying in hostels and making several flights/bus trips over the course of the week, I'm attempting to travel light. This means a large purse that I purchased at The Reject Shop for $7. It has a lot of compartments and zips shut- and my Roots backpack. That's IT!

It's very important to maximize the little space I have, and that means only bringing essentials, such as:

1 pair of sweatpants

1 pair of jeans (which I'll likely be wearing on the flight)

1 pair of other pants

1 pair of leggings

1 bar dress+shirt for going out

1 pair of flats (so I dont have to wear sneakers to the bar)

7 pairs of underwear

7 pairs of socks

sneakers (which I'll likely be wearing)

3 t shirts/tank tops

2 sweaters +1 to wear

those little body wash/shampoos that are airplane sized

travel toothbrush/toothpaste

my insulin for my diabetes 

hairbrush

bikini

maybe some makeup, but I'm not totally sold on this idea yet. probably just mascara and a chapstick for me

wallet, kiwi money (NZ dollars), passport, ipod

OK- so this list looks super long but it's really not that much stuff to cram into a bag or layer up and wear. Rolling your clothes up instead of folding saves a ton of space.

It's also really important to know the weather so that I can pack clothes accordingly. As New Zealand is farther south it's going to be a little bit colder (15 degrees Celsius on average). Which means I can leave shorts and dresses at home.

Now for the travel itinerary:

Thursday- Fly Melbourne to Auckland on the North Island

Saturday- Bus to Taupo (where there is a great lake)

Monday- Bus to Napier

Tuesday- Canada V. Japan World Cup Rugby game in Napier

Wednesday- Fly to South Island- Queenstown

Friday- fly to Christchurch

Saturday- 6am flight back to Melbourne

I will definitely be writing another post as soon as I get back to go over all the adventures that are sure to come. I can't wait for this trip.

Here is a picture of me at the festival this weekend that my friend from Florida took. She's a fantastic photographer and I love it- just so you guys don't forget what I look like <3 Consider this my Yellow Brick Road shot

If you haven't discovered this already, if you click on any of my photos you can see them in a larger size

Weatherful Weekend

This weekend was probably the best for weather I've seen yet in Aus! About 25 degrees and hot hot sunshine. Saturday my roommate and I headed back to St. Kilda with our bathingsuits for a day in the sun. It was lovely :) We also went to Lentils as Anything for dinner. This is a great place to get a vegan meal and it's all pay by donation. It's a really great organization and there are many outlets around the city.

Friday night I also went for drinks to watch the Ireland vs. Australia at the Rugby World Cup game in Northcote at The Peacock Hotel. It was a great time and Ireland beat Australia (I was cheering for Ireland). I dont have any pictures from that event yet, but hopefully I'll get some up soon.

Sunday afternoon it was back to Northcote for their Music Festival. This meant free live music all day long! The bands were unbelievably talented and the weather was wonderfully hot. Overall, a fantastic day and weekend. 

Now it's back to school Monday to Wednesday and on Thursday I fly out to NEW ZEALAND for spring break! September is flying by, and what a ride!

The Bon Scotts- sounded a lot like Canada's east coast bands and hilarious lyrics

lots of food stands from local venues- I had a cupcake and ice cream 

This band is the Jelly Tub Rollers and my favourite of the day

Packed crowds on High Street. They had 3 mini stages set up 

Little John- also a great band

couldnt resist this sign in a store window- you know i have them :)

All instrumental band The WooHoo Revue- very different and great

Half Way Point!

I will be in Australia for 143 days before I get to return home to family and friends for our summer vacation. Then at some point in February until June I will return for my second and last semester. Today is day 71! The half way point in my time here in Aus. Thus, now is the time to reflect on the little things here that remind me of home.


1) I still keep 2 blue Ottawa OC Transpo bus tickets in my purse. I don't even know if I'll be able to use them when I get to Ottawa in early December, but I refuse to throw them out.


2) A magnet on my fridge from the tourist attraction lighthouse in the small town where I grew up. I see it everytime I need a snack and it makes me smile


3) My backpack has an "I <3 Carleton U" pin on it that I received on my second tour of Carleton before I began my undergrad, but after I got accepted- also, my backpack is obviously a red Roots one.


4) I also keep a Canadian $10 bill in my wallet because often my friends ask me about what Canadian money looks like (lots of my American friends are jealous of our pretty colours). I have a penny too (they don't use pennies in Aus) and I keep it for luck.


5) Whenever I have a homesick day, I put on the Barenaked Ladies, The Arkells or The Hip while I take a shower


And yes, I still get homesick days. Especially now that I know it's so close. I've done so much since being here and I have loved every minute of it- but there really is "no place like home..."

Rock Star Lifestyle

The Wah Wah Lounge club that we attended after the fashion show had 2 photographers going around and taking pictures of people to put up on the clubs website... see any familar faces?? 

I feel pretty cool now.