1. of days gone: 109

1. of flights: 11


2. of countries visited: 4 (US, Fiji, NZ, OZ)


3. Kilometers flown: 36607km


4. of airlines used: 5 (NWA, Air Pacific, Qantas, Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue)


5. of red-eye flights: 4

1. kilometres driven in NZ: 6280km


2. kilometres driven in OZ: 9000km

Total Distance Travelled by Bus and Plane: 51000+/-

1. of beers tried: 20+ (3 Fiji, 9 NZ, 7 OZ)


2. of beds slept in: 64 (average 1.7 nights per bed)


3. of nationalities met: 23+ (US, German, Swiss, Swede, Dutch, Danish, Netherlands, Japan, Australian, Kiwi, Fijian, French, Italian, South African, Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, Bulgaria, China, Israeli, Pap New Guinea, Samoan)

(Each red line represents a flight)

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Overview of the flights home:

3 hours in Sydney airport waiting
4 hour flight from Sydney to Fiji
4 hours in Fiji airport waiting
10 hour flight from Fiji to Los Angeles
10 hours in Los Angeles waiting
4 hour flight from Los Angeles to Detroit
5 hours waiting in Detroit
1 hour flight from Detroit to Toronto

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(Bondi Beach)

I didn’t have much time in Sydney, with a lot of potential things to see. So I decided to go on a solo walking mission and hit as many as possible.

(Grave yard overlooking the Pacific)

(Awesome rugby/soccoer pitch overlooking the ocean. It would amazing to play here)

(Have to make the visit to the opera house)

For my last night, we headed downtown to see the nightlife. We didn’t get in until 4:30am, and I had to catch a 9;00 shuttle to the airport.

(Drinking some Guinness with the Irish)

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While in Byron, it was more of the same. Got a few big sleeps (12 hours plus), some really good boogie boarding, and a day trip to Nimbin. It’s a good surf spot. I was also able to meet up with an old Toronto next-door-neighbour, Greg.

(Amazing sunsets in Byron... you can see the surfer's heading home as the sun sets)

(More amazing sunsets)

I also met a couple Irish guys who were doing an around the world trip (2 months in Africa, 2 in NZ, 2 OZ, and then on to China and Thailand). They had a car, so I was able to catch a lift with them down the rest of the coast to Sydney. We spent many hour talking about travelling, and how to poor a proper Guinness.

(Irish guys Aiden and John)

Alex (who'd I been travelling with since Brisbane) was an amazing chef, so I just chipped in my 50%, and he made some amazing feasts

(Much better than Mr. Noodles, which I usually cook for myself)

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(Surfer's Paradise beach)

I spent the next couple of days enjoying Surfer’s Paradise, either sun-tanning (or in my case, usually burning), or checking out al the shops. On the second night, we went on a giant 500-person pub crawl through a bunch of clubs.

(Awesome sunset over one of the canals in Surfer's)

(Crazyness on the giant pubcrawl)

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I arrived in Brisbane 5:00am. I made it to my hostel by 7:00am, but wasn’t allowed to check into my room until noon. I left my pack in storage, and headed for downtown. I grabbed a coffee and started reading in the food court, almost falling asleep many times. I knew I had to walk around to stay awake.

I spent most of the day walking around the city, taking care of a few jobs. That night I was able to meet up with an old friend, Stan, who I worked with at Tanamakoon. He's from Denmark, enjoying the beaches and rugby in Brisbane, while finishing up his masters.

(Alex from Victoria on the left, Stan in the middle, me on the right. I ended up travelling with Alex for about 10 days down the coast)

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We spent the rest of the day doing all the sights around Darwin. Interestingly, Darwin was actually attacked by Japan in WWII.

(We stopped to see this baby wallaby on the way)

Darwin is probably the hottest place in the world. The high during the day is usually 30+, and the humidity around 90%. So that makes it feel like 40+. Even at 10:00pm at night, chilling on a patio, I would be sweating my brains out. But its all part of the experience.

(The sun... The nuisance of my existence. But it does look good when it sets)

That night we had our final dinner and night out at the club. This was the last night of the tour. For some people, we had been together for 25 days, the rest of the crew 11 days. It was pretty sad. So we all partied with no regrets!

(Some of the crew enjoying the last dinner together!)

The next day I hat to catch a 1:40am flight out of Darwin, heading to Brisbane to enjoy the Gold Coast again.

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(The before shot... look at the size of that mop)

(Holding my beautiful locks as they are cut)

(Greg and I, with our new haircuts)

We started our full day in Kakadu Park by heading to Nourlangie Rock. It’s a pretty spectacular place, as there’s evidence the aboriginals had used the rock as shelter some 20000 years ago. There are a lot of pictographs (I don’t know if that’s the proper name for them, but that’s what we call them in Ontario).

(View from on rock, looking out over Kakadu Park. Very different part of the outback to where Ayres Rock is)

After visiting the rock, we headed for a river cruise to see some crocodiles. However, it wasn’t meant to be. We did see a Jesus bird, which can walk on water.

(Trip up the river)

(Walking on water)

That night I taught our Aussie Contiki guide Dan how to shotgun beers.

(Dan and I shotgunning a beer)

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That night in Katherine we had a big pool party which consisted of some beer pong, and being attacked by frogs in the swimming pool.

(I'm playing our Contiki guide Dan. Victory Canada)

It was an early morning as we headed for the Katherine Gorge. This was was one the coolest gorges I had ever seen. What made it even more special was knowing that salt-water crocodiles can swim this far up the river! (Salt-water crocs are the ones which can eat humans).

(Katherine Gorge)

(More of Katherine Gorge)

(Me in Katherine Gorge. Ruined the picture by doing some stupid hand signal)

We stopped for lunch at this amazing lake with cliffs and waterfalls all around.

That night we arrived in Kakadu Park. We were treated to an awesome steak dinner. The heat is unbearable, so we retreated for the pool. Even when the sun has been down for hours, the humidity is still a battle.

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Not much to say about Tennant Creek. It’s the only major stop between Alice Spring, and the northern section. We do go to a really authentic Outback bar that night, and got to interact with the local population. The drinks were very cheap.

(The Contiki crew enjoying some $5 Jagarbombs... $5, you gotta be kidding me!)

This was also the first place I saw Australian Road Trains. These trucks are not to be taken light. When you see one, you get off the road.

(A road train. 3 times larger than a normal tracker trailer. This one wasn't even that big. I saw a postcard with one which was about 6 times larger).

(What kind of place is this that the best picture to post is off the 'road train' sign?)

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(All of the meats...)

That night we went to the only night club in Alice Springs, and just to fit with the rest of the Outback, they had a local reptile handler there with his python.

(I don't know if you can tell I'm scared or not. I would probably rather bungy jump again, then hold this python. It was about 6 feet. Everyone was telling me to hold its head. No thanks. I didn't want to put my fingers anywhere near his head)

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That afternoon we went for a long hike in Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon has been described as a miniature Grand Canyon, but elevated. Its not anywhere close to the size of the Grand Canyon, but not a poor comparison.

(Looking out from the top of Kings Canyon, towards the open nothingness of the Outback. Notice how flat it is)

(Part of Kings Canyon. If you look closely, you can see the fault which help create the Canyon)

(Looking good...)

That night we a good ol’ fashion campfire, including guitar, campfire games, and shot gunning beers.

(Everyone laughing at Adam...no surprise)

The sleep in the swag was pretty good. I put the cover over my head so the bugs wouldn’t get to me. I’ve definitely had much worse sleeps.

(Enjoying being in my swag. You pull that top flap over to be fully protected)

(The next morning, Greg cracking a beer.)

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We caught a plane into Alice Springs, which is the main hub for travelling around the Northern Territory (which is basically where all the famous things in the Outback are located. Right once we landed you could feel how much hotter it was. Also, the flies were insane. Everyone was questioning their decision to come to the Outback.

(Me infront of Simpson's Gap. That actually a riverbed I'm standing in. Hard to picture a river running through the bone dry area.)

The next day we picked up about 30 new people as our Contiki group grew once again. We began by going to an Outback zoo, where we saw all the creatures native to the Outback. We saw this crazy bird show. Here is a video of bird which pulls 15 Gs when flying! I think roller coasters are around 4 Gs, and a figher jet 10 Gs. I may be wrong with those numbers, put the point is this bird was pulling much higher than anything else.

(Whoa!)

After that we went around to all the Alice Spring’s hot spots, such as Simpson’s Gap, the Royal Flying Doctor’s, the Old Telegraph Station, and Anzac Hill. We went to the pub that night, to get our first experience of a Northern Territory bar.

(An Outback River)

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That night we went to a really cool restaurant (I can’t remember the name though!). This restaurant was really unique. The male washroom had a two-way mirror looking out into the main dining room. Not only was there a mirror, but the mirror was also the back wall for the trough (trough = urinal). So one sat there relieving himself, while looking out onto the dining room. Our tour guide didn’t tell us about it, so the first time everyone walked in, they got completely shook, and didn’t know what to do. From the outside (the dining room), you couldn’t see into the washroom.

(Waving to the people in the bathroom. You couldn't actually see in from the dinning room, but we waved to scare them anyways)

That night we headed to P.J. O’Brien’s, and a wild night of Jagarbombs, bar dancing, and all around chaos ensued.

(a bunch of the guys from the tour, getting ready for a bombing run)

The next day, I took it easy and used the day to catch up on laundry and sleep. That night a few of us headed for Dundee’s, where one can enjoy a platter of Crocodile, Kangaroo, Buffalo, Emu. It should be noted that Australia is the only country in the world to eat both of their national animals. Everyone hit the sack early, as we were headed for some scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.

GREAT BARRIER REEF
It was an early start to the day, as headed out to sea to visit the Great Barrier Reef. The ride out there was worth the price of admission, as we experienced the ocean at its worst. Lets just stay all the staff was walking around with barf bags, and people were throwing up out the back for the whole ride. Somehow your's truly, despite having really bad motion sickness when I was young, was completely fine.

(The boat on a crazy angle with huge waves coming over the front. This picture doesn't really do it justice, but a lot of people were horizontal from this ride)

We received a quick speech was the basics of scuba, and before we knew it, we were in the water. We did a quick 5-minute practice of all the safety procedures, and then we headed down.

(Tom and I, getting ready to head down)

At you descend, the pressure increases. This usually causes one’s ears to hurt. Well, I have never felt that type of pressure before, and my ears were ringing like crazy. I sucked it up, and eventually they got better.

(Tom and Nick heading down. You follow the white rope)

(Me getting ready to head down)

There’s not really much to say about scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef. I think its just one of the things I hope everyone gets an opportunity to do at some point. It was an amazing experience. We were even lucky to see a really rare fish, which most people take hundreds of dives, if ever, to see.

(The Group Swimming around)

(Nemo)

After our scuba, we went for some snorkels. The last reef we stopped at, is the reef where 'Finding Nemo' was based on. It was the nicest of the 3 reefs we visted.

(The crew getting ready to head in for a snorkel)

(The Great Barrier Reef from the top. You can see how the waves crash as they hit the reef. Hence why there's no surfing in the north-eastern coast of Australia).

FINAL NIGHT
That night was our final night for the east coast, so a big party at the Woolshed went down.

(One last night at the woohshed)

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(The Condor ripping across the ocean. You can see people hanging over the one side to stabilize the boat, and prevent it from tipping over)

We boarded the boat and got our beer coolers filled to the top. We then headed for a two hour sail out of Airlie Beach towards the Whitsunday Island. This first trip was a test to everyone’s sea legs. The swells weren’t too big, but it was really choppy, which resulted in a very bumpy ride. The rain was coming down and the waves were crashing over the side of the boat, leaving everyone soaked to the bone. The sun had set, so it seemed like we were heading out into a big unknown. A few people were pretty sick, but everyone was able to keep it inside. Overall, this was a wild ride, and a good introduction to big boat sailing.

Once we reached a sheltered bay, we were treated to a feast. That night we stayed up playing all kinds of different games (what else do you do on an 80 foot boat?). Games included the 'Game of Life', but you have to go to the Whitsunday's to find out what this game is.

The next morning everyone was awake by 7:00am. I tired to get as much sleep as possible, and lasted until 7:30, but all the talking and the motor prevented any decent beauty sleep. Cracked the first beer of the day at 7:46am.

(Breakfast of… champions?)

We set sail on the open ocean, heading for Whitehaven Beach. This next sailing leg was full on. The winds were ripping, and we got to see this ex-racing boat in action. Its capable of going on a 45 degree angle when full tilt. It was probably one of the highlights of Australia for me. Ripping acorss the open ocean, with the tunes blarring over the speaker system. In addition to being a passenger, everyone needed to help out with the sailing, which included getting on the grinders to raise the sails.

(On the grinders and setting up the sails)

(Crazy angle. You can see one of the staff, Luke, at the bottom, hanging on for life as he fixed a snag)

We arrived at Whitehaven Beach, which is considered in the top 10 beaches in the world (how do you get the job of deciding the top 10 beaches in the world?). We went for a swim in the surf (where I nearly destroyed my eyes dude to salt water), and played a game of modified cricket on the beach. Most people walked away from this beach session with good memories and BIG sunburns.

(Whitehaven Beach... soo good!)

(This isn't Whitehaven beach, but this is just across from it)

(Me posing in a singsuit. To go swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, one must wear a stingersuit incase Jelly fish are present. Not something to take lightly!)

(Hanging out on the beach)

(Heading out into the Surf)

(Playing some cricket. Good farmer's tan too.)

That afternoon we sailed to a good coral spot (we were in the Great Barrier Reef) to do some snorkelling. It was amazing, seeing all the colourful fish (including the famous ‘Finding Nemo’ clown fish).

(Hanging out on the deck for an easier ride in the afternoon)

(More Hanging out on the Deck)

(Our snorkel talk... "Don't Touch the Reef!")

(Heading out into the Great Barrier Reef!)

(Mitch and I, enjoying the Reef!)

(Lots of Fish. At one, we were feeding them, and there was probably 3 times this amont of fish. It was kinda scary as they swam inches from your face)

That night we were treated to an awesome sunset, another feast, and lots more games.

The last day on the boat including some more snorkelling in the reef, and sailing to Long Island Resort where we would spend the last night.

(Mitch enjoying a big bourbon and coke)

(Sailing in the last day. Pretty calm compared to the previous morning)

LONG ISLAND RESORT
Once we reached Long Island Resort, we all headed for a shower to get all the salt water, sun tan lotion, sand, and sweat off our bodies (there was no showers on the boat). We spent the rest of the day and night hanging around the pool enjoying the extensive list of cocktails, including Long Island Ice Teas needless to say.

(Enjoying lots of fruity drinks)

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It was a long drive as he headed for Rockhampton. Not really much to say about Rockhampton other than the Tropic of Capricorn passes through it (which means the humidity increases significantly. Not fun), and Rockhampton is also the beef capital of Australia. So it’s a good place to get a steak.

(The Contiki crew in front of the Tropic of Capricorn line)

That night we headed to a Croc farm. A croc farm is just like any other type of farm… but it breeds crocs. This farm holds anywhere from 2000 – 3000 crocs at one time. They also had a huge 5 meter, 1500 pound croc. This thing was a monster.

We had a tasty feast at the croc farm, which included ‘croc chowder’ for the soup. Yes, that is crocodile soup. It was pretty good actually. AT the end of the night, the owner brought out a 2-year croc for us to hold.

(Easy there croc)

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That night we had an 'S' theme party. This meant you had to dress up, and whatever it was had to start with S (i.e. Superman, Sky, Superhero, etc).

(Dressed up as a Samurai)

(Siamese twins)

The next day everyone was feeling pretty sluggish after a long night, but we headed out on a 4-wheel drive tour. We drove around in these monster buses which were jacked up for off-roading. There are no paved road on the sand island, its all off-roading. We had a quick drive around to some of the highlights on the island.

(the roads... all sand)

(Stopping at pristine white sand beach in the middle of the island)

After the tour, the contiki crew met up for an awesome sunset.

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Despite being in the middle of nowhere, it was a good experience as the contiki group started to bond over cheap drinks, learning to play cricket, hay rides, and a good ol' fashion bush dance.

(Playing some cricket and haning out on the deck)

(Enjoying a sunset hay ride. Nick our contiki guide driving)

The next morning as we were waiting arouond to get on the bus, we had a visiter who wanted to join us.

(Kangaroo trying to get on the bus)

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(Most easterly point)

Just before reaching Surfer's Paradise, we stopped at a zoo, to see all the famous Australian animals.

(Feeding some Kangaroos at the zoo)

(Another must see Australia animal... with a baby)

(A dingo... made famous by the "A dingo ate my baby")

(Found this guy walking around the zoo, not in a cage. Hope its not one of those deadly Australia reptiles)

That night we got the party started doing a small pub crawl around surfer's, including the local 'Minus 5' bar where you drink in a fridge (same deal as I did in New Zealand).

(Another cold bar experience. Something I do for free in a Canadain winter, yet you pay $20 to do on vacation)

ED'S 4-WHELL DRIVE TOUR
On my free day in Surfer's, I signed up for Ed's tour. The Day consisted of seeing a lot of wild life (pythons, lizards, kangeroos, etc), feasting on a huge steak and chicken buffet, lots of off-roading, hiking, and climbing the inside of a tree.

(Feeding the birds in the rainforest. These were wild birds that would land on you once you presented food)

(Saw a python in the wild)

(This is me climbing inside a tree. Its a process which takes a couple hundred years to occur, but the result is a hallow tree at a certain point. You could climb up about 40 feet. I was sketched out, and only climbed about 15 feet. Broken bones on vacation aren't fun)

(Picture taken from the outside of the tree, with me inside)

(Awesome mountains)

(That night we caught an awesome sunset as we drove back to Surfer's Paradise)

That night we did the Surfer's night life. When you're on a large tour and you roll up to the bar, they often provide a free round to everyone.

(A round of shots for the crew)

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When I arrived in OZ, I met up with my friend Mitch who I had travelled with in New Zealand for two weeks.

That night we met up with all the people starting the Australian Contiki tour, and got the tour started a night early at the pub across from the hotel.

Day 1 of the tour started very early (7:00am), as we headed over to the Sydney Botanical garden to get the typical Sydney Opera House pictues. We spent most the day heading north towards the Gold Coast. I passed out at 9:00pm from only 8 hours of sleep over the 2 previous nights.

(The typical Sydney thing...)

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(Ayres Rock during sunrise)

(Awesome Outback sunrise)

Once the sun was at full height, we headed for the base of the rock, to walk the 9km around it. It was spectacular to see all the caves.

(Walking around the outside of the Rock)

(More walking around the outside of the Rock. Only stop for a second to take photos, or the files will eat you alive)

(Huge caves, which looked like a wave crashing. Guy inside the cave is "Moose" from Calgary)

(Inside one of the caves. Actually took this photo myself using the timer)

After the walk around the rock, we went to the Olgas. I’m not really sure the history behind these rocks, but they’re pretty spectacular.

(Standing in front of the Olgas. Can you tell how hot it is?)

We then headed back to the Ayres Rock airport for a helicopter ride around Ayres Rock, and then the Olgas. This was amazing to see the rock from above, and also the new perspective on the Olgas.

(Heading up in the bird)

(Ayres Rock from the helicopter. You can see how its a big rock, with nothing but flatness around)

Video of Ayres Rock from up in the helicopter:

After the helicopter ride, I went right back to the base of Ayres Rock to climb it. Now, they recommend you don’t climb the rock for safety reasons and also spiritual reasons, but it was something I couldn’t miss, so I climbed it anyways (note: its not that you’re not allowed, but they recommend you don’t. People have died from the heat and steepness, and also the spiritual meaning to the Aboriginals).

This climb was full on, as its really steep, the heat is unbearable, and the flies are relentless. However, it was worth the effort, sweat loss, and blood given to the flies, as the view was spectacular.

(Lucky for the change to hold onto, so you don't fall off)

(At the top of Ayres Rock, with nothing around but flatness for as far as the eye can see)

(On the way down, I was able to get awesome views of the Olgas and the sunset)

After the climb, we went to our champagne sunset. Everyone stands around watching the sunset and the changing colours on the rock, while drinking champagne. This was one of the highlights of my whole trip. Everyone had enough champagne that by the end, we were all roaring for a big night. This meant a rocking bus drive back to the hotel and lots of dancing back at the bar. I should note that excessive champagne after spending the past two hours climbing in the sun, and with nothing to eat is not a good mixture.

(Sunset on Ayres Rock)

(Everyone enjoying the view and champagne)

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Since I've seen the area we were covering together quite well, I was the tour guide for a couple of days. I took them to the usual places in Christchurch, and then we headed out of town for Lake Tepako. Of course we stopped at the world’s largest sweater in the world.

(Neil and Katherine in front of the gaint sweater)

After that we headed for Lake Tepako. This area is well known for clear, dark skies which make an ideal location for observatories (i.e. large telescopes used for looking at outer space). We did a couple of hikes around the area. The hikes were quite scenic because of the awesome sunset.

(Enjoying the view. Yes I am wearing a fleece with shorts. Its the cool style in New Zealand)

That night we were planning on camping out. We didn’t get to our campsite until dark. Upon arrival, it was really sketchy as there were tons of abandoned campervans. We elected to move on from the creepy situation, and head for Mt. Cook. On the final road into Mt. Cook, we came across a car in a ditch, but no one was there. Too much creepyness for one night. When we drove by it the next day, the car was already gone.

The next day we did another hike around Mt. Cook and got some amazing views of the mountains. It was then back to Queenstown! I was scheduled to go heli-biking that day, but there weren’t enough people signed up to go. Crap! Oh well, back on the bus to catch my plane out to Australia!

(Neil and I waking up with the mountains in the background)

(Looking good in front of the ice burgs floating down the river)

(Eating a roadside triple decker PB and J sandwich. I look kinda gross this photo from hiking and camping and no shower)

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Unfortunately, the bus doesn’t go right to the Mt. Cook village, so I had to hitch in. No worries, I only had to wait 5 minutes!

When I arrived in the village, it was pouring rain. I was pretty bummed that I wouldn’t be able to hike. But I decided to give it a shot anyways (who knows when I'll be back at Mt. Cook!). I started with a flat walk in the Hooker Valley towards the base of Mt. Cook. Once I set out, the rain stopped, and the clouds parted for a few minutes, to give a good view of Mt. Cook. The end of the trail occured when I had to cross a glacier stream with no bridge. I felt the water and knew there was no way I could get across without getting hyperthermia!

(Large mountains with huge open valleys in the middle)

(Lots of suspension bridges crossing the glacier 'cold' rivers)

(Finally a good view of Mt. Cook)

MULLER HUT DAY HIKE
My main goal for heading to Mt. Cook was to do that Muller Hut hike. Normally, people do it in 2 days, but I thought I would giv’er in a day. This hike isn’t to be taken lightly as you head up into the high alpine, with little trails. This means there is some route finding with lots of scrambling.

I woke up early and headed for the park office to check the weather and see if the park staff thought it was an OK day. They gave it the thumbs up.

I headed out with all my warm clothes and anything rain proof. The start of the climb was straight forward, switch backing up the mountain until the scramble up a scree slope near the top. At the top of the screen slope, you reach a relatively flat ridge line which leads right to the hut.

(hhhmmm... where is the trail? Any why is there snow in the summer time?)

(About a 2/3rds of the way up)

(My hair looks crazy because the wind was blowning like crazy, giving the fro look)

The beginning of the climb was straight forwards with pure climbing and switchbacks. However, the higher I got, the heavier the wind became. Once on the final ridgeline to the top, the route is completely exposed (i.e. there's no coverage from wind or the elements). The winds hit like nothing I have ever seen before. I was actually getting blown over (picked up off my feet!). I had to hide behind rocks when the strong gussess started. I checked the weather report later that day, and they estimated the winds at 80km/h (plus or minus). The winds were so strong I couldn’t even hold my camera steady to take photos (my hand was getting blown around). My mp3 player earphones wouldn’t stay in my ears. Yes, I did get worried and think about turning around.

(the exposed ridgeline. Notice the glacier in the background)

There was a significant amount of snow too. I was jumping off rocks to avoid the large snow piles.

(waling through the snow)

Once I got into the Hut, I signed the guestbook to prove I made it, and enjoyed the view for a while.

(The hut with lots of snow around)

(I passed a guy on the way down, who took this photo of me, pretty close to the top. That's Mt. Cook in the background.)

(View near the top. I started a bit below the lake level)

So, for the day, I climbed over 1100 vertical meters (or just under 4000 vertical feet). The hut was at an altitude of 1810 meters. The day was suppose to take about 9 hours, but I dropped the hammer and it only took about 4.5 hours. Needless to say, I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. My legs were toast. However, I did enjoy a triple decker PB and J sandwich back at the hostel. That night I shared stories with some hikers from the Sweeden who had climbed in Nepal.

(The drive out from Mt. Cook)

Mt. Cook remains copyright of the author Lutzy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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(Deja Vu of beer towers)

The next day Ryan and I headed to the Red Rocks for breakfast and a beer (only on St. Patty’s!). We watched the cricket world cup for a while. I’ve finally got a pretty good understanding of cricket, and it’s a solid game to watch.

(Beers, breakfast, and Cricket)

I also met up with Steph (who I worked with for a couple of summers), and we had a couple of beers to celebrate St. Patty’s.

(Steph and Ryan enjoying a beer on our hostel deck...yeah, thats the view from the deck!)

We started the night at the main hostel bar, and met up with a bunch of the Stray crew. The rest of the night involved a bunch of bar hopping, and watching the best bongo session I’ve ever heard (randomly on the street!)

(A bunch of the Stray crew... representing England, Hawaii, and Canada)

(Lisa and I drinking teapots at the World Bar. Those tea pots don't contain tea though)

(Bongos at the end of the night)

Queenstown remains copyright of the author Lutzy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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(Waterfront of Wanaka... awesome mountains in the background. Notice the snow on the mountain tops. Its starting to get cold at high altitudes)

We stopped at 'Puzzle World' on the way. It had a giant maze which takes about 1 hour to complete. The maze contains 1.5km worth of trails (the average person walks at least 3km to complete the maze). There was also the illusion room, where everything looks like its going up hill.

(Giant maze. This is about half of it)

(Illusion room... am I really standing like that?)

That night we all pitched in to have a giant Mexican meal along with margaritas. Only problem was no blender.

(Ryan improvising with unorthodox methods to get crushed ice... shoe and towel)

(see Mom, I can cook. Margarita in hand)

(Solid meal)

That night we went to a movie at the coolest movie theater in the world. It has couches to sit on, and even a car (we got to sit in the car!). There was a giant box of extra pillows to use. At the intermission, they had freshly baked cookies, and ice cream. You were also allowed to take meals or alcohol into the movie theater.

(Some of the Stray crew waiting to get into the movie)

(The tiny, but very comfortable movie theater)

(Chilling in the car)

The next day I went for a giant hike. The trailhead was a bit out of town, so I had to hitchhike out. I was picked up by the first car! The hike was a 12km round trip. It was a massive climb of about 1350 vertical meters (that’s about 4000 vertical feet or 6 times of Blue Mountain). I don’t think there was a single flat part the whole time. I really wanted to giv’er, so I dropped the hammer and did the climb in only 2 hours.

(Looking up a the peak. I had already climbed for a while when I took this photo)

(Awesome views with the sun rising)

(About 1/3 of the way up. Started at lake level)

(Cool ridge lines running all the way. I walked out onto that one)

At the top of the mountain, since it had rained the day before, it was all snow at the upper altitudes. I was walking through about 3 inches of snow (I was in my trail runners and shorts!). The top was insanely windy, but the views were worth it.

(Snow on the peak)

(the final path up through the snow)

(Picture from the peak. Remember I started at lake level)

(Me on the peak. Had to throw the fleece on since it was so cold.)

(Another peak picture)

That night I met up with a bunch of the Stray people, as everyone shared their adventures for the day.

(Mike from Germany after I told him the drinking he had was reserved for females in Canada)

Wanaka remains copyright of the author Lutzy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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