'Nuff said
:) Ryan & Justin
Friday, January 23, 2009
Uhh...what's that smell?
Our next stop was the town of Rotorua (try saying that 5 times fast!!). The valley that contains Rotorua has some of the most active geothermal activity on earth. One local said that Yellowstone, Iceland, Kamchatka, Chile, and New Zealand are the only places where geysers can be seen. Is it weird that I've made it to Chile, NZ, and Iceland before Yellowstone? Oh well. On arrival to the town, we were greeted by the local potpourri...sulfur. As the car filled with the stench I began to feel very self conscious...was it the McDonald's I had for lunch?! But since the odor continued to last, I felt better and decided it had to be Justin. It wasn't until we got to the motel and stepped out of the car that I connected the dots. Yeah. Rotorua stunk...literally. It was an assault on the senses whenever the wind blew! I guess the Rotorua Visitors Bureau will never link to this blog :)
The next day we headed out to some of the parks in the area. The day was filled with geysers, boiling mud pits, sulfur caves, neon ponds, and steaming lakes.
Since the camera was still broken all the pics were still taken by literally pointing and shooting. This was a little tricky to explain to the lady that spontaneously offered to take our picture, but she was game for it. I think she did a pretty good job...
Throughout the day I was really looking forward to the "Spa at QE" for hot springs & mud baths. Our book gave the place 3 stars (its highest rating) and specifically said "you'll sleep well after it", so I figured it must be paradise. Wrong. When we pulled up to the address, I was in disbelief. The place was all indoors and was connected to the local hospital! It was essentially a clinic with little rooms that had mud bathtubs. Undeterred, we marched inside wearing our swimsuits. The receptionist seemed to gaze at us with disdain. She told us to wait...so we just stared at her for a good 5 minutes until she realized we weren't going anywhere. Once we were able to speak with the woman, she almost laughed at us when we asked if there was any availability. So we left. To say that I was upset would be a huge understatement. I wanted to lounge in outdoor thermal pools under the stars. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? Ooooh, wow, after typing that I just realized that going back to work will probably be harder than I first thought...haha. Luckily, Justin still had his wits about him and was able to figure out that we could go to the Polynesian Spa instead. Now this was what I had in mind! We lazed around moving from pool to pool for nearly 3 hours! We even got to see a massive full moonrise over the mountains. Now THAT deserves 3 stars!!
:) Ryan
The next day we headed out to some of the parks in the area. The day was filled with geysers, boiling mud pits, sulfur caves, neon ponds, and steaming lakes.
Since the camera was still broken all the pics were still taken by literally pointing and shooting. This was a little tricky to explain to the lady that spontaneously offered to take our picture, but she was game for it. I think she did a pretty good job...
Throughout the day I was really looking forward to the "Spa at QE" for hot springs & mud baths. Our book gave the place 3 stars (its highest rating) and specifically said "you'll sleep well after it", so I figured it must be paradise. Wrong. When we pulled up to the address, I was in disbelief. The place was all indoors and was connected to the local hospital! It was essentially a clinic with little rooms that had mud bathtubs. Undeterred, we marched inside wearing our swimsuits. The receptionist seemed to gaze at us with disdain. She told us to wait...so we just stared at her for a good 5 minutes until she realized we weren't going anywhere. Once we were able to speak with the woman, she almost laughed at us when we asked if there was any availability. So we left. To say that I was upset would be a huge understatement. I wanted to lounge in outdoor thermal pools under the stars. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? Ooooh, wow, after typing that I just realized that going back to work will probably be harder than I first thought...haha. Luckily, Justin still had his wits about him and was able to figure out that we could go to the Polynesian Spa instead. Now this was what I had in mind! We lazed around moving from pool to pool for nearly 3 hours! We even got to see a massive full moonrise over the mountains. Now THAT deserves 3 stars!!
:) Ryan
Thursday, January 22, 2009
THREE CHEERS FOR JUSTIN!!!
Justin just found out he got his acceptance letter from Notre Dame. YAY! Please join me in saying congrats!!
:) Ryan
:) Ryan
Onwards to the Coromandel!
After experiencing the "Far North" (I still think it's funny that they say "Far North" even though their country is so far south, but I digress), we headed to the Coromandel Peninsula. There was great scenery and some fun beaches along the way. We stopped at one and played in the waves for an hour or so. I was pretty exhausted by the end of it because the waves were so big. 
One of the highlights of the Cormandel is supposed to be Hot Water Beach. Basically around low tide, you dig a hole and wait for it to fill with water that ranges from 110-120 degrees. I'm really not sure why it happens since I didn't read the guide book very well. And while we're on the topic of the guide book...if you don't read it, you end up looking like this...
Yep, I thought the hot water event happened at high tide...so we got there just in time for the peak of high tide. We even got a little tide booklet earlier in the day so we would know how to time our day. Too bad the event happens at LOW tide. Doh! Experiencing thermal water on the beach would've been pretty cool, but we'd get some natural hot water of our own later.
Since the hot water was a bust, we decided to take some cheesy tourist pictures. Look, Mom, he's holding the island!!!
Not too bad considering that I was working with a black screen on the camera :p
While driving around the penninsula, we made a pit stop to check out some of the huge kauri trees in the area. These are the same trees that are currently being "mined" further north. There are still a few living ones in the area and luckily some were only a 10 minute walk from the main highway.
There was also a pretty impressive waterfall just of the highway...so we stopped to check it out. After a quick walk through a fern / Jurrasic Park like forest we arrived at the falls...
After completing this post I just realized we saw all this in 24 hours. Pretty crazy, huh? New Zealand may not have huge museums and ancient alleyways like Europe, but nature can be a DAMN good competitor!!
:) Ryan
One of the highlights of the Cormandel is supposed to be Hot Water Beach. Basically around low tide, you dig a hole and wait for it to fill with water that ranges from 110-120 degrees. I'm really not sure why it happens since I didn't read the guide book very well. And while we're on the topic of the guide book...if you don't read it, you end up looking like this...
Yep, I thought the hot water event happened at high tide...so we got there just in time for the peak of high tide. We even got a little tide booklet earlier in the day so we would know how to time our day. Too bad the event happens at LOW tide. Doh! Experiencing thermal water on the beach would've been pretty cool, but we'd get some natural hot water of our own later.Since the hot water was a bust, we decided to take some cheesy tourist pictures. Look, Mom, he's holding the island!!!
Not too bad considering that I was working with a black screen on the camera :pWhile driving around the penninsula, we made a pit stop to check out some of the huge kauri trees in the area. These are the same trees that are currently being "mined" further north. There are still a few living ones in the area and luckily some were only a 10 minute walk from the main highway.
There was also a pretty impressive waterfall just of the highway...so we stopped to check it out. After a quick walk through a fern / Jurrasic Park like forest we arrived at the falls...
After completing this post I just realized we saw all this in 24 hours. Pretty crazy, huh? New Zealand may not have huge museums and ancient alleyways like Europe, but nature can be a DAMN good competitor!!
:) Ryan
The Great North...
In addition to indulging in KFC, we did a few other things while north of Auckland. We took a bus tour of Ninety Mile Beach and the surrounding sand dunes. Of course, the tour began with a pit stop at a gift shop & museum of sorts. In Northern New Zealand they are essentially mining for trees. Large kauri trees were buried during a series of tsunamis thousands of years ago. The locals have been digging them up for years. They make all sorts of things from the wood...
such as exciting staircases to nowhere...
and fabulous thrones...
And chopsticks...which we purchased. Now that we own 45,000 year old chopsticks...who wants to come over for dinner?
Unfortunately that last picture proved too fabulous for the camera :( When we got back onto the bus, the LCD screen was broken. I honestly have NO idea how it happened. I didn't drop it or get it wet...nothing. And since the camera doesn't even have a peep hole to look through we just had to literally point and shoot and hope for the best. Not cool. Not cool at all. So if the pics in this & subsequent posts seem a little off, it's because we couldn't see what we were doing when we took the pictures....ugh
Anyways, the next stop on the tour was a pretty unimpressive lighthouse. The locals made it sound like it would be the highlight of the trip. I guess when you've lived in Michigan & Boston you get a chance to see some pretty cool lighthouses. It just seemed so little...
Thankfully, the scenery made up for man's shortcomings...
For me, the real highlight was sandboarding. They handed out sleds and we marched up the (hot!) sand dune.. Sliding down was fun but not quite as fast as I was expecting. Here I am on my way down the dune...I'm the closest to the top... 
Once again, crazy children appeared to have the most fun as they flew down the dune. I guess being lighter let them get more speed. Every now and then someone would lose control and tumble down the hill leaving a cloud of sand in their wake. I didn't fall or tumble but I still had sand everywhere, so I can't imagine what kind of demons these people had to deal with when they got home...
Throughout the day our guide kept telling us that we had to stay on schedule because the tide was coming in and we still had to drive down Ninety Mile Beach. The beach doubles as a road...think Daytona Beach, but without all the people and buildings. As we were speeding down the beach to beat the tide, our driver pointed out some cars that weren't so lucky. Apparently a year ago a family had a fun day of relaxing and picnicking on the beach. Well, they didn't get off the beach fast enough and the tide ate their cars. Luckily everyone was OK, but losing 2 cars in one day is no way to end your vacation!!!
If you look to the right of the bus you can see car #1's steering wheel sticking out of the sand...
Car #2 did not fare much better...
:) Ryan
such as exciting staircases to nowhere...
and fabulous thrones...
And chopsticks...which we purchased. Now that we own 45,000 year old chopsticks...who wants to come over for dinner?Unfortunately that last picture proved too fabulous for the camera :( When we got back onto the bus, the LCD screen was broken. I honestly have NO idea how it happened. I didn't drop it or get it wet...nothing. And since the camera doesn't even have a peep hole to look through we just had to literally point and shoot and hope for the best. Not cool. Not cool at all. So if the pics in this & subsequent posts seem a little off, it's because we couldn't see what we were doing when we took the pictures....ugh
Anyways, the next stop on the tour was a pretty unimpressive lighthouse. The locals made it sound like it would be the highlight of the trip. I guess when you've lived in Michigan & Boston you get a chance to see some pretty cool lighthouses. It just seemed so little...
Thankfully, the scenery made up for man's shortcomings...
For me, the real highlight was sandboarding. They handed out sleds and we marched up the (hot!) sand dune.. Sliding down was fun but not quite as fast as I was expecting. Here I am on my way down the dune...I'm the closest to the top... 
Once again, crazy children appeared to have the most fun as they flew down the dune. I guess being lighter let them get more speed. Every now and then someone would lose control and tumble down the hill leaving a cloud of sand in their wake. I didn't fall or tumble but I still had sand everywhere, so I can't imagine what kind of demons these people had to deal with when they got home...Throughout the day our guide kept telling us that we had to stay on schedule because the tide was coming in and we still had to drive down Ninety Mile Beach. The beach doubles as a road...think Daytona Beach, but without all the people and buildings. As we were speeding down the beach to beat the tide, our driver pointed out some cars that weren't so lucky. Apparently a year ago a family had a fun day of relaxing and picnicking on the beach. Well, they didn't get off the beach fast enough and the tide ate their cars. Luckily everyone was OK, but losing 2 cars in one day is no way to end your vacation!!!
If you look to the right of the bus you can see car #1's steering wheel sticking out of the sand...
Car #2 did not fare much better...
:) Ryan
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Whoops...
Sorry for the looong period of radio silence but we've been in some pretty shady motels lately with limited internet at best. The place we are in right now only allows a certain amount of megabites to be uploaded...then you have to pay more...ugh. Soon though we shall arrive at the Sheraton in Port Douglas, Australia and all our internet woes will be solved :)
We've seen a lot in the past few days and can't wait to share pictures, thoughts, and stories!
:) Ryan
PS - can you spot the seals?
We've seen a lot in the past few days and can't wait to share pictures, thoughts, and stories!
:) Ryan
PS - can you spot the seals?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Oh look, KFC
Dear Sally,
We spent a few days in Auckland and then rented a car to drive up north to the Northland and stay in Kaitaia. Thank goodness for GPS. I guess the route was pretty direct but I'm sure we would have gotten turned around. The drive was quite nice and we stopped in a small town called Sandspit for lunch. The town was nicer than the name depicts. The weather is perfect here. Highs are in the 70s and there is no humidity and not many bugs. Once we arrived at our motel in Kaitaia, I was excited to see that we were next door to KFC.
Oh KFC, how I have missed it. I must confess that KFC is a guilty pleasure of mine. About 3 years ago I made a deal with myself that I would only buy food from them once a year as I can only imagine how much fat is in that chicken. Ironically, ever since I made that decision, I have only been there once so I have some catching up to do. We decided to do KFC for dinner but it wasn’t as great of an experience that I hoped it would be. First, they told us they didn’t have any chicken available. Now we were there at 7:00PM so you would think it would be wise to have some chicken ready. We waited for 20 minutes for them to finish cooking the chicken. It wasn’t the same though so I don’t think this trip counts to my one KFC visit per year. Secondly, there were no biscuits. They had French fries instead. Third, I like to order macaroni and cheese but they didn’t have that either. Fourth, they charged money for ketchup to go along with the fries that we didn’t really want in the first place! That’s not okay.
As for the Northland, I like it a lot. The water is a little chilly but it is very beautiful here.
Here are some fun things I have learned in New Zealand.
rubbish = trash
chips = French fries
bush = forest
grog = booze
hire = rent
jandals = flip-flops
-Justin
Auckland LOVES Mexican!!
Going from Fiji to Auckland was definitely a big change! Needless to say, The Westin was a major upgrade from our accommodations on Taveuni :) Check out the yachts from our balcony!
Auckland is a surprisingly compact city. All the boats and easily accessible attractions reminded us of Boston. The weather was also on the cool side with low humidity, which was refreshing. We spent our time wandering, shopping, taking pictures, and eating.
During our wanderings, I noticed one slightly odd thing about Auckland. Despite the fact that most of their people are from the UK or East Asia, I spotted 4 Mexican restaraunts within an 8 block area. Seeing all these places made me hungry for nachos, so I ordered some at one of the places we stopped to eat. After that experience, I'm pretty sure that people from the UK and/or East Asia are in fact running the Mexican scene in Auckland. My nachos consisted of chips, cheese, and spaghetti sauce. Yes, spaghetti sauce. It even said "bolognase" on the menu...but I figured they must mean it in a different way....like chili or something. Nope. Anyways here are a few pics from the city, including 3 of the 4 Mexican restaraunts we came across :)
Auckland is a surprisingly compact city. All the boats and easily accessible attractions reminded us of Boston. The weather was also on the cool side with low humidity, which was refreshing. We spent our time wandering, shopping, taking pictures, and eating. During our wanderings, I noticed one slightly odd thing about Auckland. Despite the fact that most of their people are from the UK or East Asia, I spotted 4 Mexican restaraunts within an 8 block area. Seeing all these places made me hungry for nachos, so I ordered some at one of the places we stopped to eat. After that experience, I'm pretty sure that people from the UK and/or East Asia are in fact running the Mexican scene in Auckland. My nachos consisted of chips, cheese, and spaghetti sauce. Yes, spaghetti sauce. It even said "bolognase" on the menu...but I figured they must mean it in a different way....like chili or something. Nope. Anyways here are a few pics from the city, including 3 of the 4 Mexican restaraunts we came across :)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
No more Taveuni...No more bugs!
Although Taveuni was beautiful, it was infested by insects. No amount of frogs could defeat them! However, I can't imagine what the island would've been like if these guys were not around to chow down!
(This picture was actually taken on the main island. In fact, about 20 minutes later there were over 50 frogs on the terrace...so I guess the islands are infected with frogs too :)
You know you're not in Boston anymore when at dinner, someone at the table next to you says "oh my, that moth is larger than a hummingbird". Yeah, that was NOT an exaggeration either...this moth's body (wings not included) was at least 3 inches long! Too bad I didn't get a picture of it ;) So, needless to say I think we were both prepared to brave the small plane to escape the necessity of mosquito nets.
Anyways, after a pretty flight back to the main island...
...we arrived at the main island and headed to our hotel for the night. After a slight bout of confusion between us and the taxi driver, we made it clear that we were staying at Mama's Tropic of Capricorn Resort...not Mama's Pizza Restaurant. No wonder why he asked us three times if we were sure we were staying at Mama's....oh well. I guess that's why you negotiate a rate BEFORE you get in a cab (which we did) because then it doesn't matter how long the driver takes to get you to your place.
Mama's actually turned out to be REALLY dead. But the place next door was hopping, so we hung out there. They had traditional dancing, a fun bar, but most importantly a washer and dryer....which was MUCH needed since our clothes smelled like homebrew, bug reppelent, sweat, suntan lotion, sweat, and more sweat....hey, Taveuni was HOT! Here are a few parting shots from our last night.
Vinaka Fiji!!! Time for New Zealand!
:) Ryan
(This picture was actually taken on the main island. In fact, about 20 minutes later there were over 50 frogs on the terrace...so I guess the islands are infected with frogs too :)You know you're not in Boston anymore when at dinner, someone at the table next to you says "oh my, that moth is larger than a hummingbird". Yeah, that was NOT an exaggeration either...this moth's body (wings not included) was at least 3 inches long! Too bad I didn't get a picture of it ;) So, needless to say I think we were both prepared to brave the small plane to escape the necessity of mosquito nets.
Anyways, after a pretty flight back to the main island...
...we arrived at the main island and headed to our hotel for the night. After a slight bout of confusion between us and the taxi driver, we made it clear that we were staying at Mama's Tropic of Capricorn Resort...not Mama's Pizza Restaurant. No wonder why he asked us three times if we were sure we were staying at Mama's....oh well. I guess that's why you negotiate a rate BEFORE you get in a cab (which we did) because then it doesn't matter how long the driver takes to get you to your place.
Mama's actually turned out to be REALLY dead. But the place next door was hopping, so we hung out there. They had traditional dancing, a fun bar, but most importantly a washer and dryer....which was MUCH needed since our clothes smelled like homebrew, bug reppelent, sweat, suntan lotion, sweat, and more sweat....hey, Taveuni was HOT! Here are a few parting shots from our last night.
Vinaka Fiji!!! Time for New Zealand!
:) Ryan
Monday, January 5, 2009
Beautiful Goodbye
On our last night in Taveuni we headed to a local cliff-side restaurant. Beer, pizza, and a great sunset were the perfect way to say goodbye to the island. I guess the kitten that befriended us was nice too...
:) Ryan
:) Ryan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)