Fiji Time

After surviving the blizzard, we caught an early morning bus straight up to Auckland and flew out for Fiji. I love islands, but you must develop a Zen like patience very quickly. Everything moves slower. People walk slower, service is slower, buses are generally behind schedule. IT'S GREAT!!!! There is not much to do and nothing to hurry around for. It was exactly what I was looking for after 4 months of not stop moving around. We spent the first week cruising around the Yasawa islands. These islands are off the northwestern side of the main island and are where the great beaches abound(there are few good beaches to be found on the mainland). We soaked up as much sun as possible and found creative wasy to pass the time otherwise...

Jonny's Rock!!!!!!!

After two days in Rotorua, we had a decision to make. we could either heasd to Waitomo and go through some crazy caves or we could backtrack to Taupo and try to do the Tongariro Crossing. This was important because the Tongariro crossing is where Mt. Doom resides. Mt. Doom from the movie Lord of the Rings was filmed here. We decided against the caves because of "Descent" a movie Nini saw that made her scared of caves. Back to Taupo. Once there, we got a weather report saying there was going to be a break in bad weather for one day and we could hike the Tongariro crossing. I was stoked. See, before the trip my friend Jonny was the only one who asked me to get him something. He wanted a rock from Mt. Doom. After our first attempt, I thought it was over, but with the break in the weather, I took another shot. We headed toward the crossing at 6:00 in the morning and were on the trail by 8:00. Mt. doom was completely covered in snow. I wouldn't be hiking to the top, but the pass was still clear. We had warm clothes and boots and were on the trail. When we came to the "Devil's staircase", the hike did not look as fun. Dark clouds had moved in overhead, but we continued up the steep incline of jagged volcano rocks. About half way up, the snow started coming down. About 5 minutes later, the winds came. We were off trail and moving ahead slowly. By the time we reached the top of the Devil's staircase it was snowing really hard and winds had reached about 60 kmph. Not quite what we signed up for. We talked to to guys who had been up there a few days. They said that without ice climbing gear, the other side would be really tough. Nini and I decided to head back. BUT!!!!! Not before I grabbed a rock at the base of Mt. Doom. It was small as most of the rocks were frozen into the ground. JONNY, I GOT YOUR ROCK!. Nini and I were the only 2 out of 40 to turn around b/c of danger. We were kind of bumbed until we reached the end to find that the entire group had gotten turned around about 30 minutes after us. The next day, we found out that one guy broke his ankle and two people were airlifted to the hospital with Hypothermia. Yeah, it did get that bad that quickly up there. It was an experience to remember. The pictures above are before the snow and afterwards, about 90 minutes apart. Jonny's Rock

Rotorua!

After Napier, we headed to Taupo. Our plans were to hike the Tongariro crossing and skydive. Unfortunately, we got blasted with bad weather for three days, and all we got to do was bathe in some natural hot pools. We headed on to Rotorua in the hopes we might be able to come back to Taupo in some better weather. Rotorua was really cool. It is the most thermal active region of NZ. This means there is lots of sulfur bubbling up from the ground. Literally, the entire city smells like rotten eggs all the time. It takes some getting used to. However, there is quite a bit to do here. We went zorbing. You are thrust into a huge inflatable ball and rolled down a hill. We also visited a Maori tibe sight, which was really interesting. They served us traditional dinner(cooked underground), showed us the grounds, and performed traditional tribal rituals for us. It was great.
More Zorbing

Napier

After Wellingotn, we headed north to Napier and a great wine tasting region known as Hawke's Bay. We did a great wine tour with a great group of people. I drank way too much as usual and proceeded to pass out for about three hours after we were finished. It was a lot of fun.More Photos

Nini's Arrival!

After touring Golden Bay for a few days, I made my way over to Wellington, where I met my sweetheart. She arrived in Welligton early on friday morning. We wpent some time at the Te Papa museum. It has the biggest exhibits on Maori culture in all of NZ. Maori are the tribal people that first inhabited the islands. It also had some funky art exhibits including the one seen in the photo above.In the evening we went out to Kai, a Maori fusion restaurant. Delicious.

Mussel Inn (Beer Tasting)

After my hang gliding adventure, I continued North into Golden Bay and the small town of Takaka. I had started testing out the local brews once I got to Nelson, and the highlight of the tastings ended about 17 km North of Takaka at a place called the Mussel Inn. I stuck my thumb out to hitch a ride and ended up in a VW van with the brewmaster himself(unfortunately, I did not find this out until I was in the bar). The Mussel Inn is a small tavern that brews all of its own beers and there are a lot of them. I tried 4 of them. There was the Captain cooker, Dark Horse Ale, Monkey Puzzle, and the Weka Ale. All of them were good. The Weka was my favorite tasting, but the Monkey puzzle was a really good Belgium brew and it was 10% alc. which was great. This place was a real treat. After about 2 hours of tasting, I hitched back to Takaka.
I got a ride with an old hippie from the states named Ro. He no resides permanently in the Nelson area. He was really cool. Through out my travels in the Nelson area, I tried beers from Founders, Harringtons, Mac's, Townsend, and Bennet's. Trust me, the Nelson area has some great beers on tap. If ytou ever get there, amke sure to try a Harrington's Wobbly Boot or a Townsend No. 9. You won't be disappointed. More Beer

HANG GLIDING!

I went Hang gliding. It was fricken fantastic. You stand on top of this large hill, clip into a glider and then run down the hill to your doom. Suddenly, you are lifted into the air, you are thousands of feet off the ground, and there is nothing between you and the ground. It was really nerve racking, but so much fun as well. It is the closest thing I could imagine to flying.

Hitch Hiking

After Abel Tasman, I decided to try my luck hitch hiking around for a few days. The first day I made it back from Abel Tasman to Nelson using three different rides. It took about 2 hours. The second day, I was headed north to Motueka. I was outside with my thumb out for over an hour and was picking up my bag to give up and catch the bus when a car finally pulled overto offer me a lift. Her name was Catherine, a local Kiwi and devout Christian. Instead of giving me a ride to Motueka, we ended up at her place in richmond for lunch. I then met her parents and 5 siblings, and stayed on for dinner. We had a preyer session for my injured wrist, which was fun. Then we headed to a camper site to deliver food to one of their sick freinds, but he wasn't home. Then we headed to a local lookout spot for Nelson, which was gorgeous. Finally, around 7:00 p.m.(about 6 hours later) we headed for Motueka. It was a great day and I plan to stay in touch with this amazing family.

Abel Tasman National Park

After Dad left I headed up to Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park. I did a two day, one night hike. The track is a very easy walk with beautiful coastal views. Unfortuntely, my wrist is still out of action so I was unable to kayak, but there will be a next time...

Ode to my father

What a great guy. My Dad came all the way to New Zealand to spend two weeks with me. He put up with my shit, stayed in hostels, and paid for the transportation(rental car) the whole way. After running and working out each morning, he still kept up on all the hikes. We saw great wild life in Dunedin, took a tour of the Milford Sound, hiked the Rob Roy Glacier, and talked about life for endless hours during the car rides. Dad, thank you so much for coming out. I miss you already. I can't wait until we do it again. Mom, now its your turn. Ha ha!

FRANZ JOSEPH!

After Wanaka, we headed up the west coast to see the Franz Joseph Glacier. This drive is supposed to be one of the most magnificent in all of New Zealand. Unfortunately for us, it was pissing down rain and we could barely see in front of us, let alone any views. Franz Joseph was the same way. It was pouring rain most of the day I went, but it opened up a bit when we got up to the top. The boots they gave me were soaked and my feet were wet and cold the entire time, but the glacier was spectacular. Its a 7 km by 7 km piece of ice, and its getting bigger by the year. Take a look at some of the extra photos to get a perspective on the size of the thing.More Pictures

Wanaka

From Queenstown, we headed just one hour north to beautiful Wanaka. This town is like Queenstown without the shot of adrenaline. It is just as gorgeous, with better hiking, good food and none of the over craziness. My dad and I did the Rob Roy Glacier hike. After a one hour drive into Mt. Aspiring National Park, the hike winds through a huge valley, lush forests, and ends at a view point below the big glacier. It was great.
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Queenstown

After Milford sound, Dad and I headed up to the adrenaline capital of the country for some fun. We booked the Shotover jet together and I opted for the hanggliding in the afternoon as well. The shotover Jet was a lot of fun. It is a flat bottom boat that can go up to 85 kph with a full load of people. We raced down narrow canyons and spun full 360 degree spins in the open water. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my hang gliding adventure was canceled due to the winds. Hopefully, I will get to do it later in the trip. Pictures of the shotover jet to come...

In the afternoon, we headed up the gondola hike to catch views of Queenstown and the surrounding area. It was beautiful. There was also a luge ride at the top, which was quite fun.

Milford Sound

We continued on through that Catlins into Te Anau. This is the town where you access all of the Fiordlands. We stayed at Barnyard backpackers, and the next day went to Milford Sound. It was cloudy and windy, but the rain from the night before meant that the waterfalls were full. It actually rains over 200 days a year in Milford Sound and the get over 20 feet a year. Crazy. Stay tuned for some great videos. ON the way back, we got stopped by an enormous heard of sheep. It took about 15 minutes to get through.More Pictures

Milford Sound 1
Milford Waterfall closeup

The Catlins

We caught a really rainy day driving through the Catlins on southern tip of the island. We stopped by Nugget point, Sandy Bay, and Jack's Blow Hole. Sandy Bay was an adventure to say the least, but one where you had to be there to understand. Although none of the sights were that great, we had a lot of fun, caught a full rainbow, which I'd never seen, and stayed at Curio Bay, which was great. We awoke on the ocean to huge waves and surfers getting crushed before we carried on. It was cool.

Dunedin

After Omauru, we made our way down to Dunedin. Here, we visited the Otagao peninsula and saw more wildlife. We explored Victroy beach, which was almost deserted expcept for us and some Sea lions. We also hiked through tunnel beach which was really nice. Then, we went to Sandfly Bay for some more Sea lions and penguins. Then it was off through the Catlins...
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DAD!!!!

My dad is in New Zealand. Let the good times roll. My Dad asked me if he could come out, and of course the answer was yes. We spent the first night at Lake Tekapo. Nothing spectacular. We planned to head to Mt. Cook, but when we awoke the weather was terrible so we headed straight down to Omauru for the day. WE saw Yellow eyed penguins, blue penguins and fur seals. It was great. Pictures to come soon....

Wanaka

This whole country is a postcard. It is hard to believe. After bungy jumping and hiking the Kepler track, I was tired out. I stopped in Wanaka and mellowed out for 4 days. I watched spiderman 3 in a funky little cinema full of couches, and caught up on some rest. The next day, I paid a doctor to look at my wrist for 5 minutes and say "it might be this, it's probably from all the wristy stuff you've been doing here's a perscription for anti inflamitories, that'll be 85 bucks". What a rip off. 'Wirsty stuff'? What a diagnosis. Love ya dad, but my experience with all other doctors(exlcuding the great Bob Waterhouse, and all other family freind doctors of whom I don't have time to remeber)continues to be un pleasant. Moving on. On the last day of my trip I hiked up to the peak of Mt. Roy which overlooks Lake Wanaka and looks out to Mt. Aspiring. Spimply spectacular. Next,I meet up with my father in Christchurch. Get ready for some fun stuff...

Walking above the clouds

After the bungy jump, I met two cool guys in my hostel, Jeff from Kansas, and Simon from England. We headed down to the fiordland to do some hiking. I was planning on doing the Milford Sound Track, but we ended up on the Kepler Track instead. I was a little short on equipment and had to make do with what I had. AS you can see I am wearing a wool hat, jacket, wool tights, with shorts and wool socks over the top. It was quite a sight, but not as good as our morning view. We woke up the scond day at 1,300 meters or 4,000 feet, to a stunning views of cloud cover beneath us. It was like a big ocean of clouds. We then hiked through a big cave, over some grand ridges, through moss covered forests, and a beautiful waterfall. Spectacular. See More Pictures

BUNGEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!!!! As I look over the edge, 440 feet down, I am ready to pee myself. This is Nevis, the second highest bungee jump in the world. Of course, there are some smaller ones in Queenstown that I could have started with, but why waste time. I am the first to go, and I was freaking out. AS I jumped, all I could think was, AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH,OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH SSSSSHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!! Then, 2 hours later(actually about 8.5 seconds) I started to feel the rope tug me back up. I have never been that scared in my life. The adrenaline rush lasted about 5 hours and even now, just thinking about the jump I get nervous. Is is something I will remeber for the rest of my life. Video 1

You'll have to wait until I get homw to see video 2

Cairns

I spent my last two nights in Cairns. This city is really fun and I wish I had more time there. Unfortunately, the trip to the Great Barrier reef I wanted to take was full. Instead, I went on a full day snorkel and sailing trip. It was really fun, but the section of the reef we saw was kind of dissappointing. The Great Barrier Reef is massive, consisting of many different islands. It would take weeks to get around all of it. Unfortunately I didn't have an underwater camera, but sometimes it is also nice to keep memories to myself. We saw some great fish and even a small 4 foot shark. The sailing part was great too. I am hooked on sailing. The next day, it was off to New Zealand. (Above is our boat, Ocean Free)

Magnetic Island

As the Australian leg of my trip winded down, I went over to Magnetic island. Off the coast on the way to Cairns, many people skip over this segment of Australia. The island was pretty quite excpet for my crappy hostel, but I still had fun. On the second day, I hiked almost 20 km around the island. I saw amazing private bays which can only be reached by hiking, old world war two bunkers, and of course the cuddly koala bear. These bears sleep from 16-20 hours a day and spend the rest of their time eating and pooping. Eat, shit, sleep. Not a bad life. More Pictures

Celebration Time

After the Whitsunday trip, we all went out for drinks. If you don't know how I mix with alcohol, then your probably missing me at my loudest. Within a couple of pitchers, I was standing on the table shouting BOOMERANG!!!!(our boats name) at the top of my lungs. Needless to say, the group got motivated and it all went downhill from there. We went to an irish bar in town playing live music and who knows what happened after that. I know it was fun for sure. More Pictures

Whitsunday Islands

After the Fraser Island trip, I continued north to Airlie Beach where my sailing adventure awaited. What a trip. WE had a great boat, a great crew, a fabulous group, and even better weather. The sailboat was called Boomerang, and 83 foot long Maxi racing boat. It was awesome. We had good wind and got the boat moving around 11 knots, which is a good pace. There were 28 people aboard, and they were all cool. I met a cool couple from Austria, and a really fun Irish guy named James who I partied with the last night and got completely ridiculous. I laerned a lot about sailing, and got to sleep on top of the ship underneath the stars the secong night. It was so peaceful. It was the most fun I have had in Australia yet. Stay tuned for pictures from the celebration night after the trip....SEE MORE PICTURES

Fraser Island

After mellowing out in Byron Bay for a week, it was time for some adventure. I tavelled north up the coast to Rainbow beach. From here, you can reach Fraser Island. It is this huge island made up mostly of sand dunes. I went through a tour company and did an island tour adventure. I got placed with 7 other people and we were put in a Toyota Landcruiser with enough food for three days and then sent off oin an adventure of our choosing. We drove along the beachs at 80 kph, chilled at two different lakes, camped out and had a blast. We also fought off dingos at night. They are basically and island dog that are constantly searching for food. Then we relaxed at Mckenzie Lake, which is the first lake I have ever seen with a white sand beach. It was a great time for all.
CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES

Byron Bay

What a peaceful place. After the festival ended, I spent three days here. If I could, I would live here. There is nothing over special about it, but the place has a special way about it. Time and all my problems associated with it just seem to melt away. Beautiful beaches, super nice people, and great waves. This place was perfect. Check out this long point break on a small day: Nice Wave

Blues and Roots Day 4

The fourth day was unbelievable. The van I was slepping in took off as the driver had to get back to Sydney, but I found a hostel to stay in. It was pissing down rain like it had done all weekend. The grounds were absolutely packed. There was a large tent in front of the stage. After the first rain, I was able to make my way in. Ben Harper played. If you know Ben Harper, you know his albulms are good.
Well his live perfromanes are much better. He tore the place apart for over two hours. He brought John Butler and Jack Johnson on stage for guest performances. He has a Congo drum player that is unreal. It was a great way to finish off the festival.

The first photo is Ben Harper and the second one is him and Jack Johnson together

Blues and Roots Day 3

The third day was a bit melodramtic. Since we did not plan well enough in advance, we ended up camping on the side of the road. Our van got broken into. Only the girl had anything taken. Listen to this, the robber took her ipod, sunglasses, some clothes, and her birth control, but left another ipod and camera behind. ON top of that, the robber left their phone in the van and called it to try and get it back from us. Weird night. But the next day, John Butler performed. I hadn't heard him before, but he was out of this world. He started off husking(playing guitar for coins on the street) in Byron Bay and has made his way up ever since. He was quite something. Watch him play

Blues and Roots Day 2

The whole festival was great. On day two I got to see Bela Felck and the Flecktones, one of my favortie bands. Bela Fleck plays electric bango and Victor Wooten is the best bass player I have ever seen. .Bela vs. Victor



Later that night Ozomatli went on and put on a fantastic show after flicking off George Bush to start the show. At the end they all took drums and ran through the crowd playing this great beat. The whole crow was going crazy.



To finish it off, The Roots played and hour long set. This is the second time I have seen them and they are absolutely phenomonal live. Three great bands i9n one day and it only got better

Blues and Roots Festival

Hey everyone. I am at a huge music festival in Byron Bay at the moment. I have been camping out and sleeping in a hippie van for the past couple days. I have seen Ziggy Marley, Bela Fleck, Ozomatli, The Roots, The John Butler Trio(the best so far), and today is the conclusion with Ben Harper closing the festivities. Check out some pictures from the show

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Sydney Coast

On day two, i did another walking tour. This one was on the coast and it was gorgeous.

<--Bondi Beach
I walked from Bondi beach to Tamarama beach, Bronte beach, and ended at Coogee beach. This walk is incredible. Natural pools and lap pools are built into the sea right along the walk. You can take a dip or go for a run and then swim to get in shape. The there is the fact that there are 4 incredible beachs in about a 3 mile stretch. Beautiful.

<--Tamarama Beach







<--Bronte beach pools







<-- Bronte Beach pools close up







<--Coogee Beach. End of the line.

Australia

Hello everybody. It's been about a week, but I am back. I lost my camera battery charger and was pretty much out of luck for 4 days in Tokyo. ALthough my freind took some pictures for me. I hope to have them soon. I spent three days in Sydney. I thought I reached the top in Japan, but this place is just as great. It is this huge port city built on the ocean. Sailing and beautiful ships dominate the waterfronts, and the harbor is just spectacular. I spent the first day meandering around the city and checking out the harbor and the famous opera house and harbor bridge.

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Mt. Fuji

This place is majestic and pictures and descriptions don`t do it justice. I sat in a park and just stared for about 2 hours. It is surrounded by five beautiful lakes. and smaller mountains all around. This is something you eed to experience firsthand. Check back　in a couple days for my "Mt. Fuji celebartion dance" videos.



Dance #1