Destination: Taupo.

Taupo
Thursday, September 18

I was up bright and early on Thursday morning in order to shower, finish packing, and hop a 7:25 bus in order to get to the train stations before 7:45, when our bus was scheduled to leave. Naturally, it was pouring down run, but a bus happened to pull up to a stop on Taranaki Street just as I was walking by, and so I save myself walking all the way to Courtenay Place in the rain.

I met up with Jamie at the train station, and we stopped in the New World Metro quickly to pick up something for lunch. Then we found our bus on Platform 9 and settled in for the journey up to Taupo. As we rolled out of Wellington Station, there were a whopping 11 people on the bus. We could have each comfortably taken up five seats each on the coach.

The ride up through the center of the north island was, for the most part, wet. We stopped for lunch in Flat Hills, where a chilly mist made sure we didn’t linger too long in the toilets or café. We drove Highway 1 northward, which took us on the “Desert Road” through Ohakune and Tongariro National Park. Though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, we passed by Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Ngauruhoe (AKA Mount Doom), their snowy peaks swathed in thick cloud.

We arrived in Taupo just before 2 p.m. after about a five and a half hour bus ride, with the last 45 minutes of the drive spent snaking around the side of Lake Taupo itself. We made the short walk to the Tiki Lodge where we were booked for the night and checked in. Then, despite the dark clouds moving swiftly over the lake in our direction, Jamie and I decided to go down to the lake.

It was less than five minutes’ walk to the water’s edge. We snapped a few photos before the rain came in sheets. We watched it move across the lake, obscuring the distant shore like streaks on glass. When it finally reached us, it was cold and propelled by a strong wind that made each droplet sting our faces. We ran across the street to the safety of a café just in time for it to let up. As we turned around, we were greeted by a stunning rainbow arching across the road, one end dipping into the lake.

The worst of the rain had passed, and it seemed as though the sun was going to come out after all. Jamie and I crossed back over the street again to walk along the shore again until we could figure out what to do next. Setting out that morning, the only things we’d had booked were our bus tickets and hostels. We were planning to just wing the rest.

We decided to head to the Taupo i-Site, which was visible from the lake shore. Though, most of Taupo is visible from the lakeshore; it’s quite a small city. We got distracted on the way by the Superloo, which is exactly what it sounds like – a super potty. It was too good to pass up.

Once at the i-Site, we picked up a few postcards and brochures and were just about to leave to peruse them when a mini business card-size pamphlet caught my eye. It was for Hotbus, which is hop-on hop-off shuttle that will take you to some of Taupo’s more popular attractions. The last run of the day was at 3 p.m. It was 2:58.

Jamie ran outside to hail down the driver, which, we discovered, was fairly unnecessary. There was no one else in his shuttle, and he seemed surprised to see us.

We decided to go out to Huka Falls first. I’d been there on my last trip to New Zealand, and I remember liking it. I figured just the unnatural blue water would be enough to sell Jamie on the idea. And it was. We paid our Hotbus driver, and he waited at the Falls for us as we walked around.

Huka Falls is actually just one tumbling waterfall through a narrow gorge on the Waikato River. The water surging over the falls is used to power hydroelectric plants just outside of Taupo. Something like 25% of New Zealand’s electricity is produced from the Falls. They actually manipulate how fast the water flows, depending on the electricity demand at certain times of day. Pretty cool stuff.

As far as waterfalls go, Huka Falls certainly isn’t the highest or loudest to be found in New Zealand. But standing on the footbridge and watching that foamy, blue-green water roaring beneath your feet? Yeah, that’s worth it.

After we’d had our fills of the Falls, we made our way back to the Hotbus. We asked him if he could also take us to Craters of the Moon, and he said yes. He dropped us off, and told us he would pick us back up in 75 minutes.

Craters of the Moon is Taupo’s main geothermal park. The city of Taupo is located on NZ’s “Thermal Highway,” and there is a lot of volcanic activity that goes on in the region. Taupo doesn’t boast the diversity of geothermal wonders that Rotorua does, but Craters of the Moon was still cool.

Entry to the park was only $5, and Jamie and I were some of the only people in the place. As we made our way into the park, it was quite an impressive, yet eerie sight. The area looked like a normal plain and forest, except for the fact that it was pockmarked with hundreds of smoking craters. Smoke was drifting up randomly everywhere you turned, and there was a faint smell of sulfur on the air.

The smell got stronger, of course, as we walked along the wooden pathway. Jamie kept commenting on how “freaky” it was that the earth was just smoking for no apparent reason. The area is apparently quite active, and not completely safe. We passed numerous “Danger!” signs urging us to keep to the boardwalk and not to “pass this point.”

We spent a little over an hour in the park, walking the entire loop track, peering into steaming craters, and climbing up to the lookout point. From there, we could see all the way to Lake Taupo. As I looked out over the smoking land, I couldn’t help wonder if places like this were where Peter Jackson took some inspiration for The Dead Marshes. At more than one point, I found myself half expecting to see Gollum slinking his way through the mists.

We got back into the city around 5 p.m. We had squeezed a lot into 3 hours and $25, and we were both starving. After roaming aimlessly for a little while, we finally settled on Breakers. It was a surfing-themed restaurant with bright colors and cheap prices. Jamie and I both ordered burgers off the kids meal, along with donut sundaes (which, I must add, were pretty much amazing).

After dinner, we headed back to the Tiki Lodge for a break. Jamie ended up passing out for about an hour, and I went and checked my e-mail and the weather. I made her get up at 7:30, and we headed down the street, determined to stay up past 9.

We ended up in Plateau, a rather flash-looking bar that had live music going on. Jamie and I sat at a high-topped table, sipping water and chatting for a couple of hours. By about 10, however, we finally gave in and called it a night.

A short review.

The next couple of days were, on the whole, uneventful. I spent Monday evening in the Student Lounge with Jamie watching The Office. We had Hell’s Pizza delivered, and made a nice evening of it lolling about on the plush chairs and couches. I really do love The Office. Aw, Jim.

Before Jamie came by to share some quality time with me, I discovered the first episodes of the new season of America’s Next Top Model on YouTube. I spent some time watching that. I know it’s dumb (really really dumb), but there’s something about that show that just keeps me watching. MTV marathons of whole seasons on a Sunday afternoon are my absolute favorite. Up there with USA marathons of Law and Order. Good times.

The weather in Wellington has certainly taken a turn for the better now. We’re still getting wind and rain, but it’s gotten considerably warmer. I dubbed the week “No Pants Week,” and was successful for the first few days, wearing only dresses and leggings. This was made possible by temperatures in the high 50s. Also, today’s show is brought to you by the letter Z. (That’s “Zed” to the kiwis, remember.)

I’m having fun with my blog again, in case you can’t tell. Hopefully I won’t let myself get so far behind again.

Let’s see, what else can I tell you? New Zealand has started its own version of “Who Wants to be a Millionnaire.” I like watching it and seeing how well I do, because usually every other question is something New Zealand-specific. Meaning I usually don’t know half of the questions. Haha. But it makes it more fun that way.

I think that’s about all I can think of to ramble on about at present. Stay tuned to read about mine and Jamie’s exciting weekend up north!

An unexpectedly long walk.

Sunday, September 14

Sunday, following an equally pleasant Saturday, turned out to be blue-skied and mild. Spring, it seems, has reached Wellington at last! Jamie and I decided that such a nice day could not be wasted, and so met up in town not long after 1 p.m.

Our first stop was the crepe stand on Dixon (or is it Manners? I can never remember), as we’d passed by it on Wednesday and had been drawn to the delicious smell wafting out of it. We each settled on a chocolate and banana crepe, and were not disappointed. My mouth is watering right now just remembering it… yum.

We strolled down Courtenay Place, savoring our sugary lunch and chatting about whatever came to mind. Eventually, we found ourselves heading for the waterfront.

Oriental Bay was crowded on that lovely Sunday afternoon. Children grasped dripping ice cream cones in their little hands; a group of teens played an impromptu game of rugby in the sand; couples strolled hand-in-hand along the walkways; a few people waded ankle-deep in the bay; and everywhere you looked someone was walking a dog. The afternoon sun reflected off the rippling water of the bay, making it look as though a million diamonds were floating just beneath the surface. A few sailboats bobbed along further away from shore, their white sails taut in the sturdy breeze.

Jamie and I sat on the rock wall the overlooked to bay and talked about relationships. Everything from broken engagements to the perfect number of bridesmaids to have in a wedding. She got distracted by the group playing rugby, however, and eventually we decided to keep walking.

I suggested walking out to Point Jerningham, which is the furthest point of land that juts out into Oriental Bay. We walked and talked, and very soon had walked to the point and beyond. Since we’d never walked that way before, we decided to just keep going. It was a gorgeous afternoon, after all, and neither of us had anything better to do.

We walked along the curving coastline, the number of people thinning as we got further away from Oriental Bay. By the time we’d made our way through Balaena and Kio bays, we found ourselves only passing the occasional runner or cyclist.


We stopped along the way to walk along a stretch of beach peppered with thousands of purple shells, and to climb down to a collection of rust-colored rocks that stuck out into the bay. As we sat there, listening to the waves lapping the rock under our feet and watching a lone sailboat gliding across the blue-green water, I found it to be the most beautiful, peaceful place. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m here.

Continuing on past Greta Point and to Hataitai Beach, we found ourselves in a bay surrounded by steep-faced hills with expensive looking houses perched here and there. Many of them had their own personal cable cars to transport residents from the street to the front porch. I want my own personal cable car when I grow up.


We walked through a small park (Cog Park, I want to say, but I don’t really remember) and stopped to pose on some wooden chair-benches near the water’s edge. But that point, our feet were starting to hurt from all the walking.

Making our way through the boat harbor, we ended up in Evan’s Bay Marina, on the edge of Kilbirnie near the airport. I don’t think either one of us realized just how far we had walked until then. That’s something like 10 kilometers, at least, and in less than two hours!

Nursing very sore feet by that point, we asked a random guy directions to the nearest bus stop. We really didn’t like the idea of walking all the way back into town. He pointed us in the direction of Kilbirnie Park and Shops. We passed a cool sculpture along the way – a Zephyrometer. It’s a wind needle, basically, and actually does reflect the strength and direction of the wind. Way to go NZ with functionable art work!

We found the bus stop we needed in the Kilbirnie Shops area, but decided to stop at KFC for dinner first. Then it was back into the city. Jamie got picked up by Greg at Courtenay Place, and I made my way back to the Cube (very slowly, I might add, thanks to my sore feet).

That evening, around 9:30, I experienced my first NZ earthquake! It shook the whole building, and probably felt a lot worse than it actually was due to me being up on the seventh floor. I know NZ has little earthquakes nearly every day, but this was the first one that I’ve actually felt. Ash and Dani both freaked out as our flat shook and swayed a bit. But I just thought it was kind of cool.

I went online to look it up later, and found out it was a 5.2 on the Richter Scale, and happened more than 100 kilometers north of Wellington. Cool stuff. Though, I’ll be perfectly content if that’s the first, last, and worst earthquake I ever experience.

Plotting, planning and movies.

September 11-12

I spent Thursday working on the rough draft of my first travel essay. It’s about my weekend spent with the Red Carpet Tour group back in August, and proved more difficult to write than I originally thought – because I wanted to write so much more than I was allowed! But that’s reassuring, because I’m going to have to expand it a lot when it comes to my capstone this winter.

Jamie stopped by Thursday evening to start planning/booking things for our trip to Taupo and Rotorua. Good thing, too, since we were leaving in less than a week. Haha. We just ended up booking bus tickets and hostels, and figured we’d play the rest of the trip by ear (what does that expression mean anyway? Can I play something by elbow? Clavicle? Pinkie toe?)

Friday I finished up my draft, and had fun working on a i-Map (basically a flow chart of your brainstorming) using InDesign. I haven’t played around with it (or any other layout program for that matter) for a long time, so it was fun to try and re-figure everything out.

Jamie and I had planned to go to a party at the Marine house Friday night (much like we’d planned this same time last month), but it doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for us (wow, I’m just full of bad clichés tonight!). Jamie is now staying with a different family up in Brooklyn. Karen and Greg both work for the NZ Embassy, and they were having the American Ambassador over for dinner that night, and of course Jamie was invited, too. We figured by the time dinner was over, we’d have to catch cabs all over town in order to go hang out with inebriated American military guys. … Somehow that just wasn’t very appealing to me.

Instead, I went to another movie night hosted by Jayne and Ash. Not too many people showed up this time – just me, Jen, Denise, Una, Melinda and Josh. Ash tried to start in on an anti-Lord of the Rings speech, and we just all laughed: he was clearly preaching to the wrong audience.

We ended up watching “The Illusionist,” followed by “Boondock Saints.” A pretty good movie night, I must say. Plus, this time, it came with lots of free pizza! Yum.

We stuck around after the movies to chat with Jayne and Ash a bit. Ash is a strange fellow. American expatriate who thinks the government is tracking his e-mails and who won’t vote in the November election because he doesn’t want “them” to find out where he is. He also has a lot of piercings and an obsession with zombies. Haha. Somehow I think he and Dave would get along well.

Ash talked to us for a long time – because once he gets going, he doesn’t stop for a long time – about various things ranging from his movie tastes to government e-mail scans to zombies to his theory on how tornadoes target trailer parks. And no, I’m not kidding about that last part – he seems quite convinced of it. He also regaled us with stories of pranks he used to play in his youth (and his not-so-youth). I think my favorite was about his Halloween last year: he dressed up like a zombie (complete with fake blood and white contacts), and lumbered around the streets of Wellington all day scaring people. It’s both hilarious and freaky to think about. He plans to do it again this year and has invited us all to join him. Part of me is intrigued just to go to watch him. At the very least, it would make a good blog entry.

A mid-week treat at the Embassy.

Wednesday, September 10

The school week seemed to drag by. I had assignments to work on, but wasn’t motivated (seems to be a trend over here…). The essay I’m most excited to work on is the one that’s due the latest. Ha, go figure! But it’s about NZ film, which means I can talk about Lord of the Rings and have it be relevant. So I suppose me looking forward to it is understandable.

On Wednesday after class, Jamie and I ran into town for a short hour of shopping. She was looking for a pencil skirt for her “sexy librarian look.” But due to Jamie needing to work out and run errands before we left, we didn’t leave until after 4, which didn’t really leave much time for shopping. Plus, it was raining.

We shopped until the stores closed, but neither one of us bought anything (aren’t you proud, mom?). We made our way back to Courtenay Place for dinner, and decided to try the Sports Café. We were both hungry, but didn’t feel like spending a fortune, so we just split two appetizers. It still ended up being too much food though. Oh well.

After dinner, I made my way down to the end of Courtenay Place to pick up my ticket for the 8:30 showing of “The Dark Knight” at the Embassy Theater. I’ve been dying to see this movie, but it never seemed to work out that anyone wanted to go see it with me when I had time. So I finally just decided to go by myself. And the fact that it was showing at the Embassy (and cheaper than a ticket at Reading) only made it seem like a better idea.

Jamie and I went back to my place so she could grab her stuff, and then I headed back into town. The rain had stopped, at least, which was good. But even before 8:30 the drunkies were already out in town. I got a “Hey baby” from some short dude walking down the street with a bottle of beer. Do guys really think that kind of thing works? It’s sad, really.

I got to the Embassy before they started seating, which was okay with me, because it meant I got to look around a little. For those of you who don’t know, the Embassy Theater is where the world premiere of “The Return of the King” was held back in 2003. Kind of a big deal.

The theater was originally built in the 1920s (then being called “de Lux”), and underwent a major renovation in 2003 in order to host Peter Jackson’s premiere. The theater was updated, yet also returned to its “former glory,” and, walking in, you can tell.

The lobby of the Embassy is large, with curving staircases of plush red carpet on either end. Going up the impressive stairs you find a very posh-looking area with a concession stand, a fancy bar, café seating and Blondini’s, a jazz club. A chandelier ties everything together. It feels very ritzy, and I was surprised to only pay $10 for my ticket.

Even just being in the theater was a treat. There are large plush seats in stadium seating (much better than any seats I’ve ever sat in at a movie), and two rows of leather ones that you can pay extra to sit in. Eat seat bears a little plaque with the name of someone who donated money to the renovation project. I know that the names of a few hobbits and a certain elf are in there somewhere, and I can’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted to have a look…

But I didn’t. I went to my seat (which was assigned, because that’s how they do things here), and sat down to take in the scene. The inside of the theater looked modern, but with a few touches that hinted at its age and history. For example, the blue-green patterned carpet didn’t exactly look like something you find in a contemporary art house. The ceiling was high, and a large teal stage curtain hid the movie screen from view.

As the lights dimmed, I got a little chill thinking about all the famous people who had, at some point, experienced the same thing in the same room. Yeah, I’m a dork, I know.

I wasn’t disappointed by the film, either. “The Dark Knight” was everything that everyone said it would be. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing and really well-acted. Heath Ledger was just… wow, amazing! He was so creepy, but in an absolutely brilliant way. I really liked it a lot.

Though, let’s face it, it’s no “Return of the King.” ;^)





P.S. - The photo here is of the sculpture at the end of Courtenay Place that Weta designed to commemorate Wellington's film industry (it's an old camera on a tripod). The Embassy is the cream-colored building directly behind it.

Weekend Update.

September 3-7

Have no fear – my luggage was dropped off (very) early the next morning with no harm done. The next few days were boring, rainy, and not really worth writing about. Andrea and Jamie were both still gone on trips with their dads, and I was relegated to sitting in my room and finishing up my second reading of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I think I believe the people who say that finishing Deathly Hallows comes with a bit of a withdrawal stage. I was quite depressed after finishing, and the fact that I was all by myself probably didn’t help matters at all.

But I got over it, helped by Andrea’s return on Friday.

Friday evening, I went over to Andrea’s, and we spent an hour or so showing each other the photos we took on our respective trips and just catching up. I made myself a pasta meal, and we watched four episodes of Season 3 of Grey’s Anatomy (Andrea’s dad brought new DVDs with him). It was a nice relaxing evening, and cheered me up immensely. Then again, how could I still be sad after watching McDreamy for two and a half hours???

Jamie and her dad got back to Wellington on Saturday, and I met them for lunch at Hog’s Breath. The day started out windy and rainy, but, by the time we’d finished eating, the sky had cleared and the sun had decided to make an appearance. It was still windy and chilly out, but it was far too nice to stay inside.

I went to Te Papa with Jamie and her dad briefly, and then we took a walk down to the harbor front. Since her dad was leaving the next evening, Jamie figured they should make the most of the daylight left to them. We decided to take him up the Wellington Cable Car, since we were sure the views from the Botanical Gardens would be beautiful on such a clear afternoon.

We made our way down to Lambton Quay, and got tickets for the cable car. Then up the hill we went in the bright red tram. We took some photos at the top, and walked around for about 15 minutes before Jamie called Greg to come pick her and her dad up. After a long week of travel, they were both exhausted.

I excused myself and walked back to the Cube, taking a random route through town that took me down by Queen’s Wharf. There’s something about the fern ball that draws me when I’m in the area, I think. Haha.

I spent the evening in my room while Tina and some friends got drunk in our lounge. But I didn’t mind. Some good, quality Facebook stalking from time to time can be a good thing.

On Sunday, I met up with Andrea in the afternoon and we walked down to the Wellington i-Site and Simply New Zealand gift shop. I picked up a few more small gifts for people (finally found something for you, Mom!), and then we headed back up Courtenay Place. I grabbed some Subway, and went back to Andrea’s to eat it.

Andrea wasn’t feeling the greatest, however, so I didn’t overstay my welcome. Headed back to my flat, I was contemplating how best to spend the rest of my evening when I ran into Jen and Una on their way to do some laundry. I decided to follow them back to their flat, and spent a while chatting to Una about our breaks, politics, racism, and people in general.

Josh eventually came over, and offered to cook us all dinner. Josh is a good cook, and I certainly wasn’t about to turn down a free meal! He made salmon and pasta, and it was delicious.

After dinner, me, Josh, Una, Jen, Denise and Melinda all crammed onto Una’s bed and watched the first half of “The Two Towers.” Since Jen and Denise had just been down to the South Island, much of the viewing was accompanied by squeals of “We’ve been there!” and “We saw that!” I didn’t mind a bit, however, as it’s so good to have found fellow Lord of the Rings fans to be silly with here.

A brief taste of Perth.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 5
Monday, September 1

Uncle Jerry wasn’t able to get into work Monday morning due to full parking lots at the train station. (I wish I could use that excuse and get away with it.) Since he didn’t actually have to be at work until 3 or so for a meeting, however, it ended up working out really well for me: He offered to take me into Perth for the morning.

I was excited, because, after coming all this way, I was glad I was at least going to say I got a taste of Western Australia’s flag city. It was a rainy morning as we made the half-hour commute, a light mist still falling as we pulled off the motorway and into the city.

The first stop was King’s Park and Botanical Gardens (I seem to be hitting up a lot of those lately, too!). The rain let up as we were walking over this really neat raised bridge up in the trees, and the morning improved from there. I liked King’s Park, and would have liked to spend more time there. I think it was probably because it was so green. I like Aussie, don’t get me wrong, but I did find myself missing the greens of New Zealand.

As it was, though, we walked around for perhaps 20 minutes on winding paths, bordered by native trees and plants and Aboriginal artwork and information. A lot of the Aboriginal ancestral “dreamings” were briefly explained on plaques here and there. I was brought back to Chatwin’s “The Songlines,” and was really glad that I had decided to read it after all.

We walked to the edge of the gardens, where you can overlook the city from the footpath. The Perth skyline isn’t very tall or wide or, really, all that impressive. Perth is actually a lot smaller than I had expected it to be.

We headed back through the park, passing various war memorials and stopping quickly in the gift shop to pick up a few postcards. Then it was down into the heart of the city.

Parking in a car park, near the entertainment center, we set off into downtown Perth. Uncle Jerry pointed out the train station, the Horseshoe Bridge, and other various things here and there. We weaved our way through the main strip of shopping, heading for the waterfront. He wanted to show me the Bell Tower – the best-known piece of architecture in Perth.

Situated in Barrack Square and overlooking the Swan River, the Bell Tower, while certainly no Opera House or Harbor Bridge, was really cool looking in its own right. With brick-red “sails” at the bottom and a slim tower of green glass reaching up like a too-tall mast, it’s easy to see how it now serves as Perth’s “symbol.”

I was happy to simply take photos of it from outside, but Uncle Jerry said we should go up it. Had I known that it would cost us 20 dollars to do so, I probably would have declined. As it was, though, I soon found myself climbing the winding stairs (since the elevator was temporarily out of service) that snaked around the tower.

It was a warm afternoon (well, warm by my standards, at least), and I found myself sweating as we paused to watch the bells being rung in the belfry. The bells – the Swan Bells as they’ve been renamed – have an interesting history of their own. Twelve of the 18 bells used to hang in London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, and date back to somewhere between 1725 and 1770. They were gifted to Western Australia to commemorate Australia’s bicentennial in 1988, and eventually ended up as part of WA’s “Millennium Project” – The Swan Bells.

Today, the 12 old bells, along with six newer ones, are still rung the old-fashioned way. You can pay extra to take part in the bell ringing, which happens sometimes multiple times an hour. Apparently this is very popular with the kids.

As we made our way up to the observation deck (and some fresh, cool air), I could see why kids would really like coming to the tower to ring the bells. The 18 bells sounded loudly out over the water and city, and made me smile. It’s definitely a step up from the church “bells” that “ring” every 15 minutes at ONU. (Sorry ONU, but a recording of bells ringing just doesn’t quite do the trick for me.)

After the Bell Tower, we headed into town again for a quick sandwich, and then it was back to the house. Uncle Jerry had to get to work.

That afternoon, I went with Lindy and Aedan to pick Hannah up from school. She attends a small alternative school, and, after a week of hearing about lunch restrictions, no-homework policies and lessons about “personal space,” I found seeing such a school first-hand quite intriguing.

It was not much more than a collection of buildings, colorful artwork, and a sandy playground. Kids weighed down by large backpacks raced across the parking lot, a few of them stopping to say hi to Aedan. He’s apparently very popular with the older boys in Hannah’s class.

I can see why such a small, informal school would be appealing. There was a very friendly feeling in the air as I watched kids greeting parents and saying their farewells to each other in the afternoon sun. Aedan ran off to play in (can you guess?) the sand as Lindy caught up with a few other mothers. Aedan got a ride on the swing (and a nice mouthful of sand when he fell off, laughing) before we left.

We stopped at a small park on the way home, where Hannah and Aedan had fun going down the slide and climbing on the rope jungle gym. I was content to sit in the sun and watch.

That evening brought with it another delicious home-cooked meal (a pork roast this time), and plenty more antics from Aedan. He’d finally gotten totally over his shyness around me, and spent the evening showing off. This included eating his dinner with a fork, eating sand out of his shoes, and giving me a bit of a show after his bath as he rode around on his firetruck wearing nothing but a pair of sparkly bunny ears. I wish I’d snapped a photo – it would have come in good handy 10 years or so from now for blackmail purposes.

Uncle Jerry drove me to the airport later that night, and followed me all the way through to my gate. I found this slightly funny, since I’ve been travelling on my own for some time now. But I suppose it’s just the uncle/dad in him.

Then began the long night of air travel. I caught the red eye from Perth to Melbourne around 11 p.m., and then flew from Melbourne to Sydney to Christchurch to Wellington. I arrived back in Wellington around 5 p.m. the next day, with my luggage somewhere back in Australia. If I hadn’t been so tired, I probably would have cared a lot more. As it was, all I wanted was to fall into bed.

Flying kangaroos.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 4
Sunday, August 31

On Sunday, after packing up and checking out of the hotel, we headed for Nambung National Park, a short drive from Cervantes and the real reason for coming up north for the weekend. Nambung is home to The Pinnacles – a patch of dessert where bits of hard limestone jut up out of the ground like thousands of bony fingers. The Pinnacles promo brochure describes it as such: “Rising mysteriously from the dune sands are thousands of limestone pillars, a landscape in eerie contrast to the surrounding heath.” I find it quite melodramatic myself, but I suppose it works.

The narrow, winding road leading into Nambung was rife with signs warning drivers to watch out for kangaroos and emu. Lindy said the last time they’d been up this way, Hannah had spotted a group of kangaroos hopping through the bush. She had just wondered aloud if we’d see any this time around when, what else bounded onto the road directly in front of us but a little brown kangaroo! Uncle Jerry slammed on the break, but it wasn’t fast enough. The kangaroo made contact with the side of the hood, and went flying at least two meters into the air.

I can say I saw a very rare breed of kangaroo while in Australia – the kind that fies.

The kangaroo, after its short flight, hopped off again. I’m going to tell myself that that means it was okay. End of story.

The Pinnacles area consists of a few hiking tracks, and one lone one-way dirt road that makes a 4 kilometer loop through the park. We took the loop.

We stopped multiple times along the drive, clambering out of the (now slightly dented) car to roam around the strange rock formations. It’s hard to explain in words, but it really is quite a sight. The color contrasts – the yellow-orange sand and white pillars were set on a backdrop of blue-gray clouds – were what struck me the most. There’s not much green in that place, but, for once, I didn’t really mind.

Aedan was in his glory, having both sand AND rocks at his disposal. Even though we were told not to touch or climb on any of the Pinnacles, Aedan chose not to heed this rule. I guess I can’t blame him though – if I were 21 months old, incapable of speech and harboring a slight rock fetish, I would have been all over those things, too.

We spent roughly an hour in the park, padding through the packed sand, me taking a good number of photos along the way. It was strange, though, because I was the only true tourist in the group. Jerry and Lindy hadn’t even brought a camera since they’d been to see the Pinnacles before. But it was too good a sight to resist, and I had already resigned myself to be the camera-toting American in the group.

On the drive out of Nambung, we saw some wild emu alongside the road. It was quite surreal to see the big feathery things lumbering along without any fences to hem them in. Don’t worry though – we didn’t hit any!

We stopped at Hangover Bay briefly. It was yet another beautiful, secluded white-sand beach. I have a feeling Australia boasts a whole lot of those. I told Uncle Jerry that I didn’t think I’d been to so many beaches in one week in my entire life. But I wasn’t really complaining.

We drove out to Jurion Bay for a lunch of fish and chips (and yet another beach) before turning the car back in the direction of Perth. The ride home was slightly taxing, as Aedan had already had his nap for the day. He cried for about the last hour, and I have to admit that I eventually tried to drown him out with my iPod. It’s not that I didn’t like the little guy; I just don’t do well with little screaming children.

Arriving back in Fremantle around dinnertime, we headed for Clancy’s Fish Pub, a Sunday evening favorite for all the local families. Clancy’s has a huge enclosed yard at its rear, where all the kids run around and play together, giving their parents a break. Aedan and Hannah did just this.

Lindy and Jerry’s friend David met us for dinner, as did Hannah’s friend Finn and his mom Sarah. We had a nice dinner and conversation, everyone taking turns keeping an eye on Aedan. David is especially fond of both Aedan and Hannah, and was really talented at keeping them amused.

After our adventurous day, I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that I was relieved to crawl into bed that evening.

Cervantes.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 3
Saturday, August 30

For the weekend, Uncle Jerry had planned to take us all on a mini holiday. Hannah was quite amused at this idea, because I was already on holiday. Meaning it would be a holiday within a holiday. What she didn’t know was that it was actually a holiday within and holiday within a holiday, since being in NZ is a gigantic holiday in and of itself.

Having planned to make a 10 a.m. start, naturally we didn’t actually make it out the door until after 11. That’s the beauty of travelling with small children. We made a stop at the chemist (pharmacy) to pick up some Panadol (something similar to Advil) for Hannah, and then had to run back to the house for Lindy’s purse. So much for that early start.

We were headed to Cervantes and The Pinnacles, roughly 250 kilometers north of Perth on the coast. It took us about three and a half hours to get there, with a brief stop on the way for lunch at a petrol station that had various colorful birds in an enclosure outside. Luckily, Aedan slept for most of the trip, though Lindy sat in the backseat with him and Hannah just in case. I sort of felt bad, but she (along with Hannah) insisted.

The drive, overall, was enjoyable. The sun came in and out as we headed north, and the land became increasingly less populated. Western Australia is, for the most part, very flat. Driving across it made me think of the long drives through Ohio farmland to get up to ONU. Except the landscape in Australia is quite different. There aren’t many tall trees. Instead, the land is covered in mostly short, prickly-looking bushes and yellow wildflowers. The blacktop road (which, I was informed, would turn to dirt if we drove east or further north for about an hour) was flanked on each side by a swath of rusty-colored dirt stretching off into the distance.

We got to Cervantes in the late afternoon and checked into the Best Western. I think it was one of the few businesses in the small town, aside from a general store, a post office and a tavern. We got settled in our room (a family unit), and then decided to go for a walk.

We walked in the direction of the beach, Aedan in and out of the pram as we went, playing in the dirt and gravel driveways. Along with stairs and sand, he also really like stones. I was struck by the smallness of Cervantes as we walked. It felt very secluded; someplace people from outside would want to get away to, and people from inside would want to get away from.

The beach was deserted when we got there. The sand was white, and the water of the Indian was an unreal shade of baby blue, nearly completely clear and colorless where it lapped up on the shore. Aedan and Hannah ran around in the sand, Hannah building a castle and Aedan picking up large fistfuls just to feel the fine grains trickle between his fingers.

Climbing up to a lookout before heading back into “town,” I took a family photo of them, and Aedan spent some more time climbing stairs. I suppose it’s a treat for him, as Jerry’s current house doesn’t have any.

We decided to walk along the shore on the way back, simply for a change of scenery. Hannah splashed along in the surf, and Uncle Jerry pushed the pram through the wet sand, joking around that he wouldn’t have to exercise now for months. From Lindy’s response, however, I got the impression that it was likely the only exercise he’d done in a long time.

Since we got back into town before the Best Western was set to serve its dinner buffet, we stopped in at the tavern for about an hour. It was labeled, very conspicuously, by large, bold letters spelling out “TAVERN” on the roof. You know, for all those low-flying planes in search of a beer and some chips.

The tavern was actually quite nice inside, though. We sat outside on a porch dotted with picnic benches and large umbrellas. Hannah and Aedan amused themselves with race car driving video games, and Jerry, Lindy and I had a chat about a lot of things, which was nice. I’m sad that I’ll be missing their wedding in November.


We went back to the hotel for a buffet dinner that Lindy and Jerry labeled “old people food.” Apparently the hotel’s usual dinner menu is stellar, and their expectations weren’t quite met by the buffet. I, however, used to a diet of Easy Mac and Subway, thought it was pretty good.

Bedtime preparation that night consisted of Aedan taking his very first shower with Hannah. He seemed to enjoy it, and celebrated the occasion by then peeing on the bathroom floor. Oh, little kids.

An introduction to Western Australia.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 2
Friday, August 29

Hannah was home sick from school on Friday with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Lindy, feeling that we couldn’t just sit around the house all day, decided to take us all to the Western Australia Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Hannah was entertained by a little scavenger hunt the museum has for kids, and Aedan was more than happy to run around and go up and down the stairs. He has a thing for stairs.

The museum was small, but nice inside. Fremantle was apparently the largest submarine base in the southern hemisphere during World War II, and so the maritime museum has a lot of artifacts from that time, including a sub that you can tour.

We wandered around for a while, trying out all the interactive things and looking at a lot of boats. The Australia II, the boat that won Aussie its first America’s Cup back in the early 80s, is housed there. It’s a very shiny boat.

After an hour or so at the museum, it was back to the house and naptime for Aedan. My uncle came home from work early, and he and Lindy got some bad news regarding Aedan. Aedan had cancer about a year ago, and it looks like it has come back. It was both very awkward and depressing to be in the house when they got the phone call. Lindy was very upset. I can’t blame her, though. I think she’s a lot stronger than I could ever be. Hannah had a lot of heart problems as a kid, and now this. It doesn’t seem fair somehow. I don’t want to say anything more about it, though, because it’s too depressing and it’s also not really my business to be sharing.

After Aedan woke up from his nap, we all went out to Cottesloe Beach. A strong wind was blowing in, and there were tons of surfers, windsurfers and parasurfers in the water as we drove along.

To get down to the beach, we took a cobblestone path through some scrub brush, passing some stone artwork along the way. One piece was a large sundial that actually worked; I thought it was pretty cool.

We got down to the beach, and Aedan went toddling off into the sand. Along with stairs, he also really likes sand. I walked out to the end of the jetty on my own to take some photos. The sun was setting, and the whole scene was pretty impressive. I will certainly say that Australia has some beautiful beaches.





But with the wind and chilly sea spray buffeting me on the jetty, I didn’t stay long. I walked back down to the beach, where it was apparent Lindy and Hannah were just about ready to go.

It was “cold” by their standards. Granted, the wind was pretty chilly. But it had to have been in the mid-50s, and that’s certainly nice for “winter” as far as I’m concerned. But I suppose the longer you live there, the colder that temperature would start to feel.


We made our way back to the car and back into Fremantle for dinner at Song Tam, a Vietnamese restaurant. I’ve never eaten Vietnamese food before, but it was pretty good; similar to Chinese, really. I got some lemon chicken that was amazing. We didn’t stay too long, however, because Hannah wasn’t feeling well and Aedan was also getting slightly cranky.

We made our way back to the house just in time for bedtime. I could tell everyone was exhausted from the day, but I’m grateful that Jerry and Lindy took the time and effort to show me a little more of Australia. Overall, it was a really nice evening.

Meeting the fam.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 1
Thursday, August 28

In my uncle’s house, they’re lucky if they get to sleep in until 7. Aedan hasn’t quite mastered sleeping all the way through the night yet, and he’s always up and raring to go bright and early. Since I was on the floor of the lounge right next to the kitchen, it was inevitable that I, too, would be woken with the rest of the house.

Either Aedan didn’t notice me or was uninterested, however, because he never bothered me. I stayed lying on my mattress until the house cleared out a little before 9 – Uncle Jerry was on his way to work, and Lindy and Aedan were off to drop Hannah off at school. Once they’d all gone, I showered and got myself ready for whatever the day would bring.

I officially met Aedan (my uncle’s first child) later that morning as I was eating some toast and he came tottering inside from playing in the sandbox, sand tipping out of his little orange Crocs with every step he took. I usually detest Crocs on anyone, but the little guy can somehow pull them off.

Aedan was very wary of me at first. “He’s just starting to get into his shy stage,” Lindy told me as she picked him up. Aedan kept stealing glances at me over his mom’s shoulder, dribbling drool and snot down her back as he did. He was just getting over a cold, and is not yet 2. So snot and drool are not out of the ordinary.

Lindy had to go into Fremantle, the closest town to where they live, for an appointment, and invited me along. She dropped me off in the town center and gave me an hour and a half to wander around on my own. The day was sunny and warm, and a light breeze was blowing in off the Indian Ocean as I padded down the many streets of Fremantle.

I made my way down to the waterfront where the fishing boats were moored and walked along the shore. Fremantle is apparently a pretty historic town, and I came upon a lot of plaques and signs as I went denoting where a wharf or bath house had once stood. I found myself slightly overdressed for the warm sun, and so eventually made my way back into town in search of a Coke and some shade.

I met Lindy and Aedan back in the center of town around lunchtime. We found a little café and ordered delicious chicken and avocado flatbread sandwiches. Aedan was happy to munch on some bread in the booth next to Lindy. He was a little more confident by then, and grinned at me from across the table. He’s a cute little thing.

But also a bit of a terror. He decided it would be neat to try and tip over the table. He nearly succeeded, too. I managed to catch it before it went over, but I couldn’t stop the large glass bottle of water from falling to the tile floor and smashing into about a hundred pieces. I think Aedan was pretty pleased with himself as he watched the café staff clean it up, as most little kids probably would be. Thankfully, no one got hurt or wet, and it ended up just being sort of funny.

We headed back to the house afterward, as it was past Aedan’s naptime. I took advantage of the sunny afternoon and patio furniture and read my book outdoors for a while. Tiddles the cat, however, was quite adamant about sitting on my lap and sticking her butt in my book. Nice cat.

Lindy ran to pick up Hannah from school, along with Hannah’s friend Phineas. I can’t imagine naming my kid Phineas, however this kid really did look like a “Finn.” He and Hannah ran around for the afternoon, Aedan joining in once he woke up from his nap. They have a trampoline in the backyard (one of those one’s that’s closed in so no one can fall out), and they spent quite a bit of time on there.

Aedan, I learned, can’t quite talk yet. He says the usual “Mom” (or “Maaaaa!” when he’s really distressed) and “Dad,” but, for anything else, he just says “More?” I imagine it would get quite frustrating trying to figure out what exactly he wanted “More” of.

Lindy piled all of us into the car to run to the fresh foods market to pick up some fruits and vegetables for dinner. Hannah and Finn ran around the store barefooted as Aedan munched on a strawberry in the cart Lindy was pushing. For some reason, though, this did not seem to phase anyone in the store.

Dinner was a lamb roast and fresh steamed veggies and was delicious. It’s been so long since I had a home cooked meal!

After dinner it was time for baths and bed. Before-bed rituals at the house usually include Lindy reading to Hannah (currently they’re working on the fourth Harry Potter book), and Jerry entertaining Aedan with YouTube videos. The little guy LOVES the computer. And cell phones. He has somehow figured out how to change things like wallpapers and ringtones on phones. I think he’ll end up some kind of tech wizard at the rate he’s going!

Once the kids were in bed, Lindy, my uncle and I watched a bit of TV before turning in ourselves. I got the feeling they were worried that I wasn’t enjoying my time with them. But, on the contrary, getting a chance to relax, getting a good meal, and just be around family was very enjoyable. Perhaps not very exciting (I apologize if this bored you), but enjoyable.