Travel Diary - Day 29

Date: 6/30/97
Weather: partly sunny
Place: River Valley, Wellington

I had a cup of coffee and a couple of s'mores for breakfast, then took entirely too long getting my full-body wetsuit on for whitewater rafting. Once we got to the river, we carried the boats down to the banks and got a crash course in rafting. The water was unexpectedly deep, even in the narrowest places. The scenery we got to see convinced me that New Zealand is the most beautiful place on Earth, even without seeing the south island. Plus, river rafting was the only way to see it. It was otherwise inaccessible and untouched. We jumped off 9 and 10 meter high ledges into the freezing water and got stuck 90 feet after taking over (Author's note: The guide got out of the boat and let the newbies try to negotiate some rapids ourselves. We got wedged on a rock and the boat filled with water, so he had to make his way through the rapids to us just to get us unstuck). After a shower, we drove to Wellington with no stops.

Travel Diary - Day 28

Date: 6/29/97
Weather: partly cloudy
Place: Taupo, River Valley

I had a bit of the free breakfast at the hostel before we left this morning, which was unimpressive. On the way to River Valley, we stopped at a ski lodge for a hike. It was absolutely gorgeous scenery, with mountains on either side when we weren't in the forest walking along a creek. There was also a waterfall that was surrounded by ice where it entered the pool, which was a sacred Maori site. The lodge is tucked away in the middle of nowhere without a TV or radio, but it was charming. The showers and toilets are outdoors, and everyone sleeps in the same room in connected beds. I made s'mores after the $7.00 meal that didn't include a drink but tasted home cooked, and read and played cards.

Travel Diary - Day 27

Date: 6/28/97
Weather: sunny, cloudless
Place: Rotorua, Taupo

Today we went to a national park on the way out of town that contained thermal pools, boiling mud, and all kinds of sulfur deposits. It was the most ungodly place on earth, which they recognized by calling things the Devil's home, Devil's inkpots, and the like. It was very active today. We went to a geyser that erupted when given soap and the Huka Falls afterward. Once we put our stuff in the hostel, it was off to skydiving. In a way, I wish I hadn't taken as many pictures as I did on the way down because I would have paid more attention, but freefall was mindblowing. The whole experience was worth it. That night we went to the Holy Cow for dancing and drinks.

Travel Diary - Day 26

Date: 6/27/97
Weather: sunny and cool
Place: Waitomo, Rotorua

We stopped by a cafe/restaurant for breakfast this morning, where I had something resembling a donut. On the way to Rotorua, we stopped at a small racing course, where I wish I would have done it. The cars were cool and fast. Instead, I waited for the luge activity. We had to take a Skyrail to the place, and then we got two runs down part of the mountain and a chair lift back to the top afterwards. I did the beginner path once and then the advanced once. I forgot my camera and didn't take a single picture all day. Fortunately, one of the women on the bus is going to send me copies of the pictures at the Maori dinner that night (Author's note: she never did send them). It was a great meal and dance demonstration. The spa and pool at the backpackers place were both geothermically heated.

Travel Diary - Day 25

Date: 6/26/97
Weather: partly sunny, showers
Place: Auckland, Waitomo

I got up with my wakeup call and packed, then got another 20 minutes sleep. When I got up again, I made a cup of coffee and got a call that my ride was there. In my haste, I left my voucher on the bed and had to have the nice innkeeper fax a copy to the hostel where I met the bus to give to the driver, then send the original to the central office in town. I read a lot, before and after the bus broke down, and had Burger King for lunch. We reached Waitomo at 2:30pm, where we moved into the hostel and went black water rafting. I can never describe the beauty of that cave, or how cold the water was. I felt like I was witnessing the birth of galaxies represented by the glow worms. The showers scalded, and the rainforest walk afterward was great by candlelight.

Travel Diary - Day 24

Date: 6/25/97
Weather: cloudy and cool
Place: Melbourne, Auckland

I got a tad more sleep on last night's bus trip than I did on the first one, but I tried earlier, too. The bus had been stopped for some problem in the night, so we got to Melbourne an hour late. I was rushed the whole time I was a the College. I took a taxi to Carlton, switched clothes and packed, without even time for a shower. I had to pay sales tax on some duty free I had opened early, then rushed back to catch the bus to the airport. My two bags are full to bursting. The plane ride was fine, with a good meal but no movie. When I got to Auckland it was two hours later than Melbourne. I decided to splurge on a hotel room for the privacy and shower, since it will be a while before I see them again. I set up my Kiwi Experience pickup and read about what to expect until bed.

Travel Diary - Day 23

Date: 6/24/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney, border of Victoria

Pablo left at 8:00am today, but me and Alex slept in. We went to the Powerhouse Museum, which was really cool and very eclectic, from cars to space travel to fashion to beer. It featured mostly Australian people and developments, but it also had a mock front of the space shuttle. We got a bite to eat and took a bus out to Bondi beach, which was gorgeous. The walk from the bus stop to the beach via the cliff side was awesome and almost as full of life as the Nobbies at Phillip Island. We split to get back to the hostel were I picked up my bag and walked to the bus station. They showed some movie I'd never heard of.

Travel Diary - Day 22

Date: 6/23/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney

Today, me and Pablo split up with Alex and decided to meet at the hostel for tea. We took a train and then a bus out to the Olympic site, where I took the last of my pictures. It was still mostly under construction, so there wasn't as much to see as I would have liked. By the time we got back, it was too late to go to the beach, so Pablo went to get information for his dad's car dealership and I looked through a book store until we were supposed to meet Alex. The three of us got a family meal, then Pablo went to try and find the Mexican again and Alex and I went to see the 7:20pm showing of Swingers. We met Pablo again after and went to an Irish pub for drinks and good music. Pablo even sang. Back at the hostel, the pool and sauna were closed.

Travel Diary - Day 21

Date: 6/22/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney

We all had a good night's sleep, and felt much better after a shower this morning. We went back to the opera house by taking the Darling Harbour ferry after looking around there for a bit. I took way too many pictures of the opera house. Darling Harbour ruled, and there were Korean and Japanese dancers performing. Earlier, we had gone to the Sydney markets, where I bought a kilo of grapes. The lowest floor was like Vic markets, but on top there was a shopping mall. We also took the monorail around part of the city, and it was very cool and futuristic. We ate Chinese and then went for a couple drinks. We met some Mexicans and talked with them, then went to Kings Cross.

Travel Diary - Day 20

Date: 6/21/97
Weather: foggy, sunny and cool
Place: Sydney

It was extremely hard to get any sleep whatsoever on the bus, but I guess I managed about four hours worth. I watched the sun come up while Pablo slept, and it took a while to get into Sydney proper. We couldn't check into the hostel until noon, so we put our stuff in a $3.00 locker and roamed for a bit. Neither of us had taken our cameras out of our bags before locking them up, so I didn't get a photo of my first glimpse of the opera house. It was magnificent. The fog hadn't completely lifted, so it glowed in the sunlight. The harbour bridge is one of the largest I've ever seen. We met Alex, one of our roommates, when we checked in, and toured a little more together. I had dessert at Planet Hollywood, then met Pablo at the opera house for Madam Butterfly.

Travel Diary - Day 19

Date: 6/20/97
Weather: cold, cloudy
Place: Melbourne, border of New South Wales

I spent most of the day in a kind of daze, as several friends had already left, and I wouldn't see any of the others again in Australia except maybe Bonnie when I dropped by the college to pick up my stuff before flying out to New Zealand. I had also gone drinking with them as a farewell the night before, giving me a hangover. I bought some stuff duty-free for the first time and didn't realize they sealed it up. The room looked bare by 6:00pm, when we had tea, and I locked up the bulk of my stuff in my closet. It seemed to hit Tim harder than me when we said goodbye, but he was still traveling with most of our friends for another month. I didn't get to say goodbye to Romel. I met Pablo at the bus station, and we headed for Sydney.