Last full day in New Zealand...

Today was my last full day in Auckland, and the last full day of my travels. I spent the day seeing more of Auckland, and to do this I went up in the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower says it is the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere. I'm not sure I believe this, as the Eureka Building in Melbourne also claims to be the highest in the southern hemisphere. Anyway, it offered great views of the city, and was a great place to see. The weather was gorgeous, and the sky was clear, so I could see a lot. I then went to Albert Park, which is a very beautiful park in the city. Since it's spring here, all the flowers were blooming, and it was very nice. This afternoon I took a harbor cruise. It was an hour and a half cruise around the harbor, and made a short stop at Rangitoto Island, which is a volcano. The cruise was great, because the weather was perfect for it, and it showed some great views of the city and the surrounding islands and stuff in the harbor.

Tomorrow I head home. My flight from Auckland is at 2pm (on Wednesday), so I have to be at the airport by noon. I have to take a 45 min shuttle, meaning I have to leave a little after 11. It's a 12 hour flight to LA, then a layover and flight to Seattle. I arrive in Seattle at 1pm on Wednesday, meaning I actually arrive an hour before I left....weird huh?

I've posted all the pictures from New Zealand, including skydiving pictures, so here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222253&id=27216207&l=df1615eb60. Enjoy!!

SKYDIVE!!!

On Saturday, we headed to Taupo, which was a very short drive, only a couple hours. I had planned to skydive in Taupo, and that's why I was staying there. The skydive was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but the weather wasn't very good, so it was postponed until Sunday. It was kind of a letdown, because I had pumped myself up thinking I was going to be skydiving on Saturday, and then it didn't happen. But, the weather was a lot better on Sunday, so I was able to skydive!! It was awesome!! I wasn't that scared, not as scared as I thought. I jumped at 15,000 feet. There was one guy in the plane who jumped at 12,000 feet, and it wasn't until they opened the door and he jumped that I got scared. I had a really great partner, his name was Charley, and he totally knew what he was doing, which helped me a lot to not be scared. Plus, he does all the work so all you have to do is sit there and then he jumps out the plane, and you are going with him!! The freefall was 60 seconds and then he opened he parachute. During the freefall, it doesn't really feel like you are falling, it's like you are just laying down and a whole bunch of really really strong air is blowing in your face. Once the parachute is open, you get to look around, and the scenery was awesome! I can't even say how great it was! I have a DVD and pictures of it too.

Sunday afternoon, after the big jump, I took the bus to Rotorua. That night, I went to a Maori Cultural event and dinner. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand, and they performed some dances, and we had a dinner that was cooked in the ground. It was really good!!

Today (Monday) I took the bus to Auckland, the capital of New Zealand. In the afternoon I walked around a bit and took a ferry to Devonport, a little town across the harbour. It was a cute area, and I got some really good pictures of the Auckland skyline.

Tomorrow is my last full day in New Zealand! I can't believe how fast the trip has gone! I fly on Wednesday, first to LA, then to Seattle.

The North Island

On Wednesday, I went on a Lord of the Rings Tour (yes, another one....yes, I'm a nerd). It was a really good tour. It went to the site of Edoras, the capital city of the Rohans in the second and third movies. The buildings and set are not there anymore, they had to take it all down at the end of filming, but the scenery is stunning. Wednesday night I flew from Christchurch to Wellington, which is on the north island. By flying, I saved two days and didn't have to repeat part of the trip by going to Kaikoura again. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, and I spent Thursday exploring. I went to the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, which was really cool, and saw the Parliament Building, and walked around downtown. Wellington is a pretty nice city, and the weather was really great.

Today, Friday, was spent back on the bus going to Napier. Napier is the Art Deco capital of New Zealand, and has some very cool architecture. It's also on the west coast, so the Pacific Ocean is right next to it.

Tomorrow it's off to Taupo, then on to Auckland. I can't believe how fast the trip has gone, and I can't believe I have less than a week before I head back home!

Back in Christchurch

I'm back in Christchurch, which means I've now completed a loop of the South Island, since Christchurch is where I started in New Zealand. Tomorrow I fly to Wellington, which is on the North Island, so today is my last day on the South Island. I can't believe I only have one more week, the last two weeks in New Zealand have gone by so fast.

On Saturday, I left Queenstown on the bus and headed to Dunedin. I was kinda sad to leave Queenstown, as I really liked it. Dunedin was settled by the Scottish, so there is a lot of cool architecture, lots of stone buildings, and quite a few old churches. I stayed two nights in Dunedin, so I had a whole day to explore. I stayed at the Leviathan Hotel, and there was a rugby team staying in the hostel part of the hotel, so they gave us all rooms in the hotel part. It was wonderful! I had my own room, my own bathroom (which was in the room and not down the hall), and my own TV. On Saturday afternoon, I went on the Elm Wildlife Tour, and we saw fur seals, sea lions, and penguins. The penguins were the reason I wanted to go, and we saw two kinds, Yellow-eyed Penguins, and Blue Penguins. The Blue Penguins were all in nests, so we didn't get to see them outside, but the Yellow-eyed Penguins we got to see walk out of the water and across the beach. They are so cute when they move! My favorite part was when they would jump over stuff.

On Sunday, I walked around, and took pictures of several churches, and of the Railway Station, which is the second most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere. I also went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. The Factory was closed, as it was a weekend, but we still were able to see the factory, and we got free chocolate.

Monday I took the bus from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo. Along the way we stopped at the Moerak Boulders. I've seen a lot of beaches and rock formations on the trip, so seeing another wasn't all that exciting. The Moeraki Boulders and completely round, and that's what makes them unique, so they were a little bit interesting to see. I am getting really spoiled about beaches though, when going to a beach doesn't excite me anymore. Lake Tekapo is a really really small town, with not a lot to do. We stayed at the Lakeside Hostel, which had some great views of the lake, and we had a BBQ with the people on the bus.

Today, Tuesday, I took the bus back to Christchurch. The weather again is really nice and warm. It's always nice to be back to a city you've been to previously, because even though you don't really know the city, it's nice to have your bearings a little bit, and feel like you know where you are going after being in strange cities for so long.

Queenstown

I've been in Queenstown for the past couple days. On Wednesday, I got to sleep in for the first time in quite a while, which was really nice. I didn't have anything planned for the day, so just walked around the downtown area of Queenstown, which has some great shopping, and went sunglasses shopping, since my old pair broke. I found a new pair at Sunglasses Hut, and I really like them. Queenstown is a really great place, I really like the downtown area, it's really cute, and it's right next to the lake, which is gorgeous with the mountains in the background. In the afternoon, I took the gondola up to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. It was really high, and the views were great. At the top, they have a little luge course, and I did that too. The luge is one you sit up on, and it has handle bars so you can steer and go faster or slower. It was really really fun. It was really cold though, my hand were freezing by the time I was done. It also snowed a little when I was at the top, that's how cold it is. It was fun to see snow though!

On Thursday, I was supposed to go to Milford Sound on a day trip. Milford Sound is supposed to be gorgeous, and where all the typical NZ scenery pictures are taken. However, the road to Milford Sound was closed because of avalance danger, so the trip was cancelled. So, the trip was rescheduled for the following day, Friday. Instead, I went on a Lord of the Rings Tour. It went to several places where filming took place, some of which are not on paved roads, so we went offroading a bit, including through some rivers. It was really fun, and cool to see where they filmed certain parts of the movie.

Today is now Friday, and I was supposed to go to Milford Sound today. However, the road was again closed, so the trip was again cancelled. I'm leaving Queenstown tomorrow, so unfortunately I'm not going to get to go to Milford Sound. So today is another relaxing day just hanging out in Queenstown. Queenstown is a good place to have an extra day though, and I'm enjoying having a couple more relaxing, slower paced days after spending the last week on the bus. Tomorrow I leave for Dunedin, and I'm hoping the weather warms up!

I've posted some pictures from New Zealand. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222253&id=27216207&l=df1615eb60

The West Coast

On Sunday, we left Nelson and followed the west coast to Greymouth. Nelson is the sunshine capital of NZ, and gets the most days of sun of any other city, so it was very nice and warm when we left, and the weather steadily declined the further we went. The west coast has a rainforest, and gets a lot of rain. By the time we got to Greymouth, it was rainy and stormy. Along the way to Greymouth, we stopped several times to see the coast and take pictures. One of the stops was at the Pancake Rocks, which were pretty cool rocks that are compressed one on top of the other and look like pancakes. We also drove along the part of the coast where movies such as King Kong and Jurassic Park were filmed, because the coast is pretty empty, with no houses.

Greymouth is a really small town, with not a lot to do, and since it was raining, no one wanted to go outside anyway. We took a tour of the Monteith Brewery that night, followed by sampling their beer and wine, and then to a BBQ. It was a fun night, and I hung out with some of the people traveling on the bus.

Monday we left Greymouth and traveled to Franz Josef. Along the way, we stopped at a small town called Ross, which is a gold mining town, and is really really small. We arrived in Franz Josef around noon, so had the afternoon. Franz Josef has a glacier and that's the main attraction in the town. That afternoon, I did a glacier hike, where we got to hike on the glacier. We had to wear really thick water proof boots, and crampons, which are the spikes that go over your boots. It was really cool to be able to walk on the ice, and walk through some of the crevices. The hike they take you on changes regularly, and the guide said the one we did was the best he's ever seen.

September 1st is the first day of spring for New Zealand. It didn't feel like spring today as we travelled from Franz Josef to Queenstown, and it rained pretty much the whole way. We travelled through a lot of really pretty country, and it would have been nicer if it was clear instead of cloudy and rainy, but it was still great. We passed some mountains with snow on them that was the location for the filming of the Lord of the Rings snow scenes. We also passed Lake Wanaka, which is the longest lake in NZ. We arrived in Queenstown this afternoon and I walked around a little, but didn't do much, as I have two full days in Queenstown. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, and you can go skydiving, bungy jumping, skiing, anything like that. I don't think I'll be doing any of that, but it's still an exciting town, and the area around it is gorgeous, with snow covered mountains and a lake. It's really cold here though, probably the coldest weather so far, but it is just the end of winter.

New Zealand is lovely!

My first few days in New Zealand have been awesome! I'm doing a tour of New Zealand on the Magic bus. It's a hop on hop off bus that follows a route, and you can choose to just stay on the route and complete the tour of New Zealand or can get off at any of the towns along the way and stay for as many days as you like. There are mandatory overnight stops in certain cities, and if you were to stay on the route the whole time, only staying the nights in the mandatory places, it would take you 14 days to do the whole tour. My plan is to stay pretty much on the route, but take a few extra days here and there. The nice thing about Magic Bus is they will book your hostels and activites for you, so it's really easy to travel. When you get in the bus in the morning, they pass around a sheet and you sign up for what you want to do and where you want to stay, and the driver books it for you.

So, Friday morning, we left Christchurch and headed for Kaikoura, which is north of Christchurch, and along the coast. The drive was very pretty, with lots of hills that go right up to the edge of the ocean. The drive was just under 4 hours, so we arrived in Kaikoura around noon. Kaikoura is beautiful, and I took some great pictures outside the hostel with the ocean in front and snowy mountains behind. That afternoon, I went whale watching. We ended up seeing two Sperm Whales, but they both surfaced multiple times, so we had a total of five whale sightings. The whales come to the surface to breathe, and spend about 5 minutes on the surface, and then go back down. When they go back down, they flip their tails up, which was really cool (although my camera is not fast enough so I didn't get too many good pictures, most of the pictures just show the edge of the tail as it is entering the water). The views from the boat were awesome too, and the weather was great, so it was a wonderful afternoon. I had fish and chips for dinner, because Kaikoura is known for having some of the best fish and chips in New Zealand, and it was very very good (although instead of chips I had potato wedges, but they were really good).

This morning, Saturday, we left Kairkoura and headed toward Picton, which is on the very north part of the South island. We stopped along the way at a seal colony (there were several babies, and they were really cute) and we also stopped at a winery for wine tasting. We stopped at the Montana Winery, which is the biggest winery in New Zealand, and tried several wines. Then we continued to Picton, where many people on the bus got off. Picton is where you catch the ferry to the north island, and some were doing that. There were also some that came on the ferry to the south island, so we got a bunch of new people on the bus. I will be taking the ferry in about a week, so I'll be back to Picton then. We had a break in Picton, so I wandered around a bit. It's a small town, but the weather was sunny and warm, and the harbor area was very pretty, so it was fun. I also was on the lookout for a new pair of sunglasses, since I discovered that morning that mine broke, but I didn't find any I liked. We then continued on to Nelson, which is where I'm staying the night. Nelson is another small town (I think the majority of the cities in New Zealand are small, as I was told that there are only 2 million people in the whole country). I walked around Nelson a bit, and saw the Christ Church Cathedral, which is in the center of town.

The weather here has been great so far, it's been sunny and warm. I was prepared for colder weather, and thought it would be colder than Melbourne, but it hasn't been so far. However, I heard the weather report today was calling for rain tomorrow, but hopefully it will stay nice!

Goodbye Australia, Hello New Zealand!

I finished my last week in Australia and left yesterday for New Zealand. My last week in Melbourne was spent packing and running errands, doing things like cancelling my bank account and library card. The weekend was great though. On Saturday Amy and I went to St Kilda. Our first stop was Luna Park. We went to Luna Park to see the rollercoaster that my mom had read about and told us to see. It's the world record holder for the oldest still in use roller coaster. While this may concern some people, Amy and I went on it, and it was really fun! Luna Park itself is a very fun amusement park, and we also went on another ride that goes upside down. Amy was scared, but I loved it. We also ate cotton candy! After, we walked down the beach in St Kilda and went to the St Kilda Pier. Saturday night we had a party for Alison's birthday. It was a great time, and our last big event in our apartment.

Wednesday I flew from Melbourne to Christchurch, New Zealand. I had to go through customs, but it was pretty easy. Christchurch is called the Garden City, and it's a very pretty city. It has a very large cathedral, which is in the center of town. On Thursday I explored the city a bit, and went to the Canterbury Museum, which is a very very good museum. The weather was wonderful today, it was sunny and just warm enough that you can wear just a t-shirt.

So far I really like New Zealand and am excited for the next couple weeks.

Tasmania

Last Wednesday, I flew to Hobart, Tasmania. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, and I was quite suprised that the airport was tiny. It was a short, easy flight though, and easy to get through bag claim and out of the airport. It was raining when we landed, and rained all day Wednesday. I wandered around the city a little bit, but got pretty soaked so I didn't go too far. Hobart is a really pretty city though. It's very hilly, and very green, and has some great architecture. On Thursday I spent a lot of time seeing the city, as I did a walking tour of the city (from Lonely Planet). I went to the Tasmanian Art Gallery and Museum, which was awesome, and to the harbor, which also was pretty cool. I had fish and chips for lunch from a little shop on the wharf. It rained off and on throughout the day, but luckily there was a little bit of sun. Friday was another rainy day, and I went to the Chapel Hill Penitentiary. Tasmania, like the rest of Australia, started off as a convict town. The Penitentiary was mostly destroyed, the only part that remains is the church, which was partly renovated into courts.

On Saturday I started a 3 day tour of the east coast of Tasmania. Saturday we went to Port Arthur. Port Arthur is not far from Hobart, and was a penitentiary, and housed a lot of convicts, including many that had committed further crimes after being sent to Australia. It was actually a large place, and as there were some free people who lived there, there's a couple houses, and gardens there too. It's a lot prettier than I was expecting it to be. There's something really interesting about old prisons. Port Arthur is cool because it also has the houses and other old buildings.

Sunday we traveled up the east coast. We went to Wineglass Bay, which is one of the top 10 beaches in the world. You can't drive to the beach, you have to hike to it, and it's up and over a hill, so it's quite a hike. The beach was really pretty though, with very white sand. Usually the water is very blue-green but with all the storms and flooding recently, the water wasn't very pretty. We stayed in a little town called Bicheno on Sunday night. It's a super small town, and as it's winter, we were the only ones staying at the hostel that night, so we had the place to ourselves.

On Monday, we traveled more up the coast to St Helens, then started traveling west across the island over the mountains. Before we left the coast, we visited another of the top 10 beches in the world, at the Bay of Fires. It was another very pretty, white sandy beach, with more dark blue water. The mountain areas were also very pretty. We stopped in several places, to take pictures and see the sights. One place we stopped was at St Columba Falls, which is the longest waterfall in Tasmania, at 90 meters. We ended that night in Launceston. Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia. It has a lot of great architecture and old buildings. It's along a river, and is surrounded by forests.

Tuesday was a day trip to Cradle Mountain. On the way to Cradle Mountain, we stopped in a little town called Sheffield, and the town wasn't very exciting, but I have to mention it because I got coffee at one of the cafes and it was one of the best coffees I've had in Australia. Who would think that some little town in the middle of Tasmania would have such great coffee? Unfortunately, when we got to Cradle Mountain, it was raining, and it continued to rain the whole day, and the mountain was covered in fog. This didn't stop us from hiking though, and hiked around Dove Lake. It took over two hours, and at the end of it, I was soaked through from the rain. We also did several more short hikes, to see more of the Cradle Mountain area. We also saw some wild wombats!

Wednesday morning I spent in Launceston, and hiked the Cataract Gorge. It's just outside Launceston. The river has created a gorge, and you can hike along it for a ways. All the recent rain has caused a lot of flooding and the area was very flooded. At the gorge, there is a little park area, with a restaurant and a little shop. There are also a lot of peacocks there. Also, they have a chairlift that goes across the gorge, which I had to do, as it is the longest single chairlift span in the world, and also has the distinction of having carried the Olympic torch in 2000.

Wednesday night I took the Spirit of Tasmania overnight ferry from Devonport back to Melbourne. It was a long ride, and I had an ocean view recliner. The boat was huge! It had a restaurant, a bar, a movie theatre, and a small casino. For being on a boat, and having a chair, I actually slept pretty well. Now I'm back in Melbourne for one more week, then it's off to New Zealand.

Alice Springs and the Outback

Thursday morning I flew from Adelaide to Alice Springs. On the plane leaving Adelaide, I had a very good view of the city and was very surprised at how big it actually is. I think the suburbs around Adelaide are very big, and the downtown area is just small. Alice Springs is tiny. It's in the Northern Territory, and is about in the middle of the country. The airport is also tiny, probably the smallest I've been in. It's a little outside the city, and coming in, I couldn't see the city at all. I walked around Alice a bit that night, but there wasn't much to see. They do have a lot of art galleries filled with aboriginal art.

Friday morning I was up bright and early, to go on a 3 day Outback Safari that left at 6 am. There were 23 people on the tour, from all over the world. I was the only American on the trip. We left Alice Springs and drove to the National Park where Ayer's Rock is. Before going to Ayer's Rock, we first went to Kata Tjuta, or The Olgas. Kata Tjuta is a rock formation, and is an important spiritual location for the aboriginal people. We hiked around and in Kata Tjuta, a 4 km hike. We then went to Uluru, or Ayer's Rock to watch the sunset. The rock is an orangy color but changes color as the sun sets. After watching the sun set, we went to our camp site for the night. We slept outside in what's called swag. Swag are like big sleeping bags made of canvas that have a matress inside, and you put your sleeping bag inside and then zip it up. There's a flap that covers your head if needed, and they are actually pretty warm, which is good as it got pretty cold during the nights.

Saturday morning we woke up very early again to watch the sunrise at Uluru. The rock again changes color with the sunrise. After that, we walked around the whole base, which is 10 km. Uluru is actually one solid rock, and it's huge. It's a very spiritual place for the aboriginal people, and there are even places that you aren't allowed to take pictures of, because it's so important and sacred to them. After the walk, we went to a cultural center to learn more about the aboriginal people. We spent the rest of the day driving to our next campsite, where we again slept in swag.

Sunday morning we hiked Kings Canyon. It was a 7 km hike, and was very steep in places, as we hiked to the top of the mountain and then around the outside of the canyon. It was a very very hard hike, but the views of the canyon were great. It's a very deep canyon, and some of the walls were completely smooth. After the hike, we had a 5 hour drive back to Alice Springs. That night, the whole group went out to dinner in Alice Springs as a last goodbye.

On Monday, my plan was to see Alice Springs, but I saw the majority of it on Thursday, and as it was in the mid 90's, it was too hot to walk around for a long time, so I hung out in the hostel with some of the new friends I made on the tour.

Today, Tuesday, I flew back to Melbourne, and immediately started washing clothes, as all my clothes were covered in red dust, and smelled like campfire smoke from the fires we had both nights. Tomorrow, I head to Tasmania for a week!

Adelaide and Pink!!

On Saturday, Amy and I took the Overland Train from Melbourne to Adelaide. It was a gorgeous trip! We passed through a ton of farmland. Most of it was pastures with sheep, but a few had cattle. There were some crops also, but not a lot growing, as it's still winter here. It was a 10 hour train ride, and covered a lot of ground. Adelaide is a lot smaller than some of the other cities we've visited, like Melbourne and Sydney. I think Lonely Planet said there are like 1 million people here, so it's not that small. We were quite surprised at how small the downtown area was, and Adelaide is kinda run down. Many people compared Adelaide to Melbourne, saying it was like Melbourne but smaller. It's a lot smaller, and doesn't seem to have as much going on. However, we spent a couple days seeing the sights, and I do like the city a lot more now than my first impression. There is a river that runs through Adelaide, and it's a very pretty area. North Adelaide is a lot nicer and has a lot of very cool architecture. I went to the South Australia Art Gallery, which had a really cool Nature exhibit. I also saw the botanic gardens, the South Australia Museum, took a tour of Ayers House (a really cool old house, with lots of antique furnishings. They have so many valuable pieces they don't allow self tours, only guided tours), and visited St Peters Cathedral.

Tuesday night we saw Pink in concert!! The concert was awesome. A lot better than I expected. The opening act was Evermore, and they were okay, but Pink definitely puts on a good concert. The theme was the circus, and the stage had all kinds of circusy stuff, including slides, and the backup dancers had several wardrobe changes, some of which resembled clown outfits. It was an awesome concert!

More in Melbourne...

I'm still slacking about writing regularly. So, here's an update on some of the things that have been going on while I've been in Melbourne. I went on the Skywalk in the Eureka Building, which is the tallest building in Melbourne. The Skywalk is on the 88th floor, and is the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere. The elevator moves so fast, your ears pop on the trip up. One of the attractions on the Skywalk is The Edge. It's a 3 meter by 3 meter glass room that moves out from the side of the building. The floor, ceiling, and all walls are glass, so you see everything...including how far up you are! It was pretty cool though, and the views of Melbourne from the Skywalk were amazing!

I also went on a winery tour with our flatmates, Alison and Leah. It was an all day tour, and visited four wineries in the area. There's a wine region right outside Melbourne, and it's a beautiful area, with rolling hills and fields of vineyards. The four wineries we visited were all nice. At the first, we got a lesson on how to taste wine, including the whole looking at the color, swirling it, smelling it, then finally tasting it. We tasted a lot of wines, and the tour included a really good lunch. The last winery is owned by a french winery, and they make sparkling wine. We got a short tour of the winery, and learned how sparkling wine is made. Sparkling wine is champagne, but only sparking wines from the french region of Champagne can be called Champagne.

Last weekend, Amy and I went to a Craft and Quilt Show. It was huge! I was expecting a craft show like they have at home, where it's people selling their crafts. This was more of a trade show, where you could buy any sort of supply imaginable for sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, cardmaking, and I'm sure countless other crafts. There was also a Quilt show, with some very pretty quilts. The advertisments said there would be Amish style quilts at the show, which we found funny, as there are no Amish in Australia. I don't think I saw any quilts that looked especially Amish though.

Other than that, I've also done a lot of smaller touristy things, and have just been spending time in the city. I've also been planning out the rest of the trip. I've decided to change my return home date, and will now be getting home on September 16th. The means that the next 6 weeks are going to be extremely busy, in order to get everything in before I leave. I'm sure I'll be updating the blog more often in order to recount everything I'll be doing.

Here are the pictures from Melbourne that I've posted so far: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208270&id=27216207&l=7fb35f74d4

Hillsong Conference!!

Wow, I'm really slacking in writing here! Sorry, it's been a while! The week of July 6-11 I flew to Sydney for the Hillsong Conference. It was amazing!! Probably the best week I've had in Australia. I spent the first day exploring more of Sydney, taking more pictures and stuff. Tuesday night the conference started, with the opening night, and then went until Friday, with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday being full days with different sessions, electives, and then the evening sessions. At the conference were a lot of great speakers, including Craig Groeschell, Jentezen Franklin, Louie Giglio, and Joel Osteen, as well as the pastors for the Hillsong Church. Also there were Hillsong United and Chris Tomlin. It was at Acer Arena, which is at the Sydney Olympic Park (where the 2000 Sydney Olympics were) and the arena was huge, and it was full. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many people who were all worshipping God. The speakers were awesome, and really challenged me to rely on God for everything. The best part, though, was definitely the music. Hillsong did an amazing job with the music at all the sessions, and Chris Tomlin on the final night was awesome! I would write more, but can't even describe in words how amazing and awesome it was.

There are pictures on facebook, so check those out: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2209907&id=27216207&l=5f399a31df

Still in Melbourne!!

I haven't written in a few weeks, as not a lot exciting has happened. I'm just hanging out in Melbourne! Amy and I signed up with a recruitment agency and are looking for jobs. Amy did find one in a call center, but it's only for 2 weeks. I haven't found anything yet, so I've been spending my days exploring Melbourne. Melbourne is a fun city. All the cool coffee shops and cafes are down side alleys, so you really have to explore to find them.

We are all moved into our apartment, and have two roommates. They are from Scotland, and have just started their backpacking trip. Melbourne is their first stop, and they are staying for several months to work for a bit before backpacking. They are a lot of fun, Amy and I lucked out on getting good roommates!

It's winter, and the days here are pretty short, and it's a lot cooler now, with the nights getting down right cold.

I promise I'll add more about the sights of Melbourne as I explore more. Since I know I'm going to be here for two months, and we just spend two months sightseeing, I'm having trouble getting up a lot of motivation to do all the tourist things.

Exciting times in Melbourne

This has been an interesting week. On one hand, it has been relaxing, as we've stayed in one place, and knowing we will be here for a while means we don't have to rush around seeing everything all at once. One the other hand, we've also been working on getting things done so we can stay here for the next several months. On Tuesday, we explored the city for a bit, and I signed up with an employment agency. It's the one Amy was with in Brisbane, so she transferred her info to them, and I signed up. I still have to send them my resume, but as soon as I do that, hopefully they'll find something for me.

On Wednesday we say Wicked!!!!! The broadway production is currently touring Australia, and we thought we would check it out. It was amazing! I loved it! I read the book a couple years ago, so I was excited to see the play, and I definitely think it was better than the book, honestly.

Wednesday afternoon we started our apartment hunt and looked at a couple places. We decided they would be backup options, but would keep looking. Thursday morning we looked at another place, and decided we liked it enough to pick it, so we have a place to stay! It's a 3 bedroom apartment in a suburb called South Yarra. We are moving in on Saturday. Right now there is no one in the apartment, but about a week after we move in, two more girls will be moving in. South Yarra is a nice suburb, with lots of old victorian style houses, and is near the city center.

I finished posting pictures from all our backpacking. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2199423&id=27216207&l=a11b7b340c. This album has all the pictures from the whole backpacking trip, so the new ones are at the end. Enjoy!

Sydney!

Sydney is awesome! Friday night I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge climb takes you to the very top, which has amazing views of the city. I went at night, so the city was all lit up. The harbour bridge is the main on in the city, and is where they do the fireworks show on New Years. There is a festival going on in Sydney, called Vivid Sydney, and is a music and arts festival. As part of the festival, they had the Sydney Opera House lit up with lots of colors, which was so cool. On Saturday, Amy and I took the Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city. The whole tour takes an hour and a half, and goes to around 30 top exhibits. We rode the bus through the whole tour to learn a little about the city, then got off on the second round. We stopped at Darling Harbour and went to the Sydney Aquarium.

On Sunday, we went to the Hillsong Curch, which is an awesome church and where Hillsong United got it's start. The service, and especially the music, where amazing. Sunday afternoon it rained and was cold, so we walked around a little in an area of the city called The Rocks, but didn't venture out too much. We did also walk across the Harbour Bridge to get more pictures of the Opera House and the city. Monday we walked around more, and went to the Opera House, but didn't go inside. The Opera House was pretty cool, it looks exactly like in the pictures. We then took a ferry across the harbour to Manly Beach, which has a very cute shopping center and beach.

Monday night we took the overnight bus to Melbourne, so that's where we are now. It was a 12 hour bus ride, leaving Sydney at 7pm. We are now in Melbourne, where we will be staying for the next two and a half months!

I'm in Sydney!

Tuesday we left Coffs Harbour for Port Macquarie, but before hopping in the bus, we went whale watching!! We saw several humpback whales, and it was awesome! The boat captain said it was actually a quiet day for the whales, as they weren't really active, and didn't jump out of the water or anything, but we still saw them come up for air and stuff, so it was still cool to see.

We spent two nights in Port Macquarie. Port Macquarie is like the retirement city on New South Wales, so there's not a lot of activity there but it's still a nice town. We walked around, saw dolphins in the ocean (which was also very cool), and visited a couple historical places. I went to the Museum, and I really enjoyed it, I think it was one of the best museums I've been to in a while. It was very well done, with a lot of interesting exhibits. We also visited the Historic Cemetary, and an old church.

Last night, we took a bus overnight to Sydney! I'm so excited to spend the next few days in Sydney!

More sun and beaches!

The last couple days have been filled with gorgeous weather. On Saturday morning, Amy and I got up at 4am to watch the sunrise from the easterly most point in Australia, so basically we were the first people to see the day start. We also hiked to the Byron Bay lighthouse, which was really pretty. Saturday afternoon we went to a trapeze class, and Amy tried to swing on the trapeze. I discovered I have a huge fear of heights, so I didn't do it.

Sunday morning we continued our journey south and left Byron Bay for Coffs Harbour. I went hiking on Muttonbird Island. There actually are birds called Muttonbirds, and they build their nests underground. It had some great views of Coffs Harbour as well. There is also a marina here, and I really love to walk along the docks, so it's been a good time!

Surfs Up!

Monday it rained in Noosa...so not that exciting of a day. Tuesday we also spent in Noosa, and we went on a hike for a couple hours in the Noosa National Park. We were hoping to see some koalas, but no such luck. Wednesday we headed to Surfer's Paradise. Surfer's Paradise is quite a lively city, with lots of restaurants, people, and stuff to do. We went for dinner at an Irish pub, and ended up staying there as there was a big rugby game on TV. It was the State of Origin game, where Queensland plays New South Wales. Having only been in Queenslands up to that point, I had to support Queensland...that and because they won. It was an exciting game, even though I don't fully get it.

Thursday, Amy and I went surfing! Well, attempted to surf is more like it. Amy did a pretty good job, managed to stand up quite a few times. I stood up on the second or third try, only to fall off and hit my knee on the sand...which gave me a huge bump on my knee, and it started bleeding, and swelled up. I did try again, but was afraid to stand up for fear I would fall again. By that time, my knee was hurting so bad I had to stop. So sadly, I only stood once....however, I did stand (contrary to what some members of my family thought, who figured I wouldn't stand at all!).

Friday morning we left Queensland for New South Wales, and are now in Byron Bay. We walked around for a bit, and then I did what every one should do while traveling....I got my hair done! We were walking around, and we passed a cool-looking salon that had a sign saying they were voted the best for 9 consecutive years. Amy brought up that I had mentioned I wanted to get my hair done, and we both decided that this salon looked like a fun place to get it done. So we went in and they were able to get me in right then. So, the overall color is now dark brown, with blond and dark red highlights. I really like it. Oh, and it started raining right after, so we luckily missed all the rain, as it was over by the time we left.

Australia Zoo...

...the home of the Crocodile Hunter! That's where I went today, to Steve Irwin's zoo. I was actually a little surprised at how small it was. I think the Woodland Park Zoo has a great variety of animals in it. But, the Australia Zoo does have one thing, and that's a lot of crocodiles and a lot of images of Steve Irwin and his family. They also have a lot of other native Australian animals, like koalas, kangaroos, and cassowaries (birds similar to emus). The zoo is all about the Irwins, and I think for that fact alone it's worth it to go, but only if you like Steve Irwin. His image is everywhere!!! His daughter, Bindi, is also everywhere, and even has her own clothing line and everything. They also had a lot of animal talks about the different types of animals. I went to the one on koalas, and it was very good. The rest are probably just as good, and I think this is what the zoo is good at. Another great thing that I went to was the Wildlife Warriors show, which is in the Crocoseum, which is a stadium they have there. They brought out several types of animals. The best was the birds, they had parrots, makaws, and a bunch of other really colorful ones, that are all trained to fly around the arena and get really close to you. The end of the show, and the main attraction, was a croc that they bring out and give him food to move fast and show his strength and speed. Very much like the shows where Steve Irwin would lure them out of the water and they would charge at him. It was really cool to see it in person.

You can definitely tell it's getting to be winter here. Today was overcast and quite a bit cooler than past days. It also rained a bit throughout the day.

More Beaches!!

We took the bus from Airlie Beach to Hervey Bay on Thursday night. It was a 13 hour bus ride, and we arrived in Hervey Bay at 9 in the morning on Friday. We were expecting another little coastal tourist town like the towns we had been in, but were greatly surprised to discover that Hervey Bay is a large town. We stayed at Next Backpackers, which was a really nice hostel. It was very clean and had all hardwood floors. The hostel was very close to the beach, so we spent the afternoon at the beach. We wanted to go to Fraser Island, but couldn't book anything, as we only had one night there.

This morning, we left Hervey Bay for a 5 hour bus ride to Noosa. Noosa is another place that we were expecting to find a small tourist town, but instead found a city. Today we walked along one of the main streets that was filled with small boutiques and expensive restaurants. I really like the feel of the town so far. We are staying at a hostel called Halse Lodge, and I think it's one of my favorites so far. It's a very old building (I think I read somewhere that it was built in the late 1800s), and you can tell it's old because the stairs leading to the second floor are very worn in from years of people walking up and down them. To get to our room, we walk along a wide verandah, and the doors to the room are like the ones you find in old houses, the half doors that swing out. All the windows in the whole building have colored glass too. The beach is only a few minutes walk from where we are staying, and there is a national park not far away as well.

Airlie Beach!

We've had a couple of very relaxing days. On Tuesday, we went to the Aboriginal Cultural Center in Townsville and walked around the city some more before taking the greyhound bus to Airlie Beach, where we are now. Airlie Beach is a very small coastal tourist town, with one main street where everything is. We are staying at a hostel called Magnums, and it's a lot bigger than their website let on, but still pretty nice. This town has a great feel to it, being just a little tourist town, with a nice beach and quite a few shops. It's right near the Whitsundays, which are a series of over 70 islands. This morning, we tried to take a ferry to Hamilton Island, but after taking a 20 minute bus ride, we were a few minutes too late to take the ferry. We also found out we were quoted the wrong price, and it's super expensive to take the ferry. Instead, we had lunch at a cafe called The Chocolate Fish, and then took the bus back to Airlie Beach. We are staying here tonight, and then tomorrow night we are taking a bus overnight from Airlie Beach to Hervey Bay.

I finally posted the pictures from Cairns and Cape Trib: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2199423&id=27216207&l=a11b7b340c Enjoy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We are still in Townsville, and it's raining today. I shouldn't complain about the rain, as this is the first day of rain we've had since starting to backpack, despite everyone telling us it rains 300 days out of the year up North, especially where the rainforest is.

Saturday night we went to the rodeo, which was so much fun! There were several Americans competing, and the announcer was American. Since it was a PBR event, it was the same as events in the US.

On Sunday we explored Townsville, and hiked to the top of Castle Hill, which is a really really high hill with great views of the city and the ocean. It was quite a hike! I don't think I've been that worn out in a long time, it's probably the toughest hike I've ever done, it was so steep! It was worth it though, as the views were amazing. Sunday night we went to church at Sun City Christian Church. They had a great worship band.

Today we were going to go to Magnetic Island on the ferry, but due to the rain, we decided to wait until tomorrow. Today we've just been exploring the city some more, and getting some stuff done, like go to the post office to buy stamps.

In Townsville!

Last night Amy and I spent the night in Cairns again, at The Northern Greenhouse, the same hostel we stayed at before. This morning, we took the Greyhound bus from Cairns to Townsville. It was about a 6 hour bus ride. The bus was only half full, so we were able to stretch out and enjoy it, although Amy slept for much of it, as she gets a little car sick. She didn't really miss much though, just a lot of country side filled with sugar cane fields. And trust me, there was A LOT of sugar cane. There were some pastures filled with cows thrown in the mix too, but mainly just sugar cane. I tried to figure out what type of cows they were, but didn't have much luck. Since it's so warm here, they have to have cattle that do well in tropical areas, and they all looked like Brahman or a cross of some sort with Zebu cattle. Some looked like possibly Charlaois, but I'm not sure.

We are now in Townsville, and staying at a really cool hostel called the Reef Lodge. We have our own room here, instead of a dorm, which is a nice change of pace. They also have washers and dryers (most places only have washers, so all our jeans needed to be dried and shrunk) so we already have started laundry. When we first came to Townsville, I'm not sure I was going to like it. It's a lot drier here than in Cairns and up North, so it's more desert-like. On the bus ride in, we also passed a lot of industrial buildings, most of which looked a little run down. The hostel is downtown, near the beach, and is in a really pretty area of town. There are a lot of older buildings, with lots of architecture that kind or reminds me of New Orleans, with all the wrought iron work on the brick buildings.

Tonight, we are going to a rodeo! There is a PBR event here called the Troy Dunn International, and we have tickets, so that's the plan for tonight!

Good times!

Amy and I are just relaxing, and checking email and stuff, so I decided to add a few things that I forgot from yesterday's blog. The hostel we stayed at in Cape Trib was called PK's and it felt like camp. We stayed in a cabin, and the bathrooms were on the other side, and they were totally campground bathrooms. Also, when we were on the night walk in the Daintree, Amy got pooped on. We think by a bat, or something similar, but we never found out what it was. It smelled so bad though! The majority of it hit her arm and hand, but some got in her hair. It was really funny, but really gross!

Last night, we spent the night at Parrotfish Lodge, and it's a fun hostel! This morning we rented bikes and checked out the town. The main attraction here is the 4 Mile Beach, and we hung out there for a bit (although I'm trying to stay out of the sun until my sunburn goes away). We also rode around town. There are a lot of expensive clothing stores and a lot of resorts. Since we rode horses yesterday, we were a little sore, which added an extra degree of difficulty to bike riding.

This afternoon we take the bus back to Cairns, where we will spend one night before heading on to Townsville.

Sand and Sunburn!

This past week has been filled with beaches, sand and sun! On Monday, Amy and I went to Cairn's Northern Beaches, and went to Trinity Beach. We were told it was one of the best in Cairns, and were expecting pretty white beaches. The beach ended up being very tan colored, and the sand was not very fine, lots of pebbles, and wasn't very wide. We did spend the afternoon there, as it was sunny and gorgeous out. We even went swimming for a bit in the ocean....until we got kicked out by the lifeguard. Unknown to us, it's stinger season, meaning the Box Jellyfish are near the shore. The lifeguard told us if we got stung by one of them, we would have 90 seconds to live...not a good idea to go swimming there. They do have certain areas at certain beached with enclosed areas you can swim in, but we weren't in one of them. We did wonder why no one else was swiming.

Tuesday morning we left for Cape Tribulation with the Tropics Explorer Tour. On the way to Cape Trib, we went on a River Cruise on the Daintree River, where we saw a bunch of Saltwater Crocodiles-these are the big ones, the ones Steve Irwin was always with. We also went on a walking tour through part of the Daintree Rainforest before arriving in Cape Tribulation. Cape Trib is a very small town, one of our guides said only 58 families live in the town, but it's a popular destination for backpackers. That afternoon we went on a walk along the beach, and went to the actual Cape Tribulation. It's named such for some explorer who had trouble running aground in the reef and called it the cape of tribulation. The beach was awesome, and the type of beach Amy and I were hoping to find-gorgeous white sand, and lots of beach. The sand is very very fine, and sticks to you like crazy, it's impossible to wipe off. I think I have sand everywhere in my stuff.

Wednesday we went snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef! It was so awesome! We went with the Ocean Safari Company, and I highly recommend them. We saw other boats on the water with snorkelers that take up to a couple hundred people at a time. The company we went with only takes about 25 at a time, meaning while snorkling you rarely saw anyone else, and there was no one else to disturb the fish where you were. The reef was so cool! There were so many fish, all different colors, and the coral was all different colors too. It's so hard to discribe how beautiful and how colorful! Just imagine snorkeling at the aquarium, and you will kind of get an idea. The only bad part of the morning was I got badly sunburned on my back and shoulders. I lathered up with sunscreen that morning, but being in salt water washed it all off. I'm hoping it turns into a tan, so I have a great tan after this trip! Wednesday night we went on a Night Walk in the Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree is the oldest rainforest in the world, and is a World Heritage Site. We saw a lot of huge spiders and some small lizards, sadly nothing too large, but even being in the rainforest at night was awesome.

Thursday morning Amy and I went horesback riding. It was a 3 hour horseback riding tour that went along the beach and through the rainforest. The guides were really good, and even let us gallop. Thursday afternoon we left Cape Trib on the same tour bus that brought us, and on the way back made a few stops to see one last bit of the rainforest before leaving. Thursday night we stopped in Port Douglas for the night. Port Douglas is a very ritzy expensive touristy town, with some of the best and most luxurious resorts in Australia.

Also, for those who have facebook, I've posted two albums of pictures from Brisbane. If you don't have facebook, you can still see the pictures.
The link to the first album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2194890&id=27216207&l=24c94ceafe
The link to the second album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2198299&id=27216207&l=e159fc322a

As soon as I can, I'll post pictures from Cairns and Cape Trib.

A beautiful day in Cairns

Today was a fantabulous day! Amy and I went to Centenary Lakes Christian Church this morning, and it was so refreshing and wonderful to be able to worship God for the wonderful trip He has allowed me to take. Part of the message this morning was talking about all the majestic things God has created in this world, and that really spoke to me as I've taken in all the beauty of Australia. It was a needed reminder that it was all created by God and I should worship and thank Him for it.

After the service, we went to the Botanic Gardens and Rainforest Boardwalk. The Botanic Gardens were awesome, I have never seen so many different kinds of plants. I took over 50 pictures of plants that I've never seen before and have no idea what kind any of them are, all I know is they are beautiful. The Rainforest Boardwalk was also very cool. There were all kinds of large and different-looking trees and plants. We also went to the cafe at the Gardens, and I ordered an iced coffee. All the iced coffee here comes with ice cream, I've discovered-very good, but not what I was expecting!

Tomorrow we hit the beach!

I'm in Cairns!!

We safely made it to Cairns, and all our luggage arrived as well! The best part about the flight was they gave us cupcakes on the plane-yes, cupcakes. They were good too! I've never been on a plane where they had cupcakes. We are staying at a hostel called The Northern Greenhouse, and it seems to be a great place. It seems to be close to the center of the city. Amy and I walked around a bit, and spent the rest of the evening deciding what to do for the next few days. It's going to be a busy couple days....the Great Barrier Reef, the rainforest, the botanical gardens....I'll keep you posted!

It's super warm here, as it's further North. There are lots of hills, and again it's very green. It's supposed to be warm the whole time we are here. One interesting thing about Australia is it gets dark really early. It's getting to be winter now, so the days are getting shorter, but it still starts to get dark before 6pm. It was this way in Brisbane, and the same in Cairns.

It's been a while...

I need to get more in the habit of posting here. The past two weeks have been really good. I've spent more time exploring Brisbane and meeting new people. One of the best things we've done is go to the Lone Pines Koala Sanctuary. It's pretty much a zoo, but they have a lot of koalas, kangaroos, and other native animals, including a tasmanian devil (which does not look at all like the cartoon, and not scary at all) and wombats. They also have kangaroos that you are able to pet. I also was able to hold a koala, and get my picture taken with it. They are pretty soft, but not fuzzy, and they are heavier than you would think.

Another great thing we did was go up in the Brisbane Eye. It's a giant ferris wheel that is right along the river, so the views are great. We went at night, and the city looked awesome. Other stuff we've done includes going to a gaelic football game (not at all like american football), seeing one of Amy's co-worker's band play, went to the Museum of Brisbane, the Queensland Museum and Art Gallery (my favorite of the galleries and museums in the city), and took a bus ride to Mount Coot-tha, which overlooks the city, and has some great views.

Tomorrow Amy and I leave for Cairns to start backpacking. Cairns is in the North, and after spending some time there we will start heading South toward Melbourne.

I can't believe I've already been here for over a week!

The past week has been great! Amy has been working, so I've been spending time just hanging out and sightseeing. Brisbane is a gorgeous city, and there's a lot to see. One of my favorite places is the Botanical Gardens. It's huge, and right along the river, so there's a lot to see and it's really pretty. I also really like an area called South Bank, it has a man-made beach, and lots of cute shops and restaurants. I also rode the bus by myself several more times, and am becoming a lot more comfortable with that.

We also had a really good weekend. Friday night we met up with some friends of Amys that she works with, they are Irish, and are in Australia on working holiday visas, which is what Amy and I have. They are a lot of fun, and great to hang out with. We went downtown, so I also got to see more of the city. Saturday we went to a pro rugby game. We went with a couple of Amy's friends, and they explained the game to me, so I understand it a little now. It's a little like football, except they don't wear pads or helmets. They also have some other rules like you can only pass the ball backwards, you have to run it forward. They also don't stop the clock at all, and the ball is still in play if it hits the ground. It was a lot of fun to go to the game. Sunday we played soccer again, as it's a sunday tradition.

It's fall right now, so it's cooling down during the nights. I'm happy about that, as I'm still getting used to the heat. It's still in the high 70s during the day.

Yay for luggage!

My luggage finally made it to Brisbane on Sunday morning. It was set to arrive on a flight from LA at 6:30 am. It had to go through customs and then they delivered it to the house we are staying at. I'm so glad it finally made it!

So, here is how I've spent my first few days in Brisbane: Saturday was a very laid-back day. Amy and I just hung out at her place and walked around the neighborhood she lives in. Sunday morning, after my luggage arrived, we took the bus into Brisbane. We first went to the hospital, as Amy has a friend here who got hurt last week and was in the hospital all weekend. We then walked around the city for a bit (and got a little lost), and then met up with some of Amy's friends and watched part of a rugby game. Rugby is huge here, and I don't understand it. To me, it looked like a bunch of people running back and forth, with a tackle thrown in here or there. They've promised to explain it to me, and we are going to a pro game while here, so hopefully I'll learn then. After that, we went to the place Amy lived when first moving here, and I met a bunch more of her friends. They are all super nice! They play soccer on sunday nights, so Amy played and I watched...I'm so not good at soccer and didn't really want to play. Watching was a lot of fun though! This morning, Amy and I went into downtown Brisbane again, and walked around downtown, in Brisbane Square, and checked out the mall. It's a pretty typical mall, like any that you would find at home, just with different stores. Amy has to work, so we walked to her work and then I left, which brings me to my biggest accomplishment thus far: getting back to the house by myself. I made it without getting lost! Then I went grocery shopping with one of Amy's roommates. They have some interesting things at the grocery store, like chicken flavored chips.

The weather is super nice, sunny and warm ( a little too warm, but I'm sure I'll get acclimated, I'm just not used to the heat). Everything is super green and the city is really pretty.

Hello, Brisbane!!!

I made it! After a 14 hour flight, I finally landed in Brisbane! Unfortunately, my luggage did not. It decided to stay in Los Angeles for an extra day. The airline was really nice, and said they would deliver it to the place I'm staying. They also gave me money to buy clothes. However, today is a holiday in Australia, so all the malls are closed. So I'm borrowing clothes from Amy for today.

Today's the Day!!

I leave today for Australia! My plane leaves Seattle at 7pm, and I fly to Los Angeles. From LA, it's only a short 13 hour flight to Brisbane!

I'm all packed and ready to go! Thankfully, Amy sent me a list of things to pack, which helped a lot. Her advice was to pack what I wanted to bring, and then cut that in half. I tried as much as possible but I still am packing way too much, I think. I only have one bag and one carry-on, so that has been the main limiting factor.

I'm so excited! I'll check in when I make it to let everyone know I'm safe and sound in Australia!

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm hoping you will visit again over the next couple months as I share information about my trip to Australia and New Zealand!

Here are some of the details of the trip: I will be traveling with my friend Amy. She is one of my best friends from college-we went to Washington State University together. She has been in Australia for several months now, and will be able to show me all the ropes! I leave on April 23, and will be flying to Brisbane, Australia, where Amy currently is residing. After spending a couple days there, sightseeing and recovering from jet-lag, we will be going to Cairnes, where we will start our month long backpacking trip down the eastern coast of Australia. The plan is to end in Melbourne where we will be staying for several months. Then it's on to New Zealand! The plan there is to backpack and then work on an organic farm. The trip will come to a close with our return flight from Auckland, New Zealand, on October 28.