Memories to Share

I can't believe I've been back only a week - I got back into the groove way to quickly. After much culling, I was able to select a handful of pictures from the over 1500 I took. I also included a couple of videos about the animals "down under".


Dancing Bird:



Kung Fu Kangaroo:

x

Slide show of pictures:

New Zealand

Australia

And now, the end is here, and so I face the final curtain...

One more WW2 story I heard in Cairns before I left: not many years ago, some men decided to make a path up to to top of the largest peak in Queensland, which is in the Daintree rainforest (mountains are not very big in Australia). Anyway, they made it to the top and spent the night in a cave. The next morning, they explored the cave and found old radio equipment in the back. It was reviewed by government officials, and determined that there bad been a Japanese lookout living in the cave during WW2, right in their backyard.

I didn't go to downtown Sydney because it was raining and I was done walking.

So I will go straight to my final impressions of Australia:
It reminds me a lot of the states with kangaroos everywhere and fewer high-rises (which is not to say I didn't enjoy my tours). They even have their version of rednecks.
I am impressed with how the Australian government and most of the people treat the Maori people and traditions. Most of the people have a high respect for the Moari history and traditions.
My favorite place I visited was Undara - it was cute, had wildlife everywhere, and provided phenomenal customer service (both in knowledge and courtesies). Besides, the snakes catching the bats was cool to see.
The flying fox bats were a trip. You could see them hanging in trees everywhere, in every city - on the highway off-ramps, next to the library, by pubs...it didn't matter. Then, when they took off for the night, the sky would be filled with bats and their Batman-type wings.
Ants were everywhere, from tiny ones (the size of a pinhead), to huge red ones over an inch thick. Everytime we left vehicle, we would comeback to find little ants crawling around. I wouldn't be surprised if some made it home with me (I will be washing everything).

I met an Aussie in New Zealand, and he told me NZ has the best scenery and Australia has the best animals. I have to agree about he scenery. As for the animals, I liked the Koalas (although you almost never see them in the wild), marsupials, and bats, but other than that I mostly saw reptiles, whereas NZ has penguins, seals, and albatross. I call the animals draw.

See you back in Cleveland. Mom and dad, don't forget to pick me up (payback for all those time you told me to drive safely).

A Final Chapter

For my last tour, I went to Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation (a cape within the rainforest, named by Captain Cook, the earliest Englander, who had much trouble, i.e. tribulations there). Once we went over Daintree river, we were in the rainforest area, and there is no electricity except for what people and establishments make themselves from water, windmills, generators, etc.

Our driver is very loquacious, as well as corny. I had to laugh ... throughout the roads in the rainforest, there were speed bumps and corresponding sign to watch out for cassowary bird (an odd looking bird, maybe 3-4 feet tall). Our guide's interpretation of the speed bump was that they were there to break the sound of a vehicle, and therefore alert the bird to get out of the way (and not a hint to slow down). At another point, he tells us he is going to put the microphone down so he can drive around the curves with two hands, then he proceeds to tell us about something off to the side for the next two minutes. He had a lot of interesting facts (although a couple were slightly wrong based on what others have with biology backgrounds have said). That being said, I would rather have someone who talked too much, than someone who didn't talk at all, like the bus driver up to Undara.

We walked trough the nature center in the heart of the rainforest. Because of everything else on our agenda, we only had one hour - it was not enough, unless your only goal is to say you've been there (which may have been true for some). I did learn some new facts about the flora in this rainforest, whether because what I learned was unique to here and not in other rainforest I have visited, or because the guide mentioned different things:

• There was a palm tree with new growth of limbs and flowers, which was white ... it looked albino. The reason it is white, is because his tree is pollinated by insects, which are attracted to smells, vs. A tree with colorful flowers which attract birds to pollinate.


• There is vine called "wait-a-while", or lawyer vine (it was nicknamed this for the same reason New Zealand named their lawyer bush, because of the hooks get into you and don't let go). It grows upward some, but will ultimately attach to another, stronger tree to support its height. It was used by the aborigines as a fishing rod - they put insects into the larger spikes and placed it in the water.


• Because the rainforests do not have seasons, plants grow all year long. So trees adapt differently, one examples of this is the various leaves we saw which were red,, purple, and yellows. Unlike home, where this would signify the tree was dying or liberating for winter, here the new shoots have this color.


• The web of the Golden Orb Weaver spider is so strong that a man walking into the web will not be able to break it. It is so strong, it has been used as a fishing line.

Lunch was barbecue outside. We had steak, fish, and sausage. There was also a bread called "damper", which is a heavy bush bread, which they would eat in the bush, and it would keep them filled for a long time. It reminded me of soda bread. We also had fruit. Most of the fruit I recognized, except one, the rambuttan. It is a hairy, red skinned fruit. I cut it through the middle, and the inside fruit was clear/white, and popped out of skin like an egg. Only unlike the yolk of an egg, the inside is a seed and inedible.

After lunch we stopped at local place for ice cream. She makes four flavors a day and selling small dips if each in a cup. The flavors odd, and she had examples of what the flavor source looked like on the counter: mamey sapote (kind of like strawberry), wattleseed (It looked like a hunk of thistle to me, and tasted like mild cappuccino), soursop (looked like a weird growth; tasted like a light lime flavor, but not exactly), and mango. It was ok, but mom and dad's is better.

After lunch I went on another crocodile cruise. They can't feed the crocodiles in this area. However, we saw a baby (about 2 years old), a female, and a fat male (about 15 feet long). So this is interesting, if crocodile eggs incubate at 32°, then males will hatch. If the eggs hatch at 31° or 33°, then females will hatch. Needless to say, we got a comment about women being both hot and cold... By the way, I fly home tomorrow after a brief stop in Sydney (I should have time to down to the wharf and take a round trip ferry ride).

I will post my final written blog late Sunday afternoon during my layover in Los Angeles and a link to pictures in about a week. The blog tomorrow will be my summary thoughts of Australia, like I did for New Zealand. I'll write it from the plane on what will literally be longest day of my life - I leave for the Cairns airport at 4 am and arrive in Cleveland 35 hours later at 11:58 pm...so I get a 39 hour day. I admit I have sometimes wished I had more hours in the day, but sitting on a plane and in airports is not how I would choose to spend them.

Interesting fact day 26: Cairns largest industry is not tourism (which would have been my guess, but it is actually the 2nd biggest industry). The largest industry in Cairns is sugar cane. They provide sugar throughout the world, including the US. As soon as you go out the city, there are sugar cane fields everywhere.

Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef

Today I went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. We had gorgeous weather - my first day without rain in a long time. We went to Michaelmas Cay, which is really just a few yards of sand with lots of birds. But that was okay, since no one was focused on the beach...the reef was the main attraction.

Although they would let newbies scuba with just a short amount of training, I decided to snorkel. It was really cool, and pretty easy to do. The first time I was out for almost 2 hours. I wore a life jacket because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to swim/float for an extended period. The downside is I couldn't go far underwater. That worked for me. It was sort of nice to know I could just relax and enjoy. I bought an underwater camera and took some pictures - we'll see if anything shows up. The second time I went out, I did not use a life jacket, but I knew I had less than 30 minutes before we'd be called back to leave. I didn't even notice the difference.

The coral was not as bright as I expected, but it was cool to see all the different types of coral. It was pretty much all yellows and browns, with spots of purple, green, or blue that stood out and made it more special. There was one coral that was shaped like a giant clam at the top with purple in the middle. I kept trying to take a picture, and before I knew it, I'd passed it, so I would try to swim backwards (not really possible with fins), and then go forward again. But again I missed it...I must have done this 4 or 5 times before I got somewhat close to what I wanted. My luck, after all that, the picture won't turn out.

I also saw several fish. My favorite was a rainbow fish (my name). It was bright neon colors of blue, yellow, pink, and green. It's lips looked like someone had put a heavy layer of green teal lipstick on it.

After a fantastic buffet (this boat is known to have the best food), I went on a semi-submersible boat tour of the reef. This allowed us to go further out, and I could take pictures with my digital camera. We saw jailbird fish (black and white stripes), Mick Jagger fish (big lips), firefly fish (small, bright yellow), and a turtle (note, all names of fish are mine, and not official).

So that's it for today. My last tour is the Daintree Rainforest tomorrow.

Interesting fact day 25: Much of coral does not have color...most of the color comes from lichen (although some do have pigments). Also, coral needs light to look bright. They use huge lights to get the colors we see in movies and pictures.

My Lone Visit to the Lava Tubes of Undara

After a 5 hour bus ride, I arrived in Undara. I am not sure how much of the catastrophes over here have made it your way. There is the fires burning in Victoria, where many have been killed or lost homes. In Queensland, where I am, there were cyclones and excessive rains last week, leading to flooding of homes, and several streets north of Undara are still impassable. (This is a cool side note, they are doing a lot to raise money for those affected by the fires, and I heard on the news that many who were affected by the floods are committing their insurance checks to the fire victims; amazing how people can see through their own adversity to the people who have lost even more.)

So, I tell you all this to set the stage. This is the slow (i.e.. Wet) season anyway, but with the roads to the north being closed, I am literally the only person in this place. I ate my meals in this big outdoor dining area by myself. I did get VERY personalized service.

The site is surrounded by a national park and mega-ranches (think Texas). In a addition to my two planned tours, there were several hikes to choose from, a pool for relaxing, and the constant accompaniment of numerous birds. Besides the birds, they have the prerequisite kangaroos and wallabies, as well as my first view of wallaroos (they are all marsupials; kangaroos are the larger species, wallabies are the smaller species, and wallaroos are in the middle, this the name.

I went hiking after lunch yesterday. I got caught in the rain (which I was prepared for...I've learned to always be prepared for rain). On the way back, I turned a corner and there were about a corner dozen kangaroos, most of them taking shelter from the rain under a pavilion, not more than 25 feet from where I was standing. They ran off soon after they saw me, but I appreciated them pointing out the shelter to me. I sat out the rest of the rain in the shelter (joined by a kookaburra that sat just above the next picnic table) and soon the rain stopped (it typically does not last long). So I walked along the the tent/camping paths and ran into tons more kangaroos and wallabies. I was able to get as close as a single lane road without them running away, although they never took their eyes off me.

We (the guide and me) went out 4WD'ing instead of hiking tonight because of the flooding and rain. I saw a wallaroo for the first time - kangaroos are the big ones, wallabies the little ones, and wallaroos are in the middle, thus the name. These are the first wallaroos I have seen. Their ears are more rounded and their face more like a dog. The kangaroos and wallabies look more like deer (I wonder if they have similar genes and just developed differently).

We also visited a bat cave. Not THE bat cave, but one filled with hundreds of bats. We got there in time to watch their nightly exit (luckily I had a hat on). We also saw a few become dinner for the snakes that work their way over to the cave for an easy meal. But dumb as they are, one snake would catch a bat, then one or two others would fight him over the bat instead of getting their own. And their version of fighting is to grab a hold of the bat and/or other snake and hold on for dear life...so no one wins. I also got to see my first iguana (about 4 feet long!) green tree frogs, and cane toads (Mary Lang, are you jealous).

I had crocodile for dinner. I had narrowed it down to that or Emu, since I had not tried either yet). The crocodile was ok, I'd eat it again if someone served it to me, but I don't think I would choose to order it again...kangaroo is better. I don't know how to describe it, except maybe a cross between shark steak and chicken (though I can't really say it tastes like either).

This morning we (again, the guide and me) went on a half day tour, so that I could catch the bus back to Cairns. First we visited the rim of a volcano that last erupted thousands of years ago. From the top you could see quite a distance. Although the land is mostly flat, there are around 160 extinct volcanoes in the area that are just suddenly there (the last volcano erupted over 40,000 years ago, so there was no risk to me in that front. Supposedly, this land was once a mountain range the size of the Andes, but erosion and time have mad it pretty flat. Many of the volcanoes were eruptions that went straight up with a bang (think Hollywood movie volcanoes) and tended to make tall, thin mountains. The other kind oozed lava for years and created fat mountains and the lava tubes this area is known for. Undara was thus kind of volcano. It oozed lava for 20-30 years. The top layer would harden, but the lava underneath continued to flow downhill, leaving lava "caves", or as they call them, tubes, behind.

Next we visited three different lava tubes. They can be VERY long, and boardwalks have been built to make it easy to walk through. Unfortunately, those who built the boardwalks did not plan for the amount of rain they have seen here - this is set up to be a record rainfall year. So the caves were all flooded (only the 3rd time this has occurred), so I could only walk part way through (darn...my slightly claustrophobic side was not terribly upset).

Okay, I will admit to having medium expectations for Undara. Instead, it became my favorite place in Australia so far. The other SC group and how much they would have enjoyed it - this was the kind of experience I was expecting in Brisbane. I wish I could have had more time here for exploring. The staff were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating, the food was fantastic (I think I gained weight again, although I did turn down the pavlova), and I got to sleep in a converted train car (it was really cute).

Okay, I've rambled way to long.

Interesting fact day 22-23: Within 6 weeks of a kangaroo's pregnancy, she can choose to hold off the remaining gestation period for up to 2 years. Kangaroos will do this if they think there will not be enough food for the baby. A bonus (but sad) additional fact, a mother kangaroo will abandon a baby if she thinks there is not enough food for both her and the baby.

A Day Of Rest in Cairns

Arrived in Cairns later than expected due to a new computer upgrade that was causing problems (they did not have a valid passenger list...I'd hate to be on that IT team).

Today is my only free day in Cairns. I was going to lay poolside, but figured I'd see if their library had wifi. I thought the library was just a couple of blocks away, but found out my hotel is farther from the main drag than I thought (like 8 blocks). I also found that, not only does the library not have wifi, but they charge market rates to use the interest, and you have to buy a minimum of one hour (in all the places I visited, this is the first library to charge for the
Internet.

While I was there, I walked along downtown. I was not impressed. It reminded me of a typical American seaside town from 20-30 years ago, just with a large Asian influence. It's not pretty, nothing is free, and it's a totally tourist trap. The biggest commerce I saw was selling tours and activities for those visiting. To make it worse, the beaches here are not that great, at least today. It really does seem to be just a jumping off point for day tours in this area.

I found a pub with outdoor seating and an early bird special for pizza and "a pint", which was just what I needed (both the pizza and the beer). It started raining right as I was getting ready to go, so I asked for a bag so my stuff would not get wet. All they had was a garbage bag, so I walked to the hotel carrying a garbage bag filled with my day pack and some things I had bought. I got a few odd looks, especially because it stopped raining almost immediately. I'm guessing I looked like a bag person.

So I'm going to have an early night. Tomorrow I leave for a two day tour to the Undara lava tubes. It sounds a little cheesy to me, but if I'm willing to get into it, it will probably be fun. Here is a link to their website if you are interested: www.Undara.com.au.

Not sure if there will be an opportunity to use the Internet or not (I'm guessing there will be), but worse case I will be back in Cairns in two nights.

Interesting fact day 21: ok, I give. I did not learn any interesting fact today, nor do I have one saved up from a previous day. Look for one tomorrow (or whenever I next get to a computer).

Goodbye to Kakadu

Yesterday we got caught in a huge rainstorm, soaking both our clothes and backpacks. We laid out everything to dry, even putting fans on the stuff. However, because if the humidity, not only did nothing dry, but everything that was dry became damp. So we went swimming today (I don't quite understand the logic either, but it actually helped). I felt so waterlogged leaving the camp, with wet stuff strewn all over the seat next to me. While we were swimming, some of the clothes finally dried (though we had new wet clothes to replace them. But the cool water of the "watering hole" (which was actually the bottom of a waterfall), felt great. We went to two separate places (again, not sure why we didn't stay at one longer, but I liked the second one better...other than the risk of alligators. I guess the risk really existed at both sites, just the 2nd had a huge sign reminding you. As our guide says, with 7 of us in the river, we only have a 1 in 7 chance of being the one attacked, assuming there is one there (I tried telling him the probability calculation doesn't work exactly like that since any one of us getting bitten is an independent variable, of course, once one goes down, the rest will run, so, assuming we can run fast enough, I guess that 1 in 7 is not a bad estimate...you can imagine the look I got at that point. Ah, it's ingrained).

So, one thing I find interesting in Australia is the controlled burning they do, and the importance if it to the ecosystem here. The idea of burning forest land started with the aborigine. For a while the Europeans stopped the practice, but that actually hurt the ecosystem, so now it is done regularly. One benefit is that it allows old grasses to be burned away so that new grasses can take their place (within 2-3 months the grass will be fully recovered). In addition, there are some trees that rely on the burning to survive. We saw a tree that has a seed pod that is hard, and will only open naturally under extreme heat. I've seen some limited control burns in remote areas if the states, but this is on a bigger scale and not limited to national parks. In Kakadu, 50% of the grasslands are burned each year. I remember our guide in Brisbane talking about burning as well, but I did not understand that it was intentional (I have seen some controlled burning of parks in the states, but I thought it was rare, and not an annual event).

Unfortunately, an unplanned fire is all over the news here. The state of Victoria (I'm not going there) has had a fire blazing and doing extensive damage - 120 people so far, 700 homes, and it's still blazing. Jordan, our guide is from there. He has heard his dad's okay, bit is calling friends to make sure their alright.

So, the trip is over. It amazes me how we can start out as strangers, yet after three days of hiking, eating, and playing together, you become "friends", even though in the real world you would never have interacted and you know you'll never see them again. I always start thinking we are so different, but in the end, a shared experience and the mutual love of travel creates a bond, despite age, culture, language, etc.

Oh, by the way, I have a new card game for when the Busic clan gets together for games. It is easy to learn and can be played with a larger group of people (I just have to come up with a G rated name for it).

On to Cairns early tomorrow (5 am; the airport transportation is picking me up at 2:45...good thing time has lost all meaning over here).

Interesting fact day 20: there is a species of ant here that is orange in the front and green on the end. They bite if they get on you, but according to the locals, the green part tastes like lime. Several tried it - I'll try new things on vacation, but I draw the line at eating an ant.

Wet in Kakadu

I found an Internet int he middle of nowhere!!!

But first a detour: "happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Deanne, happy birthday to you" (just imagine me singing).

Now on to how I spent my last two days...

I left for my tour of Litchfield and Kakadu parks with six other people from Sweden, France, and Australia. There was one couple (Sweden), but everyone else is traveling alone and doesn't know anyone, like me. Coincidentally, three are from France - this means I hear as much French as English, since there is an equal number of both, including the guide.

There first thing we learned was to throw out the itinerary. It was written for the dry season, and right now is their wet season. During the wet season, dirt roads get rained out and paths become too wet. According to the guide, you can't know which places are open for sure until 6-8 hours ahead of time.

The downside of it being the rainy season is that you are always wet - whether because it's currently raining, just finished raining, you sat on something wet from the last rainfall, or your stuff just refuses to dry due to the humidity. The benefits are worth it though: no crowds and, best of all, the waterfalls are bigger - and we are seeing tons of waterfalls.

We see termite mounds everywhere. Many are similar to those I saw in Peru, but two types of mounds in Litchfield are different: the cathedral, which can be more than 20 feet high, and the magnetic, which are thin like tombstones and are built facing east and west to deal with temperature fluctuations. What I did not know is that not all termites eat trees (or maybe I just forgot). They have grass eating and "scavengers", as well as the tree eating kind.

Today and tomorrow we go around Kakadu. We drove over the South Alligator River, which starts in the park and flows north into a gulf. Well, sometimes...when the tide in the gulf is high, then the currents switch direction and flow south.

This morning we hiked around an aboriginal art site, Ubirr (pronounced U-beer). To get there we drove through two flooded sections of the road, each 1.5 feet high. Our biggest risk was getting stuck if the flooded areas rose to over 3 feet before we returned (there's only the one road in and out). Luckily, the rain held off until afternoon - although we did get a great view of the storm coming in across the park.

The rock art was very cool, but I will admit to having a difficult time distinguishing some of the more complex pictures - I took photos of the art and the signs with the descriptions so I could figure it out on my computer monitor when I get home.

Oh, by the way, I have needed the sleeping bag, but we're staying in permanent tent camps, which means solid floor and beds with mattresses. I am actually finding them nicer than some of the places we stayed on the Brisbane leg. Other than that, it's a camping type of thing with a big tent to cook and hang around in. Everyone kicks in to help with dinner and clean-up, although our guide does a lot of the work. Tonight we had kangaroo and buffalo meat.

Interesting fact day 19: there are more than 1,000 species of flies in Kakadu (and I think every one is after me). Seriously, ants have been rampant in Australia (from tiny ones that are always in the vans to ones over one inch long). But I have decided they are not nearly as annoying as the flies in Kakadu. At one point, I looked down and had eight flies on my shirt alone. They tried to go up my nose, in my mouth, and I think it will take a while for the sound of their buzzing to leave my ears.

And Now The Camping Leg of the Trip???

This entry will be relatively short, since it is a travel day. However I wanted to get an entry out before I go on my Kakadu tour. I am not expecting to have internet access until I return (sometime late Monday for me; it's Sunday evening as I write this - not sure if you need to convert days or not).
So we all separated today. Mary Lang headed home to SC, the other three are also going home (SC) after a quick stopover in Fiji, and I left for Darwin, AU.

I will miss their company - I can't believe we only met a couple of weeks ago. It feels like we've known each other longer.

Oh, and don't be surprised if I come home with their southern accent, and not an aussie/kiwi accent.

So now I am off to a three day adventure tour. Not sure what I'm getting myself into, but after the last four days, I can handle anything.

The tour write-up sounds great. I'll be seeing waterfalls, crocodiles, and aboriginal rock art, all while enjoying some "4WD action". My first clue that this is not a luxury tour (not that I asked for one) came when they asked me if I wanted to rent a sleeping bag or had my own (we sleep in a lodge one night and a permanent camp site the next). The second clue is that I am limited to one backpack and a day pack (luckily I have both).

Oh well, I have camped out many times and likely slept in worse conditions. At least tonight I get one more night in a nice hotel - variation of a last supper.

All kidding aside, I am looking forward to the next three days, presuming the rain ends (this is Australia's wet seasonal and just to prove it, it started pouring rain about 20 minutes after we landed).
So unless I get an unexpected surprise, expect to hear from me in three days. Oh, and pray for good weather!

First four days in Brisbane, Australia

Sorry for the gap in emails. We were in no-man's land for four days. Likely have a few more days like this in the final days.

We started out with a hike in the Brisbane woods. We saw wallabies, a smaller version of the kangaroo, hopping around - they were fun to watch. We saw lots of birds - magpie, rainbow lorakeets, parakeets, and more. But the best was the kookaburra. I have many memories of the kookaburra song from childhood. I was surprised some of the group had not heard the song before. I tried to sing it for them, but all l could remember was my mom's version that involved me chasing after our parakeet.

We saw kangaroos on a golf course (can you imagine having to wait to play through because of kangaroos?).

Over the course of the two days we saw tons of birds and animals. Probably my favorite animal is the koala bear, but the most ubiquitous are the kangaroos and wallabies (they're everywhere).

One night we stopped at a huge group of bats (the stench gave them way). There were literally hundreds of bats hanging from this clump of trees. Every once in a while, one of the bats would decide he wanted someone else's space, and a battle would pursue (sounds like some people I know). Because this was their sleeping time, we didn't see many bats flying around (darn ;).

Last night, we saw a bearded dragon (think 2 foot lizard with personality) on the street with a broken leg. We took it back to the cabins we were staying to take care of it until morning, when we could pass it to someone in the area to take care of it. This led to the quote of the day from Kelly (add southern accent here): "I don't want anything else in this vehicle that has more legs than I do."

We've seen some cool trees, as well. The trees here seem different than back home. Many of them have bark that peels off or is stringy. The colors are different as well, with red, white, and green showing up alongside the brown trees. For one, the paperbark tree, the bark curls off it and what is left is an off-white, soft, sort of a cork-feeling trunk. Also, there is a form of eucalyptus tree that has a red-orange trunk (the various eucalyptus, also known as a gum tree, are a dominant tree types here).

But there were two highlights of this leg:

1. The B&B we stayed at Monday night - The owners were very gracious and their view was phenomenal. We had breakfast on there front porch, with around two dozen rainbow lorakeets (purple heads; green backs; yellow, red, and dark blue bellies).
2. David Fleay Wildlife Park - we drove all over looking for possums (theirs is very different from ours), koalas, and platypus. In the end, we did not see any of these until we entered this wildlife preserve for threatened species. We got to get up close and personal with one of the koalas.

One last comment before I end, WE MISS WYNSTON. There were many things he did as a guide that, at the time, I recognized was special and appreciated. Now, having had a different experience, I realize there were also small courtesies I took for granted.

Interesting fact days 13-16: kangaroos cool themselves using evaporative cooling. Basically, they lick their arms and wave them to cool down.

Goodbye New Zealand

This is our last day with Wynston (will get another guide in Brisbane). He has spoiled us for the next guide.

We spent the day traveling to the airport and ultimately Australia.

For the Gordon boys, who are interested in WW2 history, l saved some of that history I learned along the way for today since I knew it would be a traveling day:

• NZ was the first to declare war on Germany (because of the 12 hour time difference to England).
• At any point in time, 100k soldiers out of a then population of 1.5M were fighting in the war.
• Because of the more rural, tougher upbringing of New Zealanders, they were considered excellent soldiers, which led to more difficult missions, and a higher death rate.
• NZ sent tons of produce to feed American and English soldiers fighting in the South Seas.

So here's my traditional last thoughts about NZ:

• Conservation is huge in NZ. 30% of the land in NZ is owned by the conservation department. This includes 14 national parks.
• I love all the hiking that is available. One of my favorite features about Arizona Has always been the roadside turnoffs to go hiking, and this has even more opportunities.
• The south island is very hilly (although there is a plain region). At any point you cam look up and see 6-7 layers of hills and mountains. Unfortunately that 3D perspective does not translate well to pictures.
• I love all the unique flora and fauna. I find it very cool that NZ wants to protect that.
• I have felt extremely safe here.
• NZ knows how to eat. I swear I've gained weight on this leg.

I fell again this morning on some wet steps. This gives me a new personal best at 5 times falling within another country (the steps were always surfaces wet or muddy). I have bruises everywhere. But this morning was the worst, as I hit my little toe hard. It's swollen, but I don't think it's anything major. In my head I could hear Tim asking if I could wiggle my toe (I can't wiggle my good toe) and Michele telling me to put as much ice as I could tolerate on it. The flight attendants were great - providing an empty row of seats, ice, pillows to prop my foot, etc. After 4 hours of that, it is still sore, but better. Given all of the hiking in front of me, it better get well soon.

So that's it for NZ. I will miss this country a lot - I wish it was closer.

Interesting fact day 12: NZ separated from the land mass Gondwana 40M years ago (this mass included all the southern hemisphere countries), and was able to grow untouched by humans until the Maori arrived ~ 1000 yrs ago. This means the indigenous flora and fauna is unique from what you would find anywhere else in the world.