Vancouver: A Refreshing Change

A Path Through Mount Grouse Woods

Huddling up on our first ‘budget’ airline experience [thanks Westjet] was not the best way to introduce yourself to somewhere with a reputation like Vancouver’s, but it did not too long to get over.

Vancouver has so much to offer and we have only begun to scratch the surface. Firstly, this city is beautiful. A real air of calm around the CBD and plenty of things to do in and around the Vancouver area means there has not been a whole lot of down time.

We started out by heading to Stanley Park from the Airport to kill some time before our accommodation provider [a kind soul from Canada] got home from work, with our backpacks still very firmly attached to our backs. We were loving the public transport and getting into the city from the airport cost $9 and after spending so much cash on shuttles over the last three weeks it was a welcome change to have affordable options at our fingertips.

Upon arriving at The Aquarium, found in the heart of Stanley Park, we were told there were lockers available, but they were not big enough to fit our large packs, so we carried on looking and feeling a little odd stumbling around the Aquarium in attire befitting the most hardcore backpacker.

The Aquarium itself is crammed full of wicked little exhibits and attractions. The 4D movie experience featuring a snippet of David Attenborough’s, the documentary voice over demi-god, Blue Planet series complete with real water spray and bubbles was awesome [mainly because we were able to sit down]. Some other highlights from our Aquarium backpackers experience included a dolphin show and seeing sea otters up close and personal.

Regardless of how entertaining the Aquarium was for the two of us we were very glad to head to our home for the next week or so and getting the 15Kg or so off of our backs was a very welcome feeling. The house we are staying in is really comfortable and even though our bed is made out of a stack of bedsheets strewn across the floor it is nice to be somewhere where the only payment needed is the occasional meal for the host.

Our first morning in Vancouver started with a note from her host saying her Grandma, who is kind of the black sheep of the family, was coming around for some renovation jazz and mentioned it would be best if she remained an unknowing participant in this accommodation deal. It was a weird feeling, but strangely exciting, and we acted like we were late for a plane and managed to get our selves organized faster than an Italian grandmother can question Antoinette’s intolerance to pasta.

Friday night saw us all head out to a pub in Vancouver central to catch the very unsatisfying result between St.Kilda and Collingwood in the AFL Grand Final. Taking the time to see the game live was totally worth it and Antoinette even got a little excited watching the game, which is something most people will be astonished to know given her general lack of interest in competitive sports.

Vancouver has a smorgasbord of things to do and we took full advantage of the one sunny day we have had by getting out to the picturesque Stanley Park and cruising around on a tandem mountain bike. We decided to head through the park and it was probably the best decision we made all day and it was well worth the bumpy ride to have a path all to ourselves without having to worry about people passing you before you even knew they were there.

Having spent some time aimlessly wandering through the suburbs and shopping districts, and again spending too much chashola [damn you custom t-shirt printing place], we felt in need of some mountain air so we headed towards Grouse Mountain. It was another amazing Vancouver day, not a cloud in the sky except for one really massive one that took up the entire sky, but we did not let that stop us. Walking around in the mist was a cool feeling and really made the experience feel more than ‘just another mountain top.’

Coola Kickin' It 

The highlight of the day was seeing the two orphaned Grizzly bears, Coola and Grinder [awesome names for bears]. These guys were massive and seeing them up close was something pretty close to indescribable. It was confusing to see such powerful and beautifully aggressive animals in such a tame surrounding and seeing a Grizzly out in the wild would be a much more frightening and somewhat rewarding experience. 

We also discovered a number of Eurotrash tourists knew how to speak bear. Their whistles and claps seemed to work wonders on getting Coola and Grinder’s attention…NOT. We could not help but smile at each other while these douche-a-trons continued to make noises that would barely rouse the accolades of a child let alone a 450Kg bear and we think King Julian from Madagascar [YOUTUBE] whistles better than a majority of them.

In other news, we have decided to take a detour out to Whistler for a couple of nights and have locked in some accommodation and transport to what is supposedly some epic scenery. Again we have been frustrated by pricey tours and unrealistic promises from tour operators for things like seeing grizzly bears and wine tours, but we will not let little things like this stop us from getting the most out of where we are.

There is still so much to do in Vancouver and we will be spending the next couple of days living it up before we head out to Whistler to see what else we can deposit a small fortune on.

A couple of days have been devoted to figuring out what to do and where to go in Seattle and our research seems to have paid dividends already. Our accommodation is in downtown Seattle and close to a lot of sights we are both keen on seeing and it won’t be long before our accommodation is on wheels and the wrong side of the road so stay tuned!

Much love ‘eh,

Antoinette and James. 

Hawaii 2.0: The Big Island

Circumnavigating The Big Island, aka Hawaii for those of you playing at home, is definitely something worth doing. The diversity of the landscapes is hard to explain in words with lush coastal rainforest on the west and south west coast, lava flows and volcanic plains in the south, lush green valleys and black sandy beaches on the east and arid desserts in the north.

What is really astonishing about this place is the way the landscape can change within a matter of minutes and going right around the island really gives you a sense of how young this island is in geographical terms.

Upon touching down at Kona International Airport we picked up a Jeep Wrangler, who has served us well over the last five days, and after being hammered with ‘optional and additional’ charges by the rental company we ended up spending about double what we had accounted for.

We are both sick to death of hidden charges and undisclosed fees when you are booking something, or even the Hawaiians’ ‘fiendish hospitality’ doing what you think is a nice or appreciative gesture only to be told it actually costs $10 when you are walking away.

We are both glad, in a way, that we were able to get a taste of America, and it’s inhabitants, before hitting the main land so we know what to expect while on our road trip from coast to coast.

We stayed in a beautiful old hotel right on the ocean in Kailua and this was also the place we found out some douche in Luxembourg has been using our joint account information to purchase iTunes music.

Trying to contact our bank was a nightmare and after spending a total of five hours and $130 on phone credit for our travel sim mobile we eventually got through to someone to cancel our cards, challenge the transactions and have new cards sent to our respective addresses in Australia.

The sunsets, however, are completely worthwhile and different from the ones we are both accustomed to seeing over the horizon of the Indian Ocean, but we are still yet to see a rising sun over an ocean and we will have to wait until early next year to get an opportunity for that.

The last four days have been very chilled and a combination of sightseeing and driving on the wrong side of the road. We’ve made our way to the Captain Cook monument and a historic Hawaiian settlement harboring sea turtles in the grounds, stood atop an active volcano, trekked down into the stunning Waipi’o valley [and been blessed by a kind soul who gave us a ride back up the 25% gradient in his truck amongst a pile of rubbish] and become jaded about not being able to experience some of Hawaii’s most naturally beautiful sights because we don’t want to pay over $200.

Just over five days will have passed before we have to say goodbye to The Big Island, and as we write this we are in complete isolation in some really ‘rustic’ a-frame cabins at Hapuna bay and are going to be spending today and tomorrow doing a whole lot of nothing as we try to become infected by the Hawaiian way of life.

We have tried our hand at snorkeling and instead of coming away with awesome stories about how diverse and huge the fish were, we have both come back battered and bruised. Antoinette has a couple of bad cuts that stung like hell when James played doctor and because the best snorkeling sites are protected by rocks, natures security guard, they were really more effort than they were worth.

On a whole we have both been a little disappointed with the snorkeling and even though we have been told by numerous people it is ‘world class’ we can’t help but feel as though they regard their snorkeling hotspots the same way they view their baseball as a world series [it’s the best in the world because we don’t know any better.]

Hawaii is truly a complex paradox of paradises and if you have lots of money I can see why you would continue to come back time and time again, but for us the time has come to move on and take the next step towards Vancouver.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

For some happy snaps from Roofus click HERE

Aloha from Waikiki

Far from what we were expecting. The excitement of arriving at a new destination was cut short upon entering our room at Seaside Hawaiian Hostel and seeing a bed sheet draping from, where we can only assume, a curtain used to hang. I think we were expecting the seaside element to be a little more literal and were surprised to find the nearest beach a 15 minute walk from our accommodation.

After spending less than five hours asleep amongst the alley ways and seedy back alley pubs, which we can hear loud and clear when we have our air conditioning [slatted windows] on, it seemed like a perfectly good day to do something we had never done before.

We arrived at the airfield around 9am and after seeing one plane load of victims head off and then straight down it was our turn. Our tandem masters were cool, Antoinette’s told her she had nothing to be afraid of because ‘I like living and you’re attached to me, so you will be jut fine.’ After strapping James into his harness the first words from his tandem master was ‘just hold on to these and we’ll do a couple of flips when we jump out of the plane.’ The calmness and control in the instructors voice did little to settle the bats viciously fluttering in both of our stomachs for a quick escape before jumping out of what, looked to be, a perfectly good plane.

After the jump we both quickly forgot what it was like, due to the fact we were still delirious from a poor nights sleep and in denial about the general crapness of our accommodation, and we really want to do it again.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping for less than essential items and after finding what we needed we headed to the all American eating experience at Dukes Canoe Club. The food was ok, but we both really crave something light and healthy without it being smothered in seven kinds of barbeque sauce and we have both agreed to stop drinking 12 o’clocktails to save cash and our livers.

Wednesday would have made James’ father jealous, as our destination was Pearl Harbor. This historic WWII location was where America was thrust into WWII after Japan surprised Uncle Sam with his pants around his ankles.

Being somewhere like Pearl Harbor is a completely emotional and sobering experience, the silence and thoughtfulness of people as they walk is really something else and being able to see and stand over the USS Arizona, a tomb for over 900 American Sailors is a pretty humbling experience. The creepiest phenomenon of the whole thing is the ‘black tears of the Arizona,’ little drops of oil still leaking from the massacred hunks of metal and rising to the surface since it was sunk over 60 years ago.

Heading to a beach afterwards was a refreshing experience and after being so cold for the last two weeks it was nice not wearing layers and layers of clothing just to keep warm. The quality of our accommodation can be summed up by saying we both found it easier to pass out on a crowded beach than back at our hostel, and given the fact there were screaming children and old ladies resembling leather couches to taint our dreams, that is really saying something.

The Hawaiian way of life is very casual and relaxed, which is perfect if you’re not in a hurry, and we have quickly become slaves to the tropical heat and lifestyle.

On Wednesday night we caught up with Courtney and his girlfriend Ally [we hope we spelt that right], one of Antoinette’s friends from Perth, and it was really refreshing to catch up with someone who knows we’re not on a honeymoon, that we are from Australia, Perth is more than just a cattle station and what AFL means.

The Waikiki district is cool enough to warrant staying a week, but after just three nights, we are both glad to be heading somewhere with fully functioning curtains and somewhere a little less touristy and we are heading for The Big Island and will be renting a jeep to get around for a couple of nights.

We haven’t really planned anything for The Big Island, but will be heading to Volcanoes National Park, coffee farms, Hilo [The Big Islands capital] and some A-frame cabins right on Hapuna beach in the island’s north western corner over the next five days or so.

Aloha from Honolulu,

Antoinette and James.

P.S. Head HERE for some photos from Roofus [our little camera].

Wellington - Grey Skies, Possums and so much more

Arriving safe and well in Wellington on a rainy day was far from ideal and after cramming so much into our week at Queenstown we are both looking forward to chilling out and enjoying the holiday lifestyle a little more.

We are in the suburb of Plimmerton, about 25 slash 30 ks north west of the city centre, and right on the coast. The weather in Wellington has been less than awesome and we got sunshine yesterday, but grey skies seem to be a constant here at the moment.

Our first night in Wellington was spent walking for what seemed like eternity as our accommodation is not as close to the city as expected, their website says they are 20 minutes from the city, but what they forget to tell you is the fact it is a 15 minute walk to the train station, where you wait for another 15 minutes, before departing on a 30 minute train ride into the city. 

It is not the journey time that bother us, it is the false advertising on their website that makes the hostel seem a hell of a lot closer to town than it really is. If their showers and facilities weren’t so good we would probably complain loudly, but we both know this is only the very start of dodgy accommodation and false promises.

Now we have got that off our chest, we should probably mention there is a rogue possum in the ceiling above our room which is very distracting whilst trying to sleep in, but other than that Wellington is pretty damn cool. The CBD is so compact, covering only a kilometer or so, and jam packed with kick ass restaurants, cafes and shops on every corner and street front. After spending the day casually strolling through Wellington we both acquired a few new bits and pieces, and even though there is not really any room in either of our suitcases, we seem to be able to justify the purchase of almost anything.

One definite attribute of Wellington is how relaxed it seems on the surface. Everyone seems to be happy doing their own thing and wearing whatever the hell they feel like, which is very refreshing when we come from a city obsessed with keeping up appearances. Eclectic is another way of describing Wellington, brand new ‘quake-proof’ buildings reside next to practically untouched, and a little run down to be fair, buildings from the early parts of last century and it all seems to work.

We have another couple of nights here in Wellington and we plan to make the most of them. Stay tuned for hangover updates, gross pictures and plenty more.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

Queenstown pt.2

The view towards the mouth of Dart River

The last couple of days have been absolutely amazing, exhausting and just simply awesome. Apologies in advance for the way this entry jumps around from day to day, we have done so much in the last couple of days and we’ve just been writing it as it comes to mind.

Tuesday saw us recovering from our first encounter with snow and our very first time snowboarding. The bus ride to Cardrona was epic and we wound our way up a mountain down into a valley through the old Cardrona township and then up the mountain itself.

It is sad to think we will be leaving all these awesome sights behind in a couple of days, but after battering ourselves to oblivion by falling over, getting back up and repeating the process dozens of times, it is probably for the best. We had an awesome instructor who was originally from Brisbane, even though her accent suggested otherwise, and she was very helpful in getting us on our feet for the first time. The morning lesson was painful and after a rather shoddy lunch from a very average noodle bar we started getting the hang of it in the afternoon and we both cannot wait to hit the slopes again.

Queenstown is definitely starting to feel more homely and I think we have tried out all the pizza bars and one definitely stands out above the others, they even have decent gluten free bases. There is an awesome wine bar, which features self service tastings through machines imported from Italy, and we both worked our way through almost all the sauvignon blancs and pinots in the building and we even got a print out of what we tasted, so you wine buffs better keep an eye on your email inboxes for some very tasty New Zealand wines.

The bungy jumping on Saturday was insane and the most nerve-racking part of it all was the cable car ride over to the jumping platform, which is suspended over the valley. James’ 134m fall was over in what felt like half a second and definitely worth the hefty price tag, but the video and photo packages were ridiculously expensive so it was lucky Antoinette had her baby with her to capture the horror on the sidelines.

Wednesday saw us tackle the Dart River by jetboat and inflatable canoes and it was just a completely awe inspiring experience. The jetboat was rad and the power these things have is absolutely bonkers, they only need about 12cm of water to shoot through the river and pump out 700L a minute out of each engine. Being thrown around while the jetboat completes a high speed 360 was lots of fun and the canoeing leg of the tour was downstream, so physical exertion was an optional extra. The extra time gave us both time to take plenty of photos and attempt to do the valley justice and even gave us a chance to come up with some ‘oarful’ puns [haaaaaaaa]. The Dart River valley is one of the most incredible and untouched places we have seen and with mountains on display on the left and right side this tour was definitely worth it.

We have become really fond of Queenstown and can’t wait to come back, but with Wellington, Hawaii, Vancouver and so much more waiting for us, Queenstown will just have to wait its turn.

Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

P.S. Antoinette says she has lots of owies.

Living like Kings in Queenstown

The view from Hippo Lodge

After a somewhat bumpy airplane trip to Queenstown the first thing we saw on our approach to the runway was mountain tops either side of the aircraft and needless to say the sight of snow made us both very excited.

Queenstown itself is an absolutely beautiful lakeside town and the bustling city centre is jam packed with restaurants, shops, tour offices and, of course, pubs. Our accommodation is basic, but really liveable and the view from our room and the common lounge more than makes up for any shortcomings.

Last night we found our way to Minus 5, a bar made entirely of ice [including the glasses] and kicked on to a small pub where we stuffed ourselves with some pretty sweet chilli beef nachos. Minus 5 really did live up to it's reputation and with an ambient temperature of -8.5 degrees celsius Antoinette's fingers where as red as roses by the time we had finished.

Over the coming days we've got a stack of killer activities lined up...

Saturday will see James taking the plunge from a suspended platform with a free fall of 143m [8.5 seconds] at AJ Hacket's Nevis Bungy site.

Monday will see us hitting the slopes for the first time.

Wednesday will see us winding our way up the Dart River by Jetboat and back down by Canoe.

As you can see we will be doing some pretty amazing activities over the coming days so stay tuned for lots of pictures and injury updates.

Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

Black Sand and Sunsets

Sunset on Black Beach

Updating twice in as many days feels a little weird and unnecessary, but we had an amazing tour today. It started at 10am and we were taken to some of Auckland's dormant volcanoes.

The views from One Tree Hill, which doesn't actually have a tree at the top anymore, and Mt Eden were brilliant and gave a wickedly good view of the city we have called home for the last two nights. The highlight by far was seeing the sun set on the Black Beach with the sand literally glistening underfoot. The guide we had was awesome and it was just the two of us for a majority of the trip and we had some of the places to ourselves.

It feels a little disappointing to be leaving Auckland for Queenstown tomorrow as we both feel we are just starting to get to know our way around, but BRING ON QUEENSTOWN!