Cairns

I have never experienced anything like my trip to Cairns, QLD, Australia this past week.  I am almost at a loss for words and I have no idea where to even begin.  My first time ever traveling alone was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I met some wonderful people, did some incredible things, and saw countless breath-taking sights.  I feel so blessed to have been able to do this trip and I hope I never forget any moment of it because every moment flew by.

Sunrise in Cairns the morning of my reef tour

I left my flat in Wellington around 3:30 a.m. in order to make it to the airport on time.  My flight to Melbourne was quite empty so I was able to lay down across three seats; however, I did not really find myself actually sleeping.  Customs went smoothly and before I knew it, I was on my second flight of the day to Cairns.  When I left Wellington, I was bundled up and found myself eagerly taking off my layers once I was greeted by the warm Australian sunshine in Cairns.  I arrived at my hostel, Gilligan's, around 1:30 in the afternoon.  Upon checking in, I went to explore the city and find where I was to depart for my tour on the Great Barrier Reef the next day.  I spent 4 hours walking along the Esplanade taking photos and going in and out of stores that surrounded the city center.  When I arrived back at my hostel, I met one of my roommates and we went to a BBQ that my hostel put on every Sunday.  By 9 pm I was exhausted and had been up for 18 hours, so I attempted to go to bed so I was not tired for my much anticipated reef tour the next day.  Gilligan's is a very social hostel, so I did not exactly get the best night's sleep.

After my SCUBA dive on the Great Barrier Reef

On Monday I woke up an hour before my alarm and was at the Marlin Wharf about an hour before my cruise ship was to depart.  I grabbed breakfast and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.  When I boarded my cruise ship at 8, I was immediately given coffee and cookies so I was a very happy girl.  While enjoying my cookies, I was given a liability form to read and sign for my SCUBA dive.  I have definitely read more comforting documents in my life and realized I might die while doing my SCUBA dive.  The nearly two hour cruise out to the reef we were snorkeling and SCUBA diving was spent trying to calm myself down--I was pretty nervous.  I also spent much of this time in disbelief that I was going to cross something off my bucket list that I never thought I'd actually do: SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef. Upon our arrival to Michaelmas Cay, we were able to do a tour of the reef via a glass-bottom boat.  It was so unique and made me eager to be in the water myself.  We enjoyed a delicious seafood buffet and by 12, I was on a beach and ready to snorkel.  There really are no words to describe the magnificence of life below that water in the ocean.  It is peaceful and breathtaking.  Snorkeling was a very enjoyable experience, but the real fun began on my SCUBA.  Yes, I actually was able to calm myself down enough to actually complete my SCUBA.  We spent about 40 minutes swimming around the reef.  During that time I was able to touch some of the coral, kneel on the ocean floor next to a clam to experience the power of how quickly it shuts when things get close to it, and see clown fish as well as many other brightly colored fish.  It was amazing and went by so quickly.  Concluding my dive, I was able to enjoy the beach for about 20 minutes before we departed back to Cairns.  We were well fed on this cruise.  After snorkeling and SCUBA diving, we had fruit and more cookies and coffee.  Later, we even got cheese and crackers.  They knew how to keep me happy!  I could go on and on about this tour, but I feel as though I have already wrote too much.  Keeping my blogs short is something I have never been great at.

The Boulders

Tuesday was my tour to the Atherton Tablelands.  My tour was called "Uncle Brian's" and it was recommended to me by my friend, Heather.  I am so glad she told me about this tour because for the entire 12.5 hours I was on it, I was smiling, laughing, having fun, taking in gorgeous sights, and doing things I never thought I'd experience.  Our first stop of the day was at a place called The Boulders.  It was a gorgeous hike to a scenic spot that was concluded with our first swim of the day as well as morning juice and cookies.  Next, we headed to Josephine Falls where I was able to slide down a real rock slide.  I remember doing "slip 'n' slides" as a kid, but nothing could compare to riding a waterfall down an actual rock.  It was so fun that I was able to ignore that fact that the water was freezing.  From there we had a long drive to an amazing view of the Atherton Tablelands where we enjoyed dessert, lunch, and dessert again.  After we couldn't eat anymore, we headed to Millaa Millaa Falls.  It was here that everyone on the tour became models.  Our amazing tour guide, Brad, had us stand about knee deep in the water with the gorgeous waterfall in the background, get our hair wet, and whip it back to get an awesome photo.  It was pretty fun and made me thankful once again for my long, thick hair! Afterwards I swam out to the waterfall, went behind it, and actually swam under it...definitely something I never thought I'd get to say I'd do.  As hard as I try, there are not words to describe how awesome of an experience it was.  I mean, c'mon!  Who swims underneathe waterfalls in their lives?!  Our last stop of the day was at a warm volcanic crater lake at sunset.  We attempted to spot some platypuses at another location before enjoying muffins and hot chocolate to warm us up after a full day of swimming.  I still cannot believe I got to do the things I did on that tour.

Millaa Millaa Falls

Wednesday marked another early morning and another full day tour.  This tour was probably my least favorite of my trip, but it was still very enjoyable.  It began with a scenic drive on the Captain Cook Highway.  We stopped in Port Douglas to see 4 Mile Beach before we headed to our first tour of the day: a river cruise.  On this cruise I was able to see a lot of crocodiles as well as gain a better understanding of their habitat.  I was quite fascinated to say the least.  From here we went to see Alexandra Lookout.  It was here that I met a man originally from West Allis, WI.  He said that in his 31 years of living in Australia that I was the one person he met that lived closest to his original hometown.  I thought that was pretty neat.  We had lunch at a restaurant in the Daintree Rainforest, and afterwards I was able to enjoy a swim in a warm water hole.  After lunch we headed to Cape Tribulation - "where the forest meets the reef".  It was neat to see; however, I wish the tour allowed enough time for us to actually swim because the ocean was the warmest I had ever felt it.  Afterwards we headed to Mossman Gorge which was similar to The Boulders that I had seen the previous day.  We had tea and biscuits before heading back to Cairns.  It was amazing to see the sunset along the ocean as we drove on Captain Cook Highway again.  It was such a full day, and it wasn't even close to ending once I got back in Cairns around 7. 

Scout, a 7 year old croc

In between the tours and minimal sleep, I met some amazing people at Gilligan's.  We all headed down to the Esplanade for a BBQ.  There was a rugby match on a big screen TV outside, and tons of people were grilling food, drinking beer, and watching the game along the water.  It was a moment I'll never forget and it's amazing how these people that I barely knew felt like friends I'd already known for a lifetime.  Once it got cold we retreated back to the hostel for a movie night--we watched Cool Runnings, a classic.

Cape Tribulation

I spent my morning packing and wandering around Cairns one last time to grab breakfast before I headed to the airport.  It was bittersweet leaving Cairns.  I knew I'd be leaving gorgeous weather for the cold and windy city of Wellington.  Traveling by myself was very enjoyable and I loved every minute of it.  It is a trip I will never forget and always be grateful for being able to do.  I cannot believe how quickly it went by, but as I previous mentioned, I hope I never forget any moment of this trip.

Mossman Gorge

Putangirua Pinnacles Road Trip

On Friday, June 8th, I was finally able to say that I was finished with my classes here at Victoria University of Wellington.  Unfortunately, I still have 3 final exams to take over the next three weeks, but that's not what is important at the moment.  My friends and I decided to do something fun to celebrate classes being done so we took a road trip to Martinborough which is about 2 hours East of Wellington to see the Putangirua Pinnacles.

Sunrise

We left around 5 on Friday and drove in the dark through the Totatora's, which are some really windy mountains. I was a little scared, but my friend, Suzanne, is a great driver and got us to Martinborough safely.  The hostel we stayed at was a home stay and the owner forgot about us.  Despite a sketchy beginning, it was a very pleasant stay and it was quite nice to feel as though I was staying in a home rather that a hostel or flat.  We went out to dinner at an adorable restaurant for the evening called The Bach.  I love how all the places I eat here have such a unique atmosphere, and this place was no exception.  We retreated to our home stay since we were beginning our drive to our hike at 7, but spent the night eating junk food and watching the Princess Bride.  Normally, my friends and I watch movies on a tiny computer screen.  It was quite nice to watch one on TV.  I've learned that the little things in life really are the big things.

View of our hike to the Pinnacles

We had a gorgeous sunrise to accompany us on our drive the the Putangirua Pinnacles.  We even got to see the ocean along the way.  The hike was very enjoyable although I will admit I was slightly uncomfortable during it.  The pinnacles are formed out of rock and clay.  After a rainfall the previous day, it looked as though we could have experience a rock slide.  The track had a lot of clay on it which I found to be unique.  We had to cross over a river numerous times which proved to be a bit of a challenge at times, but we made it and had plenty of amazing sights of the pinnacles once we arrived.  Although the pinnacles may look like solid rock formations, they really were just a combination of rocks.

The Pinnacles

We headed back to Wellington to explore Shelly Bay and have lunch.  We saw a seal swimming near the beach.  I honestly thought it was a giant snake at first, but nope, it was just an adorable seal curious as to what my friends and I were up to.  We headed up to Mt Victoria because we had some extra time with the car we rented.  It was quite nice to drive around Wellington versus walking around it.  Again, it's the little things in life that I seem to take for granted.  Overall it was a great trip and I really enjoyed having one last adventure with the incredible friends I've made here in Wellington.

Shelly Bay

Indulging in Life

I often find myself justifying a lot of decisions that need to be made with the thought of, "It's okay, I am in New Zealand."  Usually this thought pertains to eating gelato, buying another package of Tim Tams, or eating any amount of chocolate.  This chapter in my life is the "Chapter of Indulgence."  While it may appear that I am indulging mostly in unhealthy foods and packing on the pounds in the process, I feel like I literally indulge in every aspect of life.  I try new foods, I put myself in new situations, I do things that terrify me, I do things in the moment, and I do not put as much effort into school because I do not want to miss a unique opportunity.  What is most amazing to me about these indulgences is that I do them effortlessly; I do not think about things - I just do them.  I am so afraid that I am going to regret it later because after all, it is not every day that I am in New Zealand.  But, it is not every day you are any location, place, time, or moment.

I feel like a completely new me.  I have learned so much about myself in the past three and a half months, and I am anxious what the remaining five weeks have in store for me.  I feel like this new me has come from the fact that I have chosen to indulge in life.  There have been many experiences that have reminded me how short life really is.  It is important to live while you live.  I have always been a work-aholic.  I have had a job since I have been in seventh grade and not working has driven me to insanity, but simultaneously shown me the beauty of life and the beauty of enjoying every last day of it.  I am thankful for this experience because it has shown me the beauty of life - something I have been missing out quite a bit on since I have spent so much of my life working.

I recently read a quote that said: "What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it."  Often times, I waste so many days of my life not doing anything special, but in New Zealand I have learned to approach each day with the mentality that every day is a special occasion.  I really hope that when I do arrive back home that I can approach life with the same mentality and live in the moment more.  It is amazing how experiences in life can teach you things you never expected, but I am fully thankful to have learned it sooner rather than later.

Events in Wonderful Welly

These past two weeks have been fairly eventful, so I figured I'd give everyone an update of what life has been like in Wellington.

On May 9th I had the pleasure of seeing two of my friends I made while traveling on the Kiwi Experience bus.  Jacqueline, from Germany, and Nora, from the Netherlands, were both in town.  I actually gave Nora a place to stay while she visited Wellington for 3 days.  It was nice to have some good company!  We met up for dinner and went to a place called Heaven Pizza.  There was an $8 student special going on for a large pizza.  That's really cheap for New Zealand so we all got our own pizzas!

Nora, Jacqueline, and I enjoying our cheap pizza!

I also had my first New Zealand movie theater experience.  I figured I would go to movies a lot here since I enjoy going to them back home.  I've always looked at them as cheap entertainment.  Well, it costs $22 to see a movie here, so I was in no hurry to go.  Once I saw previews for "The Five Year Engagement" I knew I'd finally have my movie theater experience.  My friends and I went on Tuesday night because that's when tickets are half off.  $11 for a movie?  I think I can handle that.  Plus, with the exchange rate it's about the same as what it was back home.  Obviously going to the movies isn't that much different compared to in the states, but their chairs are way more comfortable.  They also have assigned seating, which was strange.  I enjoyed the movie and recommend it to anyone who reads this that likes romantic comedies.

My friend Suzanne and I in the comfy theater seats!

On Friday, May 18th, my friends and I decided to go to a Rugby game.  I thought that all of the home games/matches were already over for the year so I leaped at the opportunity when my friend Cameron proposed that idea of going.  The Hurricanes (based out of Wellington) played the Brumbies (an Aussie team).  I cannot even begin to explain how rugby games are played.  I tried to figure it out, but to me, it just looked like they kept throwing the ball around in hopes to score.  There didn't appear to be any strategy behind it.  A score was called a "try" and I am not even sure how many points they were worth.  I thought rugby was equivalent to soccer in Europe, but the stadium was about 40% full and the whole atmosphere of being at a rugby game was not exciting.  There was no crowd participation or fun songs played to get the crowd more into the game, like what is done at a football or baseball game.  I am glad I went because attending a rugby game was something I wanted to do prior to coming to New Zealand, and I still enjoyed the experience despite the lack of an "enthusiastic" atmosphere in the stadium.  I think I'll stick with football and baseball.  The rugby game was about as exciting as a girls basketball game.  No offense to any women I know who play/played basketball, but they are not that exciting to watch.  And I even played basketball at one point!

A shot of some rugby action!

Otherwise, things in Wellington are great.  My friends and I have made an effort to try different food cuisines because everything imaginable (except good Italian) is in Wellington.  So far we've tried Thai (which was awesome), and have plans to try Indian, Morrocan, and Malaysian...maybe even Mongolian and Lebanese, too.  School is busy at the moment.  I have three weeks left of classes and three and a half weeks of finals.  In the three weeks left of school I have two research papers due and two exams.  Time is going so fast and I cannot believe I have been here for a quarter of a year already.  It's officially winter here as well so I am having to readjust to 50 degrees again.  I hope it doesn't get much colder!

My friend Kayla and I at the rugby game.

What I Miss About Home

These are the things I miss most about home.  It could also be considered a list entitled, "What I hate about New Zealand," and by that I simply just mean that New Zealand can never offer me the comfort of everything home does for me.  So for everyone who is worried that I won't be coming home...don't worry, I'll be home...and I'm on the final stretch.  In fact, I hope I never have to live anywhere besides Wisconsin again, but who knows what God has in store for me.  I've been living in Wellington, New Zealand for over 3 months now.  It is crazy how time flies and what time away from home makes a person realize.  For me, the time has shown me what makes me the person I am as well as what things I take for granted that I never expected to.

1. Cheap food.  If a person wants to go to a restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner, they can expect to pay $10, $15, or $20, respectively.  And that's on the short end.  I once paid $16 for two waffles!  I won't even get into how expensive groceries are.
2. My car.  Walking everywhere gets old pretty fast.
3. My horses.  Seriously, how in the world did I think 5 months away from them would be easy?
4. Single water faucets.  While washing my hands, I either scald them with the hot water faucet or freeze them with the cold water faucet.  It makes washing my face at night a challenge.
5. Pedestrian right away.  It is absolutely obnoxious that no car stops for you unless you're in a cross walk, which do not come in high numbers throughout the city.  Someone told me that you cannot sue in New Zealand, so why would someone ever worry about hitting a person while crossing the street?
6. My family. Self-explanatory.
7. My friends. Self-explanatory.
8. Blue Moon beer.  I also just miss cheap drinks in general.
9. A camera phone.  I've gotten used to making sure I have my camera with me at all times now.
10. The Rivoli.  I'll never take cheap movies for granted again.  It costs $22 to see a movie in theaters here in New Zealand.  Can someone say RIP OFF?!
11. A job.  I love working, and find myself bored a lot because I have an extra 20 hours given to me in a week that are normally set aside for working.
12. UWL.  I'll never take my professors for granted again.  At UWL, professors encourage a positive learning environment, class discussions, and make an effort to know you a personal basis.  I'm afraid to talk to any of my professors at Vic because they are unapproachable.
13. My bed.  It's way more comfortable and larger than my twin bed here.
14. My own living quarters.  I'll admit I am a hard person to live with because I am exceptionally clean.  I get so sick of picking up after people all the time and being the only person who cleans.  I'll be happy to not have to do that once I get home again.
15. My dog's morning wake up calls.  Waking up to a happy dog is so much better than an alarm.
16. The beauty of Wisconsin.  Yes, I have spent the last 3 months traveling all over the beautiful country of New Zealand, but nothing can ever compare to the beauty of the Coulee Region.
17. John's Bar/Downtown La Crosse.  So many wonderful memories with wonderful people have happened there...and being away from it makes me feel like it doesn't even exist anymore.  The high class of a city is not a nightlife I enjoy.
18. Courteous walkers.  I feel like I get taken out by people a lot because they don't care to share the walking space around town or through campus.  Getting "boob swiped" or getting as close as I can to a railing or building so I don't get pushed over is not something I ever thought I'd have to get used to.
19. Cheese curds.  They have never ever heard of cheese curds here.  And they haven't heard of many flavors of cheese in general.
20. Living in the country.  Cities are not for this cowgirl!
21. Service.  Okay, once again, I'll admit a flaw of mine (but only 2 per blog).  I am a service snob.  The service offered in restaurants and bars here is ridiculous.  Workers are rude, inconsiderate, and unwilling to answer questions about specials.  Overall it is just awkward to go out to dinner because I never know if I am supposed to seat myself, grab my own menu or place my order at the counter.