Travelogue 2006

New additions

2006-06-25T01:00:00.000+10:00

Trying to get this thing up to date. Sydney stuff is news, the rest is old, but I hadn't written it down yet. Should be straightened out soon.

Sydney

2006-06-25T00:13:00.000+10:00

With class and assignments finally over, I decided to head up to Sydney for a couple of days. I haven't seen anything but Canberra for months and needed to get away from the same old routine. The trip out was uneventful except for the part where I got news of my new job with Perpetual Water. The bus ride takes a little over 3 hours and goes straight to the central station at the south end of downtown. I walked across the road to Wake Up! youth hostel, which is meant to be one of the nicest ones around, then took a walk down George Street to see some sights before dark.

At the end of George Street is Circular Quay with the ferry terminal. It leads to the Opera House on one side and the Harbour bridge on the other. Both impressive sights. After taking a pile of pictures, I wandered out towards the bridge and The Rocks - one of the oldest areas in Sydeny, though much of it has changed over the years. Then it started to rain... I thought I might wait it out, but decided to make a run for the cover of storefronts along George Street.

The next morning I got up early to see what I could see. I walked out through the parks to the Royal Botanical Gardens and Mrs. Macquaries Chair - a carved sandstone bench with views of the harbour and more opportunities to take pictures of the bridge and opera house. I passed lots of the old sandstone bulidings along the way.

From there I walked around Circular Quay and under the bridge to the wharves, which are being redevelopped as exclusive condos. Seems like a nice enough place to live. I wanted to walk a cross the bride, but it looked like rain again so I decided to stay near cover. The observatory is at the top of a nearby hill and I went there to get a good view. My intention was to explore The Rocks next, but the rain started again.

Botanical Gardens & Black Mountain

2006-03-18T21:00:00.000+11:00

To work the Guinness out of my system I decided to check out the botanical gardens and climb up to the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain. This isn't really the best time of year to see the gardens (since summer is coming to an end down here), but there were still some flowers and things to see.

The walk up to the tower wasn't too difficult once I found the right path and the views from the top of the hill were pretty good. I couldn't go up the tower, so I'll have to go back sometime.

The tower is used for telecommunications and signs everywhere say that the radio waves can disable your car. I wonder how good they are for your health.By the time I made it down again, the gardens had closed for the evening and I had to find my way around the outside to get ack to civilization.

St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-18T11:29:00.000+11:00

St Paddy's Day seems to be about the same everywhere. Since I didn't have Friday class I decided to head out noonish to one of the faux-Irish places in Civic. PJ O'Reilly's was busy so I headed in and found a table to share with a pile of strangers. The local Irish dance group was there doing what they do:

Once other people were free we headed out to one of the local sports clubs. They're all over the place and have cheap beer for members (or if you have one to sign you in). We were there long enough to get a pile of free hats and then went to a barbie.

D & D Ball

2006-03-11T22:38:00.000+11:00

The D&D Ball is an annual event held in all of the capital cities. My housemates have been in the past and said it was a good time, so I decided to give it a go.

D&D stands for drunk and dateless and the idea is simple: you pay $80 for the evening's food, drinks, and entertainment. To make things more interesting, you can apply to be matched with a blind date... or that's the idea. This year there were uneven numbers of guys and girls - big surprise, though I hear that's not as common as you might think. Anyways, on to the party.

Suits were required, so Matt and I went to the 2nd hand shop to find something disposable. We found a couple of $20 suits that came close to fitting and picked those up. Mine came with 2 pairs of pants and has Hugo Boss tags - what a deal! In Canberra, D&D takes place in the arena (not for hockey) at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The food was ok, though not suited to being eaten while walting around and the drinks were all pre-mixed cans. They weren't kidding about uneven numbers... a bit of a sausage party as they say, but our group managed to have an ok time anyway. The live music wasn't bad.

Skyfire 18

2006-03-05T18:26:00.000+11:00

Skyfire, an event put on by a local radio station was going on yesterday, so I decided to go have a look. Nobody seemed interested in anything except the fireworks at the end, so I went down by myself to catch the other events. I guess people who have grown up here have seen all the other things before.

After following the crowds, I was able to find Regatta Point without much trouble. I knew that was where things were taking place, but hadn't bothered to find it on a map. The place was packed, but I was able to find a good seat on the wall along the shore to catch the first event - a firefighting demonstration. This was a helicopter that buzzed around before picking up and dumping water three times over various parts of the lake (I think our water bombers are more exciting).

Next on the agenda was a flyby put on by the Canberra Airport Authority. I was hoping for something better, but it was just a couple of business planes flying high overhead. I thought that was the end of the air show, but there was more to come... The Roulettes.

I hadn't remembered seeing them in the program, but probably because the name didn't mean anything to me. They're the aerobatic team from the Australian Air Force. They fly propeller planes (Pilatus PC-9/As) and put on a pretty good show, though I'm not sure it was as exciting as the Snowbirds.

Next there was a concert with Lee Harding. I know vaguely who he is, but I wasn't too interested. He has a pretty generic screaming rock sound, so I didn't hang around long. I made a quick run back down to campus to get rid of my bag and things before the fireworks.

I had noticed the firework barges in the lake during the day and figured it wouldn't be much of a show, but they sure pack the explosives tightly on the little rafts. I read later that there were some 35000 pyrotechnics - not bad for a radio station. I was near enough to the stage that I could hear the music a little (that new Madonna song anyway) and the display seemed to be in time.

After the show I gave Matt (who lives with me) a call. He was supposed to make his way down for the fireworks, but somehow managed to consume a bottle of vodka in the 2 hours since I'd left the house and was making his way to Mooseheads (a club). I met up with him and a few others there to party the night away - the bars don't close here until everyone leaves, so about 6 hours (and 15 playings of that Madonna song) later we left for home.

Tourist Thing, Part II

2006-02-25T12:45:00.000+11:00

I had some free time this week and decided to check out the museum. It's just at the bottom of the university campus, so not too far for a walk. Public museums are free here, as they are in the UK and should be everywhere, so that's nice.

The place is crazy looking. I was told later that the main entrance is meant to be the empty space inside a Boolean Knot and the curly bit coming out is one end of a rope (used to tie the knot.) It's all meant to be symbolic, but there aren't enough interpretive signs to figure it all out.

The first stage is a rotating theater that describes - abstractly, big surprise - the themes of the museum: land, people and nation. The audio visuals are cool with lots of video screens moving around an bright colours and things. Didn't learn a lot, but it was artistically interesting. Then into the galleries

Begins with talk about native animals and then into introduced species. Lots of info. Then galleries about colonization (by europeans) and more modern things like sport and bushfires. Next are galleries about native peoples - Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. I'd never heard of Torres Strait Islanders until I started to fill out Australian forms and having to check the box saying I'm not one. Actually quite interesting. They live on islands between Australia and Indonesia/PNG and are traditionally sea-traders. They developed accurate navigation and boats for open-ocean sailing.

Then it's into the 'Garden of Australian Dreams'. I'm glad I'm Canadian and don't dream like this... It's crazy. I was standing on top of a bulge looking lost when one of the volunteers offered to help make sense of it for me. The base layer is a map of Australia that is too big for the space, so it extends out under the walls. The map is overlaid with many other maps - political, topographical, vegetation and road - then things get really crazy. Crooked trees representing Australians with roots in other countries, a symbolic suburban house with lawn and pool, prospector poles and dingo fence, a tunnel (coal mine?), ...

Some interesting bits I found:
• Australia, copied from their money, but with an extra n and printed in reverse. I was told I'd be able to read it from a plane, but maybe she meant the mirror variety; I think it would still be backwards from the air.
• The walls of the building are clad in bumpy metal, which turns out to be braille messages of welcome, but I can't figure out how blind people are supposed to read braille bumps the size of basketballs that are hanging on the side of a building. I asked and they hadn't had that question before, but suggested maybe a ladder.

Doing the Tourist Thing

2006-02-24T19:32:00.000+11:00

I thought I should see some of the tourist sights here in Canberra, so I headed out on Saturday to check things out. First on the agenda was the Australian War Memorial. I was warned that one could spend days in there and I can see why... it's huge. The road leading there from the parliament buildings is lined by the various memorials: Army, Navy, Air Force, Nursing, various conflicts etc. That took long enough at 37°C or whatever it was that day.

Inside, it's full of information. Divided (as you would expect) into Great War, WWII, and more recent conflicts. Dioramas play a large part in the displays. There are dozens of them and, in general, they are quite impressive. They did a good job with perspective and, according to the signs, they are quite realistic.

A recent addition is the ANZAC gallery where they house 'the big stuff'. A Lancaster bomber and a few Messerschmitts on one side with a video presentation. The Lancaster retuned from 90 missions (unheard of) and was retired before taking any major damage. It returned to Australia to fly around the well to do for £100 a seat - pretty expensive for wartime.

In the centre they have a Japanese submarine with the centre section blown out. It turned up in Sydney harbour during WWII and, though trying to sink an important vessel, torpedoed a Sydney harbour ferry. They have what was left of the ferry too - just the wheelhouse.

Finally, the other side houses tanks, artillery and shells. Along with some other bits and pieces. I think there's a third movie here, but I didn't hang around to see it.

The basement had an exhibit of modern art by local artists and a small exhibit about Australian participation in conflicts as a British colony.

Behind the museum is a hike to the top of Mount Ainslie. The peak provides excellent views of the city and is ideally situated at the end of the 'land axis' linking the War Memorial and both the Old and New Parliament Houses. The clear day meant that the view was spectacular, but so was the heat. The scrubby bush doesn't provide much protection from the heat.

Signs of brushfires are everywhere. Lots of eucalyptus trees that are only alive on one side and charcoal on the other. I saw a little wildlife, but mostly the same black and white raven and crow looking birds. I should find out what these are called. There was a lizard on the trail and I got it's picture. There are also Cockatoos, but they seem to prefer the leafier trees in the city.

Along the trail are plaques commemorating the australian defense of Port Moresby and the Kokoda Trail in WWII. They're sort of confusing because they make it sound like you're following the Kokoda trail (which is 96Km long and in Papua New Guinea). Very strange.

After my hike I was tired and decided to head home via the multicultural festival where I caught some of the parade. Back home people were getting ready to hit the clubs in Civic, so I decided to join. It was the last night of the festival, so there was a big party in the city centre - conveniently near all the bars. Checked out a few of those and caught the end of the US-Sweden hockey. Yay Sweden.

Canberra, Week 1

2006-02-16T14:00:00.000+11:00

I'm pretty much settled in Canberra now. Found a house to live in (pictured above). It's the one I mentioned before, so I'm looking for a bicycle to make the commute. In the meantime, I've picked up a bus pass to get around this confusing city. Everything is very spread out and is designed as a pile of interlinked suburb areas. They all look the same and many have aboriginal names making them impossible to keep track of. I'm getting a handle on things now though and I think I can get wherever I need to.

The area I live in is quite new and much of it is under construction, so there aren't any good maps. The best I've found is the rout map for the city busses. I live under the big H in Ngunnawal. The city centre (Civic) is south of here and to the southwest is Belconnen - probably the second biggest urban centre after Civic. The speed of construction here is amazing. They're 4-laning the road from here to the Federal Highway and it looks like they'll be finished in weeks, not years like it takes in Canada. They don't have any blasting to do and the lack of frost means they just flatten out the farmland and pave over the dirt as far as I can tell. The nearest of the urban areas to here, Gungahlin, didn't exist 6 months ago and now there's a shopping centre, lots of little businesses and a huge suburban area around it.

Everything does sort of look like this though. Not very exciting. I managed to register for my courses after a struggle with the system. The package they sent me seemed to say that I could get most things done on Monday - not true. The office they told me to visit didn't even exist. I was able to pick up one form and have my visa checked. On Wednesday there was an information session put on by the faculty, and that was good (we even got lunch), but then it was time to register online. One course didn't exist online, but they neglected to warn us or explain how to add it manually meaning that after queuing for an hour I had to walk back to the faculty office and have courses added manually before I could line up again and wait for a student card.

Anyway, that's done and I have a cheap bus pass. Now I just have to open a bank account and find a bicycle and I should be set for the year.

Odds & Ends

2006-02-12T15:02:00.000+11:00

I'm in Canberra now and still without a house. I'm off to see at least one tomorrow, but it's a little far from the school. Probably 30-45 minute bike commute, which will be ok if I get a bike...

I've found WiFi now. Best Western has a hotel next to my hostel and they sold me a 24h access card for $5 - about what it costs per hour everywhere else. I added a lot of pictures to the posts below, so you should check them out. I have no new pics because my camera is charging. I managed to end up with totally flat batteries after staying in a hostel with no outlets (Christchurch) and one where I was almost afraid to sleep, let alone reveal the fact that I was carrying valuables (Sydney.)

Here are some loose ends to keep any avid readers entertained:

Kidney ferns are found elsewhere. I saw tons of them in the forest bit near the end of the Tongariro Crossing and took a photo to prove it. So I didn't need to take a side trip after the long hike up Rangitoto.

This is the woman who hates rocks, but decided to climb a volcano. Somehow I managed to take a picture of her and just noticed it now.

Sydney to Canberra

2006-02-12T12:27:00.000+11:00

The plane landed at about 6 last night after a bumpy flight. Wasn't too late except that we landed on a runway that was miles from the terminal and then had to taxi for quite a while. Saw some of Sydney from the air, but I think the other side got the better view. Once landed, we found that the air bridge was broken and we had to wait while they repaired it.

Customs went well this time. No problems. I had to declare that I was bringing shoes into the country and have them examined. They picked a seed and some mud out of the soles and then declared them safe.

Next was the train into the city. Very clean and efficient, but expensive. Then to my hostel. Found one that wasn't a YHA, but was near the station. I try to avoid YHA after bad experiences, but I think this hostel was the worst I've ever stayed in. Everything was filthy and stank, but at least they provided clean sheets.

Now I'm on the train to Canberra. The trains here are much better than the ones in New Zealand. They're bigger and more comfortable like at home or in Europe and they use heavy gauge track here, so they don't have to slow down when it's sunny.

February 11, 2006
10:35:18 (EST)
I think I finally feel like I'm on the other side of the world. New Zealand had a strange mix of scenery, but nothing you couldn't see individually somewhere else. Australia, on the other hand, has many birds that aren't familiar to me and kangaroos, which I've just seen from the train. I think it was a farm, but that still counts.

Goodbye NZ Hello AU

2006-02-11T02:25:00.000+11:00

Just killing time now before my flight to Sydney. Got up early this morning to have a look at the city (without all the rain).

Went around the Cathedral Square area and looked at the Botanical Gardens again. I looked at the art centre, which was Canterbury College, but it wasn't open yet. They have Rutherford's study preserved in the clock tower where he used to work before heading to England and discovering the atomic nucleus. He may have won his Nobel Prize here though, I'm not sure.

February 10, 2006
15:37:33 (NZT)
Surprise of the trip! My flight is late. I think that makes all of them so far. I was scheduled to get into Sydney at 5:15, and now it will probably be more like 6:10 tonight. I might not end up with anywhere to sleep.

I couldn't book a hostel that I wanted online, so I tried calling, but it was full. I'll try the others when I arrive, but I don't want to call from here again. It was OK for one call, but too expensive to check all the hostels in Sydney. I might just have to spend the evening in the train station.

I would like to check my email so that I know whether I have a pace to stay in Canberra, but I'm out of New Zealand cash and that's the only option in the airport. No WiFi here either (what's with that?)

February 10, 2006
17:02:18 (EST)
Should have been arriving in Sydney soon, but the flight didn't leave until about 17:00 (NZT), so we're more than an hour late. The seats here on NZ183 (Airbus A320) are much better on this flight than they were between TO and LA, and LA and Auckland. The food, however left something to be desired. At least I didn't have to pay extra for it. The fish was quite well done and came with some sort of rice salad.

The audio has begun repeating, so I'm trying to watch the movie again, but it's Pride and Prejudice and is pretty much intolerable. The guide writes about the on demand options for people on the newest planes and there are lots of movies I'd like to see... too bad.

There isn't much to see here over the Tasman Sea, but the view over New Zealand for the first 20 minutes or so was spectacular. I got a much better look at the mountains than I did from the train (It's only partly cloudy today.)

The TranzAlpine

2006-02-10T15:04:00.000+11:00

Back from the TranzAlpine train. The weather didn't clear up, so I didn't get to see as much as I would have liked. There was absolutely nothing to see along the flats near Christchurch, but things improved when we reached the mountains.

Up the mountains, the train climbs through something like 16 tunnels and a pile of viaducts. There are some spectacular gorges, but I hear they look better in the sun. The rivers are glacial and generally milky blue, but all the rain today has made them muddy and brown. Finally reached Arthur's Pass at 737m altitude. Big mountains, but couldn't see any of the snow capped peaks in the distance because of the weather.

After Arthur's pass is the Otira Tunnel. 8.5km long with a steep slope. It took them something like 20 years to build and until then they had to use stage coaches to cross the island. They built it from both sides and ended up out of alignment by only 2cm - in 1925.

The town of Otira was built at the end of the western line before the tunnel was built. The town boomed as the endpoint of the rail line and as the housing for the tunnelers, but once the tunnel went through it died off. The government bought everything and tried to lease the land, but the residents always disappeared when the government official came to collect rent (there was only one train he could be on). So they kicked everyone out in 1997.

Then they sold everything and a couple, thinking they were buying the local hotel, bought the whole town for $70,000. Now they rent out the old houses and there's a population of about 50.

After that the train follows the Grey River into Greymouth. There wasn't much time to see the town, but it didn't seem to exciting. It's more of a gateway to the west coast than anything else and has a port where coal can be loaded from trains to ships.

Didn't learn much more on the return journey. The tunnel at Otira has a big door on one end so they can ventilate it properly. They used to have electric rails in the tunnel, but the inconvenience of changing locomotives at either end made them decide to ventilate instead.

On the return to Christchurch I walked back into town through the park and the botanical gardens. Finally I know what some of the crazy trees are that I've been seeing around here.

Kaikoura to Christchurch

2006-02-09T14:47:00.000+11:00

In Christchurch now. The train was late and it's raining here. It turns out the Wednesdays are busy here or something and it's hard to find a bed. Turned one up not too far from Cathedral Square, so that's OK.

I spent the evening walking around. Looks like a very interesting city; very European. There are lots of little shops and restaurants that would be good to check out, but I would need a lot more time.

Kaikoura had great scenery, but there was nothing to do in the town. I ended up at the movies in the evening to pass the time. I say King Kong (not that good) in the community theater. The picture was good, but the sound was a little lacking and it cut out a few times. Almost like they had to cut the film up to fit on their ancient projector.

This morning I hiked around the peninsula at Kaikoura. There's a walk along the shore, but you have to do it at low tide, 8:18 AM, meaning you have to set out at 6 or so. I decided to walk the shore until the tide came up and then had up to the hilltop trail.

A shortcut across the shore to avoid the road after the footpath ended lead me straight into the fur seal colony. You're not supposed to bother them and I had to go back to the road and go around. They sleep right beside the parking lot and in the grass by the road... who knew?

There were a few tide-pools here, but I didn't really know what to look for. Saw a lot of kelp and limpets. There were a few tiny anemones and one little fish. The sand in the tidal area was all bubbling and full of little holes - it must mean something, but I'm no biologist.

The trail lead to South Bay where they used to hunt whales for oil and now hunt them for tourists. $125 for a tour and they have 16 every day with probably 50-75 people on a boat - big business. There are the remains of a whaling station, complete with blubber pit, oil tank and effluent channel. It's a shame I couldn't see it working.

Then back across the peninsula to Kaikoura. Passed a Maori Pa (hill fortification), but it was just a grassy lump on top of a hill. The path down lead through a forest where some crazy person had labeled all the trees. Might have been useful to a botanist, or a roman, but I would have preferred some common names.

Finally found something good and cheap to eat - a fish and chips special. $4 for a big piece of unidentified fish with a bag of fries. Very tasty. Then hopped on the train (about an hour late) for the trip to Christchurch.

The wet weather meant that there wasn't a lot to see on the journey. A little bit of wine country - very boring actually. The only boring scenery I've seen here; it just looks like California or Niagara wine regions.

On the TranzAlpine tomorrow. Supposedly one of the world's great train journeys. I hope the weather is better.

Super Bowl Monday Afternoon?

2006-02-08T12:20:00.000+11:00

Checked into the Aquarius hostel here. The largest dorm I think I've ever seen - 30 beds. Picton is quite beautiful now that the sun has come out of the clouds.

Took a walk around the harbour and then went to find a bar showing the Superbowl. Found somewhere with the game and was able to watch the second half with a few other North Americans. We had international commentary or something. Some jackass colour-man who kept trying to explain the rules of American Football to the international audience.

After the game I decided to hike up to the top of a hill for a scenic lookout. Definitely worth the effort, but I have to stop hiking before my feet turn into giant blisters (or just fall off.) Took some excellent pictures of the sound and Picton though. I think this is the best looking place I've been so far.

Time to sleep again soon and then head out in the morning. Can't decide whether to go all the way to Christchurch or to stop in Kaikoura on the way. Play it by ear I guess. I think I'll hike out to the beach at Bob's Bay in the morning though. It isn't too far and is supposed to be fairly easy (if I can still walk.)

Wellington and Ferry

2006-02-06T21:05:00.000+11:00

The train was late arriving in Wellington last night, so by the time I was checked in and everything it was pretty dark here. I won't get to see much of the town because I booked the ferry crossing for the morning thinking I would see Wellington in the evening.

My hostel room looked like a suitcase had exploded, but I'd seen others as bad, so decided to grab the bed with only one pair of pants across it. It turns out there were actually 6 people staying there already and they'd put me in there by mistake. The original owners returned at 5:45 and were a little surprised to find me there in one of their beds. I ended up with a single room for what's left of the night.

Views from the Overlander train were spectacular again. First across the central plateau with views back to the volcanoes and then dropping down into hillier country. There is a long section that weaves through incredibly hilly farmland and then comes to the side of a large river. It travels along the river for quite a while, crossing it three times.

Next it's into mountainy landscape again; through the fruit and vegetable growing regions and out to the Tasman Sea. Some stunning vistas over the sea and out to some nearby islands (better since we were so late it was almost sunset.) Then into Wellington.

This hostel is in the former Waterloo Hotel and it does seem like it was quite nice at some point. Queen Victoria is supposed to have stayed here in 1953. It's directly opposite the train station and I think near Parliament and The Beehive, so good location. I'd like to take the cable car up the mountain to get a good view, but might not get a chance now. I'm not sure what time it opens on a public holiday and It's Waitangi Day today.

08:20:50 (NZT)
Since I hadn't slept much anyway, I decided to check out a bit of Wellington before the ferry trip. Walked to the parliament building up the block and then down to the
waterfront to the national library and archives. Didn't get to the cable car or Te Papa (the national museum) because my ferry left before they opened. The town is full of broken bottles after the Rugby Union championship whatever.

Caught the ferry at 8:45 and had a good look at the city on the way out of the harbour. I'll have to come back and see more of it. Then off into the Cook Strait. The wind is howling in from the south and it's freezing cold out on deck. The ferry is huge and has a few restaurants, a bar, lounges a cinema... but it's not in as good repair as I would have expected. I guess it sees a lot of service.

Not much to see in the Strait, though it's narrower than I thought. You can see both islands at once. A little choppy, but not too bad on a big boat like this. A sailboat came out of the sound where the ferry travels and was beating pretty hard into the waves. All the sails reefed in and it was still making good speed - looks like fun!

The ship turns into the Marlborough Sound to reveal yet more stunning scenery. This country never fails to impress. It would be better if it was a little sunnier. Traveling through the sound to Picton. It's pretty busy with ship traffic here, but so windy.

Tongariro Crossing

2006-02-05T10:18:00.000+11:00

The clouds cleared long enough to get a shot of the mountains last night. Then to bed early for some much needed rest. Woke up at about 5:00 for a 7:20 shuttle to the trailhead.

Mount Doom... or Mt. Ngauruhoe is the more classically shaped volcano and slightly taller than Tongariro. The crossing begins in a valley at the foot of both and follows a spring-fed stream to the base of the saddle between them. This section is easy, but hot with the sun in your face the whole time. There is a side trip to some springs, but you can see them from the main trail so I didn't bother.

From the car park to the springs covers about 200 vertical meters with a gentle slope. There is nothing gentle, however, about The Devil's Staircase. The climb was pretty grueling and as near to vertical as you would feel comfortable without a rope. The top of the staircase leaves you another 300m higher and in the saddle between the two volcanoes. From there you can scramble to the top of Nt. Ngaurhoe, but it adds another 600 vertical meters to the climb and I wasn't sure I would have time. (It turns out I probably did and should have done it, but there's always next time)

A short climb brings you to the South Crater (not a crater, but a hollow area filled with sediment) for a really easy walk along perfectly level, hard packed sand. Great views up to Mount Doom and back through the valley. Clouds started to move in around the peaks, but they were just little ones whizzing by.

I thought the short climb up from the South Crater was the last of the trek, but I was about 200 meters short. Another steep climb up to a ridge with views down to the farmland in the distance (apparently people who fall down this slope aren't recovered) also views back along the south crater. Finally a steep climb up a sandy hill takes you to a peak overlooking the Red Crater.

It's worth the effort. The views from here are awesome. Back to Mt. Doom and the trail so far and then off the the Emerald Lakes and the Blue Lake. The Red crater is equally spectacular. A real crater this time (you can tell by the steaming rock and horrible smells) it is quite deep and has been oxidized to deep red by the heat and gasses of the active volcano.

There was a steep descent to the Emerald Lakes which was covered in scree (bits of sand, rock and gravel thrown out of the crater.) Most people seemed to hate it and be afraid of tumbling down, but I found it really easy skiing down the loose stuff. A couple of crazies doing a run through the crossing passed us and then a nutter jumped into an emerald lake. His skin didn't seem to be melting off, so the sulfuric acid concentration must have been low today.

Next was the Blue Lake, a water filled crater full of minerals. Apparently you're not supposed to touch the water or eat near it because of the acid concentration. I didn't see anyone swim there, but everyone stopped and ate lunch near it, including me (I hadn't read that part of the brochure yet.)

Finally, one last climb out of the Blue Lake and the rest is downhill. Covered a little over half of 17 horizontal kilometers at this point, but there is another vertical kilometer to cover in the last section. The view to the northeast opens up here with a spectacular view all the way down the mountains and to lake Taupo. Steep descents, but nothing like the climb up thanks to a lot of switchback action. Finally reached the Ketetahi Hut, but there is still more downhill to come.

The last leg passed through the Ketetahi Springs - stinky mineral springs and fumaroles. There was a crazy blue-grey stream that smelled like a rotten egg and colored the rocks red as it passed. It was very warm and had signs saying that it was unfit to drink - very cool. Then went through the tussocks on a trail that obviously carries runoff when it rains. Some sections had surrounding land at shoulder height. I'm glad it was dry.

Finally, the trail entered the forest and was relatively straightforward downhill walking. A few climbs to get over some lava flows and a section along the side of the poison stream again (though it doesn't smell so bad down here and is much cooler.) A small side track leads to a little waterfall and then the car park at the other side of the mountains. It was about 6.5 hours and I could have taken a little over 9 and still made a shuttle, so Mt. Ngauruhoe was doable.

Met lots of people on the crossing (there are hundreds and you're always overtaking and being overtaken by the same groups.) Everybody complained, but agreed it was worth it. Except for one woman who said she liked the physical work but 'wasn't much for fucking rocks.' What she thought she would find on the side of a volcano is beyond me.

6.5h, 800m up, 1000m down and 17 km across - I think I need some supper!

19:18:50 (NZT)
$15 for a burger?! And I thought the groceries here were expensive. Peanut-butter sandwiches it is. Milk isn't too expensive at least, but they only sell homogenized here in small serving sizes... I'll just have to suffer. Strangely they say that there are 5 servings in a 500ml bottle. Am I supposed to take shots of it?

On to Wellington tomorrow. I still have enough peanut-butter and english muffins for the train tomorrow (at 1/3 the cost of a burger.)

Arrival in National Park

2006-02-04T08:39:00.000+11:00

Arrived in National Park after an enjoyable train journey. The scenery is spectacular around here. Most of the trip was through steep volcanic hills, but there was a section through a limestone area with caves and things. The final leg climbed 'The Spiral' onto the central plateau and cruised into the Tongariro area.

The spiral allows the train to climb the steep slope onto the volcanic plateau and consists of a couple of tunnels, two horseshoes and a helix of track. It covers about a kilometer with about 5 kilometers of track and rises something like 100 meters in three levels. The tunnels let you loop under the track above to form the helix and reduce the slope enough that a train can climb it easily.

The town of National Park is a bit of a dive. Everything seems kind of thrown together and cheap (well, the prices aren't cheap), but it's really the only way to do the Tongariro Crossing mountain trek. There are great views of the volcanoes, though it's a little cloudy now so I can't see the peaks. Hopefully the weather is better for my trip tomorrow.

Auckland

2006-02-03T09:37:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I spent the day walking around. Went to the museum which is full of Maori stuff. Historic objects, art and the like. Then they have some interesting natural history stuff. Lots about the volcanoes (I think I walked up most of the 48 trying to get to the museum.) There is a lot of information about the plants and animals and an impressive reproduction of a Giant Moa.

The museum is in a big park (Auckland Domain) on top of a volcano (big surprise) and the park is full of walking trails. It sounds like there are an awful lot of cicadas here (like Washington when dad and I were there), but I haven't seen any so I can't be sure.

Traveled along the waterfront a bit, but there isn't a lot to see. Most of the marinas seem to be on the other side of the harbour.

It was also the anniversary of the Sky Tower (though I'm not sure which anniversary) so they had a fireworks display launched from the tower. A few of us from the hostel went up to Albert Park (another volcano) to check it out.

Today I booked a ferry crossing to Rongitoto Island - a fairly new volcano in the harbor. There is a climb to the top and great views of Auckland and the coast. A lot harder to drag myself up there than I thought it would be, but it was worth the effort. I'll have to remember to change out of my sandals before the next hike.

Then we explored the Lava Caves (a long, dark tunnel in the rock) and finally took the Kidney Fern Walk. Apparently Kidney Ferns are rare, but they are everywhere here, carpeting everything up to about a meter or two. Thought about climbing Mount Eden, but I think I've had enough volcano climbing for one day.

23:01:32 (NZT)
After booking my train pass, I decided to claim my free beer. Met some people from Ottawa, a German and a Brit. The free beer turned out to require me to buy one first and then the quiz night started. Our team won the first round (and a round of beer), but we placed 4th in the end. We had trouble on the film and 'pants' categories.

Now I have to pack all this luggage and get to sleep so I can catch the 7:25 train to National Park.

Arrival in Auckland

2006-02-02T03:20:00.000+11:00

Arrived at the Nomads Fat Camel hostel in Auckland. Like most other hostels I think. It's hot and muggy here (well it feels hot; I think it's 20°)

The arrival at the airport was pretty nice. A good view of the islands and the city followed by a trip along the coast before swinging into the airport. Then I was targeted by customs. My beautifully packed bags are no longer beautifully packed and seem to have increased in volume.

The bus into the city is cheap (though not as cheap as I thought at $15) and brought me right to the hostel door. It's friendly enough here and I get free dinner.

Time to clean myself up and see what this city has to offer...

Los Angeles to Auckland

2006-01-31T14:55:00.000+11:00

NZ 5 to Auckland finally underway. Some sort of problem with the crew apparently. Seat 25B is in the middle of 3 seats on the outside. It's only 3 rows back of the door and beside the stairs on the 747-400. I'm not sure why people say air NZ is so much better. Seems like Air Canada to me. My plane hasn't been refit with the new entertainment system and comfortable seats yet - yippee!

January 31, 2006
7:31:25 (PT)
The screen just came up to show us crossing the international date line. It should be another 3 or 4 hours till we arrive. Food wasn't so great, no better than anywhere else, but they did have a selection of New Zealand wines. We're supposed to get breakfast sometime.

I could really use one of the 'world's most comfortable seats' that seem to be on every Air NZ plane except this one. Oh well, I'll get some sleep later.

Los Angeles

2006-01-31T05:22:00.000+11:00

Into the LA smog over the NASCAR track (ontario?) Flew straight in to LAX heading west. Good views of the spillways and the 'Faith Dome'... The evangelical christian thing has gotten a little out of hand.

Landed at 10:43 Local time, but the gate was occupied so we had to sit for 20 minutes. Getting out of the terminal was so easy with no customs and my baggage checked through. I'm glad they were able to do that. One interesting aspect of pre-clearance is that the baggage claim is outside of security. I guess once it's declared safe they don't care who picks the bag up.

Now to find something to do for the next 10 hours...

17:13:49 (PT)
LA is cool and cloudy today. Some sunny periods, but not many. Took the Big Blue Bus out to Santa Monica. The free airport shuttle gets you to the bus terminal where the $0.75 bus can be caught. It stops at every intersection between LAX and UCLA, but wasn't to slow.

Checked out the 3rd avenue promenade with its fancy shops and then headed down to the beach at Wiltshire bvd. Then along the beach to the pier. The pier was open, but everything was undergoing renovations. Evangelical christians here too (but she was also busking.)

Followed the beach along to Venice Beach, which is a lot like Wasaga Beach crossed with Queen Street East. Full of crazy people. A bum pushing a shopping cart (who I remember seeing from the bus) stopped in front of a shop to dance to Rush. Even in Los Angeles you can't get away from Rush! Some rappers tried to give me demo CDs (and charge me for their signatures.) Never seen that before.

I saw the entrance to the marina from the end of the Venice Beach path and decided to check it out. Sort of interesting, but I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. It's a long walk back along Via Marina to go all the way around Marina del Ray.

Noticed an empty duffel bag with airline baggage tags at the side of the street. I guess people do steal from the carousel.

Finally made it back to the Big Blue Bus and then to LAX. Only four hours left to kill.

Toronto to Los Angeles

2006-01-31T02:28:00.000+11:00

The cloud is still unbroken. Seat 26F (shown as a window when booked online) turned out to be an aisle in the centre. I seem to remember that this was supposed to be an Airbus, but it's a 767-300. Maybe that explains things. Anyway, there's lots of extra space, so I found a window seat at the back.

Lunch costs money on these flights now - $5 for a sandwich. A little crazy, but I can spend the rest of my Canadian coin on a 'Kelsey's Style Roast Beef Sandwich.' These planes are in serious need of an update. They still make you use the two pronged headsets (at least they're free.) I'll have to see about the service on Air NZ.

10:57:14 (ET)
The clouds have finally opened up over a couple of little farm towns on a couple of
meandering rivers. Then a larger town on a larger river with a dam. Don't know exactly where I am , but maybe I can figure it out later with a map.

11:43:09 (ET)
Finally something interesting to see - mountains Lots of snow and a little cloud into Colorado. I guess I don't see Denver on my side.

12:09:55 (ET)
Into canyon country now. 225 miles west of Denver according to the first officer (rattlesnake). The Grand Canyon is coming into view now... pretty impressive. Not the greatest view (we could have been a little further north I think), but still cool to see. I'll have to actually land here sometime. Mom, Dad and Maggie - take some good pictures for me.

12:30:26 (ET)
The hoover dam. Doesn't look so big from up here.

12:36:57 (ET)
Not the greatest view because it wasn't the Grand Canyon. I guess I misheard the announcement earlier. The Grand Canyon in view now... even more spectacular than the other parts of the Colorado River.

12:54:26 (ET)
Caught a glimpse of Las Vegas in the distance. It's amazingly barren here.

It Begins

2006-01-31T02:17:00.000+11:00

Managed to make the flight despite snow and poor snow clearing. Air Canada 7800 left about a half hour late in the driving snow. Got to see the sunrise at 21000 feet. Unbroken cloud all the way to Toronto. Arrived only about 12 minutes late.

Even though we were late, the connection was relatively painless. No holdup at American customs (I went straight to the front of the line) and the next flight was waiting for me. It only took a second to find the right gate because it wasn't printed on my boarding pass.