TNQ

Aussies, like the military, love their abbreviations. Between that and the slang, Andy and I have learned a new language since we have been here. This particular abbreviation means Tropical North Queensland, and that is where we were for the week. More specifically, we were in the small town of Port Douglas, which was a great location for day trips to the the Daintree rainforest and the reef. Plus, our hotel surrounded a small patch of Melaleuca rainforest, and was a short walk from Four Mile Beach. Clearly, nature called and we answered.

Andy and Whit exploring a boulder at Mossman Gorge.

Jane was out gathering berries, so I stole a ride on her rope.

The national park service has built some wonderful elevated walkways through the tall trees so that you can get a bird's eye/snake's eye view of the rainforest.

The amazing Barron Gorge. This is another picture that simply does not do justice to the scene. Andy and I both independently said this was the most beautiful waterfall(s) we have ever seen.

Whit is officially a beach boy now, thankfully minus the soprano voice. His first experience with sand in Melbourne left him a bit perplexed and on a trial relationship with it. Now he sees it as a magnificent toy with unlimited potential.

He also now loves the ocean. He just kept walking out further and further, undaunted by the waves that crashed into his little body. I believe he would have walked across the ocean to California if we let him.

Reef Dreams

This past week we went on our last Aussie holiday during our time here. The serendipity of Andy's boatload of expiring vacation days and our assignment in this amazing country has made for a whirlwind ticking off of our bucket list, and I am constantly reminded of how blessed we are to have such opportunities.

As a preteen growing up outside of Chicago, every other month my family would head down to the Museum of Science and Industry to check out the latest IMAX show. The first one I ever remember seeing was a film about the Great Barrier Reef (or GBR as locals call it), and from that point on it became that one place that I always dreamed of going to but truly never thought I would. First of all, I imagined it as a place that only scientists visited. It was not until I got older that I learned a mere ordinary lass as myself could experience it. Still, however, it seemed completely unrealistic to believe I would ever travel halfway around the world, and so I accepted that I would enjoy the reef from afar through stunning documentaries.

Then I found myself on this continent on the opposite side of the globe, with the GBR on its eastern doorstep, and I realized that perhaps dreams can come true. It's the first time in my life that I felt a bit like a princess, pathetic as it may be that it came when I was squeezed in a wetsuit like pork in a sausage casing and bobbing up and down in 25+ knot winds. I am happy to say that the reef far exceeded my and Andy's expectations. We have snorkeled before in Hawaii and Zanzibar, but the GBR made that seem like paddling in a bathtub with some of Whit's toys (minus the time we got trapped in a bloom of jellyfish in Africa - that was more like paddling in the bathtub with barbed wire).

I do not own an underwater case for my camera, so I took the day off from being a photographer and let the marine biologist on board our trip do the dirty work. It was worth it, because he dove and got some great close-ups of what we saw. Here are just a few of the highlights.

One of our marine guides. This gives you some idea of how unbelievably close you are to coral upon coral upon coral.

Smaller version of the GIANT clams we saw. No joke, some were almost as big as a Smart Car. Their iridescent innards change from blue to green as you swim by.

Sea life surrounded us at every turn.

A sea cucumber that we were able to "pet."

Nemo! The movie is actually realistic in that these clown fish really do stay right by the anemone. They are not affected by its poison because of their mucus coating. The two sway like a dancing couple, always in sync. Since the popularity of the movie, many of these fish have been poached and they are no longer a regular sight in the GBR.

Grouper swimming with friends. If you stopped breathing for a second, you could hear the fish biting off the coral. Very cool.

Same dude smiling for the camera. This gives you a little better idea of his size, which let's just say is big enough to make you suck saltwater in your snorkel as you gasp in surprise. "Pretty in pink" certainly does not apply here.

More to come on the Daintree Rainforest and Sydney!

Australian Ice

Whit attended his first professional hockey game last weekend. We never thought it would be in Australia, but life is unpredictable that way! He enjoyed watching the Melbourne Mustangs skate, and then playing with the flip seats, and then flirting with the nearby females. Looks like he is half way to being a hockey guy already.

No Zambonis here; they use the IceCat. And I believe we can all agree that it has much more flare. Come to think of it, it was also the first time I have not felt like I had an exhaust pipe shoved up my nostrils when the ice was cleaned. My figure skating clothes used to smell like I had dried them on the engine block of a metro bus. I guess snow leopards are a flatulent-free species.

The Medibank Icehouse is actually one of the nicest venues I've been in. They have two Olympic-sized rinks, one of which is often available for open skating, and looks like a leftover set from Saturday Night Fever. It is also the home of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, which let's admit, must be rather small.

All that's missing is chest hair.

As I was cleaning up outside Whit's room yesterday morning, I heard clapping. I opened his door and was greeted with laughter and smiles. Standing in his crib was Burt Reynolds. I got his autograph and asked him to pose for this photo.

New Zealand: Fiordland

Fiordland is a spectacular area of 135 miles of coastline, consisting of 14 fjords. Even though it attracts many visitors, it is surprisingly secluded and peaceful. Wildlife does not exactly abound in the region (outside of the birds), but we were able to see seals, bottlenose dolphins, and penguins on our voyages. We spent a day exploring Milford Sound, including taking a boat through it and out to the Tasman sea. The naturalists admitted that none of the sounds in the region are truly sounds, because the gorges were all formed by glaciers instead of rivers. The mistake was fixed, though, by naming the area Fiordland...kinda. For some unknown reason, they spelled Fiordland with an "i" instead of a "j."

There was a super nice college student from Ohio on the boat with us. He had just finished a semester in Queensland, Australia, and decided to backpack his way through NZ before he headed home. Ahhhh, the wonderful whim of youth. Anyway, he offered to take this photo of the Pieper posse. What a guy.

The Southern Alps

We took a great hike up to a place called The Chasm. This is a straight shot down on the upper part of the falls, with all sorts of smooth areas that the water has carved out of the rock. Pretty amazing formation really, and massive in size.

The highlight of our trip to NZ was our overnight on a boat in Doubtful Sound. It was a small ship, holding only about 65 passengers, which made for intimate meals where we got to know people from all over the world, including some girlfriends from the UK who brought Wills and Kate masks to perform their own royal wedding since we were missing it on TV.

Fiordland sees rain at least every couple of days, but they were in a bit of a "dry spell" when we were there, not having had it for five days. We were lucky, because low-lying fog usually masks many of the mountains. For us it was glorious haze that burned off by mid-morning, leaving perfectly sunny and calm days. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sheep on our way to the boat were also quite happy, basking in the rays. Since I told you that you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a sheep in that country, I thought I better at least have one shot of them plotting their takeover of the humans (40 million vs. 4 million...I'm just saying).

On the gravel mountain pass that led to our boat, we were able to get a bird's-eye view of the sound.

Once the ship reached one of the many fingers of the sound, Andy and I were able to take turns kayaking. I cannot overemphasize again the peacefulness. On the way back to the harbor the morning after our voyage, the captain cut the engine and asked everyone to be silent while we just floated on the water in the middle of the vast peaks. Whit was taking a nap in the cabin, so we didn't have to fear him adding his own soundtrack, like he did in the glowworm caves up north. (On the way out, they take you on a rowboat in complete darkness and you are supposed to be silent while you gaze in awe at the blue glow. Our little man was equally impressed with the sight, and couldn't contain himself, politely uttering "ooohs," "wows," and gibberish commentary when he felt so moved.) In contrast, here the silence was deafening, punctuated with the sounds of all kinds of birds, including kiwis.

We all had to get some cozy accessories to keep warm while we were there. Whit loved his new wool and possum fur mittens. Who knew those beady-eyed vermin were so soft? And per usual, he was a chick magnet on board. When we disembarked, you would have thought Justin Bieber was in my arms with all the women that came over to hoot and holler farewell to him. Any single guys who want to hire him out for a stroll in the park, send me an email.

Sunrise on a perfectly still morning

All in all, we had the trip of a lifetime. I only hope Whit is able to return as an adult and experience this unique country for himself. Andy and I had been planning to go to NZ for our honeymoon, but circumstances didn't work out. God clearly had a better plan, because we had a lot of fun making memories with our little guy.

New Zealand: Queenstown Lakes District

Having always wanted to visit the beautiful mountains in the south, we spent the remaining seven days of our voyage exploring the center and western coast of the South Island. The two islands of NZ are very distinct. We flew into Queensland and were greeted with range after range of snow-capped peaks.

As soon as we arrived, we headed to Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in NZ. It was cloudy up north, so we were not able to see its peak, but it was still a beautiful hike.

At the summit, we showed Whit the shrouded Mt. Cook (to the right) and the Hooker Glacier field at its base. Here it appears as soil and rock, but it is really just dirty ice. You can see the icebergs that have broken off in the water.

Unknowingly, we had come to southern NZ at the peak of the autumn colors, and everywhere we went the trees were glowing.

AJ Hackett, the pioneer of bungee jumping, started the first business for the sport in 1988 on the Kawaru bridge. This site is regarded by many as the birthplace of bungee jumping. Seeing as Andy and I both have a fear of heights that manifests in very unique ways (thankfully we can both drive in the mountains, even on the opposite side of the road), we kindly passed on this opportunity. But it was a lot of fun to watch young'un after young'un do it. They have quite a well-oiled machine there, with someone jumping roughly every five minutes. The nerdy nurse manager in me was enamored with the streamlined safety check process. That's a lot of liability swinging in the wind.

The Otago region is known for its amazing wines, and this vineyard, Chard Farm, produced our favorite NZ wine that we had on our trip. Again, I think it is because it is made from the happiest grapes. Yes, like the sheep, these plants have the most amazing vista. The picture does not do it justice, but you can faintly see that their vineyard is on a cliff (between those rocks and the foliage is a deep river gorge). A narrow road hidden in a nearby mountain pass leads to their property and nothing else. How downright peaceful.

On the shores of Lake Hawea

Lake Wakatipu, looking north toward Glenorchy.

Whit and Andy taking in the vista.

The minerals in the soil and water in Glenorchy accent every part of nature, making the scenery appear surreal. Biff, my imaginary assistant, had even placed a rust-covered bottle along the banks for me. I really should give him a raise.

Many scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed here, and it was easy to see why. The sharp blue mountains in the background and the green carpeted dwarf hills could make any fantasy come to life.

One more post to go. Come back soon to see Fiordland!

New Zealand: The Rolling North

We recently returned from an amazing journey to New Zealand. Our trip lasted ten days, and began with three of those days spent on the North Island. NZ has the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. I will admit that after going to Patagonia and being stunned by the scenery, I was not sure I would ever get that "wow" feeling again, but I am happy to say that I was a complete moron. Every place that we visit has a uniqueness that elicits an entirely new feeling, and we both feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to explore the far corners of this amazing world that God has made.

We flew into Auckland, and then drove to Waitomo to see the famous glowworm caves. I was not able to capture a photo of these bioluminescent beauties in the dark, but imagine a pitch black sky filled with tiny blue stars...tiny blue stars covered in glowing worm poop. Yes, that's what makes the worms glow to attract their prey. They also hang down long silk threads to ensnare bugs. So you essentially have a glowing poop scarf, but "glowworm" sounds much more enchanting (and elicits fond memories of the Glo Worm that lulled you to sleep as a child of the 80s).

We visited two caves while in Waitomo, and here are some shots from Ruakuri cave. It was like a neverending underground castle of stalactites and stalagmites.

Whit trying to push me out of the way of the stalactite that was about to slice off my left ear. What a good boy.

The Waitomo countryside

Notice the faint striations on the hills. Those are tracks from the livestock scaling the hills and playing follow-the-leader as they munch. Which brings us to an important fact: sheep outnumber humans 10:1 in NZ. These are the luckiest sheep in the world in my opinion. They have the most beautiful paddocks of steep rolling green hills, and every part of their being is lauded; their wool makes luxurious clothes, their lanolin is the special ingredient in every skin care product you see, and even their placenta is marketed as having amazing rejuvenating powers. Now you tell me of another creature like that on the planet. All I know is that no one was lining up to take my placenta after Whit was born.

Then it was off to Rotorua and its haunting volcanic land. Sure, it smelled like the entire region got egged the night before, but it was worth the stench to see nature's amazing palette.

Click here to see a video of the mud pools plopping!

Stay tuned for the South Island!