NEW ZEALAND HERE WE COME!!!!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Possible Itinerary...
The following links are to some of the places Morgan and I are interested in exploring.
North Island
- Coromandle Peninsula [specifically cooks beach]
South Island
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Here we go...
Getting There
Our flight out of Vancouver International left at 7:45pm, Feb 2nd 2009.
I was scared to death. This was my first major trip and I had never been on a plane before.
Everything went very smoothly that day. Woke up at grandmas, My papa ,grandma, sister and mom all accompanied us to the airport to see us off.
It was a bit harder, saying bye to my mom for a month, then I expected. We bough 2 huge bottles of water and had 3+hours to kill until our flight.
When it was time to get on the plane I was calm surprisingly. Morgan must have though I was in shock or having a slight lapse in brain activity cause I could not stop smiling 'eeeeeeeeeee=]". I had a row seat [thank god] and we were sitting beside a very nice quiet guy =]
I cannot describe the feeling of a plane taking off... its like the most incredible feeling of fear, anxiety, lightness and fun EVER. If i could just take off and land a whole bunch of times that would be awesome lol.
So there we are climbing higher and higher in the sky... bye bye Vancouver see you in a month!!!
Flying
Flying wasn't as hard as I had expected. The only thing I strongly disliked is how purple my skin looks in the washroom lights, how small the bathrooms are and the fact I felt like a raisin after.
Just fair warning lip balm, eye drops, water and something to moisturize your nostrils. You'll be a lot happier believe me.
We had minor turbulence during the flight, and we both slept pretty well. No screaming babies, no one kneeing the back on my seat.
We got served our meals.. I don't know why so many people complain about airplane food.. it wasn't that bad. We got served our last meal about an hour before we landed. Coming into Auckland Airport at around 6:30 am was great to see the early morning. The landing was smooth.
They had food sniffing dogs who were sniffing my bags, I had just thrown out a bagel I bought before we started to fly but didn't eat. He was really cute though. We saw Ian in the terminal to pick us up, it was really nice to see a familiar face. I cant quite explain it but the air down in NZ has some sort of sweet quality to it. Fragrant, floral, delicious...rawrrr!!
Devonport
I remember getting to the house in Devonport and feeling like a zombie. Even though we slept a bit on the plane I felt like I had not slept in days. I fell asleep for a couple hours while I an went to run errands and Morgan and Julia went for a bike ride.
I so needed that rest. We walked down to the wharf where they have a bunch of shops and an Internet cafe. This is also where you would take the ferry to downtown Auckland.
I called mom and told her I was in one piece I also bought a $3.75 bottle of Vanilla Coke... yeah. The food is a lot more expensive then in Canada.
Travels
The first week we explored the Devonport area and went to the west coast to Piha Beach where I body boarded for my first time, we swam under a water fall and also visited the Gannet Colony at Muriwai.
We also visited Waiheke Island [gorgeous] and countless other places.
The second week Morgan and I were alone while Julia and Ian went off travelling. We spent most of the time riding bikes around and visiting downtown Auckland [which is very busy by the way]. The ferries running between the islands are so fast. It makes you wonder why we don't have ferries like that here.
We went for lots of small walks, lots of swimming and lots of relaxing on the beach.
The third week I an and Julia came back and we spent a couple days on the Coromandle Peninsula. We went to the Driving Creek Railway which is "New Zealands only narrow-gauge mountain railway along with a working pottery and wild life sanctuary."
We also stayed in a beach house in Opito Bay, lovely white sand and a little seagull who had a gimpy leg. He was so cute. I also saw my first praying mantis =D Oh and we also came across a woman walking a miniature horse down the beach. Ian took him in the ocean for a swim it was awesome!!
We headed back to Devonport for a night before taking off on a road trip to Wellington. We stopped in Hamilton for lunch then on to Rotorua which has a smell resembling farts and rotten eggs. Oh and its humid and steamy there. You become used to it after a while hahaha! The tourist sites on Rotorua are amazing!!
All the Geothermal activity makes for some amazing attractions.
My favorite place we visited was Wai-O-Tapu. It has the most crazy coloured pools, bubbling mud pits,sulfur crystals and volcanic craters.
Another place we visited was called Rainbow Springs. This was a kiwi and wildlife park. We went the first time at night to view the Nocturnal kiwi which was a lot of fun. Then back again the next day to see the remaining wildlife in the light. We were followed by swans a lot of the way and there was a torrential down pour that day...thank god for the poncho Julia let me borrow....though I wasn't too fond of it lol.
Te Puia was a Maori Cultural Center where we watched a traditional karanga[welcome] and a wonderful performance of song and dance... even the Haka which is a war challenge!!
The last place we visited in Rotorua was called Buried Village. It's the remains of a village covered and preserved by the massive eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886. The main building has artifacts and info into the lives of 19th century living in NZ.
Off we went driving, Through Taupo and passed Mount Ruapehu which is NZ largest skiing area and also... an active Volcano.
We arrived in Palmerston North that evening and stayed with Morgans relatives that night. We visited a huge wind farm the next day before we left.
Wellington was our final destination...Windy Wellington they call it, and windy it was. I swear I saw a woman struggling to push a stroller along the sea wall.
It was also very ignorant of me to choose to wear a dress that day =/
We explored The Karori Nature Sanctuary where I came face to face with a weta. Its like a giant grasshopper...and scary as hell.
We also explored The Weta Cave which was founded by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson.
Which is also where I obtained my stuffed Ludo plushie from "The Labyrinth" =D
We visited with a couple more of Morgans relatives before hopping on a plane back to Auckland...which only took 45 minutes lol. We spent the night back in Devonport before heading out, on our last day in NZ, to an amazing beach named Tawharanui. Gorgeous beautiful white sand and warm water. It was gorgeous and a wonderful end to our time in NZ.
Sydney
We said our goodbyes the next morning before we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Sydney. The flight was only 3 and a half hours and before we knew it we were in Australia.
Now I have to admit, I was still a little wary about the whole "I am most likely going to trip over a snake while falling into a spider web and being eaten by a crocodile" thing.
The air was sooo much different then NZ it was cooking hot, I started sweating as soon as we were outside of the airport ha ha!
This is where I met Uncle David, he is just AWESOME!!! So much fun!! So vibrant and hilarious!!
We were staying with him at his place for the week we were in Sydney.
We explored Darling Harbour and Circular Quay. I got to see the Sydney bridge and Opera house. We went to The Taronga zoo and walked around downtown Sydney which is one of the most terrifying things EVER. I thought Auckland was bad... I was wrong.. Sydney had like a sea of bodies surging up and down the street. I wouldn't want to be there in the case of a zombie epidemic. No thank you.
On our third to last day David took us out on the Boat in Sydney Harbour where we went Snorkeling [well I tried but it wasn't working] and visited the Fish market which was just FANTASTIC. I remember getting out off the boat and seeing thousands of baby jellyfish in the water. We also went to Clovelly Beach with David, and the boys went snorkeling again. We also went and Played tennis that night in downtown Sydney.. that was a workout. Morgan and myself are still trying to sharpen our skills for the next match ha ha!
Our final Day was spent at Bondi Beach. It is just extraordinary! White sand, crystal clear water....massive surf. Morgan was having the time of his life, I was enjoying my book and catching some sun... which I regretted majorly because I forgot to sunscreen my back... big mistake, but Ill touch on that later.
Morgan ended up pulling me into the water where I was literally tossed about like a fricken rag doll and almost drowned while he laughed at me. I was scared, he though I was having fun.
Anyhow I had sand in every part of my body, the bus/train ride back to Uncle Davids wasn't very comfortable. Oh yeah and then the sun burn started.... my back was PURPLE the next morning... Oh hello skin your going to have sit sit in a plane for 15 hours today.. have fun. O M G was that torture. I hardly slept that night.
Home again...
We made our way by taxi to the airport the next Morning which was uneventful, had some food and got on the plane. We were flying on an Air Canada, which I think had bigger seats, oh and we had good seats on this plane. The only thing about that flight was the HORRIBLE turbulence we had for most of the flight.
It was so bad I felt sick most of the way home. The flight attendants even were told to sit down and buckle up...*shivers*
The most notable event on the plane was during a very bouncy part a man stands up and start fooling around with the over head luggage... The flight attendant was like "SIR PLEASE STAY IN YOUR SEAT, CLOSE THE OVERHEAD BIN" like seriously... did it not occur to this man while the plane in jumbling around that it's unsafe to open the overhead storage???
We landed smoothly at about 7am in Vancouver, got our bags and went to go meet my mom... who was of course crying her face off when we saw her... I effing love my mom by the way, more then I love cheesecake... and that's saying something. :P aha So off we went back to Coquitlam to see my family. We hadn't slept in like I don't even know how long... and the plane ride was draining.
We spent a few hours visiting and then finally made our way back to the ferry...I know... more travelling... I can remember Morgan reading me Dr.suess' The Lorax and then I fell asleep until we were back in Nanaimo.
It was good to be home.
Our flight out of Vancouver International left at 7:45pm, Feb 2nd 2009.
I was scared to death. This was my first major trip and I had never been on a plane before.
Everything went very smoothly that day. Woke up at grandmas, My papa ,grandma, sister and mom all accompanied us to the airport to see us off.
It was a bit harder, saying bye to my mom for a month, then I expected. We bough 2 huge bottles of water and had 3+hours to kill until our flight.
When it was time to get on the plane I was calm surprisingly. Morgan must have though I was in shock or having a slight lapse in brain activity cause I could not stop smiling 'eeeeeeeeeee=]". I had a row seat [thank god] and we were sitting beside a very nice quiet guy =]
I cannot describe the feeling of a plane taking off... its like the most incredible feeling of fear, anxiety, lightness and fun EVER. If i could just take off and land a whole bunch of times that would be awesome lol.
So there we are climbing higher and higher in the sky... bye bye Vancouver see you in a month!!!
Flying
Flying wasn't as hard as I had expected. The only thing I strongly disliked is how purple my skin looks in the washroom lights, how small the bathrooms are and the fact I felt like a raisin after.
Just fair warning lip balm, eye drops, water and something to moisturize your nostrils. You'll be a lot happier believe me.
We had minor turbulence during the flight, and we both slept pretty well. No screaming babies, no one kneeing the back on my seat.
We got served our meals.. I don't know why so many people complain about airplane food.. it wasn't that bad. We got served our last meal about an hour before we landed. Coming into Auckland Airport at around 6:30 am was great to see the early morning. The landing was smooth.
They had food sniffing dogs who were sniffing my bags, I had just thrown out a bagel I bought before we started to fly but didn't eat. He was really cute though. We saw Ian in the terminal to pick us up, it was really nice to see a familiar face. I cant quite explain it but the air down in NZ has some sort of sweet quality to it. Fragrant, floral, delicious...rawrrr!!
Devonport
I remember getting to the house in Devonport and feeling like a zombie. Even though we slept a bit on the plane I felt like I had not slept in days. I fell asleep for a couple hours while I an went to run errands and Morgan and Julia went for a bike ride.
I so needed that rest. We walked down to the wharf where they have a bunch of shops and an Internet cafe. This is also where you would take the ferry to downtown Auckland.
I called mom and told her I was in one piece I also bought a $3.75 bottle of Vanilla Coke... yeah. The food is a lot more expensive then in Canada.
Travels
The first week we explored the Devonport area and went to the west coast to Piha Beach where I body boarded for my first time, we swam under a water fall and also visited the Gannet Colony at Muriwai.
We also visited Waiheke Island [gorgeous] and countless other places.
The second week Morgan and I were alone while Julia and Ian went off travelling. We spent most of the time riding bikes around and visiting downtown Auckland [which is very busy by the way]. The ferries running between the islands are so fast. It makes you wonder why we don't have ferries like that here.
We went for lots of small walks, lots of swimming and lots of relaxing on the beach.
The third week I an and Julia came back and we spent a couple days on the Coromandle Peninsula. We went to the Driving Creek Railway which is "New Zealands only narrow-gauge mountain railway along with a working pottery and wild life sanctuary."
We also stayed in a beach house in Opito Bay, lovely white sand and a little seagull who had a gimpy leg. He was so cute. I also saw my first praying mantis =D Oh and we also came across a woman walking a miniature horse down the beach. Ian took him in the ocean for a swim it was awesome!!
We headed back to Devonport for a night before taking off on a road trip to Wellington. We stopped in Hamilton for lunch then on to Rotorua which has a smell resembling farts and rotten eggs. Oh and its humid and steamy there. You become used to it after a while hahaha! The tourist sites on Rotorua are amazing!!
All the Geothermal activity makes for some amazing attractions.
My favorite place we visited was Wai-O-Tapu. It has the most crazy coloured pools, bubbling mud pits,sulfur crystals and volcanic craters.
Another place we visited was called Rainbow Springs. This was a kiwi and wildlife park. We went the first time at night to view the Nocturnal kiwi which was a lot of fun. Then back again the next day to see the remaining wildlife in the light. We were followed by swans a lot of the way and there was a torrential down pour that day...thank god for the poncho Julia let me borrow....though I wasn't too fond of it lol.
Te Puia was a Maori Cultural Center where we watched a traditional karanga[welcome] and a wonderful performance of song and dance... even the Haka which is a war challenge!!
The last place we visited in Rotorua was called Buried Village. It's the remains of a village covered and preserved by the massive eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886. The main building has artifacts and info into the lives of 19th century living in NZ.
Off we went driving, Through Taupo and passed Mount Ruapehu which is NZ largest skiing area and also... an active Volcano.
We arrived in Palmerston North that evening and stayed with Morgans relatives that night. We visited a huge wind farm the next day before we left.
Wellington was our final destination...Windy Wellington they call it, and windy it was. I swear I saw a woman struggling to push a stroller along the sea wall.
It was also very ignorant of me to choose to wear a dress that day =/
We explored The Karori Nature Sanctuary where I came face to face with a weta. Its like a giant grasshopper...and scary as hell.
We also explored The Weta Cave which was founded by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson.
Which is also where I obtained my stuffed Ludo plushie from "The Labyrinth" =D
We visited with a couple more of Morgans relatives before hopping on a plane back to Auckland...which only took 45 minutes lol. We spent the night back in Devonport before heading out, on our last day in NZ, to an amazing beach named Tawharanui. Gorgeous beautiful white sand and warm water. It was gorgeous and a wonderful end to our time in NZ.
Sydney
We said our goodbyes the next morning before we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Sydney. The flight was only 3 and a half hours and before we knew it we were in Australia.
Now I have to admit, I was still a little wary about the whole "I am most likely going to trip over a snake while falling into a spider web and being eaten by a crocodile" thing.
The air was sooo much different then NZ it was cooking hot, I started sweating as soon as we were outside of the airport ha ha!
This is where I met Uncle David, he is just AWESOME!!! So much fun!! So vibrant and hilarious!!
We were staying with him at his place for the week we were in Sydney.
We explored Darling Harbour and Circular Quay. I got to see the Sydney bridge and Opera house. We went to The Taronga zoo and walked around downtown Sydney which is one of the most terrifying things EVER. I thought Auckland was bad... I was wrong.. Sydney had like a sea of bodies surging up and down the street. I wouldn't want to be there in the case of a zombie epidemic. No thank you.
On our third to last day David took us out on the Boat in Sydney Harbour where we went Snorkeling [well I tried but it wasn't working] and visited the Fish market which was just FANTASTIC. I remember getting out off the boat and seeing thousands of baby jellyfish in the water. We also went to Clovelly Beach with David, and the boys went snorkeling again. We also went and Played tennis that night in downtown Sydney.. that was a workout. Morgan and myself are still trying to sharpen our skills for the next match ha ha!
Our final Day was spent at Bondi Beach. It is just extraordinary! White sand, crystal clear water....massive surf. Morgan was having the time of his life, I was enjoying my book and catching some sun... which I regretted majorly because I forgot to sunscreen my back... big mistake, but Ill touch on that later.
Morgan ended up pulling me into the water where I was literally tossed about like a fricken rag doll and almost drowned while he laughed at me. I was scared, he though I was having fun.
Anyhow I had sand in every part of my body, the bus/train ride back to Uncle Davids wasn't very comfortable. Oh yeah and then the sun burn started.... my back was PURPLE the next morning... Oh hello skin your going to have sit sit in a plane for 15 hours today.. have fun. O M G was that torture. I hardly slept that night.
Home again...
We made our way by taxi to the airport the next Morning which was uneventful, had some food and got on the plane. We were flying on an Air Canada, which I think had bigger seats, oh and we had good seats on this plane. The only thing about that flight was the HORRIBLE turbulence we had for most of the flight.
It was so bad I felt sick most of the way home. The flight attendants even were told to sit down and buckle up...*shivers*
The most notable event on the plane was during a very bouncy part a man stands up and start fooling around with the over head luggage... The flight attendant was like "SIR PLEASE STAY IN YOUR SEAT, CLOSE THE OVERHEAD BIN" like seriously... did it not occur to this man while the plane in jumbling around that it's unsafe to open the overhead storage???
We landed smoothly at about 7am in Vancouver, got our bags and went to go meet my mom... who was of course crying her face off when we saw her... I effing love my mom by the way, more then I love cheesecake... and that's saying something. :P aha So off we went back to Coquitlam to see my family. We hadn't slept in like I don't even know how long... and the plane ride was draining.
We spent a few hours visiting and then finally made our way back to the ferry...I know... more travelling... I can remember Morgan reading me Dr.suess' The Lorax and then I fell asleep until we were back in Nanaimo.
It was good to be home.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
A few random NZ facts
- Largest City: Auckland - 1.25 million and growing
- Capital: Wellington - the southern most capital in the world
- Favourite sport: Rugby - our national team, The All Blacks, are the 'winningest' rugby team in the world having won over 73% of their test matches over the years
- there are nine sheep to every human in New Zealand
- there are 9 million beef and dairy cattle
- Tuatara is New Zealand’s oldest native reptile. It has lived for about 200 million years. Today this creature of the night still survives on offshore islands
- Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand.
- Dunedin city of New Zealand boast of housing the country’s oldest university, first newspaper and first botanical gardens.
- New Zealand has won the most Olympic gold medals, per capita, amongst all the participant countries.
- New Zealand is home to the largest flightless parrot (kakapo), oldest reptile (tuatara), biggest earthworms, smallest bats, heaviest insect (a weta), some of the oldest trees and many rarest species birds, insects, and plants, in the world.
- New Zealand, before European arrival, had no predatory animals. Thus, it was like a heaven for birds, many of them flightless.
- New Zealand’s geography includes spectacular landscapes incorporating the vast mountain chain of the Southern Alps (larger than the French, Austrian and Swiss Alps combined), the volcano region of the North Island, fiords, glaciers, lakes, rainforests and extensive grassy plains.
- The Keep New Zealand Beautiful Society recognises efforts made by local bodies for the condition of there public toilets and offer awards each year. Each town and area is competing with one another to have the best public toilets.
One of the most noteable washrooms in New Zealand are the KawaKawa Public Toilets in the Bay of Islands. Designed by Frederick Hundertwasser the toilets are a work are just cool!!.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Your parents are from where?!?!
I met Morgan in the summer of 2004 in Vancouver BC. Our friendship blossomed over the next year and we eventually started dating August 29th, 2005. It has now been a little over 5 years we have been together.
I can remember Morgan and I going on a small road trip to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, which I had never visited.
Morgan had lived in Nanaimo for 2 years prior and was taking a course at the local university. We spent the weekend exploring the city and the parks [Nanaimo has amazing outdoor acitivities].
I remember sitting in the hotel room that afternoon packing up some of my things when Morgan says to me
"Hey do you wanna meet my parents tonight??" *crickets*
I have to admit I was a bit scared but excited at the same time =] I obviously, being curious, asked about his parents and what they were like, oh and he also drops that his sister was going to be there as well.... cue the nerves. Not only do I get to meet my new boyfriends parents, but also his sister who was only 2 years younger then I. *eats fingernails*
About 15 minutes away from our destination he says "Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, my parents are from New Zealand."
-silence-
"Your parents are from where?!?!" I must have screamed. We started to laugh pretty hard... for some reason I was a bit more excited then nervous now.
Kiwi accents have always been a favorite of mine, over the years I had continued to learn about New Zealand in small bits but meeting actual kiwis?!?! WOO HOO Id never met any kiwis before then.
Morgans parents are the most gracious, amazing, kind people ever... of course they have an amazing accent which adds to the whole package. Sara [sister] was also absoluetly incredible as well.
That thanksgiving of 2005 I met all of Morgans family here in Canada. His Oldest brother Calvin and his wife Sharon, older brother Darren and his soon to be wife Paola and his Aunty Saguna. All who are unique and amazing in their own ways. <3 you guys
Of course knowing Morgans family was from NZ obviously sparks my curiosity even more, and I was spending hours a week reading about everything NZ.
In late 2008, Morgan came up to me one evening and says "Tab would you like to go to New Zealand?"
W T F?? ARE YOU KIDDING?? your kidding right??? This is a joke isnt it???
"No Tabi I am serious, my parents are wondering if we want to go down to NZ, they will be going down there and we can fly and meet them at the begining of Feb next year"
O.O <--- my eyes were probably that big. I must have had a minor stroke or some type of outerbody expirience.
I was going to New Zealand....
I can remember Morgan and I going on a small road trip to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, which I had never visited.
Morgan had lived in Nanaimo for 2 years prior and was taking a course at the local university. We spent the weekend exploring the city and the parks [Nanaimo has amazing outdoor acitivities].
I remember sitting in the hotel room that afternoon packing up some of my things when Morgan says to me
"Hey do you wanna meet my parents tonight??" *crickets*
I have to admit I was a bit scared but excited at the same time =] I obviously, being curious, asked about his parents and what they were like, oh and he also drops that his sister was going to be there as well.... cue the nerves. Not only do I get to meet my new boyfriends parents, but also his sister who was only 2 years younger then I. *eats fingernails*
About 15 minutes away from our destination he says "Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, my parents are from New Zealand."
-silence-
"Your parents are from where?!?!" I must have screamed. We started to laugh pretty hard... for some reason I was a bit more excited then nervous now.
Kiwi accents have always been a favorite of mine, over the years I had continued to learn about New Zealand in small bits but meeting actual kiwis?!?! WOO HOO Id never met any kiwis before then.
Morgans parents are the most gracious, amazing, kind people ever... of course they have an amazing accent which adds to the whole package. Sara [sister] was also absoluetly incredible as well.
That thanksgiving of 2005 I met all of Morgans family here in Canada. His Oldest brother Calvin and his wife Sharon, older brother Darren and his soon to be wife Paola and his Aunty Saguna. All who are unique and amazing in their own ways. <3 you guys
Of course knowing Morgans family was from NZ obviously sparks my curiosity even more, and I was spending hours a week reading about everything NZ.
In late 2008, Morgan came up to me one evening and says "Tab would you like to go to New Zealand?"
W T F?? ARE YOU KIDDING?? your kidding right??? This is a joke isnt it???
"No Tabi I am serious, my parents are wondering if we want to go down to NZ, they will be going down there and we can fly and meet them at the begining of Feb next year"
O.O <--- my eyes were probably that big. I must have had a minor stroke or some type of outerbody expirience.
I was going to New Zealand....
Prelude....
[The way I remeber it]
The Silver Stallion has been a favorite movie of mine before I was 10yrs old. I watched it when I went to stay over at my Aunty Brendas, I can't recall exactly how many times we rented that movie but it started my fascination with the South Pacific.
The climate and landscape seemed magical. Not to mention a silvery palomino horse racing across the screen.Yes, I 've been horse crazy before I was even alive. Even Russell Crowes kiwi accent [not known at the time] was special. I wanted to meet people like that, I wanted to ride horses across those mountain,own a ranch and drive cars on the other side of the road. Where was this place?!?!
When I was old enough to use the internet by myself, I found it was called Australia!!! I looked at books in the library and watch shows on discovery channel every chance I had.
It was fascinating! There were no kangaroos, bandicoots, koalas and flying foxes here.
Deserts that go on forever and white sandy beaches with crystal clear water and huge waves.
With the discovery of Australia came New Zealand and Tazmania, and at the time I thought the three were part of the same country.
To my surprise they were all the way on the other side of the world!!!
I have to admit this was pretty discouraging for a teenager who had only been as far as Alberta.[I think I was 12-13 at that time]I had also never even considered taking a plane in my life. Now that I think about it, I was terrified of planes.
Over the years I have discovered the creatures taking up residence in Australia [some of which are unbelivable and quite honestly terrifying], they also have unique insects, reptiles and arachnids.
O M F G....the spiders...
Now I wont go into detail but just let me list a few of these nasties:
They do however have great Whites,white tail spiders,red back spiders and something called a KatipÅ.. which are very rare.
After doing some light research on New Zealand, I was much more interested in visiting this country.
Plus who wouldnt want to go to a country with a little brown flightless bird called a Kiwi... which looked like a little bum with legs.
The Silver Stallion has been a favorite movie of mine before I was 10yrs old. I watched it when I went to stay over at my Aunty Brendas, I can't recall exactly how many times we rented that movie but it started my fascination with the South Pacific.
The climate and landscape seemed magical. Not to mention a silvery palomino horse racing across the screen.Yes, I 've been horse crazy before I was even alive. Even Russell Crowes kiwi accent [not known at the time] was special. I wanted to meet people like that, I wanted to ride horses across those mountain,own a ranch and drive cars on the other side of the road. Where was this place?!?!
When I was old enough to use the internet by myself, I found it was called Australia!!! I looked at books in the library and watch shows on discovery channel every chance I had.
It was fascinating! There were no kangaroos, bandicoots, koalas and flying foxes here.
Deserts that go on forever and white sandy beaches with crystal clear water and huge waves.
With the discovery of Australia came New Zealand and Tazmania, and at the time I thought the three were part of the same country.
To my surprise they were all the way on the other side of the world!!!
I have to admit this was pretty discouraging for a teenager who had only been as far as Alberta.[I think I was 12-13 at that time]I had also never even considered taking a plane in my life. Now that I think about it, I was terrified of planes.
Over the years I have discovered the creatures taking up residence in Australia [some of which are unbelivable and quite honestly terrifying], they also have unique insects, reptiles and arachnids.
O M F G....the spiders...
Now I wont go into detail but just let me list a few of these nasties:
- The box Jellyfish
- The Taipan Snake
- Saltwater Crocodiles
- Blueringed Octopus
- Stonefish
- Redback Spider
- Brown Snake
- Tiger Snake
- Great White Shark
- The Funnel Web Spider
They do however have great Whites,white tail spiders,red back spiders and something called a KatipÅ.. which are very rare.
After doing some light research on New Zealand, I was much more interested in visiting this country.
Plus who wouldnt want to go to a country with a little brown flightless bird called a Kiwi... which looked like a little bum with legs.
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