The Travels of Faith

Our earliest game yet, 10:30am. I was up about 7. The usual hotel breakfast by the beach and chat. Almost late to the game.

We came out... Not full throttle. Went down 7-1 against a team we'd handily beaten before. Guess that is what happens when you arrive a few minutes in advance and don't warm up! Second half we massively improved, but not enough for the win. 12-9 or so.

An awkward gap before our 2:30 game. Ate the tournament lunch, lounged... A bit worried when two minutes to game time only two of us were at the field... But we made it! Won this game by a decent amount, not last place. I worked on my fakes. Very windy, so getting low to throw was big - something else for me to work on.

After the game we watched the finals, which was the two teams that beat us by a lot. The favorites lost to the "originals", upset! Very good flow, and some crazy displays of athleticism. Went in the pool, and then moved over to the neighbor's pool that took a minute to find but had a cool water slide! Really picked the pace up on the last turn.

Headed back in hopes for saying bye to Alex & Tom - got a wave in! Then some of us got dinner at the hotel restaurant - way to loud. We joined the rest who got dinner later at an off-boardwalk place. Good smoothies. Exploring, there was a neat general area next door, with pool tables and then an open air in the middle of the building pool. Hung out and worked on crosswords with the team.

On the way to the hotel looked for but didn't find the party (turns out further down the beach), and instead went to bed.

Slept in almost to 7! Hotel breakfast. First game was at noon, so we had time to kill... Talked, played some cards games (Egyptian Ratscrew, a new to me game called Dutch something that I enjoyed). Tried to nap. Split a smoothie bowl with Alex. Game time!

Started off with a well played game against the pirates, losing on universe. Won our second game handily against the other non-Boracay team, fun team. One hilarious momentrd game was back and forth, we were up and then lost it 12-10. Fourth game we came out strong against the young Boracay team, taking half 7-3. Then we went on a sad streak (tired and hot? Complacent?) and were at 10-10, them on serve. Lost 12-10 again.

A long day! Jumped in the ocean after the game, followed by the pool, and a shower. In the ocean, with the rest of the team, someone random came up to me and asked to take a picture with me. White and blond attracted some attention!

 We went to a grill for dinner - I got a burger and a margarita. Accidentally drank a sip of a cucumber cooler, which was not bad to not something I would order.

Team was planning to go to the tournament party at 10:30 or so, but by 9 after dinner I was "leave now or sleep" - so I walked. En route listened to the live music at various places. I also again got asked to take a picture! Two guys, after the first one got a picture with me the second one said "me too please!". Today was the day for random stranger pics, apparently! After that a guy who spoke English very well came up and walked with me for a short bit, talking about his grandparent who went to Kansas University and such. Got a little concerning when he asked if the guys in front were my team and who I was with. Maybe harmless, maybe not. I said I was walking a bit ahead of my team. He split off and I was a little wary - the area was pretty busy and police about, so not too worried but still moved along quickly.

Got to the party - talked to some people, met a few new people, danced a bit. Someone ran up to me, put something in my hand, and ran off giggling - and now I am the proud owner of a tiny rabbit toy. Unsure why, but hey! Kind of fun. Discussed learning to dance through martial arts moves with one person, and that was passed a long and came up again with another person. Who in trying it out nearly elbowed a bystander in the head, so be aware when trying martial arts for dance!

The rest of the team going out showed up a bit before 11. I left with some of them about 11:20, and then right to bed.

Day one of the tournament! I got up at 6, usual. Checked out the beach, where they were re-setting up the fields. Turns out high tide was at night (the other high tide at 2pm said 1.3 meters, vs the night high of 2.3 meters). This opened up what turned out to be a third of the field, not as thin as we thought. However that entire third was a hill, so interesting dynamic.

Stopped in to the room and tried to go back to sleep (fail), then headed to the hotel breakfast. Same on the beach place we had dinner the night previous, but buffet style. Decent food, could have used a fruit bowl.

Made some beautiful team jerseys! Aka watched Otto spray paint then for us.

First game was against the Boracay Dragons, which was touted as the best team. From the first throw we had issues with fast counting. Very fast. Lots of rule issues throughout the game. We got crushed 13-2, although the length of game and number of turnovers did not portray that. We just couldn't get longer throws off with the hill and sand, and kept trying in the end zone instead of working it in. But I played great!!

Went into the ocean, which felt great. Lots of algae all up the coast, sadly. Realized after I didn't want to play in wet shorts, so made the long (a few hundred meters) trek back to the hotel and changed.

Second game we won handily against one of the two non-Boracay teams in the division (Bilirica?). Obtained lunch from the hotel (tournament sponsored buffet).

Third game we lost to Boracay Ultimate, but the game was not the total blowout of the first game. We were definitely tired and it was hot and very sunny, the first game wasn't until 11 so all times were intense. Hang out in the shade when possible!

Post game, took a short break before jet skiing. Boat from right by the hotel it to a platform, where we were paired off. First timers, so they had someone hop on and drive to show us, and I was third. Bring in third was not fun. Very bouncy, hard to hold on, and I lost my hat when the guy went whipping around. Sad days (but I've arranged for an identical replacement already). When the guy got off and I was second seat behind Otto, it was much better. Also Otto was fairly nice to me as a driver. We switched and I tried driving, such was the best option of the three. Switched back at some point, and went in a little later. The guy told us to go one more loop, so not actually in! Felt like a lot longer than 15 minutes to me.

Jetski conclusions: it's fine. Better to drive than to passenger. I have no particular need to do that again, ever.

Briefly got in the pool. This was a bit warmer than the ocean. Then showered, and we headed to dinner at an Italian place. Some table apps were ordered, and I got a pasta dish. The chocolate mousse dessert was meh, to close to frosting.

After dinner hung out and did puzzles before bed (actually we did some crossword during dinner too).

Woke up early but stayed in the hotel and wrote. About 8:30, we headed to our friend's hotel for breakfast. Huge buffet selection here! I left and got a ride to the fort in town.

Fort Santiago was fairly small, and I found not that exciting. Apparently at night the lighting is really well done, and adds to the experience. There is a small museum within it about José Rizal, a famous guy who was executed there. Met up with Andrea & Dev there, along with Brit & Jess. The dungeon was really cool. Not built for tall people to enter which made it even more fun. There is also a room with Lego replicas of the fort and other buildings in Manila.

Left the fort and did a quick walk through of the cathedral, before getting a ride back to the hotel. Time to go to Boracay!

Airport, once we got through the traffic and an attempt at pulling over the driver for making a right turn out of the wrong lane (pretty sure the driver was in the right, we were able to go on)... The bag line was not short but nothing crazy. Jake & I were on the same flight, which got deleted an hour. In between we met some other players, and also bought hot dogs from the stand. The water machine "cool" option was actually 47 Celsius, so filling the water bottles up was interesting.

Window seat on the flight for some beautiful scenery! Very quick, and we landed in the tiny airport of Caticlan. From which you must find a van or trike to the port, take a ferry from there, and then another trike or van to the hotel.

Luckily for me, who was tired from lack of sleep and excessive heat, Jake dealt with all this. We took a van to the ferry for 100php, and then booked round trip to the hotel from there for 700php. Once booked, the company was very efficient at getting us through the port and onto a boat.

The trike to the hotel (Casa Pilar) was quite fun, open air and not built for tall people. At the hotel, we figured out rooms (I jumped in on Kylie's), and then went to dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Very non-functional hungry tired Faith at this point, but Alex ordered for a bunch to share for the table and this ended up being enough for me. Plus a smoothie. The meal was quite good. Also got to watch the sun go down on the beach, with sailboats dotting the horizon. The live music was also fantastic.

Took a short walk, and a look at the beach. The fields were setup, and partially under water! They looked very thin. Also a small hill in the middle going down to the water, not all flat. Interesting.

Kylie and I played rock paper scissors (after a rules clarification, Kylie added an extra "and") for the twin vs double bed. I got the twin. Hung out and did crosswords with people, and went to bed soon after.

Ubered to Bondi Beach for the coastal walk to Coogee this morning. Fairly early (arrived 7:40), but meant to go for dawn... Oh well! Had to kick off my laundry first.

This was a beautiful walk, especially the first half. Starting with Bondi Icebergs ocean pools, which would be cool to be a regular lap swimmer at, and then walking along to Coogee Beach. Overall a 4 mile walk, which I sweat just because of the sun. Especially in the first half, a lot of great views and rocks. Also there are steps leading you down to walk on the rocks, and places where the railing doesn't exist to encourage it! Saw many runners and dogs as I walked. Quite a pleasant morning! Got to Coogee about 9am, and hit up a cafe for breakfast - hot chocolate came with a marshmallow (which tasted fine), but itself was only fine.

Back to the sleeping place, finish packing, say bye to Lance for 5 days, and off to the airport! Fairly easy security, not as quick as domestic. Obtained some Tasmanian and Sydney gin as gifts. The Tasmanian one might not make it home because the top opens too easily and the seal is now broken post flight... We'll see. Had an Irishman on my right and a Kiwi who lived in Manila because her husband works at the embassy on my left, and a decent amount of conversation and suggestions over the flight. Plus a few movies, alittle writing, and a lot of food. Qantas just kept bringing snack after snack!

Note: in Philippines for an ultimate frisbee beach tournament, very little time for exploring before continuing on to Japan.

8 hours later, and zero questions going through immigration, got my bag and taxied in to the hotel. Struggled to get a key but eventually enough emails were sent by the person booking, dropped my stuff and went to dinner. Met some of my team! Had a great but insufficient poke bowl, so back around the hotel area I got a lot of meat at a Japanese cook it yourself on the table type place. Luckily the lady helped us cook the beef, ox tongue, and pork neck that I ordered.

Late night, especially with the time change, in bed about midnight.

I woke up, booked a flight out of the Philippines, and decided to go on a run. My intended 2-3 miles became over 4, including up the steps of the opera house and ending in the botanical garden for strength and abs. Trained back, and then Lance and I went out to breakfast. Hot chocolate - decent, a bit watery. Acai bowl, very good.

Continued walking to the Australian Museum, which I had run past earlier. Wandered through that - a lot of time in the minerals section. I got stuck on U in the alphabet game for minerals. A lot of cool taxosermy animals. Fun fact about wombats: when threatened they run into a burrow and close it off by sticking their butts out. They have a hard plate on the back of their butt that stops predators, and if something does try coming in the burrow they squish it against the roof.

Post museum we walked towards the royal botanical gardens - basically following my morning run path - until we found an art museum. Lance basically ran through this, while I sat on a bench at the entry in the a/c. Achieved the gardens, walked about, sat down a bit, and went towards circular quay to catch a train back - stopping for a peak at the library first! Library was pretty nondescript, except it was part of a bigger building which on entry has a 3d replica of Sydney under the floor - cool!

Back to the Airbnb, rest a bit, change, and out to join Sydney Frontrunners for an evening run! Which was pretty much the same as what I did in the morning, except we started halfway there, waited for everyone at the opera house to take a picture on the steps, and ran came back. 4 miles again. Had a lot of fun chatting with various folks, went to the bar for dinner after. Discovered that Melbourne had very serious lockdowns for almost two years on and off during covid. Also, talking about stars - I mentioned I look for Orion, Southern Cross, etc., and was asked if I had found the sauce pot. I knew nothing about this, so she pulled up a picture - since Orion is upside-down in the southern hemisphere, it is common to call Orion's belt the bottom of the "sauce pan", with the sword being it's handle. WOW.

Home by train about 10, and bed by 11.

A lazy morning, I woke up and hung out on the couch until Lance rose. We headed into the city via train - they only accept tap to pay, including to buy a one way ticket, which Lance didn't have setup (now he does!).

First new bird sighting: Ibis! Lots of them in Sydney. Then to a cafe. Hot chocolate: no marshmallows, good start. Delicious! High rating.

Got tickets for the hop on/hop off ferry including zoo, and hopped on! Right past the opera house, great views. Also saw the people climbing the top rail of the bridge, thought that would be cool - until we found out it costs $350/isn't just a walk.

Got off at the zoo and spent a few hours there. The experience was excellent - saw so many animals, heard the dingo zoo keeper talk. The free flight bird presentation was short, but saw a buzzard crack an emu egg open with a rock - not taught, instinct! Also they included a rooster in the presentation which I loved. Lots of birds in the various aviaries, echidnas!!, cassowary, and many more...

Hopped back on the ferry, getting off at Manly Bay. Walked around a bit, eventually to Manly Beach, where we stopped for Vietnamese, before going back to catch the ferry.

Ferry ride was exciting, a little choppy and a little wet - plus some screaming from passengers who must never have been on a boat before.

Back to our starting point, we went into the opera house to see a show! Tried to get tickets to RBG: Of Many, One. Starting in an hour. The lady said she only had single seats, something might open up but no guarantees - while we were discussing, less than a minute, she said wait! Two just came up!

This show blew my expectations out of the water. A one woman show, the actress was fantastic. Her voices, her ability to change how she held her body - truly amazing.

Walked around the opera house and a little in the botanical gardens - fruit bats overhead! Could see them hanging this time. Went to City extra, a 24 hour diner (kind of) for late dinner, and back to Redfern and bed via train.

Woke up after a good night's sleep, decided to go running. Right into a wave of humidity and heat... Woohoo! Cool thing - not even 8am, and the beach cafe was packed. Morning people! Or avoid the heat people.

Ended up doing 3 miles, got back and Lance commented on how sweaty I was.

Lance started the laundry while I scraped sweat off, and then we had a leisurely breakfast.

Left our bags at the hotel after 10am checkout and walked to the library! I read and did a puzzle with a lady, until it closed at 12. Then back into the sweltering heat.

Hit up a cafe, back to the hotel for our stuff and to the airport! On to Sydney.

The flight was on the coast for a while, and I had the window seat - beautiful views!

Arrived in Sydney and went straight to the Airbnb, right next to Redfern station. Not a lot of light coming in, but the place would work! Went to an Indian street food place that was still open about 8, and... It was awesome! Something Frittery, it was called. Great little spot. Then on to bed.

For today, we had a Green Island and Great Barrier Reef tour booked, complete with two dives (scuba) at the outer reef. Pickup 7:30, so similar morning to the previous. Note: dropoff was closed than we realized, did not need to pay for a pickup...

Hopped on the boat (ferry size), and 45 minutes to Green Island. En route crew came around to go through our itinerary. Specifically looking for us, and verifying dive information, and that I was certified. Since it has been five years since my last dive, she asked if I wanted to do the safety/review instructions with the intro dive folks - I said yes. She also asked if I wanted to do one intro drive & the skill review instead of both cert, I said sure. Lance was on the intro dives anyway, so why not.

Green Island: walked a bit and saw birds. Beautiful, clearly a go to the beach type of place. Pretty small. On land dive intro was at 10, then we snorkeled for ~30 minutes. Great snorkeling! Rays, turtles (I missed but saw from above), tons of fish, and I even saw one squid. Time passed rapidly, I could have done much more.

Onto the boat at 11:30 and off to the Great Barrier Reef, an hour trip. During this Kevin, who was guiding the cert dive, came and talked to me plus the other two in my group dive, and Lance by a association. He talked about the intro dive having arms linked, and also that the first cert dive would be the longer one... And I switched off that one intro dive back to doing two cert dives. Definitely the right decision, Lance didn't get to swim alone on the first dive.

At the outer reef they had a platform, and we got our gear and off we went! So much fun. The first dive we went out, saw a turtle, tons of fish, coral, sea cucumbers everywhere... So much color. No pictures because I have no underwater cameras. We were the first group out and the last group back.

Emma and Vera were the other two in my dive group, and we all (including Lance) hung out the rest of the day. Between dives had the lunch buffet, which was good. No time to snorkel, but oh well. The second dive we stayed closer - more cool fish, an eel, and a wider variety of color. Plus another turtle! Once again the last ones back, Kevin maximizing our time.

Quick gear return, shower, and back on the boat. Kevin came by to give us papers for logging the dive, which also had the fish and such we saw highlighted on the back - very neat. He also brought laminated pages with images and names of the various fish, coral, and other animals. We talked about the various ones, and went through it. Another crew member brought them back again later - it felt like a very small, personal tour, even though it was a big boat with lots of people.

Arrived back, went home, I showered and went by myself to "Let's Go Buggin'" night walk in the botanical gardens. This was a pretty cool experience. Lots of spiders, big and small. One spider eating another! White tree rat, an eel in the creek, some fish, frogs, dragonfly, ... I tested out a rented camera for macro night images, which took a while to get the hang of but some a few very nice pictures. I also learned more about how to change shutter speed for night photos, and F stop.

En route back picked up a gas station meat pie (pretty good). Then we continued watching "army of thieves", stopping with 30 minutes to go for sleep.

Awake, ordered food at the hotel, bus pickup is at 7:10. We were still eating because food was ready at 7:07, so we got on the bus at 7:12. The driver asked if Lance and I were a honeymoon couple... Kinda funny.

Started the drive out to Daintree Rainforest, the guide told some fun stories and gave good info. Lance loved it, I liked it for a while. After some on the way pickups, drove along the boat for a while. Beautiful, and a good music selection between stories.

Mossman Gorge we got out, and the rain had started up. Hopped onto a shuttle to the walking track. Very short walk, to the gorge lookout and to a suspension bridge. Pretty cool. Stopped raining part way out. Hindsight: drive yourself so you can do the two hour walk. After the walk and shuttle back to the info center had scones provided and saw a cool spider.

Next stop was a river boat cruise. This was about thirty minutes. Due to recent flooding from a cyclone, a lot of the banks are destroyed and covered in sand, where there used to be mud. Trees are struggling. The guide was very good - knew bird calls, talked about how the trees breathed and had various types of roots... Also we saw a crocodile! Not just on the side sunning either, this gal was swimming up river and was right alongside the boat for a while.

Hopped back on the bus on the other side of the river, now in the rainforest. We drove to a place for lunch, which was delicious and a nice spot. Then we drove more, getting out at a beach, and then again at a local fruit icecream shop. Back on the bus, and en route home. One more stop before leaving the rainforest, with a nice view - while we waited for the road work traffic to be in our favor.

Another stop along the ocean - perfect temperature and wind. Could have sat there a long time. Beyond that though, headed back to Cairns. Guide still telling many stories, but by now I'm mostly talking to various other passengers.

Overview of tour: not enough getting off the bus. Lots of food. Ehh.

Back in Cairns, I went on a walk (Lance said he was getting food). Along the lagoon, lots of some parrot type bird, and also one that is compared to the northern roadrunner (but different). Also big fruit bats flying overhead! Since we did little during the day, I added in an ab workout in the grass. Met up with Lance and ordered Thai food for takeout. Back to the room, eat, relax, watch the first half of "Army of Thieves", and bed.

I woke up and went swimming! Great way to start the morning. Guessing I swam about half a mile, but who knows. The older lady from the night before joined towards the end. She jumped off the rope swing and then did half a relaxed lap with me. We talked quite a bit. I got out and we talked some more. Also, clearly I'm out of swimming shape, my arms were being loud.

Lance was still sleeping so I made myself breakfast and got materials out for him. Started taking down the tent, prepped for the day, and on the road about 9:20. Went to the suggested Mt. Leura, which was on the way back to Melbourne anyway (flight at 4:30).

Drive up Mt. Leura we saw kangaroos in the wild for the first time! They bounded up the hill away from the car, and then again on the next cutback. Sadly that was the only sighting. Still no snakes, either.

The hike into the crator was easy, and also beautiful in the simple way. Quiet, grass blowing, tons of butterflies coming out as you passed. Just a really pleasant, relaxing experience. I recommend! No one else was there the entire time. We stayed 45 minutes, but if time was not constricted there were more paths and it is the type of place for long sitting.

The drive to Melbourne was quite nice. No more stops, ate food we had en route. I dropped Lance off at the national gallery, and then went to drop the rental equipment off myself since it was 35 minutes beyond Melbourne proper. Picked him back up on the way to the rental car drop off. Forgot to fill the car with gas, but it was pretty full already so the 2x price will probably only cost me an extra $10-$20.

Airport security easy as always for domestic, and off to Cairns! Pre-boarding finally committed to a rainforest tour one day and a reef tour the next. Sadly not in a window seat, no pics.

Arrived in Cairns which is weirdly an hour behind Melbourne for time zone, so... Gets dark real early. Might be my kind of time zone! Quite rainy, but tis the season. Tentatively forecast looks clear the next two days so fingers crossed. From the hotel, 5 minute walk (in rain) to Indian food... Delicious! Posting these and then getting ready for bed though, pickup at 7:10am tomorrow.

Got up fairly early, after going to bed early. As usual I was up first, but Lance wasn't far behind! Smelled a bit smokey, from fires far away. Also wonder if fire influenced the sunrise?

Quick start to Tower Hill reservation area, which had some hikes and promise of animal sightings. This did not disappoint - two koalas in the parking lot, one quite big and awake. Many other koalas as we hiked. The first "peak hike", saw a wallaby hanging out close to the path. Nice views at the top.

The second hike was a boardwalk through a marsh. We sadly saw zero snakes despite them being commonly seen there. Many good bird sightings! We turned off this path and got a little lost on the ridge area, not realizing where we were. Pulling out the map, we recovered. Still no snakes, but a wallaby hiding in a bush and a couple koalas!

Set off on the third Last Crator hike. Less animal sightings, but quite a nice walk. Overall really enjoyed the area, would have considered another hike but water was running low.

Sad moment: my watch appears to be dying. No longer records steps or heartbeats, even after reset, and not holding a charge very long. May be time to move on.

We carried on to Port Fairy, end of the Great Ocean Road. Found some terrible tasting water that we later replaced with store bought. Did the lighthouse circuit - birds, and very close up wallabies at the dog pools placed by the path! Sadly my good camera was in the car, so wasn't able to get all the birds on film. This was a nice hike, cool little park.

Hit "The Hub" for lunch, and then decided to hang out for a bit and go to the beach as the day had heated up after noon. While we were changing to get in the water, a switch flipped and the wind cooled. I waded in up to my knees while Lance changed and then abandoned ship.

Decided to go back to Panmure to sleep again, and stopped at a grocery for a non-cook dinner. Arrived about 6. Lance went to the swimming hole, I hung out being indecisive about plans again... But only for twenty minutes.

The swimming hole was great - Lance was with a few people at the rope swing. I jumped in and swam over. Only took one swing in, and then did some swimming and treading. Followed Lance out but stayed by the water. I started some abs and strength while Lance jumped off the diving board, along with a big crew of locals that were there plus some other campers. One local boy was very good at flips and such (Lance did succeed in a front flip).

I also talked with a couple on the side who had a border collie mix named Holly. They gave us some ideas for the next day, Mt Leura and another hike I forget.

Went back for dinner, and talked a bit with an older couple Lance had been jumping with. Our tent setup was by a fellow we'd met the first day who had a rough border collie named Mac. Who definitely got some pets out of me. This was more out of the way, and managed to not get hit by any of the lights. Excellent!

As previously spoiled, woke up to the half dead tent still alive enough. Pretty cold out. I checked out the river (a bit dirty) and played on my phone. Another group of campers spotted a Koala, my first wild sighting! The koala was very active - eating, climbing, going backwards down a branch, jumping once to a new trunk before ascending again. What a great morning start!

After breakfast we decided to skip the Cape Otway lighthouse, and carry on to the rest of the ocean road. Our first stop was the 12 Apostles, which were cool rock structures sticking out of the ocean. No longer 12, erosion... You can go down to the beach and see two up close. I also lost the car keys, worried they'd come out when we were jumping on the beach, and ran back to check... Halfway I realized I'd unlocked the car with them, so they had to be close to the car - and Lance came down to get me, I'd put them on the roof of the car. Extra steps anyway!

Through the day we stopped at Loch & Gorge (cool story), London Bridge (used to be two bridges but one collapsed), and the Grotto (bus of tourists waiting to take photos one by one, so we skipped partially past but didn't get to the full bottom). All very cool rock formations, plus some good walks.

Between those, we stopped in Port Campbell for a late lunch. It looked like a really cute place to stay, and the beach seemed very swimmable. I wouldn't mind hanging there a few days!

We briefly stopped at Bay of Martyrs (more rocks), but continued quickly to get to the camping/boating/fishing store before it closed at 5:30. They had a hand pump to replace our broken one! Success, we will camp tonight!

Then we headed to the campsite, Panmure Rest Area. Fairly early for us to arrive at a camp! With the new pump, the tent went up rapidly and looked great. Phew! We set up fairly centrally, on a grassy area. There was a swimming hole complete with diving board and rope swing. After setting up the tent we did an ab workout (sister Robin is proposing a challenge), and then Lance went swimming and I followed a bit after he returned. Just a quick jump in and clean off, back to the tent area for dinner and debating what to do tomorrow, since heat was high and the hiking we wanted to do in the Grampians was in the "catastrophic" warning zone.

Sadly the central spot fell victim to the lights of various structures when dark hit, so we had to close off some of the tent for sleeping.

Kicked the day off with an accidental 4.5 mile run - went around Royal Botanical instead of into/got a little misdirected when I found it at an angle I hadn't been to before. A couple extra miles never hurt.

Showered and packed up at the hostel, got to the rental car place a bit before ten, later than intended but oh well. Then headed to pick up the rented tent gear, traffic increasing time... Then to the Great Ocean Road! After passing back through Melbourne and the driving there.

Stopped at a chocolaterie - eh. Too busy/candy and children focused. Food was decent.

I would skip the start of the great ocean road and go to Angelsea, unless you are a big surfer. That's where the ocean views really start, and you drive past beach after beach. Quite a few surfing schools out and about 

Urquhart Bluff was a nice little stop. We also walked up to Sheoak Falls, which has a cave if you go a little past. About 30 minutes total, probably. Between those two we stopped in Lorne, such has a cute array of restaurants and shops right on the road. Including a hardware store, where I got an electric pump to fill the air mattresses we obtained and I didn't see a pump for (turns out later we had one, story to come).

The highlight stop was Maits Rest Rainforest Walk. About thirty minutes round trip, huge mountain ash trees. Really neat little excursion. No leeches this time (that we know of!).

Got to the campsite around 7:15, wooded area about 6 other groups. By a river if you go on a path. Which we intended to do after setting up the tent, but...

Pulled out the tent - it had an air pump in the middle of it. Discovered there were no real poles, "airpole" literally meant air is going to hold it up. Tried the pump, nothing was happening. Tried the electric pump, things happened but not enough to hold it. I emailed the rental crew asking for an instruction page in case we were missing something. About an hour in a neighbor came over asking if we needed help, which we said "yes"! She sent her husband over. Lance made some dinner (boil water, put in camping meal bag) during this. Eventually we try their air compressor pump, which hooks straight to the car battery. This also doesn't work. Based on instructions and follow up we aren't missing anything.

Add tape to make the air compressor connection better, and voila! Tent it upright in less than a minute. Looks beautiful. We eat, fill the air mattresses with the little pump, and head to bed.

2am, saga continues - the tent is collapsing. Still sleepable, but the main portion is losing air and being held up by the entry area. Turns out we didn't close the valve fully, so the air slowly leaked out. Closed it up and hoped for the best. Also, babies crying, probably in solidarity. Bonus: I now have a skylight instead of a side window.

Morning update: it survived!

Run, run, 5 miles, through the Royal botanical garden, past a pride run. Stretch and do some exercises, Lance texts he's starting his run and where am I?

So I stayed put in the garden instead of going for breakfast and wrote/read. Met up near the pride run, then he did a couple more miles. Turns out the group organizing the run is Melbourne version of Lance's Boston running group.

Walk on to a good looking cafe, which turns out to be a nice brunch spot. Saporito's. Back to the hostel, shower, nap.

On to the National Gallery of Victoria! With an hour stop at the City Library, which was quite nice and I caught up on some finances while Lance read.

NGV is a pretty cool museum. There was a Patriots helmet in one exhibit! Which was talking about how cartels were logging forests to make money on avocados because demand was high, especially during the Superbowl. A wide variety of exhibits including more traditional, interactive, and very modern. It closed at 5 so that put a two hour time limit on us.

NGV is next to the arts institute, which had Rent being performed at 6. We decided to go! Lance had never seen Rent, and I'd only seen the movie. Got some food and then sat down for the show!

Post show (very good), headed back to the hostel and settled in for the sleeps. Which were a little too warm but oh well.

Woke up after only 6.5 hours of sleep, but very solid. Went on a 3 mile run - the town is quite small, but there is a cafe open 5am to 7pm so what else do you need! I ran past it twice. Also a craft store.

Stretched and did exercises in the yard, while the neighbor's sheep grazed. Got ready and ate before getting out at the ten o'clock checkout time.

Headed to drop the rental car, stopped in a park to kill some extra time first. Then to the airport! Through security in a minute, and early - nice waiting area.

Plane ride out, we could see a fire burning from above. Hopefully it was an intentional burn, but know there were a few in Tassie. Took the bus from the airport into Melbourne - not much cheaper than Uber if you have two people - and walked to the hostel. Settled in before our dinner res.

Dinner at Coda, a nice Asian fusion restaurant. Delicious! We were seated at the bar, and ended up talking with the bartender - who convinced me to try brandy instead of bourbon. Turns out I like brandy (or at least the expensive version of it).

Lance went to a movie, and I walked a bit. Fed Square I found an outdoor concert playing, and stayed for a bit. Not my music style, but good atmosphere, lots of people. Moved on back to the hostel, and found a piano bar nearby. This was fun! Awkward for a couple minutes until I figured out a place to sit. Fairly small bar, the guy playing was talking requests and very fun. Lance joined after the movie for a bit, and we headed back to bed about midnight.

A very unplanned day. Lance preferred more touristy things vs a big hike for the day. We ended up driving towards Port Arthur, not leaving until 11. Three hours drive. We stopped at the "Tessellated Pavement", which is a natural tiled looking rock formation on the beach. Pretty neat! Talked to a guy about birding, and he followed me on Instagram - I followed him back and he has truly amazing wildlife photos!

Then we went to the "unzoo" for a bit. This was interesting - it's like a small zoo with Tasmanian devils and kangaroos, plus a population of birds that was part of the old zoo and are hand fed regularly (we fed them), so they stick around. The kangaroos you go in with and can pet and feed as well. One had a baby's legs sticking out of its pouch. Apparently the mom has muscles that can kick the baby out of the pouch, and this one did at some point. The kid turned around and started drinking milk. The walking trails didn't have much going on, probably more animal activity in the morning. The devil's feeding was cool - those guys can move, and will fight for food. They eat bones, fur, and all!

We then hit Tasman National Park for a bit, 5pm at this point. Tasman Arch was right at the start of the trail and amazing! A really cool collapsed cave became an arch rock structure. Spent about an hour on trail, the views were better at the start. More trails beyond we didn't have time for, sadly.

Then we drove two hours to the Airbnb, because the close one we wanted fell through. Other than food and gas stopped, pretty much straight. Avoided hitting one small jumping marsupial! Then thought we avoided a wallaby, but it jumped into the side of the car. Unknown if it was injured or not, the car wasn't... Saw a lot more wildlife at the end of the trip, there were wallaby and other animals all over the sides of the road. No more close calls!

Got to the Airbnb a bit before ten, and happily found two queen beds. Whole place looked quite nice, and they had welcome gin & tonics! Which we didn't see until morning and did not partake in, but a cute add! Wish we had more time at this Airbnb.

Woke up to a nice sunrise in our quiet cabin. Quick breakfast and off to Freycinet park! Which was less than a ten minute drive to the walking trails parking lot from our stay, so easy.

Kicked the day off by hiking up Mt. Amos. Listed as grade 4 and "a scramble", it was much easier than Cradle mountain. Took us 2 hours round trip including 40 minutes at the top. Very fun hike, and I remembered to bring the GoPro so less pictures but videos exist! Less scrambling and more walking up big kinda steep rock faces. One guy at the top was with his daughter, and doing this at 80 years old. He said it is probably his last time, he'd done cradle mountain 7 years past. Goals!! Really good views of Wineglass Bay from the top.

Back at the car we realized we left lunch at the cabin, so drove back before starting the Hazards Bay/Wineglass Bay circuit. We went counterclockwise, getting to Hazards Bay about an hour in. It was beautiful - a really nice beach but also some beautiful rock outcroppings that were perfect for lunch or separating beach going groups. We aimed for a lunch spot and stumbled on some nude beach goers in one of these hidden spots, props to their comfort.

Made hummus sandwiches and then went swimming! Sand was hard enough it wasn't the get stuck everywhere type, basically everything I want in a beach. Hung out for an hour or so, then packed up and continued to Wineglass. At ground level, still beautiful - but mostly to look at. Hazards was better all around for hanging. Wineglass was less protected, so the waves were (a) existed and (b) looked a bit dangerous to swim in. No rocks to hang on, and the sand was the type to get everywhere.

Path then has a ton of stairs up to Wineglass Bay Lookout, which was good but no Mt Amos. Then through some easy track with cool boulders back to the parking lot!

We were getting ready for a 5pm kayak, but just before departure it was cancelled for wind conditions. Instead we walked along the beach path into Coles Bay. Very pleasant and nice boardwalk. Saw a cormorant! Thirty minutes about to the other side of town, which is where the restaurants/shops are. Granite Freycinet, a cafe, was open late for cocktails and pizza! We got one round, and the pizza plus margs were good so went for a second round. Then we went to the water line and watched the sun set over the bay.

Heading back, it started getting dark. Instead of going in, I sat on the boardwalk a bit to write and maybe see something in the night (prepared Faith brought her headlamp). 20-30 minutes later I was rewarded with some scary sounds, turned the headlamp on and saw eyes on the path! Following the sounds but not getting too close, the eyes belonged to a possum! There were at least two possums in a tree.

Headed back in, and on the path spotted a huge spider! One inch long body type. Did not approach. Hung out on the porch reading, looking at the stars, and a possum came right up to the porch. Was worried a minute he was going to come up to me, but phew - under the porch and out the other side. Hung about long enough for me to get Lance out to see it! Decided that was a good conclusion for the night.

Woke up and watched the sun rise over breakfast. Left Lance to sleep and headed to Tamar River Island walk, a fifteen minute drive, for some birding! All bird pics are on my camera, so will include on a bird post later...

I saw Crested Teal, Spoonbill, masked lapwing (tons here), welcome swallows, Australasian swamphens galore, seagulls, black swans, Tasmanian native hens... Early on I had a fantastic up close with a white faced heron. En route back, the great white egrets were out! I also saw my first wild wallaby. To end it all, I saw a beautiful bite superb fairy wren - another pretty small bird I'd been seeing but couldn't identify turns out was the female.

Back to the inn to finish breakfast, and we headed out towards Bay of Fires. Stopped in Scottsdale for some good tourist advice, cash, and bad food.

We pulled over at a short rainforest walks, complete with signs telling Grandma Myrtle's story. It was beautiful - and then Lance let out a sound  when something slimy landed on him. Got in the car and I found one worm like thing on me that I plopped out the window.

Then stopped at a cheesery. We did a cheese plate, scones, and my first Australian hot chocolate! They only gave me one marshmallow, and it wasn't as bad as the NZ ones! No funny flavor. The cheese was excellent.

They also told us there was flooding the way we were headed and to check the roads. As we drove could see flooded forests, which was neat. Also took a break at the recommended "shop of things". As we got out of Lance screamed - apparently the worm things were leeches, and he had one attached to his toe that he just noticed. I didn't see it, but apparently it had grown to inches long and was happy curled on his toe until he swiped it off, leaving just a tiny bleeding spot.

Inside the store, checking out, Lance asked the lady, "How big a concern is leeches here?", and she was taken aback and said she's never had one! Conversation continues about how Lance just found one, and she says that's why you (Faith) screamed! I assumed it was related to the rain or something." Obviously I correct her that Lance screamed, and she says "You both came in and I assumed it was the lady!". Assumptions corrected. Also she said something along the lines of, "but you always where long socks and pants going in the woods. Walking in shorts and sandals [what Lance is wearing] is like offering yourself up to them." All in all a great and hilarious encounter.

Made it to the road to Bay of Fires and it was closed down for flooding... Oh well! Stopped and watched some birds - the ducks were in a strong current and getting spun about, it was like a dance. Continued on towards Freycinet/Coles Bay, where we were staying. Stopped at a few beaches along the way, including one with a bunch of surfers. Eventually arrived at "the cabin", which is literally the last house before Freycinet National Park starts. Beautiful view! Five minute walk to a really nice beach. No wifi - Lance chose on number of beds and location, but forgot to check other amenities. Oh well! Cooked up some fajitas and ate outside, before wrapping the night 

Sunrise from there inn, gorgeous! Breakfast they provided a basket for each room, including eggs you could use a microwave poacher or egg boiler to cook. Lovely! Community space too, so talked to a few other guests before we jumped in an Uber to go pick up our rental car (AUS700 less to rent from today instead of when we arrived...).

Planned for a long day - two hour drive to cradle mountain. Very twisty. Lance took a nap... At Cradle Mountain National Park, we stopped in at the visitor center - shuttle buses only to get to the trails. The guy we purchased passes from said where we start our hike, if we go back there about 3 or 4pm, we'll see wombats. Also said the clouds might rise a bit over the next couple hours 

Great hike - started at Ronny's Creek, and went to Marion's lookout via Crator Lake. The clouds were mostly lifted above Marion's lookout when we got there, so we had some good views until they came back in. Continued on to the intersection where Cradle Mt Summit trail starts, and went for it. At the start, lots of cloud on the mountain, so crossing our fingers for views.

Cradle Mt Summit - not an easy hike! A big rock scramble for a lot of it. Required use of hands. Lance is much faster at these, because he is confident and uses momentum. I don't trust momentum and have a fear of falling... Uphill is easier than down though. Eventually we summited, and... All foggy! We waited around a bit, and the sun graced us with enough presence to open the view :). It was pretty neat, the view would go in and out as the clouds moved. On the way back down, it was clear that while the summit still had some clouds, the rest had risen - fantastic views. As predicted I was slower going down, but not too bad.

At the bottom of the summit trail, I was waiting for Lance at the crossroads and perfect timing, a ranger appears while I'm deciding which track! We go Falls track and dive down Wilks to get to Dove Lake. I decide the easy part is where I'll trip up a few times and get a couple scrapes... Cool scenery! A bit of rain forest and drier alpine. Picked up the shuttle back to Ronny's Creek and... wombats everywhere!! By the trail, in the hills, fuzzy walking logs or brown bushes. Marsupial in the wild: achieved. Also peahens.

Took the shuttle to the interpretation center and did some walks there, and saw padamelons! Thought they were wallabies at first, but decided that did not fit. Plus a few cool birds. Did a second walk and saw more in the open padamelons, which... We then missed the last shuttle and had to walk thirty minutes back to the car. Oh well. At least we saw a wombat en route!

Drove back to Lauceston, arriving about 8:30, and then ubered to dinner at jailhouse grill. Food was quick but meh, worked for our needs. Cider was good!

Home, read, write, stay up to midnight whoops.

Kicked off the day with a run. Wanted to do laundry early, but the host was sleeping and his dogs were in the laundry area so it's a he-does-it-for-you thing... Finally got it in around 9:30, when we rushed out at 11 had some wet clothes.

Got breakfast from a mall bakery that was delicious! I went back for more :). Saw some cool birds, maybe a parrot! The host offered to drive us to the airport when Uber wasn't moving, nice fellow. Very easy security. I looked at arrivals instead of departures for the gate and rechecked late, so that was a bit closer getting on than expected!

On arrival in Tasmania, dropped our stuff off at a self service locker Dragonfly Inn, our accommodation, had. Went to find Cataract Gorge - short walk to get to the zig zag trail, and then followed that to find a pool and a basin! The spot for locals to hang out and sunbathe it swim. We also found some peacocks!

Back to the hotel, which was amazing! Exceeded expectations. Has a bottle of port in the common area and invites all guests to convene 6-6:30, which we missed - but cool concept! Ubered to the tourist office before our dinner plans, and got great advice from "the three fates", as Lance put it. Three ladies, all dressed in black, with a fun dynamic.

Dinner was at Stillwater - very good. Started off with wallaby wings, which were a great texture. The whole meal, drinks, and atmosphere were on point. Walked along the water a bit after, and then walked back to the inn for some sleep time!

Started the morning by watching the sun rise! Which was later than it had been, due to mountains being in the east. Ate a quick breakfast and continued on to Lake Pearson - one of my potential camping plans that was further along the pass, and said "good bird watching". Planned to make eggs/real breakfast here.

Identified a chaffinch, and then I hung out by the lake writing and watching birds for a bit while Lance started cooking. Just as I was about to go be helpful... An Australasian Crested Grebe appeared!! We'd been hoping to see one (ideally with babies on its back, but no such luck). My pictures are on my camera, but they are a really cool bird! No splash when they dive in the water, and they pop up meters away from where they went under. Look up facts on this grebe, or ask me next time you see me!

So that derailed me being helpful, but Lance did drop everything and come see the bird. I started talking to another guy taking bird pictures, from Canada, and eggs magically appeared in my hand (thanks Lance!). We hung out by the lake for a while, writing and reading a bit.

No other good stops - tried to pay a campground to use their shower but got denied, sorry plane people. Dumped the grey water, filled the tank, arrive Christchurch. Marianna was there for Roadrunner Rentals again - really great service. She dropped us off at Riverside Market, where we met up with my friend Colleen! Talked, got food, went to the gift shop and spent a bunch of money... Went back to Riverside market and got more food... A relaxing afternoon hanging out, followed by a twenty minute walk along the river and Colleen drove us to the airport.

Easiest international security check-in ever, and goodbye New Zealand! Until next time!

Hello Melbourne! Only staying the night near the airport.

Woke up "early", had a quick breakfast, and headed to the helihike meetup. Sadly, it was cancelled a few minutes before we got there due to weather. So we went to the gift shop and I bought two pairs of sunglasses and a rain coat (pictured, the bright blue!). We put ourselves on a wait-list for the afternoon helihike, and then went to do the 30 minute round trip walk to view Franz Josef glacier.

At the viewing point, very little to see due to clouds... Until it opened up! A gradual clearing, new parts of the glacier coming into view as the clouds moved. Beautiful!

We then quit the wait-list (drove a few minutes to get service), returned to the park, ate some food... and did Roberts Track to get to a closer viewing point. This was listed as a 5 hour return, but really much shorter. We took 4 hours with a 45 minute stop at the top. This hike was... AWESOME. Crossing water, bridges, stairs along cliffs, beautiful green, waterfalls, and ending with a glacier. Plus some birds! We had great fun. Best hike yet. Not too hard, felt the uphills but had plenty of energy at the end. The bridges had max #s listed, and one was just 1 person! The others were 5. Also on this hike we passed a couple that had been next to us at the campground in Queenstown, so that was neat! Started drizzling towards the end, apparently we missed actual rain down there that turned some hikers around. Phew!

Post hike, time to move on! Last night in NZ. We started the drive back to Christchurch - preplanned dinner at an ocean town that also had a grocery store. When we got there, picked a fish & chips place. Tried Ribaldo, Turbot, and Whitebait. Eventually got to Arthur's Pass and our campsite at 9, a few hours drive to Christchurch left for the next day. Lazed and had some supplemental food before sleep.

Turns out in the light out campsite had a nice 3 minute forest walk along a river. Also sand flies, but we were warned about that.

A quick breakfast and on the road again - the rest of the pass still so beautiful in the morning light! Not as many places to pull over and look as the first half, but we found some. Missed thunder Creek falls stop because there was construction, guess I'll have to come back.

Broke out of the mountains and stopped at DOC info center for recs. He gave us suggestions for which stops en route to the glaciers, and also hikes & places around the glaciers. I also bought a hat! I tried it on thinking it would be too small, and it fit plus I liked the look, done.

First recommended stop: Shipwreck Creek. Has a nice dune lake and a pretty  short walk, plus some normal beach. Cool history, how it was the main road for a while. Second was Knight point or akin, a viewing point. Generally liked the east coast ocean viewpoints better than west (but the West inland!!!).

Then we achieved Fox Glacier, and stopped for food hoping the rain might clear. Two tables down, a couple from our Milford sound tour was sitting! Briefly chatted with them.

Rain went away and we did the Moeraki Lake walk. No glacier view due to clouds, but a pretty cool walk around the lake, whose dark water is super reflective. Continued to Okarito Lagoon, which was past Franz Josef. High tide, so not the bird haven it can be. We did the trig walk, but decided to walk/jog it. This turned into a jog most of it, and discover the climb is way way more than we expected! Definitely stopped to rest and enjoy the view at the top. Felt really good in the legs post run.

Headed to our DOC campsite closer to Franz Josef, since we had a helihike scheduled for 8:30am. Otto/MacDonald camp right on a lake. I read a bit and we both jumped in the lake, clean some of the post run sweat off. Cold but great. I kept my legs in for a bit to faux ice bath. Mostly Lance cooked a chicken & pasta dinner (with garlic bread), and we opened/exploded the bottle of champagne we'd been driving with for two weeks.

Short run, slow 1.5 miles. Knee went a bit haywire for a minute and thought I'd need to stop, but it settled out. Still some residual sniffles. A bit drizzly, weather suggests don't hike Roy's Peak, so... Wineries instead!

Kicked off the day with laundry and a delicious breakfast, complete with steak. Dumped grey water and picked up fresh before the line. Got everything in order and time to go! Tried to hit the gift shop, but couldn't find parking, so carried on to the grocery store en route to winery. Then we turned around so Lance could get another fergburger for early lunch, while I waited in the car a few minutes away.

Onward to Gibbston, a winery group Bruce had suggested for lunch. First tasting was great - my favorites were the Pinot Gris and the dessert wine (in small, small quantity). We also had a delicious cheese board from there, but didn't do lunch yet.

Only planned on two wineries, but then we saw Kinross, which I remembered someone on Waiheke recommending, so stopped in. Did the white tasting - decent, think Gibbston white I liked better. Beautiful spot and service, they did in person descriptions which were missed at Gibbston (and at the next!).

Stopped at Mt. Difficulty for a later lunch and final tasting. Did the Pinot noir set - I had two preferred, but Pinot noir is often miss for me. The youngest wine was my winner, but not a wine I'd choose regularly. Paired it with a delicious steak, potatoes, and veggies.

On towards Franz Josef via Haast pass. Not going to make it tonight, but get a big chunk out.

Turns out this is the most beautiful drive we've done! The lakes, mountains, clouds, sun shining through... We did stop after stop because it was so enrapturing. We also did a few real stops. One for blue pools, which failed because the bridge had "reached end of life" but the forest walk was nice. Fantail falls, short walk to a waterfall that when the river is low people go out in the middle and build cairns - so there are a ton of them on the middle section in front of the falls. The highlight though, all the lakes with clouds and light shining through and mountain.

Stopped at a campsite mid pass, fairly late after all the stops. Didn't need much food due to the late lunch, snacked and meandered off to sleep.

Ditched Lance this morning and went to do a Shotover Jetboat tour, that Chris and Bruce were also doing (and there was only one spot available). We were on different boats/15 minutes off, so waved to them. The experience was fun. Impressive boat driving skills, and I enjoyed blasting through the river, but... I like being able to take in the views, and so much gas used! Fun once, probably don't need a repeat.

Went to a bakery after which Lance joined us for. Then Lance and I split off and wandered the town. Checked out the gift shop (so many cool sheep!) but didn't buy anything... Yet. Got some street food. Eventually returned to the campervan and lazed about, until I rallied us to go to Glenorchy.

45 minute drive each way - some way prettiest in NZ, I say... Pretty but not the top. Maybe on a less windy and low cloud/hazy mountains day. Wind picked up as we got closer. At Glenorchy, we did not continue on to Paradise. We did do the lagoon walk, which has a beautiful boardwalk. Sat down and watched ducks for a bit even! Got back and... Drove back to Queenstown. Talked with Ricky and Emma (our adventurous neighbors) a bit.

Dinner at White & Wongs with Bruce and Chris. Hard to get reservations in Queenstown, and probably didn't help it was Valentine's Day. Book earlier I suppose!

Watched the piano guy play a bit, and got an icecream cone at Patagonia chocolatery - delicious. Icecream and cone both on point.

Listened to some live music coming from a bar, and then said our goodbyes and headed to bed!

A beautiful day for a hike! Still a bit sniffly but I didn't get hit as hard as Lance. Woke up late after a late night, had breakfast, and left about 9:30.

Plan: summit Ben Lomond. Walked thirty minutes to the trail entrance - turns out Tiki trail, another option, was closer to us, but we started on the fernhill loop route. Recommend - beautiful wooded start, Tiki trail back was not as nice and also through all the gondola based activities. Do not recommend. Take the gondola or fernhill/one mile entrance.

This hike has a --lot-- of elevation. 1450 meters, about 4600 feet. Only 9 miles round trip, so 500 feet every half mile - from the beginning. Relentless uphill! You can skip the first 450 meters by going up the gondola, maybe next time. Beautiful, beautiful views. The lake, the mountains... Not sure I've ever truly been in a mountain range and at a peak before (other than the Appalachians, but that is a bit different feel). Even stopping at the saddle for lunch, looking out over the mountains was so cool.

The hike itself, as noted, up up up. In the first forest area, lots of mountain biking - we were walking behind two bikers, going about the same pace. They asked if we were going to the top, and then said see you there! We beat them to the saddle by a few minutes, but stayed longer for lunch and then saw then again at the top (beat one to the top, just behind the other). As they went up ahead of us you could see them shouldering the bikes as they climbed. Impressive. Unlikely that we got down the mountain faster than them... But who knows because we didn't see them there ;).

At about 2500ft of elevation I decided it was time to pull the big camera out, only to discover the battery Lance had found and I was confused but assumed I hadn't put the spare away... Had fallen out of the camera. So my battery was sitting in the van, and the camera was just added pack weight. So so sad.

On the way down, we talked with two Australians for a bit before getting ahead. We also did a bit of jogging. When we reached the sky gondola, everything got less peaceful. The luge up there and the zip lines looked interesting, but were a little annoying at the end of a long nature hike. The totems carved into downed tree trunks were neat!

Legs exhausted, we showered and relaxed before a carb filled dinner at Bella Cucina. Sated and tired, especially because I got an extra free half glass of wine when the waitress spilled mine, we walked into the gardens and lay in the grass for a bit watching the sun go down. Bruce and Chris joined us a bit later, and we wandered the gardens. Sequoia trees there - very impressive and big! Wandered past the piano man again, Lance's favorite, and hung out as the sun dropped. Then back to the campground for bed!

The last leg of Southern Scenic Route, Te Anau to Queenstown. We kicked off with full breakfast (egg w/ feta/greens/tomatoes/meat, toast), organized the van, and off we went! Lance driving because tired sniffly Faith.

After a few failed stop attempts, we arrived in Kingston where I'd seen a couple hikes available. Very peaceful spot on the far end of the same lake as Queenstown. Not much going on but I highly recommend! I napped for a bit and Lance wandered, then my much better feeling self got up for a hike.

There was a "hard short scramble" we decided to do. On the way to the trail a guy in a boat asked if we were going up to the lookout, and pointed out the metal railing you could just see as the target. "You're young and fit looking so you should be fine". He said 1-1.5 hours return, and gave us directions. After one error, got on the trail. Beautiful hiking! Very vertical, but all in the woods and tons of roots to help stabilize  you up the hill. Took us 15-20 minutes to get to the top, and what a lookout! Beautiful sights. Lance tried for echoes, and then we heard a holler - the guy on the boat was waving up at us!

Trekked back down - despite the facial expression fairly easy and quite fun.  Stopped to look at the top of the small waterfall, recheck views. Decided against the flat track, and instead just hung out in the park by the beach for a while, chilling.

Eventually continued on to Queenstown, stopping at a few viewpoints including Devil's Staircase. There we saw Betina from dinner the night before, what timing! Got to the campground in Queenstown about 6. Talked with our neighbors for a while, who recommended luge in Rotorua and "wildwire" in Wanaka - climbing in a waterfall. Rungs, so no climbing experience required.

Went to the infamous Fergburger for dinner - not a bad wait, about 30 minutes to get the food from entering the line. Burger itself was good, sauce was really the highlight though. I'd say, overall good but wouldn't go out of my way. Milkshakes were good.

Then we hung out on the beach, listening to the guy with the piano play (Lance bought his CD) and met up with Bruce & Chris (Uncle/Aunt)! Talked for a while as the sun went down, and got a drink before heading to bed.

Sadly Faith got sick today. Doesn't seem to be as hard a hit as Lance. Went on   a two mile run with a store visit to obtain masks, because also the Milford Sound tour starts at 8am and I have one but not Lance. No masks, but a lady at checkout in front of me had a fresh pack in her car she gave us!

Bus picked us up, and off we go. Most pictures on my main camera. A few stops en route - mirror lakes, where we saw diving ducks! Bathroom stop with hot chocolate (or coffee/tea) and scones, where we saw a Weka - brown flightless bird. Another stop we saw a Kea, trying to eat the rubber seals on cars. Guess they're famous for it! A really gorgeous drive to arrive at the sound!

Which is actually a Fjord. Hopped on the cruise boat, and saw the sights. Amazing views, waterfalls, some birds, sea lions. The boat operator made some fantastic rock jokes. We went right up to fairy falls, to the point of being in the waterfall - I stayed outside on the front deck but a little back, so got wet but not soaked.

After the cruise we were back on the bus, with a bunch more stops and some 10 to 30 minute hikes. Waterfalls, a chasm which the bridge was out for but if you leaned enough you could see the water at the bottom, Lake Gunn. After the stops I was crashing hard on the hour drive back, got off the bus and immediately in for a nap (while Lance went for a run).

Headed to dinner post nap, walked into the restaurant the same time as two people from our tour, Felicia and Betina. From Italy and Germany respectively, both traveling alone. Good conversation and decent food but too much time for tired Faith later, and back to the bed!