Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas from New Zealand
December 25th-26th, Lake Wanaka. A cute little town, we arrived here on Christmas Day. The drive was long but beautiful. We parked the campervan at a cute little campsite along the water where we enjoyed a nice walk along the crystal clear, blue waters.
Christmas Day was different; in fact it didn’t seem like Christmas at all, no snow, no turkey and no shortbread cookies or Sweet Marie's.
Boxing Day, the guys rented mountain bikes and went for long 30 km bike ride. I had some yummy hot chocolate and relaxed. The sun was shining and the breeze was very cool... quite different from Canadian Winters.
We are off to Queenstown, Te Anau & Milford Sounds. We're making our way to Akaroa & Christchurch for New Year’s Eve!!
We will try and post pics soon. If not, check out facebook!!
Mel & JC:
Christmas Day was different; in fact it didn’t seem like Christmas at all, no snow, no turkey and no shortbread cookies or Sweet Marie's.
Boxing Day, the guys rented mountain bikes and went for long 30 km bike ride. I had some yummy hot chocolate and relaxed. The sun was shining and the breeze was very cool... quite different from Canadian Winters.
We are off to Queenstown, Te Anau & Milford Sounds. We're making our way to Akaroa & Christchurch for New Year’s Eve!!
We will try and post pics soon. If not, check out facebook!!
Mel & JC:
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Aussie Summer Part 2
Aussie (& NZ)Summer Vacation- Blog Update Part 2
On December 18th we said our goodbyes with Ross, Trina and CJ. It has been amazing to have them by our sides over the past year; we will miss them and hope to see them in Canada very soon.
We then departed for Auckland, New Zealand and met up with our friend Jeff from Oakville.
December 19th we picked up our "luxury" Apollo Campervan and departed for Rotorua. We stayed in a campground along with lots of rain and thermal pools. The guys enjoyed this! It has been raining lots since arriving in NZ! :)
December 20th we went to Wai-O-Tapu, it has the largest area of surface thermal activity of any hydrothermal system in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. It was pretty cool and the rain held off for us. It was a "thermal wonderland".
We then drove to Tongariro National Park, it was cold, rainy and windy here but we still managed to tour around the park. We stayed here for the night, made dinner and watched a movie in our campervan.
December 21st we drove to NZ's Capital of Wellington where we parked for the day and night. We spent some time walking around the city and treating ourselves to dinner. Very, very windy but not cold! The camper was rockin’!!!
December 22nd, on the ferry heading to the South Island. We drove to Nelson National Park. The scenery was beautiful. We were parked right next to mountains and a beautiful lake. The guys went for hike while I stayed back and had tea with my book!!
December 23rd, we drove to Franz Josef National Park. This park is stunning with lots to do around it. The guys will explore the Glaciers while I hit the spa. We will be parked here for 2 nights. It is raining but hopefully it will pass.
Until Next time.....
Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!
Lots of Love,
Mel & JC=
On December 18th we said our goodbyes with Ross, Trina and CJ. It has been amazing to have them by our sides over the past year; we will miss them and hope to see them in Canada very soon.
We then departed for Auckland, New Zealand and met up with our friend Jeff from Oakville.
December 19th we picked up our "luxury" Apollo Campervan and departed for Rotorua. We stayed in a campground along with lots of rain and thermal pools. The guys enjoyed this! It has been raining lots since arriving in NZ! :)
December 20th we went to Wai-O-Tapu, it has the largest area of surface thermal activity of any hydrothermal system in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. It was pretty cool and the rain held off for us. It was a "thermal wonderland".
We then drove to Tongariro National Park, it was cold, rainy and windy here but we still managed to tour around the park. We stayed here for the night, made dinner and watched a movie in our campervan.
December 21st we drove to NZ's Capital of Wellington where we parked for the day and night. We spent some time walking around the city and treating ourselves to dinner. Very, very windy but not cold! The camper was rockin’!!!
December 22nd, on the ferry heading to the South Island. We drove to Nelson National Park. The scenery was beautiful. We were parked right next to mountains and a beautiful lake. The guys went for hike while I stayed back and had tea with my book!!
December 23rd, we drove to Franz Josef National Park. This park is stunning with lots to do around it. The guys will explore the Glaciers while I hit the spa. We will be parked here for 2 nights. It is raining but hopefully it will pass.
Until Next time.....
Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!
Lots of Love,
Mel & JC=
Monday, December 13, 2010
Our Journey Home!!!!
Our Journey Home
We left Ingham on Friday, December 3rd, 2010. It was a tough day and week but we got through it. We will miss Gilroy and our friends there but we will see each other again.
We arrived in Brisbane on December 4th and spent some time with the Jensen family before departing for our adventure along the Great Ocean Road.
Day 1-Dec. 6th:
We picked up our campervan in Adelaide and within 30 mins had a $20.00 parking ticket. We still managed to tour around the city. We camped at Glenelg along the beach and enjoyed dinner and the shops.
Day 2-Dec. 7th:
On the road through the Vineyards with a stop at Rosemount for lunch. This was a big driving day, we drove to Mt. Gambier, on the boarder of South Australia and Victoria.
Day 3-Dec.8th:
Spent some time in Mt. Gambier. Saw the beautiful sinkhole gardens, the famous Blue Lake which was stunning.
Drove to Warrambool, the beginning of the Great Ocean Road (G.O.R.) We stayed at a beautiful campsite along the beach where we went for a long walk and saw the most amazing sunset.
Day 4-Dec 9th:
On the G.O.R. beautiful drive with lots of scenic stops along the way. Arrived at the 12 Apostles along with Oprah’s Entourage. There were about 50 people on the tour. We also saw them in their “private’ helicopters as we were driving in our campervan and looking for a cheap place to eat, must be nice!!
We spent the night in a sea side town called Lorne before making our way to Melbourne the next day.
Day 5-Dec. 10th:
Arrived in the Melbourne. Parked the campervan at our campground put our runners on and we were off to the busy streets. We did some shopping and touring around along with every other tourist in the city. Big, hopping city it is.
Day 6-Dec. 11th:
Big driving day on the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Canberra, the capital of Australia. We arrived in Canberra and drove around the city. The city is very charming with many monuments.
So far we have been really lucky with the weather. It has only rained during the night, sun when we needed it. This is great considering all the flooding and the amount of rain throughout the country.
Day 7/8-Dec. 12/13th
Our first wedding anniversary and we are in Sydney, Australia, no not to see Oprah, this is the last stop before flying back to Brisbane. We enjoyed Bondi Beach, eating having breaky at the beach and eating Thai.
On Dec. 13th, our “Aussie Parents” Bob and Christine picked us up and took us to their home town in the Sunshine Coast, Rainbow Beach! Beautiful home and beach, lots of R ‘n’ R happening.
We will visit with them until Dec. 16th then head back and spend our last few days with Ross, Trina and CJ.
We leave Dec. 18th for New Zealand, Jeff, JC friend from home will meet up with us and we will all tour around the North and South Islands together. We will be in NZ for Christmas and New Year.
It will be very strange to be away from home at Christmas but we will get through it.
I am 26 weeks pregnant, feeling great but large, getting lots of kicks, in the ribs too.
Until next time....
Mel & JC=
xoxox
We left Ingham on Friday, December 3rd, 2010. It was a tough day and week but we got through it. We will miss Gilroy and our friends there but we will see each other again.
We arrived in Brisbane on December 4th and spent some time with the Jensen family before departing for our adventure along the Great Ocean Road.
Day 1-Dec. 6th:
We picked up our campervan in Adelaide and within 30 mins had a $20.00 parking ticket. We still managed to tour around the city. We camped at Glenelg along the beach and enjoyed dinner and the shops.
Day 2-Dec. 7th:
On the road through the Vineyards with a stop at Rosemount for lunch. This was a big driving day, we drove to Mt. Gambier, on the boarder of South Australia and Victoria.
Day 3-Dec.8th:
Spent some time in Mt. Gambier. Saw the beautiful sinkhole gardens, the famous Blue Lake which was stunning.
Drove to Warrambool, the beginning of the Great Ocean Road (G.O.R.) We stayed at a beautiful campsite along the beach where we went for a long walk and saw the most amazing sunset.
Day 4-Dec 9th:
On the G.O.R. beautiful drive with lots of scenic stops along the way. Arrived at the 12 Apostles along with Oprah’s Entourage. There were about 50 people on the tour. We also saw them in their “private’ helicopters as we were driving in our campervan and looking for a cheap place to eat, must be nice!!
We spent the night in a sea side town called Lorne before making our way to Melbourne the next day.
Day 5-Dec. 10th:
Arrived in the Melbourne. Parked the campervan at our campground put our runners on and we were off to the busy streets. We did some shopping and touring around along with every other tourist in the city. Big, hopping city it is.
Day 6-Dec. 11th:
Big driving day on the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Canberra, the capital of Australia. We arrived in Canberra and drove around the city. The city is very charming with many monuments.
So far we have been really lucky with the weather. It has only rained during the night, sun when we needed it. This is great considering all the flooding and the amount of rain throughout the country.
Day 7/8-Dec. 12/13th
Our first wedding anniversary and we are in Sydney, Australia, no not to see Oprah, this is the last stop before flying back to Brisbane. We enjoyed Bondi Beach, eating having breaky at the beach and eating Thai.
On Dec. 13th, our “Aussie Parents” Bob and Christine picked us up and took us to their home town in the Sunshine Coast, Rainbow Beach! Beautiful home and beach, lots of R ‘n’ R happening.
We will visit with them until Dec. 16th then head back and spend our last few days with Ross, Trina and CJ.
We leave Dec. 18th for New Zealand, Jeff, JC friend from home will meet up with us and we will all tour around the North and South Islands together. We will be in NZ for Christmas and New Year.
It will be very strange to be away from home at Christmas but we will get through it.
I am 26 weeks pregnant, feeling great but large, getting lots of kicks, in the ribs too.
Until next time....
Mel & JC=
xoxox
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
September Holidays - Japan Journey
Pictures: (top to bottom) (1) Peace Momorial Gardens, Hiroshima.
(2) Deer 
on Miyajima Island (3) Melissa standing on a foot bridge, Miyajima Island.
on Miyajima Island (3) Melissa standing on a foot bridge, Miyajima Island.(4) and (5) The famous Torii Gate, Miyajima Island (6) and (7) Typical Japanese Transport (Street Cars and the Shinkansen Bullet Train). (8) Enjoying a cold Kirin pint while researching our next destination. (9) Osaka Castle (10) Typical Public Toilet (11) Hmmm.... Udon Noodles in Himeji
TERM 3 down, we decided to leave our cozy Cardwell Range bungalow and ventured out of outback Australia to ... Osaka, Japan!
We booked this trip long ago because Jetstar Airlines had an amazing deal ($375 per person return) out of Cairns and to meet up with the youngest of the Paquin brothers. Unfortunately, Marc-Andre' decided to relocate to Taiwan and was unavailable to join us on our Japanese journey.
Insert tear!
We booked this trip long ago because Jetstar Airlines had an amazing deal ($375 per person return) out of Cairns and to meet up with the youngest of the Paquin brothers. Unfortunately, Marc-Andre' decided to relocate to Taiwan and was unavailable to join us on our Japanese journey.
Insert tear!
Day 1 - We set out for Cairns and spent an evening with the McShea family and Bundaberg Rum. It was a good night to say the least. The Courthouse is a good spot for food & drink.
Day 2 - Our flight for Osaka, Japan departed at 12:20 and arrived at 7pm Japan time (1 hour behind Australia). Our 7 hour flight was uneventful and we arrived to very little spoken English and 1 hour wait through customs. We made it to the train station and ate our first udon noodle meal before finding our hotel in Osaka. The hotel Shin-Osaka had slippers, kumono robes and odd toilets with many buttons.
Note: Public toilets are very simple squat-type holes. Poor Melissa!
Day 3 - We went to visit Osaka Castle and then boarded the JR line to Himeji to visit the "finest" castle in all Japan. Unfortunately, Himeji-jo was under restoration and we were able to admire its' real beauty only in photographs. We left Himeji and made our way to Hiroshima. The Sunroute Hotel was very nice.
Day 4 - We spent most of the day on Miyajima Island (Unesco World Heritage site) and photographed the famous orange Torii Gate. We walked along the many alleyways and stopped at several "touristy" boutiques and purchased a few souvenirs. We hiked part way up the Mt. Misen and enjoyed watching the wandering deer.
We spent the late afternoon walking through Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Museum. The exhibits were moving and it documented the horror of August 6th, 1945 (8:15am) when the US dropped the A-Bomb on this POW-free site. Although the Peace Memorial Garden & museum might sound depressing, the city of Hiroshima is not at all depressing. Hiroshima is a thriving city that has totally recovered from this nuclear holocaust. It's worth spending a few days here visiting others sites such as the Hondori covered Arcade or walking to Hiroshima Castle. We were glad we did. :)
Day 5 -6 Hiroshima to Kyoto
Day 3 - We went to visit Osaka Castle and then boarded the JR line to Himeji to visit the "finest" castle in all Japan. Unfortunately, Himeji-jo was under restoration and we were able to admire its' real beauty only in photographs. We left Himeji and made our way to Hiroshima. The Sunroute Hotel was very nice.
Day 4 - We spent most of the day on Miyajima Island (Unesco World Heritage site) and photographed the famous orange Torii Gate. We walked along the many alleyways and stopped at several "touristy" boutiques and purchased a few souvenirs. We hiked part way up the Mt. Misen and enjoyed watching the wandering deer.
We spent the late afternoon walking through Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Museum. The exhibits were moving and it documented the horror of August 6th, 1945 (8:15am) when the US dropped the A-Bomb on this POW-free site. Although the Peace Memorial Garden & museum might sound depressing, the city of Hiroshima is not at all depressing. Hiroshima is a thriving city that has totally recovered from this nuclear holocaust. It's worth spending a few days here visiting others sites such as the Hondori covered Arcade or walking to Hiroshima Castle. We were glad we did. :)
Day 5 -6 Hiroshima to Kyoto
We rented "mama charlies" and toured Kyoto on bicycles. We rode our bikes to the Imperial Palace and headed to the Nijo-jo and the Nightengale floor. We were surprised that we had to pay 200 Yen to park our bicycles. We made it to the famous bamboo gardens and rushed back to the Kyoto Station to catch our train to Kanazawa.
Day 7 - Kanazawa
We spent the morning touring beautiful gardens and the Kanazawa castle. The gardens were amazing and worth seeing.
Day 8 - Takayama
We stayed in a traditional Japanese Ryokans (hotel). The mats are on the floor and the bathrooms are shared. It is quite the experience sitting down on a small bench to shower and wash up. Takayama was a bit "tacky" and "touristy" but worth the stop.
Day 9 Fuji and Tokyo
We arrived in Fuji and the nice ladies at the tourist office gave us bicycles to tour around Fuji. We were trying to catch a nice view of Mont Fuji, unfortunately, it was cloud coverred and were unable to see Fuji's peak!
Day 10 - 12 Tokyo
Apparently, Tokyo is the most populated city in the world. It is huge and crammed with millions of people. We spent 3 days walking, shopping & sightseeing.
Day 13 Tokyo to Osaka to catch our flight back to Cairns, Australia.
Ahhh! Bullet Trains... fast, efficient and relaxing!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Atherton Tablelands - The Falls Circuit
Heading North to Cairns, there is a scenic drive which takes you through the lush Atherton Tableland (3000 m above sea level). Rich volcanic soil make the Tablelands a rich farming area. (peanuts, macadamia nuts, avocados and COFFEE!!) It's not Tim Horton's but it sure is delicious. Hmmm....
The Falls Circuit is well worth it. The 15km circuit takes you to three beautiful waterfalls. Millaa Millaa Falls, Zillie Falls & Ellinjaa Falls (see pictures). This month, we will be heading back to the Tablelands to discover the Yungaburra Markets and will be checking out the Undarra Lava Tubes.
The Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Adventure
We finally used our gift certificates that the SACRED HEART SCIENCE DEPARTMENT gave us before embarking on our OZ adventure. We would like to thank the SCIENCE crew for the wonderful and thoughtful gift. Although the pictures do not do the GREAT BARRIER REEF any justice, it was spectacular nonetheless. Both fish and coral were very colourful & amazing. Look for Nemo! THE GBR is a must "see & do" if you ever make it down under.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
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