Two Runs in Three Days...

Wow, I still can't believe it.  I left home on Dec 23 and since that time I've managed to go for a "run" six times. For those that don't know me too well from the end of August 2008 until the end of November 2008 I completed one ironman distance triathlon and two marathons.  So running only six times in four months just seems so unlike me.  But maybe I've turned over a new leaf.  On Saturday  morning before I headed to Frankston to meet up with Jessica and her crew I went for a run.  Granted I sat in my running clothing for over an hour before I headed out the door but eventually I did get out the door and I did run.  That was run number one in three days.

This evening as I rode home from work it started to rain.  I'm not really sure what got into me but the thought of running in the dark and the rain kind of made me smile.  Maybe what I've missed all these months living in Melbourne is rain, and a rainy night to run in.  Anyhow, I'm back from my second run in three nights and I must say this was the best run I've had since I left home.  Who knows, maybe I won't embarrass myself at the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July after all.  Or... maybe it's too early to make such assumptions.  After all it is only two runs in three day.  I hope it's more than that though...

Okay, it's now April 30 and I haven't run since I wrote this post.  I'm off to Sydney tomorrow after work and I'm bringing my running gear so I can sneak in a run while I'm there.  Lots on my mind and I know the run will calm some of the stress.  I WILL RUN AGAIN SOON!

5 Bottles of Wine Later...

The last four weekends have been pretty jam packed for me.  Four weekends ago I was in Canberra, two and three weekends ago I was in New Zealand, and last weekend I was touring around with my dad.  This weekend I decided it was time to stay closer to home.

On Saturday  morning after a run (yes, I actually RAN this weekend) I headed into the city to catch a train to Frankston to hang out with my friend Jessica and her family.  Jessica and I go way back and while she is Canadian, she is married to an Aussie and is raising her Aussie girls.  Jessica was kind enough to take me for a little road trip on the Mornington Peninsula.  We ended up at Arthur's Seat which is at the top of Red Hill.  The views of the Peninsula looking back towards Melbourne in the distance were incredible.  It was also pretty cool to see how far away from places we were.  

View from Red Hill

Can you see how far away I am from the places near by?

On Sunday I took the train to meet up with Zane and Danielle.  Both Zane and Danielle are teachers from Edmonton although only Zane is officially on exchange and Danielle is only working casually here.  Danielle and I had talked about touring the wineries in the Yarra Valley for the past few months and so finally the day arrived.

Here comes my train!

Our first stop was at Sutherland Estates.  The leaves were going through the autumn process and were stunning.  The entire area was stunning including the building we wine tasted in.  

Sutherland Estate property

Danielle and I inside the Sutherland Estate winery sampling the first glass of wine of the day.

After sampling a few wines I ended up purchasing a bottle of their unwooded chardonnay.  

Another view of the area.

The next stop was at the Shantell Winery.  While the wine was quite tasty I didn't purchase any from them.

By this time it was getting close to 1:00 pm - lunch time.  Zane, Danielle and I headed to Mandala Wines for more tasting and lunch.  The tasting went well and the lunch was great too.  I ended up buying two bottles of a white wine that I had actually purchased during the Melbourne Food and Wine festival last month.  I figure it's always good to have a nice host bottle of wine (or two) on hand.

From Mandala we headed over to Punt Road.  I remembered tasting Punt Road at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival last month but I couldn't remember if I liked it or not.  Well the funny thing is I ended up buying a bottle of their Pinot Noir and when I got home I checked my records and  I did like it at the festival.  I figure at least I'm consistent. 

From Punt Road we headed to Domaine Chandon for more tasting.  I didn't buy anything there but I did take a photo of their grounds.

Domain Chandon grounds.

From Domain Chandon we headed to one last winery of the day  Evelyn County Estate.  There we sat on these great stools at the bar and tasted wine for over an hour.  The man serving us was great and had so many stories to tell us.  It was an excellent way to end a day of wine tasting, and I even managed to convince myself to purchase a fifth bottle of wine for the day. ;-)

Overall it was a great day and an excellent weekend.  Zane and Danielle were kind enough to wait with  me for the train, and I was lucky enough to get off the train and right onto my bus.  It was also great to see Jessica and her family too. The only thing I can complain about is that tomorrow I head back to work and I must wait patiently for the Canucks to start playing again.  But then again, next weekend I'll be reunited with my dad in Sydney.  Until then...

Way to go Canucks!!!

Just because I'm living in Australia right now doesn't mean that I'm not following my hockey team back home. Although my class knows very little about ice hockey, they too are becoming Vancouver Canucks fans. They haven't quite grasped how to say "Canuck" but they have the Vancouver part down. They also know that the goalie looks really big although I did explain to them that he wears a lot of protection to keep him safe from the flying pucks. They were surprised to see what he looked like without his padding.

On Wednesdays during lunch eating time I watch a second class in addition to mine. All of us were eagerly waiting the over time score update. The kids were out of the room playing out side when the Canucks finally did score, so you can imagine how excited they were to hear this when they got back in after lunch.

It's weird to be so far away during NHL playoffs.

Way to go Canucks!!

A Day Tour to Phillip Island (with my DAD)

As I mentioned in my last post my dad is now in Melbourne visiting me. On Saturday, April 18 he and I took a day tour to Phillip Island.  The main attraction of the tour is the Penguin Parade just after sunset but since it was a day tour we had many stops before we got there.

The first place we stopped was at a wild life park.  I decided to give everything a try. I had a snake wrapped around my neck, I fed an emu, and I fed a wallaby.  I also saw a dingo (it looks like a dog/fox), and of course a kangaroo and koala.

Me and the SNAKE

Wallaby

(It looks a lot like a small kangaroo)

Dingo

Emu

Me feeding a wallaby.

From the wildlife park we headed to a winery in the Gippsland region.  It was one of the wineries I had already been to but I'm always up for sampling more wine.  From the winery we finally headed onto Phillip Island.  Our first stop was at Woolamai Beach, a surf beach.

Me and my dad at Woolamai Beach

From there we headed over to the Nobbies.  The Nobbies is where you typically see seals and occasionally you can catch a glimps of a penguin.  It's also a very beautiful part of the island.  While I didn't see any seals I did see a couple of penguins hiding under the board walk and I did catch the beginning of a stunning sunset.  

A little penguin hiding under the board walk.

From the Nobbies it was finally time  for us to get to the "Penguin Parade".  Each night penguins come walking out of the water and make their way back into their homes on the hillside.  On the advice of others who had been there we had upgrade tickets so we were able to get real close to the penguins.  It was super cool to see them appear on the beach and then waddle their way back to their homes.  We saw over 100 penguins come out of the water and all were super cute.  We also got to hear them scream and holler at one another. It was an incredible experience.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos so the only photo I have from the experience is the one below.

A Photo Look at New Zealand's North Island

Okay, I took close to 500 photos in New Zealand and while they all aren't here there are more than other posts.  You have been warned.  

I arrived in Auckland in the evening of Sunday April 5 so my first real sight of the city was the following morning from the coach on the way to Paihia.

After a couple of hours on the bus we arrived at Paihia which is on the east side of the North Island above Auckland.  Paihia is in the Bay of Islands.

View from the beach in Paihia.

As soon as I arrived I checked into my hostel and then boarded a boat for a cruise around the islands.  Almost right away we spotted dolphins swimming in the water.

The main feature of the boat ride was to head out to the "Hole in the Rock" island.  The water was far too rough for us to drive through the hole but it was nice to look at all the same.

Once we left the "Hole in the Rock"  also known as Motukokako Island we stopped at Urupukapuka Island where I walked around.  The island was very hilly but it lead to some great shots.  You'll notice the sheep.  In case you didn't know there are sheep EVERYWHERE in New Zealand.

The following day I took a tour to Cape Reinga via the 90 mile beach.  Our first stop was in a Puketi Forest.  You'll notice how wide the trees grow although they don't grow super tall.

Once we left the forest we headed down onto 90 Mile Beach.  90 Mile Beach is an actual road even though it's all just sand like a regular beach.

90 Mile Beach

We stopped near the end of the beach and drove up stream towards some sand dunes for sandboarding.  

Can you see the people at the top?  We had to climb up but then we got to sand board down!  It was a ton of fun even though my toes had seen better days.

After sand boarding we headed back onto the bus and stopped at Taputaputa Bay for a swim stop for those that wanted it.

We then headed to Cape Reinga and its lighthouse.  The Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Reinga and the area was breath taking.

View taken at Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga light house.

The Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meeting - notice there are waves in two directions?

From Cape Reinga we headed back to Paihia with a stop for super fresh fish and chips in Mangonui, a fishing villiage.

The next day I explored Russell which is just a short boat ride away from Paihia.

The view from Russell.

Later that afternoon I headed back to Auckland.  I again arrived in the night and so other than walking around town there wasn't a ton to do.  The following morning I walked my way to the Auckland Museum where I took in a Maori show and saw a lot of Maori art.

Maori men from the cultural show I watched.

The Auckland Museum from the outside.

Once I left the Museum I made my way back into the city and boarded a boat to Devonport a small suburb of Auckland.  The rain wasn't on its best behaviour (it kept pouring on me) but I was able to walk around, and climb one of two mounts in Devonport.

View of Auckland from the "Mount" I climbed in Devonport.

The next morning I boarded my not much bigger than a pencil jet and flew to Tauranga. 

The pencil sized plane I flew in from Auckland to Tauranga. 

Yes, every seat is a window and an isle seat.

Tauranga is located on the Bay of Plenty which is on the east side of the North Island, below Auckland.  It is called the Bay of Plenty because 1. it's a bay and 2. they can grow PLENTY of fruit there.  The photo below is taken from the airplane.  You'll notice dark lines.  They are lines of super tall trees which are there to protect the growing kiwi fruit from the wind.

 

Donna and Guy were waiting for me at the airport and they brought me back to their place.

We then picked up some of her friends in Papamoa (sp?) and headed to Kiwi 360 to learn about Kiwi farming.

Kiwi Fruit!

Donna and I in with the kiwi fruit

That evening we went to Mount Maunganui for a climb up the mountain at sunset.

Moon rise in Mount Maunganui

View taken from Mount Maunganui

Sunset from Mount Maunganui

Don't feel too badly for Donna and Guy. 

 This is the view from their kitchen and living room window.

TThe next morning we headed to Kinloch, a small community just outside of Taupo.  On our way we stopped at Orakei Korako one of many geothermal parks in region.  It was really amazing to see all that the ground around me was doing.  Remember there are many volcanoes in New Zealand and it's in a very high earthquake zone.

A geyser at Orakei Kurako geothermal park.

Boiling mud!

Hidden Valley, where Orakei Korako is located.

After an hour or so at Orakei Korako we finally made it to Kinloch.

My welcome to Kinloch by Guy's mom and dad.

Once settled Guy drove Donna and I into Taupo with stops at Huka Falls, and a view point. Donna said it was impressive that I could see all three mountains (Ruappehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe) in the background.  She also mentioned that Ngauruhoe (the cone shaped one) is Mordor from the Lord of the Rings. Thanks Donna ;-)  After the view point we walked around Taupo and spent time in the Taupo Hot Springs.

Huka Falls

View point in Taupo with Taupo Lake in the background.

Taupo Hot Springs

(We actually had our own private pool and didn't use this bigger pool.)

The next morning, Donna, Guy, Doug (Guy's dad), and I did a 14 km hike up and over a ridge on the lake.  

View from the hike.

Guys parents then took me out on their boat so that I could see some Maori carvings, and try my luck fishing.  

  

The Kinloch boat marina.

The following morning we headed back to Tauranga via a few stops. The main stop was in Waitomo where I was able to go into the glow worm caves.  Unfortunately I could only take photos as we were exciting the caves at the end of the tour. 

Me and Donna with the large sheep shearer in Te Kuiti. 

Waitomo Caves

The Shearing Shed in Waitomo - they shear these rabbits for wool.

I don't remember this town but they had  animals like this sheep

 and the pukeko (sp?) bird  below.

As we made our way back to Turanga we where super lucky to pass a look out point just as the sun was setting.

The next morning Donna and I as well as her friends from Papamoa headed to Rotarua to catch a sheep show and to learn about Kiwi birds.  Rotarua also has a ton of geothermal parks but since we had already visited Orakei Korako we had to give them a pass in Rotarua.  However in Rotarua you can't help but notice them as the town smells like sulpher. 

The sheep in the sheep show.

Me and the baby sheep!  

While I did see real kiwi birds they are nocturnal animals and we weren't allowed to take photos of them so you get this instead.

"Downtown" Turanga

On Friday morning I boarded a bus and headed to Napier.  The bus ride took over five hours with stops in Taupo and Rotarua.  It was a nice way to see more of the country side.  The bus driver even stopped at a Waipunga Falls, before finally arriving in Napier, on the Bay of Hawkes.

Waipunga Falls

Napier is the art deco capital of New Zealand (and maybe the world??).  Although I didn't have much time there I was impressed by all the different building I saw.  I was too late to do a walking tour but I was able to sit in on an informational video about its history.  The Bay of Hawkes is one place I wish I had more time though as it's also in prime wine country.  Can you imagine me in a wine region and NOT visiting a winery?

The next morning (I told you I didn't have enough time in Napier) I was on a plane to Wellington.  Wellington is near the bottom of the North Island.  It's a very hilly place - a bit like San Francisco. While in Wellington I walked around and shopped (and SPENT finally buying a wool garment that I had been looking for since I arrived in NZ), visited the parliament building and  the museum, and I took the cable car up one of the hills.

Some of Wellington from the water.

The "Bee Hive" building of parliament.

Te Papa Museum in the background.

Over all I'm really glad I went to New Zealand.  It's a great country with some amazing people.  I even prefer their accents to the Aussie ones I'm hearing in Melbourne.  New Zealanders are a bit quirky too and you just never know what you're going to get or what you're going to see.  And it's so green and lush and reminded me a lot of BC.  I know I missed an entire Island but I am trying to see if there is any way I can get back there before I head back to Canada.

Anyhow it's time I get back to my dad because he's HERE IN MELBOURNE with me!!  How lucky am I.

(I'll try to get to fixing the typos later, but I just wanted to get this up for you guys).