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Out of Gas????

As we are about to depart back from Milford Sound we realize that we need to fill up as we have about a quarter tank left and the drive was probably at least 2.5 hours up and down mountains. (obviously not enough to get home) What we soon learned was that the only gas station in Milford Sound wasn't manned and required a New Zealand EFTPOS. Since we didn't have one of those bank cards, our only alternative was making a slight detour to a place called Gunn's Camp where there was apparently emergency gas.

Therefore as we make our way down, the turn off we were suppose to take ended up to be a dirt road or as the local's say "unsealed". As you can imagine, we began to question if this was first, "is this the right way" and two, "will there be gas?" Seeing how the gas was also decipating, our options were running slim. Oh yeah, did I mention the sun had already set?

About 20 km into this dirt road we end up seeing what I believed to be Gunn's Camp. And campsite it was. This place consisted of cabins built in the 1930's and have not changed since. There were probably 8 in total with a VERY small store and yes folks, a gas pump. Not your everyday gas pump though. This was a manual gas pump that needed to be hand pumped to be dispensed. Another slight problem we ran into was that we didn't have normal gas but needed diesel. Luckily for us these people did in fact have a 20L container of Diesel which he offered to give us 10 of.

What was even more interesting was not only was this place surrounded my mountains, it had no electricity, no lights, no nothing. Rustic was the best word I could come up with. We did visit one of these cabins to have a look and found out that its heating system consists of a coal oven which also works as your kitchen stove. (see photo on your right) You would be surprised at the amount of heat that could actually come out of that.

Because of the uniqueness of this place, we decided to stay the night to truly experience this rustic lifestyle. It was amazing. The place was truly a nature lovers dream. In the morning we then went for a tramp (NZ word for hike) to one of the local peaks to see what the area looked like from the top (as seen below).


What started out as a possible obstacle turned into a spectacular experience.

- the lone asian

Milford Sound

Our next major stopover was Milford Sound. This was situated on the western side of the south island in the famous Fiordland region nestled in the mountains. A place that often receives 200 days of rain during the year, we were fortunate enough not to be in one of those days. The sun was shinning this day.

We thought the best way to see this "sound" was by kayak, away from the several cruise ships that took the lazy... I mean, other tourists along the waters. It left us with a more intimate experience in a place that seemed magical to begin with as well as untouched to the general population.

This "sound" is one that boasts several wildlife species which include dolphins, sea cucumbers, sea urchin's and my personal favorite, the seal. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these amazing creatures as our kayak slowly drifted along side them as we watched them lather themselves up in oil.

Our guides then went as far as digging out some sea urchin, cracking it in half and having us try it. As disgusting as it may sound, it was quite tasty similar to a tofu taste with a hint of salt water.


- the lone asian

Pt II and III

Our second jump of the day was on top of Queenstown in the mountains. The twist was that the jump was going to be at night in pitch black. We decide to go there a bit earlier while there was still daylight to check out the view and watch the sun set. We also decided to hop on a luge and race down the hill just to kill some time.

As darkness fell upon us, it was show time. The good news was the jump was only 43m high compared to the 134m prior. The bad news was that we still needed to jump. What made this jump more unique (other than the fact it was at night) was that you needed to have a running start before you jumped. What was also different was that we used a chest harness rather than a leg which gave you a bit more mobility in the air.

I decided on the 180 reverse falling back into the night keeping my eye on the wooden treehouse. The only thing I remembered from this jump was how quickly the pod became so small as I hurtled towards the ground.

Our third jump came off the Kawartha bridge (seen on the right) which is the first ever commercial bungy jump site in the world. This also meant the touristiest stop to jump. Some might welcome the crowd as you fell towards the river, but others might not. We really didn’t care as we just wanted to jump. What we do care about is when there are people ahead of you that completely freak out before they jump and end up not even going. The problem with that is you begin to question whether what you are doing is really that safe and normal. In the end we ignored sensibility and reason and completed our thrillology jump with a bang.

If you ever find your way to Queenstown, New Zealand DO NOT miss out on this event!

- the lone asian

I Believe I can Fly!

Our next adventure takes us to Queenstown which is known as the adventure capital of the world. You name it, they have it. An endless supply of adventure sports for the young, old or family person.

My only goal was to do a bungy jump as this was the first place that had commercial bungy jumping. When we arrived, we quickly learned about the concept of Thrillogy; which was 3 jumps in a 24 hour span. Go BIG or GO HOME was my thought so after a bit of prodding, I convinced Island Rice to do this as well. Later, she would not regret this.

Our first jump was the highest of the three and was also rated within the top 4 in the world. Driving there, you could feel the tension on the bus as we all rode in complete silence. The location was situated in the middle of a dry canyon that was over a 134m looking down. Once you got to the jump site, all you see is a pod suspended by cables in between the canyon. Your first reaction is wonder what is crazier, jumping or going onto this pod.

The entire process didn’t take too long as they didn’t want you to think about the insanity before you jumped. It was a simple strap you in, and 5-3-1 JUMP and you were off! Gravity then takes you as if she was your best friend and dances with you all the way down. The drop is so long that just when you think the ride is over, you still continue to freefall. An unbelievable rush is what you are left with and perhaps a small dent in your wallet.

- the lone asian

Armed and Dangerous

You wanna piece of me?













Today we decide to take a quick break along the way at a place called "have a shot". With several activities involving your weapons of choice, we decide to go with the bow and arrow as well as the clay shooting. This was a nice way to break up the driving and a great way to relieve some stress from all the bloody sheep we've been seeing....

Mt Cook

Mt. Cook

The world renown Mt Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand. As we flew into this country above the clouds, this was the only piece of land that could be seen from the air. The actual drive to the mountain itself boasts some of the finest lakes in the country as it uses Mt Cook as its backdrop.

The morning we were driving there didn’t seem very promising as it was covered in clouds (apparently a common occurrence here) and we couldn’t see the peak. We drove to the local tourist office to confirm the weather report and they told us that it was scheduled to get better by noon.

We then took our chances and drove as close as we could before hopping out and doing a hike to one of its glaciers at the bottom of the mountain. The trail itself was called the “Hooker Valley trail” and it took us about 3 hours return to complete the journey. As we got there, the weather did in fact clear up as if it was New Zealand’s way of saying “welcome to our country”. As the pictures show, it was a spectacular sight to see.

Dolphin Swim

So why not get ourselves into the thick of things right away. One month may seem like a long time, but in reality it will fly by without thinking twice. We decide to start our adventure by swimming with the dolphins.

(though its hard to see, the pic on the right is myself with a hector dolphin)

These however, are no ordinary dolphins. Considered endangered, the Hector Dolphin can only be found in the south island of New Zealand. They grow to about half the size of a blue nosed dolphin (or about 3 meters).

As these animals our wild, once we end up finding a pod (group of dolphins), we need to convince them that we are a friendly bunch of people and just want to play with them. Imagine a bunch of grown adults jumping into the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean with only a wetsuit and a snorkel then pretending they are able to speak dolphin paints a pretty accurate picture of what we were doing.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

It is now time to embark on our new adventure! This leg of the journey brings us to New Zealand.

Often referenced as the Canada of Australiasia, the Adventure Capital of the World, land of the Hobbits. Whatever the claim to fame, we are here to find out!

The goal: Drive around the entire country in a campervan in one months time exploring all that we can see and do in that timeframe.

First stop: Christchurch, South Island

Not much to tell you about this place expect it's alot colder than what we were used to in Oz. Our main task was to use it as our first base as we picked up our car which will act as a bedroom, kitchen, living room and most importantly a mode of transport.

Stay tuned for more....

THE RACE IS ON!

So long Potts Point... thanks for the memories!

It's official folks!

We are now homeless once again. Giving up the apartment has been one of the hardest things we've had to do here in Australia. We've had great times at the place and we want to thank everyone who had a chance to come and visit or stay with us as you are now a part of history! Never again will we ever have a view such as this but the time we spent enjoying it will be engrained into our memories forever....

Top 5 apartment moments:

1. New Years Eve Party overlooking the bridge fireworks
2. Dinner on the rooftop watching the sunset and the bats fly over us
3. Sitting in the pool on a hot summer day, having a beer, looking at the opera house
4. Watching random fireworks on evenings without having a clue what it was for
5. Our final send off on the roof celebrating it with all the people that made our lives in Australia a memorable one

- the lone asian

Anzac Day

Today commemorates Australia’s equivalent to Remembrance Day back home (ANZAC Day). It signifies when the Australians and Kiwi’s joined forces for the first time to go into battle with what was once known as Constantinople (or otherwise known as Turkey). Though many died in the battlefield that day, their memory lives on through the people they left behind and Australian’s treat it as a day of mourning and pride.


Now that you’ve been familiarized with the history behind the holiday, let me enlighten you on the a most unique game we took part in. It’s called “Two Up”. A game that was created to pass the time during the war and since then has been banned 364 days a year. That’s right, this game is considered illegal everyday except today.

It starts off with two coins (hence the name) placed on a paddle. The coins are tossed in the air and the goal is to get both coins to equal each other in suit(as heads or tails). How the betting works is that each person must find another person to equal them in dollar value of the bet as well as agree to the opposite of heads or tails (depending on which you chose to begin with). The game really takes no skill. Your odds are essentially 50/50, yet the attention it grabs is phenomenal! Everyone plays to have a good time, yet the intensity builds as each bet is placed and the suspense of having the coins drop in your favor is nail biting.

In the end, some of us won, some of us lost but we all ended up coming out as winners as it was an experience long to be forgotten.

As the Sun Sets - One Final Party

The time has come to bid adieu to our life in Sydney. Almost one year has past in a city we fell in love with at first site, we still can’t believe it’s about to end. The good news is that our adventures will not stop here as we are planning to add a few more adventures to our collection before making the journey back home.

That being said, it was another reason to have one last celebration with all the friends that have provided us with memories, support and good times during our stay here. What better way to do this than by hosting “one last party” at the ultimate venue, on our rooftop overlooking the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and City Skyline.

We decided to add a theme of “Any and Everything Australian” to commemorate our time here.

The last thing left to sort was the music. Some of you may or may not recall that when Australians have parties here, they seem to go all out. That being said, we thought it would be fun if we got ourselves a DJ to really set the mood (we’ve come along way from when music was powered by our laptop at our first party). Luckily for us Island Rice had a local hook up (which included the full system and lights), and our buddy Spooner made the atmosphere complete with his bongo drums.

In the end, everything came together and the party was the perfect send off. (We also accomplished our goal of finishing the rest of our alcohol which had been accumulating from the several visitors we had). It was our last chance to thank everyone for making our time in Oz a special one and that is who we dedicate this entry to.


A special thanks to James and Spooner for providing the beats on the streets.

Easter Weekend Adventure

As we wind down our time in Australia, we thought we’d spend our last official long weekend in Sydney away from the city life and by the beach (ironic isn’t it?). Searching high and low for a reasonable activity to take advantage of the 4 day weekend, we end up discovering a surf trip that took us 4 hours north to a beach house called Tiona.

The house itself was situated with the beach in its backyard, while on the other side there was a gorgeous lake. What a weekend it turned out to be:

- 30 people from around the world also wanting to get away.
- Sand boarding on the Stockton Dunes one last time
- Evening party’s on the beach by the fire pit.
- Breakfast on the beach watching the dolphins pass us by
- In three days, over 6 surf sessions for everyone!
- My ultimate favorite, our first surf session in the water as the sunset, we were greeted by a full moon rising behind us
- If that wasn’t enough, throw in a windsurfing lesson and you have the perfect weekend

I don’t usually like advertising but a big thank you to the Bondi Adventure Desk Company for putting on a great time for us all…

- the lone asian