kanicole's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member kanicole on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kanicole en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:38:32 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Sydney here we come! — Sydney, New South Wales, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206460440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206460440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206460440/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:38:32 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Kailey and I arrived at the airport in Sydney in the afternoon, and since we had no idea what to do we went and got some McDonald's. We were relieved to discover that McDonald's here was a lot more similar to home then McDonald's in New Zealand was. After a very healthy lunch, we made our way towards the transit area hoping that there would be somebody who could tell us where to go. Luckily for us, while we were on our way some random lady asked us if we were going to a hostel and that she could get us there for $12 each. Having no idea what to do, we agreed (which turns out is the cheapest way of getting there). We had decided that we would go to Kings cross which is the area that had the most hostels around. The driver refused saying it was a crappy area and instead took us to the city central. After a few recommendations from the driver, we set out to find a hostel. Unfortunately we didn't find one the we either liked or had space, so we ended up being smoozed to stay in a newer hostel but for a higher price. Whatever though, we were tired and wanted to go to sleep so we payed and went for a kip (that's what the Brits call naps). Once awake we checked out the hostel and was very disappointed to see that it wasn't very great. There was no kitchen, the laundry machines were uber expensive and the beds were nothing really special. But meh, it was quiet and at the time we didn't care to much. We did some laundry and decided to head out for some dinner. Dinner was good. We ended up at a pricey restaurant as we had no luck finding any where else to go. Kailey had salmon and I had my first taste of Kangaroo. Kangaroo is excellent!!!!! After dinner, it was bed for Kailey and I.

The next couple of days we spent doing touristy things. We went to the Opera house, the Harbour Bridge, and Darling Harbour. The Opera House and the Bridge were cool but nothing very exciting...look exactly like they do in every photo, still cool to see in real life. Darling Harbour though is incredible! It is completely surrounded with beautiful, trendy restaurants and bars, as well as very neat architecture. Things like funky fountains everywhere and random statues. One cool part is a garden called the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It is a massive garden that is so peaceful and beautiful. Also, you can pay $10 and they let you dress up in traditional Chinese dress and take photo's, so of course Kailey and I did it!!! Another highlight, although not in Darling Harbour, is the Anzac building that we saw. This a giant building built as a tribute to soldiers. It was so well done and as soon as I have discussion with Kailey to make sure I'm correct on everything I will go into detail of what everything meant.
]]> Back to Auckland — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206285780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206285780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206285780/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:48:26 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

It took us no time at all to get back to Auckland. When we arrived we went straight to Chanelle's. Once we arrived and had chatted for a bit, the two of us took turns taking showers (we really needed it). Following getting ready we cleaned Madonna out and returned her to the rental company. By this time it was fairly late in the day and so it was pretty much time to go out for dinner. Kailey and I had decided to take our hosts out for dinner as a thank you for all of their hospitality. We went to a small Italian restaurant in town where we all ate fantastic meals and drank wine. Once our meals were done, and since we had stayed till close, we were asked to join the owner and staff for a mini party in the back (the Breeze's know the owners). Following that, we went home where we all continued to party to Abba and attempted to teach everyone how to line dance. Needless to say, it was a late night for everyone and no one was feeling very well when it was time to get us to the plane in the morning. But in the end Kailey and I made it. We did have to wait through a very long line which was hard considering how we were feeling but after some food, we were ready to leave New Zealand and head for Australia.

WOO- HOO! I'm done New Zealand!
]]> New Zealand Pictures — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205818380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205818380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205818380/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:19:25 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

This is where we are going to post all of our pictures from New Zealand instead of posting them with each entry.
]]> Coromandel Penninsula — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206182940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206182940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206182940/tpod.html Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:17:02 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

The next day we got up bright and early to our o' so beautiful view. We ate breakfast while our new friend Carl attempted to fix our rear lights. After an unsuccesful attempt as it was all in Japanese, and some brief advice from Carl as to where we should, we set off for the next part of our adventure. He told us of some neat spots but unfortunately we had our hearts set on going to the Coromondal Penninsula, which meant that we had another extremely long day in front of us. Luckily though, there was not even close to as much traffic as before. It was amazing how much quicker the trip back was. The day was pretty eventful, just filled with lots of beautiful scenery and interesting names for towns. Ha, they have a Dreary...we were going to stop and ask people if they had seen the muffin man. Haha, I'm sure that they would have to told us to leave. There was another wicked name that I can't remember right now...but Kailey...when you read this use this space to fill it in please!

Once we finally made it to the Penninsula it was beautiful! The roads however were not! They were a two lane road that barely had enough room for two cars when they passed eachother. And just to make it better, the edge was sharp...if we were to even remotely go out of the lines we would have fallen into the ocean! So not like we were stressed enough as it were, the road would randomly turn into one lane...shared by both directions of traffic. Normally that would be fine, but there were times when we had to go around sharp corners! We were both wide awake due to stress needless to say. But! On the upside we had a beautiful views of the ocean the entire time. As an added bonus the sun started setting at one point. Breathtaking!

Just after the sun had completely set we made it to the town of Coromandel. It was nice but we definitely needed to eat. But first! We had to find a place to sleep. Since we were informed that we were aloud to sleep anywhere as long as there wasn't a no camping sign up we chose a wicked spot right off the road with a bench and everything! After parking and making sure that everything was locked up, we headed into town to go for dinner.
We ate dinner on the patio of a cute restaurant and had pizza. They weren't to happy with us as they were closing soon. Oh well...we were hungry! After that, we decided that we were pretty pooped and so we headed to bed. So...who ever said that we were aloud to park where we wanted...such liars! We got a ticket for parking where we did!!! Ha, kidding it was just a warning ticket. We were so not impressed. But none the less we headed out in order to find a new place to camp. After a long search and not luck we gave in and decided to stay in a camper parker. Unhappily we headed to the office to pay but luckily for us...the office was closed!!! Since we are very clever sneaky people and read that they charge per person not vehicle, we decided to park Madonna really close to this large group of Asian people so that it would look like we were with them. And then we simply got up before the office opened and left. Muhahahahahaha!

We decided to check out a beach called Hot Water Beach on the other side of the Penninsula and so the first half of the day was spent driving there. When we got there the day was over cast but nice so we ate some cereal on the beach. Then we got into our bathing suits and read our books. This was followed by a wicked swim in the waves. Ha, it was more of a beating then it was an actual swim. This beach was really cool cuz when the tide went down there was a certain area that you could go to where you dig the sand out, making a pool. The cool thing was that this water in the pool would be like a bath. We didn't thought that it was cool but we didn't bother doing much with that as the crowd that gathered was crazy huge!!! But we had a good time on the beach none the less. Once we got hungry we decided to eat our left over pizza for lunch. We attempted to use our grill...which was interesting but didn't work very well. After our lunch we engaged in a easter egg hunt that involved us hiding a cream egg for eachother. Ha yay Easter! Following this we hit the road again to work our way back to Auckland.
Once off the penninsula we decided that it would be to far to Auckland and we were already tired, so we picked a point on the map and drove there. We never did make it there but we did find a wicked spot right on the beach where we could camp. There was sooo many campers there as well! It was crazy, miles and miles of them. But none the less it was a beautiful spot and we atleast knew that we wouldn't get a ticket! Now the only down fall of this was that there was no where to go to the washroom. Now there was a field...fare enough..we know how to squat. But see...there was miles of campers...and EVERYONE would have been able to see. So we had to hold it until really late so that people wouldn't be able to watch. So, when dark comes we venture into the field and find a place far enough that no one can see. But wouldn't you know...it just so happens that we decided to pop a squat right beside the road. Luckily for me I was finished by the time a car decided to drive by. But unfortunately for Kailey, the car knew exactly what it was that she was doing! Ha so good. If I hadn't just went, I would have peed my pants!
The sleep was good but then were again faced with the problem of going to the washroom. So, Kailey decided to go for a swim...in the very coold ocean. Ha, I was against it but faced with no other option I joined. After we dried, it was off to Auckland!!!
I am sorry ahead of time, but I don't want to edit this right now as I am ill and need to go to bed. So sorry for all of the mistakes but I want to post it was it has been awhile! Love you all!
]]> Ro-to-ru-a — Rotorua, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205918460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205918460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205918460/tpod.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:52:38 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
Rotorua, New Zealand

So we we caught the bus to Rotorua 9still shakey from falling from the sky!) and sat right in the front by the bus driver. As we were getting into the city...town?...another passenger came up and was asking the driver about a specialty drop off and all of a sudden we hit a duck! Not a pleasant thing to see. We were a little horrified with our prime seating but managed to not a make a scene. When traveling to Rotorua, you know when you've arrived by the lovely smell that assaults your nose. This place is known for its natural geysers that bubble and boil all over town. They smell like sulpher but you sorta get used to it right away. We had made reservations by phone in Wellington for one of the two X-bases in town. When we got to ours, we asked the receptionist and she had no reservation. She called the other hostel but their reception had closed for the night...at 7:30! She ended up having beds available so we hauled our stuff up to the room and found a huge dorm. It was a big room with a bathroom and 4 beds in the main room and then another 4 in each of the side rooms. We found our beds in one of the side rooms but then discovered that the doorknob was missing. What a crap place. The bathroom was awful and the shower had about 3 streams of water coming out of the head and it didn't drain. GROSS!! Maybe we were just hungry...you all know how we are when we get hungry, and if you only know one of us, we're both grumpy-monkeys when we need food. Watch out! So we went down the street, bypassed the Hungry Mole, and went into Lonestar. After checking out the menu, we decided there was nothing that we really wanted so we sneakily asked the host for a recommendation on a pasta place. I know we're awful. He sent us to this place with fabulous pasta but they ended up turning the lights out on us as we finished up our drinks! It was only 9:30. We've closed down bars before but never a restaurant! At least the realized that we were still there and apologized. So we took off and made our way back to the hostel, not without coming across some creeps though. First we thought there was just one but then another one appeared. We think they could have been twins. They tried to talk to us and then got up and started following us. Good thing for us, they were slow and we power walked/ran our asses off. We ducked into the bar next to our hostel and tried to hide behind a group of people. Thankfully we lost them. Since we were already at the bar though.....we grabbed a beer. Shocked, aren't you? We grabbed a seat on the patio and ended chatting with some locals. We then remembered that all the X-bases give you 2 for 1 coupons for beer at their bars when you check in and we hadn't used any of ours yet. And this my friends is how backpackers get to go out and have a good time and not spend much money.

As you can guess, the next morning was not the best we ever had. We tried to eat our leftover pizza but it was really difficult trying to pick all the bits of napkin off of it. Damn Karma. So we went downstairs to see if we could book the black water rafting through the Waitomo caves. We were super pumped as the "lovely" receptionist from the night before said we could book it in the morning. What she failed to tell us is that the caves are an hour away and the bus there left at 7. Boo! We still had time to make it there if we could find some other kind of transportation so it was off to the info center. We started making calls to see if we could rent a car for the last part of our trip and take it up the coast. Well we called at least a dozen places that denied us because we weren't 21. So still a little determined we decided while walking down the street to pop into this little hostel to ask the man behind the counter if he knew anything we didn't. BINGO!! What a wise man, he's ran that hostel for something like 17 years and knows everything! He convinced us that the caves suck and to do this other white water rafting that day just outside of town. Then he called up the first rental place he saw in this book and reserved us a car for the next day. He also somehow convinced us to catch the 3:30 am bus outta town to pick up the car in Auckland. After tons of thanks we grabbed some lunch and swimsuits and waited for the shuttle bus.

On the way to the site, we chatted with some Irish girls who were kayaking the same river. When we arrived at the site, we changed into our suits and also threw on some shorts and a fleece sweater. The staff fitted us with life jackets, helmets and wetsuit boots. They gave us a quick lesson on how to paddle and then it was off to the river. The water felt pretty warm for us Canadian girls. We all hopped into the rafts, there were 3 of us in one raft with 2 guides and a group of 6 people with 2 guides in the other, as well as 2 two-person kayaks. The rafting was soo much fun! we even jumped out and swam at one point. There were a few small waterfalls and a seven meter waterfall! How awesome is that? At the end of the route they got us girls to sit in the very front of the raft and then paddled us into one of the smaller waterfalls. basically the water pounds down on you and you almost drown....but we just sat there and couldn't stop laughing, in between sputtering breaths of course. After completely soaking us, we all piled out of the boat and had to carry it back up to the van. they're kind of awkward to carry especially with us being the tall ones in the middle and have short people in the front and back. We made it back in one piece though and thats what really counts.

After an exhausting afternoon, we were taken back to the hostel and we decided to tan/sleep on our balcony. We lazed about for quite some time and chatted with the girls in our room, one of them was actually a nurse in Calgary! She lived right by Chinook mall, crazy! We then decided that it was time for food and headed back to Lonestar. Not for another recommendation! We actually stayed and ate today. The food was quite good and we thanked our favorite host again. We had to hurry and rush back to the hostel to make it back in time for the second part of our Wife Swap episode. After sweet talking some of the boys in the TV room we were able to enjoy a drama filled episode! We also met an English guy and Paul, a good ol' Saskatchewan boy. They joined next door for a beer and we learned a little about cricket. Everyone was kicked out of the bar at midnight though, as it was now officially Good Friday. We were just hanging around outside when we met a fairly intoxicated local Maori man. He was hilarious and as soon as he found out we were Canadian he informed us that his wife was Canadian! Unfortunately she was eaten by a bear, and he now has nobody to make his eggs. Haha even though there are no bears in Alaska...err New Zealand. That was quite a laugh. But then we headed 'home' for a quick nap before we caught the 3:30 am bus to Auckland. We ended up making it to the bus stop on time, but unfortunately the bus was an hour late! Boo! So we sat in the cold street waiting when we could have been in our crappy dorm, but warm bed. We ended up sleeping the entire way to Auckland, and the bus ended up being another hour later than expected. After another confusing city bus ride we made it to the rental shop on time to pick up our car. Finally!
]]> Madonna — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206087120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206087120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1206087120/tpod.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:07:43 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

Our car....so rad! We ended up getting a stationwagen that had everything! It was such a good setup. We could put the back seats of the car down, and then place onto of them this giant piece of plywood, that folded up when not in use, over this. Then we could put the mini mattresses down, topped by our bedding. Oh it gets better. We got a tent thingy that we could put over the back of the stationwagen so that we could keep the back door open. Also! We got a burner and cooking gear. It was such a sweet set up that we plan to copy!

Once we were done getting the 411 on all of the gear, Kailey bit the bullet and got into the drivers seat. After a few stressful minutes for Amanda, you would have thought that Kailey was used to driving on the wrong side of the road. Haha just kidding, she had it from the start. But we immediately drove to a Denny's to get some breakfast. Oh Denny's. We got the nastiest orange juice. We have found out the hard way that they will make fake orange juice (that tastes like Tang) in New Zealand but then add pulp. So all of you who don't like pulp in your oj...have no fear, the pulp is not wasted. Yah, needless to say, we didn't drink much of it.

After our not so filling breakfast, we set out on the long journey to the Bay of Islands. Road tripping is such a blast, especially when you are in another country. Thankfully, our car had air conditioning as it was soo hot! We were dieing. We had to make a quick stop to change into our bathing suites we were so hot. Also, just to add to the heat, it just so happened that we decided to road trip on Easter Friday...so the roads were soo busy. Haha in fact, so were the gas stations! We had such a terrible experience at one! We had just left the city when we saw a sign saying expect delays, construction. So, like everybody else on the road, we decided to pull off and get gas. Haha this gas station was so dumb. To start, they didn't have pay at the pump so everybody had to go in side which held all who were waiting up brutally. Secondly, half of the the pumps would randomly stop working. And to top it, the guy in front of us in the line (who we were stuck behind) was dumb. Instead of him filling while his girlfriend went inside to pay, she sat while he pumped. Then when he went inside, he didn't even stand in a line. He stood in between the lines and just stood there. Dunno what happened there, apparently he got confused. Anyways, it took us an hour to get a tank of gas.

But! Once we were on our way, all was good! Just 2 crazy Canadians and the road...oh..and Madonna. Madonna is our car. We decided that it was a fitting name as we had never rented a car or drove long distances on the other side of the road. It was like we were "virgins" to driving. Tee hee. Corny but funny.

Many hours later, we arrived in the Bay of Islands. What a beautiful place! One of our favs. We parked the car and then headed to get food and wandered. After a few hours of this, we decided that we should find a place where we could camp over night. We ended up meeting a German couple who had found a good spot so told us where to go. To bad we couldn't understand them very well cuz we definitely never found it. Ya we just drove around for awhile with no success. By this time it was dark and we were ready for bed. We ended up spotting this random car that had the perfect spot right in front of a little bay which the best view. So we asked if we could join and then parked our car.

While we were setting up, our neighbor came over and informed that our rear lights weren't in working order. Way to go rental store. But on the upside, we started to chat with the guy and he was so neat. His name was Carl and he had been living out of his car for a year. For a living he was a bottle picker, but a scientific one. Haha or so he said. Nah, it was actually really cool. What he did was measure a certain distance and then count how many bottles he could find. His goal of this was to prove how bad New Zealand was for recycling. Over a bottle of wine that he supplied, he showed us all of his photo's which really shocked us. It was amazing how many bottles he would find in such small distance and just how much money he was making from doing this! Carl was at the time waiting for a letter from the prime minister of New Zealand in regards to the matter, as he sent her his data and some photo's. He was a very kind and interesting man!

After chatting with him for a bit, Kailey and I hit the sack falling asleep to a perfect view.
]]> Skydive Taupo!!! — Taupo, North Island, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205835180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205835180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205835180/tpod.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:25:10 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

Well the day started with another early morning start. We caught the bus right away and headed to Taupo. After a long and boring bus ride we headed straight for our hostel, which we booked this time just in case. It was another X-Base which was nice but nothing special. We tried for a dorm again which we got, but had no room mates. It was pretty late after we did laundry and such so we just went out for dinner, which had really bad service!!!, then went home to bed. And besides...we had a really busy next day. The next day we got up, had breakie, got picked up by a limo...ladida...and then went to our SKYDIVE! It was awsome...everyone in the limo was freaking out hard core while us two were the calm cool ones. Once we got there we went through the training, booked everything and then found out that it was to cloudy and we couldn't dive. They rebooked us for later in the day with hopes that it would clear up. We were a little worried as we were catching a bus later that night to Rotarua. To calm our nerves we staked out a Pizza Hut that had a buffet and waited for the one employee to make all of the pizza and open. We felt for him but we wanted pizza. This was a great idea. We stuffed ourselves silly and then wrapped some pieces in napkins for later. Hey...we're backpackers....take wat we can get. Thankfully the weather cleared and we got picked up again and this time we gotta dive. We will be posting our videos once we have lots of time...they take hours to load...and we're not exaggerating. This was incredible...we highly recommend diving...such a rush. After that we went and caught a bus. YAY!
]]> Farewell South Island — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205573460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205573460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205573460/tpod.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:12:14 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

Late night or not Kailey and I were up bright and early in order to catch the bus taking us to the fairy in Picton. The bus trip was very uneventful so we just attempted to sleep the entire time. The ferry was actually really nice. They had a movie theater on it, a tv room, multiple eating areas, and an area with reclining leather chairs to sleep in. After grabbing a bite to eat that is exactly where Kailey I headed. We sat our buts in those comfy leather chairs and didn't move the entire trip, aside from bathroom breaks. Oh...interesting note. There is no such thing as a bathroom or washroom....they are simply toilets. Haha it's still weird to us to ask where the toilet is.

Once in Wellington we headed to the nearest hostel to book a room and for the first time ran into a problem. It just so happened that there was tons of events in Wellington that weekend and soo every single hostel was booked solid. As per a suggestion we headed to the Best Western near by and ended up running into this Dutch girl by the name of Desi (pronounced Dayshe). We decided that if we were gunna have to foot a bill for a real hotel it'd be cheaper with three. Unfortunately we were told that the cheapest room that the hotel had left was $260. We almost shit a brick. So passing up that we decided to wander. After wandering for awhile and asking a few people if they knew anywhere we were preparing ourselves to have to sleep on the beach somewhere. Luckily we ended up passing this place that looked so posh and rented short-term or long-term stay appartments. Desi said that we should go in and see if they have anything. Kailey and I were like no way that we will be able to afford that. But alas, we went in and asked the guy at the desk...well Desi did. To our surprise he said that he did! He called it his backpackers special! It was only $25 each (which is a pretty standard hostel price) and that it wasn't really up to the hotels standards as it used to be a storage room that he converted to this. It was sooo nice! We had a king size bed and a single, a tv, fridge, iron, ironing board, our own grill, coffee, tea, a steaper and showers and a kitchen downstairs. Luxury. We are still shocked that that worked out. Once we were settled, we spent the night exploring and ate dinner at a Belgium pub with excellent food.

The next day was pretty chill. They were having a dragon boat festival so we went to that. That was cool. A bunch of the schools were competing so we watched that for a good while. Then we explored more and found a grocery store and got groceries. We had an easy night watching movies as Kailey and I were both sick and decided that it was about time we just chilled. By the way...Kinking Boots...rent it. Fantastic!

Today...St.Patties Day!! One of the best days of the year!!! Hoorah! We started the day with going to the museum. We couldn't find the one we wanted...we thought that we were at the right one but found out later that we sure weren't. The one that we went to was not very good. The museum was a dumb set up with an overload of information...there was just to much all at once so by the time we got through the first exhibit we were just like huh. Also, we really wanted to find out about the history behind the maori people. Mainly we wanted to know how Europeaners went about colonizing New Zealand and how this effected the maori people and their culture. This museum did such a bad job at this. They gave such fabricated explanations in the sense that they completely "forgot" to mention any resistence and conflict that occured from the maori. They said that the agreement was peaceful which we later learned they got only some tribe reps to sign and they were drunk. Also, when we asked one of the staff members about it they just told us exactly what was on the sign. This part of New Zealand's past we have found is it's dirty little secret.

After this dissapointment we went to the pub to get a guiness and then headed back to the hotel to say good bye to Desi who was heading to Asia. After good byes we went to a pub that was right down the street from where we were staying. What an experience. To start, we walked into the pub and everybody, which were in midsong, went silent. They turned, looked at us and then started to clap and whistle. Turned out that we were one of the only girls in the pub. We were gunna go but then we saw that they made chicken fingers and fries which no body in New Zealand does. It turns out that we were in a pub that was full of English Barmy Army fans (cricket and rugby team). It was so much fun. Everybody would sing their team chant in which we learned some of. We actually have a video of it but it got screwed up on the camera so once we figure out how to fix it will be up. After chilling there for a bit we decided to head to Molly Malones Irish pub. On the way we stopped off at KFC and got fries, gravy, and cheese. Oh we made some of the best poutine ever! Mmmmm. Once we made it to the bar it was sooo packed...it was brutal. It was shoulder to shoulder and it was atleast a 15 minute wait for a drink. So we left. We wanted to go somewhere else but didn't find anywhere that we really liked. So we just went home. Another early night but meh. We had a busy day. And besides...we're good girls!
]]> Off to Kaikoura — New Zealand, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205396880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205396880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205396880/tpod.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:13:12 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
New Zealand, New Zealand

So first of all...we lied. Tee hee. Confuse you all...just to see who is paying attention. We got our dates a bit messed up. We were in Queenstown for the 11th and 12th and then in Kaikoura for the 13th and 14th.

But anyways.We caught a bus leaving Queenstown at 7am...who knew that there was such a time. Kidding. The bus was fine aside from the terrible lady who sat in front of us. She was such a snob who kept ramming her seat into Amanda'a knees and she had whiskers....almost a full beard!!! Because of her grumpy attitude topped with goolish looks we have knited her Troll Thing. It was going to be Troll Lady but we didn't think that she passed as a lady. Once we arrived in Christchurch we had a brief stop over until getting onto another bus heading to Kaikoura. Troll Thing was also on this one however she didn't sit by us. But have no fear! This trip was even more entertaining. This couple that sat across the isle and one row up from us made out for the first half of the trip. Well...we hope that that's all they did. We were sad that we didn't have popcorn but you can't ask for everything. Anyways...about half way through the trip the guy ended up getting road sickness. Now this isn't just any ordinary road sickness. He was fully vomitting in a bag but the worst part was his spitting after. EEWWWWW. It was nasty...but atleast it didn't stink!

Once we finally arrived in Kaikoura we immediately set out to find a hostel. We ended up at a really nice one that we had to pay a bit extra for as they only had one of their suites left. It was nice. This hostel was crazy though. They had a huge pool, a hot tub, a giant deck and mini restaurant. We had one of the best stirfry's of our lives and it was cheap. It was a easy night that we spent chillin in the room just watching some tv before heading to bed. Soo wifeswap...if you don't watch it...you should! It was intense!

The next day we got up early in hopes that we would be able to go on the dolphin swim that we were on the waiting list for. Unfortunately everyone showed so we didn't get to go but we decided to go on the seal swim instead. We are soo glad that we did though! Not only was this one cheaper but apparentely there are only 6 total areas in the world that you can get so close to the seals. We were able to swim with the seals around Kaikoura because they don't have any natural predators. They think that the reason sharks don't enter the area is due to the large amount of dolphins. Anyways, we headed straight to the shop we leave from and chilled there till we went on the swim. Here Amanda ended up almost chopping part of her finger off with a wine opener...didn't your mom ever teach you not to play with things that aren't yours. Haha nah, it was nothing that bad. Eventually they loaded us onto a bus, everyone in wet suites, drove us for about 15 minutes and told us all about the New Zealand fur seals. Interesting point: the fur seal is more closely related to dogs then other seals!

This was such an incredible experience and we were super lucky. Firstly, while we are on the boat to the dive spot the dolphins went off course and came to play with boat! That was awsome as we got to see the dolphins and the seals for the price of one! Secondly, we had a small group which allowed everyone more personal interactions with the seals! Once we were in the water, it wasn't that much fun as the seals were all on land. But eventually there was sooo many of them in the water! It was crazy, they would come right up to you! You thought that they were going to headbutt you but then in the last second they would dive under you! We weren't allowed to touch them but it was still sooo incredible!

After the dive we went out for lunch. We did not have a good experience with this. The food was so bad. Kailey's naucho's were a disgrace to the naucho world! But our afternoon perked up when a bunch of the locals told us that we had to go to a giant party that night. Apparently we managed to come on one of their biggest nights of the year. They have a bunch of New Zealand bands come to play and everybody goes. So we got tickets to that which thankfully were pretty cheap. After that we went to find a new hostel that was cheaper and we ended up at a place called The Lazy Shag. Ha, what a name. We were very lucky, we arrived just as a room got cancelled. We had to pay for a suite again but it actually ended up being cheaper for us. The hostel rooms were a dollar cheaper but then you had to pay 2 dollars for a blanket which ours came with. Haha suckers. This was a great hostel. When were making dinner we ended running into some Canadians that we had met at the Hokitika Wild Food Festival. Random hey! Talking to them we met some more Canadians, some Americans and a Dutch girl that we convinced to come to the concert that night. After dinner we all headed to the party. What a blast. Kailey was on a mission to get on stage...and she sure did! We just spent the night dancing up a storm and then ended up partying for a bit with the band. We ended up ditching out when everyone was gunna go to a locals house to party. We weren't down with going to some random house when we had no idea where we were. So we just went home like good little rockstars!
]]> Queenstown 2 — Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205308740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205308740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kanicole/1/1205308740/tpod.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:17:03 -0400 Canadian Girls Gone Wild - LETS DO IT!
Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

Once arriving in Queenstown we immediately went and booked our hostel room at the X-Base. We ended up in one of their ensuite rooms again as they are just so nice (by hostel standards anyways). Gerard decided to stay the night before he left us, so it was us three and this girl names Chelsea from Ireland. You should have seen her legs the poor girl. She had been on one of the glaciers the other day and OMG was she ever burnt! She had a huge blister on her calve and could barely walk. We felt soo bad for her. The crappy part was that she took sun screen with her and just didn't think that she was burning. We snow dwellers know better. The night was spent out on the town celebrating Gerards farewell. We ended up drinking waaay to much redbull. No good. Needless to say it was a very early night and we have forever deemed redbull as the Devils Drink.

The next day started with Amanda realizing that she was very hungover, followed by Gerard leaving us and then his bed being taken by a Brazilian guy. The day was fairly slow going as Amanda had to sit and take a break every couple of steps for the first bit of the day :( But! Nothing that some peanut butter and a breakfast beer can't handle! We thought that it would be a good idea to go to our fav restarurant in Queenstown and get our chicken ceaser wraps....good hangover cure. Ya...not so much. They were sooo bad. Boo to restaurants that aren't consistent! OH!!!! And don't worry we do have a photo of Amanda hurting and we promise that it will be up soon.

The next couple of days weren't that exciting. We just relaxied and wandered around exploring the area. It is soo beautiful...what a perfect area.
]]>