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WEEK TWENTY (Mar 16 - Mar 23)

MELBOURNE, VIC, AUS // HONOLULU, OAHU, HI

Oh, how these past twenty weeks have flown by! With only a few days left in Melbourne, the fact that we'd be leaving Australia for good this time was finally starting to sink in. We squeezed in time on Thursday evening to have some beers and watch Andy and Elisa's band practice at their house in Fitzroy. On Friday, we spent the morning doing laundry and cleaning in preparation of our imminent move-out. Once the laundry was hung and dry, we took an hour walk down Lygon Street for dinner at "Grill'd" in Carlton. It was such a beautiful night, so after dinner we forged onwards another thirty minutes through the bustling CBD and Chinatown to snap a photo of the street sign at an alleyway named AC/DC Lane (the rock group hailed from Australia). The city is known for harboring chic restaurants and hip nightclubs amongst its numerous mural-ed alleyways, and we wandered through several before catching the tram back home.

Our last Saturday in Melbourne was a busy one since we had many people left to see. We started the morning off heading to Cremorne for brunch at warehouse-turned-restaurant "Denis the Menace" with Oscar and Maddie. After saying our goodbyes, we hopped on the train to Queen Victoria Markets for some last minute souvenir shopping. An hour or so later, we made it back home to Brunswick East to drop off our purchases and change clothes since we had plans to meet with Andy and Elisa at their place in Fitzroy by 3:30pm. Just a short walk to the corner of their block on Kerr and Brunswick Street is "Evelyn Hotel"-- a bottle shop, music venue, and pub with an outdoor parklette. We bought a bottle of Prosecco at the "Evelyn Hotel" bottleO, and the staff kindly placed it on ice and provided us with four champagne flutes. A few rounds later, we caught a ride to an outdoor venue called The Boathouse at "Fairfield Amphitheater" right on the Yarra River to dance to local DJ's. It was a warm summer evening and perfect weather for our last big night out. The event ended at 9:00pm, and we temporarily split ways after flagging down a ride to Collingwood to meet up with Cole at "The Bendigo Hotel." Cole had decided last-minute to make his way down to Melbourne from Brisbane, so we wanted one last goodbye with him before we left Australia. Sally and Steve joined us, and we all shared some beers on the back patio before eventually saying g'bye to Cole and heading to "Joey Smalls" in Brunswick East to rendezvous with our original group (with Steve and Sally in tow). Andy and Elisa's pal Josh was DJing, so we continued to boogie the night away until the wee hours of the morning. After many hugs and heartfelt goodbyes, we walked thirty minutes home and knew we would miss all our new friends dearly.

On our way home to the U.S. mainland, we planned to make a short pit-stop on the island of Oahu in Hawai'i to break up the fourteen hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. We arrived at Honolulu International Airport after a nine hour flight (crossing the International Date Line midway for a trip to the past) and dropped our bags off at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. Since our check-in wasn't for another few hours, we strolled a block down the road to nap in the shade of a palm tree on world-famous Kuhio Beach. After grabbing a quick lunch at the kitschy 50's diner "Rock Island Cafe," we proceeded back to the hotel concierge to finalize our check-in and discovered we had been upgraded to a room with an ocean view! By this point, the jet-lag was catching up with us, so we laid down for another quick nap, and then spent the rest of the afternoon poolside. The next two days were spent leisurely swimming and laying out at either Kuhio Beach or the Hilton pool. Talk about a relaxing transition back to U.S. life! One night as we gathered with other beach-goers on the sand to gaze upon a fiery sunset over the Pacific, we noticed a free hula show with dancers accompanied by a traditional Hawaiian music band. Their stage was set up underneath a massive Banyan tree and stood surrounded by flaming tiki torches. As the music drifted out over the crowd, it blended seamlessly with the crashing waves behind us and the chorus of tropical birds singing high in the Banyan above. In the mood for fish, we made dinner reservations for "Tiki's Grill & Bar" at sunset on our last night on the island. The view was spectacular and the food was great as well. As we checked out the next morning, we asked the bellmen to hail us a cab ride to the airport. By sheer coincidence, there happened to be a limousine chauffeur killing some time until his next booking who offered to take us for the same price as a taxi. We left the hotel like rockstars and said our last "Aloha" to Waikiki. Not a bad way to end our five month journey!

Back in California now, we are happy to be reunited amongst family and friends, but miss Australia and our life on the road greatly. The beautiful places we visited and the many friends we made abroad will hold a special place in our hearts and memories forever. Now to start saving for and planning our next expedition….

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Last Saturday in Melbourne (Boathouse at “Fairfield Amphitheater”) with Andy & Elisa, ACDC Lane, and last goodbye to Cole 

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Waikiki (Kuhio Beach Park) in Honolulu, Hawaii 

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WEEK NINETEEN (Mar 9 - Mar 15)

MOUNT COOK, NZ // QUEENSTOWN, NZ // MELBOURNE, VIC, AUS

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest point in New Zealand, and its peak is blanketed in snow year-round. It is a popular destination for both mountain climbers and hikers alike. Since we only allotted ourselves enough time for a short stay in the area, we planned to finish two hikes in one day, beginning with the Hooker Valley Track (three hour return). We started the morning with a hearty breakfast at "The Old Mountaineer's Cafe" and made our way to the trailhead. Along the way, we crossed three wood-planked suspension bridges and meandered along boardwalks over alpine meadows of native snow tussock as Aoraki / Mount Cook's snow-capped summit gradually inched closer. The hike ended only 10km from the mountain peak at Hooker Lake, where we rested our tired legs and snacked on trail mix as we watched icebergs floating in the chilly lake. It's glacial waters are colored a cloudy grayish blue as a result of "glacial flour"-- fine grained particles of rock suspended in the water that are generated by grinding of bedrock during glacial erosion. On our walk back, we stopped at a small stream and took a refreshing drink of the pure, cool water. Once arriving back at the car, we drove 10 minutes down Tasman Valley Road for our second hike to the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake. It turned out to be a much warmer day than was forecasted, and similar to our previous hike, this one lacked any type of shade or protection from the elements. The trail on the valley floor was covered with native grasses, stones, and mosses. We carried ourselves up over 300 stairs (yes, we counted) to the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier View. Even though it was late into summer, there were still many icebergs in the lake! After showering back in the room, we headed up to "The Chamois" again for an early dinner and drinks, and then read in our bunks until lights out.

We said goodbye to the Aoraki / Mount Cook ranges the following morning, and after an hour, rolled into the country town of Twizel for breakfast. The drive down Highway 6 would eventually take us back to Queenstown for our last night in New Zealand. On the way, we stopped in Kawarau Gorge at "Gibbston Valley Cheesery," where we sampled a cheese board and drank wine amongst the vineyards. We continued our drive and stopped at historic Arrowtown, just twenty minutes outside of Queenstown city limits. The old gold-mining settlement is located in Otago high country and lies nestled in the forested hills. We strolled along the narrow sidewalks, ducked in and out of shops with western facades, and purchased a genuine New Zealand sheepskin from a wool goods store called "Back Country." As we completed the last leg of the journey into Queenstown, we watched dozens of skydivers with colorful parachutes raining down over the open farmland. We made it to our Airbnb on Wynard Crescent Road, settled into our room, and relaxed on the balcony with cups of tea as the sun set spectacularly over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. It was a perfect send off!

Our flight arrived back into Melbourne the following evening, and we were looking forward to having some down time and saving a bit of money. It was a beautiful day on Monday, so we took the tram to the Royal Botanic Gardens for a picnic. We laid our tapestry out in the shade of a tree and snacked, drank wine, and read books for several hours. We listened to birds and watched clouds whisk by until the sun grew weaker before going home. The next day we bought groceries from the local organic store on Lygon Street, beat the heat by staying indoors, and had a wonderful homemade Thai dinner with our housemates Bernie and Sav. Since our time in Australia was quickly coming to an end, we had made plans to see our friends a few more times during the upcoming weekend before we were gone for good.

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Aoraki / Mount Cook, NZ

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Hooker Valley Track at Aoraki / Mount Cook, NZ

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Hooker Valley Track // Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

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Historic Arrowtown

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Gibbston Valley Cheesery // Last sunset in Queenstown

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Picnic at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne

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WEEK EIGHTEEN (Mar 2 - Mar 8)

QUEENSTOWN, NZ // FIORDLAND, NZ

In preparation for our New Zealand trip, we spent Thursday afternoon packing our bags for the flight to Queenstown the next morning. We had plans later that evening to meet up with Andy and Elisa at "Rainbow Hotel" to celebrate Andy's birthday on the back patio with food and drinks. Located in a Fitzroy alleyway for over 140 years, "Rainbow Hotel" is one of Melbourne's oldest pubs and was established in the years following the Victorian Gold Rush. After a few hours had gone by, we went back home to catch some Zzz's since we had to be up early to catch our flight.

The three hour flight into Queenstown took us over striking mountain landscapes, vibrant aqua blue rivers, and shimmering lakes during our descent. After making it through customs, we picked up our compact rental car and then drove the fifteen minutes to our AirBnb in Shotover Country. Situated on a hillside, our windows looked across a valley towards several mountains. Once we had settled in, we drove to the town center and explored around the shops and restaurants, eventually making our way to the shore of Lake Wakatipu. Queenstown is bordered by The Remarkables mountain range and possesses a quaint alpine-town feel to it. We had dinner at "Brazz Steakhouse & Bar" before heading back to the room to shower and drink hot tea to keep warm. Toward nightfall, the wind began to howl and cleared the clouds for a grand view of the MIlky Way.

After a quick breakfast of cereal and toast provided in-room by our host, we drove to the base of Ben Lomond Mountain to ride the Skyline Gondola up to Bob's Peak. The gondola ride is the steepest one in the Southern Hemisphere, and takes riders 450 meters above Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu! Although the day was slightly overcast, the views were still overwhelmingly beautiful when we reached the top. We paid for three rides down the scenic luge track, hopped into our gravity propelled sleds, and raced to the finish line. At the end of our third ride down the track, we regretted not buying more since it was such a blast. For lunch we dined buffet-style at the "Stratosfare Restaurant and Bar," with unreal views of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables, and Queenstown through the floor-to-ceiling windows. We caught the gondola back down the mountain, and then walked across the street to visit the Kiwi Birdlife Park. The five acre conservation park houses many native and endangered New Zealand bird species such as kea (the world's only alpine parrot), morepark (an NZ owl), and kiwi. Since kiwi are nocturnal and live in ground burrows, we figured a visit to the conservation park would be our only chance to see one in person. We were fortunate to see two during the scheduled kiwi feeding and informative talk! They are a unique, flightless bird found only in New Zealand and have become a symbol ubiquitous with the country-- appearing on money, art, government seals, merchandise, etc. Due to the fact that the kiwi is endemic to the country, the name is commonly used as a term to describe New Zealanders as well. After driving back to Shotover Country, we watched the sun set over the mountains from our room and cozied up for the night.

We got ready the next morning for a short hike on the Fernhill loop on Ben Lomond Mtn. After the hike, we hopped in the car and took an hour drive north along the shore of Lake Wakatipu to the small town of Glenorchy. The scenic road to Glenorchy is riddled with vista points and places of interest. We stopped to skip stones and eat sandwiches on the pebbly beach at Twelve Mile Delta. Continuing down the road, we passed flocks of sheep grazing alongside turquoise waters and backdropped by snowy capped mountain peaks. Once arriving in Glenorchy (Population: 363), we made our way to the small wharf to take photos, and then enjoyed a pint at the "Glenorchy Hotel" before turning around and heading back to Queenstown. We pinched pennies by having dinner at "The London" in Queenstown for 2-for-1 pizzas, then headed home to rest up for an early check-out the next morning.

Before leaving Queenstown, we stocked up on groceries and filled up the car's tank for our drive to Manapouri. The spectacular two and a half hour drive down Hwy 6 first led us along the southern shore of Lake Wakatipu before breaking off into vast farmland dotted with sheep, cows, deer, and llamas. We finally checked into our small cabin accommodation at Freestone. Upon recommendation from our host, we embarked on a three hour hike through Fiordland National Park on the Kepler Track from Rainbow Reach to Shallow Bay. After crossing a hanging suspension bridge over the emerald Waiau River, we found ourselves hiking in a damp Beech forest carpeted in moss of every imaginable hue of green. In places it grew so thick over rocks and stumps, it created what we dubbed "fairy castles". Prehistoric ferns stretched out along the forest floor as far as the eye could see. The forest finally gave way to the rocky beach at Shallow Bay on Lake Manapouri, giving us our first glimpse of Fiordland's dramatic green mountainsides plunging into the dark waters. We hiked back to the car, and drove back to Freestone to make dinner. We drank wine on the front porch while listening to music and watched fantail birds perform aerial acrobatics while they captured insects. To keep warm, we started a wood fire in our cabin's cast-iron furnace and fell asleep to projections of orange flames dancing on the walls and ceiling.

We were up before the sun since our reservations to cruise Doubtful Sound (a UNESCO World Heritage site) required us to be dockside at 7:40am to board the first vessel on Lake Manapouri. As we departed Pearl Harbour, we watched a pink sunrise over majestic green mountains and reflections of clouds in the glassy lake. The 45 minute boat ride took us across the water to Manapouri Power Station where we hopped on a large tour bus for a 20km ride through a steep mountain pass. We passed dozens of waterfalls and towering granite mountains covered in trees, before making it to the Deep Cove wharf on Doubtful Sound. We immediately boarded the 32 meter Patea Explorer cruise ship, and over the next several hours proceeded to explore the main Doubtful Sound waterway and a few of its smaller "arms." Eventually, the ship made its way out to the mouth of the sound, into the choppy Tasman Sea, where we spied New Zealand fur seals, seagulls, and an albatross. At one point during the tour, the skipper brought the ship within two meters of a vertical cliff-face, and we all stared straight up the granite wall. While there is no soil on the mountains or cliffs surrounding Doubtful, the trees cling to the sheer rock by interlocking their roots together and relying on moss and lichen for water and nutrients. Our favorite part of the tour was "the Sound of Silence," in which the ship's engines were shut down completely as we gently floated on a calm inlet. The guides asked all passengers to remain quiet for a few moments, and amongst the peaceful silence, we heard the calls of seabirds and the sound of small waves crashing up against rocks as the sun shimmered on the water. During the whole tour, the guides constantly remarked on how lucky we were with the clear weather, as Fiordland is known to be one of the wettest places on the planet, raining every two out of three days! The return trip to Pearl Harbour took an hour and a half, and we took a nice afternoon nap upon our arrival to the cabin. We finished off the evening with dinner and another pleasant indoor fire before bed.

Our hosts at Freestone provided us with a breakfast basket, which we cooked up on the morning of our departure to Aoraki / Mount Cook. On our way up north, we stopped at the lakeside town of Te Anau to peruse several souvenir shops before making the five hour journey to the Mt. Cook Lodge. The road took us back through Queenstown, and we made our way through the Central Otago region past roaring turquoise rivers, vineyards, golden foothills, rocky mountains, fertile farmland (sheep! sheep! sheep!), and glacial lakes. We checked into our four-person hostel room (with bunk beds) at the lodge, and then took a short stroll along the Bowen's Bush Trail, an easy forested walking trail with information placards about various native birdlife present in the area. Aoraki Mount Cook Village is a tiny settlement, with only three lodges and two restaurants in the entire area. We had dinner at "The Chamois", the restaurant/pub situated on the lodge's second story, before retiring for the night.

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First days in Queenstown // view from the top!

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Skyline Gondola // Luge on Bob’s Peak // Queenstown, NZ

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Drive along Lake Wakatipu (from Queenstown to Glenorchy)

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Drive along Lake Wakatipu (from Queenstown to Glenorchy)

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Freestone Cabins in Manapouri, NZ

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Drive to Manapouri // Fiordland National Park | Kepler Track (Rainbow Reach --> Shallow Bay)