Oz 2010-2011: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

For shits & giggs, I've plotted my journey in Oz and New Zealand (11/2010-10/2011) on this map. The dotted lines represent traveling by plane and the solid lines represent traveling by train or automobile. Oz is such a huge country, it'd take me at least 2 years to backpack it properly. As such, I didn't have the time (nor the $) to explore the Kimberleys or SA :( I am, however, proud to say that I literally came full circle and achieved most of my work/travel goals in Oz. Hallelujah! Let it be known that if you (YES, you!) are in need of Oz-y backpacker-ish tips/advice, you know who to holler at.



(START)
Melbourne

flew: San Francisco > Melbs
worked: 3 months in Melbs
roadtripped: up to Sydney (coastal route)
roadtripped: down to Melbs (inland route)
flew: Melbs > Auckland
roadtripped: down the North Island to Wellington (inland route)
roadtripped: down the South Island to Queenstown (coastal route)
flew: Christchurch > Sydney
flew: Sydney > Perth
worked: 2.5 months in Perth
flew: Perth > Alice Springs
roadtripped: west to Kings Canyon & Ayers Rock
roadtripped: east to Alice Springs & up to Darwin
worked: 9 weeks in Jabiru
flew: Darwin > Cairns
roadtripped: down to Byron Bay (coastal route)
road the rails: down to Sydney (coastal route)

(FINISH)
Sydney

Freshly-Picked Almondfruit ― New Zealand

Ever wonder what almonds freshly picked from an almond tree look like? I never did, until I came across a lovely almond tree at Almond Court Motel in Alexandra, New Zealand not two weeks ago. Check out the pic above. A fuzzy-wuzzy, green-ish exterior (called the hull) surrounds the almond + the almond shell. Inside the hull, a "hard woody shell" lovingly cradles the edible nut. (Be careful when breaking the hull part from the shell part! 3 earwigs crawled outta one of the almond fruits when I opened it, true story!) The almond nut itself, in its 100% natural, un-roasted, un-salted state, is far from crunchy and rather soft when bitten into. Nothin' like freshly-picked Kiwi almonds in small-town Kiwiland.

Fishermen Selling Fish from a Boat ― Wellington Harbour

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Wellington, New Zealand... 20 March 2011, to be precise. And after Uncle Allan, Auntie San and I sniffed through Harbourside Market, we serendipitously stumbled upon this wee boat of fishermen sellin' fresh fish! The custies were all lined up to place their orders so that minutes later, they'd have fresh fish in their hands, filleted or cut up exactly to their liking, ready to be baked or grilled or pan-fried back home. Oh, how jealous I was! It's hard having access to an oven when you're travelling, ya know. But what a lovely concept ― fishermen selling local fish from their very own boat! Can't get much fresher than that.

Corn Cooked in a Hot Spring ― Whakarewarewa, NZ

At Whakarewarewa, a real Maori village filled with natural wonders such as active geysers and bubbling mud pools, one can sample sweet corn on the cob cooked in a natural hot spring! Located in Rotorua, New Zealand, Whakarewarewa is also known as "The Living Thermal Village." Auntie San, Uncle Allan and I were lucky enough to chat up some locals in the village cookin' up corn when we visited. They were informative, super-friendly, and downright proud of how successful Whakarewarewa has become (a prime tourist destination in Rotorua).



See the beautiful, crystal-clear/turquoise-y pool of water in the photo above? You'd think it was man-made, wouldn't you? But nope, it's all natural. Look closely and you'll notice steam wafting out of the hot spring. Kooooool, isn't it??! The Maoris living in Whakarewarewa use this particular hot spring to prepare flax and other materials for weaving, and of course to cook food! Just prior to taking that photo, I watched in awe as a Maori lady threw a mesh bag of de-husked, cut-up pieces of corn into the hot spring. I was informed it takes about 25 minutes for the corn to fully cook.

Many of us know how grilled corn tastes, as well as boiled corn, sautéed corn and possibly even fried corn. But the taste of corn cooked in a natural hot spring?????! UNIQUE. For me, the corn was unique not so much in taste, but in texture. When eating boiled corn on the cob, it usually requires quite a bit of teeth action to get the kernels off the cob and into your mouth. Conversely, the corn cooked in the hot spring required very little teeth action, its texture was sorta mushy and almost too soft for my liking! Though its cooking method was kool, nothin' beats grilled corn on the cob!!!

Whittaker's Chocolate ― A Well-Stocked Shelf

And there you have it, folks. Behold. A well-stocked shelf of Whittaker's Chocolates at Pak 'N Save in Lake Taupo, New Zealand. Made in Kiwiland and consumed by heaps of Kiwis, Whittaker's Chocolates are everywhere here in NZ! Just look at all the different flavours that exist!!! Has anyone tried the 62% Cocoa Dark Mocha one? If so, holla @ your girl. Want to know if it's worth trying, otherwise I'll keep my $3.49 NZD, thank you. DO TRY: 72% Dark Chocolate & Toasted Coconut.

Pasifika Festival 2011 - PICTURES - Auckland, NZ

Last minute 3-week vacay in NZ. Randomly decided to fly into Auckland. From Melbourne, twas only a 3.5 hr flight. Lucky enough to have been in town for the annual Pasifika Festival just last Sat 12 March 2011. Simply sick, boss! Though I grew up in Toronto, the most multicultural city in the world, I've never seen so many Pacific Islanders in my life! Not in one place, anyway. The festival reminded me of Toronto's annual Caribana festival, only it was a celebration of the islands in the Pacific as opposed to islands in the Caribbean.

Vibrant. Colourful. Tropical. Rhythmic. Well-organized and well-maintained... with an ample amount of rubbish bins and public toilets. And located in the most appropriate park ever, Western Springs Park, a beautiful public space filled with palm trees, lush hills and a huge lake in the centre of it all. I was blown away by all this festival had to offer! Did I mention how good-looking Maori men are?! Haha. And dannnng you should have seen the queue at one of the food stands serving the vanilla ice cream served in a pineapple! I regret not tryin' one of dem thangs. Best: 1814's closing performance of live reggae on the Air New Zealand Int'l Stage. Perfect way to end off the day. Enjoy the slideshow!