New Zealand Times

Today's writer:  Shanno
Ok soooo I feel like it's prolly been ages since the last time we've written a blog.  And maybe that's because it is?  Newayz I'm just gonna sum up the rest of the New Zealand rather than go into toooo many details about the north island.  Basically, the north island was good, it was great.  BUT, if anyone plans to go to New Zealand....do the SOUTH. 100 times better!

Nights slept in our van (his name was Zed for those of you who dont know) -48 nights of amazingness. And for those of u who are wondering, yes I fell in Love with Zed.  I didnt know it was possible to fall in love with a mini-van...but apparently it is

Nights we paid to sleep- 4 nights out of 48.  Not sure how we managed this...but wut can we say, when ur good, ur good.

Knocks on r window while we were sleeping- only 3!! not bad at all

Parking Tickets- 1 - $200 freedom camping ticket

Parking tickets unpaid- 1. go us

Showers- 14. yes 14 for 48 nights. for those of you wondering how the hell did u let this happen....live out of a van...you'll understand.

Types of Showers- in a fitness center, hostel, public shower w/no privacy, gas station, cold water only pretty much every time, $5 for an 8 minute public shower, $2 for a 5 min public shower in a shelter, a shower with no door, and a few beach showers.

Hikes throughout NZ- 30 hikes

Number of Hours spent Hiking -50.5 hours
To sum up NZ, it was amazing.  :)  Living out of a van for 2 months was quite the experience and something I  don't think we would have changed for the world.
We've been in Australia for about the last 6 weeks and are now getting ready to leave for South America!!!!!! Sorry we've been pretty bad at blogging but we'll be seeing everybody sooner than u can say "soon."  Ok and if u actually just tried that...ummm well just keep saying it and pretty soon it will actually come true  :)   Shalom in ur homes  :)

Mountain Madness and Goodbye to the South

Today's writer:  Klemm
Guess who's back...back again?  Alright so after the Milford Sound we headed back to the east side of the south island to Dunedin.  It was raining which seems to be a common theme around here these days, so we didn't stick around too long.  We checked out the world's steepest street (Baldwin St.) where I found this unfortunate girl that didn't know how to work an umbrella...

Next, we headed over to Mt. Cook which is the highest mountain in New Zealand.  This place was aaaamazing and definitely one of the top things for us in NZ.  We did a couple hikes, almost turned into icicles overnight, and then did a couple more hikes (yes, again)...definitely worth it...


From Mt. Cook we worked our way up the east coast through Kaikoura and then back over to the north west to check out the Abel Tasman Track.  We had worked it out that we would get there on Thursday since that was the ONLY sunny day over the 5 day forecast.  Soooo which day do you think I decided to get sick? :)  To this day, I'm not really sure how Shan put up with me on this hike...from being my walking motivator, bathroom finder, and my lookout for hikers as I puked twice, she was a true champ on this 8 hour hike of misery...yes, you read correctly, 8 hours.  I haven't been more happy to see our van than I did that day when this hike was over.  But we made it, and it was really pretty.  I was not.


Nelson was our next stop for a couple days where we checked out some markets and finally had a night out on the town.  For those considering living in a van, which I'm sure is most of you, note that finding free overnight parking in the city where there is little risk of getting tickets is sometimes hard to find....buuut when a night out calls, we had to answer :)

Next up was the Queen Charlotte Track and the Marlborough Sounds.  We hadn't done much running lately and since according to the psycho I travel with "hiking doesn't count as working out" (says who other than her??  NO ONE!) she thought it would be a good idea to start running our hikes instead of walking.  I was as excited as many of you probably are just thinking about it.  In the end it did feel pretty good (I hate admitting when she's right) and believe it or not, the good views come to you faster!


From here we headed to Picton where Zed would catch the ferry with us to the north island.  Goodbye South Island...we will miss you :(

Still. Alive. ....In New Zealand

Today's Writer:  Shanno

So let me start by saying, New Zealand is soooo beautiful it's siiiiiiick.  Driving through the country is amazing in itself (and yes, r van w/about 590,000 km is still working thank goodness),but doing some of the hikes are just unreal.  And pretttttty sure there are about 9 zillion hikes to do here.  So while we were still on the west coast we checked out both of the glaciers and did a few hikes around them.

Afterwards, we headed down to Lake Wanaka which was AMAZING. We decided to do one of the harder hikes up to Roy's Peak because we were told we would get some pretty good views on a clear day. Little did we know that it was going to be the hardest mountain climb ever.  It took 2.5 hours to get up to the top..which doesn't sound bad i know...but it was literally walking up the steepest hill ever. for 2.5 hours straight. We couldn't breath, we ran out of water, and r legs were shaking uncontrollably, but we made it.  :)  And the views were riiiiiiiidiculous.  When we finally got down, we had a lil mini celebration for surviving....

We also decided that since Lake Wanaka had pretty much the best views ever, we should prolly do r skydive here.  The weather was amazing, we weren't really doing much, so decided at about 3pm we should do it at 4pm.  Right when we decided and realized we were actually going to do it...I'm pretty sure I got SICK to my stomach and couldn't even talk.  Klemm of course was fine...and I on the other hand finally convinced myself that I would rather be skydiving than giving birth.  I think it helped.  But lets just hope I don't have to go thru labor netime soon. But newho, we did it...and the views were unreal, the free-fall amazing, there was no puking, no shoulders popping out, and we decided we definitely want to do it again! So if u haven't been skydiving yet and wondering if u should go, DO IT. But if you die, please don't blame me. :)

After Wanaka and a few other pit stops, we made r way to Queenstown-The Adrenaline Capital of the World!  This is where we decided to risk our lives again and where we would be doing the bungy jump and canyon swing. Of course when thinking about these things, I was already getting anxiety...and Klemm was of course not even freaking out at all. The night before our bungy jump, I had nightmares alllll night long. I couldn't sleep.  And when ur sleeping in a van which = r house, I guess that meant Klemm didn't sleep either. Whoops.

But newazy, there are two different bungy jumps u can do in Queenstown.  One of them is the world's first original bungy and the other is the newer and highest one in Australasia.  I decided to do the world's first, which was off of a bridge, and Klemm went for the Nevis which was the higher one.  We both decided that doing the bungy jump was way more nerve-racking than skydiving.  And we both decided that we definitely want to do it again!  After both of r bungy jumps we also did the canyon swing together which was equally awesome.  Klemm also did another one on her own by going upside down and backwards. I think my hands were sweating just watching her!

After we somehow survived all these lil kid games, we made r way down to Milford Sound.  This is one of the places we were looking forward to the most.  So when we got there and it was raining and the mountains were covered in fog, I almost shed a lil teardrop.  BUT, since we have nothing but time, we decided to chill out for a few hours....and wah lah..best thing ever.  Glad we waited bcuz the first picture is with the fog....yikes.

Back to the east siiiiiiiide.......

New Zealand Allows us to enter...barely

Today's writer:  Klemm
So you would think that entering New Zealand would be a piece of cake, hmmm let's just say, someone call BORDER CONTROL!  We had even been forewarned to have a flight pre-booked for our departure from New Zealand so we were prepared when they asked for proof of this.  What we weren't prepared to hear was, "I'm sorry, it looks like your visa in Australia expires on March 9th, so this flight from NZ to Aussie for March 29th will be invalid."  "Excuse me, what?!!"  We were determined to prove her wrong...

After frantically doing research on the floor of the post office in the airport before they closed the check in gates, it turns out that yes, she was right.  Our new "1 year" visa we thought we had, was only valid for 3 months and to get another one, what do you know...you had to be OUTSIDE of Australia...does the airport count?  No.
As they were literally over the walkie telling baggage to hold on for two more bags, we were very "happily" purchasing our new "fully refundable" (minus the cancellation fee) flight to Australia on March 8th for the low cost of $915.  We were finally allowed to board.  New Zealand, we are NOT off to a good start.
Once we finally arrived in Christchurch at 12:30am we had planned to sleep in the airport, but were a little nervous about getting busted.  Much to our surprise, we weren't the only backpackers with this idea...hello neighbors...

In Christchurch, we were shocked to see what a ghost town it was.  After being hit by a bad earthquake a year ago and many smaller ones still today, the town is in very bad shape and many people have left.  They actually built a temporary "downtown" using semi containers as shops...

We decided not to stick around long, but first needed to figure out what to do...multiple friends said we better not hitchhike, the bus didn't stop everywhere we wanted to go, turns out renting a car/van is a lot more expensive than we thought, and buying a car...well that would just be crazy...so, that's what we did!  Surprise mom and dad, hope our mechanic skills are up to par!  The sellers seem like nice people, right?...

After the big purchase we had to stock up for our nutritious canned food diet and get a few things to make our 4-wheel friend our new home for the next two months...

Curtain installation was a fun lil project.  Let's just say, I maaay have an idea where the stereotype that girls are clueless when it comes to hardware shops comes from.  No really, I knew exactly what I was doing...

Once we finally got on the road we were headed west through Arthur's Pass where we realized quickly the scenery on this road trip was going to be amazing!  We dusted off our hiking shoes and got a few hikes under our belt.  I realized I better get used to this hiking thing as it would soon become a daily activity.

We checked out the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, but had to keep moving to make it to Westport for the half marathon.  Yes, you read that correctly, the lil energizer bunny that I call my travel mate, convinced me AGAIN it would be a good idea to run another half marathon!  I hate to admit it, but she was right.  Race day couldn't have been more perfect...wellll other than if I had beat Shan :), weather was awesome and what better way to celebrate survival (for me at least) than at the party tent with live music and cheap drinks.  Umm amazing!


Next up was Hokitika, or I prefer Honkie Tonk, it's easier, where we checked out some beach art, and surprise surprise, did another hike.
Then Okarito, the tiny lil town where we saw an aaaamazing sunrise, followed by some local trying to claim we were illegally freedom camping.  Whatever lady, like we would do such a thing...

We checked our hiking off the list for Okarito and then decided to head on our way when we drove past some hitchhikers.  So we had followed our friends' orders not to hitchhike ourselves, but picking them up is in a whole different safe category, right?  That's what we thought, so we picked them up.  Before doing so, we were the creeps that took a picture of them from a distance...so if you don't see another blog post from us, please please, track down these dudes...

Oh wait...this is in the past...surprise, we're safe!  Glacier bound...

Back to the Carnie Life in Bloody Dubbo

Today's writer: Shanananananana

So yes, to answer everyone's question, we are still carnies here in Australia and LOVING it.  But before we started working, we stayed with our friend Annika and her mom in Newcastle.  Pretty sure this was the best place to stay ever (besides of course w/u siddo)...especially after coming from Asia.  We did a xmas dinner a few days early to celebrate before we left for Dubbo...pretty much the backpackers and Osborne's.  :)

We went to Dubbo(which is in the middle of nowhere) to work Waterworld from Dec 23-Jan28 w/our bff Annika who won't even be reading this.  But newho, we spent  5 weeks living in a caravan and can actually say it felt like a nice lil home.  Besides of course the fact that it shook every time we walked in the door or when someone rolled over.   Oh and how could i forget the old lady that also shared the caravan with us who would mumble to herself and was the thief on the showgrounds.  Sure Annika, put her in our caravan.  But to make a long story short, i have a whole new appreciation for trailer parks and trailer trash :)

We spent Xmas and New Year's on the showgrounds and yes, felt like true carnies. And since there was really nothing else for us to do in the middle of nowhere with no family, xmas tree, or snow, we did what any normal person would do. We drank.   A lil xmas beer pong, some sliding down the inflatables and an aussie bbq made 4 a gr8 day of drinking..

Klemm and I rotated between working the ticket box, showbags and the pool.  Some days were busy, and let's just say some days I was actually working the ticket box sleeping with my eyes open.  Working the pool was always fun...especially when ur clothes got ruined from the chlorine, kids are flying out of the slides with dislocated shoulders, and the best part....telling the fat kids they're "too old" to go down the slide.  It's even better when they say "My sister's the same age..why can she go down the slide?"  That's when i fall underneath the water and pretend I can't hear anything.

The ticket box was always fun too. Especially when it turned into complaint central.  I think we learned to deal with things pretty well...."Sorry the huge slide got blown over and ur kid was on top of it...but still, no refunds."  "Sorry ur kid was in the pool when the blower fell in and they could have been electrocuted..but still, no refunds."  "Oh, you just bought $150 worth of wristbands and now were closed because it's too windy?  Yikes, sorry but no refunds."

Otherwise let's just say Dubbo consisted of a lot of drinking...beer pong tournaments, 21st bday parties galore, flip cup tourneys and pretty much we drank bcuz ...well...it was Dubbo.  And of course.....this made for some amazing hungover days in 90 degree weather.  yes.

Klemm also learned how to work a crane...which holy hell i do have to say i was impressed.  I on the otherhand KIND OF learned how to use a drill.  So, if your wondering what we're going to do when we come back to the "real world"... we'll probably be starting a construction business.

After living in a caravan for 5 weeks, having to walk at least 4 minutes to get to the bathroom and shower (especially hard when ur drinking), working in 90 degree weather and sweating in the ticket box, cleaning endless inflatables, checking the chlorine levels in the pools over a zillion times, ....I do have to say we miss Bloody Dubbo. Until next time....

Off to New Zealand!

Melbourne Mayhem

Today's writer:  Klemmdiggity...no doubt...
After living the high life in Asia where we could actually afford to go out to eat and buy drinks at the bar, we were in for a rude awakening arriving back in our home away from home...Australia!  So, we did what any backpacker would do to help ourselves adjust to our low budget life...we ordered instant noodles on the plane ride.

Once we landed back in Oz we were reunited at the airport with our Brizzy born, bogan friend, Sid.  From that second on, the stomach pains from laughter were non-stop!

Basically Melbourne was our time to see Sid, relax and live it up before work began; so yes, our $9 bottles of rum and vodka from Cambodia were put to great use during these 5 days :)  We got to visit some of our favorite bars in Fitzroy, convince ourselves it was Christmas even though it was 60 degrees and there was no snow, go to our favorite "pay as you feel" restaurant, and Shan even attempted to show off some of her bball skills at a bar, keyword...attempted...we'll blame the air balls on the "blinding" bright colors on the wall.

We meant to send these closer to Christmas, but who doesn't want some Merry Xmas wishes in February?  Soooo Merry Xmas from the other side of the world....

Who wouldn't want this present for xmas??

After chillin in Melbs for a few days we were off to Newcastle where dun dun dun, the work would begin.  And just in case some of you were wondering if Shan and I were still getting along after 15 months of traveling, there's no need to worry...

Until next time my friends...