Weekend Down South - Albany and Denmark

As our time in Australia is coming to an end, Kaes and I are taking advantage of our 9/80's {having every other Friday off work} to travel somewhere within Australia. This weekend, we decided to drive south 5 hours {260 miles SE of Perth} to the old whaling town of Albany and the Dutch discovered town of Denmark. I found a quaint hotel on Middleton Beach called The Pelicans where we would spend the weekend.

The first day we woke up to beautiful clear blue sunny skies and decided to drive along Middleton Beach along Frenchman Bay. Our first stop was to Cable Beach where we had breathtaking views of the ocean breaking against the cliffs. We even walked down the side of the cliffs to see a school of 5 dolphins fishing for food. Incredible doesn't come close to describing just how beautiful the cliffside is along the vast ocean.

Our next attraction was to Torndirrup National Park to see The Gap, Natural bridge and Blowholes all shaped by local granite. This point was where Australia was attached to Antarctica 45 billion years ago in what was then call the Gondwana land mass. The Natural bridge is pictured below.

The afternoon started to get dark and rainy, so we drove through the town and stopped at a local brewery for lunch and a "middie." The rest of the day was spent relaxing at our hotel planning the next days adventures.

The next morning we decided to head to Denmark for the day. Denmark is about 40 minutes west of Albany. On the way, we stopped at Mount Clarence for a panoramic view of Albany with its harbors and bays. The view was just stunning! An ANZAC war memorial is also at the top of the mountain to honor everyone that died between 1916-1918.

Once into Denmark, we stopped at Ocean Beach and Lights Beach, both with beautiful clear waters and great wave breaks that attracted the avid surfer. After a bit of time at the beach, we stopped off at Swiss Annie's chocolate lounge for some delicious hot chocolate and hand made truffles.

The next stop further down the coast was to Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks. The Greens Pool was a swimming beach area that had the most beautiful bright blue/green water. The pool was surrounded by what they call "Elephant Rocks." I was curious as to exactly what elephant rocks was supposed to look like until I actually saw the enormous boulders that resembeled a herd of elephant. We were both quite amazed at the similarity the rocks had to real elephant.

Before heading back to Albany, we stopped off at the town center that was holding a 100 year celebration of Denmark being a town. Children games and activities lined the streets and the local primary school was raising money selling homemade donuts, scones, having a dunk tank and even a small petting zoo. An antique car show was on display as well as other local craftsmen and artists. We also tried our first "meat pie," a staple food in Australia. It was fun to enjoy the local events of the town and reminded both of us of a small town back home.

Our drive back to Albany seemed to go quickly and we spent the rest of the afternoon at Emu Point, a beach just close to where we were staying by Middleton Beach. No wind made the bay very peaceful and a perfect end to our weekend.

Family Reunion - Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado

Our weekend in Colorado was short, but it sure was a wonderful time. Back in March, we started planning a surprise 80th birthday celebration for my father-in-law and a family reunion with extended cousins and other family members. We rented 5 cabins for all of us at Solitude Cabins in Estes Park, CO. The management there was so accommodating and helpful to make sure our weekend was perfect. Anyone in the Estes Park area looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend these cabins. They were just the perfect size with all the amenities and very friendly management to help make our family weekend a huge success!

We had a wonderful turnout of 32 family members from the de Jong/Spiller/Davis family as well as extended family members. The weekend was chilly with beautiful weather during the day, perfect for hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Saturday, we got up and headed out for our first hike through RMNP. Below is a picture of the West Alluvial Fan that was created many years ago from a lake that overflowed during a flood, creating a waterfall and the "fan" of rocks seen below.

We also came across a field of elk sitting in the sun enjoying the weather. Everyone had to stop and take a look at the amazing creatures.

This guy was grazing and walked up pretty close to us as we stood very still. The size of these creatures is amazing and quite frightening at the same time. Kaes and I didn't know whether to stay still and take our chances, or turn and run for the car!

Saturday evening we had Dirk's birthday dinner at the cabins' pavilion where they grilled for us and we were able to enjoy the crisp weather while catching up with each other and getting to know some of the ones we have never met.

Sunday morning, several of us got up at 4:30 am to see the sunrise at Sprague Lake. Dawn is such a breathtaking time of day when the whole world seems so peaceful and everything around you is still. With the Continental Divide in the background, the lush green aspens, and the pristine water of Sprague Lake, it was clear that the good Lord spared no expense when created this place.

On our sunrise hike, we saw elk, a momma duck with her seven babies, and even a busy beaver swimming across the lake.

Sunday afternoon, Kaes and I went walking through the town of Estes Park to visit the cute shops and restaurants. It had been off and on drizzling, so a group of us decided to drive over Grand Lake pass for some incredible views. The highest point of the pass is a bit over 12,000 ft. It was quite frigid and even snowed on us as we made the stop for some hot chocolate at the top of pass. The pass boasts some of the most beautiful views far and wide.

Monday was our last day in Colorado and we had just a few days before we had to return to Australia. After giving lots of hugs and saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Denver to have lunch with a friend we had not seen in a few years before we flew to Houston.

Colorado is always one of my favorite places to visit in the winter. My first visit during the summer was so beautiful and reminded me of our vacation last year to New Zealand. The lush greenery and snow-capped mountains make both destinations a favorite, and we cannot wait until our next visit!~

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

Happy Anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. Kaes de Jong! 3 wonderful years together experiencing so many amazing places. It has been a wonderful experience and I can't wait for us to make many more memories together :)

On that note, just a re-cap of our recent AH-MAZING trip to the Maldives!!!!

For those of you who don't know, the Republic of Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India, about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and (250 mi) south-west of India.

Distance Travelled: 5 hour flight from Perth to Singapore, 2 hour layover, 4 1/2 hour flight from Singapore to Male, and a not-so-pleasant sea plane ride from Male to the South Ari Atoll where our beautiful paradise at Centara Island Resort began. {Side note: stormy weather, confined space, and the smell of diesel is NOT a good combo for motion sick sufferers...}

Our original plan for our Easter holiday and anniversary was to go to Japan to see the Cherry Blossoms in season. With the recent devastating effects on Japan, we decided to search elsewhere to spend our holiday. It turned out that the Maldives happen to be in great dive season and we headed off in hopes to see and snorkel with the famous {gentle giants} the whale sharks. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see them, but we did come across some some really cool creatures we haven't seen before.

The first time we have ever seen a sting ray! Unfortunately, we didn't have anything next to it to compare the size, but it was 6 to 7 feet in width and about 10 feet long!!! He was a pretty big fella.

We are very excited about coming home to Houston soon! It is been a year since we have been home and we are both in need of some family and friends time as well as some Mexican food!!!

Off to Paradise in the Maldives

As you know Easter break is coming up and we have several days of holidays. Anzac Day also falls on April 25, so we will have Good Friday, Easter Monday and Anzac Day off. Kaes and I loved our trip back in June 2008 for our honeymoon and since our Japan trip fell through, we decided to head back to the Maldives. We are staying at the Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives. It looks absolutely breathtaking and we are so excited to get there. It happens to be whale shark and manta ray season, so we have brought every piece of underwater camera equipment, lenses, HD video that we have to take diving! The resort also has a manta ray feeding station where groups of mantas come to visit each evening for feeding from the resort staff. We are definitely in for a treat :)

Check back for updates on our trip and if we get to meet any interesting new underwater friends!!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Kaes and I are so thankful to have family able to join us over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Being away from home can make you miss family more than you know. Luckily, Mom and Mawmaw came to spend the holidays with us and it was such a beautiful time of year for them to visit. I was grateful they were able to come and see where we live and the beautiful scenery around Perth.

The week started off with walking along the trails through King's Park. We walked the Lotterywest Federation Walkway that is elevated 170 feet in the air and boasts exhilarating views of the Swan and Canning Rivers, local indigenous culture and the diversity of Western Australian flora.

A few visits to Mosman Beach, also known to be a local dog beach to take Jaek and Chloe to see some fellow friends. The water was crystal blue and the sand white as snow. They love trips to the beach and with all the running and swimming, are exhausted by the end of the day.

Swan Valley is also another popular spot to show tourists when they come to visit Perth. It is about 30 mins northeast of the city and known for the Caversham Wildlife Park and Swan Valley wine region. Mawmaw was so excited to see some "real" kangaroos and loved they they came right up to her and she could even feed them. After Caversham, we had a nice lunch at Cape Lavender in Swan Valley.

Christmas morning we opened presents and had a full feast for lunch. Jaek and Chloe love Christmas morning and are thrilled to see what Santa brought them!

December is summertime and quite hot in Perth, so we decided to take a trip out to Rottnest (Rotto) Island to spend the day. Rotto is an island off the west coast and takes about 30 min by boat to get there. The island is absolutely breathtaking with beautiful clear water and pristine beaches.

A Quokka {marsupial found only on Rotto and a few other places in the world}

To wrap up the last few days in Perth, we took a day trip to Margaret River which is a wine region south about 3 hours. Wine tasting is always a must when visiting Margaret River, along with the trying to catch a glimpse of the native kangaroos. For lunch we stopped into Providore known for its fresh herb and vegetable garden grown right outside the restaurant. I love to sample all of their delectable jellies, sauces, and chutneys. Their spices are so fragrant and I always end up bringing a few packets home with me! We then decided to head further south down to Augusta where the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse looks out between where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.

I can't explain enough how memorable it was to have not only my Mother, but my 85-year old grandmother come to see where we live. I hope she had a wonderful time visiting Australia and enjoying the land down under!

Cruizin through Milford Sound

Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand

Days 10-11

Total Distance: 2,545 kilometres/1,581 miles

Fun Fact: Milford Sound is actually a Fiord, not a Sound, by today’s definition. A Fiord is created by glacial action that produces u-shaped valleys with steep cliffs. Fiords are also characterized by shallow entrances that slope quickly seaward to deep water. A Sound is a river valley that has been flooded due to the land sinking below sea level.

Our trip through New Zealand has not only been adventurous, but we continue to see more and more breathtaking scenery with each new town we visit. We got into Milford Sound on Monday, November 1 and it was a bit dreary. This is the first weather we have come across that has not been perfect spring/summer weather. Luckily the 5 hour drive from Queenstown was quite picturesque and made for great places to stop and take more pictures.

Arriving into the small town of Milford to Milford Lodge where we stayed, we quickly realized that there was nothing in the town except for the ferry terminal so decided against staying our originally planned two nights and opt out of one. We had a lazy afternoon and hoped for better weather in the morning so our cruise would be a pleasant one.

The next morning we awoke to beautiful clear blue skies (I know I continue to use the word beautiful, but the weather really can’t get any better!) and decided to take the early 9:15 cruise through Milford Sound.

The cruise was amazing and it is hard to put into perspective how massive the Fiord really is. Take a look at the picture below of the small boat (by small it carries 300+ people) next to the rock face.

We were also lucky enough to see a colony of fur seals taking their morning naps after hunting all night. They are so precious with their sweet puppy faces!!!

 

Overall the drive to and the cruise through Milford Sound was breathtaking and we were glad we made the long venture to see the beautiful Fiords.

Queenstown – Home of the most extreme adventures on Earth

Queenstown and Glenorchy, Otago, New Zealand

Days 8-9

Fun Fact: Queenstown was the first place in the world to offer commercial bungy jumping.

Skydiving, Bungy jumping, Jetboating, Canyong swinging, white water rafting, and heli-skiing: all can be done in Queenstown - the adventure capital of the world!

Before stopping for the night in Queenstown, we travelled 45 kms north to the small town of Glenorchy. At the top of Lake Wakatipu that surrounds Glenorchy and Queenstown lies what I now believe is the most beautiful place on Earth. The view of Glenorchy towards Pig, Pigeon, and Tree island with the lush green trees, the lake as smooth as glass, and the snow capped mountains in the background was a memory we will never forget. The sun was shining just perfect enough to see the mountainside reflection in the lake. We decided it would be the perfect place to stop for a picnic lunch and capture as much of the scenery as possible.

After lunch we decided to do a bit of hiking along the Routeburn track. The track has many different walks and even has small huts to stay along the way as it is popular for many people to do the 3-4 day hike.

After hiking 3+hours, we were tired and headed back to Queenstown to book our next days adventures. We did happen to come across a Mexican restaurant called Sombreros, but of course were not too excited about the not-so-Tex-Mex food. It would have been really tasty to those who haven’t been fortunate enough to taste Tex Mex!

The next morning, we decided to do the jet boating (which I was not too keen on) and white water rafting combo down the Shotover River. The jet boat was too much like a jet ski and terrified me, but the white water rafting tour was amazing!!! Our trip commenced at top of Deep Creek and went through 16 kms/10 miles of grade 3-5 rapids before finishing up at Arthurs Point. Kaes and I had a blast, even with Kaes being thrown out of the raft on the last rapid!!!

After a full day of activities, we went to The Bathhouse, with another couple we met while rafting from Melbourne, for tapas and wine to top of a wonderful and adventurous day.

The Wonderful World of Ice at Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef, South Island

Days 5-6

Fun Fact: New Zealand has 3,155 glaciers. 18 of them are in the North Island with the remaining in the South Island. Franz Josef is the 5th largest in New Zealand with the steepest commercial climbing available.

After our incredible adventure in Kaikoura, and our long drive to Greymouth for the night, our next stop was to head south 235 kilometres to the township of Franz Josef, known for the breathtaking views of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier at Westland National Park.

The afternoon was a relaxing one catching up on emails and doing some laundry. We did take a short hour hike in the small town just north of Franz Josef called Okarito. The town is known to have a specific species of Kiwi that are only found there, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any on our hike. After climbing up the side of a really tall hill (it felt like a mountain, especially since we were expecting a pleasant stroll through the forest) we came upon an opening that looked out over the town of Okarito and the largest wetlands in all of New Zealand.

The next morning, we woke up for our 9:15 am full day glacier hike on Franz Josef Glacier. One really can’t put into words how large this thing really is. Just to give you an example, notice the picture below of the group of people walking on the glacier. It is not only enormous, but really hard to capture the beauty and magnitude of its size.

We spent 8 hours total hiking and 6 hours on the ice. It was about a 10km hike up rugged terrain and over ice, but with our crampons over our hiking boots, it made it quite easy to manoeuvre over the ice.

By the end of our cold and tiresome day, we had agreed that once again we had a once of a lifetime experience on our incredible journey through New Zealand.

Tomorrow’s agenda will be driving south 180kms to Lake Wanaka to see what it has it store for us!

Wines, Whales and getting wet with the Dusky Dolphins

Blenheim and Kaikoura - South Island, New Zealand

Days 3-5

Total Driving distance: 1153 kms/ 716 miles

Fun Fact: Kaikoura comes from the Maori word meaning Kai = to eat and koura = crayfish

Our day started with a journey from the North to the South Island along the Interislander Ferry. The 3-hour sail through the Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton was quite beautiful with majestic views of Queen Charlotte Sound.

We were originally planned to stay in Blenheim and do a bit of wine tasting, but changed our plans and drove further south to what used to be a whaling town in Kaikoura. We did make time to stop at the Montana winery in Blenheim while passing through for a delicious lunch and wine before heading to Kaikoura.

The quaint seaside town used to be known for killing whales over a century ago, but now finds prosperity in showing them off, along with the various other marine life such as albatross, fur seals, and dusky dolphins. The rest of the afternoon was nice and lazy as we took a stroll along the black rocky beach and took a quick nap in the sun while listening to the gentle waves hit the shore.

The next morning we got up bright and early for a full day starting with the dolphin encounter. Out of all the diving we have done, Kaes and I both agreed that this was one of the most memorable experiences we have ever had. After just a 10 minute boat ride, the captain let all of us off to get in the water to swim with the frisky mammals. We all had on 10 mm wetsuits, but the water was 14 degrees Celsius, which is 57 degrees Farenheit. I can’t begin to express how cold the water really was, but as soon as the dolphins were playing and circling us, we quickly forgot the sacrifice it took to see them in groups between 10-20 at a time, all very interested in what we were. Along with the dolphins, we saw the albatross soaring over the water with the longest wing span of any bird (pictured below) and playful fur seals. The pictures were taken when we got out of the water as we didn't bring our underwater camera :(

After our exciting morning, we didn’t think the day could get much better, but we were wrong. Our afternoon ended with Whale Watch Kaikoura. We saw a Sperm whale that was around 70 feet long stretching across the waters acquiring more oxygen before diving back down into the deep waters.

The day was one of the most memorable we have ever had. It is hard to describe the beauty and richness of New Zealand. Pictures do not begin to do it justice. We were scheduled to end up in Greymouth for the night, some 310 kilometres away. It was a long 5 hour drive through mountains and passes, but we could not have asked for a more perfect day.

Knocking on Hell’s Gate in Lake Rotorua & Lake Taupo

North Island, New Zealand

Days 1-3

Transportation: Air New Zealand flight from Perth to Auckland, 6 hours; Jucy Rentals for campervan; Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton

Total Driving distance: 703 kms/ 422 miles

Fun Fact: Sheep outnumber people 20 to 1 in New Zealand

Our adventure began landing into Auckland International Airport on October 23 at 6:00 am New Zealand time. New Zealand is 5 hours ahead of Perth time and 18 hours ahead of Houston time. It happened to be Labor Day weekend and we weren’t able to pick up our campervan until 11:00 am. Since we missed a night of sleep and didn’t get much rest on the plane, we stretched out on a few benches in the airport until time came closer to start our adventure. Once 11:00 rolled around, we were picked up by Jucy rentals, got our Jucy Charga, and were on our way.

First stop was Lake Rotorua, known for its energetic thermal activities and mud baths. Since it happened to be my birthday, Kaes and I decided to stop at Hells Gate (this is the only time I ever wanted to be in “Hell”) for a mud bath & spa. Hells Gate is the most active thermal reserve in Rotorua. The strong smell of sulphur was not pleasant, but the warm relaxing mud bath quickly made you forget the smell and was a great way to end our day.

Our next stop was in Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand covering 240 sq miles. Lake Taupo was formed by volcanic explosions from thousands of years ago and is now known to be the most famous trout fishing lake in the world, yielding in excess of 500 tonnes of rainbow trout annually. The drive around the town was amazing to say the least. I had always heard New Zealand was beautiful, but really had no idea that a place like this existed. The cute tourist town had shops, perfectly manicured gardens, and outdoor restaurants and pubs to enjoy the great weather and view of the lake.

Taupo is known for its picturesque scenery of lake views and snow capped mountains but also for the Waikato River and the spectacular Huka Falls. The full force of the river soars over an 11-metre (36 ft) ledge with enough water to fill two Olympic –sized pools every second. The brilliant turquoise color of the water crashes into a basin below, offering breathtaking views.

Our last stop for the evening was south where we stayed in the small beach town of Otaki at Byron’s Resort. Bright and early the next morning, we got ready and headed further south 70 kms to the ferry from Wellington to Picton, commencing our journey into the South Island.