Days 1 and 2: Home- Los Angeles, California

Days 1 and 2      7/6/06-7/7/06       Home-Los Angeles, California

We arrived at the airport at 8:00 a.m. in preparation of our 10:05 a.m. flight to Los Angeles via Minneapolis. Members going were: (from left to right)

• Sam Patton  
• Alex Bukoski
• Tim Van Prooyen
• Kayla Sherwood
• Chelsea Wiles
• Stephanie Cahool  

We arrived in Minnesota with no problems and frittered away our 2 hours plus lay over eating and exploring the airport. We boarded at 1:09 p.m. and took the four hour plus flight to Los Angeles.

I was bummed because there was no meal served and all they had was $3.00 snack packs. At least the drinks were free.

We arrived at LAX at 3:30 p.m. local time. We collected our bags and prepared to pass our 8 hour lay over before going to Nadi on the Fiji Islands.

Luckily, Sam's uncle Steve Breyer showed up with his family. We stowed our bags in his van and took a public bus to Santa Monica to pass the time. We saw the Santa Monica Pier, glimpsed at Santa Monica Blvd. and went up and down the Third Street Promenade to shop and eat.

 The gang at Santa Monica  

 Sam and the Breyers posing at the pier

Enjoying the street performers

 

Personally, I got a seat outside at a bistro and people watched. I had a hot Romanian pastrami sandwich and salad. It was a nice day out. The students saw street performers and saw the sites of southern California. It's quite different than Saranac. Steve mentioned that Santa Monica might be the place where the most languages were spoken in the world.

At 7:15 p.m., we went back to the bus and got to the airport. We said good bye to the Breyers and thanked them for their assistance. We got in line for a long time and finally got on the plane to Nadi, Fiji.

Days 3 and 4: Nadi, Fiji Islands

Day 3 7/8/06 Nadi, Fiji Islands

We arrived on time in Fiji, at 5:10 a.m. local time. It was approximately an 11 hour trip. We were all glad to get off. We got our stuff and discovered that the three other groups we were traveling with were on the plane also.

One group from Ohio were all adults. The other two groups were from the Los Angeles area. One was graduating seniors led by teachers (about half our group), and the others were a small group with some younger.  

A Fijian welcome

I exchanged 50 dollars at the airport and got 85 Fiji dollars. Looking back, it was the best rate I'd seen here on the island. We all got on the bus and headed to the Sheraton Fiji Resort. They had fabulous facilities, and our rooms were near the ocean. Mine had a little patio that I could sit at and see the ocean.

We went to our rooms for awhile after a great buffet breakfast. We settled in, rested, showered and prepared for our day. I managed to get a quick nap out by the beach in the shade. The temperature, breeze, and setting was great.

We met around 1:00 to try to catch the local bus to see some sites downtown. The bus was 50¢ per person and we got on with some help from one of the hotel's employees who was going home. The Fijians have been very nice and polite, greeting us with "Bula", or Hello.

Our bus was a sputtering vehicle that had open windows, so the breeze felt good in our hair. The route took us away from the hotel (in the Devarau region) towards town through one of the poorer regions of the area. It had reminded me of Africa with the lifestyles and buildings we saw. There was a lot of sugar cane fields we passed as well as some bovine. The houses were mostly block since they didn't have to worry about the winter. Blinds were open as well as doors and birds flew in and out.

On the bus to Nadi  

Downtown Nadi

We got off at downtown Nadi and thanked our helper. We spent the next couple of hours shopping and exploring. At 4:00 we went shopping at the supermarket to buy some supplies for tomorrow, as we only had one meal prepared for us. We got on another bus that was more direct and we got back to our hotel to rest before our Fijian feast.

The feast consisted of pig, steak, and other traditional cuisine. After we were done eating, we waited for the program to start at 7:45 p.m. While we were waiting, myself and most of the group grew very tired. The day's events and jet lag combined with the meal and made it difficult to stay awake.

At 8:00 the songs started. Both male and female members of the dancing group took turns performing Fijian songs and dances. At the end they got members of the audience to come up and dance. Sleep made me miss a portion of dance, so I was glad to get to my room and get to bed.



The Fijians dance

Day 4 7/9/06 The Fiji Islands

Despite awakening a couple of times, we got some good sleep under out belts and came down to the buffet breakfast refreshed. We leisurely enjoyed the meal with the beach out front and breeze blowing.

Alex took off on the optional tour of Tivua Island for the day. It provided lunch and a boat to and from the island. He snorkeled around the reef. He said it was very cool.

Meanwhile, the six of us enjoyed the resort and its amenities. We tanned, took kayaks into the ocean (The banana boat was too expensive), and read by the pool. Some watched TV in their room while others took naps or played ping pong. I hoped I didn't get too much sun from being in the ocean. It was a great temperature.

Once Alex got back, we decided not to go to town for dinner, but to eat at the hotel. The main object of the group was to get rid of as much Fijian dollars as possible. The boys and girls each split two cheese pizzas. I had the snapper filet and thought it was very good.

I noticed throughout my time here that most of the tourists for Fiji came from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and India. I guess it makes sense as this paradise place is closer to these countries instead of what I usually see.

On the beach, I saw young boys kicking a rugby football around instead of a soccer ball of football like I see in the states. Boys (and young girls) would divide up into teams and play rugby on the beach.

We got done with out meal after 7:00 p.m. so everyone packed their stuff in preparation of the 5:45 a.m. wake up call.

The sky was clear with a full moon. I got to see the Southern Cross again and was amazed at how beautiful it looked in the night sky of Fiji. It definitely made me count my blessings that I could see it again in its beauty. I will certainly miss Fiji.







Day 5: Fiji to Rotorua, New Zealand

Day 5 7/10/06 Fiji-Rotorua, New Zealand

We got up at 5:45 a.m. so that we could be ready to go at 6:30 to go to the airport to prepare for our flight to New Zealand. Luckily we got out of having a box breakfast and participated in another breakfast buffet. Good eating!!

We got to the airport and found the World Cup finals (France vs. Italy) were on. It was at the end of the second overtime tied 1-1. We had to get on the plane and so we missed the penalty kicks that gave Italy the victory. It was a major bummer to miss.

The flight was about three hours and so we got to Auckland by 11:30 or so in the morning. Luckily there was not a time change to have to deal with. We got through customs in New Zealand, though I was worried about the shell necklace we got in Fiji. New Zealand is very strict about what goes into the country. We had no problems and met Dana Maray, our tour director. She had been requested by one of our group leaders because they thought she was outstanding. She did indeed make a good first impression. She gave us details about Australia and New Zealand as we headed out of town to go to Rotorua.

Our first stop was at a place I recognized from my previous trip. I had a Hokey-Pokey ice cream cone and enjoyed it. I decided that my goal was to have at least one a day while I was in New Zealand. The store also sold sweaters and other textile stuff that is so famous in New Zealand.

We also stopped at the town of Matamata, where it has also billed itself as Hobbiton. It was the location that Peter Jackson chose for the land of the Lord of the Rings movie. He originally came to ask the farmer who owned the land during a NZ rugby match. The farmer said come back after the game to talk. The deal was that the farmer's land would be restored to normal after the film the film was done and it was. Since so many visitors have come to pay homage to the film, they are rebuilding Hobbiton on his farm for tourists. He is making a great profit from the tours.

Chelsea Wiles, Stephanie Cahoon, Kayla Sherwood, Alex Bukoski, Sam Patton, and Gollum

We arrived at the hotel Sudima next to Lake Rotorua and the sulfur smells. An hour later we ate at the hotel. Later the six Saranac students reserved one of the private spas for a half hour to enjoy themselves.

Exchange rate: $100 = 150 New Zealand dollars.

Day 6: Rotorua, New Zealand

Day 6 7/11/06           

Our wake up call was at 6:45 a.m. We left at 8:30 to the Maori cultural center here in Rotorua. Our guide, Paul McGiver, gave a great presentation on the geysers and boiling mud that were on the grounds as well as the history and beliefs of the Maori people. Some of the things that I remember:

The Maori were the people who brought tattooing to the world.

The different Maori tribes attacked each other for reasons such as land, women, and power. For example, the land near the geysers made life easier for the tribes during the winter months. Other tribes looked in envy and wanted it. Warriors were always left at home to guard the women and children. If they were taken by other tribes, the first tribe could not grow and would eventually lose power to the other tribes. Women were important because they could bear children and keep the tribe strong so it could defend itself.

The Maori decided who did what for their next generation by watching the young play. If they tended to fight, they were trained to be warriors. If they liked listening to instructions, they were taught songs and customs to teach the next generation. If they liked using their hands, they could carve or make things etc.

Tim posing at the Maori school

After we left the cultural center, we went to the jade factory for a demonstration on how jade is made. Jade is quite a hard stone to cut. Our group bought stuff and then went to lunch. We went to the top of a hill by gondola to the go carts/luge place. It was very busy and some were lucky to go down twice in the two hours we were there.  

Brien Simpson in his zorbonaut attire

At 2:30, we went to the Agrodome, which is where the Zorb balls, bungee jumping and other activities are. Alex and Tim were amongst the first ones to bungee jump. The rest of us (with Alex) went zorbing. They filled the bubbles with warm water that felt good in the cold air. Everyone had a blast. The girls even went twice.

 Tim Van Prooyen bungee jumping

Chelsea, Kayla, and Stephanie on the go carts

Zorbing down the hill

 Zorbonauts Alex Bukoski and Sam Patton

 Zorbonauts Stephanie Cahoon, Chelsea Wiles, and Kayla Sherwood



We got back to the hotel with a half hour to spare before the big Maori hangi feast at 6:30. The food was traditional and most of it was prepared in the underground oven.

The girls practice with their little balls on strings decoration and the boys did the "Huka". The Huka is a dance meant to intimidate the opposition in a war or contest. The sports teams of rugby and soccer do the Huka before their games. Afterwards, we relaxed in our rooms in preparation for the next day.

The boys doing the Huka

Day 7: Rotorua, New Zealand

Day 7 7/12/06

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting a roof next to my window. I was very thankful that we did a lot of outdoor things yesterday.

We had a rare off day today in Rotorua. EF tours gave us an extra day on the tour and it happened to be here in town. Normally we would have just enough time to do the advertised events and then go to Auckland, so we used our day off to our advantage.

After sleeping in, the girls and Tim went on a horseback ride that they really liked. Sam and Alex relaxed, spending time in the hotel lounge on the piano. I managed to get a half hour massage on my neck and back. It was something fun to do during the rainy day.

In the afternoon, the girls and Tim went shopping and explored Rotorua. Alex, Sam, and I took the "duck" for a tour of the area. The duck is a converted World War II vehicle that goes on the road and in the water as a boat. We alternated between lakes and roads as he gave information about the area. 

Alex, Sam and the duck boat

I asked John, our bus driver, what the difference between the two islands were in New Zealand. He responded that the difference was great. The northern island's beauty was made by volcano while the southern island's beauty was glacieral.

After the tour, we relaxed for a couple of hours. I did manage to get some more Hokey Pokey ice cream.

The boys and I ate at Fat Dogs restaurant downtown. The servings were huge. I saw a kid's order of hamburger that turned out to be bigger than what I've seen for adults in the U.S.!! After our meal, we went back to the hotel.

The six students reserved the spa for another half hour and enjoyed it. They were so tired that they called me to let me know that they were going to bed. It was a good thing that they did that because the next day would be a travel day complete with a couple of sight seeing stops.

Day 8: Rotorua, New Zealand to Auckland, New Zealand

Day 8     7/13/06 Rotorua, New Zealand to Auckland, New Zealand

We packed up, got on the bus, and started on our trip North to Auckland. Before leaving town, we stopped at a church by the lake. The church, St. Faiths, is for the Maori. Its biggest claim to fame is a picture of Jesus dressed in a Maori warrior's outfit in a window. When you look out at it, it appears to be walking on the water of the lake.

After we saw that, we went to the Agrodome for the presentation. We saw the 19 different types of sheep here in New Zealand. We also saw a cow milking presentation and dogs that could corral sheep. Afterwards, we got to go buy.

Alex with a new friend

Around 11:00 we got back on the bus to go north. Unfortunately, the caves at Waitimo were closed because of flooding. So we took a more direct route to Auckland. We stopped at Hamilton for lunch. We explored and went inside a mall to shop and pass time.

On the way to Auckland, the movie Whale Rider was put on for us to watch. It's a story set in today's times for the Maori. Given what we knew about the culture, we appreciated it much more. The students who had seen it before commented on how much more fuller it was and made better sense.

We got to Auckland and John gave us the city tour. We stopped at Mount Eden and got a 360° view of Auckland. We also got to see the sights from his perspective as someone who live there. It wasn't necessarily historic, but from a native's point of view. We said good bye to him and got into our rooms at the New President Hotel, which is close to the tower in downtown.

Stephanie at Mount Eden

We explored a bit and then went to the waterfront restaurant close to one of the harbors. John had mentioned that there was ¾ of a mile between harbors on each side of the island at the narrowest point in Auckland. Once everyone was back, we spent a quiet evening in the hotel doing laundry and getting ready for tomorrow. 

Day 9: Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia

Day 9   7/14/06    Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia

We did not have to get up early today. We had to leave for the airport at 1:00 p.m. The group spent their time shopping downtown Auckland and eating lunch. I walked down to Victoria Market. It is a collection of "off beat" stores in the decor of a brick warehouse.

We got rid of our New Zealand dollars and headed for the airport. On the flight, we saw the movie 16 Blocks with Bruce Willis. We arrived, making great time. The time change was 2 hours earlier, so now we were 14 hours ahead of Michigan time.

We got through customs and managed to get all our luggage on the bus. The exchange rate was $100 U.S. giving $126 Australian. I used the instant cash ATM machine. The students got a rate of $123 Australian and also had to pay $8 Australian commission. Bummer!!

We got to our hotel, the Ibis, by World Market Square. It's on the edge of Sydney's China town. We got our affairs settled. Alex and Sam went with Danna for a tour of Darling Harbor by foot from the hotel. Tim, Chelsea, Kayla, Stephanie, and I went out at 7:30 local time and had supper at a fast food place around the corner from the hotel.

Sam and Alex at Darling Harbor

 

 

Afterwards, we shopped at some of the souvenir places and found the local grocery store and bought some stuff. We got up into our rooms and I turned on the Friday night rugby game. I think that it was Sydney vs. Brisbane. The bulldogs won 22-16. Not knowing the rules, it was interesting trying to figure them out. What I could figure out:

• It's just like football. You have 5 downs to get from one end of the field to the other using backward laterals to advance the ball.
• If a touchdown is scored, you get 4 points. You kick an extra point (2 points, actually) from the spot you scored (brought back to the kicking line)
• There are two halves of 40 minutes each.
• If you kick the ball forward and your teammate catches it, you can continue forward.

There were still quite a few rules I didn't get, but it was entertaining.

Day 10: Sydney, Australia

Day 10      7/15/06    Sydney, Australia

We got up early so that we could make the 8:00 a.m. bus for our tour of Sydney by coach.

We listened as Danna explained interesting tidbits like how expensive Sydney is to live in. I guess real estate prices have really rocketed over the past 15 years, even for small places on good locations. Some small home owners can't afford the taxes for their house even though it had been paid off. 

Lady Macquarie's Chair

Throughout the day it was rainy and overcast. Luckily our next stop was the Sydney Opera House. We got a nice hour long tour about its history. A Danish architect won the contest to design the center. The cost overruns and a new government caused him to leave the project unfinished.

The view from Lady Macquarie's Chair

The new architect from Australia was able to finish the Opera House and did an impressive job on the inside. The inside under the shell was not made as the traditional opera houses were made at the time, but more modern. We got to tour both the opera part and the concert/orchestra part and it was impressive.

The next part of the tour had us view where the Tasmian Sea met the Pacific Ocean. We also got to see Bondi beach. There were some surfers there despite the rotten weather. The next part was a tour of an opal store and we got to see how it was made. Australia has about 95% of the world's opals. They are made from the remains of dinosaur fossils and such that had been buried a long time ago. Then when a giant meteor crashed into the area (making most of the the species extinct), it turned the fossils and such to opals. After the explanation, the group got a chance to buy.

In front of the Opera House and Bridge (Back row: Tim Van Prooyen, Alex Bukoski, Sam Patton, Front row: Chelsea Wiles, Stephanie Cahoon, and Kayla Sherwood)

We were originally going to take the tour of the harbor in the afternoon, but the weather made us decide to do it on another day. That left the afternoon for us to go shopping and explore. We ate at the food court in Sydney's massive Centerpointe mall. Then the groups went off to shop. I walked down to Darling Harbor and then up to St. James station to look for the markets. I noticed an outdoor chess game going on and watched. I got to play the next game and played a fellow from Belgium. (I won). It was nice to play during the dreary afternoon and meet other people. Afterwards, I went shopping and headed back to the hotel.

For supper, the seven of us walked down and had a meal at Sydney's Hard Rock Cafe. Walking back the rain started up again and so we retired to our rooms for the night.

Day 11: Sydney, Australia

Day 11     7/16/05     Sydney, Australia

Sam and I got up early (8:00 a.m.) to get ready to go to Olympic Park. After getting advice from Danna, we took off down Pitt Street and went to Central Train Station. Two trains later, we arrived at our destination.  



Sam at the Olympic Park entrance by the train station

We took a quick look around and saw the aquatic center. Then we went to the welcome center and signed up for two tours, the walking tour of the center and the tour of the new Telstra stadium. We messed around before our noon appointment, watching it rain briefly. It was the only bit of bad weather the day had.

We noticed how much the park is tied into the wetlands and the ecology of the area. A lot of the demonstrations talked about how they restored the land to help preserve nature.

The first tour, the walking tour, was worth $20 Australian. It was not much of a tour, but the highlights involved going up to the top of the Novotel hotel on site and seeing the park area. It was quite impressive and well placed.

Olympic Park from the Novotel Hotel

At 1:00, we took the tour of the stadium for $27.50 Australian. We got to go to see the premises from top to bottom. One of the things that impressed me the most was how they got money for the box seats and suites. When the stadium first opened, a private seat that could be used for the next 30 years was $30,000 Australian. That's a deal compared to the offer given later. 10 years of use for $12,000 Australian.  

Inside Telstra Stadium

        

The corporate boxes were really nice. The companies completely furnish the empty room how they want to. The cost, of course, is exuberant. I can see why new stadiums want to be built by sport team owners. The last was well done, complete with laser show and photo ops for any fan.

Sam posing at the winning high jumps at the Olympics. The green and blue stripes represents the men's and women's record while the pink and brown represent the Special Olympics high jump which was held at the stadium

The others went to the Sydney Aquarium. Chelsea said she found Nemo. Alex said it was fantasticool. Tim like the underwater shark tanks. At 3:10 we met at the Sydney tower and went up to get a view of the city. It was very nice. Than we saw Oztrek, A history of Australia as well as an oversight of different aspects of life in Australia.

 Views from Sydney Tower



After that, the group did some shopping and planned on a time to go to the movies. Sam and I, famished by not eating a proper lunch, went to eat beforehand and had duck at a local Chinese restaurant. We made it for the 7:30 showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.   

Olympic Stadium viewed through a telescope at the tower.Olympic Stadium viewed through a telescope at the tower.

Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for bed. We were going to get up early for our big day in the Blue Mountains.



Day 12: Sydney, Australia

Day 12                                7/17/05

We got up early to start our busy day going to the Blue Mountains. On the way to the mountains, we stopped at a place to see the native animals of Australia. Besides the usual Koala Bear/Kangaroo main stars, we got to see other animals such as wombats, Tasmanian devils, and echidnas. We could easily have stopped longer than our one hour stay.

Kayla Sherwood and some Cockatoos

A wallaby



Stephanie Cahoon and a Koala Bear

Tim Van Prooyen and an emu

A Tasmanian Devil

A Tasmanian Devil mugging for the camera

A Black-necked stork

 An Echidna

Dingos laying in the sunlight

We also learned that the Tasmanian devils have been in crisis. The devils have been developing face tumors and the cause hasn't been determined. I guess devils can not travel to other places in fear of possibly spreading the reason for the tumors.

We continued on to Katoomba for lunch. Than we saw the IMAX film about the Blue mountains. It was about a tree that had been discovered over ten years ago in one of the remote, hard to reach places in the mountains. This tree has been around during the dinosaur ages!! It looks like a combination of pine tree and palm tree. The big scare is that humans will contaminate the area and destroy the habitat for the ancient tree. The film (called the Edge) was very educational.

The Three Sisters rock formation up close and from a distance.

The Legend... The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.

The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.

As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

The legend was taken from www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/thingsToDo/threeSisters.asp



Then we went to Scenic World, a place to see the rainforest and information about how they mined coal from the area. The valley containing the rain forest is World Heritage listed by the United Nations.

We took the coach home to Sydney, watching a movie about the life of kangaroos over a year. I remember seeing it four years earlier. If the students weren't asleep, they watched it.

The bus stopped through Olympic Park and Danna gave information about it. The majority of the information had been heard by Sam and I before.

We got back around 6:00 p.m. The students took the evening easy and ordered pizza. Laundry was done also. I managed to eat and do some shopping before coming back to the hotel and getting packed for our last stay in the country for this trip.