Team Spiers World Travels

Look at Me in a Big Cup of Tea! Fraser Island

CAMPING DOWN UNDER Oct 11 2008

 

Camping in Australia is very fun but at the same time it can be very hot. We decided to camp in Cairns, which I found was hot some days when it hit the high of 38 . For someone who comes from a country that hits the high of 28, you think you are going to die.  Did I mention that it was winter in Australia! 

We decided to name our campervan Snowball, because we wanted to name it something Canadian.  The first night we got to the trailer park it was fun.  We played cards and told stories.  Then the dreadful thing happened….well not that dreadful really, but more so just plan weird. When we went to sit outside we pulled out our canopy and there was a dead frog stuck to it and it had been flattened to be as thin as paper

That night we met these people staying next to us who told us about cane toad racing which we went to go see. If the called you number out of the crowed you had to go up and kiss the slimy creature. luckily my name was never called so I escape safe and sound. To some point I felt bad for them because they were handled so much and they were kept it small buckets. I still enjoyed watching it thou.

The next day we packed up to head in to the heart of Australia or maybe just a little bit in. we went to this trailer park in cape tribulation were we met two kids my age who taught me how to play cricket. At night the trailer park came alive with tons and tons of toads…and a cassowary which is like a killer ostrich, it has a huge bone on top of it head that makes it look like it has a helmet on. Cassowaries are very rare, we didn’t see one and I am kind of happy we didn’t. The next day we went to another trailer park. This trailer park we went to was the best it was like the Disneyland of all the trailer parks. It had a basketball court, huge swimming pool, volleyball courts and last but not least my favorite the worlds biggest jumping pillow! After that trailer park we sadly had to give up Snowball for another rental car.  We drove to Rockhampton were we found out there was rodeo going on that night and when I mean rodeo I mean the real deal . Everywhere you looked you would see a cowboy. When I was there I dreamed of being a cowboy, but on the other hand I did not like the way the treated the animals, but still enjoyed the all you can eat steak buffet.

The next day we drove for another 8 hour drive to rainbow beach. We stayed at there for one night because the next morning went to Fraser Island.

We went on a 4 wheel drive bus that was so cool.  You have to have a 4 wheel drive vehicle on Fraser Island because there are only sandy beaches and no roads.  There is lots of animal life too.  We saw dingoes, humpback whales, stingrays. The first day we went to this stream that goes into the ocean called Eli creek. This freshwater steam was very cold but refreshing. That night we had steak for dinner and if you wanted you could try kangaroo. I tried a nibble which I regretted as soon as I tried it because I couldn’t get the picture of kangaroos out of my head. In the morning we went to two lakes .  The first lake was very clear at the start and then all of a sudden there was a 6 meter drop. The second lake we went to was a red lake because of the tea tree oils that leak into it. (SEE the PIC!) The lake turns blood red in the middle of it. It is very scary when you go under water and open up your eyes because all you see is blood red water. The last day was my favorite because we got to the sand dunes! We went to the sand dunes and there was a lake in the called lake Wabby. We then went down the san dunes of a body board and when we hit the water we would just skim across the top it was really fun. And then unfortunately we had to go on the bus and go back to Rainbow beach. That pretty much tells you about our northern Australia adventure.

Goodbye New Zealand, Hello to the Land Down Under!     Sept 17th 2008 

Hello! 

First thing I would like to get to is that I am sorry for not writing and  I forgot where I last left off, so I am going to write a huge blog about everything I did up to this point….so get ready.  The first thing I did was go to L.A. were I was surprise by one of my friends Matt from Newmarket! We spent the day with Matt and his father who were there on holidays. We ate lunch on the Santa Monica Pier at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Shack, took a walk on the beach and then they took us on a driving tour to Beverly Hills. It was then time  to say good bye and so long.  

Then we hopped on a 14 Hour flight to New Zealand.  New Zealand was great and turned out to be ten times better than I thought. There were Snowcap Mountains, ocean views, rolling hills.  I learned about the aboriginal or Maori culture New Zealands original people. We went to a maori feast and saw the hakka their war dance being performed.

 New Zealand is also a great place for adrenalin junkies, I went Zorbing which is when you go in to a HUGE hamster ball and then you get pushed down a HUGE hill. I also went bungee jumping off a 164ft bridge, which my I add was pretty scary. I went lugeing, which is when you go in these little carts and you go down a mountain on a concrete road. I also went Xtreme flying, which is when you float over a huge jet engine. Next was snowboarding at Mt Hutt and I went up a 2000 Meters at the peak,and the scary thing was I couldn’t see 20meters a head of me!  The most intense thing I did in New Zealand was climb a 555 meters about 1700 feet Glacier named Franz Josef. So that about wraps up  New Zealand.

And now for Australia….Mate. We landed in Sydney and then made our way up to Newcastle to meet the world’s coolest family the Whitfields. They our one of our families friend for a long time, They are kind of like our family, outgoing, upbeat and like adventures, exempt they have 8 children. But they were the highlight of Australia for me so far. After Newcastle we made our way up to Byron bay, so that me and my brother could learn to surf there. That’s right ladies, I know how to surf.  After Byron Bay we made our way to Brisbane to take a plane to Cairns.  And now we have rented an amazing camper van that I am sitting in a typing this blog so I will tell you how the campervan experience happens next blog.  OK, so bye and sorry for not writing in so long .

KIA ORA… Welcome

Aug 24th, 2008

 Hello again! Or “KIA ORA” which is mauori for welcome! I’m in New Zealand and I have got to say it is cool I am at first week of our adventure. We are on a ferry going to the south island of New Zealand.   I hear it has better scenery than the north which  I think is impossible from what I saw previously. So far I have zorbed which is when you go into a huge hamster ball and you get pushed down a huge hill. I also went into a ice bar (which by the way wasn’t that cold at all) Minus 5!!! Hello, I am Canadian!

 I also went extreme flying which is when you go over a huge fan, but in this case it is a Jet engine, and you fly. Which is harder than it looks.

WooooooHoooo!!! This is Free-falling! (more like flying to me!)

 I went luging which is the greatest thing invented since TV.  You take a gondola up the mountain, and then luge down on this plastic cart that has handle bars, kinda like a go-kart without a motor.  And then you go back up the mountain in a chair lift and do it all over again.  In my case the slow down signs meant speed up . I was an intense race with my brother when I almost rode off the mountain.  But lots of fun was had!  So that’s all  for now.

On the Way

Aug 12th 2008

Hello again its me ….and I am 1000s of feet in the air to our first destination. I am so happy that I am so fortunate  to be able to go on this trip ( as I look out to the clouds float beneath me, I realize that in the next year going onto a plane wil probably more common then getting into a car…..or so I am told. Well, I am about to go acrosse the the Grand Canyon now so thats all for now.

Leaving the Things EYE Love!….

August 5th, 2008

You might right now be thinking that “ol’ Brendan does not now how to spell” hense the title. I wrote ‘eye’ because I will miss my house, which I love to see. Leaving my house is very hard because that it is my family’s dream house. Packing my room was very upsetting. Thinking that for one full year I have no place to call my house, or one place to call my bedroom. But besides the packing of my house I had to leave Bauer who I would also love to see! That was sad because he is the best dog hands down. But overall, this week turned out pretty good because I got to go to my family friends cottage in Muskoka which was amazing, and my friend Jesse invited me to his cottage to in Sauble beach  which was so much fun! So I would like to thank theAngus-Ralph and Dowdell family for such a great time. That is all I have to say…….for now.

HERE I COME!….

July 12, 2008

Hello world as you can see my name is Brendan and I am the youngest out of the two children of the family.  I am 13 going into grade 8. I am going to be very sad leaving my hometown which I love. I get asked the question “are you excited” and the answer comes out with a very loud YES I am. But at the same time I am very sad because leaving my friend and also leaving Bauer “the greatest dog in the world hands down”. Today me and my family are just packing up the house and getting ready for the trip.