Zoom Zoom Zoom in New Zealand

.............by guest author Jennifer Powell



Welcome to the driver’s guide for new drivers in New Zealand. I hope to demystify driving in a foreign country for those of you who have not had the opportunity but also reveal some of my ignorance to those who have.

For starters, most people would think the most difficult adjustment would be learning to drive on the left side of the road. Not quite. At first my biggest trouble was looking for the rear view mirror in the appropriate spot (I was consistently looking out my right window). However my most lasting difficulty would be my chronic use of the wipers when I intend to signal. Fortunately it has rained quite a bit, which creates the illusion of knowing what I’m doing.

Mila and I have a lovely little Mazda Familia. I did not realize that similar makes of cars would have different models. For example, the Honda Ascot is quite common. There are also quite a number of cars that are this new “electric green” colour.


Road signs are also quite intriguing. Here are a couple of signs we have seen thus far:
- Drink, drive- you’re a loser
- Merge like a zip (which was posted on the on-ramp to the motorway)
- The slippery when wet sign has the same picture of the swerving car but the caption reads “when frosty”

The roads we are driving on are generally two-lane undivided highways with a speed limit of 100km/h. The roads are very well kept and we have come across some construction. There is generally very little forewarning and the speed limit drops abruptly to 30 km/h. Another interesting note about speed limits are the yellow caution speeds- they always end in 5 (ie- 25 km/h, 35, etc…).

Passing is also slightly different. The roads have wide shoulders in most areas so that when people pull out to pass you, you move over toward the shoulder. They have the same dotted lines in passing zones as at home. However these zones are around corners and up hills! No wonder a lot of the areas are marked “High Crash” areas.

So overall we’ve adjusted reasonably well to the changes in driving styles. I only pray that my return to Toronto driving will be as painless!

Black Water Rafting in New Zealand

Jenny P is in the house!

New Zealand is proving to be a fantastic adventure so far. When I have more time, and better access to the internet, I will post an entry about our travels, including the madness of driving on the left side of the road, the craziest weather patterns I have ever seen and the incredible views at every turn.

For now, I want you to check out our pictures from the Waitomo caves, where we went black water rafting (you float on an inner tube, sort of like a tire, in the underground waters of these caves) to see the glow worms. It was AWESOME!!!! We had so much fun and I almost crapped my pants in fear a few times, especially when we had to jump off of waterfalls underground!

This is Lucas, our guide, showing us what NOT to do by jumping into that hole.

This is the group we were with...look how dry and giddy we are BEFORE the cave.

Mom, that's me in the cave! It doesn't capture how I'm hanging on the wall for dear life!

Jenn and I on the tubes......this is after the second waterfall jump, and we're just thrilled we survived!!!!

This is called the "eel formation". It's the only way you can keep track of everyone once the pitch dark blackness of the caves hit.

"Amber Pretty Pops"

AKA: APPs...
Before coming on this trip, Amber and I joked about how the only times we were ever apart was during sleeping and showering. Well, hostel living sure changed that!


The pictures I've posted don't do justice to how much fun we've had in Australia. There has been a lot of laughing, tonnes of exploring, and maybe a glass or two of wine.

I've also learned some new things about my little Amber. She is content with only 5 things:

1. Chocolate. She loved those Tim Tams as much as I did.

2. Cheese. Follow that up with some crackers and the girl is happy.

3. Grooming! The kid takes at least 2 showers a day!

4. Wine...not that I didn't join her in this indulgence.

5. The beach - from the sun to the waves, she loved it all! You should see the smile on her face when she falls asleep on the sand.

My trip to Australia wouldn't have been the same without Amber. I got to re-live a lot of the wonder of Australia with her, and discover so many new ones along the way. The worse part was having to say goodbye both to Amber and to Australia. I'd love to come back someday....

Amber, it's difficult to thank you for such an incredible adventure, but our memories will live with me forever. I adore you! See you soon!

Surfer's Paradise

We couldn't come all the way to Australia and not visit a place called Surfer's Paradise. Most of the aussies we met on our travels told us to stay away from there: "the sun goes down at noon there with all those high rises", "the beach is too crowded", "only tourists go there"....

Still, we had to check it out for ourselves. We are tourists after all!

It's true, Surfer's lacks the small town charm of Byron Bay, which is still untouched by the McDonald's and Starbucks conglomerates. The beach is surrounded by high rises and there is no lack of tourist shops and restaurants. Even so, we had a great time loving the sun...

Now for the real question: did we surf at Surfer's Paradise? Unfortunately, the answer is no. This cyclone Odette is still plaguing us wherever we go, and the ocean has been ferrocious. We watched some surfers the other day attempt to ride the waves and it seems like if they're having a hard time, we had no prayer. Maybe next time!

Australia Zoo

Amber and I went to arguably one of the most famous zoos in the world: Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. It is a privately owned zoo that is completely interactive! We cuddled koalas, hand fed kangaroos and were glad that the "interaction" stopped with the crocs!

The koalas are everywhere you turn...there's even one named Oprah!

Those little claws are sharp! Amber has the scratches to prove it.

The best part of the zoo for us was the area that held the kangaroos. You go through two sets of fences into a huge open area where the kangaroos are free to hop and play, but mostly, they were like my sister's dog May Ling: they liked to nap!

No, I had no food for him.....

Big boy!

I just want to stay on this side of the fence! No interaction, please!!!!!!

Welcome to Byron Bay

We were searching for white sands, hot sunshine and the roar of the ocean......well, welcome to Byron Bay!!!!

Amber and I flew down to Brisbane, then took a three and a half hour bus to Byron Bay. We certainly haven't regretted it! The beach is phenomenal, probably the most beautiful beach I've seen in Australia. We were only supposed to stay here a couple of days but we're planning on almost a week now.

The only trouble is that there's a cyclone on this coast named Odette. The surfers are all chasing it, and today, you should have seen how many surfers were on the beach, hoping for the cyclone to come our way. I hope they're disappointed!

Out on the town.....we went to Beach hotel for a few drinks and some dancing.....there was the strangest band playing some "funky" music. We had a good time anyway!

Around town....

Amber was anxious for me to "take the picture already"...she wanted to jump in the water

Main Beach in Byron Bay...this is where we spend most of our time....can you tell why?

Here's hoping that cyclone Odette stays far off the shore....

More Great Barrier Reef pictures

I've had some requests for more reef pictures.....Ashley, we didn't get any pictures of a stingray or an octupus but I hope the turtles and some more "nemo" pictures do the trick! Auntie Amber and I are going to the Australia Zoo soon and then we'll be able to post pictures of koalas, kangaroos and wombats! Enjoy!