" WHHHHAAAALE!"

Good morning! We are currently sitting in River Valley Lodge waiting to get on our last bus for the North Island….before the 6-pod breaks up….to be a quad-pod! So, many things to write about, we’ll try to keep it as brief as possible but we know how that goes. So back abit here, our last day in Rotorua we once again invaded Oneil’s ‘alone time’ and followed him on a white water rafting trip. We had an absolute blast riding out the grade 4-5 rapids for 5 hours with tons of laughs especially when our guide realized that we were all so comfortable and decided to have some fun with us. We knew it was going to be interesting as he yelled out to another guide “we’re surfing the next one!” So, that rapid required us to ramp off another boat shooting us behind a group of rocks that sucked us to an area where the only way we could get out was to be knocked out by another boat. Unfortnuately for us, nobody did that. So, we sat there to try and figure how we were going to get out and pondered the idea if anybody had to “take a 1”, now is the time. Our boat was stuck in the turbo wash setting. With Taya in the bottom of the drum holding on to Oneil’s leg. Long story short, we had to get another boat to tow us out while we helped by chanting in true Canadian fashion, “come on you pussies, put your back into it” (sorry, for the language we tried to sensor it!) To end the day perfectly ( for the Dalziel cubed and the lone Poirier ), the Marks were ejected into the frigid waters….who knew Asian eyes could be so big!!!! Priceless….to some! From there we went to a town called Waitomo where the Glow Worm Caves are located. That day we split into 2 groups with the Dalziel’s doing a 5-hour trip including abseiling down a 35 metre black hole, zip lining, climbing up waterfalls and tubing through the caves. To start off, poor Briana had no headlight in this black abyss having to put all of her trust into the guide. That was soon retracted once she heard the snap of the carabineer to the zipline that launched her deeper and faster into the unknown darkness- all that Chelsea and Britt could hear was a blood curdling scream, and a pause- apparently to refill her lungs to continue the screaming. Chelsea thought this was the end, especially after the guide thought it was entertaining to bang a tube on the wall to insinuate a crash landing at the end. The girls all agreed they felt like they were in the movie, The Goonies as they climbed up the falls. Mel, Oneil and Taya did a 3 hour version, floating through the caves, with a couple jumps down to lower water. Later on, following Oneil’s bush instincts we trespassed on some farmer’s land and climbed a mountain to the most breathtaking views of NZ yet. From there we headed on an extra 3-day , off the track tour. Can’t tell you much, cause we don’t know much! Our driver, REX---boy, hard to explain this one, most importantly, he was about 82--enough said! He doesn’t believe in speed limits nor braking or down-shifting while flying down the mountain sides and fish-hook corners,didn’t explain where or what we were doing, decided that if he had seen it a million times, that we must have too---often circling once passed to get a QUICK glance, and lastly, his LONG-WINDED, monotone, irrelevant answers or explanations…never quite reaching the destination. Oh well, made for a good laugh. Chelsea had her first moment---the highlight…we were about to enjoy our evening coffee while watching the sunset over the ocean when one of our fellow bus-mates yelled out whale. It wasn`t long before we dropped our coffee and we were sprinting down the beach after the orca`s frolicking in the waters. Later to find out that they were in fact, feeding on the stingrays. None of us knew that Chelsea could sprint like that and we have come to the conclusion whenever we need Chelsea to pick it up a notch, we shout ``WHALE!`` For example, `` Chelsea, there`s a whale in your bag…quick, pack it up!`` Dalziel cubed and Taya also went out into the ocean and fed wild stingrays-2 types. Yes, the one that took the Crocodile Hunter`s life…CRIKEY! They are big and pushy. The next morning, we split early- Taya & Oneil rising at 5 to hike up a mountain to watch the sunrise at a point where it hits first in the world everyday…they felt the deep burn in their legs and tasted blood from their lungs..but so worth it. The girls took off at 6 to go rock-sliding, basically boogie boarding down a natural rock waterslide.Only 1 injury- Brittany`s left shin took a beating as Brittany and Briana`s need to out-do one another got the best of them. To this day, Briana claims `That`s what you get for cheating!`` and it was payback for the tooth incident 13 years that is never forgotten. Hmm…skipping a few other things and now taking us to Taupo. Lots to do and see here….a beautiful town. It was about 20 minutes after arriving, Taya & Oneil were on a bus on their way to jump 15,000 ft from an airplane. Impressive seeing that Oneil was able to conquer his fear of heights, this boy takes the whole conquering quest to an extreme. Taya jumped first, immediately doing a summer sault into a oblivion of spins resembling the blades of helicopter. Oneil, jumped last. Once on the ground, it was very surreal that the pair of them had waited 7 years to dot this together and hurl themselves out of plane. Some may think this is an odd test of friendship, most share a friendly hug maybe a friendship bracelet…but no, these two need to cheat death. Taya was once again in heaven…Oneil well…not so much. He came down smiling from ear to ear, once asked what he thought…he took a minute to think about this. He looked like a cartoon character with his eyes wide open and his arms flailing-`I`m going to die…ENJOY THIS!…nope, I`m going to DIE….look at the sunset….I`m going to DIE…enjoy this!…mountains, beautiful…DEATH!!! UGHGGHHGHHH!!!, Taya said to enjoy this…right, it was beautiful…ugh quit spinning!` All the girls were in tears and on the floor laughing as Oneil re-enacted the moments leading up to his near-death experience. Taya asked him when they could do it again and got…give me another year or so! Sorry, guys..one more thing and then we are done. The next morning, Dalziel cubed & Taya rose at 5 to hike 19.4 km, up to 5000 ft through the clouds up to the summit of a volcano. Mount Tongarairo had the most recent eruption- Feb.19, 1975. This was amazing and was decided as the most challenging, rewarding and extreme climb we`ve done. Some of the highlights included; the fact that it wasn`t a groomed path and we had to break ground through large rocks with steep drop-offs on either side, the extreme weather changes- tank tops at the bottom to sleet and gail force winds gusting at plus or minus 90 kph at the summit, the descend so steep you had to dig your heels in and ride it out- 1 step for every 3 because you`d slide the equivalent, and having 2 climbs that signage warned if you weren`t fit enough to turn back- too stubborn, we figured, we ain`t turning back now! And lastly, the sheer fact that it was a 7-8 hour, 19.4 km hike- which we proudly accomplished in 5.5 hours! We`ll leave it at that, sorry it was so long- we even cut some things out. We are currently sitting here, listening to Kings of Leon feeling accomplished and very proud that the 3 of us have been by each other`s sides through so many important and memorable events. Every moment is appreciated and never taken for granted…we know the 3 of us will have a bond for life.

It's a Six-pod not a Sex-pod!!!!

Okay, okay people…no need to get aggressive here!!!! We are slacking big time…let’s just say we are truly living the chilled and laid back relaxed Kiwi life. Not to mention that we are still recovering from our 2 planned additions and the very unexpected third addition! So to begin…our flight from Melbourne to Auckland was delayed 2.5 hours getting us to our hostel at 1:30 am…basically leaving us in no mood for anything except saying a quick hello to Oneil and Mel and then hitting the hay. Much to our surprise we arrived to hostel, to find that the hostel had put another person into our pre-booked dorm for the 5 of us. We got our backs up immediately when he suggested that seperation of the tripod was necessary due to this other person. He kept saying that Mel, Oneil, Brittany and Briana were booked and that a Chelsea was the only other….hmmm…Taya and Brittany went immediately into fight mode…basically telling the poor guy ‘We don’t care who this Chelsea person is…we had booked for 5 with Taya…get her out of our room, and put us in it” Then we came to a conclusion saying we didn’t care who this person was as long as the 3 of us could be with Mel and Oneil. We trudged up to our room, disappointed that our planned invasion would have to be down played because of this Chelsea person. So, Taya entered first creeping around the corner to make sure that the light wasn’t pissing off this girl…Brittany and Briana confused why Taya froze and was creepily staring at our new dorm-mate…not saying a word. Taya was confused too because this person was so familiar but couldn’t put her finger on it….she continued to stand there dazed for 45 secs having a stare down with this new person…only to realize with enough squinting that it was in fact a Dalziel sister….CHELSEA!!!! Who would have knew that Chelsea was “Chelsea”… Brit and Taya made the walk of shame downstairs to apologize to the poor bloke at the front desk for our behaviour, apparently he was right, there was a Chelsea in our room!!! Wow…3-pod to a 6-pod… you can only imagine the change Our equilibrium was disrupted but we love it and are slowly finding a groove for everything. Okay, our first day out as the 6-pod we ventured out to Pahia where we saw amazing terrain, proper black sand beaches and a rainforest walk which led us to a massive waterfall…bahaha…that waterfall happened to emptyr into a body of water that was a crisp 8 degrees…Oneil, Briana and yup, Chelsea decided…”When in Rome”…and jumped in. Oddly enough, they all decided that their reproductive organs felt the repercussions of the frigid water and are still hoping that spawning will one day occur!!! The other 3 laughed…actually pissed themselves laughing while videoing all for your enjoyment. It didn’t take long for the new onlookers that haven’t witnessed Mel’s gag reflex to get a quick show….apparently a little sand on a ham sandwich will do it!!!! Next stop---Rotten-rura! Actually, Rotorura but my god, this place is so high in Sulphur content it smells like hot rotten eggs. They say the earth belches, releasing these pungent gases….they literally hit and stick to your face!!! Mmmm…eat that up!!! That night we went to a Traditional Maori village where we were able to experience the culture and tradition. Started off with Kia-ora (welcome) which is very intense…as there is no emotion, smile, crying or movement allowed while men come into a stadium where they perform a challenge dance. They are adorned with paint, and costumes carrying a form of a weapon screaming/grunting with bulging eyes and protruding tongue-traditionally intended for intimidation to the opposition…well, that was understatement! So much that after it was done, employees had to encourage smiling and laughter. We also were privileged to have an amazing meal. So, we currently sit in Taupo and head out tomorrow morning for another 4 day excursion. We honestly hope that we can stay on top of this too!!! ( it’s killing us right now trying to remember anything other than what we did this day, there’s so much!!!) A shout out to Tyler and Michelle Brady on their their new baby girl!!! Congratulations, hope all is well.
P.S. Please ‘you tube’ an ostrich emptying their bowels and bladder…we are still traumatized in so many ways…uggghhh

Long Live the Tripod!!!

Well, unbelievable, we are at the end of Australia and leaving for New Zealand tomorrow (Nov.12)! We are in Melbourne and have once again, overwhelmed ourselves with heaps of activities and sightseeing. We stayed in the St.Kilda district of Melbourne, which is just outside the city center. Our first day we walked down to the beach to soak up some of this ridiculous ‘spring’ weather- aka unreal heat, soaring at a scorching 34 degrees. We also toured up and down some of the streets in St.Kilda notoriously known for great food, cafes, and entertainment. We also discovered we are missing out on 3 things….Seal live in concert, The Australian Masters golf tournament---Tiger Woods and all, and Brittney Spears ( who of which we did not know was playing except that we had an impromptu paparazzi sighting outside of her hotel during one of our walks. Among the massive camera lenses were people chanting ‘Brittney’ ---To Brittany’s disappointment, they weren’t chanting for her!!! Someday though! The next day, was Sunday and we were able to catch the weekly market down at the Esplanade. There were lots of tents displaying a variety of the locals handicrafts. We then found refuge from the sun and ate lunch under a palm tree before hitting the beach once again. I know it really sounds like we have been doing nothing but lie on the beach, but it is absolutely necessary to cool down in the water…the pavement and sand reflects ridiculous amounts of heat! During our first cool down session in the water, it wasn’t long until Briana frantically tried climbing over Brittany and Taya towards shore, squealing not really articulating what was happening….leaving Taya and Brittany confused with their imaginations running wild. You can only imagine the possibilities seem endless in Australia’s open waters. Apparently, once she got onto shorenshe informed us that she had placed her hand on a giant jellyfish right beside us!!! And no, it didn’t sting her.The previous day, we had noticed another one beside us- these ones, apparently, aren’t deadly…just cause a lot of pain. This little scenario reminded us a lot of our stingray encounter in Mission Beach where Briana once again “warned us.” Now to our 3rd day- we took a 14 hour day trip along the Great Ocean Road---which is a great road running along the ocean….imagine that! But seriously, Australian’s are known for naming things as exactly what they are (ie. Squiggly gum tree- gum tree with squggles on it.) This drive was truly breathtaking and impossible to describe. Some of stops included the famous Bell’s Beach where the Ripcurl classic surfing competition is held, London Bridge-which actually collapsed), the 12 Apostles- it’s the only case where it’s not literal as there are 8 rock formations not 12, Koala spotting, and a short 1km walk through the rainforest where massive trees stand. Taya has been waiting for an opportunity to go for a helicopter ride, but prices have been too expensive. She broke down and decided to go over the 12 Apostles- where she was lucky enough to get upgraded from a $70 for 10 min to a $300 for half hour and down to water level ride for free! The next day, which brings us to yesterday- we ventured into the city center meeting our fellow wolf pack member-Megan. We toured the major highlights of Melbourne including Federation Square, Eureka Tower - which is the highest point in the Southern Hemisphere giving us a 360 degree of Melbourne, St.Paul’s Cathedral , and the botanical gardens. We watched the sun set over the city from the tower and then wandered down to the riverside where it is lined with fancy restaurants and romance lingers…gag!!! Along this walk there are many musicans varying from bagpipes, acoustic guitars to electric guitars. We thought wow, what a nice ending to Australia. However…the night wasn’t over…TRAMS!!! Bom, bom, bom!!!! Interesting story,…to make it short…3 trains, Briana crying, Brittany and Taya laughing hysterically at Briana …apparently tram doors close quicker than one would think and DO NOT have a motion sensor on them. Also, that Briana would be extremely upset if, by chance, Brittany got left behind while Taya and Briana rode it out on the train. After this incident, yet another rule….if you get left behind- stay calm…and stay where you are. if you need to cry…puff up, be big….hug a pole if necessary. Pretend that’s what was intended, be confident that the others will soon notice that you are no longer present. Anywho, bringing us to today- laundry and lounging, organizing packs/ transport and planning New Zealand. Prepping ‘The Tripod’ for the addition of 2 more members making us the ‘ The Quin-pod’ They will have to undergo rigorous testing and initiation to prove their loyalty and commitment…good luck Oneil and Mel….LONG LIVE THE TRIPOD!!!

Anyway, here’s goodbye to Australia and a new chapter in New Zealand…it’s been a blast so far with so many memories. 3 crazy ladies…2 countries down…2 more to go….surprised??? We are!!!
Cheers!

It wasn't a picnic!

WOW!!!! We are terrible…we’ll definitely give you that if you are cursing at us…it has been awhile now since we last wrote. Right now we are in Melbourne-our final stop in Australia before we fly out to New Zealand- Taya sobs daily , she doesn’t want to go home, Briana is excited that she made it this far and Brittany is floating along and loving life! We are going to throw out a quick warning as this blog may need an intermission for all you readers- there’s lots to cover! So, Sydney- unbelievably jam packed with activities so graciously planned by our new travel mates that we met in Bali! The first day that we arrived, did the usual-got sorted out and decided what we all wanted to see/do. The next morning we met up with our fellow Saskatchewan-ite, Megan- we did a lot of walking and touring around Sydney’s central areas including the Royal Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park, The Rocks, the famous Sydney Opera house and the Sydney harbour bridge. A lot of miles but worth every single step. That evening we stalked our friends C-Rad and Patty (guys, we know you love these nicknames!!! Don’t lie!) and had coffee in Hyde Park. The boys flipped a coin to see who had to take ‘the kids’ out that night--C-Rad lost …and the next day too…poor guy! He took us to the Famous Pie stop in Sydney- “Harry’s Pies” it’s notorious among the locals and obviously the tourists, not forget all the celebrities- Pamela Anderson, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe…you know the big leagues! One thing we’ve learned- the Aussie’s love their meatpies! The next day we took a train to meet C-Rad. That day he realized just how bad he lost out- I think he underestimated 3 Canadians for 14.5 hours, non-stop chatter…ahhh, we feel bad just thinking about it but what a trooper and we heart him and Patty for everything they have done for us! (tear) He took us basically from one side of Sydney to another starting off in the Blue Mountains- we went to the Three Sisters and walked down to some waterfalls, from there we had a ‘lunch’ (wink, wink) not a picnic. Even though we sat at a picnic table and ate food from an ‘Esky’ (cooler). Everything he bought was iconic of Australia or had Australia in mind, even the cups. We were lost for words as we felt very surprised and spoiled. From there we raced (literally) to a pub to partake in an Austalian Tradition- the Melbourne Cup. Everything seems to come to a halt while the race is on, the women dress in lavish dresses and headpieces/hats. We even put a bet down to get in the spirit, not knowing we picked the underdog- Spin Around…only $20 lost. Unlike the poor bloke who put $20,000 down on one horse! Moving on we drove to Coogee Beach where we walked for about 2 hours to the Famous Bondi Beach. We were fortunate enough to see the annual display ‘Sculptures by the Sea’….it was amazing to see how much work was put into each one. We then met up with Patrick, thinking they would be about ready to get rid of us, they spoiled us once again and took us out for supper. They kept reassuring us that it was on a running tab for when they come visit in Canada….we accept and raise you by 1 boys….surprise us…we have room!!! It was like Bali again- sad to say goodbye to them but worse this time because we know the time in between our next visit will be a lot longer. Haha! We are still trying to convince the boys to go home to Fiji for Christmas before Dec.23rd, forcing a reunion!!! After Sydney, we got on our last bus for Australia and headed towards Melbourne on a 3 day tour. We covered the Snowy Mountains, Wilson’s Promontory, and the Parliament House in Canberra ( the Capital) among other little stops. It was so incredibly odd to take a chair lift up Mount Kosciusko and find SNOW!!!! Yup, in Australia, who knew! It is spring here, so it was melting fast but cool to see that it was stained red from the massive sandstorms in late Sept. Also,odd that the day prior was a sweltering 38 degrees and then we were in 6 degree weather and scrambling for our jumpers! (hoodies) To make all of you proud we made snowmen, snow angels, had a snowball fight and shocked everyone on our tour that we were doing this in our t-shirts and mandals as we climatized sooner than we thought! Last big stop- our diver stopped in an old WWII landing strip where we spotted wild Kangaroos, emus and the red back spider-one of Australia’s most deadly. So, to today- Melbourne. We decided to take it easy today and plan our remaining time. We hit the beach, a nice spring day….above 30...this is ridic! We’re melting … funny how much Canadians perspire compared to these Aussie’s…god dang they love their heat! Our plans include, a tour of the Great Ocean Road, the Queen Victoria Park, Federation Square, the Eureka Tower etc….not exactly sure yet. All we know is that our days are limited and cannot believe we are almost done in Australia….quite sad actually. This trip is flying by. Well, gonna head to bed now…take care. Keep your stick on the ice.

P.S. We want to give a shout out and a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Cody and Sheena! Welcome baby Kendal…looking forward to meeting her!

P.P.S. THANK YOU AGAIN, Conrad and Patrick. We will miss you and can’t wait to see you again.

Damn pot smoking hippies!

Okay, okay…we know…we fell behind once again. We are currently on the bus to Sydney right now…Brit and Taya are watching Briana ugly sleep….oh how entertaining!!! Don’t worry we have a ton of photos to prove it!! Ongoing rule of this trip…as soon as the eyes close it’s fair game…poor sucker who falls first. Alright, so we just left the Amsterdam of Australia and no we did not indulge…al 3 of us still have a clean record! We stayed in Byron Bay at Nomad’s for 3 nights. We definitely lucked out in our room….it was massive, we were in the ‘round tower’ of what a castle would have ( just like Rapunzel!) We met up with one of the Canadian girls we met in Bali…Holla Megan!!! Our wolf pack grew by 1 and soon we were 4, for 2 days…then we were back to our tripod! Didn’t do too much, this town was one of our favourites- it is known for it’s laid back , ‘hippy’ style…it’s very difficult to have any worries there since everyone is so mellow. Partially , because the majority of them have just returned from Nimbin- a place notoriously known for pot smoking and growing opportunities, not to forget their yummy ‘baked goods’. For locals and tourists, it’s not frowned upon, it’s just illegal!! Haha! And supposedly a place to stock up if need be! However, the prime minister decided that marijuana was the least of their worries compared to other crime and harsher drugs-so it is accepted to grow 2 of your plants for your own recreational needs. Seriously!, Hmm…what else did we do besides people watch…one morning we walked up a million stairs in the blistering sun to Australia’s most easterlny point on the mainland and a lighthouse. After our relaxing walk, we thought we should rip it up, true Bryon Bay fashion being the surf capital of Australia and all. We ‘hired’ surf boards for the afternoon…and apparently the fiberglass Mal boards are a bit faster than the funboards- who knew!!! Yes, Lindsay we made a rule for this one….we all have bruises and tender spots ( aka war wounds) throughout our bodies. Taya counted 15 bruises from her toes to her hip…we lost count after that….Briana looks like she got roughed up by a kangaroo after stealing it’s Joey! Brittany’s xyphoid process is bruised and swollen- slightly bent like Taya’s tailbone! We were so determined to get revenge on the the PMS’ing , dirty tramp (aka the ocean) that dumped us on our asses and heads for that matter….we decided to have another go the next day. This time with instruction and appropriate boards…we owned it! We all surfed to shore a couple times…it was great and we were smiling from ear to ear!!! Anyway, that was in Surf camp…where we stayed last night and left this am at 0700 to get on the road for one of our longest journey’s yet- down to Sydney. We plan on partaking in the famous Opera house, Sydney harbour and Bridge walk. Also, meeting up with our pack member, Megan and hopefully with the 2 guys we met in Bali- Patrick and C-Rad, our 10-12 crew. Happy Halloween…we want to see all your pics on FB!!! Talk soon.