Hanging around the Harbor

Friday, July 27

Today, we were back to a busy schedule (though not so busy we had to be up before the sun). We started the morning again with a complimentary breakfast in the hotel and confirming our activities for the day. Around noon we headed out of the hotel with the first activity starting at 2:30 down at the Harbor.

We first wandered through Hyde Park - below are some of good pictures. Not much to say - just a nice, scenic stroll.

Since we still had time before the cruise, we headed to Circular Quay to walk through the shops that lined the harbor.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then hopped on board the Sydney 2000 for our "Sydney Highlights Harbor Cruise". The boat was by far the largest one we had been on board this trip, which was nice, as the tour group was also by far the largest we had been part of. Stephen and I opted for the top deck, which had the best uninhibited views and the open air and sunshine too. Here are some of the highlights we took pictures of:

The Sydney Harbor Bridge:

The Sydney Opera House:

Sydney Harbor:

The Sydney skyline:

The cruise was supposed to end by 3:45, giving us 20 minutes to walk to the Bridge Climb Center (in the middle of "The Rocks") so we could check in by 4:05 for our 4:20 climb. However, the boat was not on time and we de-boarded at 3:55, causing Stephen and I to hustle to find the Center. Good news, we made it a little after 4pm and got checked in, which allowed me time to almost back out of the climb. I was not feeling very well and spending three hours harnessed to a bridge didn't sound particularly fun. Stephen, being the great guy that he is, called me a wuss and told me to man up. Or something like that. Either way, by 4:20, I was signing the indemnity form and learning how to put on my jumpsuit.

It would seem that all our previous activities were preparing us for this final climb - getting into our SCUBA gear took half as long as it did to get suited up here - we had a jumpsuit, windpants, a safety belt, a spare jacket, gloves, hats, head lamps, radios, headphones, and even clips for hankerchiefs that had to be attached.

 Bungee jumping had warped our sense of height - the bridge was 134m high - the same height as one of the jumps we could have done in Queenstown - that meant that at the top of the bridge when we were looking down to the water - we were thinking how some people actually jumped from this height - a scary realization.

Forty-five minutes later, our group of five (plus our tour guide) were harnessed to the bridge and began our ascent. The whole climb took somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours. We had elected to do the "Discovery Climb", meaning rather than walking up the top ridge of the bridge, we started on the lower levels and spent more time looking at the design and architecture of the bridge - as well as learning facts about how the bridge was made - including the knowledge that the bridge contains 6 million rivets, and only 10,000 fell into the water during construction (and only 15 people from falling - what a comforting thought)

While we were not allowed to bring our cameras on the climb, the guide had a camera and at certain spots, took some absolutely incredible photos (better than we could have taken, for sure), so here are the really goods ones.

Downtown Sydney in the background:

The Opera House in the background:

Sydney Harbor and the bridge:

The climb was absolutely incredible - the views fantastic, the group very personable, and surprisingly, the weather was good too. Our timing was awesome - we started the climb in daylight, got to see the sun set, and then walked back in the dark with the city illuminated. By climbing at night, we were also able to witness a phenomenon only seen at night - the bridge actually blocks the light and creates a shadow on the night sky - even without clouds we could see it.

We made it back down in one piece, unbelievably excited about what we had just completed. After removing all of the gear piece by piece, we headed into town to find some food - choosing a Japanese noodle bar with outdoor seating - heat lamps and blankets provided.

After dinner, we returned to the hotel and went to bed - it had been a long and exciting day. We also had plans to get up early to head to the Olympic Park so I could swim in the 2000 Olympics pool.

On the Rocks - in the Rocks

Thursday, July 26

Finally - a day with nothing on the schedule. Nowhere we had to be, nothing we had to do, if we didn't want to. It was awesome. We slept in, puttered around our room, which we decided is bigger than Stephen's apartment. It has a living room which could hold 15 people standing comfortably, a master bedroom through doors that separate from the living room, and a master bathroom with a tub you could sleep in and a glass shower that looks like the elevator from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

After complimentary breakfast upstairs, we spent well past lunch working on getting our blogs written and online. While our original plan included joining a bus tour throughout the city, we decided we were tired of bus tours and would rather have room to roam. Not only that, a closer look at the route revealed we had hit the majority of the stops already. We decided we wanted to explore an area known as "The Rocks" - one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sydney, full of history, social events, and some highly recommended bars. Here is one block of "The Rocks" - the cobblestones very reminiscent of Boston:

After walking around most of the area, we decided to try out some of the local libations. The first bar we stopped in was called Lowenbrau - our travel book had recommended it, and it didn't disappoint. Full of German culture - from the steins to the beers to the attire of the waiters and bartenders - it was a pretty awesome bar.

This is a picture of the Lowenbrau dining room/restaurant - rows and rows of long tables, really creating a family feel. Since neither of us had a hankering for meat or potatoes, we continued on.

Our next stop was the Fortune of War - which we were inclined to visit as it boasted to be Sydney's oldest pub - as you can see below. We decided after ordering the same beers at Lowenbrau that we should try other local beers - each ordering different drinks so we could get a sense of the local beers.

After Fortune of War, we decided we should get some dinner. Our wanderings led us to the Orient - where we had, in my opinion, some of the best bar food I've ever had. Stephen had a lamb pie (looked like a homemade chicken pot pie) and I had vegetarian soba noodles with grilled vegetables. It was delicious. Of course, while we were waiting for dinner, we each had another drink - Stephen had a Fat Yak (left) and I had a Pure Blonde.

We spent over an hour at the Orient, just enjoying the drinks and the food and watching the live band set up for their concert. At this point, we decided we should probably start to make our way back to the hotel. However, we had received recommendations of many local bars from some locals, so of course, when we passed one more on the way back, we had to stop - for one drink. I ordered a "half pint" and Stephen ordered a "pint" - thinking they'd be nice and small and a nice way to end the night. Below is a picture of the drinks we actually got.

Note, Stephen's drink is bigger than his hand. Below is a picture of the bar at an empty moment.

Finally, we decided to head home - as tomorrow is full of lots of adventures - both a Harbor Cruise and climbing the Sydney Harbor bridge. 

When in New Zealand, do like the Kiwis…and Jump!

Wednesday, July 25

As New Zealand is the adrenaline capital of the world and the home of the very first bungee jump, we figured we had to do it on this trip. So, we signed up for the original jump on Monday, and today, that’s what we got to do.

We were quite lucky today – we got to sleep in! (all the way until 7:30). We got up, repacked all of our clothes that had been layered on the past two days, and checked out of the hotel by 8am. We then headed to the bus stop, absolutely froze waiting in the shade, and finally got on the bus by 8:30am. By 8:45, we were in downtown, checking in for our 9:15 departure to the bungee site. There, we filled out a form with our name and the jump site of our choice, and were subsequently tagged in red marker on our hands the necessary information for the bus drivers. As we had our luggage with us, we headed across the street to leave our bags at the information site while we went to the bungee site. 

At 9:15, 7 of us loaded into a van and drove the half hour to the Kawarau Bridge – home of the very first bungee jump. Here are some pictures of the bridge.

Here is the ledge we jumped from:

The viewing platform people could watch from:

A picture of the bridge from a different angle:

The canyon we jumped in (with a jumper at the bottom being released from the bungee):

And the view looking down at the boat from the top of the bridge - 43m is a long way down.

Once we arrived to the site, we headed into the main building and checked in. We emptied our pockets, stepped on a scale twice, and had our weights written on our other hands, again in particularly bright red pen. 

We then signed away our life on a piece of paper and were told to head out to the bridge. We presumed this meant we were going out to be suited up, watch some videos, maybe even go through a tutorial on what we were going to be doing next.

Nope.

We headed out to the bridge, where the guides gave us leg harnesses to pull up to our waists and told us to wait. The first guy who walked out with us was strapped in first, and within three minutes, he had already jumped off the bridge and Stephen was getting suited up next. Here are some pictures of the process (though not of us).

The cage you step through to go off the platform:

 

Sitting down being strapped in:

Stephen was the second person to be harnessed in – a process in which you sit down, they wrap a beach towel around your ankles for padding, wrap a strap around the towel approximately ten times, attach the strap to your harness, and your harness to the rope with a huge carabineer. The leg harness was just a redundant backup, your decent was controlled by the strap tied around your ankles and the cord it was hooked to.

The cold was unbelievable – everyone was visibly shivering – which was good as it secretly masked the fear of what we were about to do. Once you’re strapped in, they walk you to the edge of a 3-ft long platform, tell you to wave at the camera, and when they count down to one, you jump. It’s at this moment you realize you’re over 120 feet above a river and about to plunge down into it.

Stephen's description of his jump: The speed of everything really does prevent you from thinking twice. 3 minutes after stepping on a scale and signing a release form, you're geared up and inching your way to the edge of the platform. Then you get your first real, unobstructed view over the edge (the "oh shit" moment) and 3 seconds later, you're told to jump. No time to think, you jump. It's exhilarating and terrifying all at once for about 5 seconds as you freefall. Then the bungee cord starts to slow your descent and you feel the blood rushing towards your arms and head as you launch back into the air. From there, it's just one big (upside-down) swing, smiles for the camera, and a sense of accomplishment. I've been skydiving before, but the two don't compare- skydiving is actually kind of peaceful. This was pure adrenaline.

My description of my jump: I was doing just fine when the told me to hop into the cage - I was just really cold. I sat down, they wrapped me in the towel and harnessed me in, and then told me to hop forward to walk to the edge. I was doing great, up until I got to the very edge. I believe my first words were "Holy shit" as I looked down and realized how unbelieveably high up we were. The guy who roped me in told me to smile at the camera on my left (Stephen was apparently right next to the operator - I definitely had no idea he was there) and that he would then count down and I would jump. I then asked "Will you push me?" He said no. I then decided "Okay, I guess I'll have to jump" and three seconds later, I launched myself off the platform. Stephen's favorite part was that I screamed right as I jumped off, and the second I hit free fall I was silent. The feeling was incredible - I was free-falling straight down toward a river. The bungee started to tighten as I reached the bottom, and all of a sudden, I was springing back up as I'd hit the bottom of the rope and it was recoiling. A few seconds later, two men in a raft were telling me to grab the pole so they could lower me down and release me from the harness.

My pictures:

 

Over a ten minute period, we  had signed away our lives, been harnessed, jumped 130ft off a bridge, and were successful bungee jumpers. It was awesome.

We then spent the next hour watching other people jump, buying all of the required memorabilia (pictures, digital pictures, and the dvd of our jumps), and then hopping back on the bus to return downtown. There was a small hiccup on the return ride as our bus started to smoke and the smoke began to enter the main cabin. Here we are on the side of the road waiting for another bus to come pick us up.

Turns out the radiator cap had gone missing, so steam was just free-flowing. Once we got back downtown, we headed to get lunch, once again at Fergburger - it was convenient, delicious, and the tourist thing to do.

The long line to get in:

A size reference to get an idea of just how big these burgers were:

Stephen and his burger:

My tofu burger:

After lunch, we went souvenir shopping before heading to the airport. Here is one item I had to try on, but alas, did not purchase:

It was really fuzzy. After we'd purchased some quality NZ goods, we headed back to the information site where we had checked our backpacks and hopped on the bus to the airport. By 2:30, we were checked in to our flight to Sydney and trying to spend the last of our NZ money at the airport shops. We managed to spend every last dollar (it was only about $15 NZD) and headed to our gate. 

After coming down from a strong adrenaline rush, Stephen fell asleep in the terminal and I worked on crosswords.

Though our flight took off almost an hour late, we still landed around our original time, about 5:30 Australia time. This time, we felt so experienced - we knew how customs worked, we knew how to get to our hotel (via the silent train), and we made it to the hotel by 7pm. We checked in, and as Stephen is a Platinum member at the hotel, he was offered the choice of either more points, or a stuffed animal for staying at the hotel. We picked stuffed animal - a kookaburra. He's so soft!

We then headed into Sydney for a quick bite to eat and then returned to the hotel to go to bed, as we were exhausted from an adrenaline-filled day and the time zone changes. Tomorrow we explore more of Sydney!

Milford Sound

Tuesday, July 24

Up again for our last particularly early morning, Stephen and I rolled out of our very warm bed at 6:15am to get up and head out into the cold for our journey to Milford Sound. For some unknown reason, we did not layer nearly as well as yesterday, Stephen going with a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt and me with a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. BIG mistake (but we didn’t know it yet).

We were picked up at our hotel a little before 7am to take us to the departure site at 7:30. It was during our 15 minutes of waiting at the departure site we realized we may have wanted a few more layers. Fortunately, we had remembered to pack our hats and gloves, which were very helpful as the day progressed.

At 7:30, we got on our tour bus, which was not an ordinary tour bus – it had a glass roof (see below) and began the 5 hour drive to Milford Sound. 

As per usual, I slept the first two hours, despite the continual commentary by the bus driver. Stephen tried to sleep, but was unable, so he took in the scenery and captured some of the locations on film. 

Three hours in, we had a quick opportunity to stretch our legs in the town of Te Anau, stopping in a small town to pick up a few more passengers and allowing a quick coffee break at the local café.

We then spent the next two plus hours in the bus getting up to Milford sound, stopping a few times for pictures and once to fill our water bottle with incredibly pure and even colder water – you can see Stephen doing that below. The water tasted great.

The scenery kept getting more and more spectacular – and though the photos do it no justice – here is a video that was sort of successful.

Around 1pm we made it to the marina where we waited to board our boat for the scenic cruise up the sound (which we learned is actually a fjord – like everything else in NZ, it was originally misnamed). We spent two hours on the cruise going up and down both sides of the sound, mainly sitting on the top deck in the sun taking in the views. While we were provided lunch on this adventure, the food providers must have been unclear on the difference between vegetarian and vegan, as the only thing I could eat in my lunch was an apple – fortunately, we had brought along peanut butter sandwiches, which made a fine lunch for me. Stephen ate my boxed lunch for me, and decided his was better.

During our tour, we saw baby fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, multiple waterfalls (one of which we sailed right up to), and overall incredibly scenery. Here are lots of pictures.

This is our boat:

 Looking back from the boat after the harbor was out of view:

The really sheer cliff edges and the unbelievably calm water:

 Returning back from the ocean (with seals coming into view on the left):

Better picture of seals:

The big waterfall we went really close to (and even got a little wet from):

Some random couple in front of the waterfalls. Those jerks got in the way of our picture:

 Don't you love the background?

 Bottlenose dolphins:

 A better background photo for us (although Stephen thinks he looks like he's going to rob a mini-mart):

 Finally a good shot. Both of us and a waterfall.

 The waterfall looks better without us blocking it:

We returned to the marina two hours later, and hopped back on the bus for the 4 hour return drive (the drive back has no scenic stops and only stopped at Te Anau to refill the bus). This time, Stephen slept the first 2 hours while I took photos and enjoyed the scenery (and all of the sheep). The last hour and a half was apparently my breaking point, as I could not sit still any longer. Either the trip wasn’t enough to keep me sedated or all of our long adventures had finally caught up to me, but I had WAY TOO MUCH energy to be stuck on a bus in the dark. Let's just say Stephen wasn't able to sleep through that part of the trip.

Finally, by 7:30 we were back in downtown, where we wandered until we found a restaurant with a Sabrina-safe menu and a heater (it was cold, we were hungry, and the menu looked good). Dinner was lovely – I had tofu and sushi, Stephen had miso soup and sushi. After dinner, the wind had died down so we decided to take this opportunity to explore the city more, looking at various restaurants, trinket shops, and hostels. It had a definite ski-bum tourist feel with all of the ski shops and adventure travel agencies lining the streets, interspersed with bars and grocery stores. We stopped in an old school candy shop, drawn in by the smell of homemade fudge, walked out with both candy and fudge, and then headed over to the bus stop.

It was there we realized it was too late to catch a bus back to the hotel, so we decided to check the hours on the water taxis to see if we could get a ride back that way. Good news, we found the dock and the hours, and there was a taxi due back in 30 minutes. Perfect! We headed back toward the town to try and stay warm for the next half hour, opting to check out the local NZ gift shops rather than the crowded bars. The taxi arrived, so we hopped on board, paid the fees, and headed back to the hotel with our  small bag of goodies to enjoy upon our return.

However, what we returned TO wasn’t quite what we were expecting. Upon disembarking the water taxi, we heard a siren coming from the direction of our hotel. Stephen guessed fire alarm, I guessed car alarm. Turns out, Stephen was right – there were two fire trucks and bunch of hotel guests in pajamas outside the hotel. Our first thought was “Oh god. What did we leave plugged into our hotel room that caught fire.” There was one employee saying they didn’t know what was going on but that they would have us back inside as soon as they could. In the meantime, they suggested we go to the bar next door, grab a drink, sit by the fire places, and keep warm. That sounded like a good plan to us, so we headed into the bar, sat down by the fire place, and began to enjoy our fresh candy and fudge. 

Maybe 15 minutes later, people were heading back into the hotel. We weren’t able to get an explanation, but at this point, it was 11pm, so we didn’t really care – we were just hoping we hadn’t caused the alarm. We later found out it was caused by some people smoking in their rooms and refusing to stop. Or at least that’s the story.

As we weren’t tired quite yet, we curled up to watch the second half of a movie on tv (Easy A – a pretty good chick flick), heading to bed around midnight, with the knowledge that tomorrow we would be attempting to bungee jump.