Activities – Page 5 – HurricaneMaine

Blue mountains

I booked a tour with Wildlife Tours to the outside of Sydney to the Blue Mountains. They have eucalyptus trees there and the oils that evaporate of the surface of the leaves reflect the light and make a blue haze as you look at them.

We stopped at a few places along the way, stopping at a water fall, and taking a few bush walks through the area. The smell of eucalyptus in the air was fantastic.

Jamison lookout

From here we walked around to get to the other cliff where the water fall is located. It was a great bush walk.

During the bush walk we found a funnel web spider hole. This is the 3rd most venomous spider in the world. And… the venom can kill quickly.

Boars Head lookout and Cahill lookout.

We stopped here to see how far the Australian fires came to Sydney. This was the worst year on record for the amount of bush fires and animal lives lost. You can see the scorch marks on the rocks and areas of trees that are browner than others. Since they have had rain the last week, it is really starting to green up quickly in the area.

This Rock formation looks like a Boar’s head.

From here you can see the areas that burnt.

Three sisters rocks.

An Aboriginal tale of the Dreamtime talks of a medicine man who took his 3 daughters looking for herbs. He put them on the cliff to keep them safe but they kicked rocks to the valley below which angered a monster who raced up the cliff. To protect them, the father turned them into stone. The monster chased the medicine man around the opposite cliff carving a valley at the base. Tired, the medicine man turned himself into a bird.

At this point we had 3 options: go to the pub near 3 sisters and wait, go to the pub but take a short walk and touch the closest of the 3 sisters, or walk the rim of the canyon. I chose the latter.

Almost to the pub it started pouring and we had to be sprint. As it was not clearing soon we did not see the sunset, but it was a great day!

Moreton Island

I booked a tour for a different island that offered stand up paddle boarding and snorkeling. The past day had seen intermittent showers and was hoping it would be the same that day. There have been a lot of rain of late which allowed for a lot of online work to be completed.

Tangalooma resort

Taken from the stand up paddle board. Right in front of the beach are shipwrecks that we are able to snorkel around.

Kookaburra. I missed the show feeding them.

I paddle boarded for a while then went snorkeling.

As I drifted along I was taking more video and during this next clip realized I was being pulled along by a strong current.

I actually needed one of the people on jet skis to tow me out. That’s why they are there and after taking me to the beach they went back to get two more. Not many people were snorkeling after that.

No matter, it started pouring and did not let up. I instead took the boat back two hours early and diff more work.

There is a lot to see in Brisbane but the weather is not cooperating. Byron bay is supposedly fantastic!

Brisbane

After arriving in Brisbane I spent quite a bit of time working at grading and adding two weeks of lessons for the online learning we are doing during the extended break. Time for a break from the computer.

I booked a tour for the afternoon so that I could get out and stretch my legs. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb looked interesting and it was a fair walk to it as well.

The bridge was built during the Great Depression using material sourced from Australia. It was a public works project that allowed employment and job skill training. It is a cantilever bridge and matters that it has no posts in the river itself.

My tour guide was great and provided all kinds of information about Brisbane which I will scatter about below.

We climbed up to a peak in the bridge and then towards the center before turning around and coming back the other side. You are tethered the whole way for safety.

Looking down at traffic at the halfway point of the walk.

On the way there I left the apartment building I’m staying at. I’m so glad to have a kitchen and cook for a few days. It was right next to the river and the Riverwalk that goes along the Brisbane River. There are paths on both sides of the river for easy travel and ferry boats to go from bank to bank.

There is Mangrove forest along the edges.

The peace pagoda created by the Nepalese. There is beautiful intricate carvings and these pagodas can be found in other areas around the world.

In South Bank there are a few pools and a sand beach that people can swim in.

Kangaroo cliffs at kangaroo point. It gets its name when the area was first settled the kangaroos would eat all the grass farmers wanted fur their sheep, do they corralled them to the this area.

There are beautiful gardens along the walk through South Branch.

There is also art work scattered around.

I thought this lizard was posing. Instead he was catching insects.

Near the end of my walk they had information on the settling of the area. It was credited to James Warner but actually 4 felons who integrated with the aborigines on Moreton Island used to row a canoe around the area and found the opening to the Brisbane River which at that time was difficult to find. They left maps and notes that were discovered much later.

I love how even people here are questioning the history we were taught. As in America, they were horrible to the aborigines and we made our own story.

Behind me is the four felons brewery. Of course I stopped later.

The Customs House. Now a restaurant is there but you can go inside to see.

This is the bridge I climbed as I look from the other side of the river.

Now that it is night, there are beautiful lights here. This was taken on a pedestrian bridge across the water as I headed back to the South Bank from the North.

The Ferris wheel on the South Bank. It is to give a great view of Brisbane as well.

The colours on this bridge is the lighting at night.

Now to check on student work, solve problems, and prepare for an island visit tomorrow.

Great Barrier Reef

When I realized that the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef was closer than traveling all the way to Cairns I was excited. Lady Elliot island is a really cool island that is the only one in the reef chain that has it’s own runway.

It is not a cheap trip. It was 829AUD or about $567 USD. It includes hotel pickup, transport by air, drinks, food, and snorkeling. For those wanting to do this it is cheaper from the Gold Coast than from Brisbane. I was intending to do the trip in Brisbane so extended my stay here at the Gold Coast instead. I was excited!

We arrived at the airport in Coolangatta. It was a small plane and as I was by myself I sat in the copilot seat which was awesome.

Some great sights at first and we flew for about 2 hours. Where we were heading was a tiny dot on the panel.

The end of the pink line is the island. You can’t even see the island as the line is the same thickness!

And then I saw the island… Yes it is small. Good thing the plane is small too.

The runway runs from bottom right to top left of the picture.

This island is in a protected green zone. They have solar panels for all of their electricity needs and also use it to distill Sea water for their own drinking water. It is a reef education center, protected sea turtle area, and an eco resort.

You can see the solar panels at the end of the sidewalk running along to the right.

This island is gorgeous. It would be great to stay here for a few days in the resort.

After storing our things and a little look around, we were given snorkeling gear and met for the glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling.

In the glass bottom boat we saw a Manta Ray. It was enormous and they do not sing like sting rays do. The pictures are a little fuzzy as they are taken through glass and water.

Below are other pictures of coral from the glass bottom boat.

Then it was time to snorkel. It was amazing. I’m glad I remembered my go pro (especially since Australia was not planned on this trip. The closing of school due to the coronavirus allowed me this time.)

I took some great video following green Sea turtles and schools of fish.

Sea turtle nesting sites. They are marked with the dates the eggs are laid so when they hatch they are monitored and they can be assisted making it to the Sea.

They offered a really yummy lunch and we were free to explore or snorkel again. I met some great people while visiting the island.

Of course I snorkeled again. Half of our 12 hour day was spent in traveling to and from the island. It was totally worth it. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef was amazing.

Skydiving Queenstown

I was afraid of the spring in the edge of the plane waiting to jump out. It was the easiest part. So was the tumbling in the air for a few seconds. What was difficult was the force on your face and body as you free fall. It was a little more difficult to breath but not too bad. Before you knew it the parachute was opened and you were floating. Of course, Will my transfer buddy loved to do done on the air. It turned my stomach a bit, but I survived.

It was awesome and New Zealand does not disappoint. This place is awesome and if you sell adventure it is here!

Tongariro crossing

We checked into Piper’s Lodge and went for a run. I found the mountain to beach bike path and saw the mountains we were to be hiking on and between in the distance.

I believe we start somewhere in this mountain and head to the right….

Another kiwi statue… Love it!

The next morning we were picked up and on our way to the crossing. This is actually an active volcano we are crossing. To be completely accurate all of the North Island is active with volcanoes.

This hike is 19.4 km and not for the faint of heart. It is a lot of up and down mountains with high elevation, including loose rock, and very hot conditions. You have to pack lunch, snacks, and plenty of water. Proper hiking shoes are required as well as extra gear for changing weather that pops up. People die out here often and there are helicopters often to pick up people who fall or have medical conditions.

The landscape is littered with pumice. The lava could rapidly leaving pores.

Manuka is a bush that bees love and Manuka honey is made.

The chemicals in the water cause the algae itself to turn orange.

Love the signs. It was not bad at this point but you could see where we need to go.

These formations in front are piles of pumice.

At the top is the red crater. We will be walking right beside that as we get closer.

This is Mordor in the Lord of the Rings.

This is actually taken at the false summit. It was a pretty difficult climb here and of course if you go up you must come down. I found that even more difficult and needed to use poles to help because of the scree which is loose rock and sand. The guide was helpful in strategies to get down. This is how many get injured.

The 2 walls formed above is called a lava dike. This is a close up of the red crater.

The lakes that form are a brilliant color but you would not want to drink or swim in them. The fumeroles around here are vents from the volcano. The stream that comes out has toxic chemicals in it and they land on the ground. When it rains it is washed into craters and becomes these lakes.

A fumeroles where hot steam is rising from the magma below the ground.

I shot a video of the rising steam:

Central crater. Dark area is lava flow from an eruption 300 years ago.

We now traveled around this crater and are now on the North side.

Blue lake. This is opposite the central crater.

Occasionally there are signs that tell you how far you have come and how far you have left to go. We are 2/3 through this hike. The worst is behind us.

Lake Taupo ahead is actually the size of Singapore. There are trees from China near there that have been planted. They take half the time to grow and are used for paper mostly.

The fumerole from another angle about 45 minutes later on the trail.

A rest hut used to stand near here but in the 2012 eruption a boulder took only 15 seconds to hit the hut. Luckily no one was in it and they never rebuilt it.

I like the signs showing progress along the way. From the summit on there is no turning back but before that point there are plenty of cautions and time to change direction and head back.

So close to the end. It is all downhill from here and in the shade which is very welcome right now!

Lahars are areas that will still get the effects from a volcanic eruption. The landscape here will change and there is danger from debris and gases falling.

It was a beautiful walk through this section. Very quiet. You can hear birds singing.

From the Tongariro site:

Tongariro National Park is New Zealand’s oldest national park and a dual World Heritage Site. The Tongariro National Park is rich in both cultural identity and dramatic, awe-inspiring natural scenery. Unique landforms, including the volcanic peaks of Ngauruhoe, Tongariro and Ruapehu ensure the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is considered a world-renowned trek.

Abseiling glowworm caves in Waitomo

They are not really glowworms. I’ll tell you what they are later in this post…

When we wanted to go to see them we were going to do the usual tour where there are 50 people all on the same slow tour. I hate crowds and want to do more adventure. When Caroline found a company that uses a farmers land to abseil into a cave then climb out a ladder it seemed the perfect thing to do on this trip. We chose the 4 hour Lost World Tour.

Luke was our guide and he was great at making you comfortable and helping all the way. I had rappelled in college but had not done this. It was easy in the end. Along the way though we told him he was crazy every time he showed us the next step, but we did it.

We walked to the entrance and along the way we practiced clipping our rings to the guide ropes so if we fall we don’t go far. There are new sections of ropes you tie on to along the way and doing it wrong means you owe Luke a beer.

At the entrance of the crevasse, we tried not to look down. One step at a time… First you sit on a little bar away from the platform. Small leap of faith… (I seriously needed to remind myself that I just jumped out of an airplane and this should be easy…)

Then you learn how to control the rope along the way. You just slowly lift the rope from your right hand to go down a little at a time. The weight of the rope below keeps you from going to fast. (As you go down there is less rope below you so you speed up along the way and have to wrap a foot around the rope for more control.) We are clipped to Luke so there is even more security. Before we knew it we were descending into the caves. Easy peasy.

This is actually as we started to descend.

It was great having a guide, someone to make sure we don’t screw up, and who takes pictures of everything so we could just enjoy. Oh…and he carried water and snacks for us.

This is what we saw as we descended. This is why the tour is called the lost world.

At the bottom the top looked so far away as we had abseiled 100 meters down. The biome changed as we descended.

Formations at the entrance to the cave at the bottom.

The hardest part was climbing up, over, and down the rocks. I’m sure we were very complaining. He would tell us what to do and we said he had to be kidding. I’ve never been comfortable with rock climbing and now that I’m older I am well aware of my limitations. That lead to much sliding down on my butt.

It was incredible though. Eventually we made it to the glow worms.

So these glowworms. They are really not worms. They are the larvae (maggot) of a fly. There is a chemical reaction with their excrement and an enzyme that makes them bioluminesce.

You can see the time does above Percy’s head. Those are the Glowworm. Percy is the maximum if the preschool class and is here for an adventure to report back to the class after break!

What is cool about them is that they eat insects and they do this by creating a silk like thread that hangs down. When an insect gets caught it is reeled up then eaten. Once the larvae is ready it becomes a pupa and then an adult.

These are the silk strings hanging down from the larvae.

The only role of the adult is to mate. The males die after fertilizing eggs as does the female as she needs to lay eggs in many small clusters. The first eggs to hatch cannibalize all the others. Life is rough…

The way back out was a little more difficult. We climbed a few more rocks and ended at a ladder. One by one we climbed 137+ rungs of a ladder straight up to get out. We are attached to a rope at the end that Luke could also use to help pull us up. So no likelihood of plummeting to death. A good thing. Luke went first, then Caroline, then me. It seemed like a long time before the rope was sent back down to me to attach to. It is daunting.

I found it easy at first, then the rings were further apart, and the air a little thinner… But knowing that in advance helped to just keep climbing until I got there. A short walk back to the van and we were on our way back…

Afterwards it was time for lunch at Huhu nearby. Salad and sweet potato skins! Then touring the neighborhood town. We found a bird park which I’ll blog next. A good day.

Queenstown skydiving

I really wanted to skydive from Glenorchy (with skydive southern Alps) which is nothing but landforms and an hour and a half drive from Queenstown. Unfortunately, mountain ranges and the Sea make for wild wind currents and it is often postponed. We headed out again for the second time and halfway there they radioed to say it was cancelled.

I decided to flip my reservation to NZ Zone in Queenstown and would skydive a few hours later. It still offered fantastic views but not the Mordor/Lord of the Rings view I had wanted. I had a little time to find lunch and walk around. It took a long time as there were many bookings and it was a beautiful day.

I had to wait longer than anticipated as this skydive zone is near the airport and their flights are on hold when airplanes are flying in or out of the airport. As it is Chinese New year, there are more flights than normal. I met a wonderful woman from Finland who is an au pair in Auckland. We chatted for a few hours.

Finally it was time. I took the preschool mascot, Percy, with me. Caroline brought him along on our trip but she was not going sky diving. He is having an adventure and the preschool class is looking forward to what he had done. I was a good sport to take extra pictures of him at the skydive center.

They had some games including this large chess set to occupy families waiting for people to land.

He didn’t go skydiving with me but the kids won’t know that.

My tandem partner was Will. I paid for the photo and video package where Will interviews me and films while we are sky diving. As I did not bring a computer on the trip with me I will have to post these separately. I know they make an adapter for phones to use with USB and will have to try to find one of those!

I was more concerned with being on the edge of the plane waiting to jump out but once your are in position it is a split second. I was also worried about the somersaulting we would do initially but it was the easiest part. Once you are free falling the force on your face and ears is immense and a bit disorienting. Once we reached terminal velocity, he opened the parachute and we were gliding. Of course the spinning around had my stomach in knots but it was fun. The landing was easy. They are a top notch facility and the views in NZ make it stunning. One more thing off the bucket list.

Afterwards I met Caroline and we took the gondola up the mountain to the luge track. It was impossible to film the luge while running the cart, but you can see part of the luge in one of the pictures. It was incredibly fun.

We ate at Public near the beach. It was great. Beetroot salad, grilled cauliflower with carrot mash and fried squid rings. They source locally and have local foods. I also tried alcoholic Ginger beer and a nice ale.

The next morning I had to pick up the USB with the photos and video from NZ Zone. I ran through the gardens to the store then back to the Queenstown motel apartments which was a great place to stay. I did not get to hike much for to all the cancelled skydiving attempts but will be hiking back in the North island.

At the airport to go back to Auckland I love how laid back everything is. You easily print boarding tickets and luggage tags and then drop off your bags. Mine was under the 7 kg limit so was able to carry my luggage on. You have to wait if you are too early before going to the gate. This is how they let you know.

You also walk to the tarmac and board the plane there. Yes it is a small airport but everyone is friendly, helpful, and laid back. I really like Queenstown and New Zealand!

APAC cross country to Thailand and Shanghai

Another great season with kids has ended and two great trips in the process. I was prepared this year to all the work I needed to do and not be crazy during the season. To prepare I planned lessons well in advance and kept procrastination to a minimum. Still, coaching and student council is a lot and I am looking forward to having a little free time and more choices in my personal running time.

We had stellar students who really excelled this year in running and it was fun to see them compete and boast personal records throughout.

We went to Kanchanaburi in Thailand again for an invitational in September. Still rainy and muddy but better than last year as we knew what to expect – and there was less rain.

These are a few of the beautiful views on the long run before we left to fly back home.

It was great to run with all the kids and the coaches. We ran with some exceptional athletes, many of them triathletes so it was intimidating.

We had a few meets near our campus and our kids dominated the local races. It was great practice for them to see what they could do.

For APAC, we headed to Shanghai in October. I have flown into Shanghai before but took a train out of the city for a half marathon and did not have time to spend there. As this was a pretty tight trip with races and chaperoning, our only time to sight see was during the scavenger hunt.

Coaches stayed at the Ramada. A teddy bear and rubber ducky to await my arrival.

At the race at Bianjing park. The girls before the race.

The start of the boys race. It was a really fast race with many runners under 28 minutes for the 5k.

The start of the girls race. Another fast race.

After a rest and snack, students were separated into teams for a scavenger hunt. On the bus we ate lunch. For the hunt, there were clues to get to some notable sights in Shanghai near the river along a walkway called the Bund.

It refers to the outer bank (Huangpu River). This part of the riverfront is farther downstream than the inner bank area adjacent to the old walled city of Shanghai.

At each spot we completed a task and received a stamp.

1. The bull is actually found along Wall Street.

2. The people’s monument shows the history of China in the stories along the wall at its base. It is near Waibaidu bridge which is the oldest (did not get a picture.)

Our selfie task from this spot.

3. The Bund Mast.

4. At the finance center there is a building that looks like an organ.

5. Across the river you can see the Pearl Tower. This is a radio and TV tower.

The building in the middle is shaped liked a lotus on top.

Statue of Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai.

We took a ferry across the river to collect stamps found on that side before we met for a snack and returning to the school.

6. Shanghai Tower.

The three tallest buildings on that side. The one on the left is known as the bottle opener building.

Standing in the middle of all three.

7. Lujiazhui green space near the the three tallest buildings. Students were not happy they had to do 10 burpees here!

Looking at the Pearl Tower from Isola restaurant in the IFC mall (4th floor). Lots of tired kids and adults!

Afterwards we went back to the hosting school, Concordia. What a beautiful school. We had a great dinner and awards ceremony. Meeting and talking with other coaches was great!

This week…and travel plans!!

I finally finished planning my next vacations. Over the holidays I will go to Cairo (maybe learn to dive? Alexandria also) and Athens including some islands.

For Chinese New year in January it will be New Zealand for an adventure vacation. I start with half arthon in Auckland. Then: Skydiving, tough kayaking and hikes, hot springs, abseiling into glow worm caves, hobbiton, and beaches… Lots of adventure. Excited for both now that they are planned..

Glad I finished planning these before my tough week.

This last week was long….

Parent teacher conferences run two days and it is like speed dating with teachers. Non stop. Parents are generally positive and receptive. Some students and parents want to question predicted grades for their IB students. As my kids are now 12th graders it can count towards college acceptance. I find it difficult as this is my first time predicting and no past experience to draw on. I sought out advice and made my best predictions.

As usual, my school provides breakfast and lunch which makes getting ready for school easier.

On the first day of conferences, the other student council advisor, Katie Dean, made this beauty. Tasty… As usual… Yummy!!! Marshmallow, caramel, chocolate ganache… Teachers hyped on sugar!

The simplest meal near my apartment is where you choose the veggies, proteins and noodles. You pay by weight and they make a noodle soup from it. You then add seasonings at the end to your liking. On weeks like this, it is easy, fast, cheap, and yummy.

At the end of the week, a school from New Zealand visited and demonstrated Maori dance and culture. New Zealand is one of the few countries whose native inhabitants are actually mainstreamed into the culture. It is not forgotten there. It was fabulous.

Here are two dances that I recorded:

Now I am sitting in an airport ready to fly to Shanghai for the last meet of the year for cross country.