Photos

These are the last random photos I will post - some Aussie beach culture south of Adelaide. Yes, they drive right onto the beach for the day. Shon is in front of an outback pub which seemed to be the only business in Carrieton, South Australia! Colin looks at his new stuffy at the Vancouver airport and, lastly, a shot of my beloved river gums ( a type of eucalypt tree) which line many river beds (more often dry than flowing) in Australia. Water, or the lack of it, is a huge issue in Australia, with many reservoirs heading into the summer season at less than 50% capacity.

And that is it for our Aussie blog.

G'day, mates.

random photos

These photos show our pet wombat in Wilson's Promontory National Park southeast of Melbourne, an abandoned sheep station (ranch) by the Flinders Ranges in the outback about 400 km north of Adelaide, Deb and Greg Merrett (my exchangees) by a Peter Lehman vineyard in the Barossa wine valley north of Adelaide, and one of many fabulous seascapes along the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne.

home again

We arrived home on Sunday night about midnight - sad that our vacation has ended but happy to see family and friends again. Jamie, Jenn and Colin, Chris and Megan all came out to the Vancouver airport to join us for dinner during our 3 hour layover. Lisa, Kynnan and Neko drove up to Vernon for lunch yesterday and Michelle popped in today - great to see them all again and share hugs in person! Shon reluctantly returned to work today and I am not eager for the first subbing call. We could get used to the life we have been living the last 7 weeks!!

The last few days of our holiday were as wonderful as the rest of it! When last I wrote, we were planning to buy fish for dinner. We ended up with marlin which Shon cooked in coconut milk. Very nice! Friday evening, the resort hosted a happy hour for guests with free beer or wine and appies - deep fried arrowroot (tapioca), prawns, and something similar to Yorkshire pudding with a sausage in the middle - all very tasty!

On the last morning, we drove into town to the Punanganui markets, a Saturday morning event that attracts locals and tourists alike. The marketplace consists of many colourful huts which open up to reveal booths full of brilliant tropical clothing, wooden carvings, shell crafts and jewellery as well as food and fresh produce stands. Live entertainment included an Island band and dancers - similar to the performance we had seen a few nights earlier. One of the photos above is from that evening performance when Shon, our intrepid leader, was called up on stage to dance. He was great and looked like he was having a lot of fun! (A couple of beer may have helped eliminate any stage fright!). The other photos show local flowers, the beach in front of our resort and the dancers at the market.

I will add one or two final posts from this holiday with a few photos which we wanted to add earlier but couldn't.

Cook Islands beauty

Those of you still reading our blog will, once again, have to be satisfied with words alone (which cannot do justice to this place). this time I remembered to bring the camera cord but now Shon is off wandering the town, with the camera, while I write the blog entry!! The blues of the ocean have to be seen to be believed - everything from deep sapphire blues to light turquoise and every tone in between. The wind has been strong the last couple of days so snorkelling has been more of a challenge but I am LOVING the variety of fish I am seeing right in front of our resort - no expensive boat ride to the reef here, it is all around the island! Luckily, one of the best snorkelling spots is in front of Palm Grove, our resort.
We went to an Island cultural night on Wed. Shon was chosen as the rep from our bus to offer a fruit sacrifice to the gods as we arrived at the marae (sacred place). He said his "Ae meitaki' perfectly (yes, thank you). there are videos for you to see when we get home! The food was excellent with meats cooked underground as the Maoris in NZ do. We both loved the creamed taro leaves but the taro itself (a starch like our potato) was very bland. The singing and dancing were exciting to watch - very entertaining with lots of hips (women) and knees (men). Well worth the price (which was not cheap!)
We are riding around the island on a scooter, brings back our teen years when Shon would pick me up for dates on his motorbike! It gives us the freedom to explore further without dying from the heat. Earlier we drove up a hill by the hospital then hiked up further for a view of the northwest part of the island from above. this afternoon we will watch an international rugby 7s tournament for a while then buy some fish to grill for our dinner. Had some lovely swordfish (called broadbill here)the first night so may try that again. Our resort has free beer and wine for guests tonight from 5-6 so we want to be 'home' for that!
Anne, I finished the book you sent with me - enjoyed it very much so thanks.
Melanie, I have found out that yes, the humidity is much higher from now to March. The wind has alleviated it somewhat the last two days.
The flame trees are just starting to bloom now. The island must be stunning when they are all in bloom as the hillsides are full of them. Brilliant red-orange flowers. The hibiscus, gardenia (plumeria) and bougainvillea also enrich the island - as well as other flowers whose names I do not know!
See you all soon. One more day to enjoy this island paradise!
Love Les and Shon

Avarua, Cook Islands

We are now enjoying the beautiful, but HUMID, Cook Islands. Got here on Sunday late aft and were met at the airport with leis and a ride to our resort. The island of Rotorua is 32 km around and we are about 17 km from the town of Avarua - took the bus in this morning to see the town. Yesterday, we snorkelled in front of our resort -lovely fish, sea stars and sea cucumbers galore. Lovely swimming, too. In the aft, we walked inland to a waterfall. Incredibly lush growth throughout the island. It is volcanic so has steep peaks inland and development is around the edges of the island. Little bird life beyond feral chickens (and noisy roosters) and introduced myna birds, which are equivalent to our starlings. Shon has now obtained his Cook Islands drivers license so we will rent a motorbike at least one day while we are here and explore the island and its beaches at our leisure. We have bought tickets to an Island night - similar to a luau with food and a traditional island dance show.
The weather here is very changeable but always warm. We have had numerous soft showers since we arrived and a couple of short downpours, including one while Shon was running this morning. We are soaked most of the time, but usually from sweat, not rain! The water sure feels good when we jump in the pool or the ocean! Melanie, was it really humid while you were here or is it the time of year?
This morning we ran into a girl from my Centergy class at the gym!! Small world.
All for now. I don't have the connector cords for the camera with me so no photos yet.
Only 5 more days in our holiday! Home late Sunday night.
Love to all
Les and Shon

good-bye, Australia

in the Barossa with Deb and Greg Merrett

At the Central Market in Adelaide. We went there last night with Deb and Greg - ate at the Asian food court then shopped. Tomorrow we board our flight and say good-bye to Australia - sad to be leaving for sure! We are just waiting for friends to arrive at Deb and Greg's for a Saturday evening barbie. Earlier today, we visited wineries in the Barossa - Greg was our DD and Deb suggested good wines for us to try - thought of you often, Joan and Rob, James and Louise, as we travelled roads that all of you enjoyed while you were here.

Got to go - guests are here.