Byron Bay to Coolangatta

I just waved goodbye to Coolangatta. We stayed there for just over a week. We met so many great people and had some great surf. Also, Jess and I went Opp shopping (thrift store) , and found 'most everything that we need for Asia. We now have three surfboards, two bags for them, snorkels, masks, flippers, our fishing gear, several excellent hats for sun protection, and all the other odds and ends. Praise God, we found so many amazing deals!

Our hostel was great. It took me a few days to warm up to it. Jess and I met and spent time with kids from many different countries (Germany, Argentina, Venezuela, OZ, US, France, Japan, China, and Taiwan) . Each person was so special.

The surf was awesome. There was a solid swell for about five days. I was out the first day, and the rest I took pictures. Jess surfed the famous wave called Kirra, most of the time. from Coolangatta you can look across the ocean and see Surfer's Paradise in the distance. The whole city looks like a surreal phantom.

Before Coolangatta we spent a week or so in Byron Bay. It is known to be the "coolest" most relaxed place up the coast. All of the backpackers we have met love it. Jess and I had a great time. We surfed a bit in Lennox, and hung out in Byron. Also, we had the opportunity to visit an awesome church called New Earth Tribe. We met the pastors and several other wonderful people. They showed us around and had us over for dinner a couple of nights. It was such and awesome blessing. They have a powerful ministry in the area, and radiate God's love. They are also well connected with Bethel and have a sister church starting in Santa Cruz. We met up with the Byron YWAM team and they gave us some contacts in the Philippines and Indo. Hopefully these will be the leads we need to connect with some medical missions and/or relief teams in Asia.

Jess and I have four days left in OZ. We are flying out of Brisbane on the 19th with is the 20th in America. These last few days we will be preparing for out trip. We are both ready to move on. Haha, We just checked the weather in the Philippines, where we will be staying and the water temp is 85 degrees, the same as the air temp. :O) That sounds awesome!

We visit the beach front McDonald's every day to use the internet and get a 50 cent ice cream. There are always pigeons walking around inside eating off of the floor and sitting on the ledges.
Ah, in Byron we were there for the monthly market. It reminded me a lot of Humboldt county fairs, lots of bongos and tie-dye and organic goods. We ate a kangaroo burger, complete with shredded carrot beets and whole wheat buns. This is something we had to try before we leave. We made it to a little town fair in Coolangatta too. It is so much fun to take part in a local activity like that.

Well we miss everyone back home and are happy to see the fun things you all are doing. Love you! <>< Jessica and Jesse

Sydney!

Sydney

We spent a week in Sydney. Jess and I stayed at a backpackers near the major shopping and business areas of the city. All week our diet consisted of Thai, Chinese, pizza, and more Thai. We had a mixed time. Jess and I bought five different airline tickets, and took care of our Philippines visa and Indonesian visa. Needless to say we were very busy. I don't feel like I could accurately record the beauty and character of the city because of my slightly jaded emotions....but here it goes.
Jess and I thought Sydney to be a normal (average) city for a few days, until we took a walk down to Darling harbor and watched the sunset and the light fade. This led from the colorful reflections of the city buildings, to the brilliant shining of city lights dancing across the water. The air was much warmer than all of NZ and Melbourne. This was just the beginning. The next day Jess and I paid a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens and The Domain. (The most diverse and beautiful gardens that I have ever seen)
Walking from the city we headed in to Hyde Park. As we walked in we passed a giant chess set where a couple of Italian men were in a match. The walkway led up to the Archibald Fountain, which is there to commemorate the relationship between Australia and France during WW l. There were groups of school children on a field trip running around and music from a man playing Spanish guitar. A little further and we were at St. James Church. The construction of the church was completed in 1824 and is Sydney's oldest existing place of worship. From there we went past the Anzac Memorial, up past the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and into the Gardens. One of the garden's most striking features is that it is inhabited by thousands of fruit bats (flying foxes). They hang all over the trees around the palm groves. At night their silouettes can be seen souring across the sky. Other attraction within the gardens are ponds (with eels), a succulents garden, the rose garden, the herb garden.....and so much more.. Jess and I loved the giant cockatoos that live in the trees. They have a menacing screech that can be heard from a mile away. We had the opportunity to have them perch on us. The photos will say it all. This was an unforgettable experience. We walked up to the famous Mrs. Macquaries Chair ( a seat fashioned out of a rock) from there one can view the harbor.
The next day we walked to the famous Sydney Opera House. Something that was new to me was that it is made out of tons of square white tiles. It was lovely. That night we went back to the Art gallery of New South Wales for a night at the museum. Literally. There was a special program where we had a guided tour through the "Truly Dutch" exhibit. This display was of post WW ll abstract paintings from Holland. It was interesting and informative to hear about the the influence upon the art community after the war. The rest of the museum was fun. My favorite area was in thee style of art nouveau, one piece in particular was of a young woman playing a flute in the woods with about ten magpie's gathered around her watching. It was titled, "The Music Lesson".a
We saw a professional skate competition the day that we left. That was exciting. We watched it with two of our roommates. Ah, our roommates. We were staying with a French, an Italian, an Irish and a Chinese. All in one room. We were the first Americans that the Chinese guy had ever met. He talked to us about the Chinese culture and his experience as an international student with a desire to immigrate. There are so many challenges... I cannot even begin to explain how he described his experience. We are so lucky to live the lives that we do.
Well, Love you Family and Friends!! Hope summer has been so much fun back home!!

Kyneton Photos

Bushland

Jess's parents gave us the gift of a week stay in Bushland! We had a nice time. We stayed in our own little house, in a Eucalypti forest. This was so much different from a hostel. We had a fresh breath of privacy, comfort, and peace. The main activities we enjoyed were riding our borrowed bicycles around the lake, and over to the tennis courts daily. This is where we would duke it out, on the court. We were happy to at least be able to hit the tennis ball back and forth for a while.
We were both excited to received our 10 lb, and 8 lb four piece fly rods in the mail. Along with backing, fly line, flies, baskets, reels, and a few more bits and pieces. It was like Christmas. Jess and I took turns opening each box within a box.:O)On Tues. at sunset we were riding around the lake to see if any fish were rising, when we spotted a bon fire off near a house. Being the country kids that we are, we couldn't resist the thought of throwing a few sticks in. We ditched the bikes and wandered over. Once we reach the fire we met a couple of musicians. Steve and his wife Sarah. Steve works on one of the largest thoroughbred race horse land in the country.
After the fire they introduced us to their Stallion in the back named Walky, then played us a concert. It was fantastic. Jess and I had just been talking about how this is the area where we would meet real Australians. We enjoyed how down to earth and nice all of the local people were.
The night before we left, Jess and I had the pleasure of seeing about ten kangaroos. One had a joey in her pouch! It was a beautiful sight!
We enjoyed the wildlife. Mostly the Magpies, who were even noisier than the crows. They would flock from tree to tree singing abstract flute-like songs.
Thanks mom and dad!

Melbourne!

Melbourne!

We just spent the last week in Melbourne. Our first experience in a big city in Australia. We had a great time visiting museums, exploring side alley cafes, and viewing the diverse architecture. Melbourne is truely the city of lights and color. There was a theme to it, " light up the winter". Many of the downtown buildings had an abstract swirl or splash of a color capping it off or incorporated into the design. Jess and I were both amazed at the creativity many people (particularly youth) used in there daily wardrobe. Everyone was so "stylish". It was fun for us to walk around being the obvious backpackers. We stayed right around the corner from an ally way know to be the crowded cafe scene of Melbourne. We had a slice of cake and coffee there a couple of nights and (to me) it felt like being in a scene of a movie, having such a nice ambiance. Also, about two blocks away was the Melbourne Art Museum! We spent three different days exploring each level and admiring the vast array of works. We enjoyed each time period and seeing many paintings and etchings from well known artists ( Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Manet, Picasso, Pissarro, Renoir, Modigliani, Rembrandt etc.) It was such a different experience going from small New Zealand to such a densely populated city! We walked down the streets shoulder to shoulder with so many different people with such different ethnicity. We also ate some fabulous Indian, Chinese and Indonesian food! Jess and I visited the Royal Gardens, the Immigration Museum, and the Queen Victoria Marketplace with over 1000 stalls. Including an indoor area with permanent stalls selling meats, cheeses, wines, dips, olives, and candies. This was such an old world experience for me! We had was a very interesting time visiting the city. We may go back in a week or so for a day visit. Right now we are in a small town called Torquey. This is home to world famous Bells Beach (Point Break). In fact I am on the surf spot at the moment. Currently the waves are better than they have been in weeks, and Jess is thouroughly enjoying them. What a gift! Though, it is about 48 degrees and slowly dropping.... my fingers are cramping up a little and I have a steady nose run....BUT the sky and water are beautiful shades of blue and peach and gray. So this is what makes the trip! The times when your senses are in full effect and awarness rises. You take in the memories a little bit deeper.