Month: March 2017

I don’t really want to compare NZ to Tazmania , but I must.  They are SO different.  In their own right, they are both fantastic!  They would not say nice things about each other, but I can…. just not sure which way the pendulum will swing for me when it is all said and done:

TAZZIE:                                                                                                       *Dry, golden, sparse, rocky  landscape                                                                    *food and drink very expensive                                                                  *creepy crawlers, bugs,& mosquitos                                                             *flora and fauna outstanding, abundant                                                                           *small nocturnal creatures everywhere                                                          *birds are plentiful and very vocal                                                           *camping and national parks NOT free                                           *surrounded by the stunning Tasman Sea                                                    *wild, edgy, rugged and rough coastline with clean and sparsely populated white sand beaches                                                                                                               *some road kill and which is cleaned by the scavenger birds and Tasmanian Devils                                                                                                       *fairly good roads                                                                                                *Lots of one piece bathing suits                                                                    *leg tattoos are super popular                                                                         *lots of snakes, venomous snakes, poisonous creepy crawlers                  *look out the window and see a wallaby                                                        *Tazzies’ speak proper English and rarely use aboriginal language  or aboriginal words                                                                                                              *Gum tree/ eucalyptus tree forests/ incredibly tall trees and huge ferns                                                         *hobbits….maybe one                                                                                *food is very good                                                                                                        * people are a little more coarse around the edges… can be lewd, loud   AND very hospitable, sometimes helpful, friendly and fun.                                      *Across the board, more expensive products                                         *more rain, but warmer temps

KIWI:                                                                                                                    * Wet, green,lush,dense, fresh.                                                                            * food and drink ridiculously astronomical                                                                   * NO creepy crawlers,  BUT horrifying sandflies                                         *flora (fern capital of the world ) and fauna   ( none to speak of)                                         *nuisance creatures: possum and skoat                                                                     * bird population way down due to possums eating eggs, beautiful bird songs in the forest                                                                                                  * free camping, free national parks                                                   *surrounded by the stunning Tasman Sea                                                    *road kill is everywhere and not cleaned often                                              *rugged, edgy, wild coastline…great surfing; fewer stretches of white sand beaches                                                                                                    *bikinis only                                                                                                       * piercings and not so many tattoos                                                                 *no snakes, no poisonous creepies , nothing is ever going to get you.                                                                    *look out the window and see a sandfly                                                         * less rain, but colder, chilly                                                                    *Kiwis speak English but Maori language used often for towns, streets, places  and in conversation                                                                       *Kiwi accent harder to discern                                                                         * hobbit land, enchanting forests                                                                   *beech tree forests                                                                                *nothing special about the food ( lamb is good, cottage cheese so good)                                                                           *people are very polite, generous and proper, kind, welcoming

WE hit the ground running in Tasmania and, it seems, we are still running from one thing to the next and from one place to the next and trying to do it all.  We only have 3 weeks??? go,go,go

Here is how it all shook out:

1.  Hobart (3 days,3 words & 3 memories)Energy, Trendy, Quaint.  MONA Museum, Mt Wellington, mussels at the Wharf.
2. Freycinet National Park (4 days, 4 words and 4 memories):  Scenic, solitude, friendly, cool ass rock.  Stunning sunsets, beautiful empty beaches, electric BBQ’s,  Wallabies
3. Port Arthur (one day, one word, one memory):  Harsh ( the history), April 1996 (mass shooting)
4. Three Capes Trek (3 days, 3 words, 3 memories). Breathtaking, staggering, epic.  Wombat, moonrise, Totempole Rock
5. Tullah (3 days, 3 words, 3 memories.) Nothing-ness, ghost town, empty.  Beautiful lake overlook, golden buttongrass, mountain views.
6. Cradle Mountain ( 1 day, 1 word, 1 memory):  Overcast.  Weathered off the climb and disappointed?
7. Queenstown and Strahan ( rainy day activity).  (1 day, 2 places, 2 words, 2 memories):   (Q) Mining, (S) Resort.  (Q) A step back in time…boom and bust mining. (S) Hells Gate into McQuarie Harbour.
8. Mt Fields National Park: (1 day, 1 word , 1 memory):  Government Hut.  Birds, critters, forests, snow gum trees, moon, stars, mist….so memorable.  Not enough time.
9. Ferry to Bruny Island: ( 3 days, 3 words, 3 memories):  uninhabited,  beaches, silence.  Wallaby burger, afterglow on the Tasman Sea, The Fluted Cape hike.                                                                                                                 When it was all said and done, we were satisfied but exhausted.  We did a lot of driving to see as much as we could of this beautiful wilderness and we were able to visit eight national parks. We left some things undone and will come back to do:  Overland Track, Frenchmans Cap, Bay of Fire. We will search for the elusive white wallaby and sneaky platypus.  We would re-visit the MONA museum to see new exhibits.  The museums in all of Tasmania  are phenomenal.                                                                          One can’t choose their favorite child or grand child.  So it is with New Zealand and Tasmania.  We ❤?❤?love them both equally.  However, I will take the mosquito bite over the sandfly bite anyday!                           Good bye Tazzie Land.   We are ready for our next wilderness experience in The Blue Mountains outside of Sydney on mainland Australia.  Then, four luxurious and expensive days exploring Sydney and Bondi Beach.  So excited!