Australia in photos



Sydney trains rush past



The Blue Mountains



The Three Sisters



Simon, Hanz, and Alicia



Hell yeah!



Lunch with Hanz and Simon, Alicia took the shot

An introduction to Australia

The flight out of New Zealnd provided magnificent views of the mountains on the west coast. Glaciers hug the sides and create secret lakes high in the passes. When we arrived at Sydney the city was hidden under the clouds.Sydney revealed herself slowly as a mistress dancing to the John Butler Trios' "Daniela" as we descended through the mists. Sydney is green, lush, snaking rivers and crashing coasts, opulent, busy and beautiful from this vantage. The brown of the rivers and dark green of the trees clashes with the hard red roofs and deep blue pools. The Opera huddles by the harbour like a hedgehog by a puddle on this overcast day.

I found myself to the central trainstation with a significantly lighter wallet after purchasing rail passes for the week and storage for the luggage headed to Vancouver. I had to run, flip flops slapping the brick floor, to catch the Bundaberg express train. We road past the throngs of stylish youth smoking cigarettes and laughing loudly on their way home from Sydneys beaches. Our train smoothly worked its way out of what I am learning is a very large city. The nieghborhoods on this side of town vary from crowded blue collar townhouses to more rural homes in disrepair with sad metal roofs. The pasenger behind me acts as a guide and comments that some of these nieghborhoods house families that have been on the doll for eleven generations. I wonder how exaggerated that statement is. After an hour and a half the houses are slowly replaced by forest and the path of the train increasingly threads through narrow passes cut through red and yellow rock.

I arrive in a cold Katoomba very aware of my relative nakedness and replace the jandals with shoes and shorts with pants. I didn't bring a sweater. I have never felt so alone or so far from anywhere at this trainstation. This is the first time that no one is waiting for me at the end of a journey. I cautiously head into a hustling bustling and colorful Katoomba with young travelors weaving in and out of bars, clubs, and restaurants. I pass a very plain looking hostel and half a block later find a quirky Victorian style building of many bright colors that is chock full of kiwis, Europeans, and ozzies. They offer me bread and pizza after showing me my bed. I joined a group out by a small campfire in the back yard and fall asleep. I wake up with a cat curled up on my chest in thee wee hours of the morning. The group around the fire still telling tales and sharing laughs. I make my way to bed.

The morning came early and I made my way past the Europeans in line waiting for the showers in various states of undress, some quite agreeable, and make my plan for the day over a rum and coffee.

ChristChurch Photos

Habitat for Humanity- Mark, Bob, Me helping this wonderful woman from ChristChurch. 



ChristChurch Botanical Garden

Fountain at Gardens

New Brighton Beaches

My toes on the beach

Hamner Springs... beautiful... bikinis :)

A little bit more about habitat

Paul and Helen Galbraith, the couple who organize and run this operation, invited the three of us who were not fasting to dinner. I have heard allot about the earthquakes from locals. They remember exactly where they were. Some lost friends and family. Many homes were damaged or destroyed. As the earth moved undeground streams and rivers mixed with soil that used to be swamp before the city was established. Then this slurry pushed up through the gaping wounds on the surface. Some roofs collapsed, some piers failed, many homes were left off kilter.

Every building here was inspected. The land was underneath was inspected too. In the end houses ended up in two zones. Red, permanatly condemned, and green - ok to repair. The land under Red houses was bought by the government, and for those with insurance their homes were paid foe with insurance. Greenhomes on the other hand could be repaired by insurance if you had it. It could be a long wait while the trades, materials, and money organized and finally got to your home.

The uninsured on green land were left with broken homes. For those over sixty five, suffering from some medical disability, or with dependent children - Habitat for humanity and the Red Cross has partnered with the local construction industry and other doners to provide the materials for the repairs. Volunteers from all over New Zealand, and the world, do the work that they can.

What I learned tonight is that many of these people had given up. TThier lives where shattered. They had little hope. Many were seperated from their families for one reason or another and the earthquakes were the last straw. But when the volunteers showed up and started ripping down drywall, cutting holes in floors, leveling houses, many of these owners started to chip in. The hope came back in their eyes, they regained their fight, they got back to living their lives.

I am lucky enough to catch the tail end of this project and meet the people involves. Three of the volunteers have come before with this project. Paul, a very successful builder in the first place, and his wife and daughter have done a great deal of good here in the last few years. To see the light in their eyes when they speak of the changes they have seen in the people they have helped has made this leg of my journey worth it.

Habitat for Humanity

I am working with Habitat for Humanity in ChristChurch. Last weekend I went to Hammer Hot springs and soaked in the sulfer mineral water to ease away the Antarctic stresses. Yesterday I played at Sumner Beach and had the most delicious Red India Pale Ale that I have ever had. Best damn beer I have had in a year. I cannot post any pictures right now and am posting from the Kindle. So I am a little limited in my ability to express my trip. Today we ripped out the vinyl flooring of a house damaged in the earthquake. Some of the subfloor was replaced and in other areas we planed the floor down level in other spots. By the end of the day started placing masonite down on top of the floor in preparation for new vinyl. Earlier this year they leveled the house and put piers under it. Many homes here have been red zoned and their owners will never be able to return. These owners we are helping have permission to repair but no insurance to cover the costs of the labor... only the materials.

Three pilots dead

Bob Heath Mike Denton Tony Szekely http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/mobileweb/2013/01/26/kenn-borek-crash-antarctica-plane-crash-bob-heath-canadian-crew_n_2559312.html

Missing aircraft in Antarctica

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8216948/South-Pole-flight-lost
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/23/three-canadians-aboard-plane-missing-in-antarctica/


Sad news today. A flight in Antarctica to the South Pole has gone missing. For me this is sad news. It is unlikely I knew the men on the flight but still... after having flown over those treacherous skies it darkens my heart. My prayers go out to the men who, if landed, are suffering truly horrible weather. They have the training and supplies to survive if they landed ok.