Brett Buchanan Graham Boulding
A Canadian and a Texan out to explore SE Asia, Australia, and New Zealand for 5 months.brettandgraham
Travel Blog Posts
June 8th 2005
Hello to you all. My trip has been completed now and I just arrived back in Vancouver. If you want to reach me, contact me via e-mail and I can give you my new phone number too. The final segment of my trip was fantastic and quite relaxing. Brett and I met up for an evening on the main island in Fiji. He encouraged me to go spend my final week at Oarsman's Bay Lodge up in the northern part of the Yasawa islands. I knew it had to be special because Brett had a glowing smile that I have never seen him have before. He was right, this little lodge and group of staff on Nacula Island were so welcoming and peaceful. I could never explain to you in words how magical the people and ... read more
May 22nd 2005
Hello to you all. Well the past few days have been quite eventful. I spent my 3 days here in Sydney doing various things. One day I went sightseeing with a fellow I met on the night bus from Byron Bay. We walked around the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and visited many little local heritage sights. I attended a symphony concert in the Opera House last night which was really neat to be in the world famous building. The acoustics were amazing and the music was quite entertaining. On my second day I worked for a furniture sales man delivering furniture around the Sydney area. This was a great way to see more sights beyond the city limits and get to know one of the locals. He also treated me to Fish and Chips at the ... read more
Brisbane, Maroochydore & Byron Bay
Published: May 18th 2005Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Sunshine CoastMay 18th 2005
Hello to you all. I know it has been a little while since I have last updated, but I have been enjoying some restful time to write and read and take in the surroundings. My time in New Zealand finished up well, I attended my first professional rugby match, which was quite entertaining, then I spent a few days in ChristChurch enjoying the museums and art gallery's. My first stage of my time in Australia was spent in Queensland. I flew into Brisbane and was met by a friend I made over in New Zealand. He showed me the sights around the city, including some beautiful botanical gardens then took me out to the Gold Coast for a day. This part of Australia has been built up a lot in the past few years, do to ... read more
May 14th 2005
well the travels are quickly coming to a close for myself. I arrived to Brisbane, Australia 2 weeks ago, and will already be leaving the country in 2 days! It was a brief introduction to the country. I definitely hope to come back here when I have the time and money for it. Brisbane was a good start, my roommates were 2 Germans, and a Swiss named Fabio...they were quite a deck of cards. I then spent a few days in North Stradbroke Island, "Straddie", a white sand island right off the coast of Brisbane. And my last five days were spent in the relaxed beach town of Byron Bay. I spent the days boogie boarding in the dolphin rich area, frisbeeing on the beach, relaxing in my friendly guesthouse and meeting some of the great ... read more
brett's finale in New Zealand
Published: May 1st 2005Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Abel Tasman National Park
May 1st 2005
g'day all, I'm off to Australia later today and thought I'd give an update of my last few weeks in New Zealand. It's been an amazing time here. The country-side is beautiful, the sheep are plentiful, and the good times are great. Since my last update, I visited the culturally and geyser rich town of Rotorua (which Graham visited earlier). I saw some of the same sights and tried something new...Zorbing..its a New Zealand invention--basically its a huge 10 ft. plastic ball that you hop in. It gets filled with a little hot water and you start running down a big windy hill inside the ball...you do your best to stand, gain any semblance of orientation, and apologize to any previous hamsters you had. That's right, you become a human hamster, it's invigorating, disorienting, and wilder ... read more
Milford Sound at it's Peak!
Published: April 28th 2005Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Fiordland National Park » Milford Sound
April 27th 2005
My most recent adventure was a visit to the breathtaking Milford sound area, which is actually a Fiord. It is one of the natural wonders of the world and now I see why. It was a bitter cold day out there but well worth the journey. The water around here can be quite rough too, but fortunatley I did not have to experience it. I stayed in a rustic lodge near the sound that recieves it's electricity from a large generator. There is not much else out here, but really what else does there need to be. It is beautiful and treking and cayaking are the main activities. Put this on your list to see next time you travel to New Zealand. Cheers. Graham... read more
Picton to Franz Joseph
Published: April 28th 2005Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Marlborough » Picton
April 27th 2005
About a week and a half ago I left the North Island from Wellington city and arrived in Picton. This ferry trip was filled with beauty all around. Upon arrival there were no longer any buses and I wanted to go to the town of Kaikoura right away, so I stuck out my thumb and was picked up in less than 30 seconds. It took three rides to make it to the town but what a great experience to be able to still hitch hike in this day and age. (By the way I have been hitching the whole time since then and have met marvellous people who have even opened up their homes to me.) In Kaikoura it was a dream come true for me, I swam with the Dusky Dolphin which is known to ... read more
April 22nd 2005
Hello to all. Upon arriving in Auckland, New Zealand I was greated with a warm welcome at the airport by the Green's, who are good friends of my parents. I spent four days with them seeing the sights of Auckland, eating delicious meals and learning about New Zealands rich culture. I made my way up into the Sky Tower, which is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and had a great view of the city, surrounding bays and many huge sailboats. Auckland is a lively and outdoorsey community. The greenery and trees in the area are quite luxurious. The Kauri trees here live for thousands of years and provide a great resource for the economy. After my stint in Auckland I went on a fast track through the North Island, as I was told to ... read more
April 17th 2005
That's right. Time for a new continent. And I choose....New Zealand. I keep trying to catch up with this Canadian but he keeps evading me like an elusive fish. I arrived to Auckland two days ago and will continue to the Maori town of Rotorua and then on to Wellington, followed by some tramping (hiking) in the southern island. Graham has been in NZ one week and is already down in Wellington, making his way to the south island. Hopefully we'll reunite at some point. Nevertheless, my last few days in Asia were amazing. It was the Thai New Years, and they certainly know how to celebrate. I met up with some old friends from Chiang Mai as we joined in the festivities of the Water Festival. The city of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a ... read more
April 6th 2005
Hello to you all. Well my last week in Thailand went by quite quickly. I spent it in the Western part of the Country near the Myamar border along the River Kwae. I stayed in a guest house that was suspended over the river, which allowed for beautiful views and a cultural experience. For a couple days I would sit on traditional Thai pyramid cushions, drinking fresh fruit smoothies and lassies, while loud longtail boats would race bye with loads of tourists. All the activities are partook in were relaxing and seemed to have a beautiful view of the mountains, rivers, waterfalls or any other part of Natures wonders. I rented a motorcycle and went for a 250km ride one day taking in Hell Fire Pass, Soi Yok Noi Waterfalls and a couple of caves, while ... read more
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