Better Late Than Never

As promised, here are the pictures from the remainder of the trip... Or at least, most of the remainder...

Day 19 - April 19th: Brisbane to Kempsey
We were driving again, so no photos to show. But we stopped at Surfer's Paradise and Byron Bay on our way. My favorite stop was at Byron Bay because it's just like Crawford Bay and Nelson, BC - hippies were everywhere! My brothers and I went shopping together, but I think they regretted it because I took forever in the shops.

Day 20 - April 20th: Kempsey to Sydney
We were still driving, so still no photos. As we were coming in to Sydney, we stopped at the Sydney Temple and walked around the grounds to stretch our legs. When we got back to the house, some of our cousins came by to visit and TiJ finally got to meet his Australian lookalike. When I went to Australia by myself in 2001, I met my cousin David and thought he looked like TiJ. When we came to Australia as a family, everyone that met TiJ said he looked like David, but we hadn't had the chance to meet him. And when we finally did get to see David, TiJ said he couldn't see the resemblance - of course.

Day 21 - April 21st: Shopping, Take 2
My batteries died. So no photos (I know! I really suck at this!). Me and the boys caught the train all by ourselves and went to Parramatta for one last shopping trip. We were at the same mall as before. That was when I met the clerk guy that I mentioned before.

Day 22 - April 22nd: One Last Hurrah
Yay! Photos again!
We went to see the Olympic Stadium from the 2000 Summer Olympics and it was so cool! They had poles all over out front and some of them had information about different parts of the games. One pole had the Sydney Olympic torch in it and another had bands on it to show the heights of the high jumping and pole vaulting records. I left wondering what Vancouver will do to memorialize the Olympics there.

When we got back, the boys played one last game of footy with our cousins and broke into shirts and skins for the teams. The little ones wanted to get in on the action too.

Day 23 - April 23rd: You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello
Another day of travel, so another lack of photo. Can you blame me? As I predicted, the goodbyes were tough. It was so sad to see Gramma Mele say goodbye to my Dad. It would be nice to see her again, but with her being 86 and on the other side of the world, the odds are against us. We had an evening flight, so when we arrived in Tonga, it was 2am. Although it was the middle of the night, it was a balmy 27 degrees celsius. Our Uncle Misi met us at the airport and brought us to his home; the place where dad grew up. It was pretty cool to see it after he's been telling us about it all our lives.

Day 24 - April 24th: A Whole New World
I awoke to the crow of a rooster and mosquitoes in my ear and I knew I wasn't in Sydney anymore - let alone Kansas. There were chickens and children and dogs running around the yard, people spoke very little english and I knew I was in for a culture shock. We went to the beach that morning and collected seashells and the boys went spearfishing for the first time. In the evening we went to the plantation where we were shown how to prepare banana leaves to be used for cooking and how to husk a coconut. After my first day in Tonga, I could tell I would like it.
On the beach by our hotel (or beside the beach if you want to get technical)

TiJ the spearfisherman.

Heating the banana leaves.

Husking a coconut.

Day 25 - April 25th: Checking Out The Island
It was a beautiful day and we would have swam - except it was Sunday. So we drove around the island instead and saw the sights after church. First we went to the blowholes. In Hawaii they have a couple blowholes, but in Tonga there is a whole coastline of blowholes. The waves crash up against them and it really makes you respect the power of the ocean. After the blowholes we went to the Temple in Nuku'alofa and snapped a few photos. Me and mom snuck off to meet the temple president, Elder Eric Shumway. Mom knew him back from when she was a student at BYU and he was the president. Then when she came to visit Tonga in 1986, the Shumways were there as he served as Mission President and she stayed with them. When Mom heard that he was there again this time as the Temple President, she had to go say hello. Elder Shumway was really cool and you could feel the love he has for the Tongan people. When we finished meeting with the Shumways, the family got going again and we made one last stop at the Ha'amonga; the Tongan equivalent of Stonehenge. It was really cool. TiJ even climbed to the top of it.
Beside the blowholes.

With the Shumways.

Before the Ha'amonga.

Atop the Ha'amonga.

Day 26 - April 26th: Rain, Rain, Go Away!
It rained all day. But luckily we were in Tonga and not Canada, so it was still warm while it poured. The boys had camped on the beach the night before and got drenched. They'd originally planned to stay another night, but changed their minds. I went out to see them on their beach and my cousins showed me all the different mollusks along the shore that could be eaten. I even tried a few of them. Once we got sick of being rained on, we went to the fale (house) and played cards for most of the evening. And ate. We also ate.
Playing cards.

Chewing on some sugar cane.

Fishing in the rain.

Day 27 - April 27: The Final Goodbye
The rain finally let up in the morning and the day turned out to be sunshiney and beautiful. So naturally, we hit the beach. Mom and I finally got to go snorkelling and the boys went spear fishing one last time. We saw a lot of beautiful fish and we even found Nemo! TiJ and Keanu speared a few fish and Keanu got an octopus too; it was really cool. Since our flight didn't leave until 9, we had lots of time to to stay at the beach and soak up some final rays.
Poor Maile, she didn't get to swim the entire trip.

Keanu and his kill.

TiJ and his dinner.

More victims.

Goodbyes at the airport.

April 27th, 8pm
Our plane landed in Calgary and Canada greeted us with 8 degree weather. I was in a skirt and flip flops.

April 28th
It rained all day and the highest it got was 4 degrees. Our tans are fading.

Today, April 29th
Still raining and still cold. There's even been some snow. FML.

Even The Best Things Come To An End

Well folks, I made it safely home and boy am I pooped! And jet lagged.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the awesome experiences I had on this trip of a lifetime. We got to meet and bond with our awesome cousins on the other side of the family tree. Tonga was so much fun! It was totally laid back and relaxed. Our cousins gave us whatever they could to make our stay more enjoyable. They apologized that it wasn't much; but honestly, they didn't need to do much to make us happy. I am so glad that we got to know them and see the place my dad has told us so much about. It was where he grew up!

I haven't had a chance to upload pictures yet as we got home late in the night, but when I do, you will be in for a treat.

If any family is reading, thank you so much for all you did for us! We will never forget you and we are so grateful for everything. Malo aupito! Ofa lahi atu!

Time Flies

Boo! :(

Why does that have to be true? My awesome vacation is nearly at an end, but I still feel as though we've just got here (except for the fact that I am noticeably browner). We leave for Tonga in two days and then four days after that we leave for Canada. I have missed my friends, but I'd much rather be here missing them than home missing my family. Not that I'm not used to goodbyes by now. We had to say goodbye to our family in New Zealand when we left there and we had to say goodbye to our family in Brisbane when we came back to Sydney. It's just really gonna suck when we have to say goodbye to the Sydney clan. But let's get off this depressing note so I can tell you what I did today...

I went shopping :) It was just me and the bros. I never thought that I'd go on a shopping trip with my brothers, but I guess anything is possible in the land down under. Dad gave us 50$ to add to what we already had before we left and we spent it all at the mall. Yay. In one shop I was chatting with the clerk and when he found out I was Canadian, he got all jealous and said, "I bet you go skiing and snowboarding all the time!". I got a little embarrassed and told him that I've never been. The only winter sport I've done is toboganning - if that counts. He couldn't believe that I live in Canada and I have never been skiing or snowboarding. And that got me thinking: why haven't I ever hit the slopes? It's just like some of the people around here. Me and my family have been out sightseeing and doing things that the locals have never done. I suppose it's because they live here and can do it whenever they want. That's the same mentality a lot of people have, isn't it?

So with that being said, I would like to make a goal for myself. While I am still young and my body is still healthy, I would like to go skiing. Or snowboarding. Either! I had the opportunity to go with some buddies back in December but I didn't take it because I thought I'd kill myself. If I ever get the chance to go again, I'm taking it. You only live once after all.

Day 18: A Photo To-Go

Sunday, April 18, 3:23pm

I'm in a parking lot. And I'm blogging. I love this mini laptop.

We went to watch my cousin Vita play his rugby match.
He's the one with the ball being awesome. It runs in the family.

Saturday, April 17, 11:09pm

Day 17 - Australia Zoo

When they say it's interactive, they really mean it.

The zoo was awesome. It was rainy but I didn't really care; I love the rain. I brought my sketchbook along and drew as many animals as I could. I loved the crocodile demonstrations and the koalas and kangaroos were so cute that I had to resist the urge to pick them up and run. I wish I could have Steve Irwin's job. Maybe I can become besties with Bindi someday...

Late Night for Me, Early Morning for You

Friday, April 16, 11:28pm

I didn't think I'd be able to give you guys some more pictures so soon, but it seems that I have luck on my side. We're staying in a hotel in Brisbane tonight and my cousin Mele has lent me her mini-laptop for the night. It's so cute I want it, but I can't tell her that or else she might give it to me - seriously. In Tonga, everyone is so generous; they are always willing to help their fellow man and it is awesome. But sometimes it can get out of hand. They will literally give you the shirt off their back if you say that you like it. But anyway, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Day 13 - April 13: Shopping!

Waiting for our train after hitting the shops

Day 14 - April 14: Bondi

Kalo and I explored a part of the beach that I've never been to before. Check out the sweet mural action. They have awesome murals all over Australia and I am so jealous!

Day 15 - April 15: Hit the Road

Not much happened because we spent most of it driving. I also felt like crap because I'd eaten so much the night before so I didn't take many photos. Here's the hotel we stayed in that night.

Day 16 - April 16: More Driving

We arrived in Brisbane safe and sound after a long day of driving. It takes 12 hours to drive there from Sydney. We made a few pit stops along the way and here is a funny van we found when we went to Sandy Beach. Classy, eh?

So the plan for tomorrow is to go to Australia Zoo. That's the one that Steve Irwin made. Or worked in. I'm too lazy to get my facts straight right now. Either way, I'm super stoked. We're such huge fans of the Crocodile Hunter that we even named our dog, Bindi, after his daughter.

Another Bundle

Tuesday, April 13, 9:36pm

Howdy! Boy I've missed you guys. I'm still having an awesome time in Australia and I am now tanned enough that if we were to suddenly cut our trip short, I would be fine with it. Sort of. Much has happened since my last post and can only be described with photos. So here you are:

Day 6 - April 6: Hospitals and Downtown

We visited Maile in the hospital before starting our adventures. She was released later that night.

On our way home from Bondi Beach we stopped at the Sydney Football Stadium.We found a statue to play with.

Day 7 - April 7: Chillin
I spent most of the day at my cousin Kalo's house. She has the cutest siblings.

Day 8 - April 8: Sydney Harbour

We took the train out to Sydney Harbour and spent the day there. It was sweet. Here's me at the Opera House.

The Harbour Bridge just before we left.

Day 9 - April 9: Fun in the Sun

We went to Coogee beach with the cousins and had lots of fun. Here's about one tenth (maybe less) of my cousins on the Tongan side.

Day 10 - April 10: Woolongong

This day I was a total failure. I took one picture this day and it was a very unflattering photo of yours truly. So I will just tell you about this day instead. We went to a city/town/suburb called Woolongong where my cousin Mina and Uncle Pila treated us to lunch. Afterward we went to the Woolongong beach and I got tossed by some of the roughest waves I've ever met. My mom got photos that day so I might be able to show you once we get them off her camera later.

Day 11 - April 11: Kiama

Another fail. Sorry folks, I forgot to pack my camera around that day. But I took some pictures with my mom's camera which you'll be able to see once we get them off it. We had stayed the night at out cousin Mina's and that afternoon we drove south to the town of Kiama. I really liked it there and thought it had lots of character. We finally had our first fish and chips there and they were delicious!

Day 12 - April 12: A Cruise and a Rugby Match All in One Day

We met up with my Auntie Mina at Sydney Harbour and she took us on a mini-cruise where we had a buffet lunch along with a tour of the harbour. Here are a few of us that were there. And if you look closely you can see my tanlines! :D

That evening we went to a rugby Match to watch the Parramatta Eels play the Canberra Raiders. Here's my family enjoying the game. (The eels lost but it was still lots of fun.)

I haven't had a chance to upload the photos I took today, but I went shopping with my cousin Kalo and Hulu and my brother TiJ. It was lots of fun and I found some awesome bargains. Woot woot! We also saw Clash of the Titans and it was really good (it better have been because we paid $80 for admission! D=)

The plan for tomorrow is that we're going back to Bondi beach and there's a rumour that we might go see the Easter show in the evening. Apparently it's lots of fun. From what I've heard from my cousins, it's kind of like going to Whoop Up Days or the Calgary Stampede. Either way, we'll have a good day. Til next time, take care!

What You've Been Waiting For

Tuesday, April 6, 11:16pm

I can finally upload some pictures! You have no idea how excited I am to share these with you. I'm sleeping over at my cousin's house tonight and she has a usb port with working internet - hallelujah!

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Day 1 - March 31: traveling


My sister and I at the Vancouver airport


My mom at the Vancouver airport. They had some awesome totem poles.

Day 2 - April 2: Let's meet the family (we skip a day because we lost one while we were in the air for 17 hours)


Keanu with our cousins, Junior and Misi (AKA: the Loonie and the Toonie).


A game of touch rugby at the beach.


Me, mom and Maile.

Day 3 - April 3: Shopping and Sightseeing


Dad and the boys at swap meet. Can you spot them?


All of us at One Tree Hill.

Day 4 - April 4: I Love to See the Temple


Inside the visitor's center

Day 5 - April 5: Last Day in Aukland


Some funky seed pods.


At the bakery. The Kiwis have as many bakeries as we do Tim Horton's.

And that is all I have for now. I didn't get a chance to upload my photos from today, so those will come later. Ta for now.

PS - Maile broke her arm! She was climbing the tree at my uncle's house on Monday and she fell. She's alright though. She was released from the hospital this evening.

Sing Praises

Sunday, April 4th, 8:34 pm

I went to church today with the Tongans and it was awesome! My favorite part about being in a Tongan ward is the singing. If you ever get the chance to go to a Tongan ward for church, do it! A Tongan ward is the Mormon version of the black Baptist choirs. They sing with such power and soul that you can't help but feel the spirit when you listen.

My family wasn't originally planning on staying for the whole block, but my cousins talked me into staying for Sunday school. Granted, it didn't take much convincing once they told me they had a YSA class. The only reason I went was for the boys; however, I was met by disappointment. They were nice to look at, but had no interest in getting to know me, even after they found out I was from Canada. It wasn't a total loss though, because I later found out that I'm related to half of them (of course!).

Anyway, the rest of my day was lovely as we had a big dinner with the family and then went to the temple in Hamilton to spend the evening. I still haven't been able to upload pictures, but no worries, I've been taking lots!

Safe and Sound

Hey all! Just a quick post to let you know that I made it. I can't upload any pictures yet though - be patient. New Zealand is beautiful and I've enjoyed my first day here. The flight was long and sleepless as expected, but I got to watch Singin' in the Rain. I've met some new cousins and we went to the beach. It's been fun watching my dad try to get used to driving on the left side of the road - only a few close shaves, haha.

Anyway, I'll hopefully be able to get some pictures up soon. If not, then you will get a nice big bundle of them when I get home.