To the Moon and Back: Tasmania

Since my last post i have been to Auckland, Melbourne, Hobart and Launcheston in Tasmania, Nelson and Te Arnaud and it has been so much fun!
As i will soon forget all the details this may appear a little bit like a diary in this post, a snippet from each day for me to remember.
2nd, 3rd and 4th of January
Traveled to Tasmania with the NZ contingent of 17 Venturers and 5 leaders, it was 40 degrees in Melbourne and they said that stepping out of the air conditioned air port was like hitting a wall... It truely was, everyone i saw come out were like "woa" as it was a solid wall of dry heat and i loved it. I was determined to have a tan after this trip and this was the place to be, Tasmania's weather was different though. We lost AJ at the airport due to his "fight with a dragon, scratch from a bear, or from the war in New Zealand", as he told all the Australians he met, he had a fracture and was not allowed to board the plane without seeing a doctor. Beforehand i had been drifting him around in his airport, as we discovered wheelchairs can drift. I had a splitting headache coming into Hobart, likely caused by the rapid decent that my head couldn't handle.. but before i was yelping in my seat with pain wishing for panadol i was dancing in my seat listening to music (yes i was dancing) or playing Sudoku on Caitlin's ipod which was fun. We were warned to look out for the spiders, snakes and scorpions before bedtime... really put us at ease for sure.

My very first dunk'n doughnuts

Following morning we got up bright and early (i awoke to a sneezing fit at 5.45am), I sat with Bri and Russell and drank peppermint tea before having what might have been the nicest shower i'd have for a while but all the showers ended up fine anyway, i always timed mine so that i never had to wait and always had warm ones. We played awkward name learning games that i cannot stand after school then a group New Zealand photo the adults then told us to take a silly photo but we were all still at the stage where 'sorry we don't know each other.'
Me and Caitlin set up out tents together as we were to be in the same group doing the extreme adventure tour, we ended up tucking our NZ tops up as the sun was so extreme and waiting for wind on our skin. And because that's how Caitlin gets all the boys ;)
Will and Mike helped us set up our tents and we did likewise, then wandered around looking for Kate, Will and lunch. The Victorian contingent arrived but there were hundreds of them, me and Caitlin timed it luckily and found Will and Daniel who i knew and she had talked to, so she finally met them. Running jump hug for Will of course because HADN'T SEEN THAT BOY FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS! Hadn't changed much because i was then tipped upside down, had my sun glasses fall off my head and be stood on.
Met Holly who was very tired at the time but makes strange noises when tickled like myself, Will had an idea to make an orchestra out of us. I was tickled a lot on this trip and soon was tired of it and would run away or grumble if approached and poked in the ribs.
We now had today and one more day to do not much around camp, meeting people and such. I got sunburn and soon had a tan line, as we were not allowed to wear bare feet, sandles or jandles around due to all the dangerous animals that could kill you. Kate showed me her water shoe tan line in the showers after her sailing trip and it was BEAUTIFUL. The weather was very changeable and all over the place, alternating between raining and bright hot sunshine many times a day.

5th - 9th Extreme adventure

He wore that top hat everywhere

We all separated at this point to different places around Tasmania, we were mountain biking, caving, abseiling, bush walking and white water rafting (though the river was too low). Met an amazing group of people from all over the world and had Caitlin by my side the whole time, we had so much fun. This is a tiny number of photos from the many that we taken, but it gives the idea of what fun we had.

We learnt fire twirling one evening

The day we were meant to white water raft, instead played games
and jump rope. I gave Mel a beautiful plait mustache

I am a tiny bit claustrophobic

Climbed on the roof of the train and sang as Liam played the guitar

After most days we would swim

Daniel had a knack for being captured

He spoke in a French accent that day

Back with everyone

The rest of the trip passed in a blur: meeting people, doing things, climbing places, being recognised by the polar bear hat. It was amazing, photos are my own and others: