“The kingfisher tried to warn the Mala men about the devil dog approaching, but it was too late. Some weren’t able to escape. You can still see them there,” Rachelle, our guide, pointed to the contours of the cave wall.

It was as if the men were petrified for eternity in those reliefs, struck in a terror pose as they tried to flee. While my rational mind acknowledged a scientific explanation for the geological formations around me, I slowly began to admire them in a different way, as if the stones were living, given life through story.

It’s odd I admit to consider Uluru, a 600-million year old monolith in the middle of the Australian Outback desert, as being “alive.” It’s a rock, after all. However, the more we learned about the Tjukurpa — the lattice work of laws and stories that hold together the knowledge of the creation period for the local Anangu people — the more I understood that this seemingly barren and empty land carried both life and history.

As Rachelle continued and reflected on the over 30,000 year presence of the Anangu in the area, she reminded us that the version of the story she told was intended for beginners: “To Aboriginal people we non-Aboriginals are newborn babies. We’re only just starting to learn.”

Aboriginal Australia: It’s Complicated

Aboriginal Australia. It’s inspiring and fascinating. It’s also tragic and complicated I would come to find. As this discovery unfolded for me, I struggled with how I might celebrate the beauty and wisdom of the oldest living culture in the world at nearly 50,000 years while acknowledging the discrimination and socio-economic challenges that so many of today's Aboriginal people face.

Perhaps, even with my newborn eyes, this was the beginning of my arc of understanding of Aboriginal Australia – its past, its present, and maybe a glimpse into its future.

Cafe Chloe: An Open Discussion

Aboriginal History: Not One Tribe, But Human

An Aboriginal map of Australia was laid out before us on the table at Café Chloe, a new Aboriginal community job training and traveler interaction center in the town of Tully, Queensland. The map was not only visually appealing with all its blocks of different colors, but it was also instructive. In school, I'd learned that Aboriginal people in Australia were one. Instead, Australian Aboriginals are drawn from hundreds of different cultures, approximated by the presence of over 250 distinct languages at the time the first Europeans arrived.

This was new information for me, as I suspect it was for most of the other travelers in our National Geographic Journeys group. They leaned in as Dr. Ernie Grant, a Jirrbal Rainforest People elder and Aboriginal scholar, offered something more shocking. Until 1967, Aboriginal people in Australia were legally categorized as flora and fauna. That is: plants and animals, not human. Fathom that. Aboriginal people, considered to be the oldest continuous-living culture in the world (between 40,000 and 50,000 years old), did not possess any human rights in the eyes of the modern state in which they lived until 50 years ago.

Theirs is a story of mass disruption to what was once a long-standing way of living. Long-standing perhaps being the understatement of our times.

I should add that I’m aware this history sadly echoes the history of my own country, the United States, and its treatment of Native Americans. My thoughts here also recall a piece we’d written several years ago while traveling in Chile and Argentina: Unspoken Patagonia.

Aboriginal Youth: Educating the Future on Their Past

After our discussion with Dr. Grant, a local Jirrbal high school girl read one of the creation stories to our group so as to inform and inspire an interactive Aboriginal painting session that would follow. She was nervous, her delivery halting. She had trouble reading some of the Jirrbal words. Standing just at her side, her mother leaned in to provide pronunciation guidance. Although the pockets of silence felt awkward, the experience exuded a sort of authenticity. Many Aboriginal youth are just now learning the language and stories of their ancestors.

Sonya, Dr. Grant’s daughter and project leader, explained that training students to lead painting classes and share Jirrbal stories is not just about providing job training. Sharing with travelers from around the world also empowers Aboriginal youth by helping them to take pride in who they are and to appreciate what makes their culture valuable and worthy of cultivation.

Uluru: Stories, Tradition, Code, A Way of Life

Flying from Cairns (Queensland) to Uluru, an expanse of red-tinged desert landscape sailed beneath us. Scrub trees and tiny, scattered homes drifted by. Onto this vast landscape filmstrip I overlaid the map of the diversity of Aboriginal peoples that Dr. Grant had shown us just days before. I tried to imagine the different nomadic groups who'd made this place their home for tens of thousands of years, how they'd lived from this seemingly barren land.

On the ground, we got a glimpse into how this worked. As we walked around Uluru, Rachelle told us Anangu stories that were directly related to our surroundings: we could see each part of the story in the physical markers around us. These tales were an attempt by Aboriginal ancestors to make colorful yet practical sense of their surroundings. Cave paintings taught the next generation how to find watering holes, when to hunt, how to dig for food, and which plants were poisonous. Through story and image, they passed on lessons of how to survive and to get along with one another as a community.

Theirs was an entirely different way of thinking about life, its origins and the implications for one’s day-to-day. No better, no worse than the framework I’d grown up with. Just different. And perhaps something we could learn from.

Alice Springs: A Reality Check

Our last stop in the Northern Territory Outback: Alice Springs, an unlikely urban center that rises from the middle of the desert. The situation of Aboriginal people on its city streets was a shock and contrast. Many looked itinerant; some hung around in parks and slept on benches while others walked in a substance-induced haze. You could hear yelling back and forth between groups in a nearby park. The raised voices, we’re told, is a cultural feature and doesn’t always indicate anger or violence, but it added a palpable sense of tension.

Once you understand what has happened to local Aboriginal people – that the basis and traditions of their communities was stripped from them through forced deportations, murder and discrimination — you might begin to understand how they could become lost. Displace a people, introduce a substance they aren’t biologically well equipped to metabolize (alcohol), deteriorate their social structure, and you’ve executed a perfect recipe for societal decay. Our experience served as a reality check on what life is, and has been, for many Aboriginal Australians.

During our final morning in Alice Springs, we walked through town toward one of the museums recommended to us. On the way, we saw a tiny sign, hastily positioned on the sidewalk inviting us to a non-profit Aboriginal art gallery. We made the turn and found ourselves in the middle of a Salvation Army soup kitchen and social service center. A sea of people swirled around us, many waiting in line for food. The path to the art gallery, if there was one, was not clear.

Eventually, one of the employees spotted us (i.e., disoriented tourists) and led us to an unassuming office art gallery with some impressive work. Images included representations of villages, women gathering, communal hunts, and desert animals such as snakes. On the back of each canvas the artist had written in pencil the story represented, bringing context to patterns of colorful dots and strokes. Artists are paid immediately upon delivering the work to the gallery, so with each sale, money is paid forward for a new commission.

As we read the biographies of the artists, we saw talented yet ordinary members of the local community who were visually translating the stories told to them, often by their grandparents.

“Mandy [Anderson] has been painting for many years and was taught to paint by her mother and grandmother. She paints the stories handed down to her from her grandmother such as the story of six women being chased by a man. She also paints the bushtucker.”

We imagine that these artists, many of whom are parents and grandparents themselves, use their paintings not only to earn income for their families, but also to pass on their stories to the generations that follow.

So the story cycle continues.

We walked away with a handful of paintings, each with a story of an artist, each with a story of continuity. While we knew our purchase would not change things on a grand scale, we felt it a tiny, personal productive step forward.

A Look to the Future?

A trip to Aboriginal Australia can unfold a double-edged story of cultural pride in the face of discrimination and exclusion, a story of changing the equation to create opportunities for Aboriginal people. It’s about celebrating Aboriginal culture and recognizing the strengths and uniqueness of this worldview so that Aboriginal communities might enjoy a newborn grounding, pride and satisfaction.

It’s also the story of how we travelers — wide-eyed, open minded novices — can learn from the Aboriginal sense of relationships based on respect and balance between people, plants, animals and the land. The more I peer into this world, the more I see how we all might benefit by applying this ancient wisdom to our modern lives so we might be better stewards of our ever-fragile world.

The story of Aboriginal Australia today is a story of how each of us, through our engagement, can take part.

The post Aboriginal Australia: An Arc Towards Understanding appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Interested in traveling to Australia, but only have two weeks or a limited amount of time? Overwhelmed by the choices and size of the country and don't know where to start in creating an Australia two week itinerary? Don't worry, we've been there. And that's why we created this Experiential Guide to help you choose a tour, plan your trip and create your own itinerary in Australia.

Australia offers the perfect storm for those who tend towards the fear of missing out (FOMO). It’s a huge country. It’s far away for many of us (that’s also part of its draw). And it fills a bucket list all its own of iconic experiences and destinations: the Outback, Aboriginal culture, cities, beaches, coral reefs, and wineries, just to mention a few.
Overwhelmed by all this, I’d imagined I would need several months or more to grasp the continent. I deferred my visit, resisting invitations for years until the time was right.

Basically, I psyched myself out.

I eventually realized that in saving my grand Australia trip for “someday” when all the stars aligned perfectly, I might end up deferring it forever. (This excuse may sound a familiar put-off for other life projects of broad scope.)

So I took a step back and reconciled that while I might not be able to experience everything Australia had to offer in a shorter visit, I could certainly experience a lot, and do so deeply.

Our recent travels in Australia confirmed it's possible to experience a lot of Australia in just two weeks or a limited amount of time. But where to start in creating an itinerary for traveling in Australia for two weeks?

That’s where this experiential guide comes in.

Here on the experiential highlights from our first two weeks in Australia when we were on Explore Australia, a National Geographic Journeys tour with G Adventures. Even in this seemingly limited amount of time, we experienced depth and breadth, moving from the iconic to the uncovered.

So if you've been considering taking this G Adventures tour in Australia, here's what you can expect and look forward to on your trip. In addition, you'll have an experienced G Adventures tour leader (CEO) with you who is a fount of information on everything Australia – from unique wildlife and nature to Aboriginal culture and history – to help you better understand this diverse country.

This allowed us to dig deep into Australia’s natural history, burrowed beneath the surface of its complex relationship with Aboriginal culture, dove the Great Barrier Reef, sampled the vast expanse of the Outback, and took in Melbourne and Sydney, the country’s two largest cities.

24 Australia Travel Experiences in Two Weeks

Sydney / New South Wales

1. Walk (or Run) the Botanical Gardens, Sydney Harbor and the Sydney Opera House.

Although buildings aren’t often at the top of my experiential list, the Sydney Opera house was. Based on a recommendation from a friend, we took a stroll through the Botanical Gardens to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and then around the harbor walk to land at the Opera House. Check it out from a distance, but also get up close to admire the detail, including the texture of its tiles. This route allows you to appreciate a few of the central Sydney neighborhoods like Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo, and the greenery and contours of downtown Sydney along the way.

Note: If you are a runner, this circuit makes for a worthwhile morning jog, particularly if you suffer from jet lag and need to kick start the day.

Bonus: Rewards thyself afterwards with a heap or two of gelato at Gelato Messina in nearby Darlinghurst (Address: 241 Victoria Road). Hint: pistachio on top, dark chocolate underneath!

2. Bush walk Syndey on the Manly to Spit Bridge hike.

Interested in getting away from the city for some beach and hiking action? Take the public ferry to Manly (bonus: great views of Sydney Harbor and the CBD from the water). Enjoy a look or walk along Manly Beach, then begin your walk of the 10km trail around the east side of Manly Beach to Spit Bridge.

This urban walking path and hiking trail is excellent and features a bit of bush walk mixed with wood plank boardwalk, topped with plenty of gorgeous coastal and harbor views along the way.

Bonus: If a secluded cove and beach to yourself is what you’re after then you’ll have your pick of several along the way.

3. Savor the Bondi to Coogee walk and take a dip at Bronte Beach along the way.

For a beautiful, easy walk outside of downtown Sydney that has it all, the Bondi to Coogee walk is it. In a morning (or an afternoon), you can catch the surf (or watch others throwing themselves into the waves) at Bondi Beach, then set off along the coastal walk to Coogee. The path is a blend of natural and urban, quintessential Sydney.

There’s also a protected spot at Bronte Beach that’s perfect for a refreshing mid-hike swim.

Find a hotel in Sydney.

Queensland

4. Walk through the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest in the world.

I was surprised to find out that the oldest living rainforest in the world — at 135 million years old — is in Australia. (To put this into perspective, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is only 10 million years old). During our walk through the Daintree Rainforest we learned from a local Kuku Yalanji guide how her ancestors lived from and took care of this land for over 4,000 years. This inter-generational sharing of knowledge included information on sustenance-providing plants and animals, as well as those which could poison slowly or kill instantly. Quite literally, these were matters of life and death.

Bonus: Try and find a cassowary. Sadly, this large prehistoric-looking bird with a center toe claw so sharp it can supposedly cut a human in half proved elusive and we found none lurking around the rainforest.

5. Get amongst it…underwater. Dive or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.

Dan had done a live aboard advanced diving certification at the Great Barrier Reef during his first visit many years ago; I’d dreamed of diving there ever since. When you approach the reef in a boat it’s impossible to fully grasp its size (2,300 km long, thus the largest living organism on earth). Snorkel or scuba dive the reef and a whole other world emerges, one filled with various forms and shapes, brushed with the surreal colors of coral and fish.

Note: If you wish to visit some of the more remote areas of the Great Barrier Reef, begin your trip from Port Douglas rather than from Cairns. We went with Calypso Snorkel and Dive on a boat that was outfitted for both scuba divers and snorkelers. We were impressed by the quality of the boat, its on-board facilities, and the staff who were safety conscious and knowledgeable about marine biology and Australian life in general. We had a fabulous day.

Even if you are not dive certified, we still recommend a snorkeling trip as others on our boat reported, unsurprisingly, that visibility and diversity of marine life were incredible.

Find a hotel in Port Douglas.

6. Learn about Australia’s most venomous animals at James Cooke University research aquarium.

Although it’s kind of funny when friends send you articles before your trip noting all the deadly creatures in Australia, it’s also a bit disconcerting. Just about every creature — snake, spider, jellyfish, snail (yes, even snails are dangerous!!) – that crosses your path could be poisonous and kill you. For a humorous take on this, listen to this tune.

That is where spending the afternoon with Dr. Jamie Seymour, a world-renowned toxinologist, helped put things into perspective. He taught us firsthand about the mechanics, physiology and biochemistry behind how Australia’s deadly animals create and release venom. In a 45-minute presentation, he planted enough seeds of fascination that our planned one-hour visit lasted over three hours.

As in life, once you begin to understand how these creatures work, you may find some of your fear displaced by respect.

Note: This is not an experience that is open to the general public. You can access it by taking the same tour we did — Explore Australia, a National Geographic Journeys tour with G Adventures. Alternatively, you can check out Professor Jamie Seymour’s entertaining and educational YouTube channel.

7. Engage in an open discussion about Aboriginal history and culture at Cafe Chloe.

Aboriginal history and culture is a crucial component to comprehending Australia’s history and present day. A new G Adventures for Good / Planeterra Foundation cooperation in the town of Tully, called Cafe Chloe, provides an opportunity for an open and honest discussion about Aboriginal culture, history and socioeconomic challenges.

This isn’t a traditional “Aboriginal cultural experience” whereby an Aboriginal man dresses up, puts on some body paint and demonstrates how to throw a spear or boomerang. Instead, you’ll find yourself sitting around the table with a Jirrbal elder and other community members to learn about and discuss the diversity and reality of Aboriginal communities on the Australian continent since the arrival of Europeans in the 1700s.

From history we moved into learning about Aboriginal culture and the importance of story to pass on wisdom and lessons from one generation to the next. We took our hand at Aboriginal-style painting, inspired by a Jirrbal creation story.

This background helps one understand the challenges that Aboriginal people face in Australia and how their nature and land-based traditional way of life was turned completely upside-down. It also puts into greater perspective the importance and necessity of projects like Café Chloe that emphasize pride, cultural exchange and job training for Aboriginal youth.

8. Eat a kangaroo pie. Or two.

They are actually quite good, too. Our favorite was from Mocka's Pies in Port Douglas.

Better yet, nosh on your kangaroo pie with this view, a slice of the Queensland coast.

Northern Territory

9. Appreciate the shape of Australia up in the air over Lake Amadeus.

To cover the sorts of distance between New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Victoria, a few flights are necessary. And here's why you should always try to get a window seat.

On our flight from Cairns to Uluru, we flew over ever-deepening red rust Outback. After a stretch of beautiful mountains, a few strange patches of iridescent liquid appeared, including Lake Amadeus.

10. Enjoy a champagne sunset toast and watch the sun go down over Uluru.

Champagne. Sunset. Crazy light over Uluru and its surrounding desert brush. Yes, to all of these.

The traditional Uluru sunset that we so often see in photos is one where the giant rock outcropping of Uluru glows red against a clear sky in the day’s final light. Our sunset was instead filled with dazzling clouds and a storm that rolled across the horizon. Don’t feel bad for us. The light was spectacular if not surreal as the clouds moved quickly and dramatically across the landscape. It was our own real life time-lapse video, complete with rush of air, and the fading aroma of a warm desert afternoon.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

Note: The sunset viewing area parking lot can get crowded. Make a wee effort, and a few hundred meters away you’ll have heaps of space to yourself to enjoy your champagne.

11. Follow the Anangu creation stories around the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock).

At the root of my dreaming about Australia: the National Geographic Documentaries about Uluru and Aboriginal culture that I’d watched as a kid. My expectations for this portion of the trip were dangerously high. Fortunately, Uluru delivered not only in terms of its physical appearance (even more impressive in real life), but also in its energy and the psychological hold it draws from the telling of the Aboriginal Anangu creation stories.

As we set off on walks around the base of Uluru, our guide shared a handful of Anangu stories that on the surface were about lizards, snakes and other animals of the Outback. She then noted the physical marks on the rocks around us, which were interpreted as equivalent physical manifestations of these stories. Finally, she explained how Aboriginal people used these stories to teach survival in the harsh environment. From generation to generation, elders taught youth where to find water, how to hunt, which plants and animals were dangerous, and the delicate balance required between nature and humans for both to exist in harmony.

In this way, Uluru was alive, a sort of teacher.

Note: Even if you travel independently to Uluru I recommend signing up for one of the walking tours (e.g., the rangers run free Mala walk tours each morning). It’s a worthwhile experience to walk Uluru as someone tells stories and gives background to what locals hold sacred and symbolic.

You also must invest in a fly net when you first arrive. Don't worry about looking silly in it. Although the flies don't bite, they are aggressive and possess an uncanny ability to find the innermost reaches of one's ears, nose and mouth.

12. Trek Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta.

Before my visit to Uluru, I’d barely heard of its lesser-known neighbor Kata Tjuta, another sacred Anangu site. Instead of monolithic, Kata Tjuta looks a convergence of multiple rock formations. As Uluru does, they dominate the visual space of the open landscape around. Creation stories also exist for Kata Tjuta, but since they are considered sacred for Anangu ceremonies they are not told to visitors.

Instead, we just enjoyed the landscape and hike through the Walpa Gorge.

Note: If you'd like to learn more about the geology and history of how Uluru and Kata Tjuta were formed, visit the museum at the Wintjiri Gallery near the town square.

Find a place to stay in Uluru.

13. Sample the Outback vastness and roadhouse culture between Uluru and Alice Springs.

With our minds full of imagery, physical and abstract, we set off on a five-hour journey to cross a swatch of the desert Outback from Uluru to the city of Alice Springs. This was our on-the-ground taste, albeit limited, of Australia’s vastness — a feature that some travelers ingest in weeks or even months of driving across the Northern Territory. After spending all that time criss-crossing Australia up in the air, a road trip like this is required to begin to understand this country’s vastness.

Imagine this barren landscape for thousands upon thousands of kilometers with only a few roadhouses in-between. Imagine it, too, for the Aboriginal people who once were the only ones who lived here and learned how to survive in this harsh environment.

14. Buy Aboriginal paintings that contribute to the Salvation Army community center in Alice Springs.

As we learned about Aboriginal culture we understood that most paintings were not only art to admire, but visual stories designed to pass on lessons. We were interested in buying Aboriginal art, but we wanted to do so in a way that was connected to the local community and where we knew that our money would benefit the artists directly. That is where the Waterhole Gallery at the Salvation Army in Alice Springs comes in. (Located at 88 Hartley Street, right across from the Royal Flying Doctors Museum.)

It’s easy to miss the gallery, as it's marked only by a small sign outside. Additionally, it can feel a bit intimidating since the grounds also serve as a sort of soup kitchen and community center for disadvantaged Aboriginal people. If you continue you will find a small art gallery in the back with some beautiful paintings of all sizes and colors. Each painting is accompanied by a hand-written story on the back side of its canvas.

You can also request a printed biography of the artist. Not only are the paintings high quality, but we also found it more satisfying to buy here than in a traditional gallery because of the direct, personal connection to the community.

15. Be inspired by creative learning at the School of the Air, Alice Springs.

Imagine having 125 students (K-9th grade) spread out over 1.3 million square kilometers. What do you do? You engineer a classroom and school over the airwaves. It may sound odd to visit a school during one’s travels, but the will and infrastructure required for studio-taught lessons over satellite internet connections is remarkable. It makes you appreciate how Australia doesn’t let a few thousand kilometers get in the way, even for school. For more information, check out School of the Air.

Find a hotel in Alice Springs.

16. Ogle the crazy colors of Lake Eyre.

In this case, we were simply lucky with our timing. Lake Eyre in northern South Australia fills with water only every few decades. But when it does, it becomes the largest lake in Australia. Seabirds from thousands of kilometers away somehow sense this (scientists still don't know how) and fly there to breed and nest.

While we didn’t have a close up look at this seabird dating frenzy, we were able to see the pink lake while flying from Alice Springs to Melbourne. Our pilot was so excited he woke everyone up to look out the window. Here’s why.

Melbourne

17. Get lost in Melbourne’s laneways, immerse yourself in its street art.

When arriving in a new city, one's options to explore and comprehend it can be overwhelming. Rather than a random walk around Melbourne, we opted for a self-guided street art walking tour of the city. We spread the walk, along with some exploration of neighborhoods further afield, over a couple of days.

This provided us with a general route through the city, anchored by street murals and fabulous alleys that serve as the playground of graffiti artists. As we sought out the next stop on the map (whose art was often replaced by something new), we were got pleasantly lost and distracted by other sites and cafes along the way.

18. Rent a bicycle and ride along the coast to the Brighton Beach Changing Huts.

Rent a bicycle in the city and ride the coastal bike path towards St. Kilda. Continue on to the Brighton Beach changing huts bathing boxes.

Be sure to stop along the way in Port Melbourne for fish and chips. Treat yourself to coffee, ice cream and a long stretch of easy-going coastal views.

19. Drink strong flat whites, eat brekkie, and enjoy Melbourne's market and food scene.

Melbourne takes its coffee seriously. Walk down any commercial street — in the center or outer neighborhoods — and you'll be flush with coffee choice. If strong coffees are your thing, then you'll feel at home here as a double shot of espresso is standard in a flat white (and most other drinks). Coffee art is formidable, too.

Another serious Melbourne institution: brekkie (otherwise known as breakfast to the rest of us). Walk through the CBD on a weekend morning in summertime and alleys overflow with cafes, restaurants and brunch joints offering every manner of Eggs Benedict, and the Australian brekkie favorite, smashed avocado on toast. It's enough to drive you to eat breakfast all day long.

Recommended Melbourne Eating, Dining and Noshing Spots:

Proud Mary Cafe, Collinwood: Get here early as it fills up quickly for lunch. If you're craving something savory try the fish tacos with a delicious slaw and toppings. For a sweet tooth, you can't go wrong with the ricotta hotcakes. So incredibly rich, you will have grave difficulty moving from your seat.
Victoria Night Market on Wednesdays (November-March): During the summer months Victoria Market turns into a street food night market with hundreds of food stalls, live music, beer on tap, jugs of cold sangria and much, much more. If your time in Melbourne coincides, check it out.

Find a hotel in Melbourne.

Great Ocean Road and Victoria

20. Breathe deeply at Point Addis, the start of the Great Ocean Road.

The Great Ocean Road has become a popular destination within Australia for good reason. It just lives up to its name.

21. Don’t wake the koalas at Kennett River.

Park your car at the cafe at Kennett River and walk over toward the trees off to the left side. Look closely in the branches as you might find a koala or two sleeping in the trees. Due to the poor caloric and nutritional value of their eucalyptus-leaf diet they need to sleep up to 20 hours a day to properly digest their food and conserve energy. Resist the urge to touch them (as we saw some other tourists do) and let them sleep — and digest — in peace.

22. Walk barefoot along the beach at Gibson Steps.

Even if you ache to get to the 12 Apostles, allow some time to stop off at Gibson Steps just before. Take the walkway down to the beach and enjoy a view of the sandstone cliffs from below. “Romantic” doesn’t even begin to capture the feeling and atmosphere here.

23. Calculate how many of the 12 Apostles remain standing.

The 12 Apostles, the pinnacles standing at the western end of the Great Ocean Road, are among Australia’s most recognized landmarks. Regardless of how many photos of the 12 Apostles circulate, you’ll find yourself unable to take enough. As a capstone to a beautiful road trip, they still surprise, impress and dazzle visually. You’ll also notice The Apostles a few short of 12 (eight at the time of writing) due to erosion.

24. Appreciate how far you’ve come, within Australia…and around the world.

Australia Small Group Tours

Recommended reading for Australia

In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson: If you want to read one book that will provide you with a historical, geographical, cultural, and sociological overview of Australia before visiting, this is the book. Bryson manages to weave these elements in naturally into the humorous narrative of his road trips and adventures throughout the country, from Queensland to Western Australia. Really well written and provides a lot of context for visitors to better understand Australia.

The Songlines, Bruce Chatwin: I found this book fascinating and it really helped me begin to get my head around the role and importance of Aboriginal “songlines” and stories. This book isn't always the easiest read since Chatwin intersperses long-winding notes about other nomadic cultures he has researched. Stick with it, though, and you'll find yourself appreciating the Aboriginal worldview and culture more than you otherwise might.

Pin for later:

The post Traveling Australia in Two Weeks: An Experiential Guide and Itinerary appeared first on Uncornered Market.

This is our on-the-ground introduction to the New Zealand wine scene, focused on the South Island regions of Marlborough, Central Otago, and Nelson. It includes recommended wineries, a wine cottage experience for the romance bucket list, and an insight into how wine tasting in New Zealand can be more frightening than jumping off a bridge.

As we motored down the Gibbston Highway outside of Queenstown, I reached for my turn signal to point our way towards a dirt road for Chard Farm. For the tenth time in as many tries, I fired up the windshield wipers instead.

“The cleanest windshield in all of New Zealand,” our friend Andrew quipped. His joke would never lose its luster, as I could never really conquer the control panel of a left-side drive car in New Zealand.

Old dogs, new tricks. But we were on our way to taste wine. Things were about to look up.

Then the driveway-cum-access road began to narrow. The gravel softened. Guard rails vanished. Were there ever any? The mood, precarious. Vertical drops into the canyon were beyond the crane of the neck.

I white knuckled the steering wheel. The irony: I’ve been bungee jumping, cave diving, and hang gliding all over New Zealand and here I am, examining my own mortality on the way to a wine tasting. For passengers and driver alike, navigating this wine road was quite possibly more frightening than bungee jumping the bridge just across the way.

“I see dead people.”

Instead, we found a few glasses of exceptional Pinot Noir. Much nicer. And this was just the beginning of our dive into New Zealand wine — the aromatic usual suspects Riesling and Pinot Gris, surprising unoaked and restrained Chardonnays, inimitable Sauvignon Blanc, and even well-executed Syrah. But where did we find it all? And how? This is the full story.

Wine Tasting in New Zealand's South Island: Get Amongst It

If you do it right, your wine tasting experience in New Zealand's South Island will not only encompass drinking good wine, but it will also be about the people you meet, the landscapes you drove through to find them and how everything comes together to produce the wines you are tasting.

Small private tasting rooms are the best. As you enjoy a taste from white to red, chat with the sommelier. There are no stupid questions, only ones that bring you closer to understanding what you are drinking and whether or not it suits your taste. Part of the fun of wine tasting in New Zealand is talking with people and tapping into their passions about the wines they serve, wines in general, and their country.

But how to get started to know which wineries to go to? The first step is to pick up a local wine route map. Then ask locals and sommeliers at the wineries for recommendations. Before you know it, your map will be filled with circled wineries, marginalia, and recommended vintages. That's how we carved our New Zealand wine experience and found all the wineries listed below.

Note: We had a rental car to get around (details at the end of this post) as this option provided us with our desired level of freedom and flexibility. This is our recommendation. However, if you are concerned about driving, it's also possible to rent bikes in Marlborough (that come with handy wine bottle panniers or saddlebags) or to take a wine tour.

Wine Tasting in Gibbston Valley, Central Otago

Central Otago, just outside of Queenstown, may just be the epicenter of New Zealand Pinot Noir. Warm days, cool nights. As you make your way, you can imagine ravine-cooled air toughening the skins of Pinot Noir grapes that will someday be pressed into something that you’ll eat with a steak. Yes, Pinot Noir with a steak. New Zealand’s got 'em.

Chard Farm
The reward for navigating the access road to Chard Farm, outside of the beauty of the scenery itself: a pleasant experience that encourages conversation. A solid go-to tasting room to begin (or end) your Gibbston Valley outing.

Chard Farm whites were eye-opening, particularly the peachy Pinot Gris 2011, the honeysuckle-like Gewürztraminer 2010 and the hint-of-apricot 2010 Riesling. We also tasted a few Pinot Noirs here, including the juicy Mata-Au Pinot Noir and the the top end 2010 Tiger Pinot Noir and 2010 Viper Pinot Noir. Of those two, the Tiger was our favorite — when we return, we're buying a bottle.

Wine tasting details: Monday-Friday: 10am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday: 11am-5pm. Wine tasting is free, but if you don't buy a bottle they suggest giving a donation for a local charity the winery supports. Address: 205 Chard Road.

Brennan Wines
Not only is the wine tasting fun and personal, but the Brennan Wines setting — against a backdrop of flinty mountains — is pretty spectacular. It was thanks to a recommendation that we found this small boutique winery tucked away off the main road as it didn't appear on the wine map. The winemakers are experimenting with varietals like Termpranillo and Pinot Grigio, as well as producing a range of Pinot Noir.

Our suggestion is to spend some time here and enjoy a picnic amongst the vines. At the winery you can buy a plate of local cheeses, sausages and breads (NZ$25) and while away your hours playing pétanque (boules).

Although we appreciated the distinction between the Italian style Pinot Grigio and French-style Pinot Gris, the Pinot Noirs ruled the day. The 2009 Brennan Pinot Noir was perhaps our favorite taste (with the warm 2008 a close second), but the 2010 B2 Pinot Noir was perhaps the easiest-drinking value buy, in case you don't have room in your luggage.

Wine tasting details: Monday-Sunday: 11am-5pm. Tasting fee: NZ$5, waived if you buy a bottle. Address: 86 Gibbston Back Road

Central Otago Wine Tasting, Maps and Additional Wineries of Note

If you'd like to plan a full day or multi-day wine tasting outing on your own, download the Central Otago wine maps. When you are on the ground, you can get all these maps in one nice little free brochure. This is pretty much all you need. Here are the Central Otago sub-regions and a few more recommendations we were given.

• Gibbston — Mt. Rosa – if we'd had a little more time, this would have been our last stop. Peregrine Wines and Amisfield Wines also came recommended.
• Cromwell
• Bannockburn – Felton Road winery also came recommended.
• Alexandra

Wine Tasting in Marlborough

New Zealand's Marlborough wine region is akin to California's Napa Valley in the way that small, independent wineries sit proudly next to big wine powerhouses. Vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. As wine tasting in the region has become more popular, bistros have popped up at wineries or along the main wine routes. So you'll be able to find something other than meat pies and fish & chips — though those both go well with the right bottle — to compliment your wine of choice.

Although the Marlborough wine region is known best for Sauvignon Blanc, you'll find a surprisingly wide selection of Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris — all along with Pinot Noir and even some courageous vintages of Syrah. Outside of wine-tasting, simply driving through the region will take hours, if not days, just to accommodate ogling and pulling over to take photos of stunning scenery.

Hans Herzog Estate Winery
Hans Herzog Estate is where wine, good food and atmosphere all come together. We suggest that you plan a lunch or dinner stop at the Bistro to enjoy dining outside in the garden. The menu changes regularly to reflect what is fresh in the garden or region. Even though the food and garden setting are exceptional, we found that the prices at the Bistro ran about the same as a decent pub in the city. (Note that the menu at the restaurant is more upscale than that of the bistro.)

Herzog Vineyard Cottage – Splurge Suggestion: If you're looking for one place to splash out during a visit to the South Island, the vineyard cottage at Herzog is it. We don't easily succumb to accommodation, but this is a special place. The cottage is the epitome of coziness. And then you fall out the front door right onto the vineyards. That is, if you manage to get beyond the decor and vegetation snaking around your own private deck. We had to be escorted from the premises after checkout time had passed. (We kid.)

Wine tasting details: Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11am – 4pm (summertime). A tasting of three wines will cost NZ$10. Address:81 Jeffries Road, Blenheim

Seresin Estate
A few turns into the hills and you'll find Seresin, a tiny boutique winery. For pure vintage quality, particularly given the strictures of organic and biodynamic winemaking in New Zealand, Seresin is hard to beat.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc, one of our favorites in the region, with a bit of toast, honey, wild yeast and not so much of the tomato stem. 2010 Pinot Gris, our favorite of this aromatic, offered a little voluptuousness that would go nicely with pork. The 2010 Chardonnay, another winner with its creamy, yeasty roundness touched with flint.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-4:30pm. Cost is NZ$5 per tasting, can be applied to the purchase of a bottle. Address: 85 Bedford Road, Blenheim.

Fromm Winery
Each time someone circled Fromm Winery on our wine map, they'd say, “Now this is the place for reds in the Marlborough area.” In the land of white wines, Fromm Winery bucks the Marlborough region trend by focusing mainly on its red varietals. And its experimentation with big red wines like Syrah pays off.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-5pm in the summer (Oct-Apr). In the winter (May-Sept) the tasting room is open on Fri-Sun, 11am-4pm. Cost is NZ$5 per tasting, waived with a bottle purchase. Address: Godfrey Road, Blenheim.

Giesen Winery
Although Giesen Winery can get busy with cruise passenger traffic, the sommeliers really went out of their way to ensure a personal tasting experience. If you have a bit of time, consider snacking on a cheese and salami plate with a bottle of wine in the garden. Giesen offered some of the least expensive wines along the route, with entry level wines running $16NZ a bottle.

2010 Brothers Viognier to pair with food. Riesling 2012, our favorite. Also a winner of one of the Air New Zealand wine awards. Perhaps what I liked best about this wine, the tasting notes included “a hint of petrichor.” Among our new favorite words.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-4:30pm. Address: 26 Rapaura Road, Blenheim.

Marlborough Wine Maps and Other Wineries

Among a pretty tight consistently recommended group of wineries in Marlborough that we missed: Dog Point, Rock Ferry Wines, Framingham, Auntsfield Estate, Yealands Estate (picturesque), and No. 1 Family Estate (particularly if sparkling wines are your thing).

For an overview of your options in the Marlborough wine region, check out the Marlborough Wine Trail map, a copy of which you should be able to pick up from any local tourist office.

Seafood Odyssea:

The Seafood Odyssea leaves from Picton on summer afternoons and takes you through the Marlborough Sounds for a detailed look at a green-lipped mussel farm and salmon farm. Honestly, we never imagined learning about local seafood farming methods would actually be so interesting. Or, so beautiful. And we enjoyed a huge bowl of tender, fresh green-lipped mussels, cold-smoked salmon and Tio Point Oysters all finished with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Not a bad afternoon.

Seafood Odyssea Details: Book in advance here to ensure your spot. The boat leaves at around 1:30pm and the journey takes 3-4 hours. Price: $135/person (includes seafood and wine mentioned above). Hint: If you are a group, are interested in a broader selection of wines to taste, and you haven't taken the Cook Strait Ferry, contact Marlborough Travel to see what it would take to arrange a custom experience with a sommelier on board.

Wine Tasting in Nelson Region

While Kiwis are friendly in general, we found people in and around Nelson to be notably hospitable and fun. Compared to Marlborough, the Nelson wine region is less well-known, but its popularity for viniculture is growing. After you visit Marlborough, you'll find that the style of Sauvignon Blanc from this region to be even more distinct, with even more hints of tomato stems and green pepper. Sounds crazy, maybe, but go stick your nose in a glass and experience it for yourself.

Neudorf Vineyards
Every person we spoke to in Nelson steered us to Neudorf Vineyards. It's easy to see why. Although Neudorf is larger than most in the area, its wines retain a personal, family feel. Across the board from the whites to the reds, Neudorf wines are consistently good. Buy a picnic plate of cheeses, meats and olives to enjoy with a bottle of wine for the afternoon in the garden.

Tasting included a distinct 2012 Sauvingnon Blanc with more than a hint of tomato stem and a 2011 Viognier, the red-drinker's white wine, with a touch of wood and oil, not quite a Chardonnay. Loved the Pinot Noir, all around. Our pick for taste and value: 2010 Tom's Block Pinot Noir.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 10am-5pm in summer. Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm in winter. Address: 138 Neudorf Road, Upper Moutere

Greenhough
Tucked back off the main road amidst fruit orchards is Greenhough Winery. We were fortunate to have our tasting with one of the owners, so we heard the story of how the family has developed the winery over the last twenty years while maintaining an organic approach.

2012 Apple Valley Riesling, liked the crisp with a bit of acidity. Apple Valley 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, less grassy than most, even a little creamy. 2012 Chardonnay, similarly surprising with hints of oak and stone, vanilla and spice. Finally, we picked up a bottle of the 2012 Riesling Noble (botrytised dessert wine) that we will serve with the right fresh cobbler or plate of ripened soft cheese.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 1pm-5pm from Christmas through January. Weekends only, 1pm-5pm from Labour Day to Easter. Address: 411 Paton Road, RD1, Hope

Rimu Grove Winery
This small boutique winery not too far from Mapua is worth visiting just for the views of Tasman Bay, Rabbit Island and Waimea Inlet. The wine tasting experience itself is personal and fun; our sommelier not only knew her stuff about Rimu Grove, but about all the wineries in the region.

Pinot Gris 2010, a bit of oak, a touch of acidity, otherwise soft on the palate. A versatile and surprising Chardonnay, mild oak with hints of nuts and melon.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 11am-5pm in summer. Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm in winter. Tastings are free. Address: Bronte Road East, Upper Moutere

Wine Tasting in Waipara Valley

If you happen to be in Christchurch and are looking for a wine tasting opportunity nearby, consider Waipara Valley. While we don't consider ourselves authorities on the region, we did aim to check it out on our way back from Hanmer Springs to Christchurch and were glad we did.

Pegasus Bay Winery
After a quick poking around online for wineries on our return route to Christchurch, we happened upon Pegasus Bay Winery, noted in the region for its restaurant.

Penny, the sommelier, took us through a broad range. Of note: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc uncharacteristic of those at the north end of the South Island. 2010 Bel Canto Riesling, perhaps our favorite of the tasting with hints of citrus and even jasmine. 2010 Gewürztraminer fascinating with rose water, jasmine and even other floral notes like hyacinth. 2010 Pinot Noir deep color, plums and cherries, velvet and spice.

For more information on Waipara Valley and North Canterbury wineries, download the North Canterbury Wine Guide and Map.

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A note of thanks: Many people came together to make our final week in New Zealand a tasty, romantic and memorable one. In addition to the people and companies we thank below, we also would like to give a shout out to all the Kiwis we met along the way who steered us to many of the wineries you see above. They never seemed to tire of our questions and some even provided us a ride when we needed it.

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This is a story about living in someone else's shadow. It's also the beginning of our answer to the question: New Zealand, North Island or South Island?

Imagine a geeky younger boy who grows up in the shadow of his brother, the all-star. The big brother gets all the attention, all the fame. But it's the younger brother with whom you develop a special relationship, who was allowed to surprise you because you spent some time with him.

This is our relationship with New Zealand's North Island. It lives in the travel shadow of its South Island brother. Sure, the South Island is spectacular (yes, we'll get to that), but it's on the North Island that our New Zealand love affair began.

While most may steer you directly to the South Island when asked about New Zealand travel, we take a different approach. Visit both. Really. You can thank us later.

North Island: Delivery vs. Expectations

For us, the North Island is special. It's where we became enamored with New Zealand's natural beauty. It’s where we began to meet locals and appreciate the Kiwi sense of humor and approach to life. It’s where we began pushing ourselves to do so many things we didn’t know we could do. It’s where we began to learn about Maori culture and its bond to both nature and humanity. And, it's where we developed our addiction to the New Zealand coffee style of choice, the flat white.

In one week on the North Island, because of the diversity of landscape and depth of experience, it felt as though we'd visited 10 planets. We were above ground, below ground, island hopping, surfing waves, kayaking out to a crazy scientist living on an estuary, hiking a volcano, rafting down seven meter waterfalls on class five rapids, exchanging the Maori embrace, walking through stunning native forests, and enjoying fish-and-chip (pronounced fush-and-chup) sunsets along a seemingly endless New Zealand coast. The experience meter: on full blast.

And then there were the experiences in the white spaces, those in-between destinations and activities. Perhaps a quick conversation with Kiwis in cafés and pubs where quick, easy conversations yield local perspectives on farming, travel, and what makes the perfect coffee. Or there’s a chat with a passionate rafting guide who unknowingly teaches you about an approach to living, working with people, and honing skills — all carved with a wicked Kiwi sense of humor.

So this is what a week in New Zealand's North Island might look and feel like. Perhaps you’ll get a glimpse as to why this place became so special to us.

Northland: Beaches, Waterfalls and the Bay of Islands

New Zealand features a staggering wind of coastline, as in equal to that of the United States, Alaska excluded. Take a moment and allow that to sink in. Mind you, not all of this coastline is appropriate for swimming or snorkeling (notice the fleece in the photo below?), but it does lend itself to hours of gazing, mind-opening and listening to crashing waves. Not a bad way to reflect, to begin or end one's week.

Waterfalls. In full disclosure, we often find them oversold. However, New Zealand gives good waterfall. Witness Whangarei Falls, a place that if you just sit amongst it, it might trick you into thinking that you've landed in the Garden of Eden.

There's something to be said for perspective; sometimes you need to get atop it to appreciate all that's around you. And that's what it took for us to grok the Bay of Islands. Walk to the top of Waewaetorea Island for a 360-degree view of the entire bay: the lush grass, the tropical lucidity of the surrounding water and a patchwork of islands approximate serenity.

Raglan: Pancake Rocks, Sustainable Farming and Surfing

Raglan has more going on to it than just surfing (though that's great too). In the course of two days we cruised around the Raglan area and discovered an estuary shoreline of sedimentary pancake rocks, kayaked to a sustainable farm run by a sort of mad scientist-cum-farmer named Charlie, learned to surf (kind of), discovered some of New Zealand's best coffee served from a simple shack (Raglan Roast) and drank microbrews with locals as we watched the Superbowl in a pub built for betting on horses.

Who knew?

All this local flavor made Raglan one of our New Zealand favorites.

Rotorua: Caving, Rafting and Geo-Thermal Mud Baths

Glow worms. Sounds cute and cuddly. And when you are deep underground with no light, glow worms light up the cave; you almost feel like you're outside looking up at the stars on a clear night. But nature is funny. These glowing “worms” are actually cannibalistic maggots who don't have an anus and create light as they digest their previous dinner — all in an effort to attract their next victim. Dark. Light. Pretty. Yum.

While glow worms are cool, the real fun of going into the Waitomo Caves (we were on the Haggas Honking Holes Tour) includes an adrenaline package of abseiling, cave diving and rock climbing. Who knew that you could exert so much energy underground? Now we do.

But if a morning of caving is not enough to tip your adrenaline-meter, consider a twilight whitewater rafting trip down the Kaituna River. As we approached the river, it was cold and rainy, we were tired, and we harbored second thoughts on whether rafting in these conditions was such a good idea.

It was. In fact, it was an amazing idea.

Not only did the Kaituna River rafting trip include a 7-meter (23 feet) fall and class 5 rapids that are just pure squealing fun to navigate, but the entire rainforest and river setting is mind-bogglingly beautiful. It's not a coincidence that this area was once a sacred spot for Maori. These days, a few chiefs are buried behind waterfalls and in caves along the river. As a bonus, the temperature of the river water turned out to be much warmer than the air.

As you approach the town of Rotorua, the smell gives it away. The entire area is full of geothermal activity and features that “smells so good” sulfur odor that permeates everything, everywhere. While we didn't have an opportunity to pop into one of the local mud baths or thermal springs, we did get a chance to admire, and smell, one from afar.

Maori Culture

As one Maori man joked with us, “There's a reason you find most of the Maori on the North Island. We don't like the cold.“

You can feel and see the influence of Maori culture and approach to life more — almost exclusively — on the North Island. Just outside of Rotorua we visited a Maori community and a wharenui, a Maori meeting house. The opening blessing gave us a fitting glimpse into the Maori reverence for nature and humanity.

For one American in our group, meeting a Maori leader years ago and coming to know the Maori philosophy of human equality and oneness helped pull him out of a bad place and make him who he is today. Years later, he came full circle and we chose him as our chief to represent our group during our formal welcoming at a local Maori meeting house.

Tongariro Crossing Trek

This was the trek that almost wasn't. Although the Tongariro Crossing trek was the activity we most looked forward to in the North Island, weather conditions almost put it out of reach. The day before was truly lousy: cold, horrible winds, no visibility. Nick, our guide, tried to manage our expectations by preparing us for the worst. We were heartbroken at the thought of cancellation.

Then in the morning the skies began to break. Slivers of blue emerged. And when we started our trek up the mountain, the clouds continued to clear. Winds tapered off. The colors and textures of the mountains, minerals, vegetation and volcanic craters emerged as fog and clouds burned off. We couldn't have planned better weather even if we had tried. The mountain gods were smiling upon us.

The Tongariro Crossing trek is described as “one of the best one-day hikes in the world.” No high expectations or anything. But even these were exceeded. We loved this trek; each section was a thrill with the changing terrain, colors and views of the whole region. Even the Devil's Staircase was fun as it was the pathway to the craters and lakes we knew were waiting above.

When we did get to the top of Tongariro Crossing, our reward was great. Everyone talks about the Emerald Lakes (yes, they are spectacular), but we were blown away by the contours and richness of the Red Crater. Mother Nature had gone all out.

Note: Because of the volcanic eruption in November 2012, we were not able to do the full Tongariro Crossing as part of the path is blocked by lava. We had to turn around at the Emerald Lakes and returned on the same path. The ~20km (12.4 miles) trek takes around 6 to 6.5 hours in total. If you get a ride into the park with a bus, they will arrange a pick up time for you.

Wellington

Our time in Wellington, New Zealand's capital, was too short. But what we saw and felt in that time we liked. The city had an energy and creative feel to it; the calendar was chock full of festivals, concerts and performances. The city was made for people to enjoy.

We're lucky to have Kiwi friends who took us out when we were there, but if you keep your eyes open you'll find cool bars tucked back into alleyways or in the courtyards of buildings. A favorite is Fork & Brewer (14 Bond Street).

Best of New Zealand's North Island Photo Essay

If you don’t have a high-speed connection or would like to read the captions, you can view our New Zealand North Island photo set.

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The experiences above were from the G Adventures' New Zealand Encompassed Tour. If you plan to book this or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on the ad below. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission. Thank you!

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One minute, you're in the center of the town of Franz Josef, a cafe on one side of you, a pizzeria on the other. Then, within minutes, you are transported to another world. Your helicopter pops up into the air, through jagged mountain crags, just before dropping you into the heart of a glacier, an otherworldly ice field of turquoise blues and glowing whites.

This was Franz Josef Glacier.

During our visit, weather conditions were not the best. We were pelted by windswept drizzle. It didn't much matter, though. Our earlier trip had been canceled thanks to changing weather, and we were thrilled just to be where we were. We made it. We were on the glacier, Franz Josef Glacier. And this in itself was a victory.

With crampons strapped to the soles of my shoes, I felt like superwoman on that ice. I climbed uphill and downhill, through tunnels and over ice fields — gripping myself into all that the ice had to offer.

Once I got my footing, I rarely looked down into the path left by the metal spikes of my shoes. My head spun, I continually looked up, looked around. There was simply far too much to take in while trying to come to terms with the fact that I was standing on a dazzling ice field in the middle of the mountains of New Zealand.

I'll never forget the turquoise light that seemed to emanate from that ice. It seemed a way, nature's way, of delivering at once beauty and mystery and an adventure I'll never forget.

Practical Details for Hiking Franz Josef Glacier

We took the Ice Explorer trip through Franz Josef Glacier Guides NZ. This trip includes a short helicopter ride (5 minutes) up to the glacier and around 3 hours of hiking on the ice (weather permitting). We chose this tour because it gave us the most time on the glacier. You can also choose scenic helicopter tours or a heli-hike that has more time in the air and less time on the ice.

Tours get canceled at the first sign of the weather turning bad for safety reasons (you really don't want to be in a helicopter in bad weather!). The earlier in the morning that you have your tour slot, the more likely the weather will be good. Our suggestion is to book early morning slots online in advance to try and decrease the weather cancellation factor. Our glacier guide also suggested that winter (June-July) is the best time to see the glacier as the weather is usually clear and the turquoise of the ice takes on crazy bright colors.

If you plan to book this or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on the ad below. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission. Thank you!

The post Hiking Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand appeared first on Uncornered Market.

This is a story about losing our surfing virginity on the beaches of Raglan, a town on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s also about taking a step back to appreciate that learning to surf is a lot like learning to live life itself.

I woke up that morning in Raglan and the rain continued to piss down. How saturated could the ground be? How consistently foggy and gray could it get here? The answer: very. It was one of those mornings when I got up and just wanted to pull the covers over my head.

But you get up because breakfast is at 6:30. And you have a surfing lesson that morning.

And maybe things will get better.

And they do.

You try like hell to get up on your surfboard; you watch others try too. You witness sheer joy in trying; you experience sheer joy in trying. And then you experience sheer joy in standing up.

And you learn something from it all.

10 Lessons Learned from Surfing

1. What is most apparent is not always what actually matters.

When it comes to achieving our goals and objectives, it’s not about what’s most apparent – that can be a distraction – but rather about what’s relevant.

“Conditions are great. It’s a good day to learn how to surf,” Nick, our G Adventures leader and ever the optimist, offered as it rained through breakfast, just before our surfing lesson.

Initially, I construed Nick’s outlook as cheerleading to get us beyond the day’s superficial, wet misery. However, it turns out he was right. The waves were just about perfect. Water temperature was, too. Eventually it stopped raining, but the clouds remained. Knowing how powerful the New Zealand sun could be, I appreciated that this too was a blessing in disguise.

Learning to surf was our goal, and in that context, all that really mattered was the condition of the waves, not my stereotypical notion of what constituted good weather.

Figure out what really matters to achieve your goal and understand that your success depends as much or more on your ability to see opportunity in circumstance as it does on the circumstances themselves.

2. Celebrate the attempt.

More often than not, you have to fall down in order to stand up.

Later that day, after having conquered my first surf, I had a conversation with a bartender in Raglan.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“Great. I went surfing for the first time. I stood up five times!” I offered satisfied.

“But you fell down a lot, didn’t you?”

You might be thinking “What a jerk!” No, not at all. The bartender's intention was good, and he was right. There was also a lesson in his response. He wasn’t trying to take away my accomplishment, but to recognize what it took to surf and what it would take to improve.

The upshot: It should feel good to try. If it doesn’t, learn to enjoy trying. There's joy and satisfaction buried in there.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Asking for help was one factor that separated those who stood up and rode a wave from those who did not.

Even if you think it makes you look silly, don’t be afraid to ask for assistance or guidance. Willingness to learn is a sign of strength. Or at least a sign of knowing what you know and what you don’t — also a strength. Exchange the short-term pain of looking and feeling inadequate for the long-term gain of skill acquisition and a taste of success.

4. Guidance helps.

My first time up on the surfboard – for what seemed like an eternity of a few seconds — was most likely for a nanosecond or two. It was thrilling in its own right. However, the real a-ha! happened when a surfing instructor from another group waved me over to him, took me out further into the ocean, waited for the right wave, held my board from behind, talked me through what I needed to do and steadied me into my first real experience.

“Oh, so this is how it’s supposed to feel.”

Many of us want to carve our own path. But in reality, we occasionally need someone to show us the way. A dose of the right guidance from a helping hand can be the difference between understanding the target sensation and always feeling slightly off-course.

5. Support is divine.

One my fondest memories of surfing: being in the middle of our group, many of them first-timers, all cheering each other's attempts. There was little competitiveness, mainly just support for those putting themselves out there and trying over and over again. And then trying some more.

Although there was a lot of falling down, based on the cheers, you'd figure we were all riding the wave of a lifetime, hanging ten.

Success or failure, life feels better when you receive — and freely give — support and encouragement.

6. Baby steps, baby steps.

There are two approaches to surfing, broadly speaking. The first is to charge out into the waves, catch the first one, hop up on the board and hang ten. Then there are the stepwise methods for mere mortals like us. The surf lesson we were given included a yoga-like 4-step process of getting onto the board with our knees and stepping into a warrior pose-like surfing position.

Once out in the water (i.e., the real world of surfing), it helps to get a sense by riding the board on your belly, much like you would on a boogie board. This will help you understand how to steady yourself and to harness the wave. Then you can move on to riding the board on your knees. And from there, to standing up. Each step in the process helps you appreciate the timing, balance, and alignment you'll need to reach your ultimate goal.

Tasks that seem fluid, once broken down into steps, become less magical, more doable.

7. Balance and alignment are key.

In my brief experience of learning to surf, there’s nothing worse than being off-balance on your board. Once that happens, you are toast. If you begin your paddle off-balance, there’s a good chance you will either miss the wave or be eaten by it.

As in life, alignment will set the course for a healthy ride. Proper alignment also makes it a whole lot easier to steady yourself throughout the ride. Alternatively, if you begin off balance, much of the energy you'll need for everything else will be spent on correcting.

8. You will never know until you try. Really try.

I was apprehensive about surfing. Now that I’ve tried it, I want to do it again. And again. It's something I will actively seek out.

My fears about surfing were many. Fear of failure. Fear of being pounded upside down into the current and sand. Fear that maybe I'd waited too long to try. Fear of being uncomfortably cold in the water. (Yes, this is a real concern for me. I'm working on a permanent 11-mil wetsuit.)

Then I think of Kathy, a young woman in our group with a fear of water, and what she had to overcome to get into the waves with her surfboard. But she didn't give in; I saw her throwing herself on her board, trying again and again. Before we were done, she too was able to stand up.

Fears and apprehensions are quite normal and human. Getting out and “getting amongst it” is really the only way to transform your fear into something more productive: awareness. Perhaps we should consider consuming our fears before we allow them to consume us.

9. Nature: It’s always bigger than it looks.

From the mountains to the sea, human beings have done remarkable things to work with and harness the power of nature. Having said that, nature deserves respect — it’s almost always bigger and badder than it looks.

Walking down the hill to our surf beach, I remember thinking, “Those waves don’t look very big.”

Others echoed the sentiment. Once we got into the water, those waves, while not monster tubes, were plenty big and certainly more powerful than we'd all imagined.

Nature has a way of tricking us with distance. The further away from something we are, the smaller it looks. It’s only when we get up close and personal do we understand the reality.

And so it is often with life. What might seem simple and quick from a distance is often more complex and time-consuming when we're in it.

10. A nine-item list is OK, too.

Try as hard as I might, I couldn’t really squeeze out ten lessons from surfing, so nine will just have to do. It’s a pity, particularly since I really wanted to hang ten.

So what of all this? Why life lessons from surfing?

As I rode my last wave in standing up (it was a remarkable fluke), I remember thinking “That was amazing.” It wasn't just that it wasn't as frightening as I first thought, it was better than I could ever have imagined.

It’s taken me 41 years to find the way to get up on a surfboard. I don’t expect it will take another 41 for me to get back up on one again.

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I am starting to wonder about you guys. every time you celebrate your ‘love' (V-day, anniversary) you jump off something very high. Please explain.

— A good friend responds to our Valentine’s Day bungy jump, capturing a little problem we seem to have.

So there we were in New Zealand, Valentine’s Day approaching. We find ourselves in Queenstown, the so-called adventure capital of the world where just about any adrenaline-pumping, blood-draining exercise can be found. So we think: What sort of shared experience, that we haven’t done before, can we do together to celebrate Valentine's Day?

Bungy jumping together, now that’s a shared experience. A little pleasure, a little terror.

We each get our feet wrapped up in towels, cords and carabiners. Then we get strapped and hooked together. On the platform, we wrap our inside hands around each other’s waist, grabbing hold of each other’s harness.

The whole time, we’re excited, pretty much terrified.

They call out 3, 2, 1. Then it’s time.

Here’s the surprising thing about bungy: it’s not anything like we expected. It’s a rush. We expected that. It’s terrifying. We expected that. But the bounce (it’s not a snap, by the way) at the bottom is soft and elastic and actually a lot of fun, particularly when you pop up and down a few times and realize that you’ve in fact survived and can enjoy an upside-down view of turquoise water and stunning ravine below.

And that’s when we gave each other a hug. This experience makes you truly appreciate you partner and not take him or her for granted.

If you’re in the neighborhood and even lightly grazing the idea of doing bungy, do it. It’s a sensation you’ll likely never forget. And if you’re a couple, do the tandem – there’s nothing like the fun of shared terror to bring you even closer.

Watch the video to see for yourself.

Video: A Valentine's Day Tandem Bungy Jump

Special thanks to AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand for providing us with this video.

Practical details for Tandem Bungy

At the moment, the only tandem bungy (or bungee, if you like) experience can be had with AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand in Queenstown, New Zealand. They are the folks that set up the original one in 1988 on the same bridge where we jumped off. You jump from a height of 43 meters (141 feet) off the Kawarau Bridge.

It’s possible to book the same day, however it’s preferred if you book in advance (say, the day before or earlier). Basically, you show up in town, hop a bus, go out to the site, get weighed, go out on the bridge, get strapped in and tied up. Then you jump. Cost is $180 NZ per person and includes a free t-shirt to show off your courage post-jump. The whole experience, while terrifying, strikes us as completely safe. Photos and video are available through download, DVD or a cool USB in the shape of a carabiner for $80 for both photos and video (or $45 for one).

Photo credits to AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand.

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The experiences above were from the G Adventures' New Zealand Encompassed Tour. If you plan to book this or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on the ad below. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission. Thank you!

The post A Tandem Bungy Jump on Valentine’s Day [VIDEO] appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves fortunate enough to be surrounded by so much beauty that we can feel a bit like we are drowning. In these moments, we need a dose of wisdom, an aid in context that allows us to grasp it all at once, to properly honor it, to put it into perspective.

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koutou me he maunga teitei.

— Maori blessing

Pursue that which is most precious. If you should bow down, let it only be to a lofty mountain

And so it has been with our experience in New Zealand. Breathtaking moments, sweeping landscapes, pure adventure — the word abundance doesn’t quite do it all justice.

Then we heard the words above.

Shilo, a young leader in the Maori community, offered them during a traditional Maori welcome at a Marae (a Maori meeting house) just outside the town of Rotorua. He was a relatively young man dressed informally, but he exuded wisdom beyond his years. His words — in both Maori and English — were beautiful, softly powerful and devoid of cliche.

Shilo's words poetically cut to the quick — of why we do what we do, why we are in New Zealand, and how life has conspired to bring us to this place, among these people, at this moment.

I live. In particular, I live for these moments, where just a few words are cast before us in a way that captures the fullness of life in a fleeting moment.

“Pursue that which is most precious. If you should bow down, let it only be to a lofty mountain.”

The post Pursue the Precious: A Maori Blessing appeared first on Uncornered Market.

This is a story about faraway places and our relationship to the somewheres we dream of visiting. It's also about the fact that we fly to New Zealand next Monday.

Some places on our planet seem to lend themselves to the imagination, that is to the image of the mind, to putting eyes closed and attempting to place yourself somewhere you’ve never been. Think about it: there are endless beautiful places on Earth that evince all manner of beauty, but among them, there are a few special places whose reputation so precedes them.

One of those places: New Zealand.

Audrey and I explained this to a friend just as we’d firmed our flights into Auckland, “…but all we know about New Zealand: beautiful landscapes, sheep, Lord of the Rings, and the Maori,” I said. And in reality and fairness, we really don’t know all of that. Much of it is preconceived notion, expectations carved of fantasy.

Turns out our friend Ralph had lived in New Zealand for 18 years and added further “…like that, plus wine and yachting.” He laughed, and knowing what else we were after, suggested a few people to contact to get to the root of what and who New Zealand is. He finished with geo-contouring, “it’s like…Hawaii down there, Wyoming around the side, Scotland over there and Switzerland in the back.”

And then there are the people, the Kiwis. Even the Scots, a patriotic group intensely proud of Scotland’s natural beauty and culture, urged us to visit New Zealand. As Craig, a rugby player decked out in a kilt at an Edinburgh pub, put it: “New Zealand. You have to visit. It’s beautiful like here, but the people are even nicer.”

A group of people even friendlier than the Scots? Now this I gotta' experience.

But New Zealand is not just about sitting back to enjoy the beautiful scenery and friendly people; it’s also a place for action and context. It’s been a while since we tackled mountains. And it’s time we get back on track.

Crikey dick! We’re flying to New Zealand next Monday for a month!! We’re thrilled with the opportunity to discover just a bit of what New Zealand is all about, to move it from the imagined to the real.

Before too long we’ll be wearing our togs and jandals to the beach with a chilly box knowing that she’ll be right. (Did we get that right, Casey?)

So what will we be up to in New Zealand?

G Adventures has begun offering tours to New Zealand and Australia this year. And we’ll be on one of their first. Interested to see both the North and South Islands, we opted for the New Zealand Encompassed Tour and we’ll be flying across the globe (on the longest flight we've ever taken!!) with Air New Zealand.

New Zealand: North Island

Our New Zealand journey will begin in Auckland where we'll kick off the first week exploring the North Island. We'll snorkel and kayak in the Bay of Islands while sleeping on board a houseboat. From there we’ll head to Raglan where we hope to get up on a surf board after a few lessons. Surfing? Yes, a first for us. In Rotorua we’ll learn a bit about Maori culture (which, I’m embarrassed to say I know very little about except for the haka, the Maori war dance that the All Blacks perform every rugby game) by visiting a Maori village and enjoying a hangi, a Maori barbecue where the meat is cooked in the ground.

Then we launch into trekking with a hike of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (including a peek at the Emerald Lakes), supposedly New Zealand’s best one-day hike.

From there we’ll continue on to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, for a taste of the urban.

New Zealand: South Island

After arriving by ferry from Wellington, we’re looking at some beach and hiking time at Abel Tasman National Park and Punakaiki. From there we’ll have a couple of days in Franz Josef for a glacier walk (of Franz Josef Glacier, of course) and a pop into the hot springs. Then comes three days in Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of the world.

Post-adrenaline overload in Queenstown – yes, we are thinking bungee jump — we’ll relax in Doubtful Sound with a bit of kayaking (so you’re laughing at relaxing by kayaking?). Then comes one of our favorite parts of any trip: wine tasting. How about that for balance — pump up the endorphins, then cut them with wine. We’ll spend a couple of days in Central Otago where we can bike the rail trail as we stop in wineries along the way. For us, the final stop of the tour will be in Kaikoura where we can hope to spot a whale or take the safer bet of swimming with seals.

An Extra Week on South Island – What to Do?

At the conclusion of our G Adventures tour, we'll spend another week on our own on the South Island. At this moment, we are flexible and weighing various plans and options.

We’d love your help. What are your New Zealand favorites and suggestions? If you have recommendations on what we else we should do or whom we should meet or where we should eat, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or drop us a line.

Although we may not get to everything, know that we read and factor all suggestions into our travel decision-making process. Chur bro! (How about that for some more Kiwi lingo?)

Follow along with our New Zealand adventure!

As we explore New Zealand’s outdoors, people, culture and wine, we’ll share what we find through photos, stories, updates and maybe a video or two. We will update our blog as often as we can, but we are realistic about time and connectivity constraints.

So, for real-time photos and updates of our New Zealand journey, be sure to check out our Facebook page and follow the #dna2nz and #gdaygway hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

Postscript

“You know New Zealand is magical. But then you go and it’s even more magical than you could have ever expected,” Ralph concluded.

When we set down in New Zealand, we will open our eyes. And we'll no longer wonder what we'll see.

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If you plan to book this New Zealand tour or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on the ad below. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission. Thank you!


Photo credits to kayadams, LadyJaws, and magtravels.

The post Next Up: New Zealand, When I Close My Eyes appeared first on Uncornered Market.