The weather was nice, and the sky was clear, so I decided to go a walk up Mount Roy.
The local iTAG Wanaka guide describes the walk as being moderate to hard and taking 5 – 6 hours. It describes it as “ A steady climbing track that rewards with panoramic views from the top. Most of Lake Wanaka can be seen, along with an awe-inspiring view of Mt Aspiring and the surrounding mountains and glaciers. The track is closed for lambing between October 1st and November 10th inclusive.” It also shows that Roys Peak is 1578 metres above sea level. Speaking of sea level – Lake Wanaka is the fourth largest lake in NZ, and at its deepest about 370 metres. Because Wanaka is about 310 metres above sea level the depths of the lake are below that.
Nobody else wanted to go for a walk, so I got Paula to drive me to the starting point, which was about 5 kms away from the where we were staying. It was around 12:30 pm, so I suggested that Paula come back to the car park at around 5:00 pm.
The walk started next to the Wanaka to Mt Aspiring Road and began to climb through paddocks with sheep grazing all around. The track was a car width wide with stiles to go over the fences. The higher you climbed, the more of Lake Wanaka that came into view. It wasn’t a hard climb, but it was constant. I decided to take some photos every 30 minutes. After an hour I was above some of the planes and helicopters that were flying to see the views of the lake and Mt Aspiring. There were a few times that, as I looked up to see how far there was still to go, I thought about turning around, but I wanted to get to the top and see the view.
After 2 hours of walking, I was getting a bit tired, but also every step I took was one less that I still had to take to get there. The views were amazing as Mt Aspiring came into view. I could also see pretty much all of Lake Wanaka. The trail kept going as it switchbacked upwards. People at the top still looked small, but I was closer to the top than the bottom, so I kept going.
I finally got to the top after about 3 hours of walking. The 360 degree view was fantastic. I finally got a chance to sit down, have a drink, something to eat and time to enjoy the view.
After 15 minutes it was time to head back down. It had taken 3 hours to get to the top, and with the time at the top. I had just over 1½ hrs to get down to the car park. On the way down I chatted with a couple from Cologne, Germany, who were spending 5 weeks travelling around in a campervan. At around 5:00 pm we were still a bit of a way above the car park and I saw what looked like our car drive in and head back to Wanaka. They then offered to drive me back to our accommodation. I was thankful because I didn’t want to walk all the way back. When I did get back I enjoyed some time soaking in the pool and some time in the steam room.
We decided to visit Puzzling World, which has a maze, and lots of puzzles to do, and some really cool optical illusions. There were rooms where you could enter through one door and look like a midget, and exit through another where you look like a giant. There were others where when you stood normally, it looked like you were falling over. It was a pretty cool place. The maze had four corners and some bridges. The aim was to get to all four corners and then get out. I kept my left hand on the wall and was first out. The toilets were another illusion. When you walked in it looked like you were in a Roman washroom. The Roman style toilets were painted on the wall, and the illusion was continued on the floor. If you stood in the correct spot it looked like everything was part of the same vista.
Bacon and eggs for breakfast and then we headed for the West Coast. The drive went via Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka towards Haast Pass and the coast. There were a few scenic stops along the way. When we got to Haast River, we headed north towards Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.
The access road to Fox Glacier was closed, but looking up the valley we could see it in the distance. We drove another 23 km to Franz Joseph Glacier. The access road was open so we headed towards the car park. There were several walks to choose from. The walk up the valley to the terminus of the glacier took about half an hour going up the rock covered river valley. You have to cross the branches of the stream several times. After rain some of these would have been difficult, if not impossible to cross. As you get to the toe of the glacier you realise how huge it is. At the terminus the ice it is still up to 300 metres thick.
We had about ¾ of a tank of petrol when we left Franz Joseph, and thought that we would get some more on the way back to Wanaka. I had seen a petrol station at Haast River on our way here, so I thought we would get some there on the way back. When we got there it was about 9:00 pm, and it was closed. I looked at the petrol gauge and thought that we should be able to make it back to Wanaka on a ¼ of a tank. That was about 143 km. As we climbed the Haast Pass, I could see the gauge going down quicker than any other time, and the warning light came on when we were only about half way. We still had about 70 km to go, and we had only just hit the edge of Lake Wanaka. We had to follow the shores of this lake, and then along the shores of Lake Hawea, before circling Mount Iron and coming back in to Wanaka. I was watching the gauge the entire way and watching it creep below the E on the gauge. I was trying to coast when possible and to be as light on the accelerator as possible. I was half expecting the car to stop, but at the same time hoping that we would make it to Wanaka, I hoped one of the petrol stations would still be open because I could not guarantee that we would even make it to our accommodation on the other side of the town. Luckily we made it, and one of the two stations was still open.
Daniel was right! We made it to Wanaka at around 10:30 pm.
Thursday Jan 7th – Flight to Queenstown, hire car and drive to Wanaka.
Friday Jan 8th – We decided to drive up the road to Mt Aspiring. It went along the shores of the lake,and turned to gravel after a while, it followed a river up the valley with great views of snow capped mountains all around. There were several fords that we had to cross as there were waterfalls coming down from the mountains all along the mountain range. When we got to Raspberry Flat we went for a walk along the river to get views of Mt Aspiring. There were several walks to choose from. We went to the suspension bridge and back. There were several people trying to kayak down the rapids. Mt Aspiring is an awe-inspiring sight as sits towering above the valleys with glaciers coming down its slopes. It is a magical sight.
Saturday Jan 9th - We decided to visit Puzzling World, which has a maze, and lots of puzzles to do, and some really cool optical illusions. There were rooms where you could enter through one door and look like a midget, and exit through another where you look like a giant. There were others where when you stood normally, it looked like you were falling over. It was a pretty cool place. The maze had four corners and some bridges. The aim was to get to all four corners and then get out. I kept my left hand on the wall and was first out. The toilets were another illusion. When you walked in it looked like you were in a Roman washroom. The Roman style toilets were painted on the wall, and the illusion was continued on the floor. If you stood in the correct spot it looked like everything was part of the same vista.
Sunday Jan 10th - Today we decided to take a drive towards Mt Cook, or Aoraki. As we drove into Wanaka we were diverted around the waterfront area, because there was a triathlon in progress. As we drove north we were stopped for a while at a one lane bridge as the cyclists crossed.
We drove through valleys with rolling, grass covered mountains, and snow capped peaks in the distance. There were also threatening clouds all round. We drove through
Monday Jan 11th – Bacon and eggs for breakfast and then we headed for the West Coast. The drive went via Lake Hawea and Lake Waneka towards Haast Pass and the coast. There were a few scenic stops along the way. When we got to Haast River, we headed north towards Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.
The access road to Fox Glacier was closed, but looking up the valley we could see it in the distance. We drove another 23 km to Franz Joseph Glacier. The access road was open so we headed towards the car park.
We had about ¾ of a tank of petrol when we left Franz Joseph, and thought that we would get some more on the way back to Wanaka. I had seen a petrol station at Haast River on our way here, so I thought we would get some there on the way back. When we got there it was about 9:00 pm, and it was closed. I looked at the petrol gauge and thought that we should be able to make it back to Wanaka on a ¼ of a tank. That was about 143 km. As we climbed the Haast Pass, I could see the gauge going down quicker than any other time, and the warning light came on when we were only about half way. We still had about 70 km to go, and we had only just hit the edge of Lake Wanaka. We had to follow the shores of this lake, and then along the shores of Lake Hawea, before circling Mount Iron and coming back in to Wanaka. I was watching the gauge the entire way and watching it creep below the E on the gauge. I was trying to coast when possible and to be as light on the accelerator as possible. I was half expecting the car to stop, but at the same time hoping that we would make it to Wanaka, I hoped one of the petrol stations would still be open because I could not guarantee that we would even make it to our accommodation on the other side of the town. Luckily we made it, and one of the two stations was still open.
Daniel was right! We made it to Wanaka at around 10:30 pm.
Tuesday January 12th – The weather was nice, and the sky was clear, so I decided to go a walk up Mount Roy.
The local iTAG Wanaka guide describes the walk as being moderate to hard and taking 5 – 6 hours. It descries it as “ A steady climbing track that rewards with panoramic views from the top. Most of Lake Wanaka can be seen, along with an awe-inspiring view of Mt Aspiring and the surrounding mountains and glaciers. The track is closed for lambing between October 1st and November 10th inclusive.” It also shows that Roys Peak is 1578 metres above sea level. Speaking of sea level – Lake Wanaka is the fourth largest lake in NZ, and at its deepest about 370 metres. Because Wanaka is about 310 metres above sea level the depths of the lake are below that.
Nobody else wanted to go for a walk, so I got Paula to drive me to the starting point, which was about 5 kms away from the where we were staying. It was around 12:30 pm, so I suggested that Paula come back to the car park at around 5:00 pm.
The walk started next to the Wanaka to Mt Aspiring Road and began to climb through paddocks with sheep grazing all around. The track was a car width wide with stiles to go over the fences. The higher you climbed, the more of Lake Wanaka that came into view. It wasn’t a hard climb, but it was constant. I decided to take some photos every 30 minutes. After an hour I was above some of the planes and helicopters that were flying to see the views of the lake and Mt Aspiring. There were a few times that, as I looked up to see how far there was still to go, I thought about turning around, but I wanted to get to the top and see the view.
After 2 hours of walking, I was getting a bit tired, but also every step I took was one less that I still had to take to get there. The views were amazing as Mt Aspiring came into view. I could also see pretty much all of Lake Wanaka. The trail kept going as it switchbacked upwards. People at the top still looked small, but I was closer to the top than the bottom, so I kept going.
I finally got to the top after about 3 hours of walking. The 360 degree view was fantastic. I finally got a chance to sit down, have a drink, something to eat and time to enjoy the view.
After 15 minutes it was time to head back down. It had taken 3 hours to get to the top, and with the time at the top. I had just over 1½ hrs to get down to the car park. On the way down I chatted with a couple from Cologne, Germany, who were spending 5 weeks travelling around in a campervan. At around 5:00 pm we were still a bit of a way above the car park and I saw what looked like our car drive in and head back to Wanaka. They then offered to drive me back to our accommodation. I was thankful because I didn’t want to walk all the way back. When I did get back I enjoyed some time soaking in the pool and some time in the steam room.
Wednesday January 13th- Just a day of relaxing around the resort. I went for a walk to stretch out the muscles after yesterday’s hike. I walked around the lake and found a local vineyard. The sign at the lake invited people in for wine tasting, so I walked in through the vines to the tasting room. The views from the tasting room were stunning. It looked out over rolling hills of vines that went down to the lake and across the lake were snow capped mountains. The wines were good. I then walked up the hill through the vineyard to the road, and then along the road back to the resort. We hen spent time in the pool and spa.
It was also our wedding anniversary, so Paula and I went to the restaurant for dinner. We had to be up early the next morning to drive to Queenstown and get the bus to Christchurch, so we made sure that all our bags were pretty much packed.
We spent the day just relaxing and sorting bags at the motel. We all needed a bit of recovery time. I spent the afternoon booking accommodation and travel for the rest of our time here.
Towards dinner time we decided to visit a local restaurant. The guy at the motel reception recommended "The Bar & Baa" Seafood Bar & Grill as being one of the best restaurants in South Auckland. They even pick up from your motel and return after dinner. We were picked up at 7:00 pm and driven to the restaurant which had an Indian and Greek influence. The meals were great. Bridget and I had seafood platters, Daniel had a T-bone and Paula had Seafood Saganaki. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone.
Today I walked to the top of Mangere Mountain, which is an extinct volcano. There was a great 360 degree view from the top, and you could see the Sky Tower in Downtown Auckland. The view from the top looked out over Manakau Harbour.
When I got back we finished packing the bags that we are going to leave here at the motel while we travel around NZ for the next two weeks. Then we went and cuaght a bus into Auckland. We were able to get a Group Pass, which allowed the 4 of us to have unlimited travel on the bus system for the day. We got off in Downtown Auckland and walked to the harbour. Auckland is known as the City of Sails, and apparenetly 1 in every 5 Aucklanders has their own boat. There is water and island everywhere. We walked all around the harbour area, and the Ferry Terminal. and decided to take a Harbour Cruise. It was quite a warm and sunny day, and the views were fantastic.
The only hassle with the day was when we were trying to get the bus back to our motel, we found that they were not all that frequent, and we had to wait nearly and hour for the bus.
When we got back to the motel we organised the bags that we were leaving and took them to Reception. They are storing them in their linen area, and we have booked the shuttle from the motel to the airport at 8:30 am. We have a 10:00 am flight to Queenstown, and then a week at a resort in Wanaka.
Arrived in Auckland at around 6:00 pm. The first thing that I did before clearing Customs was to make another report about my luggage that had gone missing. The woman here was very helpful, and said that they had not opened a file when I reported it missing in Nadi. I didn't have contact details, so I said I would call when I knew where we were staying. Paula and the kids were nowhere to be seen. I waited a while because that was our arrangement, and then decided to check my email. I tried to connect to the airport hotspot, but this kept timing out, so I went to the Airport Help Desk. They pointed out a booth that had free internet access, so I waited for a vacant terminal.
They had left a message that they had booked in to a motel near the airport that had a free shuttle service. I rang the phone number and was told to wait at Gate 9 for a pick-up in about 10 minutes. I was picked up and driven to the motel which is quite a few kilometers away from the airport. I was still missing a bag that had gone astray somewhere between Los Angeles and Fiji. so I called the airport with the motel contact details.
When I came through the airport duty free section I wondered whether to buy any drinks. The limits into New Zealand are 3 bottles of spirits and 6 bottles of wine per person. In the end I decided to get a special, 2 bottles of spirits for NZ$59. When I got to the motel I found out that Paula had also bought some. They had 2 bottles of spirits and 6 bottles of wine. Paula had read in a brochure on the plane that Bridget as a 17 year old, accompanied by and adult would also have been able to bring in the same allowance. Between them they could have brought in 12 bottles of wine and 9 litres of spirits.
The phone rang at about 10:00 pm and the front desk had recieved a call that my bag had been located and had been sent straight on to Auckland and would be delivered in about half an hour. It arrived by taxi at about 11:00 pm.
Today we are sitting in the motel looking for somewhere to store some of our luggage until we leave on Jan 21. We don't need to carry 2 siutcases and a carry-on bag each with us all over NZ.
I landed in Nadi at about 5:30 am and thought that I would have to sit in the Transit lounge until my plane for Auckland left at 3:00 pm that afternoon. When I got to the counter to check in to the Transit area I was told that I would have to collect my luggage and clear Customs. This sounded better than sitting in the airport all day.
At the baggage claim area I collected one of my bags and waited for the other to appear. I waited, and waited, until I just kept seeing the same bags coming around on the moving belt. Most others had collected thair bags and were clearing the baggage hall. There were a couple of others who also appeared to be missing bags and were speaking to an attendant at the Baggage services desk. I went over and waited my turn to report the missing luggage.
As there was nothing else I could do, I went through Customs and into the Arrivals lounge area. Looking around and trying to decide what to do, I was approached by a taxi driver asking which hotel. I said that I was only here until for the day and needed to be back at the airport by 2:00 pm. He said that he could show me around parts of the island and be my guide for the day. I decided to throw my bags in the back of his car and go on a guided tour of Nadi and the Coral Coast.
When we were leaving the airport I could see the silhouettes of the mountains as the sun was beginning to rise behind them. We drove off the main road a bit, through cane fields to get better views of the sunrise, then we headed for Nadi, which is the 3rd largest town on the island of Viti Levu. Suva is the capital, and Lautoka is the next biggest city. Nadi is really just a large town of about 42,000 people. The entire 300 islands that make up Fiji only has a population of about 900,ooo people.
We arrived in the Nadi at about 7:00 am just in time to see them opening the gate to the market, so that the stall holders could enter and set up for the day. I walked around a couple of blocks and along the main street. Most of the shops had metal grills, gates and mesh over their windows and doors. People were arriving at workplaces and opening up to get ready for an 8:00 am opening. I walked through the local craft market which only had 2 stalls open so early in the morning. I headed back to the market and met Anil, the taxi driver, who wanted to show me through the market. He particularly wanted to show me kava, and what it comes from. We walked through the empty aisle which were starting to look like a market as the vendors began to bring in and unwrap their wares. We arrived at a stall where there were lots of dried roots, powder, and several bowls. Some of the bowls were filled with a very light milky brown liquid. He explained that the dried roots are pounded to get a paste which is then mixed with water, and there is a special ceremonial way to drink the kava. He explained that you should clap your hands once before recieving a bowl and say"Bula". Then you should drink the small bowl in one go, and clap three times afterwards. It didn't taste like anything special, but it did leave a numbness on the tongue afterwards, similar to a dental anaesthetic. It is described as a non-alcoholic drink which gives a sense of euphoria. Anil had 3 bowls.
When we left the market we drove to a service station to get petrol. The taxi needed some oil as well, but the service station had none. We drove back in to an automotive shop to get some. On the way we passed the Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple which is very colourful. We drove towards the Coral Coast through hills and valleys that were covered in small farms. These farms all seemed to have sugar cane in various stages of growth. Some fields were being burnt and harvested, others had much smaller plants. There were cows roaming freely near the roads. We continued along the highway towards Notodola Beach, where there were a couple of resort hotels. He dropped me at The Natadola Beach Resort where I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and said that he would be back at 12:30 for the return trip to the airport. After eating, I walked along the beach to the new Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, and had a look around. There were 2 very inviting looking pools, and the beach looked great. I didn't have any bathers with me, so I went into the hotel shops and bought a pair of bathers. I then changed out of my long pants, which looked totally out of place, and went for a swim. The pool was very refreshing. I then went for a walk along the beach, and another swim in the ocean. The water was very clear and warm and there were people riding horses along the beach. After getting changed I went back to the resort bar and waited for the taxi.
We drove back along the Queen's Highway, where it appears that the main danger to residents and tourists alike, is the number of potholes along the way. We got back to the airport with time to spare, so we went to the First Landing Resort where legend has it that the first Fijians landed 3,500 years ago. They liked it so much that they stayed. We went to another scenic viewpoint before returning to the airport, checking for my lost bag, being called over the PA, and finally making the flight. No luck on the bag. I was told to register again in Auckland.
Friday was a provincial wide specialist professional development day, and I had decided to go to the CUEBC conference in Surrey.
We had asked friends to join us on a weekend that we had booked at Sundance Lodge in Whistler. Patty and Olivia came up from Washington, and picked up Paula, Bridget and Daniel, and went up to Whistler in the late afternoon. The conference I was at was close to the border in Surrey, so I went down to Burlington, picked them up, and headed back over the border to North Van, picked up my gear, and then on to Whistler. We got up to the lodge at about 10:30. We had booked two apartments which were on the same floor, but with a few rooms in-between.
We were staying at Whistler Creekside and woke up to beautiful views down the valley and over the lakes. It was in between the mountain biking season and the ski season, so the town was a bit quiet. We all went in to town for a walk around the village. After we had walked from one end of the village to the other, Roger, Olivia and I decided that we would go for a walk up the mountains, while the others decided they would head back to the lodge.
We crossed the creek and began to head up Blackcomb Mountain. The walking was easy on grassy hills which would be the ski runs during the ski season. The slopes got a bit steeper at times and we stopped regularly to take in the views, as well as to catch our breath. The views were spectacular. All the colours of fall spread out like a carpet in the valley below. We were looking across the valley at the snow capped peak of the nearby mountains and wondering how much further we would have to go to reach the snowline. We had decided that we had better turn around by about 3 pm, so that we would be able to get back down the mountain before it started to get dark. As it neared 3 pm we also began to see snow on the sides of the road. We continued a bit further and decided that we had reached the snow line, so we stopped for a bit, took in the view, and headed back down the mountain. On the way back we stopped at a rocky outcrop that was strewn with rocks and Roger and Olivia decided to build an Inukshuk to join the other Inuksuit that others had built.
When we got down to the village we decided to call in to the Whistler Brewrey and have a snack and a drink. We ordered some chicken wings and a taster tray of the beers. There were seven beers on the wooden tasting tray that arrived. We tasted them all before deciding which we preferred, and ordered a pint each.
Paula had picked up an unopened "Murder" game that was set in a ski resort, so we ha decided that we would play that on Saturday night. We had all been given information about the characters we were playing, and had brought up gear appropriate for the scene. We moved furniture from one unit to the other so that we had enough for all of us to have dinner and play the game. It was fun with Roger dressed up as a Texan with a broken leg, using a mop as a crutch, while he sipped his Havana Club rum and Havana cigar.
We woke the next day to find that it had snowed up on the mountain, and that if we had done the walk up the mountain today instead of yesterday that we would only have had to walk half the distance to the snowline. We had another walk around the village before heading back down the Sea to Sky Highway, stopping at Brandywine Falls and back along the edge of Howe Sound to Vancouver.
If you are resident in BC for more than 90 days you must get a driver's licence. They will not accept an International licence after the 90 days.
Well, I finally got my driver's licence. I had to wait about six weeks from the time that I passed the Knowledge Test. That was a bit stressful - having to get 80% of the test correct to pass. This was done on the computer, at $15 a sitting.
On the day of the test I had an appointment at 8:30 am. It was pouring rain. The tester said that he wasn't there to test my driving ability, as he said that he knew that I could drive because I had held a licence for over 30 years. He said he was looking to check to see if I knew the BC laws and to see whether I had brought any bad habits with me.
We went out to the car and he checked all the lights and indicators. He then said that he would not do any talking, except to give instructions for turning, and where to go. He took me through every type of speed zone - around a school, a playground, shopping district and in the highway, before telling me we were heading back to the testing centre. We sat in the car for a bit while he discussed a few points, and then he said that I had passed, and that we had better go inside to get my licence. I paid $50 and collected my Victorian licence before breathing a sigh of relief and heading for school. I was back in class by 9:30 am.
We were supposed to visit Carol and Terry in Winthrop this weekend, but they rang to say that they were suffering with coughs and splutters, and that we might want to reschedule our visit.
We decided that we would head down to Seattle. The forecast was for rain, but there were things that we could still do despite the weather.
We headed down to the Skagit Valley on Friday night and went to the Burlington-Edison High School game against Blaine. It was also the Homecoming game. The Homecoming Kings and Queens of each year level were announced and presented to the crowd. It was unfortunate that it was bucketing with rain. I did manage to be in the right place to capture the BEHS Rollercoaster Cheer on video.
On Saturday we drove down to Seattle and had a look around at the Waterfront area. We stopped at the Curiosity Shop and also went to the Pike Place Market. It was while we were at the Pike Place Fish Market that Bridget spotted someone in the crowd and asked me if it was Ben Graham. It was, so I suggested that we go over and say "Hello". We did go and talk to him, and he introduced us to another couple of guys he was with. They were also players for the Arizona Cardinals who were in town to play the Seahawks on Sunday. One of them commented that ".. it must be true what he says about being famous in Australia, if people rcognise him in the street in Seattle". We talked for a while and he let Bridget get a photo with him. The Cardinals won the game.
Ben was captain of Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League from 2000 - 2003. He left Geelong to play football in the US for the New York Jets. He also captained them, and therefor became the only player to have captained two professional team in two different sports. He is the only player to be named a captain of both an AFL and NFL side. During his career he has played in the biggest game in two codes, the AFL Grand Final (1995) and the Super Bowl XLIII. He was the first Australian to have played in a Super Bowl.
The next day we went on the Underground Tour from Pioneer Square. It gives you a glimpse into the past of the city, and the colouful lives of some of the people. It is amazing to listen to the stories of how the city was rebuilt after the great fire.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada on the second Monday of October. That means a long weekend. Most families celebrate with a turkey dinner on Sunday. That also happened to be Bridget's 17th birthday, so we had a dinner with some friends on the Saturday night.
One of the teachers at school invited us to share the celebration with her family at Cultus Lake. It is about a ninety minute drive up the Fraser River Valley towards the mountains. Her two daughters were in Calgary and unable to attend. As it turned out, it was a very multicultural affair, with 4 Aussies, I German, and 3 Mexicans, as well as her family. There were about 30 people for a sit-down turkey dinner. Each family was to bring certain things to contribute towards the meal.
It was a beautiful clear day, and it was a lovely drive out to Chilliwack, with the Fall colours in the trees and a very clear view of snow capped Mount Baker in front of us for most of the trip. Near Chilliwack, we turned off the main highway and headed through farming country towards the foothills of the Cascade range. We started a gradual climb for a few kms. towards Cultus Lake, which is a summer resort, with houses around the shore. It is also very close to the US - Canadian border.The only problem with having Thanksgiving dinner out in "The Valley" was that we had to drive home.
On the Monday holiday we decided to go to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia - UBC. They have a great collection of First Nation Totem Poles and other pieces from the Pacific Coast of BC and Haida Gwaii, or The Queen Charlotte Islands. They are still in the renovation phase of their redevelopment and several galleries are still to be opened.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Paula and Nola headed off for Vancouver Island on Tuesday. They caught a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, and stopped at Chemainus on their way down to Victoria. Tara, the downstairs tenant, works for Fairmont Hotels, and booked them in to The Empress Hotel. The next day the weather was kind to them. and they went to Butchart Gardens. On Thursday they caught a ferry back from Schwarz Bay to Tsawwassan. They called back at home to book another Fairmont Hotel in Seattle and headed south. I am not supposed to know that they had to come back to get Nola's passport as well. They went down and stayed in Mount Vernon, and went to La Conner and Anacortes while they were there. They spent Friday night in Seattle, ent to the Pike Place Market on Saturday, and returned to Vancouver via Chuckanut Drive, and Taylor's shellfish farm.
Handsworth had a Pro-D Day on Friday, so Bridget and Daniel had no school. I was contemplating taking Friday off and suggesting that we all head down to Seattle. I shouldn't have worried about whether to take the day off, or not, because my problem was solved. When I got home after the staff meeting I was told, "They've gone!" They had already left for Seattle. No problem now!
Friday after school the weather was nice so I decided to walk home. I knew that there was a track under power lines and if I followed them I would end up near home at the base of Grouse Mountain. The power lines cross the Mountain Highway just near school, so I started there and followed the trail. I hung my keys and whistle from my backpack so that they rattled as I walked. Apparently this is one of the most active times for bears as they are trying to find food to build up their fat reserves in preparation for hibernation. There were still blackberries on the bushes, so I picked some as I walked. I wasn't sure where the trail went from Lynn Valley Road, so I walked a couple of blocks on the road and picked it up again on 29th Street. A bit of a way up the mountain the trail hit a creek. I walked up the creek a bit and found a park. The trail seemed to continue on the other side of the park. I came to a road and the power lines continued up the mountain. The path seemed a bit narrow and overgrown, so I decided to walk along the road. This turned out to be the Braemar Connector. This took me to the top of Lonsdale, and then I decided to stick to the roads till home. It took me about an hour and a half, and it was probably about 7 - 8 km.
Saturday was great weather as well. The temperature was in the high teens and it was beautiful and sunny. Not having a car, I was trying to decide what to do. I decided that I would go for a walk to Grouse Mountain. I had talked with the kids about doing the Grouse Grind again, but neither of them were interested in going. They just wanted to stay at home. Bridget did have a bit of a cold. I have a 12 month pass for the Skyride, so I thought I would walk to the lower station, catch the cable car up, and walk some of the trails up on top. Well, I walked up to the power lines near home and followed them to Grouse. It is much quicker than going by road. I don't know what made me do it, but, when I got to the start of the Grind, I decided to do it again. I think I was regretting it after about 10 minutes. I had started the timer on my watch as I stepped through the gate. I reached the 1/4 way mark in 30 minutes, 1/2 way in 50 minutes, 3/4 in 1 hr and 15, and finally got to the top in 1 hr and 36 minutes. That was about 15 minutes better than the last time I did it.
I walked around to get the views, and then went to see the bears again. I took the chair lift to the peak and got a closer look at the huge windmill that they have constructed as a power generator, which will provide abour half the power needed on the mountain. It also has a viewing capsule at the top of the tower. I caught the cable car down and then had to walk back along the power lines to get home. Quite a bit of walking so far this weekend.
On Sunday we had to take Nola to the airport for her flight home. We dropped her at the departure area at 11:15 and then being such a nice day we decided to drive to Steveston. We walked around the shops and along the riverside wharves. We had fish and chips while watching the boats come and go, and the seagulls and other birds looking for a feed. The view back up this arm of the Fraser River looked straight at Mount Baker. It was very clear and the snow capped mountain looked great. We have a 12 month pass to the Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites, so we decided to go to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Paula and I had been before when the kids were away during the summer, but we thought that they would enjoy the tour and we didn't have to pay anything extra. As we were walking into the Cannery a voicecalled out from behind us. We turned around to find some of our friends who had just come down for an afternoon walk, and icecream.
We watched a movie about the fishing industry in this area, and then took the guided tour of the canning line. When that finished the guide took us through another part of the building where they produced fish meal and oil mainly from herring. We had more time this time to explore the exhibits, and to get a feel for what it was like working in the cannery.
Another beautiful sunny day. We decided to go to Chinatown. It was fortunate that we happened to arrive at the same time as a parade was starting. It was to celebrate 60 years of the Republic of China. There were lion dancers, and all sorts of groups marching to commemorate the founding of modern China.
After the parade we walked around the shops looking at all the herbs and spices, and the varieties of dried foods. There were all sorts of roots and vegies, as well as the shops that sell all sorts of paper products to burn as offerings to the dead. We then stopped for lunch at Hon's House of Noodles.
After lunch we walked wown to Dr. Dun Yat Sen's Classical Chinese Garden, then down to the gate into Chinatown. From there we headed towards Science World. We then caught a False Creek Ferry to Granville Island. It was a perfect day for taking photos of the city. I left Paula, Nola, Bridget and Daniel to wander around and look at the shops and entertainment, while I walked back across the Granville Street Bridge and along the walkway around False Creek, back to the car, which was parked near Science World. It took over an hour. When I got back to Granville Island I used the walkie talkie to find Daniel who knew where the others were. We then headed to the House of Icecream to taste several of the 218 flavours on display. I had mango fudge this time. The make over 500 flavours, but can only display 218 at any one time.
On the way home we detoured into Stanley Park and stopped at the totem poles. The city was just lighting up as the sun was going down, and with the moon in the backgound it looked great.
Today, Saturday, the kids stayed home to, hopefully, get some homework done, while we headed to Whistler. We stopped along the way at Shannon Falls, the Tantalus Lookout, and Brandywine Falls. There was quite a bit of low cloud this morning which hid the higher mountains from view, but the day tuned out well and the cloud lifted for the return trip in the afternoon. The views on this Sea to Sky Highway are stunning. It will be the end of the mountain bike season at Whistler when they close the mountain bike park, and convert the chairlift back to passenger only, after the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in 2 weeks time. There were still quite a few people up there today and it was difficult getting a car parking space. The free public parks were full. They had one of the large parking areas fenced off for paving and there is still quite a bit of work going on up there in preparation for next year's Winter Olympics.
Paula's sister, Nola, arrived on Wednesday afternoon on her way back to Australia. She has just had some time in Europe, including a 14 day cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Paula took her around Gastown and Canada Place and then they came and picked me up from school. I had interviews with parents every night last week and was glad when I left at 5:15 pm on Thursday. Cheryl had invited the staff to her place for drinks and nibbles, so Paula and Nola came as well. Good company and a few drinks and before I knew it, we had to leave.
On Friday I got an email from one of my students inviting me to have a read of her blog. I had been reading parts of my blog to them so they could see how they can be used and to show that we can have audiences for our writing. Also as a stimulation for their own journal writing. I had shown them where they could access certain things on the internet, and was pleasantly surprised to get the invitation, and excited to see what she had created. It was brilliant! She had set up the account, uploaded her own photo, and written a couple of paragraphs. It looked great. Her mum sent me an email as well, saying how impressed she was that her daughter could do what she had done. It's great to see kids excited and technology being used properly.
Even though none of us had students on Friday, we did have a Pro-D Day to attend. I had made arrangements to go and visit another school in relation to the ITF report that I have to do when I return to Australia. As part of the International Teaching Fellowship, I have signed a contract that includes researching and reporting on an aspect of education. I had chosen to research "Innovative and Creative use of Technology in Schools". I have to use the Pro-D days at school to do this because the North Vancouver School District doesn't provide any extra days to conduct the research. Some of the other ITF's in other school districts have been provided with up to 10 days as a professional courtesy. NVSD says that it provides schools with Pro-d days, and that I should use those. That means that I have to make a choice between what is going on at my school on the day, and getting out to research other schools and programs. The Provincial Pro-D days don't allow me to get in to other schools because they are closed as well. I have requested assistance from the North Vancouver Teacher's Association, which has provided me with coverage for a day.
I did choose not to attend the activities at Eastview on Friday, and instead had made arrangements to go to a school on West Vancouver. I visited Ridgeview Elementary School which has been running a 1:1 laptop program in the grade 7 classes. They have had laptops for 5 years and the two year 7 teachers teach both classes. They have a mobile trolley that has 30 laptops and the cart is equipped with a wireless router and a printer. I was able to discuss the program and watch a couple of lessons in which students were developing a blog and student e-portfolio. I enjoyed mixing with the students and seeing what they were doing.
I thought they were going to pick me up near Ambleside Park, so I had walked down towards the shops and the park. I rang only to find out that they were on Grouse Mountain. While I was at Ridgeview, Paula had taken Nola up Cypress Mountain for a view of the city. There is a pretty good view of the city, the coast, and the islands from the lookout on the mountain. After that they decided to go up Grouse Mountain to see the bears, the Lumberjack Show, and take in the views from the peak. I knew that they would probably be up there for a couple of hours, so seeing as it was a nice day, I decided to walk along the sea wall to the Capilano River and then follow the river up the mountain to the dam and then on to home. As I was walking along the beach I heard a young voice say my name, and turned to see one of my students having fun on the swings.
The walk up the river follows the edge of the river for a bit and then you have to go up a couple of blocks of houses before again finding the trail along Keith Road. The trail continues through the forest and along the edge of the cliffs that are about 50 metres above the river. It goes along the fence behind the Capilano Suspension Bridge property and crosses numerous small creeks and valleys on the way up to the Hatchery and Cleveland Dam. The trail from the beach to the dam is about 8 km, so I guess that by the time I got home I must have walked about 15 km. I was ready for a rest and a drink when I got home.
It was also the Australian Rules Grand Final, and Geelong was to play St Kilda for the Premiership. We had been trying to work out how, or where we coupld watch it. In the end I decided that I would pay to get access through the internet and I would connect my computer to the TV. We had invited some friends to come and watch, and also organised some food and drinks. The broadcast wasn't due to start until 9:30 pm, so we filled in the time with some AFL videos from YouTube. Bridget and Daniel were both wearing their Geelong Cats jumpers and the countdown was on. Bridget is the keenest fan and was quite on edge when the game was so close. It was only after the siren sounded to end the game, with Geelong winning by 12 points. She was straight on to the computer to chat with friends. The internet broadcast finished a couple of minutes after the final siren, so we didn't see any presentations. Bridget was announcing who got the awards as her friends sent the messages. 3 Grand Finals, and 2 Premierships in 3 years is pretty good effort.
After the cruise around the harbour we decided to head out to Fort Langley again. We had all been earlier in the year when we had gone with my class. It was different going without the class because I didn't have to be constantly monitoring who was where, and their behaviour, the entire time. We were able to browse around the fort in our own time, and this time had time to read about some of the exhibits and displays. When I came with my class we had several stations that we had to visit during our time at the fort. It was a good way to get a class involved, but I appreciated the chance to come back and take in the things that I had missed.
Fort Langley was built by the Hudson Bay Company as a trading post. It houses one of the oldest standing buildings in BC, and is the place where BC was proclaimed a Province. There are docents here that act their part and bring the venue and builings to life. They explian about life in the pioneer times, demonstrate the various crafts and jobs associated with the times including blacksmith and cooperage.
As part of the North Shore Heritage weekend, there was an historical harbour tour organised abourd the MV Magic Charm. This motorised vessel would have been able to carry around 200 - 250 passengers. The tickets were free. I just had to pick them up at the local Museum. I got 4 tickets and had to make sure that we got to Waterfront Park in time for the departure.
The forecast had not been great for the weekend, but it turned out to be a fantastic day. We arrived at the pier a couple of minutes before departure and boarded the boat. We went upstairs to enjoy the fresh air and the open air views. We pulled away from the pier right on time at midday, and headed west along the north shore of the Burrard Inlet towards the Lion's Gate Bridge. There was an interesting commentary about the harbour and it's history. As we got closer to the bridge, the boat turned towards Stanley Park and continued east along the south side of the inlet. There wew 4 luxury liners loading passengers for the Alaskan cruises. There were 3 at the Canada Place terminal and 1 at Ballantyne Pier. The boat continued past the container terminals and bulk terminals towards the Second Narrows Bridge. As we got closer to the bridge it began to turn again and headed back along the north shore, and headed back towards Lonsdale Quay, past the Sea Bus terminal and back to the pier that we had left from. The tour took about 45 minutes, and there was a queue of people waiting for the next one. They were running 3 free cruises for the day.
It was an interesting commentary about the harbour and the weather had been kind. It was lucky that we had found out about it and collected the free tickets. A nice trip.
We have just completed the first full week of school with the Terry Fox Run on Friday afternoon. I have an interesting mix of students. It has been an interesting start with the grade 2 and 3 classes spending the first 3 days in the gym. Students don't get allocated to their new classes until the new school year starts. They go to the room and the teacher that they had last year on the first day, chat about the summer and hand out notices that need to be returned, and are dismissed about an hour later. They also come back to that teacher the next day who tells them which teacher and class they will move off to. We have the maximum number of students allowed in those classes and there was discussion as to whether we would actually get another teacher and create another class. We still didn't know on the Friday as we left school, but the decision must have been made over the weekend, and we didn't get another class.
We had held off drawing up timetables, which would only have had to be changed. Now the process could begin. The music teacher had to set up his timetable first, because he is the main provider of Non-instructional Time (NIT). Then we could try and find 3 x 30 min slots for gym bookings. The computer lab timetable is yet to be done.
I have 14 boys and 13 girls - a nice balance. We had Student Alert meetings during the week, where teachers meet with the "School Support Team" and are briefed on all the students in the class. We are given files and information on students that are in need of special assistance. I was told that I have 4 students that have been designated by the School District with a variety of designations, and that a 5th student would be designated in the next few days. I have since been told that there may be a 6th student designated in the near future. According to the North Vancouver Teacher's Association (NVTA), there is agreement with the School District that class sizes are fixed at a maximum of 22 students in a Kinder class, 24 in grade 1 - 3, and 30 in grade 4 - 7. There is also a limit of 3 students with Individual Education Plans (IEP's). Any more than 3 and there needs to be a special Consultation procees. The consultation process has to take at least 48 hours and it must be finished before September 28th. Fun! Fun! Fun!
I have already been to a Grade 4 parent information night, which was to give parents a bit of information about the transition from Primary to Intermediate in the Elementary school. The students, and the teachers, are considered separately for various things. Next week I will also be at school until at least 5 pm each night for parent interviews. I have 27 students, each of which is allocated 15 minutes. That is another 7 hours of meetings.
We certainly don't start the year gradually. It is jump in at the deep end, and away we go.
Tara, the downstairs tenant came up this morning to tell us that there had been a bear in the backyard last night. We hadn't heard anything, but there was a mess. It had been raining and our bedrooms are at the front of the house.
She had woken to find a mess outside their back door, underneath our balcony. They have had a box type freezer under cover near their back door. This morning the freezer was tipped over on it's side and there was cardboard and plastic garbage around the yard, as well as bear scat on the grass. It had knocked over the freezer and helped itself to a pizza, a box of popsicles, an apple crumble, chicken nuggets, fish sticks and other bits and pieces. It decided to leave the "Lean Cuisine" and the frozen ground beef.
She has rung the North Shore Black Bear Society, so that they may be aware that there is a bear active in the area, and will be moving the freezer in to the laundry. Once a bear knows where to get food it will return. So we need to be wary.
