Wow! I have tons to write about my spring break, so bear with me, this is going to be a long one!!
Last Thursday, I flew out of Christchurch to Brisbane, Australia! The flight went well, though I was upset I forgot to ask for a window seat. 
Oh well. Got into Brisbane at about 5:30pm then took a train to South Brisbane, where I met Leslie at the train station. We walked a couple blocks back to her apartment. I immediately started to get the big city feel after stepping off the train. Brisbane isn’t a huge city, but compared to Christchurch, it felt like it. We got to her apartment and caught up with each other about our experience so far while she cooked us pasta for dinner. Then our friend Lauryn, who also goes to DU, came over and we chatted for a while. Then of course, it was the moment we had both been waiting for, our Degrassi mini-marathon! haha! After watching Degrassi and falling asleep to Space Jam, we went to sleep.
On Friday, Dani and her friends were suppose to arrive at noon, but their flight was delayed 4 hours. So Leslie took me around some places in Brisbane. And we got yummy Boba tea and chatted. lol! We walked back to the apartment. Then we walked to pick Dani and her friends up at the train station. The trio was finally reunited! haha! We walked around a bit, then got some fish and chips for lunch from a really good seafood place next to Leslie’s apartment. Took a short nap and then went out for dinner.
Saturday morning we went to the museum. Not the best museum I’ve ever been to, but it was fun and free. We picked a good weekend to go to Brisbane, because Riverfest was going on that week. It’s a big festival where they celebrate the river I guess. We hung out a little at the fake beach. Then we met up with our friends Nicole and Jordan who had gotten a spot for Riverfire. Which was basically a big fireworks display along the river. It was a pretty cool fireworks show. They played music and had an airshow before that. I though it was a lot of fun. Afterwards, it took us about 45 minutes to get back to the apartment, because there were so many people there. It was literally like shoulder to shoulder walking out. I swear the entire city was crammed in there!
Group of DU kids waiting for Riverfire to start
Fireworks
Click here to view a video from Riverfire
Sunday we were going to go to the Australia Zoo, but it turns out it was really hard to get to, so it ended up being a pretty chill day instead. I’m still a little bummed about that one. But whatcha gonna do? We walked down Queen Street and did some shopping. Then at night, we went to a club that was kind of lame. But I suppose that’s because it was a Sunday night…*shrug*
Monday Leslie had class so Dani and I went to the library to look up information for Noosa. After Leslie got back from class, we relaxed a little bit. After dinner, we decided to go ride the CityCat, a ferry that takes you down the Brisbane River. We had fun riding and taking pictures. The ferry gives you some awesome views of the city, and it’s just fun to ride! lol! Hopped off kind of in the middle of nowhere and then turned around to go back. The city looked awesome at sundown and at night. Though I got yelled at twice for using flash, which I wasn’t actually using. Grr.
We took a picture in front of the sunset at the random stop we got off at.
Tuesday morning, Dani and I woke up early to take the train to Noosa, which is on the Sunshine Coast. It was a bit of a journey, but worth it. We took about a one hour hike through the woods, which was easy and relaxing and then came back on the coastal track, which was absolutely stunning! I have never seen water so blue! We relaxed on the beach and played in the waves for about an hour. Then headed back to take the bus to the inn we stayed at. I guess you can call it an inn. Whatever. Obviously not the greatest room I’ve ever stayed in, but it worked. So whatever. We showered got some Thai food for dinner. Then went to sleep, since we were both completely exhausted.
Me at Hell's Gates
The next morning we woke up, checked out, and checked out Hastings Street. The touristy shopping area. I got a couple souvenirs. We grabbed lunch, then relaxed on the beach for a while before our bus arrived. We transferred to the train, and got back into Brisbane at about 5:30. Leslie got back from class a little while later. Then we went out to dinner with Tati and just hung out around the apartment for my last night in Brisbane.
Thursday we slept in. Then grabbed some fish and chips for lunch. At around 3:30, Dani, Leslie, and Lauryn walked Tati and I to the train station. We said our goodbyes, then promised we would meet each other in Sydney at the end of the semester. (I’m really hoping that one works out).
So Tati and I got back into Christchurch at about midnight, then took a shuttle back to my flat. Showered, got settled in, then went to sleep after a long day of travelling.
On Friday, we headed to the city centre and I showed her around town. We checked out some of the markets in Cathedral Square. I showed her some of the streets with shopping and she bought some souvenirs. I took her to the art gallery which was cool, because they had changed some of the exhibits since the last time I had been there. Then we stopped for lunch at a little cafe. After lunch we headed to the Canterbury Museum. It was pretty cool and it’s free! I had only seen part of the museum before, so it was fun to finally be able to walk through the whole thing. Tati wanted to check out some Maori culture while she was in New Zealand, so at night we headed to a Wildlife Reserve for this Maori concert/Experience thing. It was a little cheesy and touristy, but fun. After that we got to go on a guided Kiwi tour through the reserve. They showed us some of the native New Zealand birds, which was pretty cool.
Tati and I with the Maori People
Tati was also excited to see some of the nature in New Zealand, so on Saturday we headed to Lyttleton Harbour, a little harbour town about a 30 minute bus ride from Christchurch. We took a Gondola up to the top of a mountain where we had lunch. We saw some killer views! You could literally see the entire city and the surrounding area from up there. Plus the southern Alps and Pacific Ocean in the background. I believe Lyttleton is the site of an extinct volcano, or crater or something. We walked outside and hiked down one of the trails. We wandered a little off track and I got a little freaked out, but we soon figured out where we were and made it to the bottom. Lyttleton is kind of a cute down, not too exciting, but it was pretty and fun to walk around. We took the bus back and stopped for groceries on the way. We got back and Tati showed me how to make a meat sauce for pasta. Basically the same thing Leslie made me the day I got to Brisbane! We watched Ferris Bueller, then went to bed.
Hiking Down to Lyttleton Harbour
Lyttleton Harbour
Woke up this morning and headed to the Riccarton Market (after a slight confusion about the buses, but we made it there ok). The Riccarton Market is a HUGE market with cheap fruits and vegetables, art, food, crafts, and pretty much anything you could imagine. We had lunch there and then headed back to the city centre to check out the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice day out, though a little cold. But the gardens were a fun and relaxing activity. They were very pretty. We decided to head back early today, since it was getting kind of cold out. Tati has to leave very early tomorrow so we will probably get to bed soon too.
Overall, my spring break was pretty much AWESOME and I’m sad it’s over. Tuesday it’s back to school. I don’t have any terribly exciting plans for the next few weeks. The next thing I have planned is in 3 weeks Leslie comes to visit for her spring break! If anything cool happens before then, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Thanks for reading this obnoxiously long entry. If you read through the whole thing you are my hero!!