New Zealand is the adventure capital of the world. You name it they have it. I jumped at the chance to take a helicopter ride to the top of Franz Josef Glacier. I had only been on a helicopter one time in my life and I think I was 10. I was so excited to see the Glacier from above and walk around the ice. Franz Josef is the second largest Glacier in New Zeleand. It didn’t appear very large from the sky and the terrain looked easy to maneuver. I was very wrong about both. Once the chopper got close to the ice I could see how massive the glacier was and how rugged the ice looked. We walked around with a guide for about 2 hours. We were geared up with special crampon ice shoes to give us grip on the ice. It wasn’t hard to walk around, but there were a few steep climbs up carved out stairs. The glacier is constantly shifting giving the guides extra work to use their ice axe to create path ways and steps.

As the chopper lifted up and we headed back down the mountain I looked over the massive Glacier and thought how amazing every day on this journey has been. This day just also happen to include a helicopter ride and walking around a Glacier. : )

* I have amazing video of this adventure and as soon as my video camera is fixed I’ll post it.

It was mid October and I had been in Australia almost a month. I had already done so much. I’d spent two weeks in Melbourne, went on a week long Outback tour and spent two weeks in Cairns at the Great Barrier Reef. Diving on the Great Barrier Reef was beyond amazing, partying in Cairns was fun, but it was time to figure out my next travel moves. Cairns is near the north end of the Australia east coast, so I decided to start heading south, down the coast. I’d been looking forward to traveling down the east coast, but didn’t know the best way to travel?

I put up notices in hostels and travel stores in search of a ride share south. I thought this would be an awesome way to meet people. With no real plan I was open to taking my time, but did want to spend time in Brisbane with a family friend. Another option was to travel with a Greyhound bus pass. The price of the ticket was reasonable and I could buy one ticket for travel all the way to Sydney, getting on and off when I wanted. A lot of people travel this way, but I hesitated, because I was not too excited about 10-12 hour bus rides, not to mention that I would have to travel on the bus schedule not when I wanted to. I’m sure I might be on long bus rides at some point on my journey, but at this time it didn’t feel right; something was missing.

After waiting around for a few days with no responses to my ride share notice, I also passed on taking the bus, and made the choice to fly to Brisbane. I was looking forward to seeing my family friend and was in need of a few home cooked meals and a good night sleep. Of course, as soon as I bought the ticket I got three calls about ride shares. I already had the ticket so I couldn’t change it, but I decided to meet two of the people for coffee. Annabelle and Tony, a young French couple had been in Australia for two months. They had been doing farm work for the past few weeks as a way of getting their working visa extended. They had just bought a car and were getting ready to head south from Cairns. What Annabelle said to me changed my travel focus. They bought a car to have travel FREEDOM. That was it! I was missing the FREEDOM to do what I wanted and go when and where I wanted. I needed a car!

I still had two days in Cairns before my flight to Brisbane. My focus turned to buying a car. There are plenty of people selling cars in hostels and on Websites. The three cars I looked seemed very beat up with high mileage and who knew if they would actually run. I would have to deal with my own maintenance, and since I’m not that handy when it comes to fixing anything this did not seem like a good move for me.

As I got to Brisbane I was still focused on getting a car, but I was now looking to rent a car or “hire” as they say here in Australia. After emailing a few companies to find the best rate I chose to rent a station wagon from Travellers Auto Barn. Their rate was the best, and they included a tent, sleeping bag, food cooler, and gas stove. Awesome!! The next chapter of My Grateful Journey was about to begin!

I picked up the wagon, which I named Mr. Bruce, from the Travellers Auto Barn lot in Brisbane. Driving away from Brisbane I did have feeling come over me of “oh crap” I’m driving on the other side of the road. Instead of freaking out, I just smiled, and turned up the music.

I headed north from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast where I stayed with a Couchsurfer and her family for a few nights. Stopping in Noosa for a few days to surf and hangout, I was able to reflect on where my journey had taken me so far. It was just a week and a half earlier that I was frustrated in Cairns, trying to figure out the best way to travel down the coast. Now I had Mr. Bruce, and the power and FREEDOM I wanted for my journey.

During the next 30 days I traveled down the coast. I was open to whatever or whom ever I encountered along the way. I could turn off the highway to visit a random town or stop at any beach to surf . I did both several times. Most days I would wake up not knowing what the day had in store for me or where I would even sleep that night. That even meant staying in the car for a few nights. Oddly enough, I really liked staying in the car. I had never felt FREEDOM like that. It was one of the best things I had ever done in my life.

I’m happy to report that I didn’t have any accidents or moving violations during my 30 days with Mr. Bruce, nor did I lose the keys or lock them in the car. These were all very big wins for me! I did get a ticket for not stopping at a toll. I really don’t recall the toll, but oh well I was happy to pay the fine.

The journey brought a new adventure everyday and it was AMAZING! I had fantastic experiences ,met inspiring people, and made many new friends. I would like to think it’s all because of me, but having the wagon aka Mr. Bruce as a travel buddy made the journey a huge success, and I found it very easy to meet people. My only disappointment was that I didn’t see a kangaroo along the way. Maybe next time!

As I love to do I shot tons of video during my time with the wagon. I uploaded some of the footage I took to show much of what I did. ( Plus it let my parents know I was ok! ). My time traveling own the East Coast of Australia was a blast, and the highlights are well documented in the video I created.

I highly recommend renting a wagon or van as a great way to see Australia. There are many rental companies to choose from. I had a fabulous experince with the people at Travellers Auto Barn. I would encourage you to give them a call for your OZ travel needs. www.travellers-autobarn.com.au

Remember, life is a journey not a destination. Enjoy the ride!

My AMAZING Adventure in a Travelers Auto Barn Wagon

Next Chapter of My Grateful Journey

Getting ready for a surf in Noosa

Camping in Byron

Mt.Warning

Who needs coffee when you can do an early morning bridge jump. This has become a tradition at the Bellingen YHA…or at least that’s what they told me. Either way it was a GREAT way to start the day. I did let my friends Daniel and Stu go first to make sure it was safe for me. Thanks guys!

People who know me, know I tend to be organized and like everything to be planned out. Especially what I am going to be doing that particular day. 90% of my days in Australia have started with no plan, but rather an openness to whatever adventure the day has in store for me. On certain days I have NO clue where I’m staying, leaving it open for adventure and trusting that it will all work out. Here is how my day started today: I woke up at 7 a.m. after sleeping in my car next to an amazing beach in the Angourie National Park. I went for a surf at Pippi Beach in Yamba then jumped in the car to continue my drive south towards Sydney. I made the turn off the highway towards Bellingen because someone I spoke with in Yamba earlier that day said the town was a great place to stop. So I thought, why not? After driving through I thought it was a charming little town, but didn’t even get out of the car and headed back to the highway. As soon as I got on the highway I noticed a flyer I grabbed in Yamba for the Bellingen YHA (Youth Hostel Australia). I pulled over and gave them a call. After having a good chat with Jasmine at the hostel, I decided to turn the car around. All I really wanted was to do some laundry since I had nothing clean. Jasmine assured me they had a laundry facility. When I arrived I found a fantastic treehouse hostel with a friendly staff. I put my laundry in and went for a walk by the river. Writing from a hammock in the garden I enjoyed a nice nap. After my nap I showered and went to dinner at the local pub with a few people that were staying at the hostel. Meeting people from all over the world is one of my favorite things about traveling. This particular night at the hostel we collectively made a UN round table, representing Germany, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Scotland, and the US. Once again being open to the unknown has introduced me to another beautiful town and gave me the opportunity to meet some really cool people. This concludes my Monday.

I might go for a hike tomorrow and see a waterfall, but I don’t have a plan and I’ll just be open to what the day has in store.

If you’re traveling in Australia between Sydney and Byron Bay do yourself a favor and stop in Bellingen.