Off the Court: Seal Coast Safari, Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington was my favorite city in New Zealand (of those I was able to see).  It is such a cute place with really friendly people and beautiful surroundings.  

While I was there, I went on a Seal Coast Safari in an off-road vehicle.  It was a small tour and our guide was hilarious.  He called himself a hippie, but was extremely entertaining and knew so much about the area.  He also studied Maori medicine (native New Zealanders) and stopped at several places along the road, gathering different plants and herbs that we were able to eat or use for detox and ailments.  He made us a tea with them too and it was awesome.   I laughed the entire time.  We toured the city at first and then went above the city, with amazing views all around.  On the way to the seal coast, we stopped and saw ostriches and deer, which we were able to hand feed.  

Then we continued to the off-road portion of the trip and made it to the New Zealand fur seal colony.  There were many of them there and we were able to get about 20 yards close to them.  As always, I am enamored with them and love to watch and take pictures of them.  They seem to pose for me!

Afterwards, we were dropped off downtown, where I had lunch and did some exploring.  I would love to go back here some day :)

Our guide feeding the deer.

George the Ostrich.

Some kids jumping in the harbor after school, so fun to watch.

I laughed really hard at the bathroom signs!

Cute restaurant/bar with bean bag chairs.

Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford Sounds - New Zealand

Just finished uploading these pictures....amazing day in New Zealand! The day we went, it was so foggy and was drizzling.  But, this made HUNDREDS of waterfalls and it made it feel so surreal, like a mystical place.  I honestly can't describe it; I felt like I was in a movie and will never forget the experience. 

Mount Wellington Descent by Bike - Hobart, Tasmania

Today I was in Hobart, Tasmania and did a bike tour from the top of Mount Wellington.  It was a small group of 7 and we were driven to the top, where we were able to see an amazing view of the island.  On the way down, it was a combination of super steep, curvy roads and off-roading.  It was such a good feeling!  At times I was going about 85km/hr and the wind around me felt incredible.  But, I was real slow on the off-roading; It was a little scary and took real concentration.  We stopped at the oldest brewery in Australia and saw some of the town and neighborhoods in the area.  Great day!

Yellow Eyed Penguins - Dunedin, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

While I was in Dunedin, New Zealand, I went to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins.  These are the rarest in the world and are endangered. 

The penguins are protected and you can go with a guide through the area, careful of stepping on any burrows and not to scare the penguins when you come across them in the wild.  There is also a penguin hospital in the area to help those not doing so well.  

This year, only one chick survived and he is shown below, resting in his burrow.  This is because of shortage of food and toxins in the water and food in area.  The parents weren't feeding their chicks because of it and they were all undernourished.  All attempts by the organization to save them failed because the parents create special enzymes and transfer them to the chicks.  There isn't a way for us to give them the enzymes yet, so they weren't able to survive with the best efforts. 

While walking through the area, we came across 6 penguins and a sea lions out in the open, walking around.   There were also little penguins here, in their burrows and we could see many from the entrance to their homes.  

This was an incredible day for me, also a sad one because they are such beautiful, cute, and love-able creatures.  I hope

We can raise enough awareness for their cause to help save the species.

Check out their website for more information:

http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/

The only chick to survive this year.

Yellow Eyed Penguins.

Little penguin in its protected burrow.

Sea lion.

Penguin Hospital.

On the Court: Play Tennis Holiday with Rhys McDougall

After watching so much tennis the last couple months, I was so eager to play.  It had been about 8 months since I had been able to play because of wrist surgery, but my doctor cleared me to play, so I started researching tennis coaches and holidays in Australia.  I had about 1 week of time to play with and with my mom's help, I found a tennis holiday through Play Tennis.  Rhys McDougall runs the program and offers 3 and 5 day packages for individuals and groups.  He has is a lot of experience, playing for Australia teams and coaching in different parts of the world.

I did a 5 day package and received 2 hours of private lessons per day and hotel accommodations for 5 nights.  I was also able to join clinics and social play at local tennis clubs. The coaching that Rhys gave was exceptional.  He gave me so many techniques and strategies that helped my game and strokes immediately.  I felt like I had better knowledge of them after the first day and really felt like I improved by the end.  His style of coaching is hard to beat and the way he explained things really got through to me.   I wanted to stay longer and am already thinking about when I can go back again!

There are many options available and if you are interested in something like this, you should consider it.  Wimbledon watch and play packages are something that sound really cool too!  Here is Rhys' website.  There are some great testimonials and tennis tips on here:

http://www.playtennis.com.au/

Rhys and I. 

Everything is within walking distance or only a short drive away from the hotel area.  There are 2 tennis courts on the property and a few other clubs about 5 minutes from away.  I was able to meet him at the hotel or the other courts to play and check out the area after.  The hotel has lots of restaurants and shops attached to it too and was super convenient.  Salt Beach, right in front of the hotel, is beautiful and pristine; I walked down it each morning and saw few people, making it really relaxing and peaceful.  There are several small towns around and they are all really fun to spend a few hours exploring.  Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, and Byron Bay are all a short 30 minute drive up or down the coast too - must sees while you are in the area.

Here are the websites and some pictures of the hotel and surrounding area.  

http://www.mantraonsaltbeach.com.au/

http://saltvillage.com.au/

Mantra courtyard area. 

Cudgen Creek.

Salt beach, directly in front of the hotel. 

A lot of wildlife is around the area.

A Spiced Passionfruit Mojito at the local tapas bar.

Cabarita.