so here i am. back in auckland and last night i was finally able to watch the all blacks win over the lions in the last test, despite the linesman making bad judgement calls...

but lets return to canada for a moment:

friday 24th june: alex, jackie, eric and i begin our roadtrip out east (see map). highlight - making up a camping song to "i will survive" on the streets of quebec city.

saturday 25th june: to gaspe peninsula we drove, the last 40km being on a gravel road that allowed for a 5 moose and 1 white-tail deer spotting within half an hour of each other. we are higher up in the mountains here so its colder in the evenings.

sunday 26th june: we climbed mount Jacques Cartier (1268m) which was an incredible climb leading to an incredible view! a bus dropped us off about 800m up and we hiked the rest of the way, up out of the treeline and into a tundra environment with patches of snow still left from the winter. didnt see any caribou (there are only about 160 left in the park) but did see their tracks and droppings.

monday 27th june: drove to perce rock for a wander out to the famous stack and arch and then onwards to forillon national park right on the edge of the gulf of the st laurence. such a luxurious feeling at the ocean - the crashing of the waves, the breath of the wind, the galaxy looking down upon us.

tuesday 28th june: eric and i spent the day exploring the beach, and making seal figures out of stones. it was very hot but the water was so frigidly ridiculously cold that my foot automatically started getting hypothermia once submerged.

wednesday 29th june: spent the morning sea kayaking with seals, and the afternoon hiking the forests. saw whales out at sea, braved the ocean for a very very quick splash and then as eric and i ate fish and chips, alex and jackie proceeded to amuse us with the delicacies of eating lobster...

thursday 30th june: awoke at 4am to see the sunrise over the ocean, the lobster boat the only other soul up and about at such an hour. and then the 14.5 hour drive back to ottawa commenced, with me driving for over 4 hours! :) yay! and now i feel comfortable being on that side of the car and road!! highlight - stopping in montreal for dinner at this giant orange ball that served us burgers and fries. a place where girls get dressed up, guys show off their cars, and the music is pumping... reminded me of scenes from grease!

the rest of my time in canada was spent in ottawa and up at erics cottage. then i boarded a plane and came home, via atlanta, los angeles and tahiti.