Back from Fiji, New Zealand and Australia!

[danh]

Hey all! I'm sitting here at 5 am on the computer as it's the after noon in Sydney. I arrived home last night after over 24 hours in transit and am eager to share all the fun I had. I spent the past 8 months backpacking through Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. I had heaps of fun, and encourage anybody sick of school to give it a go, especially if you're just finishing high school. It's great to take a year off before starting uni.

Anyway, while backpacking I did herping whenever it was possible, which was not as often I would have liked due to my lack of transport. I am in deep gratitude to the kindly Aussie herpers who showed me some awesome spots.

In total I conclusively identified about 130 different kinds of herps. Unfortunately most can be lumped under the incredibly scientific classification of LBS: little brown skink. Not that I'm complaining.

In case anybody's curious, some highlights include: Fiji ground frog, white-lipped sea krait, Wellington green gecko, goldstripe gecko, 2 sp of blue-tongued skink, tiger snake, diamond python, Rosenberg's goanna, water dragon (2 sub-sp), Common scaley-foot, red-bellied black snake, eastern brown snake, shingleback skink, giant burrowing frog, gold-crowned snake, northern snapping turtle, estuarine croc, freshwater croc, Merten's water monitor, Kimberly rock monitor, northern death adder, olive python, flatback turtle, and 2 species of these guys:

[DragnDrop]

Welcome back Dan!! As soon as you're over the jet lag, you're going to have to post tons of pictures with complete write-ups.
How's tomorrow morning sound for the first post?

Do you have pictures of the Wellington green gecko? I've love to see them (first would be nice)!

I guess you didn't need a lackey to drag your luggage around for you, even though I volunteered to do it for free. Sheeesh.
I'm not jealous. I'm not. Nope, not one bit. uh uh......

[Lrptls]

wow, that sounds so amazing i wish i could do that. i bet it was alot of fun. geting to see all those critters would be so great ESPECIALY the tuatara and i'd freaking pass out if i got to hold one. i think you should post more pictures too =)

[Sean_.E.]

Welcome back Dan! Sounds like it was an awesome trip! Thats a pretty descent list of "found herps"! I cant believe you held a tuatara; I'd never wash my hands again! Is the one pictured Sphenodon punctatus or S. guntheri? Like Hilde said, once you're over jet lag, post tons of pics! Anyway, I'll see you at Jeff and Jenny's some time this summer.

[Kimbits42]

so terribly jealous.

any tips for aspiring herpers?

[galad]

Thats awsome dude, I bet you had the time of your life.

Youll have to share your traveling info of where you stayed and what not.

My buddies and I are planning a trip there for next July.

Cannot wait to see more pics.

peace

ws

[danh]

Thanks for all the comments. It was pretty awesome holding the tut and I was just about ready to pass out, but more because it was about 3 am and I had been walking all night looking for them. It's a northern tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus punctatus. I'm currently in the process of downloading my photos and will hopefully be able to post more tomorrow. Unfortunately my camera was stolen in Darwin, close to the end of my trip, so I only have the pictures I sent to my parents, which are from the first half of my trip.

In terms of going to Oz in July, it's going to be pretty damn cold. You're pretty much out of luck for snakes. Even places like Darwin and Cairns that are tropical still get to cold at night for road cruising by that point. Some snakes, such as carpet snakes, which are normally nocturnal, come out and bask during the day, but you're definitely going at the absolute worst time for snakes. Sorry, mate. The good news is most goannas are active all year round, so you'll be all right there. A notable exception is in the center, where just about all herps, even goannas and dragons, are down by late April. You're best to stick with the north in July. There aren't as many herps, but the temps are perfect for people. Also, it's easier to see crocs (especially freshies) in the Dry. I'm not sure about July in Sydney in terms of herps, as I was there mostly during the summer. I did return to Sydney for two days in June, however, and I reckon it was to cold even for Canadian herps!

Dan

PS Aspiring herpers? What do you think I am??? I'm barely out of high school!

Anything for you, Hilde. Can anyone tell me how to post multiple pics?

[BoidsUnlimited]

Welcome back! Sounds like an amzingly good time.

I look forward to the pictures!

That tuatara is incredible as is the gecko!

PS - Do you have picturs of the Olive Python and Goanna?

[galad]

Ya how stupid am I i totally forgot bout their seasons being opposite of ours.
Oh well gives me that many more months to save more money.

Awsome pic of the gecko

Thats so hurtin how your camera got stolen, Ive had stuff stolen on vacation also (my shoes from right under our nose on the beach in the Dominican)

cant wait to see more pics

peace

ws

[Kimbits42]

oh! that's harsh, about the camera i mean.

well, you had more success in australia than i had in florida some months back, perhaps anything you can offer will help me out when i'm in the praries in the next couple of weeks.

[crocdoc]

Hi Dan,

Glad you had a good trip. Sorry I couldn't get out herping with you when you were in Sydney, it was a mad time of year for me.

Galad, July is too cold for most of the larger reptiles in the Sydney area, except for diamond pythons, which can still be seen on sunny days (they're nocturnal in summer, but come out to bask and wander around in winter). Lace and heath monitors will come out to bask in winter, but aren't wandering around looking for food so the chances of you actually seeing one are close to nil at that time of year (they don't venture far from their winter hideaways). Summer is a different story, of course.