Walking with giants (and waddling fat-bottomed birds)

Back to New Zealand again for some late-breaking (or at least, slow-to-be-written) posts....

One of the highlights of our swing through Northland was definitely our exploration of the Kauri Coast. This part of the west coast was so named for the huge trade in Kauri timber and gum (like amber/resin and used for industrial purposes) in the 1800's. The Kauri trees are the ancient giants of the New Zealand forests. Once covering much of the country, there are now only a few remnants of the Kauri forests left on the west coast.

The obvious parallel/reference for the Kauri trees for us North Americans are the Redwoods or the Sequoias. With the images of these massive towering trees in my head I was a little let down at first sighting of some of the famous big Kauri trees. They are neither as big as the Sequoias or as tall as the Redwoods. However once I started to see them for what they had to offer, I was entranced. Kauri grow up with perfectly straight, smooth trunks. At a certain point they stop growing up and just focus on growing out/expanding their girth. At the very top/crown the branches all spread out, creating a crown full of birds and supporting epiphytes and other plants and towering over the rest of the trees in the forest.

A kauri can grown up to over 180 feet and have a girth of over 80 feet. Unfortunately, none of these behemoths remain. The two oldest and most revered trees left now are in the Waipoua Kauri forest. The largest/tallest tree is Tanemahuta (The God of the Forest) with a height of over 150 feet. It is estimated to be between 1200-2000 years old and towers over the rest of the trees in the area, sticking out of the canopy like Bo Peep above her sheep. Even more impressive is Te Matua Ngahere (The Father of the Forest which, though shorter than Tanemahuta, has a trunk over 15 feet in diameter and at approximately 2000 years old is the oldest Kauri tree known to be surviving.

Most of the Kauri trees you see in the forest here are just youngsters in comparison, but even so as you look through the forest with these unreal-looking huge straight trees you feel like you might at any moment see dinosaurs, or at least Moas (the extinct giant birds) and Maori hunting parties. There really is that sense being of all of a sudden in a time warp. And just like walking through the redwood 'cathedrals' can be a spiritual experience, no matter what your persuasion of belief or non-belief, so it was walking through these forests.

One of the best parts of our visit to the Kauri forests was going on a night-time guided nature walk in the Trounson Kauri Forest (another smaller reserve in the area). Trounson has an active predator eradication program going and because of that has been successful at nurturing a small population of kiwis. Kiwis, the national bird of New Zealand, are rare, shy, and nocturnal, so even most New Zealanders have never seen ones in the wild.

Well, 37 seconds into our walk and kapow: there caught in our red light was a male kiwi searching for food in the grass. We all stood there giddily watching him until he waddled off back into the forest. In the course of the next 90 minutes we saw kiwis two more times, as well as huge river eels, cave wetas, kauri snails, catfish-like fish, glow worms and a scary-looking big spider. In addition to seeing all this wildlife (most of which are nocturnal and not to be found if you're exploring in the day), our ears were ringing with the cries of several other kiwis (a hugely spooky sound if you don't know what it is) and the morpork (a native owl). Add in the glorious stars (with glowing milky way) and the informative and folksy commentary from our guide, Herb (a retired mechanic who has become quite knowledgeable in this new role) and it was a fantastic evening, easily one of our favorite moments in New Zealand.

For those in the area interested in getting this experience, contact Herb or Heather at the Kauri Top Ten Holiday Park near Trounson Forest (0800-807-200). Trust us, you won't be sorry.

Becca

From Kiwis to Kangaroos

We reluctantly left New Zealand last week for the hop over to Sydney. In what was beginning to seem like more than just coincidence, I was denied entry into the country for the second straight time. On the way from Hong Kong to NZ I had visa issues (they had no record of my e-visa). This time the culprit was some rogue New Zealand turf still stuck to the bottom of my hiking boots. Like a victim of the decon team in Monsters Inc., I found myself surrounded and quickly relieved of my shoes leaving me standing sock less as the offending boots were whisked away with hazmat tongs. Ten minutes later, and owner of the cleanest boots in Oz, I was finally allowed to enter Australia.

The overriding theme of our stay in Sydney revolved around sports....we figured we might as well jump into Aussie culture with both feet. Brian will put up a post covering our experiences there. However the secondary theme of our stay was pretty darn typical of New South Wales as well: enjoying the waterfront/coast/beaches and all they have to offer. Pretty much all of our sightseeing was along the water, whether it was gazing hypnotized at the Opera House, checking out the Harbor bridge and Luna Park, riding the ferries and enjoying the views between all the various harbor stops, walking the gorgeous four mile coast path between Coogee and Bondi beaches, watching the surfers out at Manly beach, or catching a boat over to the area's best fish and chips place in Watsons Bay for lunch.

It's just a beautiful area, especially once the rains cleared and we had crisp (cold!) and sunny days. It's easy to understand how folks here have a healthier and laid-back attitude towards work and life. We were continually surprised by the number of people we saw out surfing, body boarding, kayaking, swimming, running, biking etc. at all times of the day and all days of the week. Then again, if I had those resources in my back yard I might be finding ways to make use of them as well.

Despite all the natural beauty, the highlight for both of us was a man-made object. The Sydney Opera House was simply stunning. I honestly had a "pinch me, I'm actually in Australia" moment each time we would see it. It just doesn't get old, no matter how many times you see it; the people who live here told us the same thing. One of the most fascinating things about it was how it would change as the light, weather, or angle you were looking at it from changed.

We did take a tour of the building as well. It was funny to contrast it with the interior of the the Budapest Opera House, built a century earlier. The latter was all chandeliers, marble and fine plush carpets while this building featured bare concrete and granite, glass and natural woods. After his multiple visits in the past couple years to Copenhagen Brian was immediately able to identify the Danish aesthetic at work. (The Opera House's architect and visionary, Jorn Utzon, is indeed Danish). We even were lucky enough to hear the Sydney Symphony play the last few minutes of the 1812 Overture, allowing us to gain a full appreciation of the outstanding acoustics of the house.

The other highlight of the stay in Sydney was getting the chance to spend time with Chris and Sara Green and their three kids. Chris was Brian's roommate in grad school and it was a great opportunity for them to catch up and for us to meet the rest of his family. Sara spoiled us with some wonderful home cooked meals and Chris provided some much needed tutoring for me in the minutia of Australia's three main football codes: Australian Rules Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union. (On this trip we have now watched six different football codes: with the addition of Gaelic Football, Soccer/Football, and American Football. Here's to a global education!). We really enjoyed their company and look forward to seeing them again on our return visit to Sydney in August.

There are still a number of Sydney activities we want to do (including a performance at the Opera House and checking out a couple of the museums), but that will have to wait until we come back here at the end of our Australian adventure. For now it's on to Melbourne, Brian's Australian home.

Becca

Travel Notebook from Northland and the Coromandel Pennisula

We're writing a couple short separate entries for some of the highlights from our loop around the Coromandel Pennisula and Northland. For the rest I decided another round of random travel notes was in order...

- During out time in Hahei, we had the opportunity to visit Cathedral Cove. A very impressive limestone arch of epic proportions that had you feeling like you were on a deserted island. Which Hahei was. (Deserted at least, if not an island). We had to drive 30 minutes and take the water ferry to Whitianga just to get groceries or a meal. Gotta love traveling in the off-season. Of course near Goat Island we found a backpackers that had been mentioned in Lonely Planet that was actually closed with a giant For Sale sign on the front. Oops.

- One of the biggest obstacles for me moving down here would be Rugby. In New Zealand, it is the national sport and the All Blacks (the national Rugby Union team; not to be confused with Rugby League) is god. Personally I can't stand the game (may have something to do with the no necks giving us ultimate players a rough go at university but I digress) but the Super 14 Rugby Union (consisting of club teams from NZ, Australia and South Africa) final was on during our time in Northland so we gave it a look.

What happened was pure comedy. You can read about the game here but in short a massive fog overtook the stadium in Christchurch leaving the teams running around in the fog not having a clue where the ball was half the time. For those NFL history buffs out there, it looked a lot like a certain playoff game in Chicago. Molly and Becca started asking me about the rules and ended the evening asking "where's the ball?" One good thing did come out of the final though: this fantastic story (please, please click on the link). First worthy story I've heard about Rugby in ages.

I will now change the subject before the NZ SWAT team comes through the door.

- We had the opportunity to have a bit of travel symmetry in the small town of Kawakawa. Kawakawa was the home of one Fredrick Hundertwasser. The same man whose fantastic work we visited in Vienna, Austria last August. He lived in Kawakawa for approximately 25 years and late in his life was asked to renovate the town's public toilets. The result is here. Nice toilets and need to see his work on both hemispheres. Now whether the toilet is a place to mediate as Hundertwasser asserts... I'll leave that up to you the reader.

- I had the opportunity to get in two rounds of golf with Molly, the first time I'd swung a club since Ireland. Shot a 45 and a 100 (with the 45 certified courtesy of Arthur Andersen's accounting methods). However, we did get to take in some gorgeous views of both the Bay of Islands and the Tasman Sea courtesy of the Waitangi and Muriwai Golf Clubs. Muriwai was a links style course and Molly and I got lots of practice hitting out of the rough and the swallow-you-whole-sized sand bunkers.

- While in Paihia, we took a boat ride out to the Bay of Islands. Your typical tourist boat trip with two glaring exceptions. First, we were fortunate enough to see 4-5 pods of Dolphins who then decided to spend the next 20 minutes or so around us putting on a show. A few even got close enough to the front of the boat that you could actually hear them which was hyper-cool.

The other part was when we approached Cape Brett and the "Hole in the Rock". Most days the boat just trudges through the hole. Not this day; the waves were coming in hard and swallowing up approximately half of the volume of the hole. In many ways this was much more impressive than taking the boat through it. Also yet another reminder that we should give Mother Nature proper respect now and again.

- We stayed in some fantastic places on this loop, made all the better because we were the only people staying in them. I LOVE travelling in off-season. Anyway, if you are passing through any of the following places, check out these motels/bnb's for a good place to stay:

-- Cook's Lookout in Pahei/Haruru Falls. By far the nicest motel of the trip with an absolutely unbeatable view (seen at the top of this entry). We had two bedrooms, a kitchenette and living room with full wall window out over the Bay of Islands. Norm and Shelagh were extraordinarily helpful.

-- Island View Villas in Hahei. Host John was helpful with tons of travel advice and lent us spades for Hot Water Beach. We had an apartent with a bedroom with a queen bed, a nice kitchen, and a living room (with 2nd double bed in it) with a deck and windows/sliding doors over a nice view of the ocean.

-- Muriwai Beach Lodge B&B in Muriwai Beach just outside of Auckland (not to be confused with the Muriwai Beach Lodge farther up the road). Fantastic two room suite with large queen bedroom opening up onto patio and fancy bath and then living room with couches, tv, dining table and single bed. Owner Susan was very nice and when we called her that morning to book, she said we were welcome, but that she wouldn't be home til late that night so she told us where she hid the key so that we could make ourselves at home!

-- Kauri Coast Top 10 Holiday Park just outside the Trounson Kauri Forest. We'll talk more about this one in Kauri Coast entry. But it's a nice clean holiday park with all levels of accomodation. We had the nicest: a cabin with a bedroom and then a kitchenette/living room with another double bed in that room with a deck/bbq by the river. Herb and Heather are very nice helpful hosts and Herb leads the one-of-the-highlights-of-our-trip night nature walk (see the Kauri Coast entry for more info)

So there's the odds and ends. Hope you enjoyed them.

SheepWorld!

Need I say anything more? We're talking a theme park revolving around New Zealand's honorary national animal (officially it's the Kiwi but who are they kidding?).

The park itself includes the aforementioned sheep as well as a plethora of other animals ranging from alpacas to your standard miniature pony. But the the place is named SheepWorld for a reason and the highlight was the sheepdog show.

The show kicked off with a duck race that was memorable for the ducks' high couture and the speed in which they flew through the course. Once they got near the entrance it was like they went into a trance and were off and running. I was caught off guard by the ducks' fleetness, but I did get the early leader crashing and burning. As a lover of kitsch, this was certainly up there.

From there the sheep dog show began. In New Zealand, they use two types of dogs to do the herding: the eye dog (border collie-like looking dogs with border collie like tendencies; very high strung and loyal...evidently a cross between a border collie and a greyhound) and the hunt-away dog (more the muscle of the group; not the brightest tool in the shed...supposedly has border collie and lab and german shepards and other hounds and other things in it). The eye dog keeps the sheep in order while the hunt-away climbs up on and around the sheep to get them moving when a simple stare won't do. The herder used the two dogs to show up proper herding, doing almost all of the signals via whistle. Quite an impressive thing to see, especially after having seen some of the same from afar in the South Island.

After various herding activities, the herder showed us the patented shearing method (actually patented... only in New Zealand) in which a sheep can be sheared in 45 seconds or so. During the shearing demonstration though the personalities of the dogs showed; the hunt-away was asleep about three feet from the shearing while the eye dog was out the back of the stage staring intently at the remaining sheep, reading to pounce at a moment's notice. Kind of reminded of me of Becca there for a bit :-)

The show finished up with a chance to feed the various baby sheep which went over very well with the birthday party of 20 five year olds in attendance. For us though it was a good opportunity to see the life of a sheep herder up close. It isn't pretty but it's still a huge part of the New Zealand life.

Get yer Cheap Spa Treatment Here

During our visit up the east coast of the Coromandel Pennisula to Hahei and Cathedral Cove, we jumped at the chance to participate in a true New Zealand experience: digging your own jacuzzi at Hot Water Beach. It is on this small stretch of beach that thermal waters bubble just below the sand between a rocky outcrop and the Pacific Ocean. As a result, if you arrive at low tide and dig down, you can create your own hot tub in the sand.

At least that's the theory. After picking up a spade from our guesthouse we went a digging. It was certainly warm. VERY warm. VERY VERY warm. As a result we spent most of the time digging little holes farther and farther away from the geothermal source and shifting positions trying to keep the hot and cold water regulated. We had varying success though your loyal scribe ended up with two crispy elbows after keeping my self propped up a wee bit too long.

It certainly was a popular location though; by the time low tide actually came (we'd shown up about an hour early) there were between 35-45 people in various pools about a foot or so in depth (dig much deeper and you get the 60 degree Celsius (~140 deg F) water). We'd hate to see what it's like during peak season though I could imagine spade jousting would be prominently involved.

Not quite a jacuzzi in the sand but more like a lobster being boiled for dinner. But still a unique New Zealand experience.

Brian

Making our way through the mist

According to many of the travel guides, Rotorua is by far the most popular (and unfortunately therefore the most commercialized) tourist destination on the North Island. And that was before the Lord of the Rings tie-ins. Our usual 'ugh' reaction to touristy places would normally cause us to give the place a wide berth, but we also realized that tourist destinations are usually popular for a reason. So on our first full day on the North Island we piled in to the cars and caravanned down to Rotorua with Warren, Cyrel and Aaron, good friends of ours from Corvallis who are spending six months in Tauranga (in the Bay of Plenty).

Rotorua today is famous primarily for three things: adventure sports/activities (it's the North Island's answer to Queenstown), Maori culture, and geothermal activity. We dipped our toe into the adventure pools with Brian's and Aaron's Zorbing exploits, which was covered in an earlier entry. We also had the opportunity to participate in and attend a number of Maori cultural experiences, but that will also be covered in a separate entry.

New Zealand straddles two tectonic plates: the Pacific and Indian/Australian plate, with the latter slowly being submerged under the former. This has led to much of the scenery we've been admiring throughout the trips, from the jagged southern Alps on the south island to the volcano cones and geothermic activity in the North Island. In fact the 250 km Taupo Volcanic Zone (which includes the Rotorua Lake District) is actually part of the famous Pacific Ring of Fire.

It was easy to tell when we were approaching the area as we drove in: clouds of steam rising from fields and streams and gullies and the distinctive odor of sulfur everywhere. We stopped at the very worthwhile Te Puia park, which encompasses the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, Maori cultural performances, a kiwi bird house, and the impressive Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley. (Think that word is hard to pronounce? Hint, "Wh" is pronounced like "F"....and actually, that's short of the full name: Te Whakarewarewatana o te Ope Taua a Wahiao. We're still working on getting our tongues around that.....)

The Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley contains around 500 pools (we LOVE mud pools!) and more than 65 geyser vents. The most prominent is the powerful Pohutu geyser and its harbinger, the Prince of Wales' Feathers geyser, which always goes off before Pohutu erupts. We had a great time wandering this active landscape, watching the boiling mud bubble and the steam drifting up through the rocks. Our favorite moments though were probably being engulfed in the hot steam of the geysers and easing our muscles lying on the hot rocks. I wish we had spent more time in this area (we were hurrying off to another appointment); it makes me itch for a return visit to Yellowstone when we get home.

Te Puia's admission is expensive, but we found that the package of geothermic activity, Maori cultural events, fauna and flora, and interpretive services offered by the guides made it a worthwhile expenditure. We recommend it to any of you looking for substance in the tourist glitz of Rotorua.

Becca

Dialing it down in Dunedin

(An entry from a couple of weeks ago...)

Since we weren't able to make it to the UK to visit Scotland, we decided to do the next best thing. Here in New Zealand we have come to Dunedin, a university town near the bottom of the south island settled by the Scots. The word Dunedin is Celtic for Edinburgh, there's even a statue of good awld Robbie Burns in the main square, and the street names could be straight from the old country: Princes, George, Stuart, etc.

Dunedin is also the home of some very close friends of ours who moved down here seven years ago to teach at the University and build their careers (his in music performance, hers in midwifery). We've missed them terribly and this was a fantastic chance for Mom and I to catch up on their lives and introduce Brian. And we all fell head over heels in love with their remarkably precocious son, Isaac (or Izy).

In addition to a lot of fun family time, this was a great couple of days to get out and see some beautiful countryside. Dunedin sits in a harbor (or super long inlet) with a long, narrow, very hilly pennisula heading out from it. At the end of the penninsula is the very fine Royal Albatross Center, the only nesting site of Royal Albatrosses on a mainland (instead of the less accessible islands they usually call home). Albatrosses were some of our favorite birds during a previous trip to the Galapagos and Mom and I were eager to see some more. Unfortunately, the only albatross around was a lone chick waiting for his parents to return in the next couple of days for a feeding. From where we stood in the observatory, he just looked like a big pile of rags blowing in the (very strong) wind. Sigh. However the Center had a fascinating series of exhibits down in the main hall and was still very much worth the visit. (And I did have the chance to try my first meat pie!)

And besides, the day was not a total loss wildlife-wise. My own intrepid wildlife hunter husband managed to track down the elusive wild NZ sheep. :-)

There are a number of great walks around Dundedin, with spectacular views of the coastline and challenging hills to climb. However because of the rainy weather (and our infatuation with Izy) we unfortunately were only able to take advantage of a few of them. We also took a day to drive the 3 hours back to Wanaka to share the place with Mom. We really wanted her to be able to see this area that we had just fallen in love with.

Once there we stopped by Blue Water Lodge to introduce her to Doug and Dianne and enjoy one more of Dianne's yummy teas. To top it off, we marched Mom up the steep Mount Iron climb to enjoy the 360 views around the area. We are so impressed by how much stronger her leg as gotten. It's just wonderful to see her out striding through all sorts of difficult terrain. Here's to being a survivor!

Dunedin was our farewell to the South Island, after a comprehensive tour including Christchurch, Greymouth, the West Coast, the southern Alps, the central mountain region (Queenstown and Wanaka), and Fiordland (Te Anu and Milford Sound). We were very sad and reluctant to leave. This is an absolutely beautiful place where we could spend much, much more time. The roads are easy to travel and well signed, the infrastructure is incredibly supportive of outdoor activities, the people are friendly, and the landscape is gorgeous. We highly recommend it to any folks considering coming and would be happy to offer any suggestions or ideas.

From here it's off to the North Island! More to come.....

Becca

Don't adjust your set

Just a quick note from Auckland. Brian, Mom and I have had an fantastic three weeks exploring the north island (after Brian and I fell head over heels in love with the south island). The only small blip on our happily ever after has been our utter inability to find internet access. Most of the time, we haven't been able to find it at all, and when we do find a cafe or library with internet, it often is open for very limited hours (and not when we happen to be looking for it).

What that has meant is that we have fallen WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY behind in our blogging and picture posting. Know that we have some great stories still to tell and photos to share with you. Mom leaves tomorrow to return to the States and we will be in a couple of bigger and more touristy towns for the next week so hopefully we'll have the chance to start loading entries again soon.

Until then, we hope that all are well

Becca

What I learned watching the Champions League Final...

I love sports. I'm the type of person who always reads the sports page before reading the world news. I've always enjoyed what it provides for me, whether it be the theatre involved with watching a big match live or on TV or the solitude that running brings to me and my collective sanity.

Once I found out that a living could be had in this industry I dived head-long into it, getting my masters in Sports Administration and doing an internship in Australia. And despite two very extended job searches in between I got my chance to continue my sports education by working in two very different areas. During both of these jobs I got a better idea as to what I wanted from a job moving forward and what makes me happy not only in work but in life.

This trip has continued to help formulate those ideas and has me thinking of where to go next upon our return to the States. But for most of this year I've enjoyed sports again as a fan (you tend to enjoy it less when it's your business). And when you're traveling the world, that involves football (soccer to us Yanks) and more specifically the European Cup competition (aka the Champions League) where the best of Europe duke it out for the title of Best Club Team in Europe. After following the competition throughout the year (including getting up at 2:30 am in China to watch Chelsea v. Barcelona) and enjoying the highs and lows of the season I was very much looking forward to watching the final.

FC Barcelona versus Arsenal FC. Two historic European clubs both hoping to shed their underachieving labels with a big victory in Paris. Spain v. England. As we were both psyched for the match, Becca and I planned on getting up at 6am NZ time to watch the final. Luckily we were in Dunedin staying with our friends Kevin and Milyn (and their adorable, precocious son Isaac) so we would be able to watch the game from the living room (where we were sleeping) without bothering anyone.

Cut to the morning of the match. Or more specifically 4am where both of us are inexplicably wide awake and cursing our insomnia. As we were laying there, we heard Isaac start to cry. Figuring that as she was awake anyway, she might as well try and let Kev and Mi sleep, Becca got up, picked up Isaac and brought him to our bed where he stayed surprisingly quiet and mellow.

Leading up to the match, I'd contemplated doing another running diary for the CL final. Instead I found myself more than happily occupied doing my best to keep Isaac busy and not waking up the house. Over the past few days I'd been working with him to "kick the ball"-- initially as an effort to keep him from throwing the ball around the kitchen but over time he seemed to be enjoying it more and more.

As the CL final started, Isaac sat down and immediately uttered "kick the ball hard". Smart kid for 20 months. As the match continued to build in intensity, instead of finding myself more and more sucked in, I instead found my gaze staying with Isaac and interacting with him and keeping him entertained. Suddenly the interest I had in this particular sporting occasion, one I'd been looking forward to for weeks, dissipated and was instead replaced with a pure joy of interacting with this little bundle of wonder. He's not my kid but I found myself still feeling and interacting like he was mine. In Minnesota most of our friends have kids and we've seen them develop over time and I've done my best to play the cool Uncle. But watching this match in New Zealand gave me the first feeling that I was playing the role of Dad.

You know what? It felt good. I suppose this means I'm a lot more ready for fatherhood than I thought. Or maybe I'm not; I'm constantly concerned about whether I'm going to be a good dad. Whether my skills as a "cool Uncle" will translate into being a good role model for my kids.

I've just finished reading "What Should I Do With My Life?" by Po Bronson. The book consists of stories from various backgrounds and have to do with people who have made an effort to change their lives and do what makes them happy. Professionally I'm not sure what the answer is going to be; sports has made me happy in the past but I'm also going to be open to different opportunities upon our return to the states. However, personally I'm looking very forward to the highs and lows that have to do with being a dad. I realize it's not all roses but over two hours on a sleep deprived Thursday morning I found out it was definitely the thing for me.

Brian

Being the Hamster...

New Zealand is known for their adventure seeking activities. Whether it's skydiving in Wanaka, doing any sort of various X-Game activities in Queenstown or Sea Kayaking along the various coasts, Kiwis like their thrills by the second instead of the minute. During our visit to Rotorua I elected to check out the latest in Kiwi adventuring, Zorbing.

Zorbing is a Kiwi invention (to learn more about it check out their website). I'm guessing a few pints were involved since Zorbing pretty much entails putting yourself in a plastic ball and either being strapped in (harness zorbing) or dumped into a small puddle of warm water (hydro zorbing) and pushed down a steep hill. Due to some dodgy wind conditions, the harness zorbing was out of the questions so I changed into some sweet stylish clothes and headed up the track to give it a go.

In short, the sensation is a cross between being in an anti-gravity chamber and a cat in the dryer. Of course, being a person who finds a cat in the dryer humorous, I enjoyed it so much I had to do it twice, taking advantage of some good advice on the latter run to really get some serious speed going. Tried to talk the wife into it but she wasn't budging.

It's tough to describe it much more than that. The pictures do a much better job of telling the tale. In short though I was able to truly be the hamster.

Brian

Can we move here?

We've just spent the last four days in a little slice of paradise. It's name is Wanaka, New Zealand. The town of 4,500 is a holiday town for New Zealanders and you can tell. Despite a growing population, Wanaka has a much more relaxed and homely feel compared to the cosmopolitan high adrenalin ambiance of Queenstown. Lots of cool shops and most importantly plenty of places to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

Of course the sensation of being at home here was helped tremendously by the wonderful hospitality of Doug and Dianne Purvis at Bluewater Lodge. The four days we spent with them were absolute paradise. Some days we went hiking and out to dinner, others we stayed inside watching movies and being indulged gastronomically thanks to Dianne's amazing cooking and tasty treats. They were more than just owners; they provided great conversation, a wealth of great knowledge and just genuine New Zealand kindness. We were happy to have a fantastic place to stay, complete with a hot tub that we used multiple times to admire this view both at night and during the day. (We were able to enjoy this luxurious retreat thanks to a wonderful wedding gift from some very thoughtful friends. Thank you so much, David and Laura!)

So Wanaka left us happy, content and wanting more. Much like the rest of New Zealand to date. Now if only we could find an industry we could do down here...

Brian

Exploring the Sound, Milford Sound

The South Island is known for its natural beauty. Pretty much you can throw a rock and hit a beautiful place, but certain places stand out and are celebrated even more. Fiordland (they don't believe in 'J's' over here) National Park is one of these places, comprising of mountains, temperate rain forest, serene lakes, red beech forest, gorgeous valleys, and of course, the fiords themselves. The two most well known and well touristed are Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. Since Doubtful Sound was more difficult to get to and we had limited time, we decided to make the trip out to Milford Sound.

Now to say that it rains a lot in Fiordland would be an understatement. On the sea-side of the mountain range (where Milford Sound is located), they get 7.2 meters of rain a year! That's almost 24 feet a year!! That's 283 inches a year!!!! The day when we visited? Sunny and blue skies. Clearly have built up some karma. Either that or we have compromising pictures of the weather gods. :-)

We were able to grab a couple of spots on Real Journey's Nature Cruise, which was an hour longer and full of much more information than RJ's (and all the other companies') scenic cruises. The nature cruise had a naturalist/geologist on board giving a running commentary and answering individual questions and spent more time looking at all the sights.

Like in the Norwegian fjords, we found ourselves out on the water looking up at towering peaks. At its most dramatic, the glaciers had carved out a path that went down 900 feet below the water and stretched up 4,500 feet above our heads. It really was spectacular. The cruise continued out of the sound into the Tasman sea, where if we continued straight, we would have ended up a couple of minutes (those are subunits of degrees) south of Tasmania. Though it was a beautiful day there was an impressive swell as soon as we left the shelter of the Sound. As the passengers all held on tight to the rails, lurched across the deck at the whim of the waves, or focused on not throwing up (and happily Brian and I found ourselves only in the first two categories, not the third), I had new found respect for Captain Cook and the others who travelled those seas in search of new lands.

Despite the title of the cruise, we didn't see much in the way of wildlife (with the notable exception of a couple of fur seals that let the boat come right up next to them and then proceeded to show off), however the Sound is a fascinating and rare place in that area. Basically, it provides a deep water environment in much shallower water than usual. When the rain pounds the Sound, the water runs off the cliffs full of minerals and nutrients and soil and creates a murky layer on top of the salt water in the Sound. Sometimes this layer can be 18-20 feet deep (though when we where there it was much much less, as it hadn't rained in a week or so). This murky fresh water grabs all the light so that in the salt water layer it is DARK DARK. Thus you get a bunch of creatures that ordinarily would be much deeper living closer to the surface where they are easier to study.

It was a great day: beautiful weather, awe-inspiring scenery, informative commentary, a gorgeous drive there and back....definitely a recommended activity for those in the area.

Becca

oh...and besides, it provided us with the COOLEST. WATER. PICTURE. EVER

Weekend Update

Hello all-

Sorry no Dennis Miller jokes here. Just a quick update from Dunedin, a cool university town on the south island.

We're here to visit some close friends (more on that later) and to meet Becca's Mom! She arrives tomorrow morning and will spend the next three weeks exploring New Zealand with us.

Expect updates to be spotty for a while (though they will happen sooner than later). To keep you occupied we have posted entries from our hike on Fox glacier as well as a brief photo montage of "Middle Earth" and put up a ton of new pictures on Flickr, including those on Fox Glacier, New Zealand scenery, and Milford Sound.

Enjoy!

Becca and Brian

Driving Through Middle Earth....

How we spent our hump day...

Wednesday. Hump Day. When I was at work it was my favorite day; by the time you left work it meant you were more than half way home for the week. (At least in theory). On the trip, actual days have a lot less meaning as the only time days of the week seem to come into play is if something is closed or you've got to be someplace as a specific time.

What does this have to do with our trip to Fox Glacier, New Zealand? Honestly, not a whole lot. But as we sat at the high point of our day trek onto the Fox Glacier, I looked at my watch and thought to myself that this was a much better way to spend a hump day than sitting at my cube plugging away. I'm going to have to keep memories like this fresh in my mind for when I eventually come back to the working world (I refuse to call it the "real world" because every day we live is real).

But what memories they are. Along the west coast of New Zealand's Southern Alps lie two of only three glaciers in the world that come down into and through temperate rain forest: the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (the third one is in Argentina). Though we had heard good things about both, Franz Josef was supposedly a bit "more commercial", which meant there were more companies bringing people up on the ice and it was more expensive. Combine that with the facts that we were impressed with Fox Alpine Guides and we had heard that Fox the town was quieter than Franz Josef and we were Fox-bound.

Of course this being New Zealand, Franz Josef being busier/noisier meant that the township consisted of four blocks instead of the two in Fox. Not quite the Aspen-lite we were imagining. However, Fox Glacier lived up to all our mental images. As I mentioned previously, we elected to do the full day hike. The heli-hike sounded cool but was way too spendy and we really wanted more time on the glacier proper so it was a pretty easy choice in the end.

The science of the glacier is very interesting. The glacier itself is constantly both advancing and retreating with the net gain or loss dependant on the season. This movement creates great stress on the ice and because of this, the guides deal with a continually changing environment. Our guide told us that the trails they take people on never stay the same for more than a day or two. As a result, they are always seen with their pick axe in tow (better to cut a couple of foot hold/steps for the dicey spots) and end up making things up as they go. The guides from Alpine Guides were great, very informative and willing to answer all sorts of questions of varying intelligence from the group while making sure that people didn't wander off towards a deep crevasse.

The full day hike was a great opportunity to fully explore the glacier. Despite an area known for its rainfall, the weather gods smiled on us and provided a beautiful sunny day. We started off with a hike through the rain forest to the edge of the glacier where we slapped on some crampons (my first experience with them) and then headed up onto the ice. The crampons were ok to get used to once you mentally adjusted to the fact that you could just dig your foot into the ice at any angle and take the next step without falling (and you remembered to walk with your feet about a foot apart so that the crampons didn't catch on each other...5 bucks said Becca wasn't going to make it through the day remembering that!). It did make for some tricky mental moments on downhills but after you got used to it there was a tremendous sense of freedom/security.

One of the great things about the full-day hike over the 1/2 day one is that you are quickly taken off of the baby-trails on the ice (the places where the guides have cut every step) and set off cross-country. Jason the guide was always looking for interesting crevasses to walk us through, ice caves to explore, slopes to climb up/down, or places to try and get across however possible (cool pic to click on). The walk culminated in a fantastic view of the lower ice falls, an intimidating, beautiful mass of jagged ice, some pieces six stories high.

It was really good experience and a great day. Like in Europe there was a certain sense of personal responsibility with your conduct (mainly you're a responsible adult so act like one and don't do something stupid/careless that will get you hurt) so many times we were left to climb over significant gaps in the ice or along ridges while the guide continued to break trail. It made for a good atmosphere where people took care of one another and enjoyed the view while keeping safe. In all we spent around six hours on the ice. A physically and mentally demanding time but not so much so as to take all the fun out of it. Definitely one of our highlights in New Zealand to date and it also allowed us to justify a big huge burger, chips and a beer at the end of the day. :-)

If you want to see more of our little adventure check out all the cool pics (including Becca's best Georgia O'Keefe homage) we took on an amazing day on the ice.

Brian

Editoral note: the first couple of fox glacier pics in the link above are from later that evening, checking out the gorgeous sunset over Lake Matheson

Westward bound...

Checking in after our first week in New Zealand.

Brian covered our entry into Christchurch quite nicely in the last entry. Since then, we have developed into a nice pattern of spending days hiking, driving a little bit, exploring little towns, and cooking dinner alongside travelers from all over in backpackers kitchens. It's been a pretty nice life, actually.

Some general thoughts/observations from driving down along the the south island's west coast:

-- The quality level of the BBH Backpackers places in New Zealand has really, really impressed us. They far outclass any hostels we stayed at in Europe or Asia. (Well, with the exception of the other-worldly Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, of course). They're in general cleaner, they have nicer additional facilities (like hot tubs, pool tables, dart boards, free bikes, etc.), the beds are real beds instead of feeling like army cots, and, at least at the smaller places, the owners are super friendly and nice and a great source of information. For anyone travelling more than 2 weeks or so in NZ (and wanting to stay at Backpacker accommodations), we highly recommend investing in the BBH card. Though a little spendy, you make it back quickly with room discounts, tourist discounts, and phone minutes.

-- Kiwis are just incredibly friendly. I know that that's the stereotype anyway, but it's just been born out again and again and again. Any one we've asked for info or directions or anything, even at gas stations and the like has done their utmost to make sure we've got what we need.

-- One of our favorite tourist stops so far was Monteiths Brewery in Greymouth. Some version of the brewery has been going since the 1800's and they produce a selection of six beers. The brewery in Greymouth only produces two of them still (evidently their parent company tried to move all the production away but a nationwide three day boycott put an end to that)but the staff of ten does everything (the office staff goes to the bottling line when needed). Just a family atmosphere. Plus they let you pour your own samples while providing you food recommendations with each. Just a really fun enjoyable experience.

-- This whole driving on the left thing is just for the birds. Not only is there the constant tension of remembering where you are supposed to be (especially at intersections in town), but we must have the cleanest windshield in the county (as the windshield wipers inevitably get triggered whenever we are looking for the turn signal). Thank goodness that the roundabouts eliminate the stress of most potential four way stops.

-- The New Zealand Department of Conservation has got its act seriously together. We have never been in a more efficient and well-maintained Parks and Rec environment. At every little town there is an office with every map you could possibly want, a helpful person to answer questions, and the trails categorized by location, time, difficulty, etc. And when you are on them, they are well built and maintained and very well signed. It makes the whole travelling down the coast doing random hikes strategy just a breeze. We just roll in to the DOC and ask them "so what hike are we doing today?" and they have an answer for any situation. Just amazing.

-- The west coast is comprised of all these very small towns (many of which used to be big gold mining centers in their glory days) with Greymouth being the largest at 13,500 people. As Brian mentioned before, many have a distinctly small town American 1950's feel to them. It's been great to just park the car and wander the blocks, enjoying the view from the docks (most of these towns are on the coast) and looking in the shop windows.

-- The scenery itself has been fantastic. Actually, in many ways (except for the snow-covered southern alps that we are approaching), it feels a heck of a lot like driving down the Oregon or northern CA coast....the same sort of rugged coast line with big rocks out in the water, and a windy highway weaving down and around forest-covered hills. (Of course, the hills in the Pacific NW aren't covered with rain forest with big palm trees and ferns sticking out of them!)

Most of all, we've just really enjoyed the laid back pace of the last week. With a car at our disposal, we just make up our itinerary as we go, stopping at scenic lookout points or hikes as we see them. We pull into town, pick up some groceries, and find the highest rated BBH place in the area, check in, cook, eat, maybe play scrabble or darts or cards or pool, and then have a good night's sleep. It's not a bad life. :-)

More soon, as we will hit the southern Alps with the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers!

Becca

Penguins and Small Town Americana

Penguins and the feel of small town Americana (or probably more accurately the UK) have been what have struck me most about Christchurch, our first destination in New Zealand.

Our cuddly little animals in tuxedos first. While looking into things to do in Christchurch, I found out that the NZ, US and Italian Antarctic teams are based here in Christchurch. It also serves as the major hub for all flights and work done on the forgotten continent. Since it's winter in the Antarctic right now and it would be a bit cost-prohibitive to visit anyway, we did the next best thing and visit the International Antarctic Centre. It was incredibly informative; a ton of information regarding everything from the terrain and temps of the continent to what the people living there eat on a daily basis. Also a lot of very interactive, family friendly exhibits, including a chance to relive some of our Minnesota winters via the "Snow and Ice Experience". Brrr...

Christchurch itself has a quaint, almost college town atmosphere. In fact it reminded me of Becca's home town of Corvallis (minus the cow fields) in that it's got a nice downtown area to walk around and some really nice green spaces. Yet it's the second largest city in New Zealand. Throws you for a bit of a loop when you're watching everything shut down at 5:30. I'm sure it's a pain for those shopping after work but it gives you the feeling that the Kiwis are a bit more concerned about quality of life and thus want their workers to head home at a decent hour. We went to find someplace to eat at 8:30 last night and came close to having a vending machine dinner since most of the restaurants were starting to wrap up for the evening. A bit of a shift from walking down the streets of Hong Kong at 11:30pm and seeing most of the stores still open. But it's a shift both of us are ready for. It's nice to have the traveling be a bit less "adventurous" for awhile.

One final note; it has been a serious adjustment so far being back in an English speaking country. I still find myself starting to use my battle tested pigeon English/pantomime combo and having to catch myself. In addition, I find myself struggling through normal conversations because after 4 plus months I've forgotten how to have a normal conversation with anyone other than the wife. And at this point after spending 10 plus months together I'm not sure I'm term any of our conversations normal.

We're headed off tomorrow for the town of Greymouth and a scenic ride on the Tranzalpine train. From there we pick up a rental car and the real fun starts. Hopefully a few days on the ground has allowed our brain to pick up the whole "driving on the left" thing.

Brian