New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas - TwoSouls

Goodbye Kiwi land - a look back...

TwoSouls — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The angel is protecting us... so need not worry about us!

Hello family and friends... we can't believe it's already been 2 months on the road, but we feel lucky to have jam packed many memorable times into those 2 months and look forward to our upcoming adventures in Australia. Our last few days in New Zealand were a bit anti-climatic, but we did manage to wrap up some of our business and lighten our load for the trip to Sydney. We were lucky enough to stay with a friend we met up in Takaka and it was really helpful to have a "base" to get organized - big thanks to Braden and his family for being so generous and kind! Below are a couple of thoughts we put together on our time in New Zealand... we managed to agree on most of it, so I guess we are pretty good travel companions!

Top 3 Spots - North Island:
1. Mt. Mauganui
2. Wellington
3. Rotorua

Top 3 Spots - South Island:
1. Takaka
2. Queenstown
3. Wanaka

Top 10 Kiwi Experiences (in order of occurance):
1. Alabar Ranch
2. Mitai - Maori Huka
3. Sailing on Lake Taupo
4. Mapua Holiday Park Annual concert
5. Able Tasman Track
6. Global Village Backpackers
7. Franz Joseph Glacier
8. Milford Sound Track
9. Queenstown Gondola (hike, views, lounging with Noel)
10. Tim - Wai-o-tapu Geothermal
Jen - Secondhand bookstores

Why New Zealand is cool:
- lots of free overnight camping
- lots of free public toilets
- fantastic scenery!
- short hops between cities
- flat whites (espresso beverage)
- generous locals
- lots of i-sites (information)
- cool movie theaters
- Kathmandu 50% sale

Why we wouldn't move here:
- sandflies
- lack of good dark beer
- lots of rain
- overpriced outdoor gear
- most towns close up at 5 pm
- increasing theft and violence
- too far from YOU!

We'll visit with you again in Oz!

Oh, and thanks for the care-packages... we love you!

Care packages - you love us, you really love us!

Newsflash: Trampers now back on pavement

TwoSouls — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hanging up our boots...

Holy hotdogs... it's been over 2 weeks since our last blog! We've been on the trail and off the trail and then back on and now we find ourselves in Christchurch, preparing ourselves for our Feb. 12th flight to Sydney, Australia. It is with sadness and relief that we clean Lucy up, pack up our bags (harder than one would think) and enjoy our last few days in New Zealand. I'll try to catch you up a bit on our latest adventures.

Stoney, Jen and Tim enjoy a beer together at the Cardrona Motel

Another beautiful day!

After staying a few days in Wanaka, we drove south to Queenstown for a quick overnight stay before starting the Milford Track. We gave our friend Stoney (we met in Greymouth) a ride with us and enjoyed crossing paths a few times before we left for Te Anu and the start of the track. We didn't feel that we got to see enough in Queenstown, so we decided to change our route a bit and head back there after the tramps and spend a few more days there... we just needed to be careful not to spend all our money on the plethera of adventure options, including bungy, sky diving, canyon swing, paragliding and heli-biking.

After some laughter-filled goodbyes, we drove to Te Anu and found ourselves a Holiday

Jen rests on the last mile marker on the Milford Track

park to spend the night and prepare for the 4 day tramp into Milford Sound. I don't to see Tim much more excited than I do when he's preparing for a backpacking trip - he has a great system and I feel very safe with him on the trail, as I know he's pretty much thought of everything (outside my need for chocolate)! We took a ferry to the start of the track and had an easy first day - just an hour and a half to the first hut. We got to know our fellow trampers and relaxed that evening after heading down to the swimming hole for some COLD water fun. The next day was a beautiful hike and we plopped down int he hut around 2 pm, only to decide to keep trekking to the top of the pass so we could see it in the sunshine - a 17 mile hike altogether! But it was worth it and we got some great photos.

Taking a break to enjoy the views

Tim looks at the statue at the pass

Day 3 was tough, as we had to ascend to the pass again and then head down for many hours - again, the views were breathtaking and we really enjoyed ourselves. Tim's favorite point was his venture behind Sutherland Falls - the tallest waterfall in NZ... I didn't catch a very good photo, but I think he'll remember it for a long time to come. Day 4 was fairly flat and we arrived in Sandfly point (aptly named) just in time to have a snack and catch the ferry back to Milford Sound. We stayed the night in the lodge and got up early to experience the Sounds by kayak. I was hesitant to spend the money, but it was well-worth it - the guides were awesome and we had quite an adventure when two of the other kayaks in the group (4 total plus 2 guides) capsized... a bit of a windy day, but everyone managed to get back to shore safely and we laughed all the way back to our car on the bus.

Who's in charge of this here kayak?

Our last morning on the trail at Kepler

We had another night in Te Anu to prepare for Kepler Track. I decided I was too tired to do the whole trail, so Tim prepared for his departure and I booked myself into a nice en-suite unit in a near by hostel. Tim left about noon on Wednesday and we met up again at the last hut on the trail on Friday afternoon about 5 pm... he had a really good time on the trail, although it sounds like it was pretty tough. He ran into our friend Sepp and hiked in with him and Andrea, a really nice German gal. I lounged around town at the lake and the park and did a lot of reading and walking around... it was a perfect break for both of us and we were very excited to see each other on the trail those few days later. it rained ALL DAY on Friday, so we were both drenched when we arrived - it felt to warm our bones by the fire and we felt relaxed as we spent out last night together on the trails of the Fiorlands. We hiked out, hitched a ride back to Te Anu, ran a few errands, picked up a young couple that needed a ride and headed back to Queenstown to relax.

SLOW DOWN... and enjoy the view

A rose garden on the mini golf course? Sweet!

Queenstown doesn't look that specatcular from the ground... it's a party town and it can be a little busy and unkempt. But we enjoyed wandering around town and spending some time with new friends. I finally got Tim to play minigolf (no wonder he doesn't much like it) and we hiked up to the gondola and spent the evening in the Skyline Lounge. Words can't describe the views from up there, and we had the pleasure of getting to know the musician that plays there from time to time... he's a sailor, a musician and a poet, so he touched both of our hearts and we hope to keep in touch with him. We spent a little more time in town before leaving on Monday evening - making our way to the East Coast for the first time. We arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday and cozied ourselves into the van for ONE LAST NIGHT. Today, we made breakfast at the beach and cleaned up Lucy. We are staying at the point Break Backpackers in New Brighton (outside of Christchurch) and we connect with a local friend that we met in Takaka... after a few days at his place and another few days seeing the sights here, we will head to Sydney.

A bottle of Jacob's Creek in the Skyline Lounge

Ah... doesn't seem like we've gone two months, but I have certainly been homesick and I can't tell you how much we think of you guys. I'll see a killer bike trail and I'll say "Oh man, Brian (Lowe) would love that" or we'll pick up a couple shells on the beach and think about our newphews, Anthony and Alex. it goes without saying that I think of my mom and sister all the time, and I definitely feel my Dad watching over us... thank you again for all your e-mails, phone calls and shouts of support. We are glad you are enjoying the blog and we'll try to get back on-line soon.

Miss you!
Jen

West Coast New Zealand...

TwoSouls — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Seems like forever since it was my turn to blog. Thanks so much for all the e-mail from you back at home in response to our postings - we love hearing from you! Okay... let's catch up a bit.

Views of Buller Gorge area on the way to the west coast (Jan 13)

After leaving Takaka (The Golden Bay), we made our way to the west coast via Murchison and the Buller River Gorge. The route took us through some beautiful farmland, past crystal clear rivers and scenic gorges. We probably should have stopped more often to take photos, but it was raining off-and-on and we were anxious to get to the coast. Sunday evening in Westport was quiet and the town didn't seem to have much to offer, so we made a quick dinner on the beach, played around in the sand a bit and headed south for Greymouth.

I decided to pull over at Fox River to sleep for the night and drove right down next to the river. Little did I know that we were so close to the beach that the tide would affect the water level. A few hours later, we woke to water slooshing around under the van and up into the slider step. Luckily, we were able to start the van and quickly back up to safer ground (sputter, sputter). But the van died after that and wouldn't re-start - not easy to fall back asleep. Fortunately, the next morning she did fire up again, with about 20 minutes of choking and complaint. Determined to get her healthy again, I kept the revs up until she dried out - Whew!

Lucy didn't like the high tide at Fox River

We REALLY enjoyed Global Village!

Greymouth was a welcome site and we decided to stay at Neptune's hostel near downtown. Our double room had a TV, a sink and a balcony! We cooked big, tasty meals, did some laundry, walked around town, relaxed and took in a movie in the room. We also heard about another highly rated backpackers in town, so we drove by to check it out. BBH Global Village turned out to be fantastic - wonderfully decorated with Indonesian and African themes, free kayaks and mountain bikes, sauna/gym & spa, free range eggs from their chickens and super hice hosts. We booked two nites and wish we could of stayed longer! We also ran into our friends from Abel Tasman again. On our second night in Greymouth, we did a brewery tour at Monteith's with them and had a blast. It's funny how travelers paths will cross so many times unexpectedly, even when those routes aren't really planned out. We connected with our firends from Isreal here and again in Hokitika, the next town down the road (and made a point to finally do dinner together).

Brewery Tour at Monteith's - a lively bunch

Kayaking on the lake behind Global Village Hostel (Jan 16)

Tim took me up to the mouth of the glacier

There is meaning all around... (Jan 20)

Out of Hokitika, we had our sights set on the glaciers (Franz Josef & Fox). I really wanted

Tim and his guide, Gavin (Jan 18)

to do an all-day guided hike up one, so I decided on Franz Josef after asking around for advice. While I was on the glacier, Jen reserved an en-suite room for us (broken TV = $30 discount) and relaxed around town for the day. The hike turned out to be great and our guide, Gavin (from Ireland), was superb - please check out the photos! The next morning, I led Jen to the foot of the glacier for a 1/2 day hike and we stopped and had some snacks near the big ice cavern. Huge chunks of ice were calving off and then rolling down the river - it was pretty exciting!

Views of the river outside of Wanaka (Jan 20)

After the hike, we drove down to Wanaka with a scenic spot to sleep next to Hawea Lake. We are in Wanaka today and checked into a campsite for 2 days. It's a cute little town and we are looking forward to a couple days to relax and give Lucille a little TLC. Today is out 1-year wedding anniversary, so we'll log off now to enjoy the rest of the evening and will catch up with you in a few days.

Cheers,
Tim

Abel Tasman - the long way around!

TwoSouls — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cheers family and friends!

Do we look like we are ready to hike? (Jan 06)

Starting the 4 day adventure... a little hung over (Jan 06)

We are finally back from our 5 day tramp, but we ended up making it a two part adventure. We started the track on Sunday and planned to walk the entire track through to Thursday. But the weather took a nasty turn on the second evening and after two nights camping in the rain, we took a vote and decided to take the next water taxi back to headquarters and dry our boots while sipping on a pint in the local pub. It was a beautiful hike as you can see from the photos, but it just ain't no fun camping in the rain, especially with stinky toilets, wet socks, critters getting into our tent and the ever-famous SANDFLIES! We are still recovering from some pretty nasty bites, but it's all a part of the backpacker lifestyle.

Stopping for a breather on the track (Jan 07)

We headed back to Nelson to regroup in a backpackers with our old friend Arne and our new friends from Germany, Flo and Sepp... after a big BBQ and a hot shower, we stayed the night in the van and decided to head up to the north end of the track (the end we never made it to) to enjoy the hut we had booked for the next night.

Late dinner with the boys at the hostel (Jan 09)

We backtracked through Motueka and up to Wainui to get ourselves back on the Tasman trail. After a short twilight hike, we made dinner on Whariwharangi beach and slept in the old hut - built back in 1897 by John Handcock. It was well worth taking the long way around to hit this section of the track and we recommend it to anyone heading this way.

Dinner on the beach at Whariwharangi Beach (Jan 10)

After finishing up the hike, we settled into Takaka. It's a cool, artsy little town on a river and has been a great jumping point for us during the last Tasman hike, a day trip up north to Collingwood and for an outdoor concert we have tickets for later today. On Thursday, we walked around town, caught a movie (Lions for Lambs by Robert Redford - highly recommended by both of us!) and watched the locals kick their feet up at Open Mic night at The Brigade.... it was quite a fun day. After a night in the van, we drove up north on Friday and then found a watering hole for Tim to do some cliff jumping. It was a bit chilly for me this time around, but I'll get there eventually! Then to Pupu Springs to chill with some new made friends by the campfire and a good night sleep in the van on the river.

Cool mural in downtown Takaka - 48 people painted it together (Jan 11)

This morning, we ran some necessary errands, walked around the Saturday market and will head to Cobb Valley for 24 hours of live music and camping. So we will say goodbye to Takaka, a town we've grown to like very much, and start heading south again. We've been lucky to meet very cool people and find some great spots to camp... and we've managed to forego the cute artsy, fartsy stuff that I so much want to buy. It's just serious-strength bug repellant, sunscreen, cookies and beer for now. We are missing you all and hope you are well. Once we get to a more affordbale internet city, we will publich a few e-mails and do another blog - it's Tim's turn.

Big hugs and WICKED (NZ slang for "cool") fun!
Jen

Finally some sunshine in Nelson!

TwoSouls — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hello from sunny Nelson in the South Island!

New Years toast with Mate and Veronica (Dec 31)

Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for all your kind e-mails and loving thoughts you've been sending these past days and weeks. We wish that we had more time to respond to the e-mail and update the blog site, but we don't want to spend the bilk of our days in these crappy little internet cafes... we do hope you know how much we are thinking of you and that we see you in so much of what we do!

After a great night out on New Year's Eve, we relaxed in Baelena Bay most of the day and soaked in the sun. We walked through the Botanical Gardens and spent a little more time tripping around town before preparing for our ferry ride on the 2nd. We really enjoyed Wellington (#3 on the list thus far) and met some really great people in the North Island, a few of whom we are connecting with now in Nelson. We are traveling with Arne from Holland - we met him in Rotorua and will be hiking Able Tasman with him staring tomorrow for about 5 days. It's nice to have anothe traveling companion and we've enjoyed camping in a local holiday park on the outskirts of town

Views from the ferry - brrrr! (Jan 2)

Sleepy New Years Day smiles...

We hit a farmer's market this morning and are doing a little shopping for the trek tomorrow - we need to make sure we have lightweight dry goods and plenty of water, especailly since it's been so warm these past few days. Tonight we will head south of town, meet some friends at a house-party (some sort of 80's New Zealand band) and try to find a free place to camp tonight before hitting the trail. I'm excited to get some exercise, althought we've all thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing on the beach and just tripping around town. Able Tasman is supposed to be one of the most beautiful tramps in NZ, so we will defintely have some great photos to share.

Tahuna Beach camping with the boys (Jan 05)

I am going to keep this short so that I can tag some of our photos. We are doing fine and have managed to slow down on the money spending a bit. Most of the residue from the theft has been taken care of and we are being A LOT more careful with our belongs - so need not worry - we DID learn our lesson, at least the best we know how. There are bound to be negative things that happen while we are on the road, so all in all, we are in good shape. I am missing my family and friends... I keep wanting to buy all sorts of gifts and goodies for you, but I will refrain for now, at least until I get to Asia.

Big hugs to you all... and be sure to take a few days off here and there - you deserve it.
Love - Jen(naynay)

Sunset at the campground (Jan 04)

A Knock Down, But Not Out

TwoSouls — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

While enjoying a quick dip in Spa Park back in Taupo, our van was broke into and we lost some important things- phone, Jen's passport, credit cards, mp3 player, and Jen's toiletries. Admittedly, we were lax and left things in plain view (and didn't notice one window wasn't latched). We learned the hard way this time aroundRegardless, Taupo was great and we enjoyed a trip out on the lake aboard the Barbury,

We're on the Barbary on Lake Taupo (Dec 23)

Errol Flynn's old sailboat. Sailing to some Maori carvings for photos and a swim...I was the only one who wanted to swim- pretty cold water and the weather still being so-so.
We had planned on doing the Tongariro Crossing which some have said is better than Milford, but the break-in caused us to just want to move further south. Christmas day we arrived on Wellington at the YHA Wellington City
This YHA has a 4-star rating and is very comfortable but busy. We checked in for the one night in dorm style beds, freshened up and went downstairs to prepare dinner.....the two kitchens were both full of people cooking large X-mas meals (smelled awesome!), so we opted to just have pizza (a large delivered to hostel members for $6.50) and drinks. This was a very different sort of X-mas for us - we miss our family and know they are missing us too...!

Tim and Jen self-portrait on top of Mt. Vic (Dec 30)

Who would of thought... Two Souls Bistro! (Dec 31)

Hopefully, everybody is having a great holiday and getting some time to check our blog.
The YHA has become like a second home. Even though we take off to sleep in our van at night; we cook, shower, hang out, and make new friends there. We recently did a pub crawl with a group from there- fun, fun! Wellington is beautiful and there's much to see and do. Te Papa museum is new and huge (a whole day's worth)...free too! The veiw from Mt. Victoria is fabulous 360....Cuba Street is full of shops and pubs....Botanical Gardens, Parlaiment, the waterfront and more. This is also the windiest city I've ever been in...almost never stops.

Views of Wellington (Dec 30)

Downtown Wellington - where the hip hang out... (Dec 31)

Yesterday, we made contact with our first Couchsurfing host. We visited at a great place (Southern Cross) and met again at his house for a stay-over. CSurfing will hopefully become frequent throughout our trip. It's definitely a good $ saver and way to meet locals.
Well, this is the last day of 2007 and I hope this blog finds all of you in good health and dandy spirits!.}

Wellington hostel (Dec 30)

We love you all and hope hear from you via email!
Happy New Year!!!
Tim and Jen

Ugh... we must be on Santa's naughty list!

TwoSouls — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well... we've recently stumbled upon one of the things that we as travelers are warned about regularly... theft. Not to fret, we are going to manage just fine and after a few grunts and groans about what we lost, we both feel lucky that it wasn't worse... it could of been WAY worse.

After a great afternoon boat cruise from the harbour to some art carvings on the lake,

Wind in our hair... and the sails on the Barbary (Dec 23)

Tim and I snuck out to soak in a spa area that was recommended to us - a spot where the steamy water from the thermal pools meet the cool water of the river. It was fantastic and quite a treat, but it was not such a treat to find some things missing from our van upon our return to the parking lot. An update - it was worse than we thought, but we are doing our best to take care of all the loose ends, and thanks to my sister, I think we managed to get everything under control... probably the worst Christmas yet. We are hopeful that it will all work out and are trying to view this as a (crappy, but) meaningful lesson in truly SIMPLIFYING. We don't NEED a phone (although we miss the sound of your voice) and we certainly don't need music... going without the tweezers is debatable, but most of that stuff can be replaced if necessary and all we truly need on this trip is each other.

Our (free) campsite at Reid Farm in Taupo

So... after helping a few German gals to and from the camp park this morning, we did a bit of grocery shopping and spent some time at the beach relaxing - I finally got a bit of a suntan (well, burn really, but not on my face - I'm not that crazy) and am feeling better as we look to make our way out of town. We will head south to Taurangi this evening and have vowed to live on the cheap for the rest of our stay in the North Island. We can certainly find free spots to sleep in the van and have plenty of food to get us through the new year... a couple good books, some hiking trails and a bit more sunshine will be plenty for now - and if our stuff ends up tossed on the side of road and turned into the local police station, I wouldn't mind a drive back through town for the possible rescue of my SPF30 chaprstick and Tylenol PM.

Your prayers are welcome, but we don't want you to worry - this is all a part of the journey. We will be more careful with our valueables in the future and will probably end up buying a local calling card to make the occasional phone call. For now, the promised Christmas calls will need to be delayed... just know that we are thinking of you and wishing you and your loved ones all the best for the holiday.

Much, much love,
Jen and Tim

P.S. Since the Maori experience, we are offically calling Tim "Chief"... it makes his chest puff up with pride and puts a big smile on his face - try it sometime :)

Rotorua to Taupo

TwoSouls — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello again family, friends, and fans!

Jen and I are now in Taupo. The journey here from Rotorua was through beautiful farmlands and countryside. Travel time in Lucille (our cozy '85 Toy van) was about 1 hour. We stopped by Huka Falls on the way in for a look at the only outlet from Lake Taupo. It is a very popular spot and offers great photo ops Last night in Rotorua was a blast! We went to Matai- a cultural spot with the Maori's performing in their native attire, cooking food in the ground (what a meal!), and sharing the history of their culture. When asked of the crowd for a volunteer to be Chief (to represent the 16 countries or nations in our group), I raised my hand. Little did I know what I was getting into... First, I accepted a gift after having a stare-down with a very intimidating warrior with a spear.

Tim gets ready to make his speech

Then greeted the Chief with a speech and thanked him for sharing the of experience, food, culture, etc. Last but not least, I shook hands and rubbed noses with him (the typical Maori greeting ).

Tim meets the Chief

Well.....after the warrior came at me with that spear, lunging and dancing around the whole while staring right through me - I really think I blew the speech. The peoples of my many nations came to me afterward, congratulating me on a job well done- but I don't know. At our table for the fabulous meal; we had a couple from Australia, a young couple from Isreal, a gal from Finland, and a guy from Germany. Everyone was great and we'll probably see most of them again later in our travels.

In front of Kiwi Paka

Tim gets crazy after the Maori performance

Once we returned to Kiwi Paka (the hostel), we had a couple of drinks with Nina (our Finland friend that lives in Australia) and a chap from Holland who seems to be on the same track and time schedule as us. Very good times!!!!
Backtracking.....Earlier in the day I left Jen in town to venture out to Wai-O-Tapu with a gal from Germany to see a very diverse geo-thermal area.

We took tons of pictures and had a good walk for about 90 minutes. Also saw the guy pour soap into the Lady Knox Geyser to set it off (kind of cheesy way to make that a timed attraction- if you ask me). This morning to Taupo we gave a lift to a very nice and very well travelled older lady (78) from Scotland. She shared tons of stories and we really enjoyed spending time with her.
Well, I've been sitting in this internet cafe almost 3 1/2 hours and I need to get.
Love ya'all!!!
Chief Tim of 16 Nations

Quick update...

TwoSouls — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

For those of you that heard about the earthquake down here, we wanted to let you know we are safe. It was a 6.8 out of Gisbon, which is about 200 km southeast of us, so we did feel the tremor, but it was mild here. It was strange though, because I didn't know that they had earthquakes down here... I thought I was having a head rush when I first felt the rolling - then my tummy got a little queasy, but once we agreed it was a quake, it all made sense - it was actually quite exciting. Come to find out they have at least one quake a day in this area - most a re too small to even register.

So there you have it. Tim is at a natural geyser with a friend from the hostel and I decided to skip it and wander into town - the sun is peeking out a bit and I'm going to see about getting a chocolate bar to hide in the van for later (Tim doesn't really get my desire for chocolate, so it's best that I purchase these items while on my own).

Cheers!
Jen

Into the city and right back out again...

TwoSouls — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

G-Day from Harry's Cyber-Cafe!

Jen always wants to sleep in, but gotta make the most of the day

Well, we've been to a few new cities since our last blog... after the quick, but memorable stay at Kathy and Wayne's outside of Auckland, we took a train into the city and found our way to a hostel downtown. We got a lot of funny looks as we lugged our huge packs 20 blocks up the main drag, but it's easy to see that this area is very backpacker friendly and they were likely impressed by the size of our loads (that can be good or bad). Unfortunately, I ACCIDENTALLY reformatted the camera disk and lost the photos from the first couple days of the trip, but the memories will live on in our hearts and we will make up for it by posting as many photos as we can down the road.

Auckland was a fun city, but a bit touristy for our taste... and a wee bit expensive as

View of the SkyTower

well. We wandered around the main strip, stared up at the Sky Tower and hung around the Harbor a bit. The main highlight was the purchase of "Lucille", a 1985 Toyota Van that we will live in for the next 2 months. After looking more into public transport, we decided that our own wheels would allow us to camp more freely and cover

Jen loves you and misses you - from Nelson NZ

more ground. I just about fell over as we withdrew the money to cover the (unplanned) purchase, but we think it will save us money in the long run and has been the perfect shelter for the rain. It's been RAINY and OVERCAST the last few days and it's driving me crazy to be on the beach and not be able to lounge in my bikini... I am so pale that no one believes we are from California!

After grabbing a few groceries at FoodTown, we left Auckland and drove a couple hours

A cute little harbour town in the Bay of Plenty

up to Thames - it was late when we arrived, so the town was pretty much shut down. We stopped for a tinkle and found a spot along the highway to camp in the van. After a quick breakfast, we headed north to Comorandel - a quaint little harbour town. We stretched our legs for a few hours and lounged in the van reading to wait out the rain. Then we headed to Hahei along a scenic, but very bumpy dirt road (Tim was not pleased).

In the cave at Cathedral Cove- near Hahei (Coromandel Peninsula)

We hiked to Cathdral Cove and had a snack on that beach, then to Hot Water Beach, which was, well... a little unimpressive. Here, you can dig your own hole on the beach at low tide and "relax, share a bottle of champange and watch the sunset" according to all the guide books... but there were a zillion people there and we decided to skip the $5 shovel fee and move on. Tim and I seem to agree that the overly crowded spots aren't for us and that we prefer the mellow little towns rather than the city scene. If we were 25 and single, things might be different, but we are pretty happy to lounge in the van together after some sight seeing, a hike or a coffee at a locally owned cafe.

After a long drive down the coast and a quick overnight stay in the van outside of

Mt. Maunganui town from the top

Tauranga, we headed for Mt. Maunganui, a spot where a lot of the locals go to holiday. We found a killer campground on the beach and set up camp for 2 days. We relaxed in the hotwater salt tubs next door, walked around town, did some laundry and a few errands, took a hike to the top of the mountain and got to know the coming and going neighbors a bit. So far, we've chatted up folks from London, Australia, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Santa Cruz of all things... I saw one guy with a "Pizza My Heart" shirt on and the manager at the hot tubs is a former UCSC BananaSlug!

We are now in Tauranga... after logging off, we will walk "the Strang" and giggle at all the holiday craziness - not as crazy as it is in the States, but you do see quite a few runners with santa hats on and have walked into many establishments with the Christmas CD spinning. Next stop is Rotorua - home of the Maori people and another great hot springs spot. We plan to stay 2 days and catch a Maori cultural event of some sort. We are also hoping to catch some live music soon and some beach time for sure... I can't wait to dig my buns in the sand and cuddle up with a good book.

We miss our family and friends, but are really enjoying the beauty of the country and are

With the rainy weather comes a gorgeous rainbow - this one's for Brian and my Dad...

trying to live in the moment. Tim and I get in a few spats a day, but we are quick to make up and try to give each other space to breathe. We both get a bit irritable at times, usually because we are tired, hungry, dirty, or short on caffeine (never thought I'd really get caffeine headaches). We hope to have at least one day a week were we can stay put in one spot and refresh - that should help. Oh and coffee - that should help too, and thanks to our friend Bob from the campground, we've got a new french press! Ask and you shall receive....

So we gotta give Harry a few bucks for use of the internet and move along... thank you all for the e-mails and we are thinking about you... and be sure to check out our photos!

Yes, We Made It!!

TwoSouls — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Parting Shot... do we look excited or what?

Hey everybody! We've done gone now.....
We are in NZ now and staying with a lovely couple (Wayne and Kathy) at Alabar Ranch about 45 minutes from Auckland. Alabar is a breeding center for horses on about 300 beautiful acres with views across the water of Auckland and the surrounding areas.
(Thank you for the connection, Tom!)

What a view! Our bedroom the first night in NZ.

Wayne and Kathy made a not-so-frequent trip into the city to meet us at the airport. The drive out to Alabar was nice but strange since everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road. I guess the US is one of the few countries that people drive on the right side. (Does that make us the weird ones?)

Walking on shells- The beach at Alabar Ranch

In the eve, Jen and I took a walk down to the beach, going through a few paddocks on the way. Curious mares would come close to check us out (which spooked Jen a-time-or-two).
It's breeding season here and there are lots of foals sticking close to there mothers. Two more were born last night.

Jen with a friendly mare

We slept hard last night after being graciously hosted and well fed. I wouldn't mind staying right here for a long time but we're off to see the wizard (I mean "The World"), so we'd better embrace the "on the road" idea.
This morning we were shown the breeding process- Collecting the sperm from the stallions; into the lab for analysis, processing, and shipping; and also the artificial insemination of the mares. Wild!
This afternoon we'll say goodbye and catch a train back into Auckland.