From Te Anau we took a tour to Milford Sound (Fjord).  All of the Fjords in Fjordland national park are actually misnamed in that regard.  The drive there and back had scenery as spectacular as the tour itself.  We had the luck to see two types of dolphins in addition to the usual NZ fur seals and had an excellent commentary describing the features of the fjord.  On the way back we observed waterfalls, ice caves, and a kea that locked itself out of its campervan and was trying to get in through the roof vent.  We had plenty of time for a nice supper back in Te Anau where I had the pleasure of using a precision engineered, stainless steel, corner urinal.

Ben

After a detour to Melbourne for the Australian Open we are back home.  Getting back on the track of our South Island vacation…the morning after arriving in Queenstown I headed up to the Coronet Peak Ski Area on a run and scouted out the location for a later photo shoot.  From there we had a large breakfast at Halo in Queenstown before heading out of town.  We made a pit stop in Athol for some Deep South Apricot Ice Cream and an arousing visit to Stu’s Fly Shop before cruising across the high plains.  Our final destination was Te Anau on the shores of Lake Te Anau.  We had time there to visit the Te Anau Wildlife Centre and observe some of NZ’s rare bird species up close.

Ben

An early start the next morning lead to an early arrival for breakfast at Haast.  The truck with the whitebait patties wasn’t out yet so the non-coffee drinkers settled for ice cream.  From there Stephanie came harrowingly close to running out of gas as we crossed the mythical Gates of Haast.  Fortunately she drove so cautiously that by the time we pulled into the petrol station we only could have gone 50 km further instead of 25.  This afforded the rest of us ample time to take in the stunning scenery as we crossed from rainforest into semi-arid grassland and later to even drier tussock grasslands.  A stop at the Blue Pools of Haast offered an excellent chance to skip stones and investigate the striking blue glacial waters.  Gloria got an especially close look and undoubtedly has a deeper understanding of their mysteries than the rest of us.  After crossing the grasslands and the highest pass in NZ we arrived in world famous Queenstown, home of the southern hemisphere’s greatest ski resorts.  It is also home to the original bungee jumping site.  One of our group took the leap, but you will have to wait for the ultra high resolution photos from Stephanie’s camera to see who.  We followed that up with a nice evening walk around Queenstown and a tasty Thai dinner with gelato for dessert.  A brilliant sunset was the cherry on top.

Ben

After playing with the cats at our hotel, we headed into Hokitika to shop for some jade, though possum turned out to be the biggest seller.  From Hokitika we headed further down the coast and ventured out to see Franz Josef Glacier.  The west coast is characterized by heavy rainfall and temperate rainforest while the tallest mountains of the Southern Alps catch most of that precipitation and cast a large rain shadow on the east coast.  One result is glaciers flowing down the western slopes, though these are following the global trend and receding with the ever warming climate.  The trek to Franz Josef was into the rain so after drying out and eating lunch at The Plump Pigeon the adults were understandably reluctant to see nearby Fox Glacier.  Stephanie and I made the trip and walked there and back with hardly a drizzle.  We spent the night in Fox Glacier where Keith had to roll over and over in bed like a fur seal to digest his magnificent fish dinner.

After a reluctant farewell to the spit we had a nice sleep in Takaka and woke up the next morning to see nearby Pupu Springs.  The water clarity averages 63 meters, closely approaching the maximum theoretical value for water.  It is the clearest known fresh water and only the sea water under the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be clearer.  After a quick stop in town at the Dangerous Kitchen we headed back over the mountains, through more mountains, and down to the west coast at Westport.  On the way we stopped to cross the Buller Gorge Swing Bridge, purported to be the longest in NZ.  After Westport we stopped at Cape Foulwind for our first seal encounter.  We then headed to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.  Why these rocks formed the way they did is not understood but luckily for us they have eroded into several wave pools and blowholes which make it a kind of 2 for 1 attraction.  Later 4 of us looked on as Ken and Marian had a sizzling dinner in Greymouth.  We cruised into Hokitika just after dark.

Ben

After getting off the ferry in Picton we had a nice trip on the Queen Charlotte Drive, over the mountains to Nelson, around Tasman Bay, and over the mountains to Takaka.  There the grownups took a break while Stephanie and I continued on to Farewell Spit.  This spectacular sand spit extends 26 km along the northern edge of Golden Bay and is growing rapidly.  We didn’t get home until well after dark but it was worth the trip.

Ben

Stephanie, Keith, Gloria, Ken and Marian Furst, and I headed out for a big loop down the west coast and up the east coast of the South Island on December 31st.  I will try to post a bit from each day over the next few days.  Our first big day of the trip was just getting from Thames to Wellington.  We were caught in the cloudy tail of a cyclone that crashed into Australia so we weren’t able to show off Table Mountain or the North Island volcanos.  We did manage to have breakfast in The Shire, see Lake Taupo, and stop at Frankie’s in Bulls where the Tip Top Pure Passion threw Keith into something of a frenzy.  We had a nice walk and Indian dinner in Wellington and headed out on the Interislander ferry to Picton the next morning.

Ben

Season’s Greetings, everyone! This post is going to be quick, since I have yet to pack for our upcoming South Island trip, it’s 20:07, and we have to be in Auckland to pick Mom, Dad, Ken, and Mimi up at the airport at 05:00!!! (They are hopefully sleeping peacefully on the plane as I type!!!)

Ben transformed into Santa for work on Friday the 23rd – see pictures! (Side note – Santa also showed up while we Skyped with Tylyn on Christmas… Tylyn was awed by Santa’s presence! It was really cute!)

On the 24th, we headed to Raglan (a trendy little surfing town on the west coast) to try our hand at surfing. Sadly, after an hour of instruction and two hours in the ocean it was evident that we need A LOT more practice before either of us can claim to be any type of surfer. I was able to stand up on the board a few times for a few seconds before crashing; which was exhilarating! However, when you consider that I DIDN’T get up and instead crashed hundreds of times, my “few” times of getting up is much less impressive. Ha! I’m looking forward to the next attempt, which will hopefully yield more results.

Ben and I spent Christmas Day lunch with some friends and their families. It was very much like the Christmases we’re used to, except for the warm weather – we ate lunch outside! I really wanted to get to a beach on Christmas, just so I could rub it in your faces! We headed to Waihi Beach where I laughed at Ben from the beach as he played in the waves! We met a few other friends at the beach later on.

The 26th was spent at Hot Water Beach. There are two hot springs under part of the beach, so you can dig a hole in the sand and it’ll fill up with hot water… your own hot tub! Of course, being the day after Christmas, the beach was PACKED!!! It was kind of fun working with complete strangers to dig holes and create high enough walls that the waves didn’t collapse the hole. (Sorry, not a very good explanation, but I’m in a hurry!)

For the last day of Ben’s 4 day week, we went to the Port Waikato beach (another beach on the west coast, this one was a black sand beach). We had hoped to practice our surfing, but they actually didn’t rent boards there, so we played in the waves instead. The landscape around Port Waikato is SPECTACULAR. I didn’t have my camera with me but we’ll definitely have to go back so I can get some pictures.

That about catches you up. I’m super excited about seeing everyone tomorrow!!!!! It’s forecast to rain for the next few days, but we’ll make the most of it anyway. I warned them to bring raincoats!

You won’t hear much from me for the next 2 weeks, as we’re all going down to the South Island to check the sights there.

Happy New Year!

Talk to you in 2012,
Steph

Santa heading off for work bearing gifts in a beer box! Ha!	Santa somehow acquired a moustache during the day… Freaky!	On the way to Raglan, NZ
	Raglan, NZ

It’s been a very rainy week in New Zealand. Nelson (on the north part of the South Island) had record rainfall which resulted in more than 200 slips (mud and rock slides). Thankfully it wasn’t that extreme in Thames, but the weather did keep me inside most of the week. That actually worked out okay because I spent that time completing my Hauraki Healthy Kai report (for which I actually get paid!). I did venture out for the Health and Disability Resource Centre’s Christmas Party on Wednesday. It was a lovely party and a good chance to meet the rest of their volunteers. The Centre closes for 3 weeks over the holidays, so everyone was looking forward to their time off! (They don’t call them vacations here, rather they say “holidays.”)

Ben and I had a quiet Friday evening. The rain held off until the nighttime, so we were able to take a nice walk before dinner (I made a soup that took WAY longer than it should have… but turned out well). Saturday’s rain also held off until the evening (that’s happened a number of times, actually – it absolutely pours cats and dogs during the night and just drizzles during the day), so we enjoyed the Thames Christmas Parade! It was fun to see the floats. Ben brought chairs for us to sit on, but none of the other observers had chairs. I realized why when the parade finished 18 minutes after it started! May as well just stand for that length of time! There were no tractors in the parade, but there were some good bands, the requisite fire trucks/ambulances, and even a unicorn! One of the floats handed out icecream cones, so Ben was happy. (He did share, so I was happy too!)

After the parade, we drove up the coast a bit to see the Square Kauri tree. On our way back to town we stopped and had some icecream (yes, it was a two cone day!) and then admired the blooming Pohutukawa trees. They are absolutely spectacular when in bloom (also called the “Coromandel Christmas Tree” because they bloom over Christmas). I possibly overdid it taking pictures of the trees, but you all should be used to that by now!

Sunday was a very rainy day. We took the opportunity to check out a few of the local gold mining museums. I learned that one of the local mines once produced ~250 ounces of gold per ton of rock; A staggering number when you compare it to the current Waihi mine which produces an acceptable 3 ounces of gold per ton of rock. The hills around here are just completely riddled with mines. Mines also often had horses to help with the hauling – the horses lived underground in the mines and were brought up only once a year for the holidays. They had to keep their eyes covered because it was too bright. Poor guys! Gold mining was dangerous work for both horses and men.

We closed the weekend by playing cribbage. Yes, I know, we’re just too exciting! Hopefully the weather improves so we can start diving again!

Happy Holidays!!!

~Steph

P.S. If you check my previous posts, you’ll note that I used part of my time indoors to add pictures to my posts (all the way back to posts in October). I’m finally all caught up on pictures again!!!

A bird that serenaded us on Friday night.
	Nothing like a BMW motorcycle Ambulance!	General parade entries for the Thames Christmas 2011 Parade.
Anyone up for rapelling?		The Ukes on Fire group practices on Wednesday nights by our place, so we get to enjoy their music sometimes.
		Christmas Rock Band. I especially like the girl's tripod.
Sure Beats Work'n!
Better than candy, one of the floats handed out icecream cones!
	Who knew!?! Unicorns DO exist!
	Ben playing in a Pohutukawa tree after enjoying the Christmas Parade.	Pohutukawa blossoms. The pohutukawa is sometimes referred to as "The Coromandel Christmas Tree" because it blooms over Christmas.
	Square Kauri tree.
A Kauri grove. They're spectacular trees. Not to mention huge!	Pohutukawa tree. The bits hanging down are actually roots.
	Beautiful, eh?
		Rain anyone? Here it comes.

The last two weeks have not had good diving or surfing weather and we were too lazy to really go anywhere so we did a few things close to home.  Steph already told you about the Miranda Shorebird Centre which also is located on a rare geologic formation known as a Chenier Plain.  The most interesting feature is that the soil is entirely made up of shells.  We went to Bridge to Bridge in Hamilton to watch the waterski races.  To set a new record time a team would have to average about 92 miles per hour so they are going much faster than most recreational skiers and are fun to watch fly past.  We were back in Hamilton on Wednesday with a couple friends for the New Zealand Great Santa Run.  The pictures pretty much explain it.  This weekend we went to the public walkover of the new Kopu Bridge.  The old bridge is a single lane bridge with a swing section in the centre for boats to get past.  It gets very backed up at busy times so the new bridge is a big deal for the region.  We just got back from a barbecue with the Thursday night Touch crew where I got a new water pistol in the Christmas present exchange.  Steph made puppy chow which was almost as big of a hit as my Mitchell County Lager was at the last barbecue so we may get invited to more barbecues in the future.

Ben