The end of a holiday

We're in Auckland, and tomorrow we fly back to Melbourne. It's been a great holiday - I have tons of pictures and cool experiences to share. We're excited to reconnect with people in Melbourne once we return, and are sad that our time there is coming to an end. But, we are super-excited to see the family in USA :)

Just a sneak peek...

Here are a few pictures from our trip thus far :)

Franz Joseph Glacier reflected in a pond

CO and I on a hike (tramp)

Me on the way to Milford Sound


Milford Sound (actually a fijord)

Milford Sound

Aroha from Queenstown

Hello!

Yesterday we drove from Hokitika to the glaciers. It was so cool to see huge things of ice, kilometers long, making their way down mountains! We didn't get to hike too close to them, or on them. We could have at Franz Joseph, but heard it was better at Fox Glacier. So, we drove on to Fox, and all of the public access points were closed due to construction or flooding. Grrr. The only people who could get through were the paid tours. Paid tours that started at $90/person. Um, thanks, but no thanks! We did get in a few good hikes, tramps, if you will, that were pretty cool.

We drove on to Haast, and had a great dinner at a local pub.

Today we drove from Haast through the Haast Pass. It really reminded us of Hawaii - lush green foliage, including big tree ferns and hala. It rained most of the day, and is still raining now. I hope it clears up soon, but hey, that's what makes everything so green, so I'll take it.

The town of Wanaka is pretty cool - it's a ski/resort town in the mountains. We ate lunch there, and it looked cute, even in the rain.

I'm a little disappointed because we don't have enough budgeted to go jetboating, but I'll get over that. It looked like a really cool trip - Dart River Jetboat Safari. CO says I'm whining like a spoiled brat. That could be true, I suppose.

It's kind of funny, after being in OZ for a while, I am beginning to be able to tell different accents - like between British, Aussie, and Kiwi. It's kind of fun. I wish I could imitate them, but alas, no such luck.

Until next time...

Who knew?

We have internet access in our hotel in Hokitika :)

We arrived in Christchurch, full from a meal on the plane. Air New Zealand is fabulous! One of our friends from Melbourne, A, used to fly with them and I could picture her being one of our air hostesses.

Christchurch really has an English feel about it, I think. We found it to be really cute. We didn't stay there long - just overnight- but it was adorable. I can only imagine how cute Lyttleton and Akaroa are... go there if you have a chance!

Today we drove across Arthur's Pass and did a hike in the National Park there. Talk about wonderful views from the moment we left Christchurch! It was one of the best drives we've taken. Hiking in the middle was good too - it helped break up what could have been a long day in the car. We're in Hokitika now and it's pretty good. We ate dinner tonight at Stumper's and it was good and cheap. We might go ponunamu (greenstone) shopping tomorrow!

It's odd how much NZ reminds me of Hawaii. The terrain is beautiful, it's green and volcanic, and the ocean is breathtaking.

I can't wait for the adventures tomorrow will bring!

You want to do what in New Zealand?

CO and I have made friends with a couple of Kiwis, or people from New Zealand, through our church. We had them over for dinner the other night, and we told them we're planning a trip to NZ in the next few months. I've already done some research, but it's always good to get advice from someone from that country. Anyway, we're sitting there and the woman says to us, "You guys are the kind that would like tramping. Oh, honey, we know some good tramps to recommend to them!" She went on for a while about how she knew a lot of good tramps all over New Zealand.


Ha. In New Zealand, tramping means hiking. But you should have seen CO's face...

Ugly?

I was tucking in the 4-year-olds for their naps the other afternoon, and J (a boy) sat up and asked me, "Miss Julie, why are you wearing those ugly cowboy boots again?"

I could have responded several ways:
a) They're not ugly. They're Uggs. Yes, they make my feet look huge, but they're fashionable.
b) Again? Yes, I've worn them for the past week. Who are you? The fashion police?
c) They're comfortable, J. Go to sleep.

I chose c.

If anyone isn't committed to life in the US, I'd consider moving to New Zealand, if I were you. Such a great country, it is, with more sheep than people. Plus they produce some crazy things like the movie The Price of Milk (which I own if you ever feel the need to watch) and Burt Munro (the real-life character who inspired the movie The World's Fastest Indian).

Also, these people apparently have too much time on their hands (ignore the title):


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