Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Foot massages
Jeni forgot to mention we both got Thai foot massages today and they were shweet. Feet feel awesome, just in time for like 20 hours on an airplane. Sigh. See y'all soon!
1/12/2010 First Dec 1st
Here we are getting ready to leave. We only had a few things on our to do list today. The most important being packing. We had to pack for both Air New Zealand and the US airlines. Here carry on baggage can not be more than 7 kegs or 14 pounds so we need to check two bags. In the US it costs $25 per checked bag so we will carry on the other bag then. Not too mention but the US also has all the liquid restrictions that New Zealand doesn't have. So we had to make sure all liquids were safely in our 1 checked bag.
We also went to get our Shotover Jet video. They had a power outage yesterday and so we were not able to view it. They said we could have it sent today. So we have to pick that up in 30 mins or so. Then it's a long wait until out flight leaves at 4:55pm local time. The. We have a long layover in Auckland and then off to LA around 9 pm tonight. So we will blog when we arrive in the US.
Cheers From New Zealand
Jeni and Dan
We also went to get our Shotover Jet video. They had a power outage yesterday and so we were not able to view it. They said we could have it sent today. So we have to pick that up in 30 mins or so. Then it's a long wait until out flight leaves at 4:55pm local time. The. We have a long layover in Auckland and then off to LA around 9 pm tonight. So we will blog when we arrive in the US.
Cheers From New Zealand
Jeni and Dan
30/11/2010 Queenstown Day 4
After much debate and thought Dan and I booked an extra activity for this morning. After the Milford Sound bus dropped us off the night before we booked at 9 am jet boating experience. We choose to try this out even though I thought it might be a little bit too much for me. I decided to try it anyway. So we got up early and prepared for the boat ride. We got to our transport which took us 10 mins or so out of town to the Shotover River. This is a river with many canyons and this company Shotover Jet is the exclusive operator in this river. Once we arrive we see our jet boat waiting. Now for those of you who don't know what a jet boat is here is a quick run down. A jet boat pulls water from underneath it and propels it out the back. That is what gives it it's propulsion. This is a very good method and allows the boat to operate in shallow water. In fact they claim 3 inches is enough water to still maintain propulsion. The other neat thing about the boat is that we float on water and the steering is really agile so that it allows us to travel at high speeds and avoid cliffs and water submerged rocks and trees. We also got the chance to make some 360 degree turns. These turns came with a bit of water and we always got wet. Those on the outside got the most and Dan was on the outside. The boat ride lasted 30 mins but didn't seem that long. It was really fun and both Dan and I we laughing and having a great time. I am really glad we decided to add this final activity in.
After jet boating we took the chance to eat a bit of breakfast. We went to a cafe called Vudu Cafe. This cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch some figured it was a good chance to eat here. We shared the French toast and it was great. I especially liked all the fruit that was included. We even got half a kiwi.
Our last activity of the honeymoon is our half day wine tour of Central Otago. We got picked up at 12pm by Paul and were the only two on the tour. At first I thought it would be weird with all the personal attention but it turned out to be nice. We could ask any question and he seemed very knowledgable of the region. The Central Otago region is a specialist Pinot Noir producer. Almost 80% of the grapes grown there are Pinot Noir. Paul told us that Pinot noir grapes like hot days and cold nights which is the exact climate of this region. I tried two Pinot Noir vines and didn't really like them. I am not a red drinker and even the lightest Pinot's are too harsh for my tastes. I did very much like the Rieslings that I tried. I realized that I like sweeter wines but also not mind the more dry ones. Dan by far favors dry wines. He also enjoyed many of the Pinot Noir's he tried.
The first vineyard we tasted at was Peregrine named after the American Falcon. This vineyard was very modern and had a curved shaped roof to mimic a wing of a Peregrine Falcon. They had an amazing Riesling and I hope we can find it in the states. We left this vineyard for a drive up to Bannockburn area. Here we visited Carrick. A small vineyard that also runs a restaurant. We had a nice lunch here after our tastings. Again I like their Riessling but unfortunately they do not currently have a distributor in the US. So for now it is just a very nice wine to remember if we come back or happen to go to Australia. The lunch was very good. It was a platter that had not much Jeni favorable items. It was a small assortment of delicacies served with bread. I stuck to easy bread items eating some venison sausage (my first try at venison) and I liked it very much. I also ate a lot of Brie and ate a small piece of Salmon. Dan mentioned that I would like the hummus and so I ate a few pieces of hummus bread. Dan of course didn't have much of a problem eating. He even tried a mussel that was still in the shell. Something I would not do. He told me after that he was worried but was happy to see me try a few new things.
After lunch we headed even farther into the valley where the rain fall is small and the heat is great. We stopped at Aurum (gold in Latin) and enjoyed some very good wine. This vineyard was the smallest we visited and was just run by a family. It seems like they are the most boutique because they have nearly no distribution and only really being a locally drank wine. We bought a bottle of their Riessling to enjoy that night. I did happen to try their Pinot Noir Reserve (their most costly bottle) and didn't hate it but probably wouldn't enjoy it more than a few sips. Dan was satisfied with their Pinot Noir better than the reserve but the reserve is a lighter more easier Pinot Noir and Dan likes a full flavored wine. He tells me that their Pinot Noir was the best of the day. If I remember correctly they have won some a awards for their Pinot Noir wines so Dan is not the only one who thinks that.
We stopped for a bit in Historic Cromwell and enjoyed seeing the old buildings that were moved from the old main street to the new one once the Lake Dunsten was made from a hydroelectric dam being installed downstream. The town was a mining town and has grown to a decent size over the last 140 years. It remains largely a vineyard town as it is surrounded by grape vines and few other fruit orchards. Once we were done there we made our way back towards Queenstown. We first stopped at an overlook over the Karawau River. This river has category 3 rapids where we were standing but farther up stream there are some category 5 rapids. Paul told us they do rafting and river surfing on this part of the river. So I'm thinking if my Mom ever makes it here she needs to raft this river. She quite enjoyed her time in Montana and so this river looks like it could be fun. As we continued to make our way to the final vineyard we stopped along the road and watched a bungy jumper jump off a bridge. The AJ Hackett Bungy here was the first commercial bungy in the world. They jump off the old suspension bridge on that section of highway 6. Just a short walk over to the see down the Karawau River again. This spot was a filming location for the Lord of the Rings. It is a scene near the end of the first movie as they are boating down a river through two large statues. Dan and I will have to watch the movie now and see the scene.
Finally we got to the Chard Farm vineyard. This was the biggest vineyard by far. As with Peregrine they have a US distributor. So we will have to search when we get home. Not many of there wines stood out to me all that much but by the end of a long tasting day they seemed to all blend together. Dan really like the second Pinot Noir he tried. I am convinced that Dan is very fond of red. The vineyard employee was quite fun to talk to as we both share a similar eating habit. After this vineyard it was time to head back to Queenstown. We made a quick drive through Arrowtown but mainly just drove straight back. We had a good time overall though ready for dinner to help digest all the tasting we did. We had an early dinner and then waited for sunset in our room. This seemed to never come and finally about 9:45 it was almost dark. Dan and I took a walk and took some night pictures. Though we realized that these photos would not be a good as the Auckland ones and so we quickly returned to our room and crashed for the night.
After jet boating we took the chance to eat a bit of breakfast. We went to a cafe called Vudu Cafe. This cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch some figured it was a good chance to eat here. We shared the French toast and it was great. I especially liked all the fruit that was included. We even got half a kiwi.
Our last activity of the honeymoon is our half day wine tour of Central Otago. We got picked up at 12pm by Paul and were the only two on the tour. At first I thought it would be weird with all the personal attention but it turned out to be nice. We could ask any question and he seemed very knowledgable of the region. The Central Otago region is a specialist Pinot Noir producer. Almost 80% of the grapes grown there are Pinot Noir. Paul told us that Pinot noir grapes like hot days and cold nights which is the exact climate of this region. I tried two Pinot Noir vines and didn't really like them. I am not a red drinker and even the lightest Pinot's are too harsh for my tastes. I did very much like the Rieslings that I tried. I realized that I like sweeter wines but also not mind the more dry ones. Dan by far favors dry wines. He also enjoyed many of the Pinot Noir's he tried.
The first vineyard we tasted at was Peregrine named after the American Falcon. This vineyard was very modern and had a curved shaped roof to mimic a wing of a Peregrine Falcon. They had an amazing Riesling and I hope we can find it in the states. We left this vineyard for a drive up to Bannockburn area. Here we visited Carrick. A small vineyard that also runs a restaurant. We had a nice lunch here after our tastings. Again I like their Riessling but unfortunately they do not currently have a distributor in the US. So for now it is just a very nice wine to remember if we come back or happen to go to Australia. The lunch was very good. It was a platter that had not much Jeni favorable items. It was a small assortment of delicacies served with bread. I stuck to easy bread items eating some venison sausage (my first try at venison) and I liked it very much. I also ate a lot of Brie and ate a small piece of Salmon. Dan mentioned that I would like the hummus and so I ate a few pieces of hummus bread. Dan of course didn't have much of a problem eating. He even tried a mussel that was still in the shell. Something I would not do. He told me after that he was worried but was happy to see me try a few new things.
After lunch we headed even farther into the valley where the rain fall is small and the heat is great. We stopped at Aurum (gold in Latin) and enjoyed some very good wine. This vineyard was the smallest we visited and was just run by a family. It seems like they are the most boutique because they have nearly no distribution and only really being a locally drank wine. We bought a bottle of their Riessling to enjoy that night. I did happen to try their Pinot Noir Reserve (their most costly bottle) and didn't hate it but probably wouldn't enjoy it more than a few sips. Dan was satisfied with their Pinot Noir better than the reserve but the reserve is a lighter more easier Pinot Noir and Dan likes a full flavored wine. He tells me that their Pinot Noir was the best of the day. If I remember correctly they have won some a awards for their Pinot Noir wines so Dan is not the only one who thinks that.
We stopped for a bit in Historic Cromwell and enjoyed seeing the old buildings that were moved from the old main street to the new one once the Lake Dunsten was made from a hydroelectric dam being installed downstream. The town was a mining town and has grown to a decent size over the last 140 years. It remains largely a vineyard town as it is surrounded by grape vines and few other fruit orchards. Once we were done there we made our way back towards Queenstown. We first stopped at an overlook over the Karawau River. This river has category 3 rapids where we were standing but farther up stream there are some category 5 rapids. Paul told us they do rafting and river surfing on this part of the river. So I'm thinking if my Mom ever makes it here she needs to raft this river. She quite enjoyed her time in Montana and so this river looks like it could be fun. As we continued to make our way to the final vineyard we stopped along the road and watched a bungy jumper jump off a bridge. The AJ Hackett Bungy here was the first commercial bungy in the world. They jump off the old suspension bridge on that section of highway 6. Just a short walk over to the see down the Karawau River again. This spot was a filming location for the Lord of the Rings. It is a scene near the end of the first movie as they are boating down a river through two large statues. Dan and I will have to watch the movie now and see the scene.
Finally we got to the Chard Farm vineyard. This was the biggest vineyard by far. As with Peregrine they have a US distributor. So we will have to search when we get home. Not many of there wines stood out to me all that much but by the end of a long tasting day they seemed to all blend together. Dan really like the second Pinot Noir he tried. I am convinced that Dan is very fond of red. The vineyard employee was quite fun to talk to as we both share a similar eating habit. After this vineyard it was time to head back to Queenstown. We made a quick drive through Arrowtown but mainly just drove straight back. We had a good time overall though ready for dinner to help digest all the tasting we did. We had an early dinner and then waited for sunset in our room. This seemed to never come and finally about 9:45 it was almost dark. Dan and I took a walk and took some night pictures. Though we realized that these photos would not be a good as the Auckland ones and so we quickly returned to our room and crashed for the night.
29/11/2010 Milford Sound Journey
Today we awoke really early 5:30 to be exact. One benefit was seeing the sun rise over the mountains. We caught some good shots of the sunrise over the mountains as our breakfast in bed arrived. A simple breakfast, fruit, toast, croissants and OJ. It worked well though as we were not sure where we could get breakfast so early and still be able to catch our early bus pick up at 7:05 am.
We got on the bus a few minutes early and began our trip to Milford Sound. The bus driver was very knowledgable about the region and gave us an almost nonstop commentary on our 4 hour trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound. He told us all about the farmland along the way and also about all of the mountains and lakes as we passed by.
There were some interesting stories about the beginnings of deer farming in the region. Deer were introduced to the country for game hunting purposes, but without any natural predators, they soon grew to become an invasive species and were causing havoc on the mountainsides eating up all of the vegetation and thereby causing erosion of the land due to mudslides etc. They were deemed a pest by the government and hunters were sent into the mountains to kill the deer. At some point they realized that venison was tasty to some and started to bring the deer carcasses back. Since they were in the mountains, and travelled by helicopter mainly, some hunters would "ride the hook" when the chopper couldn't land. This meant that the hunter would attach the deer to a rope hanging from the chopper and then ride the deer down the mountain, hanging by a rope. Later, once they had reduced their numbers greatly, and also realized that there were easier ways to obtain venison, they began to start deer farms instead.
We stopped after two hours for a 30 min bathroom and coffee break in Te Anau. Dan and I mostly took this time to stretch our legs. We took a short walk at which point I started to get nervous so we turned back. Dan made fun of me for thinking we would be left behind when we still had 15 mins left. I guess I just didn't want to be out of site of the bus. We got back on the road and Dan and I made it back on the bus. We had a few photo stops along the way, to grab a few scenic photos. The first stop was of a river valley. I can't remember the name but it had a great mountain backdrop. We stopped at Mirror Lakes which with the clouds didn't lend it self to too much mirroring. The next stop was Monkey Creek which is fresh mountain water. Both Dan and I took a taste. It was crisp and clear. The last stop was The Chasms. It is a river and waterfall that had carved out art pieces in the rocks. It was a really cool area and Dan and I got some great photos.
Finally after 5 hours in the coach we made it to Milford Sound. Dan and I applied our sunscreen and our bug spray. We got onto the boat which was a huge boat with 2 closed decks and a top viewing deck. We got upstairs and ate some overpriced deli sandwiches and chips. They served a buffet on board but it was too expensive and we wanted to enjoy the viewing deck. In fact we spent nearly the entire cruise up top.
The cruise itself was rather disappointing. The weather was overcast but not raining. Now while rain is annoying, here it is good. For one the clouds blocked many of the peaks and with no rain there were not as many waterfalls. Since the mountains are very rocky the water doesn't stay up top too long and with in mins of rain waterfalls start to form. Other than that the scenery was very cool. It was fun to see the seals hanging out on a rocky beach. Coming up to the Tasman Sea (Pacific Ocean) was really neat. It was cool to see that endless water and the horizon. We didn't go too far out to the ocean and turned around. In front of us was a huge mountain wall. This mountain wall is thought to have keep Milford Sound secret during early exploration. Truly from the ocean it looks like it is just a bay. Once you get closer do you realize it is a sound. On the return trip we came ip really close to one of the two permanent waterfalls. We got all wet from Sterling Falls and it was fun to be really close. I wasn't sure if the large boat could get that close but boy we did. We made our way back through the mountain walled sound and landed a little bit less than 2 hours later.
We boarded the bus and headed back for the 4.5 hour drive back. After all the driving Milford Sound didn't seem quite worth the time. I am just hoping the pictures look good. We got dropped off in downtown Queenstown and we made our way to dinner. After that we picked up some chocolate and drank our complimentary bottle of champaign. Then it was off to bed.
We got on the bus a few minutes early and began our trip to Milford Sound. The bus driver was very knowledgable about the region and gave us an almost nonstop commentary on our 4 hour trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound. He told us all about the farmland along the way and also about all of the mountains and lakes as we passed by.
There were some interesting stories about the beginnings of deer farming in the region. Deer were introduced to the country for game hunting purposes, but without any natural predators, they soon grew to become an invasive species and were causing havoc on the mountainsides eating up all of the vegetation and thereby causing erosion of the land due to mudslides etc. They were deemed a pest by the government and hunters were sent into the mountains to kill the deer. At some point they realized that venison was tasty to some and started to bring the deer carcasses back. Since they were in the mountains, and travelled by helicopter mainly, some hunters would "ride the hook" when the chopper couldn't land. This meant that the hunter would attach the deer to a rope hanging from the chopper and then ride the deer down the mountain, hanging by a rope. Later, once they had reduced their numbers greatly, and also realized that there were easier ways to obtain venison, they began to start deer farms instead.
We stopped after two hours for a 30 min bathroom and coffee break in Te Anau. Dan and I mostly took this time to stretch our legs. We took a short walk at which point I started to get nervous so we turned back. Dan made fun of me for thinking we would be left behind when we still had 15 mins left. I guess I just didn't want to be out of site of the bus. We got back on the road and Dan and I made it back on the bus. We had a few photo stops along the way, to grab a few scenic photos. The first stop was of a river valley. I can't remember the name but it had a great mountain backdrop. We stopped at Mirror Lakes which with the clouds didn't lend it self to too much mirroring. The next stop was Monkey Creek which is fresh mountain water. Both Dan and I took a taste. It was crisp and clear. The last stop was The Chasms. It is a river and waterfall that had carved out art pieces in the rocks. It was a really cool area and Dan and I got some great photos.
Finally after 5 hours in the coach we made it to Milford Sound. Dan and I applied our sunscreen and our bug spray. We got onto the boat which was a huge boat with 2 closed decks and a top viewing deck. We got upstairs and ate some overpriced deli sandwiches and chips. They served a buffet on board but it was too expensive and we wanted to enjoy the viewing deck. In fact we spent nearly the entire cruise up top.
The cruise itself was rather disappointing. The weather was overcast but not raining. Now while rain is annoying, here it is good. For one the clouds blocked many of the peaks and with no rain there were not as many waterfalls. Since the mountains are very rocky the water doesn't stay up top too long and with in mins of rain waterfalls start to form. Other than that the scenery was very cool. It was fun to see the seals hanging out on a rocky beach. Coming up to the Tasman Sea (Pacific Ocean) was really neat. It was cool to see that endless water and the horizon. We didn't go too far out to the ocean and turned around. In front of us was a huge mountain wall. This mountain wall is thought to have keep Milford Sound secret during early exploration. Truly from the ocean it looks like it is just a bay. Once you get closer do you realize it is a sound. On the return trip we came ip really close to one of the two permanent waterfalls. We got all wet from Sterling Falls and it was fun to be really close. I wasn't sure if the large boat could get that close but boy we did. We made our way back through the mountain walled sound and landed a little bit less than 2 hours later.
We boarded the bus and headed back for the 4.5 hour drive back. After all the driving Milford Sound didn't seem quite worth the time. I am just hoping the pictures look good. We got dropped off in downtown Queenstown and we made our way to dinner. After that we picked up some chocolate and drank our complimentary bottle of champaign. Then it was off to bed.
Monday, November 29, 2010
28/11/2010 Queenstown Day 2
Today we didn't have anything planned for the morning and so we were quite lazy. We slept in late and relaxed in the morning. I finally shoved Lazy Dan out of bed at 9:17 am. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant and just relaxed a bit. After the traveling we have done it's been nice to take it easy. Plus our room is super nice and so I don't mind spending some time in it.
We made our way to a pharmacy to restock sunscreen and get some bug repellant. There are a quick a bit of Mosquitos and Dan and I are doing a lot of water activities and want to be protected. We got back to the hotel and got prepared for our kayak adventure and hike.
We met our guide Sam in the lobby of the hotel just before 1pm and by the looks of him we knew this wasn't the touristy, highly commercialized activity. As we went along the twisting road much faster than Dan or I would drive we realized he was a local and local to the extreme. In fact we found out later that he grew up in Glenorcy (little town of 400 near our kayaking spot) and was an a true explorer. He told us of stories of climbing the mountains, working odd jobs that had him hang in from a helicopter, of heli skiing on the water (like water skiing only with a helicopter). A true native and the owner of Rippled Earth his company for three years. You could tell he was passionate about this company and region and Dan and I found it a pleasure to experience it.
So about the journey. We made a couple of stops prior to our arrival. We learned about 12 Mile Delta which saw a small town pop up once gold was discovered in the lake. It was aptly named because it was 12 miles from Queenstown and was the site of the 12 Mile Rush. I can't remember the exact year but it was somewhere in the 1860's. We continued our drive and came upon a beautiful overlook. This time we got out and we able to snap some photos. Sam explained to us the three islands in front of us. We had the small Tree Island which had no trees, was Pig Island which had no Pigs and Pigeon Island with no pigeons. Sam told us that when the explorers arrived to the area ot is thought that they would have found pigeons there but the other two it is unknown the true origin of their names. Tree Island was a burial and cremation site for the Maori and so that could be how the trees were eliminated.
We got to our kayaks on a beach and got dressed. Sam supplied us with splash skirts (they stretched around the kayak opening so our legs could be covered) and life vests. We also were supplied a dry bag for our camera and other water sensitive items. Dan and I were put in a two person kayak with me in front and Dan in back. I gave Dan the difficult job of steering the kayak. He did a good job overall and way better than I could have done. We quickly made our way across the lake to Pigeon Island. The water was so smooth that the kayak just glided across the water. Upon landing on Pigeon Island we climbed out of our kayak. Sam went for a quick swim and pulled up a half broken glass bottle. This little act really indicated his dedication to the preservation of his area.
We made our way to a pharmacy to restock sunscreen and get some bug repellant. There are a quick a bit of Mosquitos and Dan and I are doing a lot of water activities and want to be protected. We got back to the hotel and got prepared for our kayak adventure and hike.
We met our guide Sam in the lobby of the hotel just before 1pm and by the looks of him we knew this wasn't the touristy, highly commercialized activity. As we went along the twisting road much faster than Dan or I would drive we realized he was a local and local to the extreme. In fact we found out later that he grew up in Glenorcy (little town of 400 near our kayaking spot) and was an a true explorer. He told us of stories of climbing the mountains, working odd jobs that had him hang in from a helicopter, of heli skiing on the water (like water skiing only with a helicopter). A true native and the owner of Rippled Earth his company for three years. You could tell he was passionate about this company and region and Dan and I found it a pleasure to experience it.
So about the journey. We made a couple of stops prior to our arrival. We learned about 12 Mile Delta which saw a small town pop up once gold was discovered in the lake. It was aptly named because it was 12 miles from Queenstown and was the site of the 12 Mile Rush. I can't remember the exact year but it was somewhere in the 1860's. We continued our drive and came upon a beautiful overlook. This time we got out and we able to snap some photos. Sam explained to us the three islands in front of us. We had the small Tree Island which had no trees, was Pig Island which had no Pigs and Pigeon Island with no pigeons. Sam told us that when the explorers arrived to the area ot is thought that they would have found pigeons there but the other two it is unknown the true origin of their names. Tree Island was a burial and cremation site for the Maori and so that could be how the trees were eliminated.
We got to our kayaks on a beach and got dressed. Sam supplied us with splash skirts (they stretched around the kayak opening so our legs could be covered) and life vests. We also were supplied a dry bag for our camera and other water sensitive items. Dan and I were put in a two person kayak with me in front and Dan in back. I gave Dan the difficult job of steering the kayak. He did a good job overall and way better than I could have done. We quickly made our way across the lake to Pigeon Island. The water was so smooth that the kayak just glided across the water. Upon landing on Pigeon Island we climbed out of our kayak. Sam went for a quick swim and pulled up a half broken glass bottle. This little act really indicated his dedication to the preservation of his area.
Note from dan: hello. I hope you are enjoying jeni's novel. That is all for now, my fingers are tired from all this typing.
So I am back now. :)
We spent a little time relaxing on the beach with a hot orange drink and some sweet bread. It was a very nice snack and I really loved the drink. I was a little sad to hear it wasn't a tea but then again I probably wouldn't have liked it if it was. Sam said it was a just flavored sugar and water, so a hot version of kool-aid. After our break we headed into the island to see some wildlife and plant life. We learned a lot about the region and it was exciting to experience it. We came out of the grassy walkway to the other side which had a hut. This hut is for people to stay on the island and is a simple hut but people make use of it. In fact when we arrived there was a guy sitting on the couch escaping the sun and heat. It was a very neat hut but not quite the accommodation I am used too. Perhaps a little too roughing it for me. We made our way back to our kayaks to begin the journey back. This was quite a feat as the winds were quite strong. The lake had some pretty large waves and it took a lot of effort to make it back. When we finally did Dan and I were both pretty tired but greatly enjoyed the trip. We packed away the kayaks and prepared to return home. Shortly after getting into the van Sam asked if we liked waterfalls. I said yes because I do but I assumed he meant we could stop on the road and look at one. What he meant was would we like to hike and actually stand underneath it. The waterfall is relatively secluded from the road but relatively accessible if you know where you are going. We climbed over rocks and dodged trees and eventually we arrived at the falls. It was an amazing experience only a few people have seen. Sam said that not many people know it is there and it is relatively kept secret. So no telling anyone, all of you out there. ;)
We got back home just a little after 5:30 and went in search of pizza. It took us quite awhile but when we finally did it was well worth it. The pizza was delicious as was the garlic bread that we started with. After dinner we decided sonic it was summer we should get some ice cream. Patagonia Chocolates was recommended by Frommers and I have to say they deserve it. I really liked my Vanilla and Cookies and Dan enjoyed his Fig and Pistachio. I am hoping I can make it back so I can try some of their other chocolate delicacies. We called it an early night because of our long day tomorrow. We have a coach bus picking us up at 7:00 for a 13 hour trip and cruise in Milford Sound.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
27/11/2010 arrival in Queenstown
We woke up in the morning and got ready to depart Franz Josef. We went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast again and then hopped over to the West Coast Wildlife Centre to use there WiFi before we left.
Once that was all done we got into the car and made the long trip to Queenstown. The maps said it was about 5.5 hours of a drive and we needed to return the rental car by 5pm. So we left ourselves 8 hours. The first leg of the trip was quite difficult. The day before it took us less than 5 mins by helicopter to get to Fox Glacier however it was 30 or so mins by car. They were some hairpin turns and steep inclines into turns. Once we got out of the mountain the drive wasn't so bad. We were on the very west coast which is pretty flat and has quite a few straight aways. Our first stop was Bruce Bay a nice coast line what the Brits we met told us about. The waves were huge and I took my chance to get my feet wet in the Pacific Ocean. We hung out on the beach for a little while to take some photos but also to take in the ocean view. We got back into the car and I decided i would drive for awhile. We got to a bathroom break which happened to be on the coast again. We got out and took a bunch of photos. This stop had an outlook that we climbed. We also walk out onto the beach to take in the ocean again. These were our only two chances to see the ocean so far. I believe our Milford Sound cruise is the only other chance. We carried on in not too long. We wanted to make our stops short to not waste much time. We started back into the mountains and I continued to drive. One thing that I noticed between New Zealand highways in the mountains is that it is slower and more natural. In Colorado the seem to cut huge paths in order to keep the speed up. There was also no tunnels. One spot on the road we came up to a bridge with people on it. I didn't know why they were standing on a single lane bridge but I soon found out. The river rapids below were amazing so Dan and I parked and took some photos. We also decided it was a good time to switch drivers. Dan began driving and it wasn't long before we stopped again. We drove up to a huge mountain lake. Lake Wanaka looked absolutely stunning with the mountains behind it. Dan was absolutely amazed and he decided it was necessary to stop. I got the camera fir the next lake and snapped some good photos from the car. All in all these mountain lakes are gorgeous surrounded by peaks covered with trees and/or snow. We came out of the mountains and into a valley filled with vineyards. The valley is called Central Otago and we think is the region we will be going on our vine tour. Now the trick will be to document the vineyards and see if we can find them in the US. We are not planning to bring or ship any wine on the plane so we will have to hope they carry some wines at home. Pretty soon we got into Queenstown and made our way to the hotel.
The hotel is located a short walk back from the water but with great views. We got the chance to upgrade our room and we got on on the top floor. It has a nice view of the bay and mountains. With the balcony outside it allows us to relax and take in the mountain region. We will be staying here for 4 nights and so the nicer room is worth the extra cost.
We returned the rental car and decided it was time for dinner. We ate pretty early and had a fun meal. The restaurant gave us free champaign and so we decided to go with it and tried some of their cocktails as well. I ended up a little overindulged and so Dan finished my last drink. By 6:30 I was ready for bed though for some reason I felt it was time to give Dan a pedicure. The concentration helped to ease my drunken stupor plus Dan's toes look absolutely splendid. We decided to head out to take some photos of sunset. We have some amazing photos compliments of Dan's photography skills. This new camera is awesome in aiding our picture taking skills. We can play with the light and create silhouettes.
For the remainder of the night we just used the Internet in the lobby and went to sleep.
Once that was all done we got into the car and made the long trip to Queenstown. The maps said it was about 5.5 hours of a drive and we needed to return the rental car by 5pm. So we left ourselves 8 hours. The first leg of the trip was quite difficult. The day before it took us less than 5 mins by helicopter to get to Fox Glacier however it was 30 or so mins by car. They were some hairpin turns and steep inclines into turns. Once we got out of the mountain the drive wasn't so bad. We were on the very west coast which is pretty flat and has quite a few straight aways. Our first stop was Bruce Bay a nice coast line what the Brits we met told us about. The waves were huge and I took my chance to get my feet wet in the Pacific Ocean. We hung out on the beach for a little while to take some photos but also to take in the ocean view. We got back into the car and I decided i would drive for awhile. We got to a bathroom break which happened to be on the coast again. We got out and took a bunch of photos. This stop had an outlook that we climbed. We also walk out onto the beach to take in the ocean again. These were our only two chances to see the ocean so far. I believe our Milford Sound cruise is the only other chance. We carried on in not too long. We wanted to make our stops short to not waste much time. We started back into the mountains and I continued to drive. One thing that I noticed between New Zealand highways in the mountains is that it is slower and more natural. In Colorado the seem to cut huge paths in order to keep the speed up. There was also no tunnels. One spot on the road we came up to a bridge with people on it. I didn't know why they were standing on a single lane bridge but I soon found out. The river rapids below were amazing so Dan and I parked and took some photos. We also decided it was a good time to switch drivers. Dan began driving and it wasn't long before we stopped again. We drove up to a huge mountain lake. Lake Wanaka looked absolutely stunning with the mountains behind it. Dan was absolutely amazed and he decided it was necessary to stop. I got the camera fir the next lake and snapped some good photos from the car. All in all these mountain lakes are gorgeous surrounded by peaks covered with trees and/or snow. We came out of the mountains and into a valley filled with vineyards. The valley is called Central Otago and we think is the region we will be going on our vine tour. Now the trick will be to document the vineyards and see if we can find them in the US. We are not planning to bring or ship any wine on the plane so we will have to hope they carry some wines at home. Pretty soon we got into Queenstown and made our way to the hotel.
The hotel is located a short walk back from the water but with great views. We got the chance to upgrade our room and we got on on the top floor. It has a nice view of the bay and mountains. With the balcony outside it allows us to relax and take in the mountain region. We will be staying here for 4 nights and so the nicer room is worth the extra cost.
We returned the rental car and decided it was time for dinner. We ate pretty early and had a fun meal. The restaurant gave us free champaign and so we decided to go with it and tried some of their cocktails as well. I ended up a little overindulged and so Dan finished my last drink. By 6:30 I was ready for bed though for some reason I felt it was time to give Dan a pedicure. The concentration helped to ease my drunken stupor plus Dan's toes look absolutely splendid. We decided to head out to take some photos of sunset. We have some amazing photos compliments of Dan's photography skills. This new camera is awesome in aiding our picture taking skills. We can play with the light and create silhouettes.
For the remainder of the night we just used the Internet in the lobby and went to sleep.
Little note:
Glacier facts
The Franz Josef glacier is located only 200m above sea level making it one of the lowest glacier in the world. It is also located in a rain forest, there are only 3 in the world (Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and one in South America). Therefore it rains or snows nearly everyday (we saw no rain and in fact it has been quite dry and so the river beds are dry. The town records about 5 meters of rain a year for a comparison London gets about .75 meters a year. It is also the steepest slope that operates hikes. The path that the guides take on the glacier changes everyday and sometimes during the day. We had to take a different path at one spot even though we could see where they had originally planned. I asked if we cause any environmental harm by walking on the glacier. The guide says that scientists have predicted that we are 1% of the total melt daily so not a huge impact. They say that rain and sun are the key forces causing melting. The glacier in recent years is retreating however up until 5 years ago it was growing. The experts notice changes everyday. Glaciers are always moving and from our highest spot the snow would take about 6 years to reach the terminal head. All in all a very cool thing to experience.
The Franz Josef glacier is located only 200m above sea level making it one of the lowest glacier in the world. It is also located in a rain forest, there are only 3 in the world (Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and one in South America). Therefore it rains or snows nearly everyday (we saw no rain and in fact it has been quite dry and so the river beds are dry. The town records about 5 meters of rain a year for a comparison London gets about .75 meters a year. It is also the steepest slope that operates hikes. The path that the guides take on the glacier changes everyday and sometimes during the day. We had to take a different path at one spot even though we could see where they had originally planned. I asked if we cause any environmental harm by walking on the glacier. The guide says that scientists have predicted that we are 1% of the total melt daily so not a huge impact. They say that rain and sun are the key forces causing melting. The glacier in recent years is retreating however up until 5 years ago it was growing. The experts notice changes everyday. Glaciers are always moving and from our highest spot the snow would take about 6 years to reach the terminal head. All in all a very cool thing to experience.
26/11/2010 Franz Josef
Day 2 in Franz Josef and we needed to get prepared for the glacier. It was a nice looking day and after breakfast (free at the hotel restaurant) we came back and got ready. Dan and I layered up, put in our contacts and slathered on the sunscreen. We got to the glacier guides hut a little early and so we spent some time walking (I claim it was a warm-up, hehe) and headed back for our 8:45 check- in. We got our gear which consisted of over-trousers (I got these but dan did no t), socks and boots, crampons (spikes for your boots to grip the ice) and raincoats. I will just say right now that Dan and I thought it would be colder but...we were way too layered. It was a hot day and even being on ice it wasn't much colder. So anyway we have our gear and get loaded onto a bus. This bus takes us to the car park near the glacier. Near only means close but not really that close. The guides told us that we needed to walk 1 km through the rain forest to get to the river bed and another 2.5 km to get to the terminal head or the front edge of the glacier. We stopped in the valley and split into 3 groups depending on athletic ability and how fast we could walk. Dan and I volunteered to go into group 1 and we totally made the right choice (will explain later). After 40 mins or so of hiking in the river bed and over rocks we made it to the terminal head. This was a very steep hill and required us to make a running head start and run as hard as we could to make it up. If you didn't make you had to go down the slide and try again. Dan and I made it up on the first try. Told you we made the right choice. Now I am just pulling your leg because but Dan and I do think a slide would be nice to get down. We actually had a 20min or so hike up zigzagging up the hill. Once at the top we could finally see ice. We had seen the glacier from the river bed but here it was right in front of us. We had to stop for a few mins to put on our crampons and get prepared for the ice. Here I bandaged my right ankle to prevent and further blisters. The boots they gave us don't fit very well and so I had a blister already forming. Once that was all done we had a short explanation of what to expect when we were on the ice. Then we got to our first steps. The guide needed to go a short way ahead to make sure that the path was safe and to ice pick a cleaner path. The company has crews on the ice early I the morning mapping out a path but even in the short amount of time the guides still need to carve. We made our first assent and the worst thing that could happen happened. It's not the worst i guess but still sad. Our camera ran out of batteries. Noooooooo. So we had to use the small point and shoot and out flip cam. It turned out okay and we were probably able to enjoy it more but still who knows how the pictures will turn out. We had the most amazing hike on the glacier. We winded up the path through crevices and tunnels and went much higher than either of the other two groups. We were that much faster than they. We we got back to the valley we only had the short path back and we were finished with our hike. It was about 4.5 to 5 hours in duration and was very exhausting.
Our guide told us we should wait until later to go to the hot pools and so we took his advice and waited. We instead did something Dan and I discussed on the glacier. Since we didn't have the nice camera available and the views from the glacier were nice but not quite spectacular we made the spontaneous decision to see the glaciers from above. We arranged for a helicopter tour of both glaciers. So we rushed back to the hotel and ate the left over pizza (I knew it would come in handy) and got the batteries for the camera. We made it back to the helicopter office within 45 mins for our 3pm flight. This was to be Dan and my first helicopter ride and we were both pretty excited. It is a wonderful experience and the scenery was totally beautiful. I assure you we got some amazing pictures. Especially when we made a snow landing near the top of the Fox Glacier. In my opinion it was worth every penny and I am so glad we did it. It truly made the glacier experience great and combined with the hike I feel Franz Josef was the funnest overall experience plus it was super adventurous.
We relaxed after our heli tour and made it out to dinner. We went to the restaurant that was not open the night before. To be honest I wouldn't have minded it being closed. I totally preferred the other restaurant. At 8 or so we made it to the Glacier Hot Pools. Dan and I were quite intrigued by these pools. They were not natural hot pools like we thought but they were really neat. There were three pools at three temperatures. Staring at 36 degrees Celsius and increasing to 38 and 40 (~ 104 degrees Fahrenheit) degrees. It was fun to transition to hotter waters. After an hour or so it was time to get out. I was pretty steamy but I really think it helped my muscles. Neither Dan nor I are horribly sore. My calves are just a little sore but I blame that on my posture after my blister developed. Sleepy time again.
Our guide told us we should wait until later to go to the hot pools and so we took his advice and waited. We instead did something Dan and I discussed on the glacier. Since we didn't have the nice camera available and the views from the glacier were nice but not quite spectacular we made the spontaneous decision to see the glaciers from above. We arranged for a helicopter tour of both glaciers. So we rushed back to the hotel and ate the left over pizza (I knew it would come in handy) and got the batteries for the camera. We made it back to the helicopter office within 45 mins for our 3pm flight. This was to be Dan and my first helicopter ride and we were both pretty excited. It is a wonderful experience and the scenery was totally beautiful. I assure you we got some amazing pictures. Especially when we made a snow landing near the top of the Fox Glacier. In my opinion it was worth every penny and I am so glad we did it. It truly made the glacier experience great and combined with the hike I feel Franz Josef was the funnest overall experience plus it was super adventurous.
We relaxed after our heli tour and made it out to dinner. We went to the restaurant that was not open the night before. To be honest I wouldn't have minded it being closed. I totally preferred the other restaurant. At 8 or so we made it to the Glacier Hot Pools. Dan and I were quite intrigued by these pools. They were not natural hot pools like we thought but they were really neat. There were three pools at three temperatures. Staring at 36 degrees Celsius and increasing to 38 and 40 (~ 104 degrees Fahrenheit) degrees. It was fun to transition to hotter waters. After an hour or so it was time to get out. I was pretty steamy but I really think it helped my muscles. Neither Dan nor I are horribly sore. My calves are just a little sore but I blame that on my posture after my blister developed. Sleepy time again.
Quick update
Jeni is still catching up with her incredibly awesome detailed posts about our travels but I figured I'd give a quick update of our status. We reached the final hotel and it's awesome. Queenstown is beautiful. Got some amazing photos today. Hotel is modern and has free (limited) wireless. (20 min or MBs a day). Even still we should be able to keep in contact. Cheers from Queenstown! Tomorrow we kayak and explore the area a bit more.
Dan
Dan
Friday, November 26, 2010
25/11/2010 Off to Greymouth and then Franz Josef
First off I want to say Happy Thanksgiving from the future. We celebrated it with a 4.5 hour scenic train ride through the South Island. We began in Christchurch (on the east coast) which is a relatively flat area. It very much reminded us of Illinois minus the absence of corn and soybean fields. It wasn't more than 30 mins and we began to see the mountains ahead. One thing i noted that was kinda cool was that at railway crossings people had to wait for us. It was neat to be the train that was holding things versus being in the car and waiting . During the trip we passed over a couple gorges and the first bridge was a little scary. The bridges are very small and this one was over a really large gorge. Dan and I were feeling hungry so we soon took our first trek on the train. It was interesting moving between the cars and we grabbed our breakfast and headed back to our seats. We spent awhile taking pictures and taking in the scenery.
The train came out of the mountains (Southern Alps) and into Greymouth. This city has now become world known because of the Pike River Mine disaster. There wasn't much movement downtown just a few paper headlines and one window sign. The mining disaster will be remembered on New Zealand for our lifetimes and it is so weird that Dan and I have been in the country since it occurred. Dan and I were a little tired of restaurant food and so we went to the grocery store and made deli sandwiches instead. It go our rental car a little dirty but it was a nice change from the same ole restaurant food. We ate our meal and programmer the GPS and got on our way. We had a 2.5 hour drive into Franz Josef.
This drive was nothing like the North Island. First off the roads are more narrow, there were large straight aways (in the beginning). Eventually once we got off the west coast we had to do some mountain driving. This consisted of steep gradients and sharp curves. Some were marked as 25 km/h which is super slow. Io tired to take photos so I hope they show the sharp curves. We both needed a bathroom break and luckily there was a small little off shoot to Lake Ianthe. Here we took a couple pictures of the very large mountain lake.
Continuing on we made it to Franz Josef around 5 pm or so. We got settled in and relaxed a bit. Then we decided to take a walk and see the town. It is very small. We walked from our hotel to the end in 5 mins or so. We found the Glacier guides building and so we confirmed our booking and they gave us our tickets. We also went inside this Kiwi House. Since Franz Josef isn't very big we thought we could go see some Kiwi's. The employees told us that it would be best around 8 pm because they are very active at that time. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and flightless bird. This place has a nocturnal house set opposite of our schedule so we can observe the Kiwi's. We decided to go back to our hotel and make use of the laundry facilities and to try and finish the movie we began in Christchurch while we wait until 8.
We walked back to see the kiwis at 8 pm. We got into there area and had to adjust to the low light. Then we heard a ruffle in the bites and sure enough there was our first kiwi sighting. There were four total chicks and it was fun watching them. We found the biggest one dancing in the corner and thought that was a delight. We also observed two scuffles. Kiwi are anti-social and so they don't like to be bothered. A smaller chick messed with the biggest kiwi and so he had to be taught. Overall it was fun to see them playing and scavenging for food. Unfortunately no photos could be taken of the chicks because they are Rowi Kiwi who are an endangered species (all kiwi species are endangered) and the conservation society takes the kiwi eggs and hatches the chicks and helps them develop. Then they release them onto a predator free island and eventually back into the wild so they can help to increase the population. The chicks we saw are spending 6 months or so here before being released onto the island. So they want them to remain as wild as possible and so no photos can be taken. Also it is so dark that you wouldn't be able to see much.
Once we were done with the kiwis we decided we had better get some dinner. So we walked to a restaurant that Dan thought looked good only the kitchen was closed. It was only 9 pm and they already stopped serving. Seemed like a silly plan to me. So we went to the one other restaurant and thankfully it was open. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and basket of fries. It should really be listed a mountain of fries because it was huge. We pigged out on those while mixing ketchup and mayo together. It was delicious. However we ate so many fries that when our pizza came I could only eat one piece. Dan stuffed three down and we took the rest home. We tried ( and I say tried) to finish our movie but it expired on us because stupid Apple only allows 24 hours to watch a movie and it never told us it was expiring so we thought this one was different. Partially stupid us and partially stupid Apple but oh well. We looked through the thumbnails of scenes and saw how The Karate Kid ended. Luckily we can get it from a Redbox for a dollar or from Netflix. So anyway that made us ready to sleep. We wanted to be nice and rested for our half day glacier hike.
The train came out of the mountains (Southern Alps) and into Greymouth. This city has now become world known because of the Pike River Mine disaster. There wasn't much movement downtown just a few paper headlines and one window sign. The mining disaster will be remembered on New Zealand for our lifetimes and it is so weird that Dan and I have been in the country since it occurred. Dan and I were a little tired of restaurant food and so we went to the grocery store and made deli sandwiches instead. It go our rental car a little dirty but it was a nice change from the same ole restaurant food. We ate our meal and programmer the GPS and got on our way. We had a 2.5 hour drive into Franz Josef.
This drive was nothing like the North Island. First off the roads are more narrow, there were large straight aways (in the beginning). Eventually once we got off the west coast we had to do some mountain driving. This consisted of steep gradients and sharp curves. Some were marked as 25 km/h which is super slow. Io tired to take photos so I hope they show the sharp curves. We both needed a bathroom break and luckily there was a small little off shoot to Lake Ianthe. Here we took a couple pictures of the very large mountain lake.
Continuing on we made it to Franz Josef around 5 pm or so. We got settled in and relaxed a bit. Then we decided to take a walk and see the town. It is very small. We walked from our hotel to the end in 5 mins or so. We found the Glacier guides building and so we confirmed our booking and they gave us our tickets. We also went inside this Kiwi House. Since Franz Josef isn't very big we thought we could go see some Kiwi's. The employees told us that it would be best around 8 pm because they are very active at that time. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and flightless bird. This place has a nocturnal house set opposite of our schedule so we can observe the Kiwi's. We decided to go back to our hotel and make use of the laundry facilities and to try and finish the movie we began in Christchurch while we wait until 8.
We walked back to see the kiwis at 8 pm. We got into there area and had to adjust to the low light. Then we heard a ruffle in the bites and sure enough there was our first kiwi sighting. There were four total chicks and it was fun watching them. We found the biggest one dancing in the corner and thought that was a delight. We also observed two scuffles. Kiwi are anti-social and so they don't like to be bothered. A smaller chick messed with the biggest kiwi and so he had to be taught. Overall it was fun to see them playing and scavenging for food. Unfortunately no photos could be taken of the chicks because they are Rowi Kiwi who are an endangered species (all kiwi species are endangered) and the conservation society takes the kiwi eggs and hatches the chicks and helps them develop. Then they release them onto a predator free island and eventually back into the wild so they can help to increase the population. The chicks we saw are spending 6 months or so here before being released onto the island. So they want them to remain as wild as possible and so no photos can be taken. Also it is so dark that you wouldn't be able to see much.
Once we were done with the kiwis we decided we had better get some dinner. So we walked to a restaurant that Dan thought looked good only the kitchen was closed. It was only 9 pm and they already stopped serving. Seemed like a silly plan to me. So we went to the one other restaurant and thankfully it was open. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and basket of fries. It should really be listed a mountain of fries because it was huge. We pigged out on those while mixing ketchup and mayo together. It was delicious. However we ate so many fries that when our pizza came I could only eat one piece. Dan stuffed three down and we took the rest home. We tried ( and I say tried) to finish our movie but it expired on us because stupid Apple only allows 24 hours to watch a movie and it never told us it was expiring so we thought this one was different. Partially stupid us and partially stupid Apple but oh well. We looked through the thumbnails of scenes and saw how The Karate Kid ended. Luckily we can get it from a Redbox for a dollar or from Netflix. So anyway that made us ready to sleep. We wanted to be nice and rested for our half day glacier hike.
24/11/2010 Christchurch
I awoke this morning a little after 4 am. I was a little worried that we wouldn't have enough time before our flight left. I didn't want there to be any chance that we missed our 9 am flight and we had an hour between dropping off our car and getting through security. In case you are wondering how the Rotorua Airport operates I am here to be your guide. Though I will tell you that we were early. Not only a little early but a lot early. We arrived at the airport at 7:30. There was NO security check-in. In fact the door to the airplane was no more than 50 feet from the entrance to the airport. Super small airport and super trusting. I never flew before 9/11 and so I don't know anything other than the security in the states. We boarded the airplane and headed off to Christchurch.
We landed 1.5 hours later and found our waiting shuttle. After a short drive we arrived at our hotel. The hotel was very unique. It had huge roses bushes all around it too. Dan and I took a walk around the property. It was really beautiful and we understood why Christchurch is known as the garden city. My only complaint of this hotel was the location. It was quite a ways from the city center and so we had to take their free shuttle. I guess it wasn't that bad because they at least had shuttle. We took the 1 pm shuttle to the city center for lunch. We happened upon a swanky restaurant named Suede. Dan had a salad and I had a chicken sandwich. I
enjoyed my so much especially the avocado.
Once lunch was over we went to look around the city. We made it to the Cathedral Square but that was about it for the city. We decided that we would walk back. There was a botanical garden located in the park. It was fun to see so many big trees. The garden only had roses and a few shrubs for flowering plants. I think it was too soon for all the beautiful summer plants. We finished ti gardens after a bunch of photos and continued to our hotel. It was about a 30 min walk and by the time we got to our hotel Dan and I were quite tired. We spent a little while enjoying the free Internet and found a place for dinner.
Since we didn't have any mode of transportation we just spent the rest of the night at our hotel. Luckily we had a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine to drink so it wasn't half bad.
We landed 1.5 hours later and found our waiting shuttle. After a short drive we arrived at our hotel. The hotel was very unique. It had huge roses bushes all around it too. Dan and I took a walk around the property. It was really beautiful and we understood why Christchurch is known as the garden city. My only complaint of this hotel was the location. It was quite a ways from the city center and so we had to take their free shuttle. I guess it wasn't that bad because they at least had shuttle. We took the 1 pm shuttle to the city center for lunch. We happened upon a swanky restaurant named Suede. Dan had a salad and I had a chicken sandwich. I
enjoyed my so much especially the avocado.
Once lunch was over we went to look around the city. We made it to the Cathedral Square but that was about it for the city. We decided that we would walk back. There was a botanical garden located in the park. It was fun to see so many big trees. The garden only had roses and a few shrubs for flowering plants. I think it was too soon for all the beautiful summer plants. We finished ti gardens after a bunch of photos and continued to our hotel. It was about a 30 min walk and by the time we got to our hotel Dan and I were quite tired. We spent a little while enjoying the free Internet and found a place for dinner.
Since we didn't have any mode of transportation we just spent the rest of the night at our hotel. Luckily we had a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine to drink so it wasn't half bad.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Goodbye from Christchurch
We are departing Christchurch today and possibly wireless from awhile. We will try and update you from Franz Josef but we don't know how remote it is.
Much Love
Jeni and Dan
Sent from my iPad
Our Rotorua Adventure day
23/11/2010 Rotorua (full day)
We awoke super super early to make it on the road 25 kilometers or so back toward Taupo. The day before we saw all the steam vents and was very excited to see what it was all about. We looked up in a brochure and decided to get down there. We traveled and arrived right at the opening of the Wai-o-topu Thermal Wonderland. We had an ~75 min walk ahead of us and so we got to it. Dan was the photographer for the day (unless he is in the photo) and took charge. He also took some amazing photos. We saw hot springs that were bubbling at 100 degrees Celsius (boiling water), craters, and caves. There were lakes made by these hot springs and were colored by all the different metal oxides released from the volcanic activity below. On cool event was the simulated volcanic eruption followed by actual lava flow and with vigorous clapping we triggered an earthquake. Hehe just kidding if you couldn't tell. The park was completely natural and came with the Lady Knox Geyser erupting at 10:15 am sharp. Well this was artificially stimulated by releasing environmentally safe surfactants (soap) into the opening. Sure enough at 10:15 she blew her lid and it was cool. One of the best sites so far to see. Since she continued for an hour we were able to take some nice photos and even some fun ones. The photos should come soon. The only other thing to see in the park is the mud pools. Bubbly muddy goodness.
We headed from Wai-o-tapu and made our way to Agroventures ie. the Schweeb. I can describe the schweeb in one word AWESOME!! It was super fun and when we get home we will have a video waiting for us to view. As for who won it depends on who you ask. Dan came in at 1:07 and i made it in 1:18 which was below average for both sexes. Technically he beat me but i beat the average by more about 6 secs while he was only under by 3 secs. So we both won in a way. We also did the free fall extreme which we were pushed upwards by a large jet engine to simulate the feeling of free falling. Other than the fact that it was hard to get the hang of it, it was still fun. We have a video of that too. We decided since they didn't allow us to film the schweeb we should pay there super high price for the videos. Hopefully when we get back and watch them it will have been worth it.
Once we were done getting our extreme adventure on, we headed up the hill to the Agrodome. Here the have many many sheep, 19 different varieties actually. We got our tickets for the sheep show and waited around. We played with some baby sheep. They let you get into the pen and play with them. Since my friend Betsy's family used to have sheep I was not scared of them. In fact I quite enjoyed petting and picking them up. We took our front row seats (I wanted to be close). We meet a very cool Aussie family and had fun talking to them about New Zealand, Australia and the US. They have traveled around the west coast and have been to Hawai'i. When the show started Dan and I were amazed by all the sheep. The MC was very funny as well and it was a fun experience. We also got to see them shave a sheep bare and they had a dairy cow ready for milking. Audience members were asked to volunteer and I shot my hand hand up and got to milk the cow. I had previously not milked a cow but now I have. It was really fun and Dan got some good pictures. After the show we got to see how the wool was processed by carding and then spooling. All in all it was a good extra activity and one that I will remember for a long time.
One thing that our travel agent mentioned was having a Maori meal (hungi). I was hesitant then but we stopped by the Mital village to see what the food was. I wanted to make sure I could eat something. Sure enough they had Jeni types of food and we made our reservation. The Aussies recommended this village and so we were excited to have a chance to see and learn about the natives. The night began with introductions and the appointing of a chief. We were a tribe of 18 nations with our chief from Singapore. In fact no one volunteered to be chief (well no man did, I would have but no woman could be chief). So the Ukranian woman randomly picked the Singapore man. I think because he was alone and an easy target. Much to his chagrin he agreed to do it. Once that was over we got to see our food being cooked. Dan sorta misled you as to how it is cooked. We believe that was the ancient way with burying it under grow d because now they just have a big steam pit in the ground. Probably because it is more controllable and safer. We watt he'd their native welcome show complete with dance, a showing of their games, and some war calls. It was fun to see the cultural part of New Zealand and learn a little bit about the Maori. We had dinner after the show and we starving. It consisted of salads (lettuce and noodle), roasted potatoes, domed lamb or chicken and some garlic bread. They also provided dessert which was Triffle, tropical fruit and a chocolate log ( large Swiss Cake roll). The food overall was very tasty and it was nice not to have to choose what to eat. We ate our full and talked with a British couple during the entire meal. They we very nice and recommended some sites in the South Island. So we will have to see if we get a chance to see them. Once dinner was done we went on a nature hike to see their sacred waters surrounded by more glowworms. It was all a great experience and Dan and I are glad we got to have it. It is nice to see a different piece of New Zealand.
Time to retire to our room again and await the South Island in the morning.
We awoke super super early to make it on the road 25 kilometers or so back toward Taupo. The day before we saw all the steam vents and was very excited to see what it was all about. We looked up in a brochure and decided to get down there. We traveled and arrived right at the opening of the Wai-o-topu Thermal Wonderland. We had an ~75 min walk ahead of us and so we got to it. Dan was the photographer for the day (unless he is in the photo) and took charge. He also took some amazing photos. We saw hot springs that were bubbling at 100 degrees Celsius (boiling water), craters, and caves. There were lakes made by these hot springs and were colored by all the different metal oxides released from the volcanic activity below. On cool event was the simulated volcanic eruption followed by actual lava flow and with vigorous clapping we triggered an earthquake. Hehe just kidding if you couldn't tell. The park was completely natural and came with the Lady Knox Geyser erupting at 10:15 am sharp. Well this was artificially stimulated by releasing environmentally safe surfactants (soap) into the opening. Sure enough at 10:15 she blew her lid and it was cool. One of the best sites so far to see. Since she continued for an hour we were able to take some nice photos and even some fun ones. The photos should come soon. The only other thing to see in the park is the mud pools. Bubbly muddy goodness.
We headed from Wai-o-tapu and made our way to Agroventures ie. the Schweeb. I can describe the schweeb in one word AWESOME!! It was super fun and when we get home we will have a video waiting for us to view. As for who won it depends on who you ask. Dan came in at 1:07 and i made it in 1:18 which was below average for both sexes. Technically he beat me but i beat the average by more about 6 secs while he was only under by 3 secs. So we both won in a way. We also did the free fall extreme which we were pushed upwards by a large jet engine to simulate the feeling of free falling. Other than the fact that it was hard to get the hang of it, it was still fun. We have a video of that too. We decided since they didn't allow us to film the schweeb we should pay there super high price for the videos. Hopefully when we get back and watch them it will have been worth it.
Once we were done getting our extreme adventure on, we headed up the hill to the Agrodome. Here the have many many sheep, 19 different varieties actually. We got our tickets for the sheep show and waited around. We played with some baby sheep. They let you get into the pen and play with them. Since my friend Betsy's family used to have sheep I was not scared of them. In fact I quite enjoyed petting and picking them up. We took our front row seats (I wanted to be close). We meet a very cool Aussie family and had fun talking to them about New Zealand, Australia and the US. They have traveled around the west coast and have been to Hawai'i. When the show started Dan and I were amazed by all the sheep. The MC was very funny as well and it was a fun experience. We also got to see them shave a sheep bare and they had a dairy cow ready for milking. Audience members were asked to volunteer and I shot my hand hand up and got to milk the cow. I had previously not milked a cow but now I have. It was really fun and Dan got some good pictures. After the show we got to see how the wool was processed by carding and then spooling. All in all it was a good extra activity and one that I will remember for a long time.
One thing that our travel agent mentioned was having a Maori meal (hungi). I was hesitant then but we stopped by the Mital village to see what the food was. I wanted to make sure I could eat something. Sure enough they had Jeni types of food and we made our reservation. The Aussies recommended this village and so we were excited to have a chance to see and learn about the natives. The night began with introductions and the appointing of a chief. We were a tribe of 18 nations with our chief from Singapore. In fact no one volunteered to be chief (well no man did, I would have but no woman could be chief). So the Ukranian woman randomly picked the Singapore man. I think because he was alone and an easy target. Much to his chagrin he agreed to do it. Once that was over we got to see our food being cooked. Dan sorta misled you as to how it is cooked. We believe that was the ancient way with burying it under grow d because now they just have a big steam pit in the ground. Probably because it is more controllable and safer. We watt he'd their native welcome show complete with dance, a showing of their games, and some war calls. It was fun to see the cultural part of New Zealand and learn a little bit about the Maori. We had dinner after the show and we starving. It consisted of salads (lettuce and noodle), roasted potatoes, domed lamb or chicken and some garlic bread. They also provided dessert which was Triffle, tropical fruit and a chocolate log ( large Swiss Cake roll). The food overall was very tasty and it was nice not to have to choose what to eat. We ate our full and talked with a British couple during the entire meal. They we very nice and recommended some sites in the South Island. So we will have to see if we get a chance to see them. Once dinner was done we went on a nature hike to see their sacred waters surrounded by more glowworms. It was all a great experience and Dan and I are glad we got to have it. It is nice to see a different piece of New Zealand.
Time to retire to our room again and await the South Island in the morning.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
See Below
I have posted two updates and working on finishing up yesterday's activities. It will be up tonight as well as more pictures. This is a big post day bc we have FREE Wifi access at our hotel. Keep an eye out for more updates.
Love Jeni
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Leaving for the Country
22/11/2010 On the Road
Today is the day that Dan and I head out of Auckland and off to the countryside for lots of driving. After another delicious breakfast at Bella's (this place is amazing) we got ourselves ready to leave. We headed out of Auckland about 9:30 am. We were in a great location and the transition from downtown to the highway was very simple. Dan and I were really happy that the traffic was only bad going into the city very much unlike Chicago in which you are stuck no matter what direction or time of day. We got out in a jiffy. In fact due to the nature of the road system here a short distance on a map is still a long drive.
A few miles outside Auckland the road changed from a four lane divided highway to a two lane undivided highway. Now that we have driven a bunch we realize this is the norm. They do have the occasional passing lane and with the curves and constant speed changes these are nice to let the locals get around us. We were quite slow to begin with the speed limit is 100 km/ hr ( around 60 mph) and we were around 80-90. Once we got our bearings we were able to keep the speed up closer to the limit or admittedly a little fast as which our GPS would yell at us and we would slow down.
The road to Waitomo was quite long and we ended up on a very small country road. We followed the GPS and not until later did we realize there was a larger access road. The countryside was beautiful and it was nice to see all the farmland, cows, sheep and houses. With all the dairt cows it could have easily been a country drive in WI, well perhaps a little too hilly but still very similar. We rolled in to Waitomo around noon. Just a little too late for the noon tour so we opted to wait and eat some lunch. The cafe at the cave was good and I (per usual) had chickens strips and fries. It was nice to get something less fancy. Dan had a burger with some Ginger Beer, similar to Ginger ale but just a little stronger. He loved it while I did not. I had a good old American Sprite. :)
We made it for the 1pm tour and had a very nice experience. Unfortunately there was no pictures or video allowed and so we don't have anything to show but I can describe it. We walked into the cave and made our way down a little ways seeing stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. The guide told us the formations will form a column eventually when they grow together however at 1 cm growth a year no one will ever see it happen. The guide notified us that there was a lot of limestone which is formed when fossils, corral, and something else (can't remember) die and decay. Once we made it down 40 meters we were in an all black area. Dan and I were the first to reach this area to which the guide mentioned "Americans are always so trusting." Dan and I chuckled at this and hoped for the best. We were actually standing under the tallest part of the cave. They call it the cathedral and it is a site to see, dark or lit. The guide told us that the cathedral is used by recording artists who want to make use of the natural acoustics and that recently wedding are held there. I personally could't imagine the 40m descent in a big white wedding dress. It would be amazing though regardless. Once we made it through the cathedrals we had our first glimpse of glowworms. They were little twinkling lights on the side of the cave above the water. They have long stringy "fishing poles" that extend from them downward. These catch their food, primarily mosquitos. After this we loaded onto a boat and went through river cutout that was lit by THOUSANDS of these glowworms. We both really wish we could show you but we followed the direction and didn't take any pictures. We did pick up a couple postcards so we may post photos of those to give you an idea of what it was like.
Once we were done here at Waitomo we decided to go exploring a little bit. We made our way east heading to Lake Taupo. This is the largest lake in New Zealand the size roughly that of Singapore. It was a very big lake. We stopped along the shore and snapped a couple of photos and relaxed a bit after the drive. We tried some New Zealand snacks in the form of chips called Grain Waves. Dan also wanted to try a Bounty candy bar and so we shared that too. Once we were done taking in the lake we decided to try and find Huka Falls. We arrived at the park at 5:45 pm and the sign told us 6pm sharp it closed. So we hopped out of the car and ran to the falls site. Luckily it was close and we managed to leave with 5 or so mins remaining. After that we headed off to Rotorua.
While traveling on State Highway 5 (the thermal explorers highway) we noticed steam coming from the farm land. Spoiler alert: the next day we experienced the steam even more. Also on this drive and pretty close to Rotorua it began to rain. We happened upon a large hill with a rainbow. While I was trying to take photos Dan noticed that the hill was called Rainbow Mountain. Which of course is the perfect name and we are glad we got to see a rainbow.
We arrived in Rotorua around 7 pm checked in and opened our room. What? Two double beds, this can't be right? Luckily I spoke up and convinced Dan that we should inquire about a nicer room. Much to our surprise they had one available. It was not only a king bed but had it's very own Jacuzzi tub. Woot, I say and so Dan and I celebrated by taking a dip and enjoying our room. We were quite surprised that Rotorua was small and so we jut had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep. We had an early day ahead with sleep being necessary.
Today is the day that Dan and I head out of Auckland and off to the countryside for lots of driving. After another delicious breakfast at Bella's (this place is amazing) we got ourselves ready to leave. We headed out of Auckland about 9:30 am. We were in a great location and the transition from downtown to the highway was very simple. Dan and I were really happy that the traffic was only bad going into the city very much unlike Chicago in which you are stuck no matter what direction or time of day. We got out in a jiffy. In fact due to the nature of the road system here a short distance on a map is still a long drive.
A few miles outside Auckland the road changed from a four lane divided highway to a two lane undivided highway. Now that we have driven a bunch we realize this is the norm. They do have the occasional passing lane and with the curves and constant speed changes these are nice to let the locals get around us. We were quite slow to begin with the speed limit is 100 km/ hr ( around 60 mph) and we were around 80-90. Once we got our bearings we were able to keep the speed up closer to the limit or admittedly a little fast as which our GPS would yell at us and we would slow down.
The road to Waitomo was quite long and we ended up on a very small country road. We followed the GPS and not until later did we realize there was a larger access road. The countryside was beautiful and it was nice to see all the farmland, cows, sheep and houses. With all the dairt cows it could have easily been a country drive in WI, well perhaps a little too hilly but still very similar. We rolled in to Waitomo around noon. Just a little too late for the noon tour so we opted to wait and eat some lunch. The cafe at the cave was good and I (per usual) had chickens strips and fries. It was nice to get something less fancy. Dan had a burger with some Ginger Beer, similar to Ginger ale but just a little stronger. He loved it while I did not. I had a good old American Sprite. :)
We made it for the 1pm tour and had a very nice experience. Unfortunately there was no pictures or video allowed and so we don't have anything to show but I can describe it. We walked into the cave and made our way down a little ways seeing stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. The guide told us the formations will form a column eventually when they grow together however at 1 cm growth a year no one will ever see it happen. The guide notified us that there was a lot of limestone which is formed when fossils, corral, and something else (can't remember) die and decay. Once we made it down 40 meters we were in an all black area. Dan and I were the first to reach this area to which the guide mentioned "Americans are always so trusting." Dan and I chuckled at this and hoped for the best. We were actually standing under the tallest part of the cave. They call it the cathedral and it is a site to see, dark or lit. The guide told us that the cathedral is used by recording artists who want to make use of the natural acoustics and that recently wedding are held there. I personally could't imagine the 40m descent in a big white wedding dress. It would be amazing though regardless. Once we made it through the cathedrals we had our first glimpse of glowworms. They were little twinkling lights on the side of the cave above the water. They have long stringy "fishing poles" that extend from them downward. These catch their food, primarily mosquitos. After this we loaded onto a boat and went through river cutout that was lit by THOUSANDS of these glowworms. We both really wish we could show you but we followed the direction and didn't take any pictures. We did pick up a couple postcards so we may post photos of those to give you an idea of what it was like.
Once we were done here at Waitomo we decided to go exploring a little bit. We made our way east heading to Lake Taupo. This is the largest lake in New Zealand the size roughly that of Singapore. It was a very big lake. We stopped along the shore and snapped a couple of photos and relaxed a bit after the drive. We tried some New Zealand snacks in the form of chips called Grain Waves. Dan also wanted to try a Bounty candy bar and so we shared that too. Once we were done taking in the lake we decided to try and find Huka Falls. We arrived at the park at 5:45 pm and the sign told us 6pm sharp it closed. So we hopped out of the car and ran to the falls site. Luckily it was close and we managed to leave with 5 or so mins remaining. After that we headed off to Rotorua.
While traveling on State Highway 5 (the thermal explorers highway) we noticed steam coming from the farm land. Spoiler alert: the next day we experienced the steam even more. Also on this drive and pretty close to Rotorua it began to rain. We happened upon a large hill with a rainbow. While I was trying to take photos Dan noticed that the hill was called Rainbow Mountain. Which of course is the perfect name and we are glad we got to see a rainbow.
We arrived in Rotorua around 7 pm checked in and opened our room. What? Two double beds, this can't be right? Luckily I spoke up and convinced Dan that we should inquire about a nicer room. Much to our surprise they had one available. It was not only a king bed but had it's very own Jacuzzi tub. Woot, I say and so Dan and I celebrated by taking a dip and enjoying our room. We were quite surprised that Rotorua was small and so we jut had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep. We had an early day ahead with sleep being necessary.
Sent from my iPad
Second Day Journal Entry
21/11/2010 Auckland
6am and Jeni is awake. Thankfully I feel great and like I slept well. Though nothing can compare to your first night after the airplane seat. The bed just feels so great.
I looked out our window and saw rain and fog. I guess today is an umbrella day. I just hope it doesn't rain too hard all day. We have some fun things planned but I would hate to be forced inside.
9am Dan and I are up and ready for our breakfast. We have room service on the way and we are very excited. It is my first time getting room service. At 9:05 I looked out the door to see the waiter with our meal coming down the hall. It was so fun to have it brought to us and we ate it all in bed. The meal was fried eggs and toast with hash browns. We also had pears and oj. Dan had some croissants, milk and weird mango yogurt. We thought it was delicious and I was happy it was so easy for us. We just had to sit and wait.
After breakfast we decided it was time to go about our day. We went to find the free shuttle (i should mention that the shuttle was actually a shark) to Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium. This aquarium has a large colony of penguins. Dan and I got to watch their morning feeding via a window and closed circuit TV. It was fun to see them get one fish and then walk away. As if that was all for them, they seem very polite. We also got to stick our hands into icy (-2 degrees Celsius) and tried to hold it in for 30 secs. I made it 10 secs and Dan won by lasting the whole 30. I was amazed at how soon it started to hurt. We made our way farther into the Aquarium and got into a line to take a Sno-Cat into the penguin pen. Once inside we could see up close the penguins and their environment. There were a few nursing and caring for their young. We even saw one penguin sitting on the egg. It was a great joy to see some of the Southern Hemispheres finest creatures. Also at the aquarium we saw sting rays, sharks and plenty of other fish. Dan and I even found Nemo, he was just swimming around with his friend. Once done with the aquarium Dan and I escaped to a pier across the street. This pier gave us amazing views of the Auckland skyline and out into the harbor. It was soooo windy on this pier I thought it would lift me off and I would have to go for a swim. Luckily we stayed grounded and made it back to the shark to go back into town.
We grabbed lunch at an Italian restaurant (we managed to find one after searching for a long time) and had pizza, garlic bread and a salad. Then shortly after we were scheduled to pick up our rental car for our departure in the morning. It was quite interesting to be driving on the left with Dan driving in the right side of the car. We made it back to the hotel without hitting anything or driving on the wrong side of the street. New Zealand marks it's roads very well, I am assuming to help the many tourists they get in camper vans. There are arrows on the road and signs indicating the correct side of medians to be on.
We spent a little time in the hotel and got ready for our dinner at the Sky Tower. We had reservations at Orbit, a revolving restaurant near the top of the tower. We also got free admission to the sky deck so we took advantage of that as well. You have seen some of the photos from this activity. Dan and I both enjoyed ourselves and the meal was very delicious. Worth every penny or shall we say New Zealand 10 cents ( that is e smallest denomination here). I do have to say that views were amazing and I am glad that we were able to take it in for a long time. Also seeing the transition from day to night was fun as we revolved around the city. We made just around two full revolutions and we think it is about 70 mins per revolution not too fast but still noticeable. Once we were done with dinner we retired early. We had a little much to drink (I blame it on the height and revolving) so we went to bed rather early. But then again we had a whole long day of driving ahead so we also needed to rest for that.
6am and Jeni is awake. Thankfully I feel great and like I slept well. Though nothing can compare to your first night after the airplane seat. The bed just feels so great.
I looked out our window and saw rain and fog. I guess today is an umbrella day. I just hope it doesn't rain too hard all day. We have some fun things planned but I would hate to be forced inside.
9am Dan and I are up and ready for our breakfast. We have room service on the way and we are very excited. It is my first time getting room service. At 9:05 I looked out the door to see the waiter with our meal coming down the hall. It was so fun to have it brought to us and we ate it all in bed. The meal was fried eggs and toast with hash browns. We also had pears and oj. Dan had some croissants, milk and weird mango yogurt. We thought it was delicious and I was happy it was so easy for us. We just had to sit and wait.
After breakfast we decided it was time to go about our day. We went to find the free shuttle (i should mention that the shuttle was actually a shark) to Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium. This aquarium has a large colony of penguins. Dan and I got to watch their morning feeding via a window and closed circuit TV. It was fun to see them get one fish and then walk away. As if that was all for them, they seem very polite. We also got to stick our hands into icy (-2 degrees Celsius) and tried to hold it in for 30 secs. I made it 10 secs and Dan won by lasting the whole 30. I was amazed at how soon it started to hurt. We made our way farther into the Aquarium and got into a line to take a Sno-Cat into the penguin pen. Once inside we could see up close the penguins and their environment. There were a few nursing and caring for their young. We even saw one penguin sitting on the egg. It was a great joy to see some of the Southern Hemispheres finest creatures. Also at the aquarium we saw sting rays, sharks and plenty of other fish. Dan and I even found Nemo, he was just swimming around with his friend. Once done with the aquarium Dan and I escaped to a pier across the street. This pier gave us amazing views of the Auckland skyline and out into the harbor. It was soooo windy on this pier I thought it would lift me off and I would have to go for a swim. Luckily we stayed grounded and made it back to the shark to go back into town.
We grabbed lunch at an Italian restaurant (we managed to find one after searching for a long time) and had pizza, garlic bread and a salad. Then shortly after we were scheduled to pick up our rental car for our departure in the morning. It was quite interesting to be driving on the left with Dan driving in the right side of the car. We made it back to the hotel without hitting anything or driving on the wrong side of the street. New Zealand marks it's roads very well, I am assuming to help the many tourists they get in camper vans. There are arrows on the road and signs indicating the correct side of medians to be on.
We spent a little time in the hotel and got ready for our dinner at the Sky Tower. We had reservations at Orbit, a revolving restaurant near the top of the tower. We also got free admission to the sky deck so we took advantage of that as well. You have seen some of the photos from this activity. Dan and I both enjoyed ourselves and the meal was very delicious. Worth every penny or shall we say New Zealand 10 cents ( that is e smallest denomination here). I do have to say that views were amazing and I am glad that we were able to take it in for a long time. Also seeing the transition from day to night was fun as we revolved around the city. We made just around two full revolutions and we think it is about 70 mins per revolution not too fast but still noticeable. Once we were done with dinner we retired early. We had a little much to drink (I blame it on the height and revolving) so we went to bed rather early. But then again we had a whole long day of driving ahead so we also needed to rest for that.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, November 22, 2010
Kia Ora From Rotorua (2nd Day)
Super quick. Running out of time.
We went to a Thermal Park today and saw lots of awesome thermal pools and mud pools. Got lots of crazy pictures.
Then we headed to an extreme adventure park called agroventures. We shweebed, super fun, then we did a freefall activity with a giant fan. Jeni was much better than me.
Then we went to a sheep show and learned all about sheering and wool and stuff. Jeni got on stage during the show and Milked a cow. We also met an aussie family that recommended a cultural meal called a Hungi. We went and booked a dinner and show right after and thats the plan for tonight. They cook the food underground by burying it, and the thermal energy cooks it.
Thats all for now.
-Dan
We went to a Thermal Park today and saw lots of awesome thermal pools and mud pools. Got lots of crazy pictures.
Then we headed to an extreme adventure park called agroventures. We shweebed, super fun, then we did a freefall activity with a giant fan. Jeni was much better than me.
Then we went to a sheep show and learned all about sheering and wool and stuff. Jeni got on stage during the show and Milked a cow. We also met an aussie family that recommended a cultural meal called a Hungi. We went and booked a dinner and show right after and thats the plan for tonight. They cook the food underground by burying it, and the thermal energy cooks it.
Thats all for now.
-Dan
Quick Post from Rotorua
Hey all!
More Greetings from next to down under!
Sadly our hotel doesn't have any wireless available. This makes me sad panda as we can't share our awesome pictures from the iPad or the long post I prepared offline. So I'm here on a timecard (super expensive) and just wanted to give a quick update. Were in Rotorua, which is a "Thermal Wonderland" with lots of exciting hot pools, geysers, volcanic activity and such. We are going to go Shweebing tomorrow which is awesome. Look it up on youtube, its baller.
Anyway, not much as far as updates and pics from this location unless we can find a nice cafe with wireless (and from the looks of the city so far its unlikely). Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as we can.
Special Congrats to Anne, my Mom! We are super happy for you!
-Jeni and Dan
More Greetings from next to down under!
Sadly our hotel doesn't have any wireless available. This makes me sad panda as we can't share our awesome pictures from the iPad or the long post I prepared offline. So I'm here on a timecard (super expensive) and just wanted to give a quick update. Were in Rotorua, which is a "Thermal Wonderland" with lots of exciting hot pools, geysers, volcanic activity and such. We are going to go Shweebing tomorrow which is awesome. Look it up on youtube, its baller.
Anyway, not much as far as updates and pics from this location unless we can find a nice cafe with wireless (and from the looks of the city so far its unlikely). Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as we can.
Special Congrats to Anne, my Mom! We are super happy for you!
-Jeni and Dan
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Auckland first day
We touched down in Auckland around 8 am local time. Btw it is Sat, Dan and I lost a day of our lives! Neither Dan and I have really traveled internationally before (I've been to Jamaica, Canada and Mexico and Dan has been to Canada- no passport was required) and so we were unsure how the customs would go. In addition I had to declare my food and also potentially explain my animal work. Dan was as clean as a whistle, nothing to declare and computer scientists aren't usually a biosecurity risk. Once we made it through all the security checks and LONG lines we went and found our ground transportation.
Our travel agent Lori did a fantastic job of arranging this beforehand so we didn't have to worry. We just need to find the Super Shuttle!!! It was a comfortable ride into the city though a little scary. I'm still not used to the opposite side of driving much less the driver on the right side of the car. The outer parts of Auckland is pretty, the houses are middle class US sized and there are palm trees all around. Everyone seems to drive a foreign made car (not US) though we did see a one Ford and a hummer. Also it was weird to see a Ford banner at a local event. So I guess Ford much has dealerships here. Still it is something I noticed.
Once we got to our hotel it was about 10:00 am. Our room was not ready though the hotel stored our bags so Dan and I could get some lunch. We had no clue where we were going or what we would find. So we headed out to the west and found a restaurant that was serving breakfast. Dan had to remind me that it was breakfast bc my internal clock was still on US time which was 2 pm or so. The restaurant was called Bella's Cafe and was delicious. Dan had scrambled eggs and toast while I had French Toast. The eggs we super fluffy and good while the Italian baguette for toast was amazing. Dan loved his dish but so did I as I reached over the table for many tastes. My French toast was good but I didn't really like the grilled bananas so Dan dug in and demolished them.
After breakfast we started exploring. Not until later did we realize how far we went. It was a lot of walking which was good bc Dan and my goal for the day was to wear out our bodies so that we would be tired. So far Auckland reminds me of San Fran though no streetcars. It is hilly and surrounded by lost of water. In fact our hotel is on the harbour (Princes Harbour) so we can see water from our room. The room in general is a normal hotel room. One thing Dan and I noticed it is true about the toilets. They do flush counter clockwise. A cool thing to compare when we get back home.
One other thing Dan and I needed to do was get a local cell phone. We brought with us an old phone however it was locked to AT&T so the 2degrees SIM card we bought didn't work. So after some thinking Dan and I decided to try and find a local phone. We found one at an electronics store and bought it. It was only $50 or so and lets us call locally for cheaper than a land line. Plus we will be driving so it is also nice to have on the road. And now I get to make fun of Dan. So Dan doesn't like clutter in his pocket and so after we bought the SIM card he "threw" away the receipt. So we got back to the hotel and were trying to get this to work and he noticed that we needed a code to activate which he thought was on the receipt. So we check all his pockets and nothing. So then he says "I remember crumpling something up and throwing it away. At this point I couldn't help but be upset. I was thinking we went through all this trouble and now we have to spend more money to get a new SIM card. Well... luckily he found it in his jacket pocket and all was well. Though we don't know yet what he threw away so now he is not allowed to throw anything away unless we both agree it is not needed. Just in case. :)
Once we got cell figured out Dan and I were a little hungry. Since we didn't want anything big we opted for good old American Subway which is right across the street. We then ate our subs and waited for our 4 pm appointment for Dan and I to get massages. Something I set up last week so that we could get the jet lag sore out of our muscles. It felt amazing and even though it was only a half hour it was still wonderful. I do feel that it helped to get me feeling good again. It was good to have after our long haul flight (it was almost 13 hours).
Since we nearly feel asleep (or did we can't quite remember) we decided it was time to go get dinner and find this Internet cafe to use. We found the cafe to be closed as well as many other businesses and so Dan and I decided to walk around a bit looking for an open cafe. Sure enough we found one that offered WiFi access with a purchase. Dan got a cup of hazelnut hot chocolate and a voucher for one hour access. We enjoyed the hour just browsing and posting the pictures on the blog. You can see a little of our trip. After the cafe we decided to head and find dinner. We happened upon Neptune's Bar and Grill on the wharf across from our hotel. We both had the Fish and Chips which happened to be Turkey Fish (still not quite sure what it is yet but I will have to look when I get Internet access again). The food was good and a nice compliment to the day. Plus you can't go to a water locked country and not have seafood. So at least I got that done. :) I'm not really a huge fan of seafood so I may not have much more. After dinner Dan and I spent some time taking night pictures on the wharf. He did an amazing job and surely we will post them.
We retired to our hotel at just about 10pm. We made it through the whole first day. Jet lag appears to have not affected us and we feel great. Now for a goodnights sleep and breakfast in the morning.
Our travel agent Lori did a fantastic job of arranging this beforehand so we didn't have to worry. We just need to find the Super Shuttle!!! It was a comfortable ride into the city though a little scary. I'm still not used to the opposite side of driving much less the driver on the right side of the car. The outer parts of Auckland is pretty, the houses are middle class US sized and there are palm trees all around. Everyone seems to drive a foreign made car (not US) though we did see a one Ford and a hummer. Also it was weird to see a Ford banner at a local event. So I guess Ford much has dealerships here. Still it is something I noticed.
Once we got to our hotel it was about 10:00 am. Our room was not ready though the hotel stored our bags so Dan and I could get some lunch. We had no clue where we were going or what we would find. So we headed out to the west and found a restaurant that was serving breakfast. Dan had to remind me that it was breakfast bc my internal clock was still on US time which was 2 pm or so. The restaurant was called Bella's Cafe and was delicious. Dan had scrambled eggs and toast while I had French Toast. The eggs we super fluffy and good while the Italian baguette for toast was amazing. Dan loved his dish but so did I as I reached over the table for many tastes. My French toast was good but I didn't really like the grilled bananas so Dan dug in and demolished them.
After breakfast we started exploring. Not until later did we realize how far we went. It was a lot of walking which was good bc Dan and my goal for the day was to wear out our bodies so that we would be tired. So far Auckland reminds me of San Fran though no streetcars. It is hilly and surrounded by lost of water. In fact our hotel is on the harbour (Princes Harbour) so we can see water from our room. The room in general is a normal hotel room. One thing Dan and I noticed it is true about the toilets. They do flush counter clockwise. A cool thing to compare when we get back home.
One other thing Dan and I needed to do was get a local cell phone. We brought with us an old phone however it was locked to AT&T so the 2degrees SIM card we bought didn't work. So after some thinking Dan and I decided to try and find a local phone. We found one at an electronics store and bought it. It was only $50 or so and lets us call locally for cheaper than a land line. Plus we will be driving so it is also nice to have on the road. And now I get to make fun of Dan. So Dan doesn't like clutter in his pocket and so after we bought the SIM card he "threw" away the receipt. So we got back to the hotel and were trying to get this to work and he noticed that we needed a code to activate which he thought was on the receipt. So we check all his pockets and nothing. So then he says "I remember crumpling something up and throwing it away. At this point I couldn't help but be upset. I was thinking we went through all this trouble and now we have to spend more money to get a new SIM card. Well... luckily he found it in his jacket pocket and all was well. Though we don't know yet what he threw away so now he is not allowed to throw anything away unless we both agree it is not needed. Just in case. :)
Once we got cell figured out Dan and I were a little hungry. Since we didn't want anything big we opted for good old American Subway which is right across the street. We then ate our subs and waited for our 4 pm appointment for Dan and I to get massages. Something I set up last week so that we could get the jet lag sore out of our muscles. It felt amazing and even though it was only a half hour it was still wonderful. I do feel that it helped to get me feeling good again. It was good to have after our long haul flight (it was almost 13 hours).
Since we nearly feel asleep (or did we can't quite remember) we decided it was time to go get dinner and find this Internet cafe to use. We found the cafe to be closed as well as many other businesses and so Dan and I decided to walk around a bit looking for an open cafe. Sure enough we found one that offered WiFi access with a purchase. Dan got a cup of hazelnut hot chocolate and a voucher for one hour access. We enjoyed the hour just browsing and posting the pictures on the blog. You can see a little of our trip. After the cafe we decided to head and find dinner. We happened upon Neptune's Bar and Grill on the wharf across from our hotel. We both had the Fish and Chips which happened to be Turkey Fish (still not quite sure what it is yet but I will have to look when I get Internet access again). The food was good and a nice compliment to the day. Plus you can't go to a water locked country and not have seafood. So at least I got that done. :) I'm not really a huge fan of seafood so I may not have much more. After dinner Dan and I spent some time taking night pictures on the wharf. He did an amazing job and surely we will post them.
We retired to our hotel at just about 10pm. We made it through the whole first day. Jet lag appears to have not affected us and we feel great. Now for a goodnights sleep and breakfast in the morning.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Oy! Greetings from the Future!
Hey everyone!
So Jeni and I are here in New Zealand after a long day of normal travel and time travel forward a day. (Across the date line) We are both safe and sound, along with all of our luggage! *phew*
We are feeling a bit disconnected from the internets and phones, but we will get through. I thought I had a phone which would accept a NZ sim card (not my iphone), but sadly it is tied to AT+T specifically and rejects the card, even though it has the correct network tech. I thought it was only iphones that AT+T locked down to their evil empire.
So far we have wandered around downtown Auckland, and looked around at the Sky Tower and a few other cool attractions.
We will try to keep up blogging and email etc, but I don't know how easy that will be. I would have thought this place would offer paid wireless internet, but it doesn't. iPad suddenly becomes much less useful. If we can, you'll hear more from us, otherwise await pictures upon return!
Cheers,
-Dan and Jeni
So Jeni and I are here in New Zealand after a long day of normal travel and time travel forward a day. (Across the date line) We are both safe and sound, along with all of our luggage! *phew*
We are feeling a bit disconnected from the internets and phones, but we will get through. I thought I had a phone which would accept a NZ sim card (not my iphone), but sadly it is tied to AT+T specifically and rejects the card, even though it has the correct network tech. I thought it was only iphones that AT+T locked down to their evil empire.
So far we have wandered around downtown Auckland, and looked around at the Sky Tower and a few other cool attractions.
We will try to keep up blogging and email etc, but I don't know how easy that will be. I would have thought this place would offer paid wireless internet, but it doesn't. iPad suddenly becomes much less useful. If we can, you'll hear more from us, otherwise await pictures upon return!
Cheers,
-Dan and Jeni
Thursday, November 11, 2010
My thoughts are up north
Last Saturday while we were all in the midst of celebrating one of my best friends from high school, Natalie Licht, lost a nephew. Barron Christian Battles (Magdalene's Licht Battles son) passed away after just 8 weeks. I never met him but I did read some of the blog posts his mother wrote during his life.
He was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and it was only a matter of time before his body gave up on him. He looked like such a sweet little child and I know that the families are really missing him.
Today was his funeral and I just mention him on here. November 6th will always be a special day in my life and unfortunately will be for the Licht and Battles families also. I just hope they can look at the joy Barron brought them and be grateful for it. So therefore my thoughts are up north today so that the families can feel the love from all around.
He was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and it was only a matter of time before his body gave up on him. He looked like such a sweet little child and I know that the families are really missing him.
Today was his funeral and I just mention him on here. November 6th will always be a special day in my life and unfortunately will be for the Licht and Battles families also. I just hope they can look at the joy Barron brought them and be grateful for it. So therefore my thoughts are up north today so that the families can feel the love from all around.
One week back and one week forward
So much changes over the course of 7 days and even more if you go 14 days. Well a week ago Dan and I were arriving in Madison to begin the spectacle that became a very wonderful wedding. Now that we have had a few days to settle down I have realized life isn't much different. All I can really say is that Dan and I aren't snippy with each other anymore. Which I attribute to the wedding being over and me not being crazy stressed. Other than that nothing really.
In one week perhaps comes the best vacation I will ever take. Dan and I planned the honeymoon of a lifetime and since June (or so when we booked) I can't believe it is almost here. I was searching some places in Auckland today and was getting excited to see it in person. The whole trip sounds like so much fun and hopefully Dan and I will have enough energy to enjoy every moment. This weekend is going to be spent packing and planning. I haven't traveled much to foreign countries and it has been a long time since I've flown. Therefore I need to practice packing and trying to pack light. For a female that is a hard thing to do. Hopefully we can get away with one large suitcase, two carry-ons and a personal bag. One carry on is being reserved for electronics, yes we have that many that are necessary to everyday life. Hopefully the preparation I used to make the wedding happen can also be applied to international travel. Back come the nerves and the stress of a perfect vacation. I guess this cycle doesn't end.
I am truly hoping that Dan and I will have access to the internet often enough to make some updates and possibly post some pictures. That is if we can take a break from all the fun we will have. :)
In one week perhaps comes the best vacation I will ever take. Dan and I planned the honeymoon of a lifetime and since June (or so when we booked) I can't believe it is almost here. I was searching some places in Auckland today and was getting excited to see it in person. The whole trip sounds like so much fun and hopefully Dan and I will have enough energy to enjoy every moment. This weekend is going to be spent packing and planning. I haven't traveled much to foreign countries and it has been a long time since I've flown. Therefore I need to practice packing and trying to pack light. For a female that is a hard thing to do. Hopefully we can get away with one large suitcase, two carry-ons and a personal bag. One carry on is being reserved for electronics, yes we have that many that are necessary to everyday life. Hopefully the preparation I used to make the wedding happen can also be applied to international travel. Back come the nerves and the stress of a perfect vacation. I guess this cycle doesn't end.
I am truly hoping that Dan and I will have access to the internet often enough to make some updates and possibly post some pictures. That is if we can take a break from all the fun we will have. :)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Shared Photo Album and warning about it
As we mentioned in a few places, please use our Shared Online Public Album. You can get there at:
http://danandjeni.irave.com/Wedding
The password is: circle
Note:
The album is having a problem, and isn't displaying all the pictures at the moment. I'm working on getting someone to fix it, but until then you can see all the pictures in the following way:
Instead of viewing all photos at once, use the top right drop down box to select individual uploaders. This will allow you to see all the photos each person uploaded, without cutting any off from what I can tell.
The more people that use it, the better it will get for everyone!
So far we have 6 contributors and almost 300 pictures!!! Lets keep it going.
Edit: Another way to get around the image cutoff problem is to just increment the page number in the URL past the end, in the full album.
Second Edit:
So now it seems even worse as it only thinks we have 54 pictures, when we have almost 300. Heres is the easiest way to get around this problem. Just click on one of the photos, and it will take you to a mode with a big picture and a bunch of thumbnails to the side. This list of thumbnails seems to be the complete one.
It also seems that the previous fix with picking the individual uploader doesn't work when the person has uploaded more than the site thinks we have total. (sigh, so just use the fix described here)
http://danandjeni.irave.com/Wedding
The password is: circle
Note:
The album is having a problem, and isn't displaying all the pictures at the moment. I'm working on getting someone to fix it, but until then you can see all the pictures in the following way:
The more people that use it, the better it will get for everyone!
So far we have 6 contributors and almost 300 pictures!!! Lets keep it going.
Edit: Another way to get around the image cutoff problem is to just increment the page number in the URL past the end, in the full album.
Second Edit:
So now it seems even worse as it only thinks we have 54 pictures, when we have almost 300. Heres is the easiest way to get around this problem. Just click on one of the photos, and it will take you to a mode with a big picture and a bunch of thumbnails to the side. This list of thumbnails seems to be the complete one.
It also seems that the previous fix with picking the individual uploader doesn't work when the person has uploaded more than the site thinks we have total. (sigh, so just use the fix described here)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
It's Official
So if you didn't know Dan and I got hitched this past Sat.
After a few days of recovering (well Dan and I did work yesterday) we are back to blogging and preparing for our honeymoon.
But first today I would like to give some thanks.
First off I want to thank Dan for being my husband and best friend. Also thanks to the parents and wedding party that worked so hard prior to the wedding but also on the day of. There was a ton of stuff that needed to be done and I was very happy I didn't have to worry about it. I also would like to acknowledge the vendors and all the Monona Terrace staff that made the day run so smoothly. Finally to all the guests that could make the trip to share in the day with Dan and I. I really appreciated everyone for their support and Dan and I have appreciated your generosity.
Now that the wedding is over we have the memories and pictures to last a lifetime. I want to remind you all to upload any digital pictures you would like to share to our iRave site.
http://danandjeni.irave.com/Wedding/
The password is: "circle"
Don't forget to take a look at the other photos people have been posting. You can also "follow" the album, and I think it will notify you when more pictures are added.
Our wedding was the best day of my life and I hope everyone had a great time. Dan and I totally thought the wedding was worth all the hard work. Thanks again to everyone and check back every once and awhile for some posts. We will certainly try and have some honeymoon updates.
LOVE TO ALL!!!
After a few days of recovering (well Dan and I did work yesterday) we are back to blogging and preparing for our honeymoon.
But first today I would like to give some thanks.
First off I want to thank Dan for being my husband and best friend. Also thanks to the parents and wedding party that worked so hard prior to the wedding but also on the day of. There was a ton of stuff that needed to be done and I was very happy I didn't have to worry about it. I also would like to acknowledge the vendors and all the Monona Terrace staff that made the day run so smoothly. Finally to all the guests that could make the trip to share in the day with Dan and I. I really appreciated everyone for their support and Dan and I have appreciated your generosity.
Now that the wedding is over we have the memories and pictures to last a lifetime. I want to remind you all to upload any digital pictures you would like to share to our iRave site.
http://danandjeni.irave.com/Wedding/
The password is: "circle"
Don't forget to take a look at the other photos people have been posting. You can also "follow" the album, and I think it will notify you when more pictures are added.
Our wedding was the best day of my life and I hope everyone had a great time. Dan and I totally thought the wedding was worth all the hard work. Thanks again to everyone and check back every once and awhile for some posts. We will certainly try and have some honeymoon updates.
LOVE TO ALL!!!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Ahhhhhhh Im getting married today!!!
Yeah.
I hope everyone had fun at the rehearsal dinner. I'm getting married today!!!
Super excited. That is all.
-Dan
I hope everyone had fun at the rehearsal dinner. I'm getting married today!!!
Super excited. That is all.
-Dan
Monday, November 1, 2010
NWR Today
This post is not wedding related (NWR) but it is something I would like to share with my readers.
Last Saturday Dan and I ran in a 5K (3.1 miles) race. We have been training hard for the last 6 weeks trying to get in shape and have enough endurance to run the race during the whole 3 miles. A few years ago Dan and I ran/walked our first 5K race. We didn't train at all and we really just participated for fun. This time however we had higher hopes.
Our goal times: Jeni-36mins (my fastest time during training was 35mins), Dan-30mins
Our results: Jeni-33:17:38 (~11min/mile), Dan 27:01:88 (~9min/mile)
I have to mention that with my time I placed first in my age group. No one told me until after that there were only two women in the group. So I wear my first place medal with pride even though I could do no worse than second. Dan unfortunately didn't place in his age group but he still raced his best and that is all that matters.
Dan and I both beat our goals and our best times by a long time but we had a good time. Well let me rephrase. Once we were finished and we could be happy about our times and progress in our running endurance we felt good. At least for me I hit many walls and had to fight through the pain and tiredness but we made it. It is a good feeling (I speak for Dan too) to finish the race and to get ready for more. With the winter being a hard time to run I may have to convert to a gym environment and bike or elliptical during the winter but in the spring I would like to get back into running and try perhaps a 10K (~6miles) next summer.
So hopefully the endurance helps me to dance all night long. Oh there we go with the wedding again. Oops :)
Last Saturday Dan and I ran in a 5K (3.1 miles) race. We have been training hard for the last 6 weeks trying to get in shape and have enough endurance to run the race during the whole 3 miles. A few years ago Dan and I ran/walked our first 5K race. We didn't train at all and we really just participated for fun. This time however we had higher hopes.
Our goal times: Jeni-36mins (my fastest time during training was 35mins), Dan-30mins
Our results: Jeni-33:17:38 (~11min/mile), Dan 27:01:88 (~9min/mile)
I have to mention that with my time I placed first in my age group. No one told me until after that there were only two women in the group. So I wear my first place medal with pride even though I could do no worse than second. Dan unfortunately didn't place in his age group but he still raced his best and that is all that matters.
Dan and I both beat our goals and our best times by a long time but we had a good time. Well let me rephrase. Once we were finished and we could be happy about our times and progress in our running endurance we felt good. At least for me I hit many walls and had to fight through the pain and tiredness but we made it. It is a good feeling (I speak for Dan too) to finish the race and to get ready for more. With the winter being a hard time to run I may have to convert to a gym environment and bike or elliptical during the winter but in the spring I would like to get back into running and try perhaps a 10K (~6miles) next summer.
So hopefully the endurance helps me to dance all night long. Oh there we go with the wedding again. Oops :)
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