Waiotapu Natural Thermal Springs
The Lady Knox Gyser - accidentally discovered over 100 years ago when some workers tried washing their clothes in the hot water. The silicate cone was built up over the years from the daily tourist shows.
Christmas in Rotorua

Christchurch. The "most English" of NZ's cities was our last stop. A great place to wander. Cathedral Square, the Botanical Gardens, the museum, the Arts Center and some really cozy pub/cafe's along Oxford St. where we had our last NZ pizza.

On our last day we visted the Antarctic Centre by the airport. Everything you ever wanted to know about the exploration and the science bases on Antarctica.

It sure was hard to get back on the airplane.

From our disappointing stay at Akaroa (not all B&B owners are friendly) we drove to Kaikoura.

The next morning we showed up at the Dolphin tour shop at 6:00am with about 30 other people to get fitted, head to toe, with thick wetsuits and snorkeling gear. They showed us a video on what to expect and how to "swim with the dolphins". Then they loaded us all onto the busses and drove us out to the boats. After about 20 min. we arrived at where the dolphins hang out. Once they found a pod, they would position the boat in their path and blow the horn to tell us to jump in. At first the water was quite cold but the hard swimming to get to where the dolphins were warmed us right up. They hardly slowed down but came very close to get a look at us. Once they went by, the boat would sound the horn to get back onboard and we would try to get in their path again. We were in-and-out of the water 4 times and saw dolphins on 3 of them. On the way back they rode our bow and put on a show with lots of jumping.

Penguins and Albatross near Dunedin. At the tip of Otago Peninsula is Taiaroa Head, is the only northern royal albatross colony in the world close to human habitation. From the Visitor's Center Observation Point we could see the nesting chicks and their parents. The adults, with their 9-foot wingspan would ride the gale-force winds that constantly blow there. ---Ten minutes down the road is the Yellow-eyed Penguin project. A system of camouflaged trenches and blinds weave around their nesting area just off of the beach. We were there just before dusk, when the parents were coming in from the ocean. They waddled up the beach to feed their chicks after a day of catching food. We were within just a few feet of some.

One of our B & B's was on a typical New Zealand farm (ranch). The Pines were our favorite hosts. The nicest people you'll ever meet. We wish we could have spent more time with them. 900 acres of rolling grassland for their sheep and deer. We learned a little bit about sheep ranching and deer ranching. Actually, they were cross between a red deer and an elk They sell some deer for meat, but many are kept for their horns. They are surgically removed when they are still in velvet and sold to Asian countries as a health supplement. We've seen the TV commercials for it when we lived in Korea!

One of our greatest adventures was our kayak trip through Milford Sound. The van picked us up at 6:00 a.m. for the 2 hour drive to Milford Sound. Once we got there, they suited us up and we hit the water! Our guide, Matt, and the others in our group made it a really wonderful day! Joining us were 2 girls from Denmark, an American couple living in Japan, and 2 German girls. We paddled for 6 hours. We saw seals, waterfalls, chased dolphins, and saw some the most spectacular scenery ever. It rained, got sunny, turned stormy, and then cleared up again. What a trip!!! That night, after we got back to Te Anau, we took in a tour of the Glow Worm Cave. We didn't get back to our room at the farm until 11:00pm.What an incredible day!!

Dinner in Te Anau turned into quite a treat! The restaurant was busy so they seated us at a large table with the understanding that we may have to share the table. The Anklin's sat down with us and we hit-it-off right away. He is from Switzerland and she from Germany. They have been living in Mass. for 12 years now. We talked until 10:00pm remembering Europe and boring their daughter to death. Authentic Swiss cheese fondue awaits us at our next meeting.

I was the 148th person to jump that day. First they weigh you. Then they have you sign a release form, and send you to the bridge. It was my second time to bungy jump, so it was a little easier than the first jump I did in Germany. It was still a rush though!

The Jump!

Queenstown was fun. We stayed in a nice B&B right off of Lake Wakatipu. There were some great restaurants; especially one called "Winnie Bagoes" where we enjoyed more of that unique pizza. We did our own wine tasting tour of the wineries outside of town. We liked the white wines, but the reds (at least the ones we could afford) weren't very good.

Rotorua Farm Show

A chance to see the daily work performed on the many sheep farms in New Zealand

Wow! What a trip! It all started in Auckland. We spent the first day exploring the city on our own. The second day, we took a bus tour. This beautiful city of 2 million reminded us a lot of Seattle; especially with all of the Starbucks coffee shops all over the place. Throughout New Zealand, the food was great! At the pizza restaurants throughout the country, they offered some rather eclectic combinations of toppings. It was some of the best pizza we've ever had! We met lots of very friendly people, and they spoke a language we understood. It was a great vacation and we would go back in a second. If you ever get the opportunity to visit this wonderful country, do NOT pass it up!

Gary's "Little Kiwi" in a market in Auckland. Reminded us of "Pike's Place" market in Seattle.

The obligatory Ooga Booga show.

Rainbow Springs trout pond

A Tuatara Lizard - believed to be a survivor from the time of the dinosaurs.

Karin making another friend

Sulfur spring

Thermal lakes

Champagne Lake - naturally bubbly!

Sheering demonstration

The recovery

A (the) Queenstown street performer on a unicycle.

Making new friends over dinner - the Anklin family.

Our kayaking guide, Matt

Brave Kea

Bambi

Moonlight over lake Te Anau outside of the Glow Worm Cave.

Us in front of Bowen Falls

Penguin trenches

Walking by

Northern Royal Albatross

Gull


Great hosts! John and Florence Pine.

WWII gun turret over Akaroa Harbour

Edith Anne's beach chair

Overlooking Akaroa Harbour and Banks Peninsula

Penguin family. The brown ones are the "babies".

Yellow-Eyed penguin

More albatross off of Taiaroa Head.

Punting on the Avon

Really big trees!

Rose garden

Christchurch Cathedral

Millennium Cup
The Botanical gardens and Peacock Fountain

Kenetic sculpture in the Gardens

Close up

Natural sulfur is evident all over this park.

Waiting for the "GO" horn

Duskey dolphins!

Putting on a show

At the bow of our boat

Our own hot tub

Boiling mud lake

Hot and steamy!

John showing us his ranch.

The sun breaking through.
Clouds rolling in for another storm.

What a view!

Feeding the lambs

Moonlight over Queenstown Bay

A "bird's eye view"

Sheep dog demonstration

A whole lotta bull!

Gary "volunteers" to feed the lambs - only he gets a kid!

Overlooking Rotorua Lake and town

Chard farms wine tasting

Gibbston Valley Winery cave

The jump, a side view


The history of the bridge & bungy jumping.

Contemplation

Kawarau Bridge

Gibbston Valley Winery cave

Queenstown Bay

Ahh, December!

The water was SO GREEN!

Love those zip-off pants!

Sulfur lake

and shoots, and shoots!

After a few minutes it starts to bubble and foam.

A park ranger puts in the soap...

Then it shoots . . .

Foreground: Cows used to control the grass growing. Background: The "City of Sails," Auckland (unfortunately, the weather shown here was what we encountered through most of our trip)

Stateside '07
Hawaii '06
Utah '07-'08 Sapporo '08 Pohnpei '08 Maldives '08 Germany '09           Dream House Plans