ColoRoy

Island Hopping We've traveled to the South Island now. Our last North Island time was a lovely day and night in downtown Wellington, which is a beautiful city. I got lots of time to meander through the national museum, Te Papa, as we were camped in the parking lot behind it. Had to be the most unique place I've ever camped and that's saying a lot. I could definitely live in Wellington. Actually, it's getting to be a lame joke that every town we go through I make that statement & I mean it! We boarded the ferry for the 3 hr ride to the South Island through the Queen Charlotte Sound. Awesome big mountains coming right down to the blue-green ocean. The ferry was pretty luxurious compared to the more commuter-type ferries I've ridden in ... read more

December 26/27 2010 It was hard to leave Papamoa. Christmas day spent there was peaceful and beautiful, but we were craving adventure. We headed southwest to Rotorua, one of the prime geothermal areas of the North Island. We began to smell it long before arriving. Rotten egg gas to most people but Hydrogen Sulfide according to our resident Chemistry student. There was a lot to do there but we chose to raft the highest commercially run falls in the world. While the run was rather short, it did produce. While I managed to keep my composure, Rob screamed like a little girl. Our Holiday Park (Golden Springs) was amazing. They had a private hot-stream with soaking pools with the caveat that you couldn't put your head under water (amoebic meningitis). A word on the NZ Holiday ... read more

The Adventure Begins! We're finally in New Zealand. There was some drama with the flights but not dramatic enough to recount here. 15 hours after Los Angeles we landed in Sydney. It was quite early by tourist standards but we took the train down to Circular Quay then bravely hoofed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Awesome views of the Opera House. We cruised over to Kirribillie where we hung out in a beautiful park and Anthony juggled three-ball. He's an awesome juggler and it entertains everyone who passes by. Its a good conversation starter and already we've met some great fellow tourists: Germans, Kiwis, Aussies & Brits. After 10 hours in Sydney we again boarded the bird for Aukland. Around mid-night we arrived in "the city of sails", found the hotel and passed out. My sleep-deprived ... read more