Enjoying Christchurch ever so much, we stayed around for another week. In the large downtown park we flocked to, we ended up meeting Bomun, who just moved from Seattle to New Zealand in December. He had locked his keys in his van and we ended up talking and waiting with him until AA arrived. We continued our conversation late into the evening, learned all about permaculture (giving back to the land more than you take as an oversimplified definition), and watched a documentary called A Crude Awakening with him that evening in his van. We aren't sure if Bomun had named [View Full Entry]

---

---

Christchurch is a beautiful city of about 300,000 with large cathedrals and stone buildings. A large downtown park with botanic gardens, sports fields, and a golf course became our hub and parking spot. Kirby took a round on the golf course while Christina checked out the Art Gallery. Parking there was an adventure for a few reasons. First of all, the sky was falling. It was hazardous to walk or drive through the park with all of the falling nuts from the huge trees above. Secondly, it was free downtown parking and therefore a hot commodity on weekends, so getting boxed [View Full Entry]

---

---

While sleeping just outside Kaikoura we discovered that the secluded riverbed we picked for our slumber was also picked as a gravel site by some big trucks. When the first truck came, we rolled over. Then three others came and we decided to move to a rest stop off the highway and hit the proverbial 'snooze bar'. When we pulled into the rest stop, Christina saw a dirt road that veered off into the bush toward the beach. Curiosity can kill cats, and also ruin a morning snooze! The road continued on a ways and then suddenly the roadway became sandy, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blenheim currently has the title for the sunniest city in New Zealand. We enjoyed its warm days in its beautiful parks and taking to the golf greens. Fall colors and cool nights are starting to make their appearance just in time for Easter too. An interesting Easter tradition here involves a hunt, but not for colored eggs or chocolate, actually, a hunt for live rabbits! We thankfully had heard of this prior to waking up on Good Friday to the sounds of shot guns both near and in the distance. We had parked just outside Blenheim across from the land designated [View Full Entry]

---

---

We stayed nearly a week in the and around the town of Takaka and its many attractions. We did have the misfortune of a negative kiwi experience and lost a few of our dear belongings including our packs, phone and Christina's vision (both glasses and contacts were in her pack). We were fortunate in many regards, and Christina is making due with some wonderful $14 glasses in the mean time. From Takaka, we headed back toward Nelson and started deciding what type of work we would like to pursue. Motueka is the heart of the apple industry and full of vineyards, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Back in Nelson after our exciting weekend in Auckland, we tied up some business matters and found a neat little place to stay called Hacking Park. Here, we decided to try some new bedding options as the air mattress has been more of a hassle than comfort - it is loud whenever you move, uncomfortable, hard on Christina's shoulders as it is unstable, and hard on Kirby's lungs as it doesn't hold air... we bought a few extra pillows to level out the seats and are enjoying the change. We stayed a few days, going into Nelson and Richmond during the [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was nice to reunite with our Canadian buddies Charlotte and Duane and meet their flatmates. Thursday night was the big Chemical Brothers concert, it was at a stadium built FOR concerts where they sometimes have an ice rink brought in (the opposite of a hockey rink we have concert in back in Canada!). The concert was sold out and vibrating; they put on a great show with a ton of energy and awesome visuals. We enjoyed a nice weekend with C & D with a game of Tacklebox, our first kiwi cinema experience, the amazing concert, and even some baking. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Monday morning we drove to Fox Glacier and Gillespie's Beach where we walked the beach, watched the sea, ate lunch and attempted a nap amid the bugs. We continued on to a town called Hokitika where nearly all of the jade is mined. After finding a place to sleep off the grid we popped back into town the next morning for a visit to the jade factory and a shower at the local pool where we met a friendly local with much wisdom to share. Our next destination was Punakaiki where the famous Pancake Rocks are found; these are somewhat of [View Full Entry]

---

---

We rose early for the drive to Milford Sound and drove through the infamous Homer Tunnel through a mountainside on the way. It had rained all night (120 mm) and a morning mist filled the valley where we drove down the serpentine roads to the water. We boarded our boat for a morning cruise through the fiord. The Fiordlands were created by glaciers and are unique rainforest areas with 5-7 meters of freshwater atop the salt water coming in from the Tasman Sea; this area receives up to 7 meters of rainfall annually! This one-of-a-kind ecosystem draws unique opportunities to see [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was time to leave our home in Clyde and Alex after six weeks. We bid farewell for now to our new friends and started our adventure West. Although it was another hot sunny day, it had snowed in the mountains that morning, reminding us where we have come from. We had the great fortune of a beautiful timeshare condo to stay in for a week in Queenstown as Charlotte's parents couldn't make their trip to New Zealand; we will be forever grateful for this generous gift. It was heaven for our aching muscles and spirits after six weeks in the [View Full Entry]

---

---