We weren't sure what we should be expecting after we heard our first weather report. "It will be 'fine' in the North Island today, some showers around the Bay of Plenty, and 'fine' across the South Island. Tomorrow, expect mostly 'fine' weather." Turns out replacing "fine" with "sunny" pretty much straightened everything out. Lucky for us, our 6 weeks in NZ consisted of many "fine" days. We enjoyed "heaps" of outdoor adventures, stayed in "flash" huts and "baches" (a "bach", pronounced 'batch', is a simple vacation home), enjoyed hotsprings, ocean swims, baked goods, great coffee, and the great company of our JAFA friends Matt and Minette. (JAFA means "Just Another F*$%!ing Aucklander" - a term of endearment used by non-Aucklanders). Our first week was spent at a rather leisurely pace, making ourselves right at home and
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