With A Break We Make A Move

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After helping the orchard get caught up on the fruit backlog, our first seven days of work was rewarded with two days off and a 5kg box of 2nd grade cherries; we thoroughly enjoyed both. We took to the road straight from work to explore some of the treasures Central Otago has to offer. First stop was Cromwell where we met Duane and Charlotte at a neighbourhood pub for some supper and to share fruit/work stories. After some laughs, we continued North, stopping in Twizel for the night. The following morning we made it to Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. The hot sun found Kirby's fair skin and the heat stole our energy, so we took a short hike to a lookout where we read and took in the view in the shade. The scenery was just as amazing on the drive as we returned South. We stopped at Clay Cliffs to see the wonders of huge cliffs that erode with a single touch; a rain storm would have quite an effect!

We continued to Wanaka (population 4000), a summer hotspot for holidayers due to its beautiful scenery, climate and lake front location (think Jasper). Although there were great camping spots everywhere, people respected the 'no camping' signs and sardined into the local holiday parks. We ventured further into the hills to find a spot at Motatapu Creek among the sheep fields. After exploring the creek and communing with some sheep, we headed to the Bank of New Zealand; opening an account was a surprisingly positive experience and we left with a no-fee chequing account that has 6% interest!

A great lunch of take-away (served wrapped in newspaper) gave us the energy for Puzzling World, a haven for Escher-lovers. Our favorite was a room built on a slant where water appeared to run up hill (and the OT in me noted that the visual-vestibular incongruencies caused my stomach to turn - yes, I am pushing up my geek glasses now). We didn't quite have the stamina to find all four towers in the extensive 3D maze, in fact, we still believe the 12 year-olds in the last tower cheated. The maze had about 8 staircases and boasted an average of a 4 km walk to complete it. The drive home to Clyde and another week of work was brightened by helping out two hitchhikers, from Uruguay and Spain. Then it was back to apricots, peaches and cherries again...

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Photos

Makin' Eyes At Eachother
Kirby and Duane play with the shadow of the setting sun

Cromwell Meet and Greet
Kirby, Christina, Charlotte, and Duane pose for timer picture to bask in the serenity

Mirror shot of Lake Pukaki
The mountain range in the background is the Southern Alps (Mt. Sefton)

Lindas Pass
Rolling hills of green. They look like velvet when the sun shines on them...

Motatapu River
Where we slept with the sheep, just outside Wanaka

Puzzling World
Kirby getting the wind knocked out of him by a leaning tower at Puzzling World outside of Wanaka.

Ever feel like you are being watched?
The room of faces whose eyes follow your every move, at Puzzling World.

Kirby Looks a Little Tipsy
It was amazing, Kirby's posture looked great in the slanted room.

Comments

[hearty H]

vestibulitis
My vestibules are auriculating just looking at that photo of Kirby!!!