This year I am going somewhere warm!

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By now you've probably noticed that most of my travels been in the winter. The reason is simple, in my line of work, spring time and summer are usually filled with projects, making it hard for me to take leave. Also, there simply aren't a lot of public holidays during the summer time. In the winter, I can usually get away with taking maybe 10 days of vacation, and get out 20 days of break by stringing together the Christmas and New Years holidays. Also, in the winter time there aren't much activity in the office anyways, so you can leave guilt free.

Anyways, after having travelled exclusively to cold places for the past 3 days, I was fed up in 2004 and determined to go somewhere warm for a change. Even though I would still be taking my break in the fall timeframe, I was remined that in Southern Hemisphere, the climates are reversed. Go during Winter here, and have a nice summer break there! So off to New Zealand I went! A full 2 1/2 week adventure driving up and down the north and southern islands. It was awesome!

Hi-lights of the trip:
- New Zealand is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world.. it has the geography with the beaches, the tropical forests, the green rolling hills, the snowcapped mountain ranges all rolled into one.
- New Zealand is apparently the adventure capital of the world... Bungi jumping was invented here along wtih many other extreme activities... they are pricey, but I guess its something you gotta do if you are here. Here in New Zealand, I bungied, I sky dived, I jet boated, I rolled off the mountain in a big rubber ball...
- Sheep... lots and lots of sheeppp

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Photos

Sheep
Lots and lots of sheep everywhere. In one area, we stopped in the road just to take a breath of freshair and take in the scenary... and wow... all we hear is tons of sheep. Its amazing, and quite scary frankly :-)

Queenstown
It is hard to describe how beautiful the South Island of New Zealand is. Part of it probably is due to the fact that there just aren't many people there. The lakes are so clear... the skys are so unpoluted.

Open Roads
There aren't many cars in the South Island. We were often the only car on the road for miles on end... once in a while we'd stop and just take it all in. ahhh.. wish I was there right now

Glacier Climbing
Go to the beach today, and climb a glacier tomorrow. Why not do it if you can?