Postcards

I sent two batches of postcards. So far I know that my office received theirs which was in the first batch and my mom got hers from the second batch but I also know people in either batch who have not received theirs. Since I sent them in the middle of the Christmas rush then who knows when they will arrived. Just don't be surprised if you get one next week.

We are home!

So you can't blame me for waiting 2 days to blog about coming home. We were in NZ for 27 days and gone from here for 30. That's 3 days (give or take a few hours) in transit!
The flight to LA was rough and Chris and I had the worst seats in the middle of the middle. I didn't sleep and watched Super Bad, Stardust, and The Darjeeling Limited. It really wasted that bad. I didn't feel as awful as I did on the long flight over.
Once in LA we came through customs quickly so we went to try and get an earlier flight - or layover in ATL would only be 40 minutes. We found out our flight had been delayed and we would miss our flight to Knoxville. It was the last flight in. We got standby tickets to an earlier flight and got seats at the last minute.
Everything was fine after that. My mom picked us up and we stayed up chatting past 1 am!

Yesterday we put away clothes and organized things. I haven't slept good since we got home and I hope to tonight since I have to get up at 6 for work tomorrow.

A Story in Pictues

Chris and I went out with his best friends Justin and Julia. We went to an area called Takapuna and had a beer at a bar then went to dinner at a nice restaurant. The food was great. I hate some duck and pate which are too things I secretly love but never get. It was weird because we were really the only ones in the restaurant. I guess everyone here travels for the holidays.
I think we discovered that Chris is filling a void left by Justin by being with me since I LOVE cheese and hate bench presses.
I could tell Chris and Justin were both very happy to catch up with each other. After dinner went to 3 clubs! That isn't as good as it sounds because it only took 5 minutes to go to all of them. Two were dead and one was crowded but too loud to talk. So we ended up going back to the same bar we had our pre-dinner drink at. By the end of the evening Chris had 5 beers which is a lot for Chris and these were high alcohol beers which I think is 8% alcohol. Anyway, we wanted to take pictures.

This is me doing that "hold the camera out and take a picture of yourself." I don't know what is wrong with Chris.

Take two he did better.

Now all of us!

Here is where I start trying to get a picture of Chris and Justin. Again Chris is being less than helpful.

Why is his picture face that of an evil clown?

What is in his lap?

Finally!

Justin, Julia and Chris

Hopefully, Josh and Emma are being nice to daddy today because he was out late and now he is sad that his Chrissy is going back to America.

We had a great time even though we are old at 11pm is late too us.

The Last Week

We only have two more days left here in NZ (pronounced enzed). We have been taking it easy. I have read The Time-Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones and Mister Pip. All were good books. I have played a lot of Nintendo DS. I getting worn out on "Safari Island". I need my character to fish but fishing is boring so mostly I annoy the other animals.
Chris and I went and met his school friend for lunch today. It was really nice. We are getting ready to go out with Justin and Julia for dinner and drinks.
Tomorrow we are going out to lunch with is parents and having our last tea (dinner) together.
I have started getting us packed to come home. We have a lot of fragile items and heavy things so it takes strategery to pack. I have 2 1/2 of the four bags done and if I can manage to get our two large ceramic pieces into the last bag, we will be good to go.

We leave here at 8:30 pm on 12/30 and arrive in Knoxville at 11:30 pm on 12/30. It boggles the mind.
I only hope I can sleep when we get home. I know I will want to drag everything out and show my mom. I will also probably beg Chris to let Snoopy in the bed with us. She will snuggle me or try to choke me one. And we have to keep her away from the luggage because she loves to damage suite cases. I think in her mind if we have no luggage then we just won't ever leave.

I am ready to get back to work but dread the first day. I know I will want to see everyone but I bet I will have a lot to do. Will you all be mad if I close my door and ignore everyone until lunch?
Also, I think everyone needs to bring there walking shoes because if we are still doing that weight loss thing, we have to hit the lunch walking again. I am trying to convince myself to get up at 5:30 am so I can do two miles before work. I know that would really drop the pounds.

I haven't weighed myself since I got here. My clothes feel the same but I look softer. I don't think we have eaten that bad - not compared to what I eat at my family's. But I haven't had all my dancing. We have tried to walk for about an hour the last few days since we have been back in Auckland.

Anyway, I will be seeing everyone back in Kville real soon.

Happy Christmas! (Days 22-25)

That's what they say in NZ!
It's Boxing Day here which is not celebrated. They just call all the sales Boxing Day sales instead of after Christmas Sales.
We spent Christmas Eve relaxing and preparing our Christmas Feast. I sat outside and read with my legs in the sun. I managed to get burned on my shoulders and my legs are still white. Go figure.

We took a drive to see the street with all the lit up houses. So lame! If Chris and I ever move here we have to live on that street only to show them how it is done. I am sad we waiting in traffic for that.
One Christmas Day, Chris and I took a walk on Takapuna Beach. It was warm but windy. My my hat is almost blowing off.
The tree I am standing next to is Pohutacawa which is the New Zealand Christmas Tree. It blooms this time of year. People still use evergreens in their houses.

We opened presents in the morning. Chris and I both got some nice things and I think his parents liked all the gifts we got for them.

Here we are at Christmas Dinner. We had turkey with stuffing (pesto and pine nut stuffing), cranberry sauce, broccoli salad, zucchini quiche, garden salad, bread and jell-o salad. For dessert we had Pavlova and fruit.
It was a lovely meal and we were all stuffed. We are still eating leftovers today.
I did miss my grandmother's cooking. As much as Christmas in the middle of summer didn't feel like Christmas to me, I realize how odd it is for Chris to have Christmas in the middle of winter.

Today is Wednesday and we are leaving Sunday night so we really only have 4 more days until we come home. I love it here but my limit for being away from home has hit. I miss Boogas, my mom, my bed, the couch, my kitchen, dance class, work.

Days 20 & 21

Here are a couple photos from Hawke's Bay.

We had a great visit with Chris's Auntie Heather, his Grandpa and Nana and all of his cousins.

Day 19: Grandpa's House

All grandparents houses are the same, even in other countries. All grandpas are the same. They tell you about the war, give you random things they have lying around the house and seem to have stashes of sweets hidden all over. There is something very nice about knowing that Grandpas have this in common.
It was nice for Chris to share his Grandpa and Nana Peg with me and it was very nice to meet them.

Day 18: EARTHQUAKE!

So today started out uneventful. We drove to Chris's Aunt's in Hastings which is in the Hawke's Bay Region.
We had a nice dinner with his Aunt and Uncle Eric. Auntie Heather had to go babysit for her son and Chris, his mom, Uncle Eric and I were sitting around talking. The light in the lounge (living room) flickered. That prompted Eric to ask if we had earthquakes in Knoxville because it made him think of them. Then it happened!
It felt like the house was on jelly. Like being on a rocking boat. It was unreal. You can't imagine something as solid as the ground and house being so wobbly. It wasn't at all like what I expected. It felt like it last several minutes even though it was really twenty seconds. I was shocked and grabbed Chris. After it was over I almost wished it happened again so instead of being scared I could really take in what an Earthquake feels like.
They have said that CNN and the news channels made it sound worse than it really was. No one was hurt and there was mostly minor damage. Things falling off shelves and walls and breaking.
Use this link for a map.
It was a 6.8 50 km off the coast of Gisborne. We were down in Hastings.

PICTURES

Pictures are up on all posts for our South Island Adventure!

Day 17: Back in Auckland

Today we are back in Auckland. Chris has gone off to help his dad and I am hanging out and doing laundry. I would like and try and get pictures up on all these posts when Chris gets back.
Some funny things I need to share.
1. Sheep. They are everywhere. Not kidding. Millions. But none to pat. Every time we drive by some I picked out the cutest one that I would like to pet and feed a banana to. Chris has realized that he could have saved a lot of money by just taking me to the petting zoo.
2. Street Signs. They are so pleasant. Instead of "flagman ahead" it says "please stop if requested" instead of "yield" it is "give way". There are also signs with exclamations points and the falling rock signs are pictures of rocks.
3. One lane bridges are everywhere. There is sign showing which side has to yield. I am going to write a letter to the Prime Minister. You would think New Zealand could afford two lane bridges.

Day 16: Rain, Rain Go Away

The rain caught up to us in Christchurch.
We had to stick to indoor activities. We went to the Art Centre and the Museum. Both were free and wonderful.
Then we headed out to the airport where there is a new Antarctic Exhibit at the Antarctic Center. All flights to Antarctica's Scott Base leave out of Christchurch. All the US, NZ and English teams have there main research stuff in Christchurch as well.
We went in a snow storm simulator that blew winds at -17 F. We were given boots and coats but Chris and I both had shorts on. There was one crazy guy in there with his shirt off. I climbed in the igloo to hide until it was over. We saw replicas of the equipment they use and learned about the conditions there. They also have a great penguin area.
They have actual blue penguins which are the small ones we saw in Akaroa and live in NZ.
I fell very educated in the ways of Antarctica.

Day 15: Like Being on a movie set

It was still raining when we woke up in Franz Josef. We started off down the road to the glacier but the road is dirt, winding, and had a ranging river on one side and since we could only see about 10 feet in front of us we turned back.
Again we drove through rain forest and then over rocky mountains and then through tussock (looks like dead monkey grass) fields and green mountains. Then we were in Christchurch. I can see why so many movies and shows film here. You can reach almost any kind of landscape you desire within an hour of a city. It is almost incredible to watch the landscape change.
Once we got into Christchurch, we picked up Anna's key and drove out to Sumner to the beach. It was so beautiful. Then we road up the Christchurch Gondola to check out the view.
It was great.
We ordered Hell's pizza with Anna and Oscar who is her Siamese. Chris is the cat whisperer, no doubt. Although his hands look like he got into a bar fight because Oscar is too fast for Chris. It is skinny like Chris who is too accustomed to playing with Snoopy who won't always play if you are out of her reach when she is lying down.

Update on our progress

I am looking back on my list of links and seeing what we have and have not done.
We through in the Akaroa Dolphins on day 1. Weather prevented us from seeing Mount Cook but we went by. We didn't go to the Haka on the top of the Gondola because there was a free one at the Kiwi Bird Park. We didn't do the Central Otago Wine Experience, instead we ate too much and went shopping.
It was too early for a pint when we were in Arrowtown but we did pan for gold. Also, Chris took a Bungy jump on that day. And alas, the bra fence has been removed. According to lonely planet the town had asked the farmer to take it down in 2006 but he had refused. I guess they won.
Also instead of staying the hotel tomorrow we are staying with Anna (see the only photo I got to load back on our arrival day). Chris is going to call her in a few minutes and take her up on her offer. That will save us enough money to go out to a nice dinner and take her with us!

I think I have proved my own worth as a travel agent and that if you spend over a month preparing for a trip it just may be worth it.

Day 14: This is the reason no one lives here

Rain! Rain! Rain!
Our next big driving day started out nice. We had an awesome breakfast in Queenstown and then headed north. We stopped at Puzzling World for some fun and games. Then as we moved up through the rain forest and Haast Pass - Rain! We actually ate our picnic lunch in the car pulled over on the side of the road. It rained in the mountains and rained on the coast. We saw the most amazing waterfalls but couldn't take pictures through the wet car windows and didn't want to get Richard's camera out in the rain.
We stopped at Fox Glacier despite the rain and took a few quick shots. We then hauled it on over to Franz Josef Glacier to check in to the Glow Worm Cottage. It is another shared toilet (Kiwi for the entire bathroom) backpackers hostel but is very clean. There is a great kitchen and lounge where I am blogging from and a hot tub, although I think no amount of convincing will get Chris into the hot tub.
We are both cold and wet and the continued rain prevents us from getting our luggage out of the car. Chris is grabbing a power nap and I am in here blogging. In 30 minutes the kitchen serves free vegetable soup.

Day 13: Milford Sound

This post will have to be pictures only. We saw mountains, pastures, Alpine rain forest, temperate rain forest, a fjord and the Tasman Sea.

Day 12: This is the place that invented thrills!

So we get up to go to Shotover Jets (see links in post: South Island Adventure), I had to convince myself that this would be a good idea. It is the only thrill in Queenstown that doesn't involve jumping from something.
So the first time that our boat came mere inches from the cliff face, I decided I was probably going to close my eyes and cry through the whole trip but I didn't at all. It was so much fun! I took some 15 second video clips on my camera and I will get those up so you can see how crazy it is for a boat to spin 360 degrees in one spot. Videos at the end of this post.
Chris and I then went to Arrowtown which is an old gold mining community. Chris panned for gold while I ate the best meat pie ever! If you ever visit Queenstown then you need to drive over to Arrowtown and go to the Postmaster's Deli for a Steak Pie!
As I said in the title of this post, thrills where invented in Queenstwon. The first shotover jets were made of wood, downhill skiing has been going on since the great depression and in 1987 the year of the market crash - AJ Hacket opened the first commercial bungee jump site. Well, with his impending 30th birthday Chris Vogel has added his name to the list of those who have jumped off the Kawarau Bridge.

That's Chris in the next picture!

If your fiance jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? I thought about it but we all know I just would have paid the money to stand up there and cry and run away.
We had a nice dinner after. The most popular pizza here is chicken, cranberry and brie. I had some and it is really good.

Day 11: The Life of a Kiwi

*The NZ Wood Pigeon is the largest pigeon in the world. Wouldn't Fat Boogas love to get her paws on one of these.

After a nice cereal breakfast in the motel, we headed across town to the Kiwi & Bird Life Park. It was really cool. We saw a lot of native birds including the Tui (which we now have a painting of), the Wood Pigeon (which is the 2nd largest pigeon in the world - boy wouldn't Boogas like one of those) and the Kiwi bird! Kiwi birds are nocturnal so we went in a dark building and their enclosure was lit with red lights. They are really big! Like a basketball and their beaks are about 6 inches long. One of them was being hyper and running around, it was so awesome. We also saw the conservation show and then a Maori dance including the war chant the Haka. I think I should learn the poi.
We then went up the skyline gondola which actually goes up a really steep incline. At the top we watched someone do the Sky swing which is like a bungy jump but you sort of sit in a harnass and they release you and you swing. I told Chris I would do that since it is not upside but I decided I can find a better way to spend 100NZDs. - And I did! We road the luge at the top which are those sleds on the concrete path. It was steeper than any of the others I have been on and fun.We went back to the motel and ate lunch of leftover Indian food and peanut butter. Then, we had a power nap.
We have come back into Queenstown and done some shopping. I got a Kathmandu fleece and bought Chris one for his birthday. I also went to another NZ store and got some shirts. We just finished shopping and decided to pop in an internet shop and get everyone caught up. We have activities booked the next few days and then will be driving so this will probably be the last post until we get back to Auckland. I will backtrack and add pictures to all these posts then.

Day 10: The Long Haul

Everyone acted like we were crazy for trying to drive from Akaroa to Queenstown but we made great time. We got on the road and not to far in we saw a grocery store and stopped for supplies. We marched on to a small town Geraldine were we looked around and bought a nice print of a local artist's painting of a Tui (NZ bird) sitting on part of a Maori war canoe. Chris had said earlier that day that he missed the sound of the Tui in the morning.Then we went my Lake Tekapo which is turquoise, more turquoise than even the Caribbean. It has to do with some sediment from a glacier. We stopped and had a picnic lunch of tuna and cheese from Barry's Bay Cheese Farm. Not far from Lake Tekapo is Lake Pukaki which is an even brighter turquoise. I can't wait for everyone to see the pictures. I could live there and just look out the window all day. Chris and I got out of the car to walk down and touch the water and some ocean birds (smaller than sea gulls) got rilled up and started swooping down at us. One came within 5 inches of Chris's head! We had to move down the beach a little. From Lake Pukaki is the vantage point to Mount Cook, unfortunately it was cloudy and you could only see the foot of the mountains. We chose not to make the trek down the road to the main vantage point because we would have only seen more clouds.
We got into Queenstown about 6 o'clock. We stopped at the bridge were the first commercial Bungee jump site happened in 1987. I think Chris may try it tomorrow. I don't like to be upside down.
Our motel is not a place I would normally stay but it is an efficiency with a little kitchen and has an awesome view of the lake here. We got our bearings around town last night before going to Freiya's Indian Restaurant and going to bed.