most Christmas time and I'm missing my family terribly. I have 3 days off work and decide Wellington is the place to go for some thinking, solitude and shopping! I have a lot on my mind to think about and I find that blending into the crowds of Wellington is exactly what I need. I spend an afternoon at Te Papa museum, looking at the giant squid exhibit-very fascinating. The next day I took the cable car to the botanical gardens to spend a relaxing day meandering the paths and reading my book. "Welly" is a beautiful city on the coast and offers a lot in the way of cuisine and shopping-at least more 
than Hastings and Napier! 
Sandflies are one of the few things about NZ that are horrible. After much discussion around the campfire, it was decided that sandflies are much worse than mossies! When sandflies bite, it itches for days. They are nasty little buggers, but I guess they make up for NZ not having any snakes or dangerous animals. Despite the sandflies the weekend camping with friends was a nice time away from the busy metropolis of Haumoana and Hastings!
an annual event in the lifes of both young and old of all who live in t
he seaside village of Haumoana. Everybody who is anybody is there for this momentous occasion. Even the mayor himself attends, and can be seen mingling with the village folk. Yellow is the colour of the day and lemons are the main attraction. After registering my lemon in the lemon race, I sipped on cold lemonade while watching the children compete in lemon bobbing, and lemon tossing. Despite all the excitement, I left early and will never know if my lemon won the race down the Tuki Tuki River. 
dpa Russell passed away on July 30th, 2008. Dad called me the night before and said that Grandpa was unresponsive and most likely not going to make it for much longer. While at work the next day I got the phone call saying that Grandpa had died. Dad surprised me by requesting that I come home for the memorial service. So the next few days were spent trying to get last minute tickets to California. The closer it got to leaving the more excited I got. It had been 1 1/2 years since I'd left the States..JPG)
, but I've started going to the climbing gym in Napier. The Hawke's Bay Climbing Club organized a weekend trip to Mt. Ruapehu to practice ice tramping techniques. Included in our list of required equipment were ice crampons, ice axe, and a helmet-very serious tramping! When you have an ice axe in your hands, it's hard not to feel extremely cool and Sir Edmund Hillary like. We arrived at the Bird and Forest hut on Friday night. It turned out to be more of a lodge-electricity, running water, and even refrigerators. That's my kind of roughing-it!
ad back to the hut for a nice relaxing afternoon by the fireplace. But that turned out to be wishful thinking. We ended up getting stuck in the mass exodus trying to leave the mountain. We sat in our car for 5 hours before the snow patrol informed people it was too dangerous to drive down the mountain and we needed to evacuate our cars and head for the ski lodges. By this time it was dark and the wind had turned from windy to blizzardy. People where being roped together and led to shelter. I was lucky to be a car with Jeff and three other extreme outdoor kiwi blokes (Crazy Kiwis as I like to call them) Since we had all the right gear, we ended up having to practically ice climb up the mountain (that may be exaggerating just a bit!) to a lodge that wasn't too packed with people. So we spent the night on the floor, in our clothes, and huddled together for warmth. We were lucky we got to stay in the Boy Scout lodge. Those scouts made sure we had food and at least a few blankets to share around. 
loved being able to show them around the place that I've made my home. We couldn't have asked for better weather. In fact, it was sunny all week, and the day after I put them on the plane, winter started-it rained for three days straight!.JPG)
s of honey?
tana. We are all sad t
o leave Ahipara. But we decided to get closer to Auckland today to save some time and stress getting to the airport tomorrow. On our way South we stopped in Kawakawa which looks like just another small, ordinary Kiwi town. However, the local loos are not ordinary. Apparently they were designed by some Austrian artist and they are the most photographed toilets in all of NZ. 
s actually only 55 miles/ 88 kilometers long. Nobody really knows the reason for the misnomer. But regardless of the name, it's a unique place to see-different from the rest of New Zealand. We opted out of a bus tour, and decided to walk on the beach instead. We saw several buses zoom by while we were exploring. Cars have been known to hit soft sand and get stuck in the tide; however, unfortunately, we didn't get to see any trapped vehicles. We did get to do some sand dune boarding, though! We hired some boogie boards, trekked up to the top of the sand dunes-which turned out to be way steeper than we originally thought, and then boogie boarded down. It was great fun! Except for having to walk back up the sand dune again. And for the fact that sand got everywhere and 
in everything!
ing that Russell is absolutely beautiful, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. The Thai restaurant was so good, in fact, we ate there both nights! However, all good things must come to an end and so we packed our gear and set off toward Aupouri Peninsula and the very tip of New Zealand. 
rything. It made traveling with them so easy and enjoyable. It was dark by the time we had checked in and we had trouble finding our cabin which was labeled "R." We drove around the complex several times before we realized the buildings didn't exactly go in alphabetical order, instead it spelled the word "F R E D." We figured it was the owners name! 
previous name was, "The Hellhole of the Pacific!" Apparently, Russell used to be a whaling port where all sort of riff raff used to congregate! However, now it is the picture of tranquil beauty with beautiful coastline and crystal blue water. The Bay of Islands is extremely important in NZ history. It is the location of the first English settlement and the start European colonization. It was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by 46 Maori Chiefs on 6 February 1840. 
the Bay of Islands, in order to get to Russell. Our Top 10 Holiday Park accommodation was excellent, with only a short walk to get the shore. 
orua, the 35 meter war canoe. It is named after the canoe which Kupe, the Polynesian navigator, used to discover New Zealand. 
ferred to as "Roto-Vegas," is full of tourist activities and a geothermal wonderland. We took the scenic route from Tauranga and had to make several stops for waterfalls, birds, plants and more birds-the usual stuff! However, it was a stunning drive.
one more day to fit everything in. Zorbing, kiwi bird watching, sheep shearing shows (Dad got to milk a cow!), Maori cultural centers, buried villages and geothermal sightings were just a few of the activities in Roto-Vegas! Jeff and I were even filmed as part of a NZ tourism documentary. If you ever happen to be on an Air New Zealand flight, make sure you watch the "Welcome to New Zealand" informational show! Jeff drove up for the weekend and met Mom and Dad for the first time. I think everything went well-Jeff seemed to pass inspection!
eautiful day and perfect for the 45 minute hike down to the beach. This walk turned out to be a momentous one for the bird spotters in the group- we encountered several new birds one of which was the Tui.
er. We spent two nights with our friends from Zimbabwe and had a wonderful time reminiscing about Africa days. Uncle Les and Aunt Ruth are both extremely hospitable and made us all feel right at home. Each time there was a break in the conversation, Aunt Ruth would say, "can I interest anyone in a cup of tea?" I'm sure I've never had so much tea in a two day period as I did with the Yeatmans!
ard not to-the jet lagged people went to bed a 7PM last night! After a leisurely breakie at a fabulous cafe, where Aunt Natalie couldn't believe that you could order a latte in a bowl, we took off for Whitianga. Instead of going up and over the Coromandel Peninsula, we drove across it on route 309. This is really not a shortcut as the road in unsealed (not paved) and there is much sightseeing to do along th
e way. The two main attractions where Waiau Falls and the Kauri Grove, featuring 13 massive Kauri trees. 
ngariro Crossing kicked my ass, but I conquered it in the end! This tramp is listed as one of the most popular in New Zealand, and maybe even in the world. At 7:30 in the morning Jeff and I caught the bus from Turangi to Mangatepopo Hut where it all started. The first hour was easy walking along a fairly flat walkway. I noticed the birds singing and the sun shining. It promised to be a good day. Within the next two hours, I started to curse the birds for being so damn happy and the sun for being so hot. The nice wooden track turned into a steep, rocky mountain! 
ua blue mineral pools seemed out of place in the bare, volcanic landscape. With steam coming up from the ground, it reminded me of being on another planet. It wouldn't have seemed at all surprising to see a green martian pop out of a hole and walk across our trail!
ce then, it has become world renown for its unique architecture. Each year, thousands of visitors from all over the globe assemble in Napier for Art Deco Weekend. The town is teeming with classic cars and people dressed to the nines in glamorous art deco style costumes. 
e for a strole down Marine Parade to the harbour where a cruise ship was docked. 
aland's national day, Waitangi Day, commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840. At that time 500 Maori Chiefs and representatives of the British crown signed New Zealand's founding document. This treaty recognized the Maori as British citizens and gave them rights to their land. However, there is significant debate over the differences between the English version and Maori version of the treaty.
ing down rain as we left Milford Sound, but by the time we got to Te Anau, it was beautiful weather all the way back to Queenstown. We spent our last three days here, doing a little shopping, suntanning and eating. We even found a Mexican restaurant that I had to try. Mexican food is what I miss the most about the States (besides family and friends of course!)
ped through the Shotover Canyon, narrowly missing the canyon walls. Amy and I managed to get into a boat full of Americans, from LA no less, who were so obnoxious that it made us cringe to be from the same country. 
me to say goodbye. We returned out Apex rental car at the airport. Can't say that I was sorry to see it go. But at least with all the off roading and river fording we did, I was pleased we didn't have to pay extra for any additional scratches or dents in the car. 
