This morning I got up and went for a jog down to the lake. It was beautiful. Everything is clean, safe and green. After that we walked to a market and got some fresh fruit and coffee for breakfast. Perfect!
Today we are heading to a Maori museum and then to an interactive cultural show in the evening. It should fun. I think this will be Helen's favorite day. This evening Jennifer and I are going to try to stay up past 10 to bring in the new year at the local pub. I am going to try my best to stay up until midnight, but I think it will require a few cups of coffee this evening.
Thanks for the tip on the tie Peter! The day is even better now knowing that I beat Jennifer at scrabble!
TJ - I reexamined the toliet. It is just a powerful burst of water that goes straight now. Sorry. No swirl.
Tomorrow we get to sleep in and then pack up and head out to Napier. I don't know how much blog time we will get between now and then. If I don't talk to you until tomorrrow, have a great New Year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
toilet water and plain ride
To answer T.J.s question, the toilets just have a rush of water and all the logs go down.
And the flight wasn't very great for me because I puked a little.
And the flight wasn't very great for me because I puked a little.
Cave water, Auckland
The actual caves were awsome! I got hit by water at least every 6 minutes. It was very annoying.
Auckland was very cool. We went to minus 5 degrees and it was cool - literally - and cool like pretty neat. We found a coffee shop that has the best lemon muffins. They are now my favorite muffin :).
The sailing was very fun and when my mom was driving the boat it felt like we were about to capsize because I was practically standing up when we turned.
The bus ride was just o.k. I had a really good bannana at the place we stopped for tea.
Auckland was very cool. We went to minus 5 degrees and it was cool - literally - and cool like pretty neat. We found a coffee shop that has the best lemon muffins. They are now my favorite muffin :).
The sailing was very fun and when my mom was driving the boat it felt like we were about to capsize because I was practically standing up when we turned.
The bus ride was just o.k. I had a really good bannana at the place we stopped for tea.
Five pictures
Here are some pics from the first couple days. I don't have a cable for our small camera and some good group photos are on there. However, I do have a few of various other ones from the other camera that I will try to share if I can post them correctly.
Kate, Mick and Zach - Sky Tower - Day 1 Auckland
Sign on the sidewalk in Auckland. "Vehicle crashes have killed 22 pedestrians in Auckland City in the past five years. Don't step into danger"
Despite this warning some of us have struggled with the look both ways rule. I suspect most of the 22 pedestrians were from places where the people drive on the right hand side of the road instead of the left. You tend to really only focus on looking one way - not both. We will heed this warning from here on out.
The countryside between Auckland and Rotorua.
Outside the exit of the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.
Kate, Mick and Zach - Sky Tower - Day 1 Auckland
Sign on the sidewalk in Auckland. "Vehicle crashes have killed 22 pedestrians in Auckland City in the past five years. Don't step into danger"
Despite this warning some of us have struggled with the look both ways rule. I suspect most of the 22 pedestrians were from places where the people drive on the right hand side of the road instead of the left. You tend to really only focus on looking one way - not both. We will heed this warning from here on out.
Zachary steering the sailing boat in harbour at Auckland. "Tacking left..."
The countryside between Auckland and Rotorua.
Outside the exit of the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.
Are you ready for some RUGBY!?
What do Americans who are addicted to football do on a Sunday in New Zealand? They watch cricket and rugby. I didn't understand cricket at first but thanks to the great P.E. curriculum at Mick and Zach's school they explained the intricacies to me and I started to really enjoy it. I'm pretty sure I could drink beer, eat hot wings and watch a cricket or rugby match.
The bus tour today was wonderful. We slowly moved out of the city and the suburbs of Auckland (the City of Sails) to the agriculture and dairy areas of the North Island. We saw cows, sheep, Thoroughbred horses and a couple new foals since it is foaling season here, alpacas, and although I didn't see deer, there were a couple of deer farms. We arrived at the Waitomo Glow Worm caves around 11:30 a.m. The Glow worm caves were fascinating. The glow worms are actually glow maggots...they are in the larva stage when they are glowing. At one point we were 50 meters below ground.
The cost of things in NZ dollars:
Gas - $1.35/liter
bottle of soda - $2.80
candy bar - $2.30
fish and chips meal - $14.00
international post card stamp - $1.50
cup of tea - $3.00
They have a $2 coin and a $1 coin here as well as 50, 20 & 10 cent coins so you have to be careful and watch what you have and what you pay with.
It has been amazing so far. I can't imagine what the next 10+ days will hold.
The bus tour today was wonderful. We slowly moved out of the city and the suburbs of Auckland (the City of Sails) to the agriculture and dairy areas of the North Island. We saw cows, sheep, Thoroughbred horses and a couple new foals since it is foaling season here, alpacas, and although I didn't see deer, there were a couple of deer farms. We arrived at the Waitomo Glow Worm caves around 11:30 a.m. The Glow worm caves were fascinating. The glow worms are actually glow maggots...they are in the larva stage when they are glowing. At one point we were 50 meters below ground.
The cost of things in NZ dollars:
Gas - $1.35/liter
bottle of soda - $2.80
candy bar - $2.30
fish and chips meal - $14.00
international post card stamp - $1.50
cup of tea - $3.00
They have a $2 coin and a $1 coin here as well as 50, 20 & 10 cent coins so you have to be careful and watch what you have and what you pay with.
It has been amazing so far. I can't imagine what the next 10+ days will hold.
Interesting facts
We are learning alot about New Zealand thanks to the excellent tour guides. Here are some facts I thought you would all be interested in.
- New Zealand has the highest boat ownership percentage in the world. The city of Auckland has a 1 in 4 boat ownership ratio and the country has a 1 in 8 ownership ratio!
- Did you know that New Zealand still has active volcanos? Several of them in fact.
- New Zealand has no predatory animals. Yep! Nothing here that can kill you. In fact, New Zealand doesn't have any snakes!
- So the national bird is a Kiwi bird. It is a bird without any wings! I think we are going to try to see one tomorrow. They only come out at night so they have special viewing rooms set up so the birds think it is evening.
- The glow worms are actually glow "maggots"!
- Did I mention Rotorua smells like sulfer? It takes some getting use to and I'm not there yet.
- The Maori history in New Zealand is almost identical to the history of Indians in the US. (Broken treaties, land encroachment, bloody land wars.) Very interesting if you want to take a look.
Monday, December 29, 2008
12/29/08 (yesterday) and today
Yesterday, we went sailing on the Pride of Auckland. It was a fun experience. We each got to drive the boat which was fun. after sailing we went to the maritime museum to minus 5 ice lounge. maritime museum is a museum about different boats and related things. the minus 5 ice lounge is just that. you go into a little ice room that has ice sculptures and that is minus 5 degrees. you get a free drink with it, and you get to drink it out of ice cups!!!! before all of this, we went shopping and i got a new hat from RIP CURL and a pair of RYAN SHECKLER SIDEWAYS SHADES from OAKLEY. (omgsh...ryans rlllyyyyyy hot!!) haha.. we had a long dinner. our waiter looked exactly like my friend sam, who happens to live on my street....random. it was funny because in a matter of 30 minutes he dropped at least 3 glass things and broke them all!!!!
today we had to get up early to take a bus to ROTORUA. but we got to hear a story and such about where we were driving. we stopped at WAITOMO GLOW WOEM CAVES. that was a neat sight to see. we had tea and such at RANGIRI which was good. we met some girls from NEW YORK who are on their way to AUSTRAILIA
were gonna go get some food now!! ttyl!! imy!! for those folk who dont know what those little thingys mean.....................................talk to you later....and i miss you..hahaah love yous...
:)
today we had to get up early to take a bus to ROTORUA. but we got to hear a story and such about where we were driving. we stopped at WAITOMO GLOW WOEM CAVES. that was a neat sight to see. we had tea and such at RANGIRI which was good. we met some girls from NEW YORK who are on their way to AUSTRAILIA
were gonna go get some food now!! ttyl!! imy!! for those folk who dont know what those little thingys mean.....................................talk to you later....and i miss you..hahaah love yous...
:)
worms and Scrabble
Today was spent on a bus on really WINDING roads. Played Kate in a game of travel Scrabble and according to her we ended in a tie game. (I made a strong finish so I might need to re-check her scoring). I did get quesy from motion sickness on the roads but the country is so beautiful and the frequent stops were nice. Glow worms in the cave were interesting. Mother Nature comes up with some amazing sites. So far so good, relaxing and taking it easy. I am debating whether to check my work email now....
From Helen - typed by Kate
Helen just wanted me to tell everyone that she is having a great time in this New World. She says hello to everyone.
December 30
December 30. Early start. Took a tour bus from Auckland to Rotorua. Terrific views of the countryside and history from our tour guide. We saw varios parts of Auckland and the country - including cattle, dairy, and horse ranches. The country is lush and green.We learned a bit about Maori culture as we toured through a historic battleground in Rangiriri and learned of the land wars between the Europeans and Maori.Next, we toured the Waitomo glowworm caves. The caves were interesting. We walked into the caves and then rode in a boat on the river at the bottom of the caves. We were able to best see the glowworms while on the boat. The glowworms spend 9-11 months eating and maturing into flies that live for 2-3 days, reproduce and are eaten by the other glowworms. In Cambidge, we learned that in the Southern hemisphere, race horses have a universal birth date of August 1 and that except when training, race horses spend their time in the field. Arrived in Rotorua. Will explore it tonight and tomorrow.
December 29
On December 29, we took in more sights in Auckland. We ate at an outdoor cafe and shopped at some of the local stores. We have learned much about rugby and cricket.We went sailing in Auckland's main harbor. Each person got a chance to captain the sailboat and for some, it was their first time on the ocean. We had some pretty good bursts of wind and speed - much to the surprise of several passengers - and captains.After sailing, we toured the National Maritime Museum. It had a wonderful history of boats and ships and how each impacted the growth and development of New Zealand. We went to Minus 5 degrees - a lounge made out of ice. All drinks were served in cups made of ice. We also went to a Russian themed lounge. Then we went to a restaurant where we hit the Monday special - 1 kilo of New Zealand green lipped mussels. Toasted bread and mussels was a great meal.We then went to the village of Parnell. We heard of the New Zealand chocolate boutique - where several famous people have enjoyed the chocolate. We enjoyed chocolate drinks and ice cream. Nobody dared try the chocolate pot - a pot of melted dark chocolate served with cream so that one can either drink dark chocolate or milk chocolate.
December 28
Licensed or unlicensed? Alcohol or caffeine? Interesting questions so far on this trip. Many signs provide that restaurants are "fully licensed." With the diverse cultural influences in Auckland, we couldn't help but wonder why certain restaurants were labeled as licensed or not. Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and the Istanbul Kebab were "licensed." After looking at pictures of some of the food, one had to wonder. "Licensed" we found out refers to alcohol sales.
After 13 hours on a plane - most of it in the dark with little sleep, alcohol or caffeine became a challenging question. Alcohol to help with sleep or fire up. Caffeine to feel fired up. Both? Choices include: beer, local wine, soda, coffee, tea? Both options combined seem to work best. I feel pretty good right now.
The City is great. Vibrant with varying architecture. The University of Auckland has a great, park-like campus. Old churches, modern buildings, a sky tower (the tallest building in the southern hemisphere), and easily accessible areas mark the City. The people are fairly diverse and willing to help. For sushi eaters, we have seen what seems like 100 sushi restaurants - licensed in some cases.
The easterlies are to pick up tonight with rain possible. Sailing tomorrow (Monday).
After 13 hours on a plane - most of it in the dark with little sleep, alcohol or caffeine became a challenging question. Alcohol to help with sleep or fire up. Caffeine to feel fired up. Both? Choices include: beer, local wine, soda, coffee, tea? Both options combined seem to work best. I feel pretty good right now.
The City is great. Vibrant with varying architecture. The University of Auckland has a great, park-like campus. Old churches, modern buildings, a sky tower (the tallest building in the southern hemisphere), and easily accessible areas mark the City. The people are fairly diverse and willing to help. For sushi eaters, we have seen what seems like 100 sushi restaurants - licensed in some cases.
The easterlies are to pick up tonight with rain possible. Sailing tomorrow (Monday).
Wow! What a couple of days!
We are now in Rotorua and have 24 hour internet access. I think this will give us enough time to catch everyone up.
We had no time to blog yesterday. When we woke up the Rosier/Giff party decided to go on the city bus tour. You know the tours where the bus takes you around to all the sites and you can get off at any one you want . . . that's what we did. It was pretty awesome. We felt like we were able to see the whole city and get more details then we would have otherwise. This was perfect for us b/c it was raining and dreary out.
The tour hit everything from the zoo, museum, harbor, two markets, rose garden, mt eden, eden park, and many others. I think there were about 14 total. It was very beautiful. One of our favorite parts were going up to the top of mt eden. You could see the whole city from that vantage point. We also got off at the museum. We checked out the Maori cultural section, and the dinosaur exhibit. The TRex named Sue was being featured so we had to go see it.
We were going to get off at other stops but we had a tour at 2:30 we needed to get to. Once we got off the bus, we freshened up and went to meet the Downes at the "Yacht" for a little sailing. Yes, we all went sailing and we each steered the boat for a while.
After sailing the harbor we went to the maritime museum. I learned more about boats then I probably needed too.
One of my favorite parts of the day were sampling the Green Muscles, a local favorite. The Muscles were HUGE! Jennifer and I shared a kilo! Helen treated herself to a lamb roast.
By the time we got home were exhausted! We had to be up early in the morning for our bus ride to Rotorua. It was BEAUTIFUL! Green rolling hills and cute little towns sprinkled in. On the way here this morning we had morning tea and then went into the caves to look at the glow worms. It was quite a day already.
We are going to be heading out to dinner soon. I will write more later and try to upload a couple pictures.
Couple quick things:
- TJ, the toilet flushes down. It doesn't swirl. I know! I was ready to see the counter clockwise swirl.
- The town we are in now smells like sulpher. It is supposed to have natural hot springs that we might check out in the morning.
We had no time to blog yesterday. When we woke up the Rosier/Giff party decided to go on the city bus tour. You know the tours where the bus takes you around to all the sites and you can get off at any one you want . . . that's what we did. It was pretty awesome. We felt like we were able to see the whole city and get more details then we would have otherwise. This was perfect for us b/c it was raining and dreary out.
The tour hit everything from the zoo, museum, harbor, two markets, rose garden, mt eden, eden park, and many others. I think there were about 14 total. It was very beautiful. One of our favorite parts were going up to the top of mt eden. You could see the whole city from that vantage point. We also got off at the museum. We checked out the Maori cultural section, and the dinosaur exhibit. The TRex named Sue was being featured so we had to go see it.
We were going to get off at other stops but we had a tour at 2:30 we needed to get to. Once we got off the bus, we freshened up and went to meet the Downes at the "Yacht" for a little sailing. Yes, we all went sailing and we each steered the boat for a while.
After sailing the harbor we went to the maritime museum. I learned more about boats then I probably needed too.
One of my favorite parts of the day were sampling the Green Muscles, a local favorite. The Muscles were HUGE! Jennifer and I shared a kilo! Helen treated herself to a lamb roast.
By the time we got home were exhausted! We had to be up early in the morning for our bus ride to Rotorua. It was BEAUTIFUL! Green rolling hills and cute little towns sprinkled in. On the way here this morning we had morning tea and then went into the caves to look at the glow worms. It was quite a day already.
We are going to be heading out to dinner soon. I will write more later and try to upload a couple pictures.
Couple quick things:
- TJ, the toilet flushes down. It doesn't swirl. I know! I was ready to see the counter clockwise swirl.
- The town we are in now smells like sulpher. It is supposed to have natural hot springs that we might check out in the morning.
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