Let Summer Begin!

Labour Day may mark the end of summer in the northern hemisphere but here in New Zealand we celebrate this long weekend in late October, the official start of summer and camping season. A nice sunny Saturday followed by a relaxing day out on the harbour was just the right way to get things going.

3 Red Schnapper on board meant a cookup for the holiday Monday :)

Here's fishy number 1 with proud fisherman Sam:
Chris with his catch....

Pretty Rakino Island (check that out on map of the harbour)

Reelin in the big one!

Come aboard we like fish, especially when they are attached to our hooks!

Rangitoto looking good as always

Coming back into Auckland out past Northhead, Devonport

Auckland skyline...

Who let these hooligans drive?

Turkey Time in Aucks!

Thanksgiving was spent in the company of many lovely friends and honorary Canadians and a 12kg Turkey! Preparations beginning early in the week with thawing, brining, baking and cooking a massive feast for about 25 people. Good thing Michelle had an oven big enough to fit the bird!

Pumpkin Pie on the way....

Our token Turkey Carver...
The Goods! Complete with Cranberry Sauce and Gravy! :)

YUM! A Festive Day well spent :)

Return to Wellington

Little roadtrip by air down to Wellington with my work mate Alison for the WORLD OF WEARABLE Art Show. Met with old friend/coworker Anne for an afternoon of exploring and seeing the sights in the rain. Here we took in the Dots exhibit at the Wellington Art Museum and then took a wander and a visit to the collosall squid at Te Papa.

Te Papa was also holding a Formula 1 race car exhibit VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOM!

Met with Miss Adena for dinner and the WOW show, which was spectatular! Fantastic costumes poured over the stage, we had great seats to see all the details. Incredible coreography as the works of art moved around to a music and light show.

Due to the moonboot incident back at the start of September my trip to Welly was cut a little short but will hope to spend a good weather weekend in the summer.

Minor Layup...

Had a little too much fun down at the mountain with friends. At least I got 4 runs out on the snow this season..... doesn't boast much for the season ticket. But 12cm fresh powder and dropping into a fresh patch with no one around is always epic even if it means getting down on the back of a sled. Much rehab and doctor's visits to come....

A long weekend in Sydney, Australia

My Canadian adventure counterpart Brittany and I made good use of the school holiday time and ventured across the Tasman for a visit to Sydney. We visited the Three Sisters, in the blue mountains just outside the city... unfortunately the weather was less then impressive and we saw a lot of FOG, but just before our return trip to the city, the clouds lifted and we saw the rock formations appear through the drizzle.

After returning to the big city (much bigger than Auckland!) we toured around and took in the sights. Walked through the gardens down to the Opera House, a view of the harbour and bridge. We even took a little train ride around the paths. Did a bit of shopping at the local markets and made our way out of the downtown core to Bondi Beach to see the surfers. Monday we spent visitng the animals at the zoo, (fantastic harbour views!) and then onward to Luna Park a crazy old amusment park open since the 30's, with mirror mazes, crazy slides and a ferris wheel!

Sydney was lots of fun, and can't wait to see more of Aussie.

Windy Wellington

Went on a little roadtrip down to the capital of New Zealand - Wellington. It's a little harbour city on the southern tip of the north island. Wellington is a great place, lots of cultural things to do. I enjoyed a rainy day spent at the National museum - Te Papa (Our place) Revisited New Zealand history, and enjoyed the national art and scultpure gallery.

On day 2 I braved the windy weather Wellington is known for and ventured to the top of town via Cable car. I learned all about the history and making of the cable cars at the museum, and toured around the botanical gardens for a bit, before making my way down the hill to the Parliament buildings. I went on a tour of parliament, even saw the PM and Speaker of the House.

Wellington is my favorite city in New Zealand so far, can't wait for a return trip to check out Mt. Victoria and see more of the area.

Tiki Tour March 5-8

So after enjoying our glacier experiences it was time for a new challenge. We set out on a bit of a wilderness jont through Haast Pass, attempted to find some treks to do along the way. But a few had been rained out earlier in the season. So we stuck to the road and made good time down the west coast and across the mountains to the Wanaka/Queenstown Region.

We settled for a rest stop just past Lake Hawea in wonderful Wanaka. (Previous location of south island snowboarding back in August) Wanaka is lovely in summer, with it's pretty lake and willow trees and Puzzling World! We spent some time with the mind bending illusions and then tried our hand at the Giant Maze!

Then it is on to Queenstown, where we met an old friend Luke, his crazy flatties and had some serious good times in the adventure capital of New Zealand. All in all we spent 3 days enjoying the sights, the nightlife, and thinking about snowboarding then we swung into a canyon!!

With our time in the south island drawing to a close we said so long to Luke and friends and headed for the east coast once again, this time in the form of more rocks. Morekei Boulders. These giant spheres appear as though they have just come crawling out of the coastline! As the ocean erodes away at the land, the harder rock is left behind. Incredible!

Back to Aucks and back to work, but plenty more adventures to come, as the weather cools down.