tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75665897880354591062024-03-08T15:04:52.273-08:00Palmers on the move!Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-23046200707954916662010-06-10T17:38:00.001-07:002010-06-10T20:15:34.917-07:00Attack from the South. Mad dash from Wellington to Auckland on the North Island.To get the most bang for our buck with Sarah, we packed our itinerary with as many stops as we could and planned to drive the Bluebird. And because we are all broke young adults, we needed to cut as many corners as we could. We already bought two ferry tickets and a vehicle ticket, so the first corner we cut was finding a way to get Sarah on the ferry without a ticket.<br /><br />After we got back from the Queen Charlotte Track, we relaxed, packed and squeezed in a few hours of sleep before we drove down to the ferry a little before 5 in the morning (the earliest tickets are the cheapest). With Sarah snug in the trunk, we waited in line to drive onto the boat. Sleepiness was not an issue due to how nervous we were of getting caught. Although we only waited in line for about 30 minutes, you can imagine that it felt like three hours while you intermittently ask Sarah if she's OK while staring straight ahead. Sure enough, we see a worker walking to the driver window of every car in line. Already sweating bullets, we tried to act cool and inform Sarah (while staring forward) so it didn't seem like we had a talking trunk when the man came to our window. Much to our relief, the man just asked about our luggage and carried on. After the nerve racking 30 minutes, Sarah crawled through the back seat and walked up to the upper deck where we were able to catch a few more hours of sleep. You can cross off being a coyote smuggling Mexicans across the border off my potential career list.<br /><br />Our first adventure was a John Mayer concert in Wellington. We met up with Sophie, a girl we worked with at Seabreeze, to get some necessary games of beer pong in before the concert. Sophie claimed that she really wanted to play, but when we arrived, there wasn't a beer, table, or even cup in sight. So Sophie and I went out on a beer run in the pouring rain. Unfortunately <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGnrmlMnNI/AAAAAAAAA3A/8joMnZy2Lls/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGnrmlMnNI/AAAAAAAAA3A/8joMnZy2Lls/s320/IMG_3503.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481346589019380946" border="0" /></a>Wellington isn't Iowa City, so I had to run in the rain to three stores for beer pong supplies while Sophie waited in PIzza Hut for our food. With a stack of pizzas and beer pong supplies, we scurried back into the van. Once back, I quickly constructed a table out of a door I found in the alleyway and Sophie's dresser that we dragged into the hallway. Eating our 'large' pizza, we were able to get a few games in before our cab came to take us to the concert. We found our seats at the concert soon enough for Sophie and Jen to make some signs before the show started. By 'make some signs', I mean they found some newspapers and wrote "JOHN! THIS IS MY 13TH CONCERT!" over three pages with a black felt tip marker. The concert started and we quickly became unhappy with how far back our seats were. No more than 5 minutes into the concert, we hurried up to the front and stood in the walkways in between the blocks of seats. What the hell, right? Worse case, we get escorted back into our paid seats. But, after sizing up the security detail (consisting of mostly middle aged women), our spots up front were secured. The 'security' attempted several times to ask our group to leave, but we stood strong and were able to enjoy the entire concert from the front row. The only other problems we encountered were people complaining of Jen's 'announcement' blocking their view while John refused to acknowledge Jen's 13th concert.<br /><br />The next day, we thanked Sophie for the place to stay and began our drive to Taupo. We arrived at Taupo after a quick five hour drive with a list of things to do in the area. Most of all, we wanted to take the Tongariro Crossing which some boast as being the best day walk in the world. Unfortunately, the day we planned on doing it, the walk it was cancelled due to unfavorable walking conditions. We were, however, able to do everything else we had in mind. Like Sarah and I bungee jumping at ten in the morning for example. We came to the building wondering where we would be shuttled off to, what bridge we would be jumping off of, cliff, etc. We checked in and turned around and actually saw that behind the building was a man-made walkway that extended about 60 feet out over a sheer cliff alongside the river that runs through Taupo. We walked with our passes to the station at the end of the walkway and sat down. I volunteered to go first so the man rattle off instructions and rules like he has repeated the same speech hundreds <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGn8iLcW7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/cLumRghcx44/s1600/IMG_3616.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGn8iLcW7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/cLumRghcx44/s320/IMG_3616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481346879895395250" border="0" /></a>of times before while he fastened my ankles to the bungee cord. Before I knew it, my toes were at the edge of this walkway and the only thing I remembered him saying was, "Just fall. More you wait, the worse it is." So I leaned forward and dropped off the ledge. With my heart still going a mile a minute, I was taken down on a boat on the river. The boat dropped me off the side while I got to see Sarah step to the edge and take the plunge as well. As requested, she was able to dip further down and actually get dunked in the river while she yo-yo'd to a standstill. Later, we were also able to take a day walk and soak in some thermal hot springs before retiring back to the hostel for supper. The next day was the day we wanted to do the Tongariro crossing. But, when we started our drive to Rotorua, we couldn't help but notice the perfect weather outside. Turned out to be perfect walking conditions after all, even despite the forecast. The drive started off with a bitter tone.<br /><div><br />Rotorua is known for it's beauty spas and pampering facilities. The town is located around a very active hot thermal springs which are utilized at several of the local beauty spas. If you aren't interested in the spas, the town is known for it's distinct smell of sulfur. A town reeking like eggs or farts. Jen and Sarah took this opportunity to go to a day spa and were able to bond and relax. I, however, spent the afternoon checking out the local stores while turning each corner to a new wave of stench. The locals told me it was an exceptionally bad day. That evening we went to a Maori cultural experience. Maori is the native people of New Zealand and are still a large part of the country's culture. We took a short bus ride out to the site and waited to be checked in. Once in the dining hall area, we sat down with a beer and waited for the event to start while the room filled with tourists from all over the world. Once everyone was seated, the speaker came out and introduced himself as something along the lines of 'Kuhsinbing'. He announced that before we were to meet the Maori tribe, he needed a representative, a chief, for the group of roughly eighty people waiting for the experience. A few people spoke up to volunteer anyone but themselves when Sarah shoots her hand up just to point directly at me. Just my luck, I became the chief of the 13 winds. The event had me leading everyone, greeting everyone, meeting the chief of the tribe on stage(in Maori fashion, of course), and scoring front row seats for 'the chief and his family' for the Haka (Maori dance). Thanks Sarah.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGoP_jPy0I/AAAAAAAAA3Q/VRuRvWJNBfA/s1600/IMG_3716.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGoP_jPy0I/AAAAAAAAA3Q/VRuRvWJNBfA/s320/IMG_3716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481347214197377858" border="0" /></a><br />Our next stop was Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. We spent some time in Tauranga, but were more interested in Mount Maunganui, it's neighboring town. Mount Monganui is a coastal town that marked our successful crossing of the North Island from the southernmost tip to the northeast shore. Exploring the town, we were able to take in the absolute beauty of the south Pacific Ocean. We spent some time on the beach and also took a day walk around the dormant volcano known as Mount Maunganui. You guessed it, the views from the edge of the volcano with the setting sun were breathtaking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGop8xwhBI/AAAAAAAAA3c/pooj32exkt8/s1600/IMG_3765.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGop8xwhBI/AAAAAAAAA3c/pooj32exkt8/s320/IMG_3765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481347660129534994" border="0" /></a><br />Because Jen and Sarah got to enjoy a nice little day spa, I was able to convince them to take a small detour to a town called Matamata. This might ring a few bells with some geeks out there, but for the rest of you, Matamata is the home of Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings. It was Jen and Sarah to take their turn spending the afternoon walking the town as I took a day trip into the country to explore the town of Hobbiton. The country side next to Hobbiton was chosen because they needed absolutely no signs of the 21st century for the movie. Once I got off the bus, I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGpO4FIhRI/AAAAAAAAA3o/H0ofUzVLMB0/s1600/IMG_3787.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGpO4FIhRI/AAAAAAAAA3o/H0ofUzVLMB0/s320/IMG_3787.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481348294523782418" border="0" /></a>noticed why the spot was chosen. Rolling green hills, beautiful country side, enormous old trees, and not a telephone pole or highway to been seen in any direction. We walked along and the guided filled my head full of trivia. Passing hobbit holes and paths, we came upon the great party tree (the large tree where Bilbo Baggins had his 111th birthday party). Next time you watch the Fellowship of the Ring, remember that I have stood under that tree. I definitely had a great time and got my "nerdy high" walking through the movie set, but to spare most of you reading this, just ask if you want me to go into further detail about this chapter of our journey.<div><br />With only a few days left in Sarah's trip to New Zealand, we had time for one more stop. We drove out to the Coromandel Peninsula to a town called Whitianga. Although we arrived late and in the dark, we had a stroke of luck with our hostel. Because of the off season, the hostel upgraded us to an en suite private room just for the three of us. It was like having our own beach house for NZ$23 per person. The owner of the hostel also paid us a visit in the morning to offer us a boat ride through the famous Cathedral Coves along the Coromandel Peninsula, an experience some might pay over a hundred dollars for. We got to experience it for a mere NZ$30.<br /><br />Our main goal of our trip out to Whitianga was to scuba dive together. Although the visibility wasn't the greatest, it was an amazing experience. We also splurged and spent money to use the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGqOw6_4QI/AAAAAAAAA4A/xzpuV_XeJhA/s1600/DSCN0044.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TBGqOw6_4QI/AAAAAAAAA4A/xzpuV_XeJhA/s320/DSCN0044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481349392113852674" border="0" /></a>underwater digital camera and took around 250 pictures during the two dives. This was also the first experience for Jen and I to dive with the surf current. Our initial reaction was to fight it and try to stay in one place as it pushed and pulled us. We floundered around for a bit, but became comfortable with the current and quit fighting it to go with the flow, you might say. We swam with fish and even found a crab all the while clicking away on the under water camera.<br /><br />The next day we arrived in Auckland the night before Sarah had to fly out. Instead of getting some much needed sleep for the early airport drive, we decided to go out and have a few beers with Will (an old roommate of mine from the college days) to celebrate Sarah's New Zealand adventure. Not wanting the night to end, we hopped around to a few downtown bars before getting a gourmet meal at Burger King.<br /><br />The next morning came around much sooner than we thought as I woke up to Sarah tapping me telling me to wake up. I rolled over, furious, to look at her standing next to the bunk bed and asked her, "WHAT?". "It's time to wake up, Cody." Confused, angry, I asked, "WHY??". "Well, I thought you guys were still taking me to the airport." A few cogs turned in my head and reality set in, "Ooooooohhhhh...", I moaned. I apologized a few times as we got our act together and drove Sarah to the airport for a final farewell. Goodbyes were said, hugs were hugged, and we left Sarah at the airport. Sarah's chapter in New Zealand was over. All before the sun rose in the sky and not a moment was wasted.</div></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-17005219636307130772010-06-04T18:54:00.000-07:002010-06-07T15:46:30.720-07:00Cody, Jeni and Sarah Take on the Queen<p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">After nearly 4 months of perfecting our barista skills behind the counter at the Seabreeze Cafe and countless trips in the Bluebird between Picton and our teeny apartment in the country, it was time to move on. We cheers-ed our coworkers and said our goodbyes at a staff party held before we left. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1z5AYYrcI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/GV2ceAQnBl4/s1600/IMG_3223.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1z5AYYrcI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/GV2ceAQnBl4/s320/IMG_3223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480163744771780034" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">We spent our last week bunking at our boss' place (Thanks Jules!) as our lease ran out a week before we planned to leave. Jules' home is set in the gorgeous Marlborough Sounds - we felt like our vacation had already begun! But by late April, my sister, Sarah, had arrived and our travels began anew. </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">Sarah met us in Picton on a Thursday and by Friday morning she had shaken any trace of jetlag and was ready to begin the Queen Charlotte Track. This 3-night-4-day track through the Marlborough Sounds is similar to the Kepler Track Cody and I completed in December. Both are ranked among New Zealand's "Nine Great Walks." The Queen Charlotte Track, however, is not a loop and requires transportation to the beginning of the track and, of course, at the end. And while the Queen Charlotte Track is longer (71 kms) than the Kepler (60 kms) it does not climb to nearly as high of altitude and is ranked as moderate (with the Kepler at advanced-moderate). That being said, it was still an exhausting, hilly, sweaty and blister-filled hike. And this time, instead of staying in the cabins provided by the DOC, we slept on the ground (in a tent, of course). </p><br /><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA10zG4nupI/AAAAAAAAA2c/8AumElcCo8E/s1600/IMG_3405.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA10zG4nupI/AAAAAAAAA2c/8AumElcCo8E/s320/IMG_3405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480164742950009490" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">We began the track by taking a water taxi out to the end of the Marlborough Sounds. The sun was shining and morale was high as we began the first leg of the hike. Sarah and I couldn't stop talking - we couldn't believe it had been almost a year since we'd last seen each other - we had so much to catch up on! I'm sure Cody felt a bit left out but he didn't show it and seemed entertained by Sarah's stories. A mere 7 hours later we arrived at our first campsite. Fortunately, the water taxi ticket included luggage pick-up/drop-off at all of our campsites - no more aching collarbones! We found our bags at the nearby dock and set up camp.</p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA11w9xm_7I/AAAAAAAAA2o/45oZSiWmP-w/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA11w9xm_7I/AAAAAAAAA2o/45oZSiWmP-w/s200/IMG_3318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480165805656571826" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">Cody and I had managed to borrow a tent from a coworker (thanks Danielle!) and together, Cody and Sarah tackled setting it up for the first time while I "prepared" dinner. By nightfall we were enjoying hot bowls of Campbell's soup in the patio of what turned out to be a circus tent. And, since we didn't have to lug around our huge packs, we stuffed a few luxuries in, including a 40 oz. bottle of beer which Cody promptly buried in the sand on the beach so the ocean water would cool it down. Exhausted and dehydrated, we passed out around 8 pm. </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">The morning of the second day was as bright and sunny as the first. We dumped our bags back on the dock and headed off into the sunlight. The trail climbed through forest, crossed through private farm land, and brushed passed small beaches. Each clearing brought new breathtaking views of the Sounds. Crystal blue water and deep, green vegetation as far as the eye could see. This hike was unique to the others we've done across New Zealand.</p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA12coDocnI/AAAAAAAAA20/Y5aBB718XNc/s1600/IMG_3348.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA12coDocnI/AAAAAAAAA20/Y5aBB718XNc/s320/IMG_3348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480166555740828274" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1yV6qq1GI/AAAAAAAAA18/fvZp97UZLTI/s1600/IMG_3343.JPG"><br /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">We stopped for breaks when we needed to - scarfing down nuts, granola bars, and fruit as necessary - but at some point in the second day we ran out of water. On our lunch break we stopped at an area marked on the map as a water source. The signs next to the tap, however, warned that the water should be boiled before consumption. Parched and without our camping grill/equipment, we decided to take our chances. Some other hikers also on their lunch break tried to talk us out of drinking the possibly contaminated water and even offered one of their water bottles. But we were only a couple of hours into the 8 hour hike and we knew that one water bottle just wouldn't cut it. To lighten the mood, we made jokes about our possibly impending doom the rest of the afternoon. Luckily, none of us came down with diarrhea or nausea and were able to continue laughing about our situation and refilling our water bottles when necessary.<br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1yV6qq1GI/AAAAAAAAA18/fvZp97UZLTI/s1600/IMG_3343.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1yV6qq1GI/AAAAAAAAA18/fvZp97UZLTI/s320/IMG_3343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480162042430805090" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">By the third morning the clouds had found us. We awoke sore and blistered but looked forward to a much shorter hike - only 4 hours! We arrived at our campsite by midday only to find out that our bags wouldn't be dropped off until late in the afternoon. Without anything to do, we decided to carry on to a nearby hotel resort (there are many along this track, catering to those who like a little luxury with their nature) to see if they had a bar or pool to entertain us for the next 4 hours until our bags arrived. It was raining by this time and the hotel we stumbled upon did not, in fact, have a bar or pool, but a small gift shop stuffed with tacky souvenirs and overpriced groceries.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1zZNDs3HI/AAAAAAAAA2I/TN8ltb8yLv8/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/TA1zZNDs3HI/AAAAAAAAA2I/TN8ltb8yLv8/s320/IMG_3413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480163198418869362" border="0" /></a> </p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">Determined to find the silver lining, Cody spotted a handful of bottles of beer for sale in the cooler. We removed our dripping raincoats and plopped down in the lawn furniture situated in the middle of the shop, awkwardly indicating to the hotel manager that we planned on hanging around for awhile. She left us to our beers while our eyes scanned row up on row bric-a-brac crap. Buried somewhere on a bottom shelf, Sarah discovered our source of entertainment for the next few hours, an ancient Jenga set and Pictionary board game. Jackpot! </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">We rose the final day tired, achy, and anxious to not only finish the track (and the inevitable rush of feeling accomplished) but also to get home and shower. We finished the final 3-4 hours in drizzle and found ourselves in a similar predicament as the day before. We reached the end of the track/ meeting point for the water taxi </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">to pick us up with hours to spare. We were simply to exhausted to walk to the nearby town to look for a cafe or somewhere to pass the time. Instead, we spotted an advertisement for a hostel just a few blocks down with patio seating and cafe! We couldn't believe our luck!<br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Helvetica;">When we arrived at the hostel, however, we learned pretty quickly that they had been a little deceptive in their advertising. By "cafe" they meant that you could sit in their "lobby" (which was really more like sitting in a stranger's living room) and buy expensive beers from the front desk. Needless to say, we made ourselves right at home. I think the hostel owner was just thankful to have some business. As we sipped our beers, I noticed on their vacancy board that they had a hot tub for guests to use. We enquired with the hostel owner and for just $5 a piece, we were able to soak our aching bodies for the next hour before our boat ride home. It was blissful. And it was exactly what we needed. </p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;" > </span></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-6755370123156659812010-05-17T22:01:00.000-07:002010-05-17T23:08:56.321-07:00Whales and Wekas<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> After fighting for two days off together (and getting our boss to cover a shift), we were finally able to go on a short trip together to Kaikoura. Kaikora is a 2 hour drive south of Picton and is known for whale watching. We spent our first day just taking our time driving through the stunning landscapes to Kaikora, checking out the town, and taking a day hike on the edge of town. It was a beautiful day and we heard that taking this hike would bring us to an area populated with sea lions. We pulled the car up to the beginning of the trail and put on our back packs when we noticed that we didn't need to go far to see the sea lions. They were laying around about ten feet from the parking lot! We heard the walk was beautiful so we decided to go ahead and hike anyways. So, we took some pictures, got our fill of sea lions and started on the track.</span></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"> </span></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IsUDf9BcI/AAAAAAAAA1I/sdCygUvS2e0/s1600/IMG_2950.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IsUDf9BcI/AAAAAAAAA1I/sdCygUvS2e0/s320/IMG_2950.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472485220256908738" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> The trail was a steep incline and leveled off and went along the coast line for two hours. We had a steep cliff to our left that sloped down to the crashing waves and to our right we had... cows. The trail went alongside and through some private farm land where cows just graze and stare out at the ocean and the occasional hiker every day. We couldn't help telling the cows that they had it so much better than their cousins in Iowa.<br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><div> </div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_ItHlKHtTI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/vtCprf5TqNI/s320/IMG_2958.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472486105465468210" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px; " /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Just like the rest of New Zealand, it was absolutely beautiful. We were about three quarters through the track when we came to a stair case that led down the cliff to a path on the beach. We climbed down and took the opportunity to have our lunch, explore the beach and climb some rocks before we turned around and headed back home.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> The next day we had made appointments to go whale watching! It was something that neither of us have done before and needless to say, we were excited. Before we got on the boat, we were warned of about sea sickness with the current swell in the ocean. Just to be safe, we took a couple ginger pills although neither of us claimed to be prone to seasickness. Here's some foreshadowing: What does a boy from the landlocked state of Iowa know about seasickness?</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> If you were wondering how exactly does one go whale watching, let me tell you. Because using sonar to detect the location of a whale disrupts and may confuse a whale in it's natural habitat, you're left to educated guesses and luck. So, if you can imagine, whale watching mostly is listening for a whales own sonar, guessing where it might surface based on the time of day and previous sightings, looking all around the ocean on the deck of the boat, and darting from location to location. To entertain those on board, there is a crew member with a great presentation on the flat screen and an information rich speech about whales. If you have any questions about whales, you'll have to refer to Jen because I was the only one on board with his head between his knees in a cold sweat trying not to interrupt the speaker with me retching in the aisle.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Getting out to the site and darting from location to location searching for whales went on for nearly an hour when we finally go word from the other boat of a sighting! Once our boat got to the surfaced sperm whale, everyone scrambled out on deck, camera in hand. Thanks to Jen, we were able to get some great pictures of the whale while it was surfaced and while I was battling waves of nausea and being on the brink of puking over the side of the boat. Jen snapped photos as quickly as possible until the sperm whale finally collected enough oxygen to make another dive.</span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IieMFCAiI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/196-eGZgbzE/s320/IMG_3009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472474399242322466" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> One of our only other breaks from work was our trip to the Abel Tasman Track. The Abel Tasman Track is also one of the Great Walks of New Zealand and typically takes 3-4 days hike one way. We talked to some of the people we worked with and they suggested that we drive to the halfway point of the track known as Totaranui. Borrowing some extra camping gear, we started our journey. After nearly three hours of driving, we arrived at the closest small town to the track. We stopped for lunch (and a beer) before we got directions to our campsite. </span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IpUX_v-vI/AAAAAAAAA0w/da8mntKS2_0/s1600/IMG_3113.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IpUX_v-vI/AAAAAAAAA0w/da8mntKS2_0/s320/IMG_3113.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472481927224097522" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px; " /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If it weren't for the specific directions and map, we probably would of gotten lost of given up. Shortly after we left town, the road turned to gravel, winded this way and that, and ascended and descended so radically that it tested the Nissan Bluebird's will to live. We arrived at a well developed campsite that had the potential of hosting hundreds of campers during peak season. We checked in and noticed that we were two of around ten total campers in the whole camp grounds. So we continued on to claim a camping bay that normally could host more than eight tents, all to ourselves.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Trying to make the most of our time, we quickly got settled in, glanced at a map, and made the decision to make a hour hike (round trip) to a nearby beach. We strolled though the trail for nearly ten minutes before we started climbing a steep hill. Neither of us were excited about this incline, but we were told that there was a hill to hike over before we got to the beach and it couldn't be that bad since the hike was supposed to be one hour round trip, right? Well, every turn we took continued to climb upwards. We trudged onwards but with waning spirits. We were hiking directly uphill for nearly 30 minutes when we thought something was wrong. Frustrated and sweating profusely, we decided to hike a few minutes longer because the hill should start descending soon. Fifteen more minutes pass and we finally recognize that we had to of taken a wrong turn. Frustrated, we turned around and backtracked. Once on level ground, we started walking towards the camp ground looking at the signs more carefully. Turns out, we did take a wrong turn. We were on the path for Grog Hill, and Advanced mountain biking path.</span></p><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IuNFy-OFI/AAAAAAAAA1k/FieZHrF6SCM/s320/IMG_3164.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472487299637721170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Laughing at ourselves (and cursing the unclear signage), we continued walking back to camp when we found the correct path to the beach. Looking at the time, we knew that if we were to go to the beach and get back to the campsite before dark, we would only have around ten minutes on the beach. So, after another 30 minutes of hiking, we fully enjoyed our wonderful ten minutes of beach time. Yes, it was worth it.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Once back at the camp site, we had just enough daylight to scrounge up some fire wood, set up our tent, and start making dinner. We had a gourmet meal of potatoes, steak and a bottle of wine next to a crackling fire. Near the end of meal, we started to hear rustling in the dark. Dismissing it thinking that it's 'just the wind', we finished our meal and started playing some cribbage. A few minutes later, we continued to hear rustling in the dark, but the sounds were getting closer and closer. When</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_IlhFmY0YI/AAAAAAAAA0o/lR0LVxwxhRY/s320/IMG_3102.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472477747577672066" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> the rustling got within 10 feet of our fire, we whipped around and turned on our lamp to see... a weka. Now, a weka isn't a camp monster, it is simply a really friendly native bird the size of a chicken that enjoys raiding campsites for a free meal. Slightly annoyed and with some rattled nerves, we shooed it away. We spent the rest of the night drinking the rest of our wine and playing some games. However, we had to take several breaks to shoo away the persistant weka which dared to get within arms reach several times during the night.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> The next day, we got up early and started hiking the other direction on the Abel Tasman track. The hike went on for fifteen minutes before it reached a beautiful beach where we played some frisbee in the morning sun. The trail went along the beach for a while until it was completely blocked off with rocks and boulders. Looking around, we didn't see a path leading back into the woods or a path leading anywhere at all. What we did notice, was an orange disk anchored into one of the largest boulders twenty feet above the beach. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S_Itq8zLEqI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/zSPsP4uw0QY/s320/IMG_3143.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472486713107092130" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I went ahead and climbed along the boulders poking out of the ocean to notice that around that large boulder with the orange marker were some wooden stairs. The whole thing was odd because we didn't notice any developed path, we just had to climb up all the rocks to this staircase that led back into the woods. Once we got on the staircase, we continued on the track. We walked along the track for another hour or two when we decided to turn around and head back to camp. On our way back we came along the staircase on the boulder and came to the realization that we may of left for the track a little too early in the morning. When we encountered this spot early in the morning we were walking the beach at high tide. Now that we were walking back, the tide has gone down and revealed a much easier path up and down the boulders. Who knew? As we walked back to camp, we noticed the skies getting overcast and we were just able to eat lunch, pack up, and head back to Picton before it started raining. Perfect timing to end a perfect couple days off.</span></p>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-7606061850918743512010-03-14T15:37:00.000-07:002010-03-14T16:28:10.492-07:00Life in PictonOur sincere apologies for the delay in posts! We had a new blog about our life in Picton ready to post about a month ago and then our computer crashed! We are still in the process of getting it fixed so at the moment, our internet access is limited to 30 minute time slots when we're able to reserve a space at the computers at the public library. We've been working like crazy since arriving in Picton so we aren't able to get to a computer as often as we like!<br /><br />We've been in Picton for about 2 1/2 months now and are so happy we chose to this as our next "home"! Things were rocky at first. We spent the first few days working for accomodation at a hostel but quickly discovered that the amount of work (20 hours a week each) was way to much for the accomodation provided (a mattress on the floor of a dirty apartment). And our new bosses, however friendly and nice to talk to, were a little crazy. We left after 3 days.<br /><br />We found a furnished apartment just 5 minutes outside of town.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51rgdxtx1I/AAAAAAAAAyw/vMWc3dq3-xU/s1600-h/jpalmer+024.jpg"></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51rgdxtx1I/AAAAAAAAAyw/vMWc3dq3-xU/s1600-h/jpalmer+024.jpg"></a>It is actually an old motel but the rooms (with kitchens and bathrooms, of course) are rented out as apartments. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51tMsal22I/AAAAAAAAAzQ/6xtg_Wo-SHk/s1600-h/jpalmer+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448631189036718946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51tMsal22I/AAAAAAAAAzQ/6xtg_Wo-SHk/s320/jpalmer+024.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br />Its not much but the rent is decent and we are really happy to have our own place. The owners of the motel apparently own some farm land next to the building and apparently give their chickens and sheep free reign of the parking lot. Its pretty hilarious climbing into your car while a chicken approaches you to see if you've got food. (Sidenote: they can't tell the difference between food and fingernail clippings.) </div><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>In January, we began working at a 5-star restaurant called "Escape to Picton." We saw an advertisement that they were hiring and began work the day after our interview. After all our traveling and putting a deposit on our apartment we were pretty broke so we couldn't believe our luck at finding jobs right away. We found out pretty quickly, however, why there were vacancies at "Escape." The boss is a total nutjob and impossible to work for. The work wasn't bad though, and we did enjoy our other coworkers. But the boss was always breathing down our necks about something. It was way more stress than we needed. </div><br /><div>One day, after another infuriating shift at "Escape," we stopped for a beer during happy hour at a cafe called Seabreeze. Just for the heck of it, we asked if they were hiring. As it turned out they were losing 3 staff members the following week and were, in fact, hiring. We couldn't believe our luck! We quickly gave notice at "Escape" and began working at Seabreeze the next week. </div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51vrtqIqII/AAAAAAAAAzw/rWlH8J7bqfw/s1600-h/jpalmer+029.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448633920969549954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51vrtqIqII/AAAAAAAAAzw/rWlH8J7bqfw/s320/jpalmer+029.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>Since the end of January we've been working 40-60 hours a week at Seabreeze. Its been crazy but we're really enjoying it. Our boss is really laidback and fun to work with. And we love our coworkers. We work some morning/lunch shifts which involve making coffees (we're both trained baristas now, ha!), running food out to tables, picking up dirty dishes, working at the cash register, etc. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51v8Q8gyZI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Fd8grMNoD2c/s1600-h/jpalmer+026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448634205319776658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S51v8Q8gyZI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Fd8grMNoD2c/s320/jpalmer+026.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>In the afternoons we work happy hour - pouring beers and glasses of wine. And in the evenings we switch to table service - i.e. we work as waiters taking orders at the table, etc. Its been an incredibly busy past 6 weeks but we are working hard now so we can do some more traveling! </div><div> </div><div><br /> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>We're planning on staying in Picton until mid-April when my sister, Sarah, is coming to visit. We'll be traveling with her up through the North island which we haven't seen yet. By mid-May we'll be heading to Australia for about 4 weeks! And after Australia, we'll be coming home! I can't believe time is flying by so quickly! </div><div><br /></div><div>We haven't done much traveling outside of Picton since we arrived (we haven't hardly had any time off!) but we have taken a few day trips and I promise to write more about those trips soon!</div></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-8653513985161713852010-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:002010-01-25T16:19:28.856-08:00Te Anau: The Last ChapterAll good things must come to an end and fortunately, so has our time in Te Anau. We had originally planned on staying until the end of March but due to some unforeseen circumstances (namely our seriously unprofessional bosses and crazy landlord) we’ve decided to head out early. Much to the annoyance of our employers, we put in our 3 weeks notice on December 2<sup>nd</sup>, meaning we’d be finished working by the 23<sup>rd</sup> - just in time for the holidays. <p class="MsoNormal">We’d been going back and forth about when we would leave (or could <i style="">afford</i> to leave) Te Anau for a while (shortly after we arrived, in fact).<span style=""> </span>To sum up our experience in Te Anau, I’ll just say that it wasn’t what we expected.<span style=""> </span>Cody and I both have years of experience in restaurant work and we’ve never seen anything like the operation they’ve got (barely) running at the steak house and café. The words sloppy, disorganized, unsanitary, and total clusterf*ck (sorry, Mom) come to mind. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Needless to say, we are glad to be finished with our jobs and are looking forward to the next chapter of our journey. On a positive note, after weeks of struggling with the language barrier, we did end up befriending a few of our German coworkers. In fact, shortly before departing, we introduced a few of them to the all-American pastime of beer pong. Also, a couple from Wales, Becca and Tom, began working with us just a week before we left (replacing us as the token English speakers). We got along really well with them and hope to meet up with them again while we’re all still in NZ. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the morning of the 24<sup>th</sup>, we left Te Anau and never looked back. Just 3 ½ hours later, we arrived in <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14x6rPFHjI/AAAAAAAAAfg/kAM-rfV11o4/s1600-h/IMG_2406.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14x6rPFHjI/AAAAAAAAAfg/kAM-rfV11o4/s320/IMG_2406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430833084763545138" border="0" /></a>Wanaka, where we would be spending Christmas. Wanaka is a small town situated next to another of New Zealand’s beautiful glacial lakes. We spent the afternoon checking out the town and walking around the lake’s shore. That evening (Christmas eve) we went to see Sherlock Holmes in one of the coolest movie theaters we’ve ever seen. Instead of seats, they have comfy couches, recliners and even an old Volkswagen Bug in the middle of the theater. Even cooler, moviegoers can order wine, beer, pizza, ice cream and homemade cookies at the snack bar. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>A few weeks back we purchased Christmas stockings and wrapping paper so Christmas morning would feel as normal as possible. <span style=""> </span>That morning we woke up in a hostel in the middle of a foreign country but as we opened presents, prepared a big Christmas breakfast and spoke on the phone with our families, we felt a little closer to home.<span style=""> </span>That afternoon, however, instead of building snowmen or going sledding, we went for a hike in the sunshine. An hour and a half uphill provided an incredible view of Lake Wanaka. We returned to the hostel late that afternoon to snack on Christmas cookies (Thanks Mom, Aunt Cheri and Anna!) and prepare our Christmas dinner.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14yo1StS-I/AAAAAAAAAfs/lTw9Xc9Sjdo/s1600-h/IMG_2480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14yo1StS-I/AAAAAAAAAfs/lTw9Xc9Sjdo/s320/IMG_2480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430833877737098210" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We left Wanaka the next day and headed north along the west coast. We passed several beaches and drove through a rainforest before reaching our next stop. We spent two nights in a small town called Franz Josef, which is famous for its enormous glacier. While checking into our hostel we signed up for a full day’s hike with the Franz Josef Glacier Guides. The next morning we were outfitted with rain coats, boots and “clampons” (spikes to attach to the boots to aid in walking on the ice) and were off to conquer a glacier. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14zW7da6ZI/AAAAAAAAAf4/DZIMPH9P41o/s1600-h/IMG_2568.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S14zW7da6ZI/AAAAAAAAAf4/DZIMPH9P41o/s320/IMG_2568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430834669666625938" border="0" /></a>Without recalling all of the details we were given that day, a brief explanation of how the Franz Josef glacier survives in the middle of a rainforest: The largest portion of the immensely thick glacier rests at the top of the surrounding mountains where it accumulates snow year-round. The snow packs down into ice and this buildup is what feeds the glacier and keeps it alive, so to speak. At the base of the glacier, where we began our ascent, there is a stream of water (melted ice) flowing to the sea. Water and ice are constantly moving throughout the glacier and our guides assured us that it doesn’t look the same from one day to the next. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In order to maneuver about the glacier, our ice-pick-wielding guide carved out steps for us. It was unreal. For 6 hours, we hiked up and down, across and over, and through tiny crevices. We sat and ate lunch - on a glacier!! It was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The next day we continued our journey north. The highway along the west coast is absolutely gorgeous. I mean palm-tree-covered-cliffs-deep-blue-water-white-sandy-beaches-gorgeous. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a few hours we made a stop at the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki. The Pancake Rocks are huge cliffs jetting off from the shore. They get their name from the fine lines dividing the layers of rock they are made of. Thin layer upon thin layer makes them look, miraculously, like they are made of pancakes.<span style=""> </span>It’s quite a sight. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S140WNfmDvI/AAAAAAAAAgA/__0eOOMDsOs/s1600-h/IMG_2685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 168px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S140WNfmDvI/AAAAAAAAAgA/__0eOOMDsOs/s320/IMG_2685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430835756839341810" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our final stops were in Nelson and Picton. Both towns lie at the top of the south island and we spent our time exploring each to see which one we’d like to spend the next few months. (Spoiler alert: We chose Picton.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But our trip didn’t stop there. We took a ferry from Picton to the southernmost city on the north island, Wellington. We arrived in New Zealand’s capitol city on the 31<sup>st</sup>. In Wellington, we met up with my cousin, Kevin, and his wife, Morgan (who happened to be vacationing in NZ) and a few of their friends for New Year’s. It was so great to bring in the New Year with some familiar faces! We went to dinner and made the most of Wellington’s nightlife. We all had a great time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">By the next day, Kevin and Morgan were continuing their travels to Thailand and Cody and I were heading back to Picton. Getting settled in Picton hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as it did in Timaru or Te Anau but I’ll leave that for another entry.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S1408MdXXkI/AAAAAAAAAgM/u9Z-HZbPZBM/s1600-h/IMG_2799.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S1408MdXXkI/AAAAAAAAAgM/u9Z-HZbPZBM/s320/IMG_2799.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430836409396584002" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-24372003331131428082010-01-05T15:34:00.001-08:002010-01-05T16:08:44.100-08:00The Great Outdoors Part II(Belated happy holidays friends and family! We hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and warm back home! We are a bit behind on our blog entries but we promise to catch everyone up on our most recent adventures very soon!)<br /><br />In our final days off in Te Anau, we decided (last minute) to take a two-day kayak trip through Doubtful Sound. We’d heard that kayaking through the fiords (instead of taking a cruise) was something we shouldn’t miss. The catch? The trip departed at six in the morning. Have I ever mentioned that we’re not a morning people?<br /><br />The morning of the trip, we woke up excited, anxious and earlier than we have in months. Doubtful Sound is tucked deep into the Fiordland National Park, so kayaking didn’t start until a ½ hour van ride, an hour long boat ride, and about another 45-minute van ride. During this time we got to know the small group we’d be spending the next two days with. We were glad to find out that we weren’t the only ones with zero kayaking experience. Our guide was very experienced and loved the outdoors, but unfortunately didn’t have a whole lot of patience for the six amateurs that made up our group. Once at the kayak site, our guide gave us basic <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PSeMH5MfI/AAAAAAAAAeg/AmQuSfyc_r0/s1600-h/IMG_2263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PSeMH5MfI/AAAAAAAAAeg/AmQuSfyc_r0/s320/IMG_2263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423409792376451570" border="0" /></a>instructions and helped us pack our two-person kayaks with camping gear while we were eaten alive by sandflies. A mere four and a half hours after we had left Te Anau, we were taking our first kayak strokes into Doubtful Sound.<br /><br />After getting adjusted to the kayak and working on synchronous strokes for nearly an hour, team Palmer was smoothly kayaking deeper and deeper into Doubtful Sound. We continued to kayak and make occasional stops to listen to our guide lecture about Doubtful Sound, its history and legends. Fact of the day: Just like Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound is actually a fiord, not a sound.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PSKoQ6GvI/AAAAAAAAAeY/bpQf0qiWCWc/s1600-h/IMG_2293.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PSKoQ6GvI/AAAAAAAAAeY/bpQf0qiWCWc/s320/IMG_2293.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423409456333069042" border="0" /></a><br />We continued to kayak through the sound/fiord’s calm waters when the rain started. We were initially irritated, but as our guide pointed out, we should embrace the rain because we had to keep in mind that Doubtful Sound is blanketed in a rain forest (oh, and we’ll also be kayaking for hours in it).<br /><br />After a few hours we arrived at a small beach, which our guide announced is our campsite. As a group, we beached the kayaks and began to unload our lunch. Unfortunately, we were plagued by sandflies. We walked into the forest for about twenty yards to our campsite while attempting to swat away the sandflies. It was futile.<br /><br />We all huddled in a tent made of bug netting where we cooked ourselves some soup and tore through our premade PB and J sandwiches. Still shivering, we made small talk with our co-kayakers while we sipped on some hot chocolate.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PTcTXz7OI/AAAAAAAAAes/JiAT1dTL9wo/s1600-h/IMG_2338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PTcTXz7OI/AAAAAAAAAes/JiAT1dTL9wo/s320/IMG_2338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423410859474152674" border="0" /></a><br />Although we were already cold and sore, our guide rallied us up for an afternoon kayak. We kayaked into a smaller arm of the sound where we were able to explore on our own. It is hard to explain how large Doubtful Sound is, especially from the perspective of a kayak at sea level. We would kayak towards an area we were curious about and after five minutes of paddling, we felt like we haven’t moved at all. We continued to explore the perimeter of the arm passing waterfalls and fallen trees and trying to absorb everything around us. We continue to express how beautiful everything in New Zealand is, but our pictures and weak descriptions hardly do Doubtful Sound justice. After about fifteen minutes of exploration we were instructed to group up and head back to camp.<br /><br />Back at the beach, we had to carry our kayaks out of sight and pitch our tents before we could get anything to eat. With a slight drizzle and the usual swarm of sand flies, Jen and I tried our best to put our tent up as fast as we could so that we could enjoy the feeling of dry clothes again. Tent finished, Jen jumped inside to change. Freezing to death, I decided I could change at least my pants. Mistake. Sandflies peppered my legs and when my big hand would swat seven dead, fourteen would replace the void. Jen soon was successfully in dry clothes but stated her legs were also attacked even inside the tent. Great.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PT1V6mBeI/AAAAAAAAAe0/TaWdtoGMS2E/s1600-h/IMG_2333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PT1V6mBeI/AAAAAAAAAe0/TaWdtoGMS2E/s320/IMG_2333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423411289653642722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Back in the community bug tent, we cooked ourselves some dinner and drank a complimentary bag-o-wine out of small plastic Dixie cups. We spent a few hours talking to our group and having a few more servings of wine before we had to bag up our food and head to our luxurious accommodation.<br /><br />We woke up to our guide announcing that water was boiling for breakfast (for coffee, oatmeal, etc.) While dragging our feet to the bug tent, we were informed that during the night a native bird (the weka) had torn through someone’s food bag. My heart sank as I realized that it was ours. I cleaned up the mess and assessed the damage; we lost the rest of our PB and J’s leaving us with trail mix and granola bars for the rest of the day. After breakfast, we paddled back into Doubtful Sound.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PURHYErYI/AAAAAAAAAe8/g_o6sQcgXLs/s1600-h/IMG_2317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/S0PURHYErYI/AAAAAAAAAe8/g_o6sQcgXLs/s320/IMG_2317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423411766787091842" border="0" /></a><br />The only thing that stopped us from complaining about our coldness, sore backs, tight shoulders, weak arms and a small wine hangover was the breathtaking view of the fiord on the calm morning waters. We continued paddling for nearly six hours stopping only for a few lectures and at another beach where we had snacks and some more hot chocolate. Once we were back to the beach where we started, we were able to exchange some contact information with our newly made friends and head back to Te Anau.Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-79737319824758910992009-12-26T01:23:00.000-08:002009-12-26T02:15:16.070-08:00The Great OutdoorsIn our final weeks in Te Anau, we did two of the most incredible things I’ve ever done: completed a 3-day hiking trip and kayaked/camped in a national park. Neither Cody or I consider ourselves outdoorsy but in New Zealand it’s hard not to be. Everywhere you turn there is another opportunity to explore the outdoors, witness extraordinary scenery and challenge yourself physically. And that is exactly what we did when we completed the Kepler Track and kayaked Doubtful Sound.<br /><br />Of the thousands of hiking/walking trails in New Zealand, the Kepler Track is one of New Zealand’s Nine Great Walks (those voted to be the most beautiful, challenging, etc.) All of these trails are well marked and maintained by the Department of Conservation (kind of like our DNR). There are hundreds of day-walks but many of the hikes delve deep into the mountains and forests. In order to complete these lengthier hikes, you must (pay to) book a space in the cabins along the trail with the DOC. Most cabins contain bunk beds, running water and toilets, kitchen tables/chairs and gas stoves. This means you must carry your clothing, sleeping bag, food, and cookware all on your back. Though we packed only essentials, lugging all our crap up a mountain seemed damn near impossible for these two novice outdoorsmen. If we had also managed to drag our diary along with us, it might have read something like this:<br /><br />Day One: The DOC estimates a 6-hour hike to the first cabin. We begin around 11 am. It is a beautiful, sunny day and we are feeling optimistic. The first two hours follow the shore of Lake Te Anau and the land is mostly flat. We are constantly adjusting our enormous backpacks but we quickly learn that trying to make them comfortable is futile.<br /><br />The ascent to Mount Luxmore begins and doesn’t let up over the next 2-½ hours. We begin shedding layers down to our shorts and t-shirts. Minutes later our shirts are drenched in sweat. We take several short breaks to catch our breath and sip water. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXXvItFKUI/AAAAAAAAAcg/hXKfdeo8x-o/s1600-h/IMG_1848.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXXvItFKUI/AAAAAAAAAcg/hXKfdeo8x-o/s320/IMG_1848.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419474931400649026" border="0" /></a>We stop for lunch as we near the bush line – where the forest ends and reveals an incredible view of the surrounding mountains and lakes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXYhEOkpHI/AAAAAAAAAco/32eZFk0GyxM/s1600-h/IMG_1877.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXYhEOkpHI/AAAAAAAAAco/32eZFk0GyxM/s200/IMG_1877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419475789192406130" border="0" /></a> Once we’ve reached the edge of the forest, the cold wind whips around us and the trail flattens. A half hour later we reach the cabin and cannot wait for dinner. Tonight’s menu: a packet of instant chicken noodle soup and a bag of dehydrated chicken, veggies and rice (astronaut food, anyone?). We crawl into our sleeping bags around 10 pm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Day Two: We wake up to the sound of other hikers packing up around 7 am (sadly, the earliest either of us has been up since arriving in NZ). Our calves are stiff as we climb out of bed and eat our breakfast of granola bars and fruit. The cabin is busy as hikers hustle to start today’s hike in hopes of beating the rain that should be here by early afternoon. We follow suit and are soon out the door.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXbgdRjgrI/AAAAAAAAAdI/nYeRrapyO60/s1600-h/IMG_2012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXbgdRjgrI/AAAAAAAAAdI/nYeRrapyO60/s400/IMG_2012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419479077270815410" border="0" /></a></div>The first step of today’s hike is uphill. I am immediately sweating under the multiple layers I’ve piled on to combat the wind at Luxmore’s peak. Just ten minutes in we’re stopping to catch our breath and shed layers. The view is ridiculous and gets better and better as we continue hiking. About an hour in we’ve reached the peak and have thrown the first snowballs of the day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXd9wDrZ7I/AAAAAAAAAdc/TL_wa7327Zo/s1600-h/IMG_2035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXd9wDrZ7I/AAAAAAAAAdc/TL_wa7327Zo/s320/IMG_2035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419481779552348082" border="0" /></a>The trail winds around to the other side of Mount Luxmore where it is cold, windy and beginning to drizzle. Layers go back on. Hats and mittens make first appearance. We welcome the small decent leading to a narrow ridge that leads to another mountain peak. We cross several of these ridges throughout the day. The view is spectacular – miles and miles of seemingly untouched nature. If you forget about the handful of other hikers you’ve seen that day it feels as if you’re the only person in the world.<br />After a stop for lunch, we begin descending. We’ve been looking forward to going downhill all day. Boy, were we in for a surprise. Turns out going downhill is just as difficult, if not more, than going up. After about 45 minutes of steep decline, my legs feel like jelly. And hour later and my joints are aching. I know Cody is sick of hearing me whine, but shouldn’t we be to the next cabin by now?<br /><br />We finally reach the river valley where the next cabin is located after 6 hours and 45 minutes of hiking. We lie down for a nap before dinner and pass out almost instantly. My muscles are unbelievably sore by dinnertime. Soup and dehydrated beef and rice are not enough to fill us up but we have to make the rest of our food last. My stomach growls as I climb back into my sleeping back and try to count how many calories we burned today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXiCktZOzI/AAAAAAAAAdo/7PNQgyxWt6U/s1600-h/IMG_2216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXiCktZOzI/AAAAAAAAAdo/7PNQgyxWt6U/s320/IMG_2216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419486260451949362" border="0" /></a><br />Day Three: I’m in pain from the moment I open my eyes. Absolutely every inch of me hurts. My collarbones are sore and swollen where my backpack rests. My hands and neck are covered in sandfly bites (perhaps the only bugs worse than mosquitoes, these suckers don’t make any noise to warn you of their presence, they don’t move when you swat at them, and their bites last for weeks). I wince in pain and catch a whiff of myself (yuck) as I make my way to breakfast. Granola and fruit is incredibly unsatisfying to my battered body.<br />Today’s hike is the longest but it’s also the flattest. Honestly at this point my body can’t even tell the difference. Every step hurts and with my last ounce of optimism I tell myself, “Mind over matter.” I force Cody to talk to me about anything and everything in order to distract me. He does his best but there’s no way of ignoring the physical pain and exhaustion we’re both suffering.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXci_74FvI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/G-z9XQQC4_I/s1600-h/IMG_2200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXci_74FvI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/G-z9XQQC4_I/s320/IMG_2200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419480220446496498" border="0" /></a><br />For about the last 3-1/2 hours we’re surround by forest and the scenery is, quite frankly, boring compared to the breathtaking landscape of yesterday’s alpine hike. We’re both pretty miserable but have no other option but to forge on. When we reach the edge of Lake Manapouri, we find a beach, sit in the sun and relax for a few minutes. It is the highlight of our day.<br />With an hour and a half left of the hike, we tease each other about all the delicious fatty food we will eat when we get back to Te Anau. If anything could make us move faster at that point it was the promise of burgers and beer. After 7 hours and 15 minutes, we arrive at Rainbow Reach. We’ve hiked 32 miles in the 3 days. We take a bus back to our car in a parking lot at the beginning of the track. We drive straight to a bar/restaurant and indulge.<br /><br />The Kepler Track was an experience like we’ve never had. We walked with limps for the next week. And we’re still scratching at a dozen or so sandfly bites. But all of the pain and suffering was worth it. It always is.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXa5oX3MSI/AAAAAAAAAdA/-r_GuM5YU6A/s1600-h/IMG_1999.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SzXa5oX3MSI/AAAAAAAAAdA/-r_GuM5YU6A/s320/IMG_1999.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419478410235162914" border="0" /></a></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-21696959730564054882009-12-16T16:01:00.000-08:002009-12-16T16:27:54.961-08:00The Ride of the RingsA couple weeks ago we made a trip the nearby city of Queenstown. Queenstown attracts adrenaline junkies from all over the world in search of their next thrill. Whether it’s skydiving, bungee jumping, paragliding, or zorbing (rolling in a giant plastic ball down a hill – kind of like a hamster. Yes, people pay to do this.) Queenstown’s got it. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet saved up enough to take part in any of these activities. No, this trip we participated in a much less intense, if not dorkier, activity. We rode The Ride of the Rings.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl3wduS-2I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/o5qxrQ_iJos/s1600-h/IMG_1603.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl3wduS-2I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/o5qxrQ_iJos/s320/IMG_1603.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415991701385968482" border="0" /></a><br />Just north of Queenstown, in an area appropriately named Paradise, we visited several film sites of The Lord of the Rings trilogy while riding horseback. Since arriving in New Zealand, Cody had been adamant about visiting as many LOTR sites as possible. Though I may not share his passion for the films, this trip proved to be one of the coolest things we’ve done. And as usual, I cannot say enough about the natural beauty of this country.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl2zeI0CMI/AAAAAAAAAbI/HiLhJI448JA/s1600-h/IMG_1581.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl2zeI0CMI/AAAAAAAAAbI/HiLhJI448JA/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415990653525166274" border="0" /></a><br />After several days of rain, the day of The Ride turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day. Our spirits were high during the van ride from the stables to the location of The Ride. As we neared Paradise, it became obvious why this land would be a film director’s dream. Crystal-clear glacial waters, emerald rolling hills, picturesque snow-capped mountains: no computer imaging necessary. We learned then that Paradise had also been used for the recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. Remember the scenes in which Hugh Jackman is hiding on the farm of the elderly couple…or more specifically, the scenes in which he is running through the fields naked? Turns out naked Wolverine was sprinting just meters away from the Battle of Isengard. Needless to say, this piqued Cody’s nerdy-ness to the max.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl3woHRZgI/AAAAAAAAAbY/1dJB4grFiUM/s1600-h/IMG_1630.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl3woHRZgI/AAAAAAAAAbY/1dJB4grFiUM/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415991704175076866" border="0" /></a><br />The Ride lasted about two hours and took us past the locations of fight scenes between Aragorn and the Ura’kai, to the edge of the forest of the ents, and the mountain in which they placed the digital image of the Tower of Isengard. (My apologies to our non-nerd readers. Like you, I found the naked Hugh Jackman scenes much more interesting.) And though we didn’t actually see any sword-wielding hobbits or elves running around, we were in the presence of one movie star. Oscar, the horse I rode that day, starred in the final LOTR film during the Battle of Gondor. Our guide explained that the director originally planned to use roughly 2,000 horses for this scene in which the Knights of Rohan charge towards The Forces of Mordor. But when that proved improbable, he settled for 200-300, which would then be made to look like 2,000 using digital imaging. Since the 200-300 horses would be copied and pasted and appear several times in one shot, they had to be “average-looking,” meaning average size, black or brown, and no distinguishing marks. They also had to be able to stand the loud noises of the battle scene and not be disturbed by the other hundreds of horses around. My baby Oscar made the cut and appears 10-20 times in a single scene.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl4xs_emuI/AAAAAAAAAbg/9q6xGOoiEO8/s1600-h/IMG_1642.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl4xs_emuI/AAAAAAAAAbg/9q6xGOoiEO8/s320/IMG_1642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415992822176062178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We had such a great time on The Ride of Rings. But this wouldn’t be our last trip to Queenstown. In fact, we were back the very next weekend.<br /><br />The following week we requested three days off for Thanksgiving and our 10k race. We may be in another country, but we were looking forward to spending the day honoring the American tradition of cooking all day and more importantly, indulging. Turkey isn’t common here but we managed to locate one in a grocery store in a bigger city a few hours away. And it only cost 45 bucks! We spent the whole morning preparing our first turkey as Mr. and Mrs. Palmer. We knew this year’s Thanksgiving wouldn’t be quite the same but we were determined to make it feel as normal as possible. We also prepared mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls (alright, they were store-bought), and apple pie (“). (They don’t sell pumpkin in a can here; otherwise we would’ve definitely included pumpkin pie!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl5Y9pn1EI/AAAAAAAAAbo/-dI4cqGCUCw/s1600-h/IMG_1698.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl5Y9pn1EI/AAAAAAAAAbo/-dI4cqGCUCw/s400/IMG_1698.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415993496662692930" border="0" /></a> While we waited for our bird to finish cooking, we sipped beers and watched a couple football movies. It almost felt like home. Almost.<br /><br />When the food was finally ready, we stuffed ourselves in true American style. We were so proud of ourselves. Afterward, we crawled over to the couch and promptly passed out in front of the TV.<br /><br />The next day we headed back to Queenstown. We planned to spend the night as our race was held there early Saturday morning. When we arrived Friday afternoon we did some Christmas shopping downtown (oddly enough, I have never actually been shopping on “Black Friday” back home but it seemed strange that we weren’t surrounded by mobs of people pushing each other out of the way for Tickle-Me-Elmo.)<br /><br />We went to bed early that night and awoke with butterflies in our tummies the next morning. Fortunately, it was another beautiful sunny day. At the race site, we signed in, received our numbers and looked around nervously at the other racers. I was positive that everyone knew immediately that we were amateurs. (We were the only ones in cotton t-shirts – that is, the only ones without fancy polypropylene sweat-wicking workout gear.) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl6E2TFkqI/AAAAAAAAAbw/k6k23ajjk6Y/s1600-h/IMG_1730.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl6E2TFkqI/AAAAAAAAAbw/k6k23ajjk6Y/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415994250603369122" border="0" /></a>I was terrified and certain that by the time I crossed the finish line everyone would have already packed up and headed home. But there was no backing out now.<br /><br />I ended up competing in the 5k as a couple injuries had hindered my training. (But I’m determined to complete a 10k in our next race!) Cody completed the 10k in just over an hour. Neither of us cared about our times, we just wanted to do it. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl6oUETi0I/AAAAAAAAAb4/vnTa2dh9UmI/s1600-h/IMG_1745.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Syl6oUETi0I/AAAAAAAAAb4/vnTa2dh9UmI/s320/IMG_1745.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415994859889855298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Afterwards, we both felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. So we decided to reward ourselves for all our hard work. This of course meant oversized cheeseburgers and beer. De-lish.Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-19579731388700677002009-12-02T17:13:00.000-08:002009-12-02T17:29:26.279-08:00What the heck is a fiord, anyway?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcSIjNTMRI/AAAAAAAAAZE/GsmN3z-crwE/s1600-h/IMG_1257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcSIjNTMRI/AAAAAAAAAZE/GsmN3z-crwE/s320/IMG_1257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410813415408218386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It has been a busy month! We apologize for keeping everyone waiting for so long!<br /><br />Recently, we made the trip to Milford Sound. Like almost all trips in New Zealand, the drive is half of the adventure. We started off the day taking the highway north towards Milford. Guess what? The view and the scenery were absolutely beautiful. The road was windy and narrow (you may have noticed is a common theme.) The drive may only take an hour and half but it seems that the terrain changes with every kilometer. One moment you’ll be on a small stretch of road that cuts through a plain with the mountains on the horizon, the next moment you’ll find yourself plunging into a patch of forest. To make the most of this breathtaking drive, there are several “lookout points,” or areas where you can pull over to take pictures. Actually, there are enough lookout points that some people suggest giving yourself up to 3 hours for the trip to Milford Sound.<br /><br />During a stretch of road that began climbing through the mountains, there was a lookout point about 100 yards off the main road where we made our third or fourth stop for a photo opportunity. Needing to take care of some business, I scurried off past the tree line while Jen got the camera ready. On my way back, I began to worry because Jen was nowhere in sight. Nearing the car, I noticed that there were three birds hopping up and down on our car picking at the windshield wipers. This marked our first experience with the Kea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcSUTU3icI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XTKwWD9LlQE/s1600-h/IMG_1271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcSUTU3icI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XTKwWD9LlQE/s320/IMG_1271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410813617303423426" border="0" /></a><br />Kea birds are extremely curious and sometimes aggressive birds that have been known to steal food and tear apart backpacks in search of food. They sort of resemble overgrown parrots with much sharper beaks. As these three birds hopped all over the car, I discovered that Jen was stuck inside it and was video taping them. A few other backpackers enjoyed taking pictures of the funny birds while I was able to shoo them off of the car. When the kea began bouncing around chasing each other and quickly became interested in another vehicle, Jen was able to escape captivity.<br /><br />The lookout point was a cliff that looked off into the forest covered mountains, which we thought was a great opportunity for some jump pictures. We spent some time taking turns doing jump pictures with this beautiful background and huddling over the camera laughing at one another. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcTCT7TJNI/AAAAAAAAAZU/-0ghbWBSB70/s1600-h/IMG_1283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcTCT7TJNI/AAAAAAAAAZU/-0ghbWBSB70/s200/IMG_1283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410814407738598610" border="0" /></a>When we were about to move along, Jen whispered to me to check out some other tourists that joined us at the lookout point. My jaw dropped when I noticed that the tourists were doing jump pictures! I stifled some laughter while this small group tried, very poorly I might add, to capture a jump picture time and time again. We got into the car and started to back out when Jen alerted me that the trend was catching on all over the place. Another group of tourists were also copying our “jump picture tradition.” Sometimes it’s hard being this cool.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcTaOc5waI/AAAAAAAAAZc/Hk29Q4EmFSM/s1600-h/IMG_1298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcTaOc5waI/AAAAAAAAAZc/Hk29Q4EmFSM/s320/IMG_1298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410814818585788834" border="0" /></a><br />We continued our way to the Milford Sound crossing a small mountain range where we drove through the famous Homer tunnel that cut straight through the mountains. Once we made it to Milford Sound, we quickly bought our tickets for a cruise and started on a short walk towards the bay. On the boat, we were able to really enjoy the overcast and cloudy weather. We weren’t that disappointed because we already knew what we were getting into. The Milford Sound is known for perpetual rainfall and is known as one of the wettest areas of the world. We found out, actually, that Milford Sound isn’t even a sound. It’s a fiord, which is a valley in the mountains that has been carved out by a glacier and reaches the ocean. The cruise continued out on one side for 40 minutes until it reached the ocean. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcT93CUZ2I/AAAAAAAAAZk/UEsYbFo4eko/s1600-h/IMG_1479.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcT93CUZ2I/AAAAAAAAAZk/UEsYbFo4eko/s320/IMG_1479.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410815430775564130" border="0" /></a>Then it turned around and headed back to the bay along the opposite side. We made it to the ocean and began to turn around when the captain got on the intercom to tell us that everyone should rush to the left side of the boat to see penguins. Our penguin count is now up to three! The boat turned around once again to head back to the bay and passed by some amazing cliffs, mountains, and waterfalls. We also saw about a dozen more sea lions doing what they do best: nothing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcULYZKNCI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ZobVU378oVI/s1600-h/IMG_1476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SxcULYZKNCI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ZobVU378oVI/s320/IMG_1476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410815663068034082" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Once we stepped off the boat we began our journey back to Te Anau. With another 279 pictures in the bank, it was another adventure well worth it.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-26734566057577297462009-11-01T17:29:00.000-08:002009-11-01T18:04:59.910-08:00Te amo Te anauTime to start new jobs! After about two months of traveling, we were ready to settle down a little and get some money back in our pockets. We had our first meeting with our German bosses who own the two businesses where we will be working. That night Jen worked at the café and Cody <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su48JlnP89I/AAAAAAAAANk/yXPHSCObWBk/s1600-h/IMG_1064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su48JlnP89I/AAAAAAAAANk/yXPHSCObWBk/s200/IMG_1064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399319138677027794" border="0" /></a>worked at the steak house. We were excited to work and make some new friends! However, at both businesses, we came to realize that every coworker is a native German speaker. So, like our German bosses, we realized that the whole time in Te Anau (possibly until the end of March) we are going to be dealing with language barriers. We've slowly been adjusting to the blank stares after using American slang or expressions. It all has been a learning experience.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su46ILL0FOI/AAAAAAAAANE/Z4gzafIEmoU/s1600-h/IMG_1063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su46ILL0FOI/AAAAAAAAANE/Z4gzafIEmoU/s200/IMG_1063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399316915379508450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our direct boss is Maria (the wife of the German couple) and is always there to hover over our shoulders, pouncing on our mistakes with a barrage of broken English. When learning how to make pizzas on his busy second day in the café, Cody made a pizza with too much crust. Fortunately, Maria was over his shoulder ready to pounce. “Cody! You push toppings to corners!” Cody couldn’t help but respond by laughing and telling Maria that there are no corners on a circle.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su47P4tdDFI/AAAAAAAAANU/iyhsawpUzMI/s1600-h/IMG_1215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su47P4tdDFI/AAAAAAAAANU/iyhsawpUzMI/s200/IMG_1215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399318147370912850" border="0" /></a><br />Despite Cody’s pizza-making mistakes, it seems that the German couple are not shy about handing out responsibilities with their business. On Jen’s third day of work with only one day of training, (she was trained by someone who had been at the café for only four days) Jen was given the responsibility of opening the café on her own. Not a problem, right? I mean neither of us knew how to log on to the computer system, start the pizza oven, or even how to make half the things on the menu. After an odd morning rush, a manager that doesn’t pick up phone calls, and a few burnt pizzas, we made it out alive, but not without giving Maria a small piece of our minds.<br /><br />Te Anau is a small town whose economy primarily survives on tourism. Some estimates say the town starts off with a population of 1,000 but mushrooms to 15,000 during the busy summer season because of the nearby attractions. The small town is almost completely surrounded by the mountains of the Fiordland National Park and attracts people from all over the world. Some of Te Anau’s tourism businesses include small plane rides over Lake Te Anau and through some of the National Park, sail boating across Lake Te Anau, and is the entrance to the Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su4999GS2zI/AAAAAAAAAN0/DNAZMLqJ4mk/s1600-h/IMG_1207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su4999GS2zI/AAAAAAAAAN0/DNAZMLqJ4mk/s320/IMG_1207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399321137846082354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We have done some reading about the Great Walks of New Zealand, but we wanted to get some more information about this Kepler Track before we did anything crazy. We found out that it is a 60 Km (37.3 miles) hiking trail that followed some of the shore of Lake Te Anau before diving right into the fiordland and coming full circle to the entrance point. This entrance point was about an hour and fifteen minute walk from our house. Obviously, this Great Walk is not supposed to accomplished in one day, so you are required to register for the checkpoint huts along the path (there are only 4 or 5 such hut locations). The huts are placed between 2 to 6 hour walking distances apart and only include the essentials: running water, shelter, and a bed. However, if you are hardcore enough, you could simply use the two free campsites along the track. Cody soon found out that part of the Kepler Track was host to one of the many filming locations for the Lord of the Rings movies. Also, the filming site is only an hour walk into the track. This was more than enough information for him to act like a 3 year old wanting to go to Disneyland. So, we made a day trip to hike up some of the path and back.<br /><br />We soon found out why it is considered one of the Great Walks. Not only was the track incredibly beautiful, but also physically demanding. When discussing plans about walking the whole Kepler Track, Cody was quick to say that a 4-hour hike in between the hut locations <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su488mpOYYI/AAAAAAAAANs/loeaV6KbJek/s1600-h/IMG_1140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Su488mpOYYI/AAAAAAAAANs/loeaV6KbJek/s320/IMG_1140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399320015127077250" border="0" /></a>shouldn’t be bad at all. Carrying just a light bag, Cody couldn’t wait to flop on the couch after the 4-hour walk. We only were on the flat portion of the track and he was already whining! Turns out, we are going to need to prepare for this adventure when we plan on doing the whole thing.<br /><br />So now that we have somewhat settled down in one place, we couldn’t help but visit the info center and come home with a handful of pamphlets to map out our future adventures. One adventure we have on our horizon is on November 28th we are going to run a 10k! We have been spending our afternoons for the past 6 weeks training and are going to sign up sometime this week for a 10k race in Queenstown (a popular town that is only a two hour drive away). We are very grateful that we have each other to train for this (running is neither of our strong points) because we have been pushing each other and making sure we get out and run. But for those tough days, sometimes the only thing that is getting us through the workout is the promise of beer and chocolate once we’re finished.Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-86088525391785836402009-10-27T19:56:00.000-07:002009-10-29T19:57:11.876-07:00Wizards, sea lions, and penguins...oh my!By the 14th, we left Timaru and never looked back. We journeyed 2 hours south (without mechanical breakdown!) to the city of Dunedin. We didn't know much about the city before arriving other than it was a college town and home to the brewery of our favorite New Zealand beer, Speight's Golden Ale. But as we descended the first of what would be countless hills into Dunedin, we soon discovered that our days in the coastal city would be filled with absolutely gorgeous scenery.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufMJ68iFxI/AAAAAAAAALY/Ub7eceezF30/s1600-h/IMG_1054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufMJ68iFxI/AAAAAAAAALY/Ub7eceezF30/s200/IMG_1054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397507149240866578" border="0" /></a><br />We checked into a hostel atop another of Dunedin's enormous hills. This was no ordinary hostel, however. No, this one was called Hogwartz and was completely Harry Potter-themed. For these two dorks, sleeping across the hall from the door to Gringotts was almost as exciting as meeting HP himself. That evening we walked around the downtown area until it began raining. This confirmed our tentative plans to return to Hogwartz to watch one of the Harry Potter movies.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufND8hQj3I/AAAAAAAAALg/6RxPFQ06UXE/s1600-h/IMG_0796.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufND8hQj3I/AAAAAAAAALg/6RxPFQ06UXE/s200/IMG_0796.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397508146095755122" border="0" /></a><br />The next day we took advantage of the sunshine and drove the the Otago peninsula just outside of the city. This turned out to be one of the best days we've had since arriving in New Zealand. The very narrow and windy road along the coast of peninsula was a bit terrifying at first but the view was breathtaking. We drove for about 45 minutes (making several stops to take pictures) until we arrived at New Zealand's one and only castle. There we took a self-guided tour of the inside of the castle and the gardens. From the tower at the top of the castle we could see all of the peninsula and Dunedin.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SupURsTHouI/AAAAAAAAAMM/pa1AqcrVWEg/s1600-h/IMG_0855.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SupURsTHouI/AAAAAAAAAMM/pa1AqcrVWEg/s320/IMG_0855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398219766282822370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">A half hour drive from the castle took us to the very tip of the peninsula where there is a huge albatross conservatory. "Alba-what?," you say? We'd never heard of them either. Albatross are basically enormous seagulls and they are nearly extinct here in New Zealand. The birds themselves aren't exactly exciting to look at but the cliffs they live on along the coast were incredible.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufOLuOvUhI/AAAAAAAAALw/-5beHdBdKnU/s1600-h/IMG_0898.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufOLuOvUhI/AAAAAAAAALw/-5beHdBdKnU/s320/IMG_0898.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397509379210564114" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Instead of driving along the coast on the trip back to the city, we took Highcliff Road which provided us with a totally different view of the peninsula. It was amazing. Ignoring the insanely windy roads and dangerously huge cliffs with very few guard rails, this trip was one of the coolest things we've ever done. Beautiful green hills speckled with sheep and newborn lambs passed by our windows and in the background lay sandy white beaches and the deep blue water.<br /><br />About halfway back, we stopped at Sandfly Bay. Here we took a 40 minute walk down to a beach where you can see sea lions and penguins in their natural habitat. The walk begins at the top of a hill (next to a green field filled with sheep, of course) and leads you down to the beach where the sea lions are burying themselves in sand after a long day of hunting for food in the sea.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufO49UbN3I/AAAAAAAAAL4/9ANmyZ9HA3Q/s1600-h/IMG_0950.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufO49UbN3I/AAAAAAAAAL4/9ANmyZ9HA3Q/s320/IMG_0950.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397510156355057522" border="0" /></a>You can pass them (giving them plenty of space and not disturbing them) and walk to the end of the beach where you hide in a small wooden shelter to view the penguins on the rocks at the bottom of the nearby cliff. These penguins apparently scare pretty easily and so you must be very quiet inside the shelter. We stayed there for about 45 minutes and ended up seeing only one penguin (thanks to some loud and obnoxious people scaring them off). Nonetheless, it as quite an experience.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufPMBmluPI/AAAAAAAAAMA/kvn9JXxMYJQ/s1600-h/IMG_0942.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SufPMBmluPI/AAAAAAAAAMA/kvn9JXxMYJQ/s200/IMG_0942.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397510483922499826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On our second day in Dunedin it was raining again and we were pretty sure that nothing could top our day on the Otago peninsula. We were wrong. In one glorious day we toured a chocolate factory and a brewery. Both tours were complete with plenty of samples which made for big belly ache at the end of the day. Totally worth it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SupV0XfloKI/AAAAAAAAAMU/eWqoqi1WpO4/s1600-h/IMG_1040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SupV0XfloKI/AAAAAAAAAMU/eWqoqi1WpO4/s200/IMG_1040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398221461505024162" border="0" /></a><br />By the morning of the 17th, it was time to begin our trip to the west side of the south island. After a four hour drive, we arrived at our new home in Te Anau. We are renting a room in a small house that we share with 3 other girls. Our roommates are backpackers like us and are all very nice. Cody and I are in the master bedroom with the master bathroom, so luckily Cody doesn't have to share a bathroom with 4 girls. The house is in a new development near Lake Te Anau and is surrounded by mountains. It is really cool to be surrounded by beautiful scenery the second you step out the door.<br /><br />We met with our bosses and began our new jobs the very next day. Our bosses, Franz and Maria, are German and immigrated to NZ about 6 years ago. They own the Naturally Fiordland Cafe and Settler's Steakhouse in downtown Te Anau. Our shifts are split up between the two restaurants. Our first week on the job has been...interesting. But that is another entry altogether.Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-10365080087919717452009-10-08T23:43:00.000-07:002009-10-08T23:54:27.181-07:00Hello Bluebird. So long Timaru.<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >It’s hard to believe but our time here in Timaru is almost up! The past few weeks have been filled with lots of tomato picking and leaf trimming, a few walks along the country roads of the Canterbury plains, several trips to the library to lounge and read, one more car purchase, and a trip to the most beautiful lake in New Zealand.<br />Last week, we scrapped together the last of our savings to buy another car. This time we were a little smarter about it. We shopped around for a bit and ended up buying a car our bosses had seen while driving through the small town next to Timaru. The man selling the Nissan Bluebird has had about 3 of them and likes to fix them up and sell them again. He knew everything there was to know about the car as he had done all of the work on it himself. After a few test-drives it was a done deal. Though our budget is a bit tight now, we’re really excited to get back on the road and see more of this beautiful country.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7cdRr4A_I/AAAAAAAAAK8/dRWXZR2w12c/s1600-h/IMG_0617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7cdRr4A_I/AAAAAAAAAK8/dRWXZR2w12c/s320/IMG_0617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390488199530808306" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >On Tuesday, we took a day off from the greenhouse and drove about an hour and a half to Lake Tekapo.</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > The lake is made from glacier water, which gives it an incredible turquoise color. Its unreal! Along the shore of the lake is an old church. It can’t hold more than 20 people but it sure has an amazing view. There are also several walking/hiking trails around the lake. We unknowingly chose the steepest one but with frequent breaks (filled with several disbelieving looks at each other and arguments over whether we should turn back) we somehow managed to tough it out. Making it to the top of Mt. John made all of our pain and suffering well worth it. The view was breathtaking.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7dBURMt6I/AAAAAAAAALE/5-QSFcU_Wa0/s1600-h/IMG_0665.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7dBURMt6I/AAAAAAAAALE/5-QSFcU_Wa0/s320/IMG_0665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390488818699515810" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >We rested awhile and devoured our PB &J’s before trekking back down Mt. John. Back on level ground, we rewarded ourselves with a couple of beers and a round of mini golf.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7ddybkr7I/AAAAAAAAALM/AbYnCwE9NuY/s1600-h/IMG_0685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Ss7ddybkr7I/AAAAAAAAALM/AbYnCwE9NuY/s200/IMG_0685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390489307832430514" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br />This weekend our bosses, Helen and Kerry, are heading to Christchurch for a concert. We’re planning on tagging along to see more of the city and maybe meet up with Cody’s friend, Will, again. By Wednesday morning we’ll be saying goodbye to Canterbury Tomatoes Ltd. and making our way further south. We’re going to check out another small city, Dunedin, for a couple days before traveling west to our new home in Te Anau. We’ve rented a room in a small house there and begin waiting tables at Settlers Steakhouse on the 18th. We’ll be sad to leave our friends (and the sheep) in Timaru but we’re anxious to begin the next chapter of our New Zealand adventure! </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-2150426576570847382009-09-23T22:25:00.000-07:002009-09-24T01:02:33.660-07:00You say to-may-toe, I say to-mah-toe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SrsnfOrB5dI/AAAAAAAAADY/NpvhiaKGdjk/s1600-h/IMG_0594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SrsnfOrB5dI/AAAAAAAAADY/NpvhiaKGdjk/s200/IMG_0594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384941196919563730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />By the 16th, after a month of vacation, we were anxious to finally have a place to call home. And, believe it or not, we were ready to work! That morning, our new boss, Helen, picked us up from our hostel and took us about 10 km outside of town to our new home at Canterbury Tomatoes Ltd. Helen and her fiance, Kerry, live on the small farm next to the greenhouse. Upon our arrival, Helen showed us around the tomato plants and introduced us to the family of cows and sheep. We also met Lucy (from the US) and Neall (from England) who live and work with Helen & Kerry, like us.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SrslVnVHWsI/AAAAAAAAAC4/qkm8Ivcr2To/s1600-h/IMG_0561.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SrslVnVHWsI/AAAAAAAAAC4/qkm8Ivcr2To/s320/IMG_0561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384938832716585666" border="0" /></a>We started work that afternoon trimming leaves from the bottom of the tomato plants. Each row takes about an hour and a half and there are 15 rows in all. We can choose how many or how few rows we do each day but they all have to be done once a week. We also pick tomatoes 2-3 times a week which can take 2-4 hours. We have to work 20 hours a week (combined! Ha!) and any hour over that we get paid NZ$13/hr (about US$9.40).<br /><br />Our first weekend on the farm we got to know our new roommates a little better. Friday night we all went out for dinner and then checked out Timaru's nightlife. Helen explained to us that most of the young people from Timaru have moved to other cities for college, so the crowd at the bars was kind of interesting. We had fun anyway. Saturday morning we went snowboarding with Lucy at Mt. Dobson, just an hour and a half away. If our hangovers hadn't already set in, the drive up the mountain certainly did it. It was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced. The gravel road was unbelievably narrow and winded all the way above the clouds. More frighteningly, New Zealand has apparently never heard of guard rails.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Srsm2ThD6TI/AAAAAAAAADQ/4uy1EaARAuM/s1600-h/IMG_0533.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Srsm2ThD6TI/AAAAAAAAADQ/4uy1EaARAuM/s320/IMG_0533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384940493845293362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But, alas, we made it safely. As spring is approaching, it was one of the last days of the seasons and it was bright and sunny. It was really beautiful. It was Cody's first time snowboarding and he picked it up right away. Jeni on the other hand... Lets just say we were both pretty sore the next day...and the day after that...and the day...<br /><br />For now we're spending our days working in the greenhouse, getting to know our roommates, and looking for a new car. While we aren't exactly stranded here (we can usually catch rides to the grocery store, library, etc. with our roommates) we were hoping to see as much of this part of the country as we can while we're here. So we're hoping to get a new car so we can take some day trips to nearby cities, parks, etc. We'll keep you updated on our progress but for now you can find us picking tomatoes...or feeding them to the sheep.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Srsmfwbj1SI/AAAAAAAAADI/2V3klst3RnA/s1600-h/IMG_0575.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Srsmfwbj1SI/AAAAAAAAADI/2V3klst3RnA/s320/IMG_0575.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384940106469856546" border="0" /></a>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-32758115173227589412009-09-12T23:33:00.000-07:002009-09-13T01:56:17.490-07:00Bye bye Bongo...Oh, the open road! After packing all of our bags (a practice we are nearing perfection), throwing them into the bongo, saying our farewells, we hit the open road to Timaru. We drove for about 20 minutes and about 40 kms singing our own songs to fill the void of a working radio when the engine decided to make a loud bang and refuse to go any further.<br /><br />After taking a look at the engine and calling a mechanic, we had faith that it was only a small set back. The mechanic arrives to tow us into town with a rope and a SUV. Cody manned the wheel of the Bongo while the mechanic simply tied the rope to the front of the Bongo and started driving. Though nervous, we made it into the shop and fixed a tube and made it back on the road!<br /><br />Back on the road! It felt so good to have the open window air conditioning, watching the beautiful scenery, and we couldn't fail to notice the 3 cars behind us completely surrounded in... white smoke? The van started to fill with smoke and we pulled over immediately. After calling another new mechanic and getting towed into town (something we're getting really good at) we got the Bongo looked at again and got the bad news. The Bongo is dead.<br /><br />Since we already customized the van for camping purposes, we used the van for the only thing that it was good for, a place to sleep. In the glorious town of Winchester, the next day we were adopted by the owner of the shop (thanks Neil!). Neil let us sleep at his house (which was conveniently located next door to the shop), gave us a ride to the grocery store and also drove us to Timaru to complete this long complicated leg of our journey.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqyzfOnhcqI/AAAAAAAAACo/AC35KoKeYOE/s1600-h/timaru+beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqyzfOnhcqI/AAAAAAAAACo/AC35KoKeYOE/s320/timaru+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380873003882082978" border="0" /></a><br />Now, we have have been just spending our time reading and exploring the town of Timaru until we start our jobs on the 16th. We have also been cooking for ourselves to save some money, playing some frisbee, and yes, taking long walks on the beach. It's a rough life.Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-39757963981999829692009-09-07T00:38:00.000-07:002009-09-07T03:16:38.840-07:00Down to business<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTdEHPrXVI/AAAAAAAAACg/lG2X1Lde-vE/s1600-h/bdayboy.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: left;">By Thursday (27th) we had left the Fijian sun and warm breezes behind and arrived in Auckland that afternoon. We took a bus from the airport to our hostel downtown. We didn't have anything to do until the next morning so we decided to walk around the city a bit and get our first taste of New Zealand beer. (Delish!) Turns out, after that evening, we had left rest and relaxation behind in Fiji as well. By Friday afternoon, after a 4 hour orientation with the work abroad organization that had helped us get our work visas, reality had set in. We were unemployed and homeless.</div><div><br /><div><div>The next few days were spent opening up bank accounts, buying a cell phone, and anxiously scanning a handful of New Zealand's job websites. We found that there really are tons of jobs aimed at backpackers and temporary workers. There were dozens of posts looking for waitresses, hostel cleaners, nannies, farmhands, etc. Truthfully, this only made me more anxious. We'd always said, "Oh we'll do anything! We'll go anywhere!" But now it was time to decide what we wanted to apply for and where in the country we wanted to go. Since Cody had a friend he wanted to visit near the city of Christchurch we narrowed our jobsearch down to the South island. We then caught a cheap flight to Christchurch and met up with Cody's friend, Will and his roommate Jeremy. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTcdk1pX2I/AAAAAAAAACY/NiTKzEq_38M/s1600-h/gotajob!.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTcdk1pX2I/AAAAAAAAACY/NiTKzEq_38M/s320/gotajob!.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378666255650217826" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>We stayed with Will and Jeremy for a week and during the day while he was at work, we worked on our resumes, wrote dozens of cover letters, and applied for about 50 different jobs. It was exhausting and frustrating for both of us. After a few days and a couple disappointing emails and phone calls, we were both beginning to panic. So we began responding to <i>all</i> the posts on the job websites - even those that we weren't all that interested in and ones that didn't specifically say they were looking for more than one person. But it payed off.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTcdk1pX2I/AAAAAAAAACY/NiTKzEq_38M/s1600-h/gotajob!.JPG"></a><div><br /></div><div> A day later, we were offered jobs at a greenhouse in a city named Timaru. We couldn't believe it! Our new employer informed us that we would have to work 20 hours a week (between the two of us! Ha!) for accomodation. Okay...so we don't get paid but at least we won't be homeless!</div><div><br /></div><div>Our last few days with Will and Jeremy involved a rowdy night of karaoke for Cody's birthday </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTdEHPrXVI/AAAAAAAAACg/lG2X1Lde-vE/s320/bdayboy.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378666917721234770" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><div>and one successful trip to a used-car auction. At this time, we'd like to introduce the newestdition to our family: a 1988 Mazda Bongo. She's a beauty all right. On the way home from the auction, we bought a used mattress to throw in the back along with some dishes and pots and pans. Now that she's all decked out, the Bongo will be our home in between jobs. This is the life.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SqTb8G8UIwI/AAAAAAAAACQ/x6zzlMfNRTc/s320/IMG_0469%5B1%5D" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Next stop: Timaru </div><div><br /></div></div></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566589788035459106.post-86465758808310305242009-08-29T16:00:00.000-07:002009-08-29T17:21:06.398-07:00And they're off!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Spm4QvNj7GI/AAAAAAAAAAw/dN4nBMEjlFc/s1600-h/IMG_0041.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Spm4QvNj7GI/AAAAAAAAAAw/dN4nBMEjlFc/s320/IMG_0041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375530227934162018" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After a late night of thank-you writing and last minute packing (and no sleep), we left Iowa City just a little after 4 am on Sunday August 16</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Just a 4-hour drive to Chicago later and we were boarding the first leg of the many flights leading to our big Fiji/New Zealand adventure. Anxious albeit exhausted, it wasn’t until after we had landed in Los Angeles that we realized we were in for a 12-hour layover. So we set up camp in the food court, had some lunch and took turns napping/watching our luggage. After about 6 hours in the international terminal of LAX we had grown a little restless and decided to find out if we could check in to our flight to Fiji. We reached the counter only to find out that the flight had be cancelled and wouldn’t leave until the following afternoon. Naturally. Fortunately the airline transported us to a hotel and paid for our room and meals. Nearly 24 hours after the original departure time, we left LA and began the 11-hour flight to Nadi, Fiji. Waiting for us at the Nadi Airport was a 3-hour bus ride in the dark with a driver with fantastic aim for potholes. But by midnight of Tuesday August 18</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, we had made it to our destination: the Mango Bay Resort on the Coral Coast of Fiji. </span><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Spm_xBshE7I/AAAAAAAAABY/DIj1Og_YQCQ/s1600-h/IMG_0085.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/Spm_xBshE7I/AAAAAAAAABY/DIj1Og_YQCQ/s320/IMG_0085.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375538479233045426" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After checking in, we were escorted to our private beachfront cottage (or “bure” in Fijian) where we found the champagne bottle we’d ordered floating in a bucket of melted ice (we’d arrived about 14 hours later than planned). And although we were both aching with exhaustion, we were determined to start our honeymoon off right. We might have had about 3 or 4 sips of the champagne before passing out.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite the less-than-glamorous beginning of our adventure, we awoke to find that paradise was waiting for us just outside the door to our cottage. The view was incredible. </span></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnDxwtBDtI/AAAAAAAAABo/YIpueTzg6UQ/s1600-h/IMG_0069.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnDxwtBDtI/AAAAAAAAABo/YIpueTzg6UQ/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375542889898118866" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We spent the next 5 days lounging in hammocks and reading in the sun, walking along the white sandy beaches, and kayaking in the crystal clear waters. One day the resort hosted a hike through the rainforest up to a waterfall. It was a really cool experience. A few nights a week there were bonfires on the beach and traditional musical performances by members of the nearby village. Other than the mediocre food and a few bug bites (or 34 in Jeni’s case), we really had a wonderful time. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On Monday we left Mango Bay resort and made the 3-hour trip back to Nadi. We spent the remaining days relaxing by the pool of our hostel and exploring the city of Nadi. We both agreed, however, that the best day of the whole trip by far, was the last day in which we took a cruise around the Mamanuca Islands. It was the perfect day. Clear skies, sunshine and beautiful blue water as far as the eye could see. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnE-sZf8bI/AAAAAAAAABw/SYm3OiHMQY4/s1600-h/IMG_0334.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnE-sZf8bI/AAAAAAAAABw/SYm3OiHMQY4/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375544211592442290" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We cruised around the islands (including the island where they filmed “Castaway” with Tom Hanks) for a few hours and then stopped at Treasure Island for lunch and a dip in the water. Our favorite part of the whole trip was snorkeling. We were so amazed at how close the fish would swim up next to us! At one point we were surrounded by a school of bright blue fish! (Naturally, we left the underwater camera back at the hostel this day.) It was the perfect ending to a perfect honeymoon. We agreed to come back to see all the islands for our 25</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (or 10</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">?) anniversary.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnFoe58fTI/AAAAAAAAAB4/HIAKNTvsKQI/s1600-h/IMG_0348.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ThoiibyFews/SpnFoe58fTI/AAAAAAAAAB4/HIAKNTvsKQI/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375544929524940082" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next stop: Auckland, New Zealand</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><br /><!--EndFragment--></div>Team Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15996965508487595949noreply@blogger.com1