Leaving Vancouver Boxing day (night time) we had a wonderful flight (leaving the snow well and truly behind!!!) arriving in Auckland mid-morning on the 28th Dec we were welcomed by a wonderful 19 degrees!
Jason & Nichole met us at the airport, before taking us home for a freshen up and a relaxing arvo. A few odd jobs followed before heading out and about to see the sights of the coast.
Touring around Auckland, Jason and I met up with a few of his mates, whilst the girls headed out to do some "wedding things" for their upcoming wedding. A chill out day followed, with a few more odd jobs being done, before enjoying a wonderful dinner with Nichole's sister (Nat) and her boyfriend (Josh) - a good night following, indulging in a few drinks......maybe too many :)
The 30th arrived too quickly, taking us on an early flight to Queenstown, home of New Zealand's adventure sports. Located on the south island, we anticipated cooler weather, but expected the sun to shine. Arriving in Queenstown on a beautiful day, we picked up the rental car, before the 7 of us headed to the hotel. Dumping our stuff quickly, we headed into town to get a few supplies, find our bearings, then heading to the bar for a few drinks - enjoying the wonderful view of lake Wakatipu, which was surrounded by the Crown Ranges.
Nichole's Mum (Stephanie) had given all 7 of us a wonderful gift - a Shotover Jet experience - which was a jet boat coasting through the canyon, completing a number of sharp turns (some towards the canyon wall) as well quite a few 360 degree turns!!! Very cool. After the jet boat we headed to Arrow Town, home of some delicious foods, markets and local shopping. Leaving late afternoon, we headed back to change, enjoy a few refreshments, then head out for dinner - taking in downtown Queenstown's nightlife. We all enjoyed the fireworks from the decking at the hotel - which was quite a good viewing platform.
A slow start to New Years Day, we jumped in our "hire car" and made our way up through the Crown Ranges - giving us magnificent views of the surrounding areas at its peak. Continuing on our journey - we found ourselves in Wanaka - home to a beautiful lake, surrounding mountains and Puzzle World. Taking in the beautiful scenery - we felt like typical tourists - with our own personal tour guides!!! - we headed into puzzle world - aiming to make our heads sore....well even more so than they were! Leaving puzzle world and the many complicated puzzles behind, we stopped in Cromwell for a bite to eat, then headed home - stopping at one of New Zealand's best bungy jumping areas - Kawarau Bridge - very high - not for us - but well worth watching the many people lining up to jump!
After a few good days in Queenstown, we departed - but not an enjoyable flight back! The winds were extremely strong, causing a lot of turbulence (we hit quite a few air pockets - which didn't allow us to move around the cabin!).
Deciding to rest up for a day - we did a few more odd jobs around the house in preparation of the wedding, then invited a few people around to have a beer / bbq at the house. It was a good night, with everyone having their fill of food and drink, before retiring, knowing we were heading down to Rotorua early morning.
Taking in the sights of the near 3 hour drive, we stopped for lunch, before arriving at our hotel, which had an awesome view of the geyser and mud pools that our balcony overlooked. As we were all keen to jump on the gondola - taking us up the mountain and giving us a wonderful view of the "sulphur smelling town" - Jason and I decided to take up the Luge option, smashing 3 tracks quite hard (Jason almost stacked in the tunnel - before both of us launched ourselves off the mini-jump - great fun!!!) and enjoying the tracks winding through the hillside. A nice dinner followed in downtown Rotorua, before we retired - ready for a huge morning!
Morning came providing us with a magnificent - but smelly - Rotorua day. Arriving at the wildlife sanctuary, we took in a guided tour of the Kiwi breeding program. We were very fortunate to see the processes involved in keeping the kiwis alive - from egg collecting, weighing, incubating and feeding - right through to the indoor and outdoor runs they have. Kate and I were shocked at the size of the eggs the kiwis produce, considering the size of their bodies! It was great to see 7 live kiwis running around, being fed or just enjoying their enclosures - a real treat!
From the sanctuary it was on to the adventure areas - where Kate and I decided we'd give Zorbing a go. Changing into our bathers, we went with the "wet option" which was always going to be fun! Before you start rolling the fun begins. Entering the Zorb is quite fun, running and diving at full pelt to get into a large hamster style inflatable ball - semi filled with water - something you need to experience, or watch yourself....quite a good laugh! Entering first - not sure that was a wise idea, before Kate slid in (taking my feet out in the process, sitting me on my ass, I was sure this was going to happen again shortly). The tap on the side of the Zorb came, meaning Kate and I had to begin moving down the hill. Challenged to stand the whole way, we began running, with Kate quickly slipping over into the pool of water (laughing very hard might I add!), it was very hard to continue standing - so I was taken out (again). Rolling down the hill - we both laughed as we were thrown this way and that - quite an experience, it felt like we were in there for quite some time! Arriving at the base of the hill - we squirted out of the Zorb - landing on the grass. The two of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would do it again anytime (seriously contemplated doing the individual run - but thought it would give us a reason to come back again - oh - and of course to see the newly weds!!!)
We again took in the scenery on the way home before tying up a few more loose ends with the wedding. The next few days will be very busy - before heading down to Pauanui - to enjoy the coast and see our mates get married! Should be fun!!!
Jason & Nichole met us at the airport, before taking us home for a freshen up and a relaxing arvo. A few odd jobs followed before heading out and about to see the sights of the coast.
Touring around Auckland, Jason and I met up with a few of his mates, whilst the girls headed out to do some "wedding things" for their upcoming wedding. A chill out day followed, with a few more odd jobs being done, before enjoying a wonderful dinner with Nichole's sister (Nat) and her boyfriend (Josh) - a good night following, indulging in a few drinks......maybe too many :)
The 30th arrived too quickly, taking us on an early flight to Queenstown, home of New Zealand's adventure sports. Located on the south island, we anticipated cooler weather, but expected the sun to shine. Arriving in Queenstown on a beautiful day, we picked up the rental car, before the 7 of us headed to the hotel. Dumping our stuff quickly, we headed into town to get a few supplies, find our bearings, then heading to the bar for a few drinks - enjoying the wonderful view of lake Wakatipu, which was surrounded by the Crown Ranges.
Nichole's Mum (Stephanie) had given all 7 of us a wonderful gift - a Shotover Jet experience - which was a jet boat coasting through the canyon, completing a number of sharp turns (some towards the canyon wall) as well quite a few 360 degree turns!!! Very cool. After the jet boat we headed to Arrow Town, home of some delicious foods, markets and local shopping. Leaving late afternoon, we headed back to change, enjoy a few refreshments, then head out for dinner - taking in downtown Queenstown's nightlife. We all enjoyed the fireworks from the decking at the hotel - which was quite a good viewing platform.
A slow start to New Years Day, we jumped in our "hire car" and made our way up through the Crown Ranges - giving us magnificent views of the surrounding areas at its peak. Continuing on our journey - we found ourselves in Wanaka - home to a beautiful lake, surrounding mountains and Puzzle World. Taking in the beautiful scenery - we felt like typical tourists - with our own personal tour guides!!! - we headed into puzzle world - aiming to make our heads sore....well even more so than they were! Leaving puzzle world and the many complicated puzzles behind, we stopped in Cromwell for a bite to eat, then headed home - stopping at one of New Zealand's best bungy jumping areas - Kawarau Bridge - very high - not for us - but well worth watching the many people lining up to jump!
After a few good days in Queenstown, we departed - but not an enjoyable flight back! The winds were extremely strong, causing a lot of turbulence (we hit quite a few air pockets - which didn't allow us to move around the cabin!).
Deciding to rest up for a day - we did a few more odd jobs around the house in preparation of the wedding, then invited a few people around to have a beer / bbq at the house. It was a good night, with everyone having their fill of food and drink, before retiring, knowing we were heading down to Rotorua early morning.
Taking in the sights of the near 3 hour drive, we stopped for lunch, before arriving at our hotel, which had an awesome view of the geyser and mud pools that our balcony overlooked. As we were all keen to jump on the gondola - taking us up the mountain and giving us a wonderful view of the "sulphur smelling town" - Jason and I decided to take up the Luge option, smashing 3 tracks quite hard (Jason almost stacked in the tunnel - before both of us launched ourselves off the mini-jump - great fun!!!) and enjoying the tracks winding through the hillside. A nice dinner followed in downtown Rotorua, before we retired - ready for a huge morning!
Morning came providing us with a magnificent - but smelly - Rotorua day. Arriving at the wildlife sanctuary, we took in a guided tour of the Kiwi breeding program. We were very fortunate to see the processes involved in keeping the kiwis alive - from egg collecting, weighing, incubating and feeding - right through to the indoor and outdoor runs they have. Kate and I were shocked at the size of the eggs the kiwis produce, considering the size of their bodies! It was great to see 7 live kiwis running around, being fed or just enjoying their enclosures - a real treat!
From the sanctuary it was on to the adventure areas - where Kate and I decided we'd give Zorbing a go. Changing into our bathers, we went with the "wet option" which was always going to be fun! Before you start rolling the fun begins. Entering the Zorb is quite fun, running and diving at full pelt to get into a large hamster style inflatable ball - semi filled with water - something you need to experience, or watch yourself....quite a good laugh! Entering first - not sure that was a wise idea, before Kate slid in (taking my feet out in the process, sitting me on my ass, I was sure this was going to happen again shortly). The tap on the side of the Zorb came, meaning Kate and I had to begin moving down the hill. Challenged to stand the whole way, we began running, with Kate quickly slipping over into the pool of water (laughing very hard might I add!), it was very hard to continue standing - so I was taken out (again). Rolling down the hill - we both laughed as we were thrown this way and that - quite an experience, it felt like we were in there for quite some time! Arriving at the base of the hill - we squirted out of the Zorb - landing on the grass. The two of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would do it again anytime (seriously contemplated doing the individual run - but thought it would give us a reason to come back again - oh - and of course to see the newly weds!!!)
We again took in the scenery on the way home before tying up a few more loose ends with the wedding. The next few days will be very busy - before heading down to Pauanui - to enjoy the coast and see our mates get married! Should be fun!!!
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