New Zealand #1

First impressions of New Zealand: friendly, laid-back people; beautiful mountains in the South; lush tropical greenery in the North; very little free wi-fi! I’m wrapping up a few hours in an Internet cafe, where I’ve been catching up on the business of life (at least that part which is conducted on the Internet). So this will be a quick update, with an emphasis on pictures!

After our week in Auckland, we had a great 5 days a bit east of there on the Coromandel Peninsula. We were in a cozy cabin with a view of the bay and beautiful rolling green hills all around us.

The kids enjoyed sea kayaking, 2 on 2 soccer against mom and dad, swimming, and climbing on an old sailboat in the play area. Bill and I enjoyed the serenity and beautiful views. We had a few fun outings in the area, including a trip up into the hills on the Driving Creek Railway and a day at a quirky park called the waterworks.

We celebrated my birthday and Thanksgiving while we were there, indulging in some smoked mussels, which are one of the local specialties.

After this short intro to the North Island, we caught a flight down to Queenstown, and then drove on New Zealand’s highest roadway up to Wanaka, where we have been for the last week. Wanaka is a wonderful little town beside a lake, surrounded by snow-topped mountains.

We have enjoyed hiking in the area (or “tramping” as they call it here), and Caroline and I tried standup paddle boarding for the first time. Loved it, despite the blustery winds and 1-2 foot swells! We have another week here in Wanaka before we head up the West Coast to Nelson, where we have rented a house for a month.

We are officially at the halfway point of our trip, with 5 months down and 5 to go before we return around 1 May. Hard to believe!