Internet Cafes - Auckland

Such a great way for Jason to combine work in a fun setting.  We've discovered about a half dozen internt cafes that we've worked from.

Waiheke Island - Auckland

Beautiful Island located just a 35 minute ferry ride away from Auckland.  We wandered around the island on foot.  Stumbled upon Mudbrick Winery, located in a beautiful setting.  Also came accross some cool beaches.

K Road - Auckland

Hipster neighborhood with supposedly a good night life, although we never stayed up late enough to find out.  Located  about 15 minute walk from downtown.  Jason was quite amused with this sign of all things. . .

 Parnell Street - Auckland

 About a 45 minute walk from downtown Auckland, this very cute neighborhood is riddled with restaurants, bars and antique shops.  We continued to circle around down Newmarket Street to Broadway and back around to the Metropolis.  The full walk was about 7 miles.

Mission Bay - Auckland

We walked about 6 miles to this beach area located North of downtown Auckland.  There are tons of restaurants once you finally reach Mission Bay, as well St. Heliers Bay which is a little further.  All the homes in this area are beautiful and fun to look at.

Dunerider Adventure - Bay of Islands

 Kayaking Trip to the Haruru Falls - Bay of Islands

 This adventure took us through the mangrove swamps, and up to the Haruru falls.  Jason even ventured directly under the falls, managing to stay in his kayak (unlike the unlucky bloak before him who capsized!)

Ponsonby Road - Auckland

Very cute neighnorhood, about an hour and a half walk from the city center.  The restaurants looked amazing (although we didn't eat at any of them), and the shops quite cute.  It reminded me of Union Street in SF.  Came across this funky manequin shop.

Waitomo Caves - Waitomo

These are the infamous glow worm caves that everyone talks about.  You can read Jason's journal entry on 1.25.07 to learn more interesting facts about glow worm caves and the overall experience.

Sheep World Agrodome - Rotorua

Seriously so cheesy, but such a fun experience.  The hour long sheep show was hilarious, and we got to go up at the end and pose with all the sheep - 19 different kinds.  I never thought I'd learn so much about sheep.

Polynesian Spa on Lake Rotorua - Rotorua

Although we still can't shake the sulpher smell of rotten eggs off our bodies and bathing suits, these natural hot springs were incredibly relaxing and serene.  Located overlooking the beautiful lake, we definitely enjoyed this afternoon.

Zorbing - Rotorua

Amazingly fun recreational activity developed in New Zealand in the 1990's, involves rolling down an incline in an inflatable, usually transparent, double-hulled sphere called zorbs, made from pvc. Variations include strapless hydro zorbs where water is added for an experience somewhat like a water chute - that's what we did!

Jetboating -  Lake Taupo/Huka Falls

Aboard Hukafalls Jet, we sped along the Waikato River to view the white water of the Huka Falls.  We passed by clouds of steam rising where a hot stream joined the river.  We saw Huka Prawn Park, the Wairakei Geo-Thermal Power Station, and the Aratiatia Dam.  We slid past sheer cliffs with just centimetres to spare, secure in the knowledge that our driver was an "expert".

Huka Prawn Park - Lake Taupo/Huka Falls

Prawn Park, New Zealand’s only geothermally heated prawn farm was conveniently located next door to HukaJet.  Although we didn't hand feed the prawns, nor go prawn fishing (holding a stick with a string, which looked quite boring), we did eat some delicious peel and eat prawns here. 

Napier - Hawkes Bay

We stopped in this Art Deco town for a cup of coffee and a stroll before going to Dan and Judy's house.  This coastal town was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1926 and rebuilt in all Art Deco design and architecture.  This town was incredibly quaint, and was one of my favorite little places to visit.  I must have said "cute" aloud a dozen times while walking around.

Havelock North Tour - Hawkes Bay

Dan and Judy gave us a wonderful tour of the wine region they live in.  All stops included the Arataki Honey factory, the cheese factory (where Judy gave us tips on how to start eating blue cheese), the lookout point from the Te Mata Peak, and a drive by of the incredubly cute aphitheater located in the vineyards.  We also got to spend a wonderful night at their house, drinking delcious local wines of St. Geroges winery.

Wellington - North Island

We spent two nights in this southern most city in the N. Island, which is actually the capital of New Zealand.  We realy enjoyed this town, having many discussions about the possibility of living here.  It reminded us a lot of San Francisco, having much more character and personality then Auckland.  In the time we were there, we spent many hours roaming the streets, saw an independant movie at the Rialto Theater, Shortbus, and got into a Quiz nite tournament - totally Jason's thing.

Wellington - Picton Interislander Ferry

We used this as our transpot from the N. Island to the S. Island.  This 3 hour ferry ride, on a large vessel, was a relaxing and beautiful way to get to the S. Island.  Beautiful mountain ranges, bays and sounds lined the trek on both sides - it was truly spectacular to just lounge on the deck and take it all in. 

Marlborough Wine Tasting - Bleinheim

Now this was an incredible day.  We booked a tour through Bubbly Grapes, and when they picked us up we were the only people on it.  So, we got a private tour of the region, being able to choose any of the wineries we wanted to go to.  We went to a total of 6 wineries, all absolutely beuatiful, some with better wines then others.  Here are the wineries, just in case your interested:  Cloudy Bay, Allan Scott, Hunter's, Nautilus, Framingham's and Highfield.

Abel Tasman National Park - Nelson

Amazingly gorgeous national park land, that we reached by water taxi. We hiked 15 kilometers/ 9 miles from one bay to the next.  We even got to see a seal colony on Tonga Island, and frolluck on the fine, sandy beaches.  This was an incredible experience, and we got some great video clips of the day.

Supa Jump and Swing Bridge - Buller's Gorge

We nervously walked across New Zealand's longest swing bridge, that barely two people could cross past each other at the same time.  Once on the other side, we got harnassed up, and partook in the Supa Jump, flinging ourselves head first across the gorge.  This was a real thrill and quite freaky at the same time.  WE also captured some fun footage of this.

Pancake Rocks - Punakaiki

The Pancake Rocks that Punakaiki is famous for, are limestone formations that began forming 30 million years ago, when lime-rich fragments of dead marine creatures were deposited on the seabed, then overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay.  These were spectacular formations, that mesmerized us.

Franz Josef Glacier - Franz Josef

To date, this was probably one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.  We took a helicopter ride up onto the glacier, strapped on some crampons, and got the opportunity to explore the glacier for a couple hours.  The views were to die for, and our very cool leader, Goose, allowed Jason and I to go off the beaten path. I think we snapped at least 200 pictures up there.

Fox Glacier - Fox Glacier

Located just about 30 minutes from Franz Josef Glacier, we opted just to take the photo-op for this glacier.  These glaciers are 2 of the 3 glaciers in the world that flow into rainforests, making them very unique- the other one exists in Argentina.  We snapped this picture standing in the rainforest at the base of the glacier - a truly spectacular day!

Caddyshack City Miniature Golf - Queenstown

Now of all the things that Jason wanted to do in the adventure capital of New Zealand, it was in-door miniature golf.  This amazing mini golf course has 18 incredibly intricate holes, including a volcano, a rollercoaster and a ski lift, of which Jason is posing so proudly in front of.  Lets just say Jason finally had his victory dance this day. . .

Gondola - Queenstown

Reputed to be the steepest lift in the Southern Hemisphere, the gondola carries visitors high above Queenstown to the Skyline complex located on Bob's Peak. 
This is one of those "must do" attractions in Queenstown.  Yes, it's very touristy, but the breathtaking view once arriving to the top is worth it.  This picture is actually of the chairlift we took to the luge, once we had arrived to the top of the mountain.

The Luge Adventure - Queenstown

Situated behind the Skyline complex, the Luge tracks wind 800 metres down through the trees, with spectacular views of Queenstown & The Remarkables, to finish beside the main complex. The free two-seater chairlift takes riders and luge carts back to the top to do it all again, because once is never enough!  We did once on the scenic track and the second time on the advanced track that has a steeper gradient and is a more adventurous ride with the thrill of banked corners, a tunnel, dips and hollows.

Arrowtown - Outside Queenstown

The living historic town of Arrowtown is a popular holiday destination.
Breathtaking scenery and four very distinct seasons attract visitors from around the globe.  Worldwide attention has been received recently with some of The Lord of the Rings trilogy filmed in and around Arrowtown and environs.  We delighted in a very romantic and delicious dinner at The Stables.

Glenorchy - Outside Queenstown

Gently resting against the aqua blue edge of Lake Wakatipu is the historic town of Glenorchy. Built originally by the Scheelite miners of 1862 and most recently utilized as the stunning imagery of Middle Earth, Glenorchy and its surrounding areas have come to be meccas for adventurous trampers and afternoon wanders alike. We got the opporutunity to feed some sheep and take a nice walk around the lagoon and lake.

Dux de Lux Ginger Beer with Lauren Sall - Queenstown

We got the chance to meet up with this old time family friend, who now lives in Queenstown.  Lauren introduced us to the delicious award winning ginger beer of Dux de Lux, and also gave us some great travel tips for Australia.  It's always nice to see a familiar face, even if it had been probably 15 years since I last saw Lauren!

Milford Sound - Milford Sound

This all day trip to the gorgeous Milford Sound on the Bar-B-Q Bus was incredible.  Our bar-b-q was in the most scenic location surrounded by snow capped mountains and waterfalls.  Took the boat around the sound, and got up close to some waterfalls and even some seals lounging on the rocks.

Wine Tastes Central Otago Wine Experience - Queenstown

This amazing wine tasting room was the coolest thing ever.  We actually have a similar thing in SF, although we had never tried it there.  You purchase a card that you insert into the machine, and choose which wines you'd like to taste as you go.  Lets just say our tab got up there real fast!

Kawarau Bungee Bridge Jump - Queenstown

How could we leave Queenstown without plunging off the original bungee site?  This was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life - definitely a moment where I saw things flash before my eyes.  Although we were both shaking like leaves after the jump, we're so glad to have that notch on our belts.

Movie Theater Hangout - Christchurch

This is no joke - we literally have been struggling throughout all of New Zealand to find decent internet connections (even after paying an arm and leg for it, it's usually terribly slow!)  After viewing the movie "The Kings of Scottland" yesterday we noticed a lot of people with lap tops hanging out in the lobby of the movie theater.  Low and behold, this is the one and only free wifi hotspot in this country.  Lets just say we made a b-line for the theater lobby this morning, and have been working here for hours.