Stuart and Keris Tied the Knot!

We're Home.... sort of. Rockin' the West Coast

2010-03-29T11:42:00.013-05:00

March 13 - March 27

WELCOME HOME!!!!! And what a sight. Flying into Seattle in the spring, with snow-capped mountains, cherry blossoms enveloping the trees, magnolias in bloom, and a calming peace over the sounds. Being back in the states wasn't as rude of an awakening as we thought. How nice it is to be back.

We spent the first night with Keris's cousin Helen and her husband Tyler with their babies Cade and Max. Of course, we had to stop by the Pike St. market and pick up the Northwest's finest King Crab Legs and Salmon for dinner. A quick tour through the city and it was time to relax at home. The next morning it was off to a Saturday Farmer's market and tour of north Seattle, catching some of the great views.

Fantastic view of Seattle

Keris, Helen, and her new baby Max

We met up with Maysie, David, and Nonnie on our second night for more great food and stories. By now the jet lag was catching up. The next morning after a long sleep, we took a walk up the hill above Alki and circled down to the waterfront. A driving tour of downtown Seattle and a 2nd stop at Pike St. for more supplies, and it was time for another feast!

Walk along Alki with Maysie and Dave

So nice to have great seafood at home as well.

Day 3 - The road trip begins. Stuart's college roommate, Lee, joined us for this leg of the journey. The trip was a lot of fun even having just covered 7000 miles in NZ by car. We made our way to Eugene, OR the first day to stay with Peter and Carolyn. It was a full house, and a lot of fun. Carolyn even packed us lunches for the next day's trip to San Francisco!

Here we go!

Day 4 - We visited Nana and Papa Davis since they weren't able to be at our wedding - so we had lots of stories to share with them! We're so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to visit with them since Papa passed away just weeks later. His memory lives on in our hearts.

We made it to San Francisco after dark to stay with John, so we left our sightseeing for the next day. Back to the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, and a 2nd chance at a good photo on Lombard St.

So much Sourdough Bread!

We really wanted that Alligator Loaf!

Seal colony at the wharf.

Keris was able to capture us in action coming down Lombard St.

Lee took off in the afternoon, but Mom, Dad, and Megan arrived that night (the logistics of this trip was a bit of a nightmare). A satisfying Pho dinner, and we hit the hay early so we could get to the wineries near Santa Barbara early the next morning.

Tasting at our favorite Santa Barbara winery - Koehler.

.... here's for tasting over the next few months as well.....

John helped organize an all-day beach party for Saturday. The lineup had 8 DJ's rotating from noon til sunset.

John (KP Ward) taking his turn at the helm.

Still a large crowd as the the sun set. Fire dancers lit up the beach as the sky grew dark.

Another day of wine tasting. Checking out the dungeon room at Sunstone.
Side trip for a hike to a waterfall.

Keris and Lee in downtown Solvang. It's a quaint little "Danish" town north of Santa Barbara. Having spent 4 months in Copenhagen, it feels a little more like the Disneyland version of Denmark.

Sitting down to the largest rack of ribs we've seen, along with fresh produce from the farmer's market - GIANT artichokes.

Our last night on the west coast. Enjoying the view with yet another glass of vino.
Tomorrow, we'll be in Austin!

Final Days in NZ

2010-03-13T11:42:00.007-06:00

March 7 - March 13

Days are really flying by now, and we are getting excited to return home. However, we weren't going to just waste away the last few days. Instead, we set off to do as many of our favorite activities as we could. We first went back to Opotiki for one last stay with Liz and Tim. Long line fishing, camping at the bach house, pole fishing from the private rock beach, and boogie boarding were at the top of the list of activities.

Keris with a Blue Maumau (they're actually quite small, so we just pan fried the whole thing... well, all 4 that we caught)

A shot of the private beach. You can barely see us out at the tip of the rocks on the left.

Liz and Tim bought our car! We cleaned it up after 4 months of dusty roads, and what a beauty. It was sad to say goodbye.

We stopped for a few last photos of the Tiki totem poles near opotiki beach.

Progress at times was slow due to the cow herding along the highway. This was a fairly normal occurrence.

A quick stop off at Tauranga on the way up to Auckland. Beautiful beaches here around a peninsula.

And why not check out the beaches close to Auckland? We didn't realize there were such good beaches so close to the city, but we found them with only days to spare.

We spent our last days in Auckland with Rob and Cherie, touring around the city and making preparations for the return trip. What a fantastic adventure.

It was a complete mix of emotion the morning we had to leave. So excited to get back to our house and begin our new life, but so sad to leave behind our ideal lifestyle. We kept a list of places we didn't visit, so at least the next time we return there will be a few new adventures (not that we'd mind reliving some of the old).

WWOOF #12 - Gisborne

2010-03-08T10:11:00.017-06:00

March 2 - March 7

We're back in Gisborne again, one of our favorite cities. And it's the beginning of grape harvest season, meaning one thing - VINTAGE! Time to get to work at Wright's Organic for a 2nd time....

Excitement is in the air when we arrive. Although the main grape harvest isn't actually for a few more weeks, Wright's does one of the only Methode Traditionales (bubbly) in the region and it requires picking the Chardonnay grapes slightly earlier. Two English WWOOFers have already been here for a few days to get the harvest underway. After just catching up with our hosts and meeting our WWOOFing counterparts the first night, we were up at the crack of dawn the following morning for our first full day of work. There were already about 4 tonnes of grapes being pressed and we stopped in for a lesson on grape crushing and then prepared the first tank of juice, including transport to the winery location, sterilization and transfer to the fermenting tanks, and yeast inoculation. The winery has expanded since our previous visit, and it was great to see all the improvements.

3 new fermentation tanks have arrived, and construction of their enclosure is underway. We're unloading the first day's harvest of pressed grapes.

Preparing the yeast to add to the fermentation tank

Our next task was to prepare the vineyards for the next day's harvest. The bird nets have been on for a few weeks to protect the ripening grapes. We had to remove 13 more rows of nets so we could harvest an additional 3-4 tonnes of grapes for the remaining bubbly. It was tough work walking/running 3 feet in front of the tractor to feed the nets onto the giant rotating arm so they could be spun back onto their spools.

Pulling the nets off the rows to be picked.

Day 2 - It was another early morning to make final preparations in the vineyard before the additional hired help showed up for the harvest. In all, there were about 12 workers (4 WWOOFers, 7 hired, and our host - Geoff). We picked grapes for the next 5-6 hours. We sampled a few along the way, very sweet and delicious. It was so great working with the grape clusters and seeing the fruit of our months of labor across numerous vineyards. The effects of nature could be seen on some bunches, where botrytis (rot) was causing some to shrivel. It's a fine line between leaving grapes to ripen for a longer period of time, fighting disease, and working toward the perfect grapes. As we've learned, as much of an art as winemaking is, there is only so much you can do if your grapes are bad. Good grapes make good wine much easier to make.

Keris getting her pick on along with the other workers

We picked 1 row of Viognier - the grape bunches were really cool

...and we picked 12 rows of Chardonnay

So many grapes!!!

Jeepers! This is what 4 tonnes of grapes looks likes waiting to be pressed.

Days 3, 4 - Having worked 2 full days, we now had 2 days off. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite as good as we were hoping. Our boogie boarding days were coming to a close, but we managed to fit in one more trip before the weather turned sour (the day before a storm comes in usually means big waves!). We also spent a lot of time preparing for our return trip home.

One of the main reasons for returning to the Wright's a 2nd time was that they are dedicated to organics. But it's their unimposing way of sharing their beliefs that makes it such an enjoyable setting for learning. They just presented what they knew and were very open to questions. All aspects of their life revolve around caring for the Earth, from their organic vineyard, recycling, composting, cloth baby diapers, etc. In addition, they are great FUN! The last night we stayed, we played Yahtzee until 1am, consuming 5 bottles of bubbly in the process and Nicola even made us a vegan chocolate cake for dessert. The game was so fun and we hadn't laughed like that in a long time. Luckily, we didn't wake the kids....

Helping with the kids

Helping with the chores (Stuart also hung the "nappies" on the clothesline after they were washed). And there is our trusty caravan in the background. This stay it was equipped with lights!

Game night! A little Yahtzee, a little (5 bottles) bubbly, a little homemade vegan chocolate cake, and a little vegan ice cream. What a fantastic stay! The 2 English WWOOFers, Rachel and Tom, are sitting across from Keris and our host Geoff (with his new haircut) is next to Keris.

Short NZ Vacation #6 - Franz Josef, Golden Bay, Wellington, Napier

2010-03-02T15:43:00.020-06:00

Feb. 20 – March 2

Another long vacation! These cots are getting harder and harder to sleep on each night, and 10 nights will be a lot. Even though we’d just had 10 days of paradise, we splurged for a private room at a hostel for 2 nights while on the west coast. This was mostly due to the fact that every piece of literature about the west coast mentions the nasty (and abundant) sandfly. We’d already had a few quick encounters at various roadside stops, being swarmed within minutes of stepping out of the car. Not something we wanted to deal with while trying to enjoy our stay at the wonderful Franz Josef Glacier – our first stop. We made the long drive from Queenstown, stopping briefly in Wanaka for a look at the equally stunning (and less touristy) lake and mountain scenery. Further along the drive, we found the wondrous Blue Pools, Fantail Falls, Thunder Creek Falls, and an amazing glacial valley through Haast Pass.

The Blue Pools, perfectly clear stream water pooling in several places. Capable of seeing several meters to the bottom and even make out fish from above.

Having been disappointed with our whale watching tour in Kaikoura, we decided to go all out on our last big adventure trip at Franz Josef. We booked the full day (8 hour) tour, which claimed 6 hours of ice time. It didn’t disappoint. It was a clear, blue day as we set out on the 2km walk to the terminal face. We broke into groups of 11, attached our cramp-ons, and got to climbing. The first 20 minutes was virtually straight up. Stairs were cut in the ice, and then a winding path through rock, dirt, and ice led to the first flat section where we got a history lesson from our guide. Breathing recovered, we continued up the glacier. It was completely different than it looked from down below from a distance. Up top, with close-up views of the ice, we found hundreds of small streams, pools, caves, peaks, valleys, and enormous crevasses. It was pretty rugged terrain even though some stairs were cut into the ice along the trail. Our guide constantly had to remake the path since it changes/melts/rains so often (up to 12 meters of precipitation per year!).

The long walk to the base of Franz Josef awaits.

Cramp-ons... check!

Ice pick.... check!

Pure glacier stream water. Yum!

The first obstacle we shuffled through was a large trench with high, sheer blue ice walls. It was so small at the bottom you had to shuffle your feet along as you hugged the ice walls. Shortly after, we found a long ice cave. It was incredible to have 20 feet of solid ice overhead, and still have plenty of light in the cave, illuminating your surroundings. By the time we reached the end, we were crawling on our bellies, and getting quite wet. Stopping shortly thereafter for lunch left us a little chilly. We layered up as the clouds built, and we were off again to explore. We were nearly halfway up the main part of the glacier when the terrain became very rugged. Huge peaks of ice loomed overhead as we clamored in and out of large crevasses. The view of the valley below was incredible, and the ice at the top of the glacier was sparkling with each gap in the clouds. We snapped tons of photos along our journey. We found a second ice cave that turned up and twisted in a giant block of ice, exiting midway up the wall and requiring rope to get back down. Franz Josef glacier was definitely a highlight of the trip, and we certainly needed another night with a bed to recuperate after making the short drive to the city of Fox Glacier.

A view of some of the terrain.

One of the ice caves we climbed through.

And another ice cave. We had to get down on our bellies and crawl a bit through this one. Wet and chilly, but no flashlights required since the light penetrates the ice. It was glowing deep inside the cave.

Ice wall climbers we saw along our hike.

A view of the valley below during lunch

The final steps down the terminal face of the glacier. Pretty steep and slow going.

Day 3 – Having stayed the night in Fox Glacier, we were able to sleep in a bit before heading out to Lake Matheson. This incredible lake has virtually no inlet of water, and thus often maintains a very calm surface capable of reflecting near perfect images of Mt. Cook and the surrounding mountains. Again, we were blessed with crystal clear skies, but we may have delayed too much in the morning, as the large tours had already descended on the lake and small ripples on the lake surface were enough to blur the reflections. Supposedly, the best time to go is first thing in the morning or late in the evening. We passed on the chance to actually see Fox Glacier (we had our fill the day before with Franz Josef) and set out on the long journey to the north part of the island. It proved to be too far for 1 day’s drive, so we pulled off for the night just before reaching Tasman Bay. We found a cute little country holiday park (equipped with adventure course, water slide, great swimming hole with rope swings in the river) and pitched our tent. Beer and nachos for dinner, we skipped the other amenities.

A near perfect reflection of Mt. Cook in the background at Lake Matheson

Mt. Cook in the background. You can barely make out the reddish tint on the hillside at the right of the picture which is the Rata tree in bloom. It gives the forests a similar, beautiful red haze similar to that of the Pohutakawa tree. The Rata color and brilliance is better than it's been in over 10 years.

Hey Keris, what's that in your hand?

Oh ya, it's a speeding ticket! Oops.....

Good morning from the communal kitchen. Looks like porridge with jam and hot Milo (like hot chocolate) again for breakfast. We had a few hot-crossed buns for a change of pace.

Some of the fun activities at this campsite out in the middle of nowhere. We really wanted to stay and play, especially at the swimming hole - complete with slide and rope swing.

Keris on one of the flying foxes (zipline).

Day 4 – It took us 3 tries to get out of the campsite the next morning, as we kept leaving food behind in the fridge. Finally, we were on our way to Golden Bay. We entered one of the most fertile regions in NZ – hops, apples, pears, kiwifruit - with lots of roadside stands. We passed through Motueka, a very laid-back, cultural town with lots of local artists. We took a long, rough, dirt road to a view of Harwood’s Hole. The long walk to the site was through another fantastic Lord of the Rings location of Chetwood Forest. It was one of our favorite forest walks yet, with really neat beech trees towering above the sparse forest floor. Harwood’s Hole is the largest cave in the southern hemisphere, and we had no idea our view would be from halfway down. The upper rim towered 500 feet above our heads, and we were unable to see the bottom 100’s of feet below. Aside from a few climbing ropes disappearing into the cave, there was no commercialization of the area. There weren’t even safety barriers setup.

We arrived at the Pohara campsite, running right along the Golden Bay beach. To be honest, it was a bit of a letdown considering how many people recommended the area to us. We found that it was more of a total package (lifestyle, scenery, remoteness) that made the area highly regarded, but we’d been expecting simply a glorious, picturesque landscape.

Day 5 – The next day, we visited Pupu Springs, the purest spring water in the world, pouring out of the ground at over 3,000 gallons per second (largest in Australasia). An entire, crystal clear river flowed from the springs. We took a drive to Collingwood at the end of the paved road along the Bay, the last town at the top of the south island before entering the scenic reserve on farewell spit. Again, not much to see at the beach, so we decided to visit a few local artists on the way home. Potters, painters, photographers, and tilers abound. As if the car wasn’t already packed to the hilt, now we literally had everything we owned and the kitchen sink! Well, almost. We bought a new bathroom sink instead of a kitchen sink. We’re still not sure how we’re getting everything home… As one of the last nights we’d be sleeping in the tent, now it decided to rain. I guess we’ve been lucky to avoid nasty weather during most of our trip, so the sky opened up with rain. No problem for us or our tent though. We still haven’t gotten around to getting good rain gear considering such a long trip in NZ.

Pupu Springs. All that water is coming up from the ground. Incredible.

Another section of the springs. It really is the clearest spring water in the world.

There was an underwater viewing mirror contraption set up. You could see all the way across the springs and see fish with perfect clarity.

Paul Winspear Pottery. We were tempted by a turquoise blue sink similar to the one in the middle, but opted for a smaller, more neutral one that we're still stuggling with how to get home....

Day 6 – We packed up early and made the windy drive back over the mountains to Tasman Bay and through to Nelson. It was certainly a good day for a little wine tasting in a region rife with produce. 2 wineries later (each with many free wines to taste), we needed some lunch, so stopped off at Rabbit Island for a fantastic view of the beach. We were close to our desired camping location, so we foolishly left behind this gorgeous beach and ended up with a more crowded, windy, and somewhat boring one at the campground instead. We weren’t too worried about seeing the whole of Nelson, but made a drive downtown to for a date night out with some tasty local seafood – large green mussels and chowder – YUM. We have to get our fill before heading home.

Our worst night of rain we've had while camping. Luckily we stayed dry inside.

Day 7 – The end of our south island trip is here. We took the scenic Queen Charlotte’s Drive over to Picton to catch the ferry back to Wellington. The Marlborough Sounds were just as beautiful as the day we arrived to the south island. We did a little window shopping and then settled in for the long ferry ride. Smooth sailing and gorgeous, but it was sad to be leaving. It’s good to know that we still have more time, and this will ease us into the idea of leaving for good. But it feels like the adventure aspect of the trip is over, and with our schedule booked up with places we’ve mostly seen before, it really feels like the end is near. Just have to make the most of it. We had a comfortable night sleeping at Louisa’s flat again, exchanging stories about WWOOFing and talking politics til bedtime.

Heading back on the ferry to Wellington, our last shots of the Marlborough Sounds.

Day 8 – We’d be staying with Louisa for 2 nights, so it was nice to sleep in without worrying about packing up the car again. A few errands around town, a haircut for Stuart, and before we knew it, the day was mostly over. We had big plans for the evening. Wanting to get in a little more culture before heading home, we made our way to Westpac Stadium (also known as the “Cake Tin”), to watch the professional rugby league, Super14, bout between Wellington and a team from South Africa. We’ve picked up a few rules throughout our travels, and we’ve heard that NZ fans are not as fanatical as the European and South American soccer fans. Nonetheless, we were going. Failing to buy tickets in advance of the game, we were bummed to find the cheap seats sold out at the gate. Luckily, a kind family behind us had an extra 2for1 voucher, so we ended up with front row seats in a better section. What luck! Corner of the endzone, field level. Turns out, despite being sold out of cheap seats, the stadium was far from full, despite it being so early in the season. It was an entertaining, heavy-hitting match, with Wellington coming out victorious.

Time for a Super 14 Rugby match at the "Cake Tin" in Wellington.

Front row seats! We were loving this mascot.

Silly rugby, what a crazy game.

Day 9 – We were slow to get out of town, and make our way across the north island to Napier. We’ve driven most of the country by now, so there wasn’t much to stop and see along the way. We toured through Hastings just outside of Napier, and then made our way to our holiday park. The drive into Napier was great, with a long stretch of highway tucked neatly between the art deco buildings of town and the park lining the beach. Tall pine trees lined the road like the palms of southern California. We splurged for dinner, buying a rotisserie chicken after having eaten vegetarian for more than a week. The leftover chicken was packaged neatly into foil for lunch and dinner the next day....

Day 10 – .... Our neatly packaged food packets and rice were stolen last night! Back to vegetarian meals again…. Turns out, several other campers had their food stolen as well and this is a common problem of locals at this holiday park. Sour way to start the day, at least it was sunny and clear as we headed to Bluff Hill for an impressive lookout over Hawke Bay and Napier. We took the self-guided walking tour of downtown, past the numerous art-deco buildings that were a sign of the times when the town was rebuilt in the 1930’s after a devastating earthquake (NZ’s worst natural disaster). Art-deco may not be our favorite architectural motif, but the buildings were very cool to see in such large numbers and colors.

Napier's art-deco downtown

Napier is another vastly fertile region, home to some of the country’s best wines, stone fruits, apples, and pears. We were fortunate enough to find our way to Mission Estate Winery, just outside of town. A huge, old building on the side of a hill overlooking the vineyard and the city in the distance, this property is a prime example of why people want to enter the winemaking business. Here is the dream. And the wines were quite good as well (with free tastings!). Not really the sort of place to have a picnic PB&J lunch, so we ate at our car at the far end of the parking lot before entering. Our next stop was at the Church Road Winery just down the road. Another excellent selection of wines, but we’re close to our allowance for alcohol to bring back to the states (not to mention our suitcases are quite loaded down).

Mission Estate Winery and Vineyard. What a property.

We stopped by a Maori Pa site for a quick look at an ancient tribal ground with palisades, tiered hillsides, and pits for food storage. We opted for a dip in the pool back at camp and a relaxing night – we’d be hitting the beach in the morning.

Day 11 – Our destination lay only 2.5 hours drive north in Gisborne, but we had plenty of time to get there. As such, we took a detour at Mahia Peninsula, and explored the tip for a good beach. We found an empty, black sand beach with decent waves for some splashing around and boogie boarding. It’d been so long since we’d been for a swim in the ocean. It’s a good thing we didn’t end up buying that surf board, we just wouldn’t have gotten to use it as much as planned. The south island, although gorgeous, didn’t really have as many good surfing beaches as we’d hoped for (and it was pretty darn cold in the water). With our fill of the sun for the day, we headed to Gisborne for our last WWOOF.

Once again, we were the only ones on the beach. What a great spot we found on the Mahia Peninsula for boogie boarding.

WWOOF #11 - Queenstown

2010-02-20T17:55:00.010-06:00

Feb. 10 – Feb. 20

You can probably tell by the long date range that we thoroughly enjoyed this WWOOF. Since this was a shot-in-the-dark phone call, we really didn’t have any expectations coming into it, we just hoped it would work for a couple days and then we could be on our way. After feeling guilty for leaving early at our previous WWOOF, we decided we could cope with anything, and prepared ourselves for the worst. We had no idea we were about to enter a luxurious, boutique getaway compound for the rich and famous. The long, winding drive up to the main house passed several ponds, meandering through natural forested grounds. It ended at the compound, several self-contained ensuites circling a central patio area. An enclosed pool/spa at one end, lookout tower at another, and covered patio kitchen area all lined the main grid. We were speechless, and alone. The hosts had run into town and we were left waiting in the carpark, just salivating over our good fortune. What started as a possible 4-5 day stay, soon turned into 10 nights.

Here are a few shots of the property...

Expansive patio kitchen area

Keris with "Kaz," their giant Indonesian Mountain dog. He was a loopy sweetheart despite his overpowering size.

The resident swan

Sue (the mother) and Ben (middle son – age 36) were great hosts. We had a bit of shock when Ben said he’d show us to our room – and we got in the car to drive up the hill. For a split second we thought we were in store for another horrible cabin experience away from the main house. Where we ended up was the “resident artist’s” quarters - a private, rustic wood cabin 200 meters up to the top of the hill, overlooking the property and surrounding valley. It is used to house local NZ artists who work/create and interact with guests on a more personal level. For the next 5 days, it would house 2 lucky WWOOFers from Texas.

Here are a few shots of the artist's residence.And a view from our porch overlooking the property

We did eventually get a tour of the whole complex, each ensuite ornately decorated in its own theme, complete with commissioned artists paintings, sculptures, and drawings. The property started as about 100 acres of scrub bushland 30 years prior, and was developed as a vision. It now hosts exclusive guests from all over the world during the summer season (Bill Clinton was going stay had there been a way for his security team to secure the property). Because there were no guests currently occupying the units, we had greater access to the property and treated to delicious homemade meals.

Check out these massive burgers... Ann and Jay on the left were the WWOOFers from Belgium. Ben, at the far end, was the master chef and cooked amazing homecut fries (even the Belgians approved).

The work ended up being less organic gardening than desired, and more property maintenance, but we didn’t mind. We scrubbed the algae from the metal framing around the pool, did some gardening, raking, car washing, gutter cleaning, dam building for the ponds, and our least favorite job yet (4 days of spraying Ragwort weeds in various paddocks with an herbicide). Organic approaches were tried and failed in dealing with ragwort, and it was taking over. Our hosts certainly didn’t want to use sprays if possible, and after so many months of working with organic principles, spraying the weeds was hard to bear for us.

Stuart the pool boy cleaning the algae off the metal rafters.

Getting ready for a 'little' ragwort spraying...

We mostly just relaxed on the property in our free time. The private peak that extended further up from our cabin made for spectacular sunsets overlooking Lake Wakatipu – a view extending from Queenstown halfway to Glenorchy (about 10 miles in each direction). The Remarkables mountain range made for an even more dramatic backdrop. We ran on the trails around the lake, took a dip in the frigid waters, drove out for a tour of Glenorchy, watched the bungy jumpers at the famous (world’s first) Kawerau Bridge, met up with our WWOOF friends George and Louisa (who we had met at a previous WWOOF in Amberley) for a few drinks in a Queenstown park, watched rugby matches, and played Scrabble with Ben. Ben was our main host, in charge of our work schedules, and saw to it that we were entertained and accommodated. He is an actor, and had so many hilarious stories to share with us. We’d often sit and talk for hours at dinner. After our first 5 nights, we were scheduled to leave because other WWOOFers were going to arrive. Because we were getting along so well with our hosts and had no need to vacate (at this point we failed to find a new WWOOF even after contacting many places), they let us move into the main compound – a loft room above the office in the main house. The new WWOOFers, a nice, young Belgian couple, moved into our cabin up the hill. It was nice to be in the main house, but we actually missed the isolation of the cabin, despite it being a 5 minute walk up the hill.

View of Lake Wakatipu from the private peak behind the property. We climbed this hill almost every day for a view. Enjoying our share of wine at the top during magnificent sunsets.

Kawarau Canyon, site of the world's first bungy.

Watching from above, the jumpers had the option of how "wet" they wanted to get at the bottom, some people plunging halfway into the water before springing back up.

Not even the pumping techno beats could get Keris or Stuart pumped for a jump. Just watching for us today.

Giant eel and brown trout we spied at the underwater observatory.

Part of the reason we stayed so long is that WWOOFs were getting harder to book. There are far too many workers and not enough hosts, so everyone we contacted was already full. So, we stayed put and reorganized our trip to incorporate a little more vacation time. On the 11th day, it was hard to leave. We certainly could have stayed much longer, but we decided there was still too much to see in NZ. Queenstown quickly became one of our favorite areas the longer we stayed, in stark contrast to our first opinion.

Thanks so much to Sue and Ben for a fantastic and memorable stay. We hope that our dreams will transpire into something as magical as Punatapu.

WWOOF #10 - Queenstown

2010-02-10T17:51:00.002-06:00

Feb. 8 – Feb. 10

The short date range on this WWOOF might raise a few eyebrows and prompt a few questions, but we’ll get to that. As with our last 2 WWOOFs, we showed up to find other WWOOFers already here. This was strange considering we’d recently spoken on the phone with the hosts and they didn’t mention extra help (and their online description said they only had room for 1-2 people). But there were 3 young German boys sitting at the outside lunch table as we pulled up, and we soon realized there was a bit of a problem. We were double booked. And the hosts (Mark and Michelle) were a bit frantic about what to do. Strange considering they’d known for at least a day or 2 that they’d double booked us, but they still had no idea what to do with us once we arrived. Oh well, we had some lunch, and then Stuart went to work moving hay bales on the farm while Keris helped Michelle work out the living situation. And it was a bit of a situation. They’d rented out their large house and moved into their small art gallery. We hoped they were only half-joking when they asked us if we had our own tent (like we wanted to sleep in that in return for our work for the next week after just camping for 6 nights already). But, we were in luck. They had moved a house to the property that they intended to renovate and live in. The only catch - it was still in the 3 pieces it arrived in after being delivered on the back of the trucks! No power, no water, no toilets. At least some of the rooms had doors on them, because the living room was open to the garden. So here we were - overbooked, sub-par accommodations, and frantic hosts. Stuart pulled out the cell phone after moving hay and after 10 failed attempts at finding a new WWOOF, we accepted our fate. By some miracle, it wasn’t long that someone called back with an opening, and we’d be out of here after just 2 nights.

Part of the house still in pieces. We'll be sleeping in one of the rooms at the back (luckily a fully enclosed room)Welcome home honey!

Our hosts did try extremely hard to rectify the situation, but it was still a struggle with meals and work. Keris spent her first day cleaning our “split house,” making the accommodation a little more reasonable. A portable toilet was put in place and an extension cord ran up to the house. Stuart built a gate and weeded the veggie garden. We took our afternoon free time to Lake Hayes and had a run and a nice long talk about leaving this WWOOF behind. We’d actually become quite attached to the hosts and could see ourselves sticking it out to the end, but deep down we wanted to leave and try out this new WWOOF we’d booked. We’ve always kept an open mind with each new WWOOF experience, but we were completely unprepared for this one, and reaffirmed our decision to bail. We worked a little more in garden the next morning, and then left Mark and Michelle. We wished everything had worked out as planned and believe we may have enjoyed the WWOOF a little more. And, in the end, we lucked out the German boys were there, because with extra helpers around, when Mark asked for volunteers for sheep crutching, I was able to decline. Sheep crutching involves not sheering the whole, but only around their... umm... butt. Apparently, in the hot summer, poop will dry on the wool and can allow diseases to multiply and sicken the sheep. Get us out of here!

Some craftsmanship on the new gate. Some weeding in the neglected garden. We were very much looking forward to have a wonderfully large, diverse garden to help manage. Not a giant weed patch.

Short NZ Vacation #5 - The Deep South Island

2010-02-09T02:05:00.006-06:00

Feb. 2 – Feb 8

7 day camping adventure!

We set off from Kutash Organic with some semblance of a plan, but we really had no idea just how much there was to see all across the southern tip of the south island. After some thought and debate, we decided that heading east first, and then circling around the south to finish in the Fiordland would be our best bet, and allow for the most complete journey.

We started. Due east along the deserted, desert roads of central Otago, we finally came to the ocean. Our first stop was a simple side journey out to the coastline to view the Moraeki boulders. It sounded a bit strange, but turns out it was underplayed. What a crazy sight. 30 or 40 large, spherical boulders lay partly buried in the sand over a short stretch of beach – and nowhere else. Having eroded from the cliffs, they rolled down to their current resting place. We’d never seen anything like it, and it’s a wonder why this exact spot holds such a mass quantity of these geode rocks. A natural playground right on the beach.

Moraeki Boulders on the beach

We continued north to Oamaru, the “penguin town.” This would be our home base for the night – the best time to catch a glimpse of the yellow-eyed or blue penguin, but we first ventured out to some Maori rock art. A little disappointing, as free public (and unprotected from the elements) rock art often is, but worth a look nonetheless. Some of the drawings have been removed and are now on display at museums across NZ (which we later saw). Continuing on with somewhat of a random outing and wild goose chase for sights, in the near vicinity was the proclaimed “elephant rocks,” a site used in the Chronicles of Narnia film. This proved to be quite an epic landscape of massive, smooth cliffs in a paddock.

Display board beneath the rock art describing what's drawn.

Keris atop the elephant rocks pretending she's the ice-queen of Narnia.

The real treat was at nightfall. We made it down to the viewing area for the yellow-eyed penguins just as the sun was setting, a glorious spectacle by itself. We thought we were almost late, but there were tons of people still waiting to catch a glimpse. High on the cliffs, it was difficult to see the occasional penguin come ashore way down the beach as the sky turned dark. Most people began disbanding, as this didn’t appear to be a mass arrival of penguins, but we remained hopeful. Sure enough, without knowing how the penguins had crossed the beach undetected, the first one appeared right in front of us, 100 feet up the cliffside! It was only a few feet away, and it soon found its baby (almost the same size). We were so happy have waited for such a spectacle. A few more did eventually come out of the water, but by then it was so dark they could barely be made out on the beach far below. We headed over to the blue penguin colony location, but found that it was blocked off and could only be accessed via expensive paid admission tours (and it was too late). Oh well, the yellow-eyed penguin viewing was a success.

One of the yellow-eyed penguins that climbed the cliffside and showed up right in front of us to feed its young.

View down to the beach from the yellow-eyed penguin lookout.

Day 2 – We drove south along the coast to Dunedin, what’s been described as the most Scottish city outside Scotland – crappy weather included. It was a beautiful, sunny day for us, so we ate lunch in the park, perused the art museum, and did a little 2nd-hand shopping. We finally broke down and bought some more camping gear – 1 pot, 1 plate, and a can opener! Actually, the plate was free, and we’ve been joking that if it wasn’t free we wouldn’t have gotten it. In fact, there were several free plates available (but only one plastic one) and thus, we only took the 1 free plastic plate. Who said beggars can’t be choosers. Ah, the endless possibilities before us with our new cooking equipment. We’d grown tired of PB&J and tomato/cucumber/cheese sandwiches several times a day, despite finding really good rolls for bread. Now we could do fantastic 1-pot meals of pasta, curry, porridge. Just in time for the next 5 nights of camping.

That night, we drove out to the Otago Peninsula and pitched our tent at the only campsite in Portabella. We attempted a hike up to view the castle on the hill, but turned back about ¾ of the way. Just before sunset, we hiked out to the Chasm with a bottle of wine. We were the only ones there when we arrived, a peaceful setting to view the 300 foot vertical drop crevasse in the cliff at the edge of the water. We made the trek over to Lovers’ Leap after that, crossing the sheep paddock (wine in hand) to the lookout point. Again, suspended 100s of feet above the sea, the ominous cliffs dropped away from us. The view was magnificent, and was not shared with anyone.

Enjoying our solitude atop the "Chasm" on the Otago Peninsula

Partial view down into the Chasm (didn't want to get too close to the edge - most locations in NZ don't come with safety barricades as standard)

Looking down on Lovers' Leap. The archway alone is 100's of feet above the sea, and the cliffs climb even higher above that to our viewing platform.

The lean of this silver beech tree is a reminder of the power of the Antarctic winds.

The evening was not over though. Our incredible pace catching up with us, we were getting tired, but we drove out to the very tip of the peninsula just as the sunset faded to darkness, to join a large group of people waiting for the blue penguins to come ashore. This was our chance to view them now. For a 2nd time, penguin viewing tried people’s patience. The disheartened left too early. There was just enough light left to see a mass ripple moving towards us in the water. Then, 15-20 penguins in two separate waves came waddling across the beach. Shortly after, they made there way up the land toward their young for feeding. They were so tiny and cute! Such a great opportunity to view them in their natural habitat (but sorry no pics, it was too dark and camera flashes scare the penguins).

Day 3 – We barely made it back into Dunedin without running out of gas, and then we checked out the natural history museum (including some of the above mentioned Maori rock art), the botanic gardens, and the ornate train station. We left town and headed to the southern most tip of the island to camp in the Catlins National Park. After a quick walk to the wonderful Purakanui Falls (wine glasses in hand), we found a cozy spot next to Purakanui beach to pitch our tent for the night. At last, we found a cheap, rugged campsite on the beach instead of an expensive holiday park site with no view. We took a walk on the beach before hunkering down in the tent for a windy night.

Purakanui Falls

Purakanui Beach

Finally, a cheap campsite right next to the beach! We celebrated the find.

Day 4 – Another gorgeous waterfall walk we found along the road early in the morning.

McLean Falls (much bigger in person)

We’re uncertain how many times we’ve found amazing places to stop off and see while driving along the highway. There’s no shortage of spectacular landscape. We made it to Invercargill in time for lunch in the expansive botanic gardens. Without much to see in the city, we continued on toward the Fjordland on the west coast. It was long drive, but well worth the effort. We stopped just short of our final destination to have a look around Manapouri, a lakeside city without much proclaim in Lonely Planet. The water temp was suitable for a swim (with a wetsuit) on such a warm day. A little triathlon training and sunbathing in the afternoon was a good way to relax. It was tough to leave this spot, but we finished our journey with a 20 minute drive up to Te Anau – the launching point for most of the Milford Sound tours. Our campsite was right across from an equally stunning lake view as Manapouri. We were razzed a bit about our 1-pot meal by some elderly campers, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Beautiful day for triathlon training.

Day 5 – Up early for a long day, we were a bit slow to get going since the sky was a little overcast. We picked up the Department of Conservation hiking guide pamphlet and started the 2+ hour drive to Milford Sound. We’d booked a boat tour for the afternoon, and carefully mapped out all our hikes for the day.

Mirror Lakes

Our first stop was at Mirror Lakes, a roadside observation deck built above a small lake in which the surface was like glass this early in the morning. We snapped a few photos before even the slightest disturbance in the water rippled away the reflection. We next stopped at the start of the famous Routeburn track. We took a detour after an hour’s hike to climb to Key Summit for a fantastic 360 view of the surrounding glacial valleys. The scenery continued to impress the further along we ventured toward Milford Sound. A long drive down a side gravel road took us to Humboldt Falls – an impressive multi-tiered falls rising nearly 1,000 feet up the cliff. A short ways back to the main road, we pulled off at Marian Creek Bridge to get a view of the stunningly blue-clear glacial runoff. A quick stop-off at Moraine Falls – more of a gushing, tumultuous river, and then we were back on the road – we thought, for an uninterrupted drive to Milford. However, around every turn in the road, our eyes wandered to the valley peaks, watching cascading waters plunge 100s of feet down the sheer rock walls. Ooh and Aah around every bend, stopping for more pictures and driving at a nice leisurely pace to take in the astounding scenery. This wondrous place immediately jumped to the top of our favorites list – and we weren’t even to Milford Sound yet!!

View of Humboldt Falls. They look small from a distance (actually 3rd largest in NZ, with each tier cascading 100's of feet down the cliff.

Such pure water flowing in the rivers.

Passing through the long, 1-way tunnel we descended down to our destination along the twisty mountain road. Alas, it was time to relax on our 2+ hour boat cruise of the sounds. By now, we were so excited for what lay ahead given the sights we’d already seen. Being on the boat gave a new perspective of glacier valley walls and mountain peaks soaring 1,000s of feet overhead. Rugged, jungle forest clung to keep hold on the poorly soiled rock walls, the roots of the trees becoming entangled in 1 giant mat essentially holding up the entire mountainside. It was a bit windy and rough at first, but we’d lucked out on such a gorgeous day, missing one the common rain showers that brings nearly 7 meters of rainfall a year. The views were captivating, so we just sat and watched in awe. On the return trip, we drove right into Stirling Falls, soaking the front half of the boat (where we happened to be taking some pics). It was a must-do sightseeing trip, and well worth it. Probably the best day we’d had yet, and certainly one of the longest and most action-packed. We were exhausted by the time we got back to camp in the dark.

Just before heading into the tunnel and descending down to Milford Sound, one of the first, great "wow" moments.

Close up of the waterfalls down the glacier-carved cliff

Heading out into Milford Sound

Extreme close-up of the magnificent Stirling Falls included driving the tour boat right beneath it!

Getting a perspective on the Palisades (the stair-stepped cliffs show the levels of different glaciers over time)

Day 6 – There was certainly no rush to leave Te Anau this morning. Check out was 10am, and I think we pulled out around 1pm after catching up on some much needed internet, rest, and 1 last hot shower. It was a long drive to Queenstown, one we made without much stopping as compared to many previous trips. Lake Wakatipu was certainly stunning, a sharp, dark blue compared to the brown, rocky mountainsides surrounding. Our first impression of Queenstown was not good, likening the city to Aspen or Tahoe, and probably the least “New Zealand” town we’d seen thus far (which is just about all of them). There is certainly a lot of nightlife and adrenaline pumping activities, but we just packed in like a sardine at the campground and called it an early night.

Day 7 – Refreshed, we were up early to tackle the hour climb to Bob’s Peak, passing on the gondola ride. At the top, we found a great view of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and the Remarkables mountain range. It was gorgeous. Among the adrenaline rushing activities at the top of the hill… bungy jump and luge. Unfortunately, there was no one to watch take the jump (since we certainly weren’t up for it). Instead, we opted for a couple runs on the luge. It was not quite as long as the one we’d done last year in Rotorua, but it was still a lot of fun. After a long hike back down the mountain, we headed to our next WWOOF, ending this long streak of adventure and vacation. We were so happy to have taken the time in the trip to do something like this, especially taking the extra time to stop at so many side ventures.

View from Bob's Peak at the top of gondola. Queenstown is spread below along the banks of Lake Wakatipu.

Of course, we couldn't pass on the luge at the top of the peak! We just wish the luge went all the way down the hill so we didn't have to walk down...

Catching the short chairlift back to the top of the luge for our 2nd run (first run had to be on the beginner track... do we look like beginners?)

WWOOF #9 – Alexandra

2010-02-02T05:35:00.000-06:00

Jan. 29 - Feb. 2

Keeping with our trend of large, diverse organic gardening operations, we booked our next WWOOF at Kutash Organic Gardens. Again to our surprise, another WWOOFer was already staying here. Mare, a young French Canadian hipster, was scheduled to leave already, but her next WWOOF plans fell through, and would be staying here for a few more days. Things began cordial, but within a day there was virtually no interaction between us. One funny story is that she made a batch of cookies (using our hosts' ingredients) and never offered them to us. Instead, when we came in the room, she put them away in the cupboard. It made for an uncomfortable setting, but we continued with our work and planned to leave a little early (4 days instead of the 6 we booked). Leaving early was also due to the fact that this farm consisted almost entirely of garlic (and there wasn't tons to do in our free time near Alexandra). We’d already gained some experience with garlic at our previous WWOOF and were hoping for a more diverse operation. Our hosts, Lon and Gilly, did make some additional garlic products, such as pates, pickled garlic, and roasted garlic, but our labors were in the field, pulling their huge crop from the ground. It was a monumental task, and one that required a celebration at the local Poolburn Pub upon completion on our last night.

Garlic, garlic, and more garlic

Less than halfway into the harvest, hundreds of pounds to go

Lon and Gilly were great hosts, and very accommodating. This was their life - truly making a living from the ground, and they continued to expand and grow their business, mainly consisting of farmers markets. It was a great experience to get some first hand working knowledge of the long and arduous days of farming. At the end of our long, hot days, we took short drives out to the lakes just above the dam for a very remote and private swim. The terrain was quite interesting, and was actually the land of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson described the area as one of his favorite locations in the movie). All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves and felt a close connection with Lon and Gilly. Thanks for the memories!

Barren landscape with interesting rock formations made the land of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings

One of the lakes at the top of the Poolburn Dam. We were the only ones here.

Another lake above the dam, and yet again, we were the only ones. Refreshingly cold after a hot day's work. Freshwater crayfish as well, though we didn't catch any to eat.

The whole gang gathered around the LAST garlic to be pulled out.

Short NZ Vacation #4 - Christchurch & Mt. Cook

2010-01-30T20:50:00.000-06:00

Jan. 27 – Jan. 29

George and Louisa (the WWOOFers from Alaska we met at our previous WWOOF) had recently stayed about 3 weeks in Christchurch, and had a few suggestions of things to do as we passed through on our way to the Central Otago region. We headed straight for “Adrenaline Forest,” a crazy adventure park with 6 levels of ropes courses built high in the trees. There were ziplines, obstacles, giant spider nets, tight rope walks, and all sorts of fun activities. Sufficiently exhausted (fun can be hard work), we went into town for a recommended meal at Bodhi Tree, a Cambodian Restaurant, for a date. We stayed a night in Christchurch and toured the city the next morning, stopping in at the expansive and wonderfully diverse botanic gardens, the main town square for some market stall shopping, and then drove out to the Lyttleton Harbor for a great view during lunch.

The rose garden at the Christchurch botanical gardens. We have seen so many amazing, wonderfully arranged gardens in cities all across NZ.

A view of Lyttleton Harbor where we stopped for lunch, just south of Christchurch.

Keris crawling through the tubes 40 ft above the ground at Adrenaline Forest.

A few more obstacles can be seen.

And even a few ziplines!

We had planned to head to our next WWOOF early the next morning, but since the day was getting late, that meant we might have to skip our short stopover at Mt. Cook. We called the WWOOF hosts and they said it’d be OK if we came a little later the next day, so luckily we were able to make the scenic drive out past Lake Pukaki for sunset. We had another simple (cold) dinner of sandwiches along the shores of the lake, with the reflection of the sunlit, towering peak of Mt. Cook in the distance. Since we still had a 45 minute drive to our campsite at the base of the mountain, it was a tough call to wait at the lake for great shots at sunset. We stayed. And then we raced to our campsite, arriving just at the light faded away, making it difficult to setup the tent in the rocky field. Pegs wouldn’t go in, and the wind was blowing. Luckily there were enough loose rocks to tie the tent wires to and sleep well through the night.

PB&J lakeside dining at its finest.

We just couldn't leave before the sunset was over.

We awoke to an amazingly clear day, with the sun beaming into the valley and shining brightly off the snow capped mountains. We were just about the first ones onto the hiking trail up to Hooker Glacier. It was a 3 hour return trip, but starting out when the valley air was crisp from the night’s frost was magical. The sun’s rays on the snow high above us caused much thermal stress and the cracking ice sent thundering echoes down the valley, and we’d occasionally see the rising snow dust of a avalanche. The hike was amazing, but we had no idea what awaited at the top. What a reward! A glacial lake with hundreds of icebergs sitting at the base of Mt. Cook, Hooker Glacier just reaching the far edge of the lake. We were awe-struck. We’d never witnessed something so untouched and picturesque. The crystal clear ice frozen in the icebergs just glowed bright bluish-white in the sun. It was hard to leave, but we were so happy we made the side trip up here before heading to our next WWOOF.

Hooker Valley Glacier at the end of our hike. The glacial lake was filled with icebergs. It was an incredible and unexpected scene.

Not only was it early in the morning on the shores of a literally ice-cold river, but it was hot outside! It couldn't have been more picture perfect weather.

A few of the icebergs in the lake.

WWOOF #8 - Amberley

2010-01-28T22:30:00.000-06:00

Jan. 18 – Jan. 27

We decided to change gears slightly for our next WWOOF. A little tired of vineyards, we wanted a more holistic organic setting, one with a massive and diverse vegetable garden, orchards, breadmaking, and the likes. When we came across an ad on the WWOOF “Hot List” (hosts needing help immediately) for a strawbale house building project with a family that owned “Brew Moon” Brewery, we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity, especially after being inspired by strawbale structures at our house in Blenheim.

The day we showed up, everything was prepared for the concrete foundation to be poured the following day, so we helped out in the garlic patch for a few hours. For the first time at any WWOOF, there were other WWOOFers staying during the same time. A couple from Alaska had just arrived as well. At first, we were a little worried about the new dynamics at the house having extra guests, but we became very close friends with George and Louisa throughout our stay.

Keris helping with the garlic patch. Pull, clean, snip roots, hang to dry.

Inspecting the strawbale concrete framing in place for tomorrow's pour.

The morning of the concrete, we made a few last minute preparations, and then the truck arrived with its giant hose. The forms were simple, just bales of hay arranged to keep the concrete where desired. The whole pouring process took about an hour, with minimal finishing since this was, after all, a strawbale wall – perfection not required (that became our motto). Small mistakes would get “smoothed” out in the end.

Ready for action!

The pour is underway. Just point and shoot with the concrete hose.

While the concrete dried, we took up weeding and other small projects, more garlic harvesting, and plenty of beer sampling at night. In addition to our host Kieren running the brewery, his wife Belinda was a winemaker for Muddy Waters, so we had much wine sampling at night as well. The accommodation was a very cozy barn-style house, and our sleeping quarters were our own room in the loft. Great food and funny stories abounded, and for the first time, we actually hadn’t planned how long we would stay. We just figured we would decide about that later, and there was no pressure on us to leave (ended up staying 9 days, our longest stay anywhere). In fact, Belinda and Kieren were quite keen to have all 4 of us WWOOFers stay on to finish the project, especially since we had taken charge, even to the point of studying their “How-to” book cover to cover and giving project improvement ideas.

A little rain couldn't stop us or our power tools.

We built wood rails and filled the gap with gravel for some extra protection against moisture along the bottom of the wall.

Happy to finish the rails, we had a little celebration. Now it was time to build the wall.

It was still a steep learning curve when it came time to construct the wall. The first section seemed to go up okay, but framing the windows were a challenge, and there wasn’t enough support in place at the end of day 1, so the winds blew down most our first days’ work within an hour of stopping! We left it for the morning cleanup crew (us).

Placing the bales on the long rebar reinforcements, and then sliding them down into place.

Oh no!... isn't there supposed to be a wall there? Our supports were too late, part of it fell.

Hurray, the first complete wall section in tact.

For a solid week, we worked diligently on the wall, not just placing the bales in the correct locations, but also pinning them together, inserting windows, and we had to wrap the walls in chicken wire (good for plastering), and then sew the bales together with wire for extra strength. We really started to push it once we announced we’d be leaving after only 9 days at the property. The last 2 days of work saw about 50% of the wall go up and we had a minor celebration. All in all, we had a great time, learned a lot, and made some great friends. There was still much work to be done, but the heavy building was complete, and just the finishing touches remained. We can’t wait to see pictures of the finished project! There were so many cool touches added into the design, like the built-in seat in the corner, a couple really nice iron windows, the arch over the cellar entrance. We might just have a go at a whole house in the future. One of the example houses in the book was actually from the Austin area.

A typical afternoon once the work was complete.

The final bale is placed! Time for a beer.

Keris is adding some finishing touches, plastic along the top for moisture control, chicken wire for plastering, and now sewing the bales together for lateral strength.

A snapshot of the near finished product.

George and Louisa next to the archway leading to the cellar.

A view of the house with the wall.

Congrats everyone!

Good luck, and thank you so much Belinda and Kieren!! We’ll stop by for a BBQ when you put in the outdoor pizza oven! Can't wait to see the final product once the plaster is dry.

Short NZ Vacation #3 - Whale Watching in Kaikoura

2010-01-19T14:27:00.000-06:00

Jan. 17 - Jan. 18

A short lapse between WWOOFs, we wanted to take a day to camp in Kaikoura and embark on one of our most anticipated trips yet – a helicopter flight for sperm whale watching! After leaving Blenheim, we drove south along the east coast, leaving behind lush green valleys of endless vineyards, for the harsh, but stunning, coastal views. We stopped several times along the way, first to catch a glimpse of the pro surfers at Mangamaunu (one of NZ’s longest left-hand breaking wave points – and these waves were towering today) ride waves 100s of meters in towards the shore. Further down was a fur seal colony among rocks that were being pounded by the fierce waves. We reached Kaikoura and took a long walk along the peninsula before dark.

The next morning we woke early for shopping – but mostly in anticipation of the day’s activity – whale watching via helicopter. But as we soon found out, trying to capture one of nature’s most impressive creatures in its natural environment was not as simple as showing up for our 10:00am flight time. As good as the weather was, 10 miles off the coast where the whales were located, there were low-hanging clouds and light rain. We postponed our tour for an hour hoping the weather would improve. Arriving back at 11:00 proved disheartening when there was no change in the weather. We opted to stay around for another 2 hours since we’d be leaving today for a 2 hour drive south, and we didn’t want to pass on this opportunity. We enjoyed the scenery from the peninsula and had lunch on the beach with a book, enjoying the pounding waves. We headed back to the helicopter office a 3rd time, and to our dismay, there was still no improvement in weather. Even the boat tours were finding it difficult in the weather conditions, and with no sign of improvement for days, we were forced to leave for our next WWOOF….

…..but, we returned! Several days later (after calling the office each morning for a weather report) we finally got word of good sighting conditions, and we made the 2 hour drive back to Kaikoura. We arrived just before our 11:00am flight time, but because the conditions were so good for the first time in days, there was a backlog of people waiting to fly, and the whale breathing patterns were spaced out such that we were once again forced to wait to fly. As each preceding flight disembarked, we got word of their sightings and our spirits soared. We could hardly stand waiting our turn. When it was our time, we hopped into the 3 passenger R-44 and strapped on the head/micro phones.

The initial ascent was unnerving, rising straight up into the air before spinning around and heading off. It was a sensation only mirrored by the occasional roller coaster. We were up and away – perfect blue skies and fantastic views of the coast. We had 30 minutes to spot a whale. Once again, we understood this was not a zoo. It wasn’t a matter of simply flying to see the whale. We had to actively participate in spotting the whale (assuming it was still breathing near the surface). Whales typically oxygenate their blood at the surface for about 10 minutes before diving to depths of 300m and staying below the surface for up to an hour. Our goal was to find one of several known whales in the area during the small breathing window to catch a glimpse before it rose (for that iconic picture of the tail) and then plummeted deep into the sea. We radioed boats on the water for information about the whales breathing patterns and after nearly 15 minutes of circling and searching, we started to worry about our chances. The whales had taken a strange breathing cycle as if startled by something, and may not be resurfacing during our 30min flight. We continued to search and hover, taking in the surroundings, but at last, it was time to return to land. We almost started crying. No whale. It was heart-wrenching after waiting so long and having such a great day to see them. All the previous flights of the day had seen one, and yet, this is nature after all. It’s hard to predict. The experience was great and we took some amazing pictures, but there will always be something we left behind in Kaikoura.

View of the peninsula we walked around.

The line in the water is basically an underwater cliff. The topography under the surface makes this area a fantastic place for sightings. The deep blue region is the whale feeding ground, dropping to depths of close to 10,000 meters within just miles of the coastline.

WWOOF #7 - Blenheim

2010-01-18T15:40:00.000-06:00

Jan. 9 – Jan. 17

Off to the South Island we go! First we had a looong drive all the way down to Windy Welly (Wellington) and the weather didn’t disappoint upon arrival (windy). Considering the distance we covered in a day, the drive went by fast, but fully recharged from the holidays, we were excited to be off on a new adventure. We stayed with Keris’s longtime friend Louisa for 2 nights, enabling us to see more of the city we didn’t get to the last time we passed through a year ago. We visited the Weta Museum (props/digital enhancement company started by Peter Jackson, with tons of Lord of the Rings and other movie items on display). We did another tour through the Te Papa Museum and then watched Avatar in a quaint little theatre with stadium seated couches and only 40 seats.

Posing with one of the Uruk-hai

Keris and a manequin double of Frodo (actually used in the movie)

"My precious." Keris and Louisa get up close with Smigel

We were up early to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to the Marlborough Sounds. We’d hoped the trek would be like a free boat tour of the magnificent sounds, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a nice, calm day with great views of the endless passageways through the lush green islands of the sounds. We hiked along the peninsula (part of the Queen Charlotte Track) before making our way down to Renwick, a small town just west of Blenheim, which is synonymous with the country’s biggest wine producing region and best known for Sauvignon Blanc.

On the ferry from Wellington to Picton, taking in the Marlborough Sounds.

A view of the Marlborough Sounds from the walking track above Picton

We knew we came to the right place when the directions to the house included “stopping at the hilltop along the driveway for a scenic view of the property.” 30 acres spread across the fertile valley, half planted in vines, the rest in expansive lawns, peonies, vege/fruit gardens, ponds, solar heated swimming pool, and a strawbale house. It was gorgeous. We had a private ensuite in the garage but were always welcome in the house. Rosemary and Jeremy made sure we enjoyed our stay – waiting on us hand and foot, refusing to let us even help with dishes. We did steal away for some pick-your-own-berries and supplied them for scrumptious desserts. 3 fantastic meals each day and plenty of good wine to boot!

Part of the pond on the property with a small island on the right.

Pick-your-own-berries again! One of our favorite activities (well, eating while we pick)

Work at the property included weeding new tree plantings, clearing a large mound of tall grasses for future plantings, and of course, some work in the vineyard! The vines are just growing away during midseason, and need minimal attention, so our main task was wire lifting. The guide wires that help support the weight of the tall chutes need to be raised higher as the vine grows higher. We also spent some time securing some of the new plantings with ties.

Working to clear the mound of grass to make way for a well landscaped area.

Load after load we hauled to the dump pile. Keris is catching a ride!

Stuart lifting the support wires. The trick is to pull the wires out first to gather up all the branches that were growing on the wrong side. Then scoop up all the branches and secure the wires higher on the posts.

Getting ready to attach the new vines to guide posts for support.

When it was time to play, we played. Well, more like lounged by the pool soaking up the sun, relaxing with the gorgeous scenery, jogging, and it goes without saying – wine tasting. We felt like King and Queen at a resort, rather than a typical hard-working farm… it was quite a treat. Most of the immediate wineries (and there are plenty to choose from) are free, or charge just a small tasting fee. And when we grew tired of wine during our tasting tour, we stopped by the Moa Brewing Co. (owned by Allan Scott Winery – and conveniently situated next door) for a sampling of craft beers. There were so many unique wineries to visit, from Seresin (extremely environmentally conscious to the point of trading in their tractors for some horse-drawn machinery), to Grove Mill (with their impressive “vine library,” plantings of almost every type of variety next to each other with informative placards for vine comparisons), to Montana (NZ’s largest producer of wine, which we found surprisingly good).

An afternoon at the solar heated pool in the backyard.

Thank you so much to Rosemary and Jeremy for making our stay absolutely wonderful and memorable!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-01-09T20:21:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

(updated post, 12/22/09 - 1/8/10)

We had a wonderful few days leading up to a summer Christmas here in Opotiki. Keris's mom is here, and we are enjoying some beautiful weather by the beach with our friend Rob and his parents. We have been helping build an outdoor shower area, putting up Christmas lights on the deck, and plenty of putting our feet up. The schedule for Christmas day went something like this:

1st: opened presents (we still had that feeling of anticipation like 5 year old kids)
2nd: Pimm's drinks and hanging out for the morning (Pimm's is an English alcoholic drink with fresh fruit, like Sangria)
3rd: Straight to the beach to try out our new boogie and skim boards along with the sea kayak
4th: BBQ on the deck,
5th: late afternoon at the beach with all our toys (and a chilly bin full of beverages)
6th: hanging out and enjoying the view for the rest of the day :)

Our Christmas tree is all decorated

Stuart and Tim just finished putting down the flooring for the new outdoor shower area

Quick trip to the beach with the Allriches

Putting up Christmas lights on the deck, what a view we have!

What a view!

We spend a lot of time on this deck...

Our new xmas boogie boards and skim board. Can't wait!

Keris is a pro at the boogie board. She catches every wave she wants while the rest of us are stuck out at sea.

Sea kayaking was great fun. A couple big waves were big enough to flip the kayak!

We spent countless hours at the beach, and tried our hand at longline fishing 4 times (the last 2 times, Keris, her mom, and Stuart were able to complete the task virtually on our own). It involves baiting about 25 hooks with squid, attaching the hooks to the fishing line, attaching the line to a kayak and paddling about 1000 meters into the ocean, dropping the anchor, letting the line soak for about an hour, then dragging the line in by hand. Pulling in the line was a bit of a challenge when we had several fish and all the drag of the waves. We had varied success with the numbers, but the few fish we did catch were a real treat, especially when Tim hot smoked the Kahawhai. Some of the best fish we've ever eaten. We even caught a few hammerhead sharks!! (but we threw those back).

Getting ready to take out the long line for fishing.

One of the hammerhead sharks we caught (some were much bigger)

For New Years, we headed about an hour up the coast to Liz and Tim's bach house. A nice little vacation home with private beaches and fishing rocks, but a bit small for 12 people. Tents were scattered in the yard, and cooking duties divided up, then we all partied for 3 days straight. For New Year's Eve, we built a bonfire on the beach and brought a boombox down for some tunes. We headed back to the house for our New Years toast (about 6 of us remained), and then we played "Spotlight", Keris's favorite "hide-and-go-seek-with-a-flashlight" game. It was a lot of fun with such dense foliage around, plenty of good hiding spots. We tried our hand fishing from the rocks several times, but only managed to catch 4 fish, all of which were thrown back.

Pole fishing from the rocks at the bach house. This is a small snapper we caught.

First we had a little snorkeling on our private beach....

..... then a bonfire for New Year's Eve

Day hike out to a nearby waterfall from the bach house

It was freezing cold!

The whole New Year's gang

After a nice long, exciting, and relaxing time around the Opotiki area over the Christmas holiday, we are ready to move on to a new adventure. Something neither Keris or Stuart has experienced before... the South Island!
Thanks so much to Liz, Tim, Rob & Cherie for the hospitality during our holiday break!

WWOOF #6 - Gisborne

2010-01-03T15:07:00.012-06:00

Dec. 17 - Dec. 22

We headed to the self-proclaimed "First City to See the Light," as Gisborne is the easternmost 'city' in New Zealand (and the world). It also boasts more sunny days than any other city in New Zealand, and we were ready to hit the beaches under the sun.

We booked our WWOOF to stay with the owners of Wright's Vineyard & Winery, a certified organic operation that even qualifies as vegan (and we did eat vegan during our stay). Loads of fresh fruits and veges, and we came away with a few good recipes and appreciation for lentils, tofu, and cooking substitutes. Our late night entertainment often included a few games of chess with a few glasses of wine, but we also helped set up Christmas lights and had the occassional beer from the local brewery. We even went to a neighborhood and walked around to see the Christmas lights at night. Of course, considering Geoff and Nicola had 2 young children (Noah - 2 yrs, Elija - 4 weeks), we got a few parenting tips as well! Thanks so much to the whole family for letting us stay, we just might be back in time for harvest....

Keris with 4 week old Elija. The camper van we stayed in is in the background.

The whole gang out at the vineyard. It's a family operation, and Noah loves riding on the tractor.

Although we spent much of our time at the beautiful beaches, enjoying the warmest weather of our trip thus far, we got right to work the night we arrived. Christmas orders for bubbly were in, and we had to finish labelling and putting on the foil caps. They own 2 vineyards in the Ormond Valley, just 20 minutes out of town. We spent our time working on the new vines, taping the stalks to guide wires, watering with seaweed water, and removing the dead vine cuttings from the guide wires. We also got to help out at the farmers market, our first taste of promoting and selling wine. It was a great experience and there were lots of other good food stands around.

Keris operating the foiler for the bubbly bottles.

Hard at work selling organic wine and garlic at the farmers market.

We really enjoyed the city of Gisborne. Laid back, California beach-town feel. Everything was within just a few minutes drive, including the local brewery, farmers markets, about 15 surfing beaches, and vineyards. With the weather so good, we went to 3 different beaches on 3 consecutive days, renting surfboards on the final day and getting our fill of the surf. Here's a few of the pics. Remember, the waves are MUCH bigger than they appear :)

Goodbye from Gisborne!

WWOOF #5 - Ohope Beach

2010-01-02T21:31:00.013-06:00

Dec. 14 - Dec. 17

Well, we're not sure if we should call this a WWOOF or not, considering we were working for Keris's mom, Mary K! But we'll get to that in a minute.

The drive from Martinborough up to Ohope Beach was an all day event covering some 600km in about 11 hours - taking so long because we chose to enjoy the trip. We picked up some snacks for lunch and then stopped off with a great view of Mt. Ruapehu. The lush green landscape coming to a discrete end, turning into a large desert below the rising mountain peaks.

Our stop for lunch with a great view of Mt. Ruapehu.

Our next stop was near Taupo, a great summer lake destination and home to some of the best trout fishing in the world. We opted for a short walk to Huka Falls instead. These aren't your typical falls though. It's more of a blasting river at the edge of the lake, churning and crashing down a gradual 200 meter slope before spilling over the 10 meter cliff at the bottom. The water was so crystal clear, it was absolutely gorgeous. A quick drive down the road, we found Craters of the Moon. Due to the largescale thermal activity of the region (hot pools and geothermal heating), the area had been tapped for power, but the drop in water level caused the surface of the Earth to start sinking, leaving behind giant craters and cracks where new steam vents and mudpools have formed.

The bridge over the upper part of Huka Falls

At the lower end of the falls
Some of the sink holes and steam escaping from the rock fissures.

In Ohope Beach, Mary K. rented a lower section of a house on the hill with a breathtaking view of the beach (this happens to be the same beach Keris and her mom grew up on and the same beach that Stuart proposed to Keris 9 months ago). We stayed with Mary K. for 4 days and did a lot of work on the house she owns (but is currently renting out) closeby. Fence building, deck prep and painting were the main objectives. It was great to share our stories and spend some time with her here in NZ. 5 minutes after picking her up at the airport, we stopped by Julian's Berry Farm for some berry picking (and eating!). I'm quite certain even though we had a 1 gallon container to fill with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, and ranuiberries, we ended up eating at least that much before leaving! Then we still had to eat the berries we took home, yummy. Hopefully we'll be able to return again soon and be able to stay in Mary K's house someday!

Out front of the Ohope rental house we stayed in.

A haircut with a view at Liz and Tim's house

Yum! Berries, berries, and more berries!

So many berries

Keris at work on the deck at Mary K's house

Fence work in the backyard

On the drive to our next WWOOF in Gisborne, we stopped off for some photos of the native Pahutakawa trees in bloom. These are sooo beautiful. The leaves are 2 colored, the tops a deep green and the underside a shimmering sage. In early summer, fluffy red flowers emerge and cover the whole tree. We arrived to the area just in time to catch the bloom, and were so happy to witness it. These huge trees canopy the drive along the beach, making it hard to leave...

WWOOF #4 - Martinborough

2009-12-25T23:59:00.000-06:00

Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th

Martinborough is probably the 2nd most well-known wine region in the country only behind the Marlborough region on the south island. We arrived on a sunny day and seemed to bring the good weather with us. This tiny town has sprung up almost entirely to support the wine industry, with heaps of wineries within walking distance and plenty of cafes/eateries at the center of town.

Simon and Amanda live about 15km outside the city in the surrounding hills. A cute little house on 15 acres, home to sheep, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, and a cow. Of course, they have a small vineyard as well, and manage 2 vineyards in town, and manage a main wine retailer in town, and sell wine-making equipment, and they have a newborn (Bella - 8 months). They have their hands full, but were eager to make us feel welcome and introduce us to their way of life (stopping short of changing and feeding the baby).

Keris in the front paddock of the house, tending to the new vines and the sheep.

Sunset over the house.

Fantastic meals every night (as well as good, hearty breakfasts and lunches), a comfy bed in the main house, and high-speed internet. We were in heaven.

It was easy getting back into the rhythm of the vine work our first days on the job. Pinot Noir is the famed regional variety, and we had our hands full pruning the mature vines and weeding around the new ones. They willingly shared their vast knowledge of winemaking and vineyard maintenance, as well as the nightly tastings with dinner which sometimes included their own vintages.

We really wanted to see some of the surrounding countryside, so took time to head north to the mountains and made our way back to Waiohine Gorge on rugged dirt roads. The mountainous forests and rivers reminded us of Oregon. To start our hike, we had to cross a 200 foot long suspension bridge that hung more than 100 feet in the air over the river - this massive structure was built deep in the forest, and we were shocked to find such structures this remote. The next day was hot and sunny, so we took the road south the end of the island - literally. The furthest point south was Cape Palliser and housed a lighthouse atop the cliffs. We ascended the steep set of stairs and were rewarded with a spectacular view that reached the south island. The beaches here are also home to the only permanent colony of fur seals on the north island. We were able to get fairly close and just sit and watch them sunbathe, play in the water, and care for the new pups. Occasionally we'd be hiking around the rocky shore and practically stumble onto a giant seal - reminding us there was no fence in the wild, and we needed to be sure to keep our distance. We ended the day with a long 2 hour hike up to the Putangirua Pinnacles to see the amazing rock formations similar to the Badlands (also site of the Lord of the Rings). Years of erosion left these amazingly tall spires and sharp walls behind.

In the middle of the giant suspension bridge. Good thing it wasn't windy.

Lighthouse at Cape Palliser, the souhtermost point on the North Island.

View from the lighthouse.

The sand along the beach at Ngawi (closest village to the lighthouse) is too soft for tractors, so there are lots of bulldozers of all sorts lining the beach to tow the fishing boats out of the water.

Fur seal colony, up close and dangerous (and cute).

Some views of the Putangirua Pinnacles

We did do work here as well, mostly on Pinot Noir vines. We weeded around the new vines growing at our hosts' house, pruned the 2 other properties they manage, as well as attempted to train the longer branches in a huge wind storm so they didn't break off. Due to our additional interest in beer, Amanda was so generous as to make arrangements with a local brewmaster at Peak Brewery so we could go and work for him one day! We drove up to Masterton and met Rhys, the owner, brewer, bottler, and labeller (primarily a one-man show) for his small operation and helped out with bottling and labeling for him. He produced some of the best all-around beers we've ever had, utilitizing organic ingredients and recipes he's crated over many years, including an IPA that is aged in oak barrels, fantastic!

On the bottling line.

Thanks to Rhys at Peak Brewery! Keep up the great work.

We definitely didn't want to miss out on wine tasting considering the shear number of local wineries in town, so we finally made it out for a few visits and had a fantastic time learning all about the region's finest (picking up a few bottles along the way).

We had an incredible time, and it was hard to say goodbye. Though there are heaps of wineries, Martinborough lacks its own brewery.... aaah the possibilities for us to return.

Thank you Simon, Amanda, and Bella!

WWOOF #3 - New Plymouth

2009-12-24T23:51:00.000-06:00

Nov. 29th - Dec. 5th

Mike's Organic Brewery is located about 30km north of New Plymouth on the west coast, about halfway between Auckland and Wellington. We were stoked to arrive on Sunday and get to work (and hopefully have a few tastes - we did on arrival). 4 beers are currently in production. An Ale and Lager are the main sellers, and they are introducing a new Pilsner and Strawberry Blonde.

It was good to have a look around the first evening and then retire to our cabin on the back of the property, 100 meters down the hill among the avocado orchard. The property only has the brewery, office, and main dining hall, so we were the only ones to be on the property at night. Of course, once settled and it was getting dark, we quickly realized there were no lights in the cabin. A couple fixtures with no bulbs. We found a few spare light bulbs, none worked. Well, we hoped to find some at the bathrooms just off the main hall since we thought everyone had gone home for the night. Stuart had about given up and gone back to the cabin, when Keris came bursting in with a terrified look on her face. "I've set off the alarm!" she exclaimed. We thought for sure the police sirens would be blaring within minutes. Running back and forth to the car for the cell phone (no coverage) and telephone numbers, we were pretty much out of luck. The alarm was still screaming, when a young lad came calmly walking over to the building. It was the owners' son, Dylan. He and his dad, Ron, were still in the office working, and had been phoned by the security company. "Ah, ya, it happens all the time, no worries," he told us. Phew, that was a close one. We did get some bulbs (and a few spares) and were good for the first night. Our sleeping accommodations were a bit humurous, old child bunkbeds with Barney and Barbie duvet covers. Later on that week we had a mishap with no hot water. Unfortunately, we didn't find out til the next morning that we simply needed to swap the LPG tank, so no showers for us that night.

Drinking on the job! We did a blind taste test for quality assurance at the end of a long work day.

Our accommodation, and a little strawberry blonde to go with dinner.

Our first day on the job showed us what the manual side of a brewery can be. Bottling, labelling, cleaning , and packaging beer bottles. Lots of beer bottles. We were able to poke our heads around the brewing equipment, but the next batches weren't due to be made until later in the week. The weather turned bad, and began raining off and on for the next 6 days (sometimes in a torrential pour). We were more or less confined to our cabin during our free time, without internet. We played some chess, and read a lot, each easily finishing books within days.

Stuart was up at 7am the 3rd day to meet up with the brewmaster, Thomas, as he started in on his long day of brewing. There wasn't much for 2 people, so he just watched and asked lots of questions as Thomas worked away, pouring in the grains for the mash, transferring to the kettle and adding the hops, all the while keeping notes and exacting his recipe.

By day 4 we were tired of the rain. We headed into New Plymouth to check out the Govett-Brewster art Gallery, only to find it closed! We headed up for a nice long walk around Pukekura Park. It was great to catch a break in the rain and explore the expansive park, including the fernery with 100s of species of flowers (including what must have been more than 30 orchid species alone), and several lakes and fountains.

The flowers at the fernery were gorgeous!

We were still itching to get out of the cabin again the next day, so we headed to the beach. We dressed in running gear in case the weather cleared, but ended up on the beach with rain coats, gum boots, umbrellas, and rain. It would have been a very pretty beach with dark black sand and huge white cliffs . In the rain, the sand almost looked like tar and the cliffs were pale gray. Back to the cabin, haha.

At the beach, running shorts, gum boots, and umbrella! Rain, rain go away.

Thanks to everyone at Mike's Brewery!

Sure enough, on Saturday, the clouds broke as we departed Mike's and headed to Martinborough. NZ wouldn't be this green after all if it never rained!

Short NZ Vacation #1

2009-12-03T16:41:00.015-06:00

Nov. 24th - Nov. 29th

Vacation time (not that we needed it after a relaxing time at Trish’s in Dargaville). Our next WWOOF wasn’t for a few days, so we wanted to make the most of it. Driving back to the east coast, we stopped at Koanga Gardens, an organic property working to save heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables prior to genetic manipulations. We pressed on to Goat Island and rented some snorkels for the marine reserve. The black sand beach was hot from the sun’s rays, but the water was freezing even in our wetsuits. We saw some very large snapper, and some small schools of fish, but the water was a little murky and after only 20 mins, we were too cold to continue. After a looong recuperation on the beach, we decided to try again, swimming out toward the island’s rocky shore. Lasting over 30 minutes this time, we had similar luck spotting Moki, Snapper (a couple big ones), Marblefish and others. It was getting too late to drive much farther, so we stayed the night in Auckland with Rob and Cherie again (plus we needed to pick up our tent we bought online). It was a great chance to eat well and hang out with friends.

Getting out of the water, RUN to the hot sand!

Our next destination was the Coromandel, one of the most famous and photographed peninsulas in NZ. The first stop was Hahei Beach, with white sand and high hills overlooking the turquoise water. We took long hikes up the hills and over to Cathedral Cove where we spotted a pod of orcas in the water. That night we went over to “Hot Water Beach” to check things out. Known for bubbling hotsprings right on the beach, if you catch it right with the tide, you can dig a little sand hot tub and be right on the beach. What a spectacle. As the sun was setting and it was getting quite cold, more and more people seemed to be showing up to get in on the action. At first we just stood around to take it in, but we figured we had to try it out while here, and sure enough, it works! And, what fortune to have low tide right at sunset. Nowhere in the world can you have a better view to the sunset than a personal hot tub custom built right on the beach (unless a big wave comes crashing through your sand wall and washes your tub away, which happens quite often as people jockey for position close to the water’s edge). The next day we drove up to the remote beaches at Opito and Otama Bays. Mostly deserted, there was also sparse camping, and ended up in a farmer’s pasture with long drop toilets and no showers. It was a pretty beach, but not one of our favorite nights of camping.

A view of Hahei Beach from above, just thought it was cool how the interference of the waves created that awesome pattern on the sand.

View from the beach at Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Another section of Cathedral Cove.

Hard to get a good shot, but there's a pod of about 6 orcas following the boat.

Our sweet new tent held up well the first night. Even with the foam pads, we opted for the cots the next night.

Finally decided to do a little work around here and dig out a seat in someone else's spa at Hot Water Beach.

Plenty of room for 2 for a romantic sunset on the beach.

The hot water boiling out of the ground next to my feet, it was too hot to stand directly downhill from it.We finally made it to the beach at Otama Bay, just in time for sunset.

Leaving the Coromandel on Friday, we stopped in at the Driving Creek Railway Center and took a ride to the “Eyefull Tower” at the top of the hill along a small scale diesel train. We passed by pottery sculptures, bridges, tunnels and mosaics. It was a wonderful creation on this land.

Entering one of the tunnels, the stone work and pottery throughout the grounds was spectacular.

A view from the "Eyefull Tower" at the top of the hill.

A long drive down to Raglan for the night, we somehow left the great beach weather behind, despite ending up at one of the world’s most well known surfing cities. Raglan is a very laid-back surfer town. We came with hopes of buying a surfboard and using it for a few days here and throughout the trip, but the weather wasn’t great, ocean too cold, and boards too expensive.

Posing at Wainui Bay with surfers in the background. No way were we getting in. We sat and watched the professional surfers at Manu Bay from the comfort of our car.

We ended up leaving after one night and driving to the Waitomo Caves area.

Even our backpackers was pumped about the caving experience. Check out the hard hat chandelier and the paper mache stalagtites inside the dining area.

We booked a Blackwater Rafting tour for the next morning, but got a taste of what we were in store for that night during our hike through some of the limestone caves. Huge caverns with rushing rivers below and glowworms above. It was so beautiful and unique. Because of the rain, we were the only ones on the pathway, feeling like we were exploring the deep of the Amazon.

Keris scoping out some caves in the cliff during our self-guided walk

Standing at the front entrance to Aranui cave, it was locked for the evening.

The next morning, our blackwater rafting trip added to the experience. We put on 10mm thick wetsuits since the cave water temp is only about 50deg (our normal wetsuits are only about 2.5mm thick) and picked out an inner tube for the ride. Most of the exploration was by foot through the treacherous wet cave, but we jumped off 2 small waterfalls backwards into our tubes (in near darkness) and floated as a giant chain through the best glowworm viewing area. Turning off all sources of light, we were in total darkness except the glow of thousands of worms above. It was like viewing the stars in the sky from atop a mountain on a moonless night. As your eyes grow accustomed to the dark, more begin to appear and then fade as you slowly drift down the river, the cavern walls ascending far overhead. It was a truly phenomenal experience.

Our sweet wetsuits! The water was absolutely freezing, these helped... kind of

A practice jump for when we have to jump backwards off the waterfalls inside the cave.

Descending down into the cave.

Just inside the cave entrance, letting our eyes adjust and getting a feel for our surroundings.

We're at the end!

A fabulous 5-day ‘vacation’, and now we’re off to our first WWOOF at Mike’s Organic Brewery!!

WWOOF #2 - Baylys Beach

2009-11-21T16:28:00.017-06:00

Nov. 20th - Nov. 24th

Our 2nd WWOOF took us over to the west coast of the North Island. Only about a 2 hour drive, we took our time and found some lovely stops along the way. Since we've been in the "Bay of Islands” region, we thought it appropriate to head over to the actual Bay and have a look, stopping in Paihia for lunch. Probably it would be a better experience with a boat ride, but we passed on the tour and then headed out to the west coast and took a nice walk out to the peninsula overlooking the giant sand dunes at Opononi (missing an opportunity to try out sand dune surfing), and lastly stopped off to pay our respects to Tane Mahuta, the largest known living Kauri tree in all of New Zealand (an astounding 51 meters tall and 16 meters around the trunk, this tree is estimated to be nearly 2000 years old!). We made our way a bit further down the west coast to Baylys Beach, just outside Dargaville, the location of our second WWOOF.

The view at Opononi. We hope to surf the sand dunes next time!

Little did we know, today was actually going to be the best beach weather, and since we did arrive a little early, we headed straight for the beach. A bit cold and windy, we took shelter along the sand cliffs. We met our host, Trish, at the Funky Fish after grabbing a beer and some kumara wedges, and then headed back to her astounding villa. Built in the late 1800’s, she had the house moved to its current location by way of chainsawing it in half and driving it on 2 trucks. It was everything out of a story book, ¾ wraparound veranda with all the trim, classic interior decorating and colors, solid white exterior with a vineyard in the back and horse pasture on the side. It did, however, need some work since she was the only one tending to the property. The vineyard was a bit overrun, so we didn’t even attempt to clean it up. Our work hours were spent cleaning the outside of the house around the veranda and weeding the gardens. Trish was very accommodating and treated us as guests, not workers, and saw to it that we had plenty of relaxation time (perfect considering the fog and rain) and less work time.

Baylys Beach

Our lovely accommodation

The 2^nd night there, we headed to the beach to try our hand at net fishing! 2 people with a 30m net wade into the water close together. We then string out the net and circle back to shore, creating a giant pool and hopefully trapping the fish as we get closer and closer to shore until we finally have them in the net. Easier said than done. The drag on the net is immense with each wave. Tiny jellyfish were all around, and sticking to the net. We strung out the net twice, but had no luck. A quick drive up the beach looking for a perfect spot (lots of plankton, fish jumping, even waves) was almost hopeless on a day like today. We tried once more anyway, but came away empty-handed. The last night here, however, we went out with one of her sons and tried again. He’s 6’5” and headed straight out to the water, a bit too deep for me to maintain traction. Before I knew it, I was swimming with the net, trying not to let go as waves crashed over my head. I had no idea how I was going to get this net back to shore, but just tried to utilize each wave to make some progress. Finally I caught my footing and began dragging the net inland. A strong wave overtook my feet and pulled me 20ft back out to shore, unable to drive my end stick of the net into the sand for leverage. Battled and bruised, 10 minutes later (normally takes about 3 minutes per try) we had the net on shore, with 1 fish!!!! A mullet. Hooray. I’d heard stories about nets being dragged in with 10-15 fish at a time, but we were so happy to finally have one! We cooked it up fresh that night and it was delicious.

Ready to head out for net fishing.

Finally caught one! And it was <---------THIS BIG----------->

Thanks so much to Trish for a wonderful stay! We’ll have to be back for more fishing and hiking when the weather is better.

WWOOF #1 - Kerikeri

2009-11-20T23:55:00.019-06:00

Nov. 13th - Nov. 20th

Our first WWOOF experience began at Ake Ake Vineyards (meaning forever and ever in Maori). Located about 3 hours drive North of Auckland near the Bay of Islands, it was great to take the "Red Ryder" out for its first long drive before settling in for a week.

A small, 8 acre family run vineyard/winery, John and Aynsley welcomed us into their family and gave us much insight for local hotspots. Since one of the main reasons for choosing NZ for this 4 month adventure was to get an idea of what it takes to be wine makers, we were very excited to get to work.

We started with the new plantings of Chambourcin, hoeing and fertlizing, and then moved to vine training and pruning for established vines of Chambourcin (the '07 vintage was fantastic, the '08 close behind) and Pinot Grigio. It was great to be in amongst the grapes; the scenery and feel of the vineyard was magical.

One of the most fun and extensive days came midweek when the rain forced us indoors. No worries, there was plenty of wine waiting for us at 9am. We were tasked with assisting John to sample the barrels from last year's harvest and determine whether they'd aged enough in the oak barrels. This was a far harder task than it seems. There were roughly 15 oak barrels and 2 additional steel barrels, with several varieties of wine. It took several (and a few more) samples before the decisions were made. Now, slightly tipsy and only 10am, we had a good 7 hours of work to do transferring all the wine to their desired locations! The trickiest part was refilling the oak barrels once the original wine was removed. It's hard to tell when you're close to the top, and with the pumps churning out a solid 1 Liter/second into a small opening, it didn't take long before we miscalculated the wine level and it topped off while we weren't ready. "Shut it off, STOP, STOP, STOP" I yelled as a 20 foot wine volcano erupted into the rafters of the barn and cascaded down upon just about everything in a 5 foot radius. We were a bit more cautious with the remaining barrels....

But it wasn't all hard work and no play. Our gracious hosts helped us make the most of the area, including local farmers markets, backcountry hot pools, a beautiful trek to Rainbow Falls, and a scenic drive along the coast stopping at a number of gorgeous Bays. To top it all off, we were treated to fabulous vegetarian meals each night and a comfortable bed in our very own private BUS! The only downer was not having a bathroom for those 4am nature calls after consuming too much wine with dinner.

Hanging out at our bus eating the loquats we picked for a snack before dinner...

... and a look inside!

Rainbow Falls - what a great reward for our hour walk through the woods. A pic at a small hole in the rock at Tauranga Bay during our scenic tour.

Keris enjoying some of our "favourite" hot pools at Ngawha Springs. There were about 15 different pools to try, each with a different name, temperature, and cloudiness. Stuart's favorite was "Doctor," a nice tar-colored pool measuring in about 105 degrees, but they ranged from about 80 to 130 degrees. Our swimsuits still stink from the sulfur.

All in all, we had a fabulous time and learned a lot. Thanks so much to John, Aynsley, Jaluka, and India. The kids (ages 4 and 18 months) are sooo cute.

Auckland

2009-11-15T01:08:00.007-06:00

We arrived in Auckland on November 10. It turns out we are lucky to know Rob & Cherie in the area, because we would be up the creek without them. We managed to get a bank account, cell phone, car, and bid for a camping package on a trading website (which we ended up winning - tent, mats, cots, and chairs!) all in a matter of 2 days. Woohoooo!! Rob & Cherie live in a central area of Auckland called the Viaduct. This is one of the largest sea port areas of NZ, so there are plenty of ferries and beautiful yachts nearby. We had a great few days of touring Auckland.

The viaduct boating area, just a couple hundred feet from where we stayed.

At the car auction. What an experience! Almost 150 cars to choose from, but we only had 1.5 hours to look over the lot and take a quick spin on the 200 meter test course. Most of the cars had keys in them so we could just hop inside, start 'em up, and head out. We didn't even need to ask permission. When the bidding began, we barely had a list of our top 3 choices, but Keris warned that we didn't need to get caught up in the moment and feel like we had to win one today. It took a while to figure out what was going on because the auctioneer was speaking so fast. The ninth car up for bid was our top choice. Our hearts were all pumping, but when the auctioneer started out the bidding war at $2000 NZD and no one raised their hands, we all breathed a sigh of relief. The price was dropped again and again in order to get action, and finally at $1000 we were the first to bid! Within minutes of back and forth bids, and much to our surprise, we won! We had the winning bid on our first choice car :) We were all still shaking when we signed the papers, but we'd done it. Looking back on it, seems like the easiest car buying experience we've ever been through, but in the heat of the moment, we thought we were in way over our heads.

Here's our new beauty, the "Red Ryder". It's a Ford Mondeo, and it's perfect for storing that surfboard we plan to buy!

On the ferry ride over to Devonport.

Auckland city view from Devonport.

Time for a lunch break! Sitting on the edge of this hill felt like we were at the edge of the world...

Beach area on our walk around Devonport.

Next, we will see you in Kerikeri, where we begin our wwoof experience (wwoof.co.nz) at a small family winery.

California Touring

2009-11-08T15:31:00.013-06:00

Finally, our long-awaited trip has begun! We fly out to New Zealand tonight, but we have had a great 11 day tour through California, visiting lots of family and friends. We started in San Diego for a few nights, then drove up with a couple friends to Las Vegas. We flew from Las Vegas to San Francisco, and visited Foster City, Capitola, and San Francisco city area. I'll let the pictures show our journey... :)

Giraffes at San Diego Zoo

The swimming hippo

Visiting the sleeping koalas

The Conservatory at Bellagio, Las Vegas

Date night for our extended honeymoon, at Craft Steak (MGM Grand).

The best food we have ever had... yummm!

Congratulations for our honeymoon!

Winning at craps with Scott & Evelyn

A day out in San Francisco with Miling

Megan came in for a surprise visit!

Ready to eat our Christmas dinner!

Visit to Golden Gate Bridge

HA well all of the photos turned out to be of just the car... but we were on Lombard Street, I promise.

Party time on our last night in San Fran :)

That's all for now; we will see you in New Zealand!

We are Married

2009-08-25T10:09:00.017-05:00

We were so blessed on August 8 with a beautiful wedding day!

Many thanks to our family and friends for being part of our day... it meant so much to us to see you all there. It is quite an amazing feeling to have in one place all of our closest family and friends - from birth through grade school, college, and first job. An experience like that is certain to happen only once in a lifetime.

I know everyone is anxious for the wedding photos (we are too)!! Our photographer told us 6-8 weeks from the wedding date, so hang in there... Many friends have posted some great candid shots on Facebook, so I stole them and posted a few below :)

A couple of days after the wedding, Stuart and I did a really fun downtown Austin photo shoot with the same wedding look. Wow, I think they are fantastic - you'll be impressed! Please follow the link below and register for the Wedding Event Photos. You will be able to see our recent downtown photo shoot, and be notified when the Wedding photos are posted. For the downtown shoot, let us know your favorites! (Click Here to see Wedding Photos)

Austin Activities

2009-07-11T12:58:00.008-05:00

For those out-of-towners, we've compiled a list of activities during down time, but with a list like this, I'd hardly call it down time.

In the heart of downtown, 4th and 6th street are always popular at night - pretty much every night of the week. Most places don't ever charge a cover, but some do on Fri/Sat nights if there are bands. 4th is a little older crowd and 6th is mostly cheaper bars for the big partiers. There are so many different choices (probably 100 within a few minute walk), but a couple favorites are:

* Pete's Dueling Piano bar on 6th (sometimes a cover on weekends but very interactive and fun, the pianists are great).
* Speakeasy on 5th - Motown feel with live bands. It's got a nice terrace up top. No cover if you get here early.
* Maggie Mae's or Blind Pig on 6th- usually has a band and has an open rooftop overlooking the commotion on 6th St below
* Barcelona on 6th - an underground dance club, mostly Top40 music and some techno
* Malaya on 6th – 2nd floor dance area has a glass floor and is open to the sky above – expect to be here when the bartenders and yelling “last call”
* SIX on 4th - Lance Armstrong's bar (though we've never seen him there). Quite nice and also has a 2nd story
* Elephant Room - good live jazz music.
* Ginger Man - over 100 beers on tap, try a local brew like Live Oak or 512.

As for other activities around town:

* Alamo Drafthouse - movie theatre that serves beer and food. They have comedy shows called Master Pancake where you watch old 80's movies and several comedians tell jokes throughout. They'll also perform a short play midway through. Hilarious! We took mom and dad to see Jurassic Park, and have also seen Terminator and Point Break. There are several locations, but the best one is on 6th street, the "Alamo Ritz"
* Esther's Follies - local humor, but very popular comedy show on 6th street
* The Oasis - restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. The view is fantastic from the cliff tops and margaritas are pretty good. They have free salsa lessons on Sundays during the summer.
* If you're up for swim on a hot day, check out Barton Springs (water is quite cold and be warned for topless sunbathers)
* Hamilton pool - short drive out of town, gorgeous little lake with huge overhanging cliffs.
* Rent some kayaks on town lake and paddle around
* Bats on Congress bridge - Largest urban colony of bats in North America lives under Congress bridge, get there right at sunset for an “awakening” of remarkable proportions.
* Walk around Town lake
* Drive up to the top of Mt. Bonnell at sunset and overlook the city and lake below
* If you like BBQ - either go to Rudy's (tell them it's your first time) or head out to the Saltlick (it's BYOB).

Our 2nd Official Gift Registry

2009-05-22T21:47:00.006-05:00

I guess 4 hours of Macy's wasn't enough for the day. After triumphantly returning home for a breather and BBQ dinner, we headed back out. This time we dropped into one our favorite decoration outlets Z Gallerie. The final list is still a work in progress, as there have been some issues getting all of our items onto the website, but don't hesitate to view what's already online. Feel free to utilize your own personal creative touch as well! We are in search of many varieties of stylish lamps, vases, flowers, mirrors, and artwork.

Our First Official Registry!

2009-05-22T17:54:00.006-05:00

After 2 long sessions at two different Macy's locations (the first one just wasn't large enough!), we've completed our first registry... and just in time for Memorial Day Weekend sales! Please visit http://macysweddingchannel.com / and enter either of our names to locate the list of items. A list can also be acquired at any store location. We are still working on a 2nd registry location, and although Home Depot would normally be atop the list, we are having a tough time deciding on which house project we'd like to undertake next. If someone really wants to buy us marble tiles for the entry or gallons of paint for the spare bedroom and media room, gift certificates would be perfect for such occasions. Otherwise, please check back again in the next weeks for our 2nd registry location! Thank you for your patience, this groom is hardly a shopaholic.

Hotel Recommendations

2009-05-19T22:03:00.005-05:00

Due to the fact that Austin has such a diverse culture and number of things to do, and since some people have already made accommodation arrangements, we're recommending 2 hotels - 1 downtown and 1 up north. We have not blocked out rooms, but we've based our list in part on the room rates (quoted on Hotels.com) and have created a list of nearby attractions.

1. Hilton Garden Inn - downtown, 500 North I35 - $108

This gem is a couple block walk from the hippest and most extensive downtown nightlife scene I've witnessed short of Mardi Gras. For those young-at-hearts, 6th street offers upwards of 50 bars within just a few minutes of walking. Suggestions?! Check out the underground club Barcelona and then wander over to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. If the sky is clear, check out Maggie Mae's or Blind Pig with their live bands and rooftop access for a view of the commotion below. A few blocks further west, 4th street presents young professionals with some very savvy hotspots. Stop by SIX (Lance Armstrong's creation), Canvas, or Cuba Libre for some great dancing. If you'd rather have your choice of 100 draught beers instead of 100 bars, stop by Gingerman.

2. Springhill Suites by Marriott - north Austin, 10936 Stonelake Blvd - $75

10 miles north of the downtown commotion, set near the quaint Arboretum shopping area, this hotel rests a bit closer to home with a more relaxed setting. Plenty of restaurant choices including NXNW (an Austin native) and Baby Acapulco. Just across MoPac is the Domain, the newest all-inclusive living/shopping/dining conglomerate. With easy access to MoPac (Hwy 1), downtown is just a short drive away. Head in the opposite direction and you'll be making your way to the wedding ceremony location.

Engagement Portraits

2009-05-03T21:32:00.008-05:00

Our good friend Jenny offered to do an engagement portrait session with us. We are so thrilled with the photos!! Thanks Jenny, you rock! Check out her blog (jennyndesign.blogspot.com) and the full set of images (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennyndesign/sets/72157616227053285/). At the beginning we were a little timid not knowing how to sit or pose, but by the end we were just carefree and laughing while Jenny crawled all over the ground getting some of the angles!

Registry

2009-04-28T21:32:00.002-05:00

So much planning and so little shopping! Check back soon for details about the registry.

New Zealand and Engagement

2009-04-22T21:13:00.002-05:00

To put it mildly, New Zealand was a blast. We had a really wonderful 2 week trip, filled with adventure and fun.
We started the trip in Abel Tasman National Park (South Island) with a 3 day sea kayaking trip that included camping in tents overnight. We had rain on the first day, but since we were in a sea kayak it didn't damper our trip much. We ended up seeing a dolphin swim within feet of our kayak on the first day.

The next days included sunny weather and beautiful, calm ocean water. We saw brown fur seals, star fish, glow worms, and wetas. Wetas are these ugly large grasshopper-like creatures that are native to New Zealand. They typically live in caves, and while we explored the caves in the evenings it often felt like they would fall on our heads.

After sea kayaking, we travelled up to Wellington to visit a couple of my old childhood friends - Luisa, Robbie & Cherie. We had a fun time in Wellington as they showed us the city. It is a university town with lots of young spirit and character. Wellington has more cafes per person than any other city in the world. Robbie, Cherie and Luisa were great hosts for a fun New Zealand "culture" tour - nature walks, lamb roast, local beer & wine, passionfruit (my favorite fruit). We also saw the national museum with New Zealand history and a great new Monet exhibit.

After Wellington, we travelled to Rotorua for a one night stay in the "tourist trap" city (all of the prices seem twice as much as it should be). On our first day there, we took a trip to the luge and it was really awesome. We went racing down the hill around sharp corners on a little gravity accelerated buggy, and there is nothing to stop you from just running over the side of the hill and crashing. It is SO fun. We had to buy more tickets because we couldn't stop going down the race course over and over again. One of the funniest parts was when we decided to take pictures in the middle of the riding path. We had to move out of the way of other riders so often, and they ended up staring at us as they rode past thinking "just what are you doing there?". The second day in Rotorua, we went on a white water rafting trip over a 7 meter waterfall. The Kaituna River has the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the southern hemisphere. It was a little intimidating at first because our guide was commanding us to "Listen! Be careful! Paddle!!!" I think he was worried that we had a weak group - a bunch of girls and Stuart was the only guy, except for one other guy who didn't speak english, so he was always doing the wrong thing. It was a really fun rafting trip and we got a cool series of Photos where you can see our boat go vertical over the waterfall and then completely submerge underwater.

Next, we travelled to Whakatane/Ohope where I lived for some years younger. Ohope is the small beach side town near a larger city Whakatane. In Ohope we were able to relax for quite a few nights and spend our days swimming in the ocean. We learned to surf (!!), took nature hikes, and had plenty of home grown vegetables and avocadoes. The beach was beautiful and we made it a point to see the sunset every night.

On our last night in Ohope, Stuart proposed during the evening sunset. It was so perfect! I am a very lucky girl...