We made it to Christchurch! Hizzah us! Our Final leg of the journey has began, albeit slowly. Today, we awoke at 5:00am only to find out that our Hot Air Balloon ride was cancelled due to weather conditions. Wah wah waaah. But after a few more hours of sleep and a hearty brekky, our spirits were lifted when we found out about the ScienceAlive museum. Even the non-science nerds (Nick) thought it was awesome. I mean come on; we saw bees, got to go down big slides, and pretend to be spies trying to get through lasers. Best time ever!
After the museum, we had to go get Jax ready to turn in. It was a sad hour as we cleaned her out and got her ready to return. More in another blog...
With no wheels to zip us around the city, we began walking back slowly to the hostel and taking in the city of Christchurch. There was a quick stop to a coffee shop to warm up (Jer didn’t have a coat on) and then off the souvenir shop so Jena could find some postcards. Everyone else isn’t worth the $1.80 for Nick and Jer to send them something. It’s too late anyway, you’ll probably see us before even getting one.
Now with a city to enjoy, we are going out for the first time in 20ish days to enjoy some pizza and not soup. Also to use up the last of our New Zealand money (slowing getting ready to transition to the Greenback).
Tomorrow we head out to Edoras (LOTR place where the Rohan people lived) and then Friday we come home! See you soon!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Forever Out (Jax),
Peace, Love, and Rock ‘n Roll (Jena),
15 July 2009
Jumping off Bridges and Sitting in Sulphur
We left Fox Glacier in the morning after a quick trip to Mirror Lake for some awesome photos of the mountains. Really awesome! We were worried about the rain in the morning (lake wouldn’t be smooth and reflect) but our good fortunes made it clear up in time for grandeur.
Back in Greymouth, we pick up our Tarheel loving, hat-knitting, Australian-American Jena who would accompany us on the last leg and headed for our last sunset into the Ocean. After two weeks of living with smelly boys, Jax didn’t mind the company of another girl. The frigid boys didn’t mind the additional body heat in the car.
We awoke the next day and headed to Christchurch. Wasn’t a big day; drove a few hours, jumped off a 35 metre bridge, sat in hot pools, got in our holiday park for the night. But serious, the bungy jump –Wicked Awesome! The ice-cream bar Nick had instead of Jumping (be proud Mrs. Nohner) was also a very good time, Nick adds. Seriously, the Oreo chunks were as big as your fists.
The jump was quite awesome. Jena, who has had a few nasty run-ins with jumping off things, went first. After telling the supervisors “Just give me a second” When they told her to put her arms out she dove off and dangled around with a mix of screams and giggles. The best way to cope with cheating death.
Jer went after and chose the superman jump to get off the bridge. With a wardrobe of Zubaz and Flannel, he was looking bungy-worthy. So the guy told him. Not as much of a screamer, but giggled on the recoil and showed the world his pasty ribs (tuck in is key).
We then made it to Hanmer Springs to calm our nerves in hot water and enjoy the day. Magical. This is where Nick wanted to test some bounds – disregarding the many placards surrounding all the pools, he put his head underwater. So far, he has also cheated death (knock on wood).
Finally, we made it to our last camper park and spent our last night in Jax (hold back the tears). Here, they didn’t deflate the giant bouncing pillow so Jer and Jena tested it out as Nick prepared our breakfast.
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
Peace, Love, and Rock ‘n Roll (Jena),
Back in Greymouth, we pick up our Tarheel loving, hat-knitting, Australian-American Jena who would accompany us on the last leg and headed for our last sunset into the Ocean. After two weeks of living with smelly boys, Jax didn’t mind the company of another girl. The frigid boys didn’t mind the additional body heat in the car.
We awoke the next day and headed to Christchurch. Wasn’t a big day; drove a few hours, jumped off a 35 metre bridge, sat in hot pools, got in our holiday park for the night. But serious, the bungy jump –Wicked Awesome! The ice-cream bar Nick had instead of Jumping (be proud Mrs. Nohner) was also a very good time, Nick adds. Seriously, the Oreo chunks were as big as your fists.
The jump was quite awesome. Jena, who has had a few nasty run-ins with jumping off things, went first. After telling the supervisors “Just give me a second” When they told her to put her arms out she dove off and dangled around with a mix of screams and giggles. The best way to cope with cheating death.
Jer went after and chose the superman jump to get off the bridge. With a wardrobe of Zubaz and Flannel, he was looking bungy-worthy. So the guy told him. Not as much of a screamer, but giggled on the recoil and showed the world his pasty ribs (tuck in is key).
We then made it to Hanmer Springs to calm our nerves in hot water and enjoy the day. Magical. This is where Nick wanted to test some bounds – disregarding the many placards surrounding all the pools, he put his head underwater. So far, he has also cheated death (knock on wood).
Finally, we made it to our last camper park and spent our last night in Jax (hold back the tears). Here, they didn’t deflate the giant bouncing pillow so Jer and Jena tested it out as Nick prepared our breakfast.
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
Peace, Love, and Rock ‘n Roll (Jena),
12 July 2009
Walkin' on, Walkin' on, Giant Ice!
Today we awoke to the cold and thought that the one remedy was 9 hours walking on an ice-cube. Well, maybe not the one remedy but, it was awesome!
We got fitted for crampons and donned our jackets and gloves. We began walking in the valley that the glacier had been receding from. Here we saw turquiose glacial pools (caused by mica in the water) and huge cliffs.
It took us 45 minutes to walk up a flight of stairs and we were about 50 stories up before being able to get on the glacier. It wasn't too bad, save for the 30 metres of trek that had a light signalling if there was a rock slide above us or not. What were we told? "If I yell, run, get out of the way!" says our guide.
We got onto the glacier and began our hike. Props to our guide, we stayed on the ice from about 10:00-4:30 and were the last group to get off. Instead of setting out on the well worn paths, he used a pick-ax to carve out a new path for us and we headed through giant boulders and icy crevasses.
The glacier was not like anything we could have imagined. It was a giant, undulated ice-cube! The colors ranged from a muddy grey to spectacular blues. Water rivers cut gorges into the ice which extended 100s of metres down into the glacier - we amused ourselves by tossing rocks into holes and waiting to hear them hit the bottom.
They also formed some caves that we were able to walk through. Here, we had to take off our packs because the spaces were quite narrow and we went down and out. The colors ranged from a clear white ice to turquoisy blue. Awesome.
We ate lunch on a rock field that fell off the cliffs and hiked to the terminal end of the glacier. Now, after a dinner of chips and pies (we usually eat healthier than this, promise), we showered up to thaw out and prepare for our final days. Tomorrow we start going to Christchurch and should roll in the 14th. See you three days after that!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
We got fitted for crampons and donned our jackets and gloves. We began walking in the valley that the glacier had been receding from. Here we saw turquiose glacial pools (caused by mica in the water) and huge cliffs.
It took us 45 minutes to walk up a flight of stairs and we were about 50 stories up before being able to get on the glacier. It wasn't too bad, save for the 30 metres of trek that had a light signalling if there was a rock slide above us or not. What were we told? "If I yell, run, get out of the way!" says our guide.
We got onto the glacier and began our hike. Props to our guide, we stayed on the ice from about 10:00-4:30 and were the last group to get off. Instead of setting out on the well worn paths, he used a pick-ax to carve out a new path for us and we headed through giant boulders and icy crevasses.
The glacier was not like anything we could have imagined. It was a giant, undulated ice-cube! The colors ranged from a muddy grey to spectacular blues. Water rivers cut gorges into the ice which extended 100s of metres down into the glacier - we amused ourselves by tossing rocks into holes and waiting to hear them hit the bottom.
They also formed some caves that we were able to walk through. Here, we had to take off our packs because the spaces were quite narrow and we went down and out. The colors ranged from a clear white ice to turquoisy blue. Awesome.
We ate lunch on a rock field that fell off the cliffs and hiked to the terminal end of the glacier. Now, after a dinner of chips and pies (we usually eat healthier than this, promise), we showered up to thaw out and prepare for our final days. Tomorrow we start going to Christchurch and should roll in the 14th. See you three days after that!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
09 July 2009
Winter's First Frost
Two days ago we crossed over by ferry to the South Island. It was a three-hour journey on a ten-story ferry. Epic. The last hour was spent working through channels in the Southern Island -beautiful. Teal Water, snow-capped Mountains...For those of you interested in our journey, google map Picton to see how maneuverable we had to be.
We filled up with gas and headed off to Abel Tasman, a sweet national park for hikes and kayaks. Our motor camp is right on the beach, which right now we are getting a view of majestic mountains from the other side of the bay and rock islands on our shores.
The next morning catching our water taxi into the national park and going on a four hour hike before being picked back up. Here, we walked through fern forests and golden beaches. The photo (pending) show a beautiful landscape that looks warm and sunny - They lie.
That night we spent eating some delicous stew-thing and went to bed refreshed and ready to go out again. We did not anticipate the morning we were about to have...
COLD!!! We woke up to frost on the grass and a frozen beach! Opening up the door proved difficult due to being frosted over and the very air we breathed was ice. Jax's insolation, questionable. But we did warm ourselves to some tea and extra layers before setting off again to Abel Tasman for another day.
Today, pretty much the same with two exceptions. One, dolphin followed our boat. Coolest part, it was jumping in the wake we were creating, looked magical and a bit out of a Disney movie. Two, gave Jax a drive today and went up North a bit where we harvested a bunch of cockles to eat tonight as an appetizer. Nick really doesn't like oysters so we'll see how he does with these...
Now that we're in a bitter frost, some desperate measures have to be had. The White Russians keep us warm for the first hour of sleep, but the rest of the night is bitterly Siberian. Today we grabbed a rock and the plan is to heat it up as hot as we can and have it slowly radiate it's load throughout the night. We'll keep you posted...
Tomorrow we head out on our two-day trip to Fox Glacier. Stay Tuned!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
We filled up with gas and headed off to Abel Tasman, a sweet national park for hikes and kayaks. Our motor camp is right on the beach, which right now we are getting a view of majestic mountains from the other side of the bay and rock islands on our shores.
The next morning catching our water taxi into the national park and going on a four hour hike before being picked back up. Here, we walked through fern forests and golden beaches. The photo (pending) show a beautiful landscape that looks warm and sunny - They lie.
That night we spent eating some delicous stew-thing and went to bed refreshed and ready to go out again. We did not anticipate the morning we were about to have...
COLD!!! We woke up to frost on the grass and a frozen beach! Opening up the door proved difficult due to being frosted over and the very air we breathed was ice. Jax's insolation, questionable. But we did warm ourselves to some tea and extra layers before setting off again to Abel Tasman for another day.
Today, pretty much the same with two exceptions. One, dolphin followed our boat. Coolest part, it was jumping in the wake we were creating, looked magical and a bit out of a Disney movie. Two, gave Jax a drive today and went up North a bit where we harvested a bunch of cockles to eat tonight as an appetizer. Nick really doesn't like oysters so we'll see how he does with these...
Now that we're in a bitter frost, some desperate measures have to be had. The White Russians keep us warm for the first hour of sleep, but the rest of the night is bitterly Siberian. Today we grabbed a rock and the plan is to heat it up as hot as we can and have it slowly radiate it's load throughout the night. We'll keep you posted...
Tomorrow we head out on our two-day trip to Fox Glacier. Stay Tuned!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
06 July 2009
Some Pictures of Our Journey
Here are some pictures of our journey thus far (they are a bit out of order - deal):
This is the man that challenged Jer to peace - Jer accepted the challenge
White-Water Rafting - we were the only ones on the tour so had a private photo shoot
The majesty of Jax:
Jumping and Cathedral Cove:
Sailing the America's Cup (Jer tacking):
Enjoying some Champagne on the Great Barrier Reef:
Katoomba Falls (broke the law to get this shot - worth it!):
Travelling in the Blue Mountains (Three Sisters off Nick's sholdier -
A little man was taking our picture so we had to get on our knees)
Whales!!
This Frog was on our boat as we searched for Crocs. More active than the crocs.
This is the man that challenged Jer to peace - Jer accepted the challenge
White-Water Rafting - we were the only ones on the tour so had a private photo shoot
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
From the Misty Mountains to the Pits of Mordor
Today when we awoke, it was not the cheerful awaking on thoughts of another day exploring New Zealand or our delicious breakfast of leftover crumb cake. We awoke with the overwhelming burden of going to Mt. Doom.
Well…maybe not really – But we did have to get up quite early so that we could have a hike around the caves that we went through the day before (one of the top ten bushwalks of New Zealand – pretty neat). We went through some neat Karst topography and saw some very cool tunnels with glowworms hanging out above them. We got there a bit early and it was still rather dark, but by the end of the walk the sun was just breaking over the horizon and colours were abound (mostly green).
Next we began heading south to Mordor. We drove around appreciating the misty mountains and rolling hills on our way down, only to catch our first glimpse of Mt. _______ one of the two mountains (volcanoes really) used in LOTR. We continued down into the rain and got to the base of the mountains and asked the info desk about hikes around the area. We found out that hiking around them was going to be too long so we settled for two smaller hikes, one around some rapids and a bog and the other to a waterfall and a bog – both complete with forests. We realized that today will be the warmest of our days for now on as we continue to head south. It was the first time we have seen snow in the Southern Hemisphere and were even caught in a very small hailstorm.
The two hikes were very nice! The fog never lifted (I think it got worse as the day went on) and we were both sh-sh-sh-shivering but the landscape was beautiful. Absolutely amazing! We did recreate some moments from the LOTR movie franchise and swapped quotes the entire day. It’s good that we’re both nerds.
After spending the afternoon in Mordor, we heated up old Jax (she got a much needed shower in the rain) and headed out once again. After two hours of swervy roads, thousands of sheep, and a talk on life – we ended up in ______ where we’ve made camp for the night. I’m not sure what took longer, finding the carpark or having to listen to the manager tell us all about the city’s attractions after we told him we’re not going to be here long enough to care (“Well here’s what you’re missing…” Thanks man, I’m also missing 15 minutes of my life, I think they were stolen in this office).
Tomorrow we get to the southern tip of the North Island and on Tuesday morning we catch our ferry to the Southern Island. Our trip is about half-done and it has gone by rather quickly! We’re staying in a more fancier place (not the backseat of our van) the first two nights on the Southern Island which will allow us to do some much needed clothes washing and body washing for that matter. In preparation of the colder days ahead, we bought long-johns the other day (now we look like ninjas when we sleep)
Hope all is well back in the states, see you in 12 days!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
Well…maybe not really – But we did have to get up quite early so that we could have a hike around the caves that we went through the day before (one of the top ten bushwalks of New Zealand – pretty neat). We went through some neat Karst topography and saw some very cool tunnels with glowworms hanging out above them. We got there a bit early and it was still rather dark, but by the end of the walk the sun was just breaking over the horizon and colours were abound (mostly green).
Next we began heading south to Mordor. We drove around appreciating the misty mountains and rolling hills on our way down, only to catch our first glimpse of Mt. _______ one of the two mountains (volcanoes really) used in LOTR. We continued down into the rain and got to the base of the mountains and asked the info desk about hikes around the area. We found out that hiking around them was going to be too long so we settled for two smaller hikes, one around some rapids and a bog and the other to a waterfall and a bog – both complete with forests. We realized that today will be the warmest of our days for now on as we continue to head south. It was the first time we have seen snow in the Southern Hemisphere and were even caught in a very small hailstorm.
The two hikes were very nice! The fog never lifted (I think it got worse as the day went on) and we were both sh-sh-sh-shivering but the landscape was beautiful. Absolutely amazing! We did recreate some moments from the LOTR movie franchise and swapped quotes the entire day. It’s good that we’re both nerds.
After spending the afternoon in Mordor, we heated up old Jax (she got a much needed shower in the rain) and headed out once again. After two hours of swervy roads, thousands of sheep, and a talk on life – we ended up in ______ where we’ve made camp for the night. I’m not sure what took longer, finding the carpark or having to listen to the manager tell us all about the city’s attractions after we told him we’re not going to be here long enough to care (“Well here’s what you’re missing…” Thanks man, I’m also missing 15 minutes of my life, I think they were stolen in this office).
Tomorrow we get to the southern tip of the North Island and on Tuesday morning we catch our ferry to the Southern Island. Our trip is about half-done and it has gone by rather quickly! We’re staying in a more fancier place (not the backseat of our van) the first two nights on the Southern Island which will allow us to do some much needed clothes washing and body washing for that matter. In preparation of the colder days ahead, we bought long-johns the other day (now we look like ninjas when we sleep)
Hope all is well back in the states, see you in 12 days!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
(Hum StarWars Theme to Yourself)
Happy Fourth! We spend our independence day 40 metres under the earth looking at the stars…let me explain. Today we drove to Waitomo for Black Water Rafting. Black Water Rafting is a caving experience that sends you floating down a underwater river armed with an inter tube, head light and wet suit. The water was about 40 degrees (quite chilly!) so we put on any equipment that would heat us up.
The rafting was a little over an hour and it sent us through tight squeezes and jumping off waterfalls. The grand finale was a 10 minute float in complete darkness while looking up at thousands of glowworms on the cavernous ceilings. The cherry on the cake was our guide whistling the theme song of StarWars. It really does look as though you’re are looking up at the stars (save that they’re all green stars, not white). An ‘out-of-this-world experience.
We ended by clambering up out of the cave and going back to the shop for hot showers, toasted bagels, and tomato soup. Heaven on earth!
After we were given our last cups of soup, Nick and I made it to our carpark where we began celebrating the fourth by grilling up steaks and eating blueberry crumbcake (really splurged at the grocery store today!). We had a delicious nightcap of white Russians and then caught some early z’s because we had an early start the next morning (5:30) – we’re off to see Mordor!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
The rafting was a little over an hour and it sent us through tight squeezes and jumping off waterfalls. The grand finale was a 10 minute float in complete darkness while looking up at thousands of glowworms on the cavernous ceilings. The cherry on the cake was our guide whistling the theme song of StarWars. It really does look as though you’re are looking up at the stars (save that they’re all green stars, not white). An ‘out-of-this-world experience.
We ended by clambering up out of the cave and going back to the shop for hot showers, toasted bagels, and tomato soup. Heaven on earth!
After we were given our last cups of soup, Nick and I made it to our carpark where we began celebrating the fourth by grilling up steaks and eating blueberry crumbcake (really splurged at the grocery store today!). We had a delicious nightcap of white Russians and then caught some early z’s because we had an early start the next morning (5:30) – we’re off to see Mordor!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
Take me to your leader!
Driving in the van Jer and I were giggling like little school girls unable to hold in the excitement for what lay ahead. Today was the Maori(the indigenous people of New Zealand) Cultural Dinner (feast+entertainment)! It started out a little suspect; There was an old man doing a little karaoke and sax in the corner and we were sitting next to drunk Canadians. Our host gathered all of our attentions with a Keeeeeeeee-You! Into the microphone. He began by welcoming us into his village and onto his peoples land. Then he began welcoming us in all of our own languages. He knows how to say “Welcome, save room for the chocolate cake” in 60 languages, impressive. Our “tribe” that night had 12 nations represented and was only missing a leader (whom we had to appoint). Leave it to old Jer to rocket his hand in the air to volunteer for the post. After introductions were done we walked into the forest/village area behind the res truant. Off in the distance we saw actors dressed as Maori warriors paddling a war canoe down the river. Their chants became more intense as they started doing a version of their Haka (intimidation war dance, youtube for better picture). We followed them to their village which was up on a stage and had a room connecting with chairs so we could view. At first they pretended no to notice us but then one approached Jeremy (our brave chief) and offered him a peace offering. While he was doing this the warrior was showcasing his strength and skill with the spear, which meant jer was standing a few feet from a spear flying around his dome. Jer bent down and accepted the branch. Their chief welcomed us in his native tongue and then Jer gave a speech thanking them for accepting us and letting us view their culture. The performers showed us how they used their weapons. One was a club that literally meant “new face” because if it hit you, well… The other end was sharpened and was meant to scalp you when it made contact. They showed us their full Haka which was intense. They bulge their eyes and stick out their tongues to show how strong/crazy they are. The lyrics are “You see me/ I am the Man/ That is going to rip out your stomach/ And eat it.” Holey Moley. They also performed some cultural songs with instrements that kinda looked like numb-chucks (spelling) with balls on the end instead of wood. It was a percussion instrument and the players would let the ball hit them to make a sound. Four women played by swinging 2 balls apiece in unison. (That’s what she said?)
After the show it was time for grub. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t more traditional, we pretty much had thanksgiving meal; turkey, lamb, stuffing, salads, gravy, bread rolls, chocolate log cake, etc… It was cooked in the traditional style though (hangi- which means it was cooked in the ground with rocks from the fire) and it was all you can eat. About 7 pounds of meat, 2 glasses of wine, 3 servings of cake, and a pair of stomach aches later we were done. After dinner we walked the forest and saw glowworms and eels that lived in their forest.
All and All a super awesome night of food, Jer being chief, having huge men say their going to eat my stomach, and drunk Canadians.
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
After the show it was time for grub. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t more traditional, we pretty much had thanksgiving meal; turkey, lamb, stuffing, salads, gravy, bread rolls, chocolate log cake, etc… It was cooked in the traditional style though (hangi- which means it was cooked in the ground with rocks from the fire) and it was all you can eat. About 7 pounds of meat, 2 glasses of wine, 3 servings of cake, and a pair of stomach aches later we were done. After dinner we walked the forest and saw glowworms and eels that lived in their forest.
All and All a super awesome night of food, Jer being chief, having huge men say their going to eat my stomach, and drunk Canadians.
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jax),
02 July 2009
Not to be outdone by the cold a second time, we held no punches entering the night. We packed our sleeping bags with blankets, wore hats, sweatshirts, pants and wool socks. Sure enough, come morning we were both warm and toasty; however our alarm was set an hour and a half early, so we started our day ahead of schedule.
Our first event was white water rafting, the river we went on had a 12-ft waterfall. We got on our wetsuits (remember it's still 40 degrees outside and it was 10:00am) and helmets and headed down to grade 5 rapids. Go figure, we were the only ones to book for that day, so we had the raft all to ourselves. The first two waterfalls took us winding through gorges lined with ferns. It is tradition to take a fern leaf off and throw it in the river; if it turns up green you raft doesn't flip over on the last waterfall, if it turns up white... Jer took the leaf and hurled it an impressive foot away from the boat - it landed green side up. Hizzah! We slowly paddled up to the waterfall and looked over the edge. It emptied into a large pool surrounded by steep cliffs and jungle. Inching closer to the falls, we hear the command "Get down!" and we hunkered close to the floor. The boat fell and submerged for a few moments, until it rebounded from the water. We nearly lost our guide but made it through. The photos turned out great!
Close your eyes and imagine yourself being in a hamster ball trapped in a pinball machine - this is zorbing. It began as you crawled in the 12 ft diametre ball as they filled it with 10 gallons of water to allow you to slide around. The material was like a medicine ball, but the door was rough and scratched you as it went by. From within you couldn't see much; the only directions given were "when I hit the ball start walking towards your left." The "left" was a winding course that sent you crashing into barriers and racing down straighaways. Besides the amount of fo-hawks you had to talk to in order to ride the zorb, it was really fun!
We came back and grocery shopped, and then rode kayaks down a small stream behind our camper van park that emptied into Lake Rotorua. We also took showers for the first time in God only knows how long (2 nights) because we have our Maurai (sp?) cultural dinner tonight. We don't know what we're more excited about: learning about a warrior culture that has survived 1,000s of years or the prospect of our first non-soup dinner.
Tomorrow we head out to go black water rafting (done inside caves!) and on the 5th we visit Mount Doom! Catch you on the flipside!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jaquline),
Our first event was white water rafting, the river we went on had a 12-ft waterfall. We got on our wetsuits (remember it's still 40 degrees outside and it was 10:00am) and helmets and headed down to grade 5 rapids. Go figure, we were the only ones to book for that day, so we had the raft all to ourselves. The first two waterfalls took us winding through gorges lined with ferns. It is tradition to take a fern leaf off and throw it in the river; if it turns up green you raft doesn't flip over on the last waterfall, if it turns up white... Jer took the leaf and hurled it an impressive foot away from the boat - it landed green side up. Hizzah! We slowly paddled up to the waterfall and looked over the edge. It emptied into a large pool surrounded by steep cliffs and jungle. Inching closer to the falls, we hear the command "Get down!" and we hunkered close to the floor. The boat fell and submerged for a few moments, until it rebounded from the water. We nearly lost our guide but made it through. The photos turned out great!
Close your eyes and imagine yourself being in a hamster ball trapped in a pinball machine - this is zorbing. It began as you crawled in the 12 ft diametre ball as they filled it with 10 gallons of water to allow you to slide around. The material was like a medicine ball, but the door was rough and scratched you as it went by. From within you couldn't see much; the only directions given were "when I hit the ball start walking towards your left." The "left" was a winding course that sent you crashing into barriers and racing down straighaways. Besides the amount of fo-hawks you had to talk to in order to ride the zorb, it was really fun!
We came back and grocery shopped, and then rode kayaks down a small stream behind our camper van park that emptied into Lake Rotorua. We also took showers for the first time in God only knows how long (2 nights) because we have our Maurai (sp?) cultural dinner tonight. We don't know what we're more excited about: learning about a warrior culture that has survived 1,000s of years or the prospect of our first non-soup dinner.
Tomorrow we head out to go black water rafting (done inside caves!) and on the 5th we visit Mount Doom! Catch you on the flipside!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jaquline),
Canoodling in Coramandel
WE awoke with one simple though domintating our consciences. Was it the tought of picking up our van and starting our adventure around New Zealand? No. Was it loved ones at home reading this blog? Sadly no. Was it the smell of prepackaged blueberyy muffins? You betcha yeah. When you survive on a staple diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with dinners usually being soup, the though of nice processed and sweetened muffins beginning your day is almost unbearingly delicious. We almost couldn't fall asleeep last nigt with the though of muffins dancing in our heads, like little children on Christmas Eve.
Sadly the high had to end as we called our taxi to take us to Wicked to pick up our van. The Wicked corporation has a "Wicked" sense of humor: If we showed up naked they would wave a day of payment. We are cheap, but we are also sheepishly modest. Vans are spray-painted with clever little sayings and pictures likes "I pee in the shower" etc. Our van, Jaquline, has a sports car painted on it (so it shares the wheels and everything else is black, thus giving the illusion of actually being one).
WE took off for the Coramandel Peninsula driving within the speed limits and with both seatbelts on (for the mothers and Mitch, I know how he worries about us). For the first day we went to the Pinnacles to hike. It was a lovely jaunt through the rainforest following a mountain stream. We ate PB&J's.
After the hike there was only time to find a place to camp in the bitter cold. We made our traditional soup and bread dinner and sipped on White Russians to warm the soul. Sleeping was a little interesting the first night, as two grown men manuevered around each other - trying to achieve to different goals. A) Huddling to stay warm and B) struggling to find room to stretch out our 6'4" frames in the back of a small van. Morning came and so did eggs, toast, and tea. We began our travels around the backside of the peninsula.
It was not long before Nick piped up and said "Jer, our car smells like Baileys." Sure enough the bottle of Baileys we had broke during one of the sharp mountanous turns. Should we blame Jer for his aggressive driving? No. Should we blame Nick for his subpar packing of our only protection from the cold? No. We blame New Zealand, you dirty curvy bastard! Jaquline, Jer and Nick all said a eulogy that we gave on the Roadside. There were tears, but don't worry too much about us - we have a spare bottle (godbless Duty-Free deals!).
We also visited Cathedral Cove - words do nothing here so google image it maybe. Long story short -we got quite wet and our feet hurt after the trail which we chose to do barefoot. We are now in Rotorua, waiting to go white-water rafting tomorrow. It'll be a chilly one!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jaquiline),
Sadly the high had to end as we called our taxi to take us to Wicked to pick up our van. The Wicked corporation has a "Wicked" sense of humor: If we showed up naked they would wave a day of payment. We are cheap, but we are also sheepishly modest. Vans are spray-painted with clever little sayings and pictures likes "I pee in the shower" etc. Our van, Jaquline, has a sports car painted on it (so it shares the wheels and everything else is black, thus giving the illusion of actually being one).
WE took off for the Coramandel Peninsula driving within the speed limits and with both seatbelts on (for the mothers and Mitch, I know how he worries about us). For the first day we went to the Pinnacles to hike. It was a lovely jaunt through the rainforest following a mountain stream. We ate PB&J's.
After the hike there was only time to find a place to camp in the bitter cold. We made our traditional soup and bread dinner and sipped on White Russians to warm the soul. Sleeping was a little interesting the first night, as two grown men manuevered around each other - trying to achieve to different goals. A) Huddling to stay warm and B) struggling to find room to stretch out our 6'4" frames in the back of a small van. Morning came and so did eggs, toast, and tea. We began our travels around the backside of the peninsula.
It was not long before Nick piped up and said "Jer, our car smells like Baileys." Sure enough the bottle of Baileys we had broke during one of the sharp mountanous turns. Should we blame Jer for his aggressive driving? No. Should we blame Nick for his subpar packing of our only protection from the cold? No. We blame New Zealand, you dirty curvy bastard! Jaquline, Jer and Nick all said a eulogy that we gave on the Roadside. There were tears, but don't worry too much about us - we have a spare bottle (godbless Duty-Free deals!).
We also visited Cathedral Cove - words do nothing here so google image it maybe. Long story short -we got quite wet and our feet hurt after the trail which we chose to do barefoot. We are now in Rotorua, waiting to go white-water rafting tomorrow. It'll be a chilly one!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
Over and Out (Jaquiline),
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