Kiwi travels

After two glorious weeks in New Zealand, I am back in the Pacific Northwest. It was an exhilarating trip with high adventure and a whirlwind of activity. Of course, this made my transition this week back to the hum drum world of work even more intolerable. My countdown to summer vacation is officially on...Ten weeks and counting!!!!!

Here's a synopsis of my travels around New Zealand with Karen

Day 1 - Rotorua - viewed the geysers, bubbling pools and other hot spots of geothermal activity in the region. Oh yeah, we also watched a sheep shearing demonstration (baa ram ewe)
Day 2 - Waitomo Caves - an amazing adventure on the Black Abyss Tour with the Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. http://www.waitomo.com/caving-adventure.aspx
Day 3 - Fly to Christchurch
Day 4 - Christchurch - time to shop, tour the town, and do an 18k bike ride from the top of the gondola
Day 5 - Drive to Nelson - via Kaikoura where we hiked to seal beach
Day 6 - Hiking in Able Tasman - we took a water taxi and then hiked through spectacular jungle from Tonga Bay to Torrent Bay.
Day 7 - Drive to Hokitika - via the Pancake Rocks and blow holes on the west coast.
Day 8 - Franz Joseph Glacier - it was time to put on our crampons and hike that glacier (or, as they say in NZ, glay-see-er).
Day 9 - Drive to Queenstown - dubbed the "Adventure Capitol of the World" and rightfully so.
Day 10 - Queenstown - We got our thrills with the famous Shotover Jetboat and then rode the luge.
Day 11 - Queenstown - This day we had adventures of a different sort...wine tasting. The region is know for Pinot Noir.
Day 12 - Drive to Otago Peninsula, wildlife reserve where saw Albatross, Yellow-Eyed Penguins, and sea lions.
Day 13 - Drive back to Christchurch - we toured the Antarctic Center (70% of all expeditions to the Antarctic depart from Christchurch)
Day 14 - Flight home