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The Classic NZ Wine Trail

 Days 3 and 4 of our road trip were spent exploring the Classic NZ Wine Trail from Hawke’s Bay to Wellington. We woke early in Napier and did a stroll about town, hoping to orient ourselves and get a peek at some of the town’s famous Art Deco architecture. The building style arose after much of the town’s architecture was destroyed after the 1931 earthquake. Both Art Deco and Mission style buildings are now common in towns throughout Hawke’s Bay. Unfortunately our first day in Napier was besotted with rain and cloudy skies, so our photos feel a little gray, but we made the most of it and turned the…

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Day 2: The Thermal Explorer Highway

 We woke today in Rotorua and hurried out to make it to Wai-O-Tapu to see the Lady Knox Geyser blow at 10:15. It was my first geyser viewing, and while Jason says the Lady isn’t nearly as impressive as Old Faithful…I think it was pretty cool nonetheless. After watching the geyser reach about 7m in height, we walked the thermal landscapes at Wai-O-Tapu, seeing fumaroles, sulphur lakes, mud volcanoes and hot springs emanating from the ground beneath us. There were places where the ground was literally boiling beneath us, and in other places, staff were hurriedly working to reroute footpaths where new thermal eruptions had taken place. The water throughout…

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Road Trip, Day 1: Rotorua

 Today we saw some amazing scenery. We definitely got a feel for what New Zealand’s famous landscapes are all about. It has to be the greenest country I have ever been in. We drove 2.5 hours down country roads (that’s all they have here, no 6-lane freeways once you’re clear of Auckland) passing sheep and cattle, beautiful hedged pastoral landscapes, herds of cervena (New Zealand’s farmed venison), and mountain landscapes in the distance all the way down. We’re doing it with the help of Jason’s new TomTom app on his iPhone, which requires no data service, and uses the GPS in his phone combined with the maps we downloaded from…

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First Stop, Rotorua

 We leave for Rotorua this morning on our Great Southern Roadtrip. Rotorua is in the Central North Island region on NZ, and is one of the most geothermally active spots on earth. We hope to see some geysers and sulphur pools, and maybe get in a bungy jump in the next week or so. We’ll catch you up once we have some internet.

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Ancillary Costs of Being a Blogging Traveler

 Something we discovered on this trip, and had never really planned for, is that the costs of telecommunication in other parts of the world far exceed costs in the U.S. and Europe. We were lucky enough to have free, albeit slow, access in Trinidad, but access only got slower and more expensive as we made our way west. We haven’t seen free internet anywhere since Panama, and that was hijacked from some unwitting homeowner with an unsecured network in Las Perlas. Disculpame, señor y señora. Those of you who’ve been in touch with us via email or Skype have probably already heard this, but I’m adding it to the written…

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Road Trip Planned Beginning Next Week

 We’ve been receiving lots of emails today from folks concerned about the earthquake in Christchurch. Thanks for the concern guys, but thankfully, we’re still in Auckland, meaning Christchurch is on the other end of the country. We do intend to be there in about a week or so, but for now, we’re on the North Island. After working on getting our plans sorted the last week and a half, we’ve worked out a bit of a schedule, at least for the time being. We ended up buying the station wagon we mentioned in our last post, and after doing so, I’ve noticed some little quirks that may very well drive…

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Keeping It Real

 Hey photo fans, You know we’ve been busy with all kinds of crazy immigration chores this week, but we haven’t overlooked you in the hustle and bustle. While juggling new CVs (thats résumé to you Americans), tax registration numbers, cell phone research, car buying, bank account research, and freelance for some dearly beloved folks back home, we also managed to edit and post the rest of our photos from Aitutaki and Rarotonga, and we got up to date with photos from Auckland as well. Who says you can’t do it all? Check ’em out on the photo site, as usual.

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Figuring It Out and Having Some Fun in NZ

 After taking care of our immediate need for warmer clothes and groceries, we started to focus on plans for our future in New Zealand. It’s strange to be in a place with no real plan and seemingly unlimited options. Do we start looking for jobs? What kind of work do we want to do? Do we buy a car, a camper van, hitchhike or rent? Which city do we want to live in? I could fill up an entire post with questions like these, but I won’t bore anyone and I’m tired of thinking about them myself. Options are great, but let me tell you it can be a bit…

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In the Antipodes!

 Jason and I arrived safe but weary in the wee hours of this morning in Auckland. Frank and Karen left Raro the day before we did, so Jason and I commenced our “homeless” chapter a day early, but we’re resourceful ones, and we crashed with our friends on Natural Mystic for the duration. It was nice actually…we slept outside in the cockpit. While laying down for bed that night, I realized it would be our only full night spent sleeping outdoors in 7 months of sailing. Unbelievable, right? It did rain 3 times, reminding me why sleeping outside isn’t always the best idea in the tropics, but now that I’m…

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Rocking it in Raro

 Hi all. Sorry we took so long to write. The hotspot in the harbor is down and get this, internet here is paid by the MEGABYTE! Ouch. We’ve already run through more than half our $36, but we figure the torture is almost over…our aimed-for traveler’s lodge in NZ has UNLIMITED BROADBAND WIRELESS INTERNET, so we’re hoping they come through with vacancies. We should know by tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ve been obsessing over the humpback whales in Rarotonga, which we can see from the seawall. The reef is very close to shore in Raro, leaving almost no lagoon to speak on on the north side of the island. That’s great for…

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