* Home again, home again

Internet access was sparse during our last few days in NZ (or we were too busy wrapping things up to find it). I am writing this entry from home, but I will go back and tell you about the end of the trip. First of all, Murphy did not leave me alone. Throughout the entire trip I was thrice-thwarted from swimming with dolphins. We tried one of our first days in Akaroa. When I went to swim on Friday afternoon, I actually got on a boat with that purpose - the only of the three times there was a possibility. We spent four hours cruising around the Bay of Islands. Early in the cruise a couple people spotted a pair of dorsal fins, but those dolphins didn't want to play - they disappeared and we couldn't find them again. Then in the last half hour we did find another dolphin (or 2, depending on how you look at it). Unfortunately the dolphin we found was a female who had given birth, but the pup had died. She was carrying around the dead pup on her back in mourning. I was thankful that we didn't get too close to the dolphin. I did get to see her, and even in mourning she was a beautiful and graceful creature.

Since that sighting did not count as a "dolphin experience" we were offered either a partial refund or a blue card to ride again on another day. The card didn't expire. I decided to try again the next morning. After making my reservation in Paihia in the Bay of Islands, I drove South an hour to Whangerei to meet Terry, Rachel, Angela, Ben, and Tom for dinner. *Side note: It is very difficult to drive a CamperVan by yourself, especially when it's standard and you're driving on the wrong side of the road. I did not appreciate how wonderful it was to have someone to ask "Am I clear?" to until there was noone there.* As Angela wrote, we went out for turkish dinner and had ice cream in a parking lot in the camper afterwards. Then we drove back up to Paihia. I had made a reservation and arranged to get picked up by the company, since it was a couple kilometers of two large hills away. I got to the dock and was waiting to board when the captain came down. There was a wind speed of 40 knots in the bay. We could see large waves even from the harbor. There would definitely not be swimming, and it was uncertain if there would even be a boat ride. Twenty minutes later I was in the office getting a partial refund. Since it was still early I managed to convince them to give me a ride back to the campground as well. Rachel and Terry were still asleep, so I laid down for a little more rest. When I woke up again at 9:45, the bay was still. I really don't like Murphy.

Rachel, Terry and I went back into Paihia but there wasn't much to do on such an overcast day. After a while we left and saw the grounds of the Treat of Waitangi. It is amazing to hear about the early settlers and how much they were able to do with the Maori people, despite the settlers having little or no backing from England. It was drizzling rain so we didn't stay very long before we headed west. There is a forest on the Western side of Northland that has giant Kauri trees. We took small hikes to see a couple of them, including the largest and second largest trees, as well as four giant trees that grow so close together it looks like they are growing out of one root. After the forest we headed back toward Aukland, camping about 50 km from the city.

Sunday morning we packed and cleaned the campervan after waking up. We went briefly into Aukland for a visit to the sky tower. Terry tried to convince me to do the Sky Jump - a modified form of bungee jumping, but I was not interested at all. Then we headed toward the airport to return the CamperVan. The return went smoothly and we got to the airport about 4 hours before our flight left. On the flight from Aukland to Los Angeles I got to sit next to a newlywed couple from England on their four-month honeymoon. And here, I was excited to have three weeks off!

Flights home were uneventful until the last one. We boarded our plane in Chicago at 10:10 pm to fly back to Appleton. Then, rather than the takeoff safety instructions, we were told that there was a mechanical problem and they were bringing another plane over for us to board instead. Well, we finally boarded about 12:15, arriving in Appleton at 1:10 am. By the time I got my baggage and picked up my car from my parents' place to make it home, it was 2 in the morning. I think that makes about 26 hours travel time coming back. First reaction on coming back: IT'S COLD!!!!!

* Escape from Murphy?

Terry, Rachel, Ben, Angela, and Tom have converged upon Tutukaka this morning to take a ship out to Poor Knights Island for some scuba. I realized that I would rather be on the surface of the water than underneath, so I drove a little over an hour north to Bay of Islands. Hopefully this will break Murphy's Law, because I am signed up for a Dolphin Swim. Last time I tried this we didn't see any dolphins. Hopefully today will be better.

As for zorbing, Terry and I each took two rides in the zorb. I wanted one dry and one wet, but they only had the wet zorb working. So, what is a zorb? It's a plastic ball inside a plastic ball. The inner ball is held in place by over a hundred bungee cords connected to the outer ball. The dry zorb has a harness to keep you into place, and after riding down in the wet, I understand why. In the wet zorb (they put a little water in it with you) you are not attatched to anything. What's it like? Imagine a waterslide that you can't tell which direction you are going next. It doesn't matter if you go down head first or feet first. You can attempt to get up and surf down it. Actually, at the start they have you walk the beginning of the hill, as if you're in a gerbil ball. I don't think I made it more than ten feet either time before falling down and just enjoying the ride. Terry kept attempting to stand up, but failed at that as well.

After zorbing we went to kiwi encounters to see some kiwi birds. Due to introduced predators, kiwi chicks only have about 5% chance of staying alive in the wild to maturity. Kiwi encounters takes the egg, incubates and hatches the chick, and then nurtures the chick through adolescence, the first six months. The kiwi is then released back into the wild, the place where it was taken from. The re-introduced kiwi have had no problem adapting back to natural habits, so that's a good thing.

Yesterday morning Rachel and Terry went to Hobbiton. After that we drove North to Tutukaka to camp for the night, so they could go diving this morning.

I will let you know if the dolphins come out to play, and have someone else tell you about diving!

Serena

* Maori Culture and 7 Meter Falls

Ok, I only have a few minutes to write this, so I will try to summarize. After leaving the spas and the campground, Terry, Rachel and I saw the craters of the moon, which are natural thermal pools and got to see a flooded river after a dam opening. Then we drove North to Rotorua for the night and reserved a place for a trip to a Maori village for a show and dinner. It was very enjoyable. They had a traditional opening ceremony where we had elected chiefs and the Maori tribe came out to meet us, enquiring whether we came in war or peace. Thankfully our chief had the right response and they welcomed us into the village. We got to see their ancient ways of basket weaving, cooking, and combat training. Then they performed some native Maori songs and dances for us. The really neat part was they encouraged us to take photos and videos of the performance, so that their culture will be passed on. Most performances require patrons to turn off cameras. The dinner was enjoyable. I think most of the dishes were actually more native New Zealand than native Maori. On the drive back our bus driver decided it was time for everyone else to entertain, so each country represented was supposed to sing a song from their country. And he enjoyed going round and round the roundabouts singing "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes".

This morning we each went our separate ways. Rachel went off to explore Rotorua, Terry went 4-wheeling, and I got picked up to conquer the Kaituna River, just a 2 km stretch of river that includes a 7 meter water fall. My record holds true: we didn't lose anyone in my raft. The other two rafts each lost two people on the falls (they got back in the boat afterwards). It was very enjoyable and exhilerating.

This afternoon's activity, for me at least, is zorbing. What is that you ask? Well, you'll have to wait until the next post to find out. The big question for me right now is: dry, wet, or both?

Serena

*The Tongariro Crossing (aka How to Give Rachel and Terry a Heart Attack)

Well, you already caught up with the end of the South Island tour, as we met up a few times with the other group. Kayaking was a blast, the stroll was neat. Unfortunately we didn't really get to sail - mostly motored back to the final beach. But it was neat to jump into the ocean a couple of times. And I maintain that the second time jumping in was not as cold as the first time. Maybe the bay was a little warmer, or I was just excited about swimming to Split Apple Rock.

After we parted ways on Sunday, we walked back to our campervan to find one of our headlights had burnt out. It was only one bulb on one side (each side has two), but we went to two gas stations and were unable to find the correct bulb. Then we decided to just continue on and deal with the light bulb the next day. We drove until about 11:00 and then stopped at a campground for the night. Since we were out fairly early the next morning, we never did see the caretakers, but just left our payment under the door.

Monday we continued North to Tongariro National Park. This has three main mountains in a circle, two of which are active volcanoes. It includes the volcano that was Mordor in Lord of the Rings. This area include New Zealand's most popular day trek, which claims to last 7-8 hours. Halfway through the trek, at the top of the mountain are the emerald pools, left behind by the volcano to reflect vibrant colors. As we started the journey, I half-jokingly told Terry and Rachel that I wanted to walk the whole crossing. About 45 minutes later I had left them and was heading up the mountain at a slightly quicker pace. The crossing is such that we had about an hour and a half walk where it rose only about one hundred feet, followed by a short stretch where we climbed up the mountain. I was able to look out from further up that stretch and see them climbing the bottom. Thankfully I got a little bit of a rest on walking across a plateau, which Rachel and Terry also crossed a little later. It was amazing to look around throughout the whole journey and picture how the volcano had formed the area around it. There were fields of volcanic rock in various formations. The plateau was a muddy substance, yet I could tell it was from the volcano. After the plateau there were two more inclines, with a smaller plateau between them. I summitted a couple of the lower mountains, not any of the main three in a row. At that point, I almost turned back, but I wasn't sure how far Rachel and Terry were going, and if I would be able to meet up with them. The wind at the top was very strong, and there was almost no protection from the mountain. Not only that, but it was more like volcanic dust that I was climbing up, which gave no grip. But there were some views from the top that were definitely worth it. I got to see what they call red crater, a gorgeous deep red fading to black valley inside the mountain. Shortly after that I reached the highest point and was able to see the emerald pools below me. They were pretty, but nothing compared to the blue pools and other pure water we had seen on the south island. The initial descent was very scary, as I was descending very steeply on volcanic dust or snow. After that, however, the path was very smooth. The descent was either an easy grade or there were steps cut into the path. The distance I descended was about twice as deep, and twice as long as the ascent. Shortly after I passed the pools I met up with a guy from Germany who was heading the same way. His girlfriend was waiting for him at a hut halfway down the descent. We walked to the hut together, which was enjoyable. We spoke a mixture of German and English. The descent was interesting because I could see most of the trail ahead of me, whereas the ascent twisted around a lot. All in all, I travelled 17 km in 6 hours, and I don't remember the height, but it was specatcular. Terry and Rachel did the first climb and got across the main plateau before they turned back.

After picking me up on the other end, we came North the Taupo. We stopped for dinner at Hell Pizza, very interesting restaurant/marketing. They have everything fit the theme, including phone numbers. The pizza boxes were also quite interesting. They have a tear-out box within the main pizza box that is smaller for leftovers. The campground we stayed at last night just happened to be attatched to the Taupo Hot Springs, which we got a discount into. After yesterday's exertion, we thoroughly enjoyed spending an hour this morning in the different temperature pools, ranging from 17 C to 42 C.

We hope to get the opportunity to explore some Maori culture today or tomorrow.

Hope you all are doing well!

Serena (and Terry and Rachel)

* Murphy's Law as it applies to Wilderness Sightings

So, it has been determined that I am no longer allowed to make reservations for wildlife trips. I'm lucky Terry and Rachel are still willing to let me come on them. I am afflicted by Murphy's Law with anything of the sort, and he pulled through again. Earlier in the trip we attempted to swim with dolphins but were told that the dolphins had left the bay we were going to. Then, yesterday we went on a whale watching tour. We stayed out on swells that were a meter and a half to two meters high for almost two hours without seeing anything. In the meantime, half the boat got seasick. It wasn't just waves, but also choppy. Finally we were at our time limit and were about five minutes headed back to shore when the boat turned around suddenly. The other boat for the company had a whale pop up right next to them, so we went back to try to get a view. We did get back to see the whale on the surface for a bit. He's a regular whale there, a sperm whale named Little Nick due to the nick in his fin; not his size. After we watched him for a couple minutes (Terry's feet got soaked as a wave came over the side of the boat; Rachel and I were on the upper deck), he raised his fluke and dove down again. Did you know that whales can stay underwater for over two hours, even though they breathe oxygen like us? The average length of time is only about 45 minutes. As we were leaving Little Nick, another whale dove near us. We only got to see the fluke, but it was pretty amazing as well. Especially knowing that they are completely wild.

So that was Thursday in Kaikoura. That was after we drove from Dunedin to Kaikoura on Wednesday. Apparently this is New Zealand's rainy season. The only day it really was rainy for us was on Wednesday, which we had set aside as a driving day. We started Wednesday morning by attempting to visit an Albatross sanctuary, but all the Albatross were offshore for breeding season, and there was no guarantee of seeing one. Then we toured Larnach Castle, the only castle in New Zealand. It was an enjoyable self-tour. They gave us a lot of the history of the original family and also the current owners. We then started our 8-hour journey up to Kaikoura, with a brief stop at the, umm..., some rocks that have quartzite in them. (I think. Otherwise Terry will come after me and edit this. =0)

Our whale watch tour was Thursday morning, and a good thing we booked the morning tour. By the time we got back, they had cancelled all afternoon tours. We spent a liesurely early afternoon in Kaikoura, had lunch, did some shopping, and stopped at a seal colony. We were seriously within meters of seals. Although I believe they are actually sea lions. After that we journeyed northwest to Nelson, the gateway to Tasman Abel National Park. This morning we slept in and then drove up to Manarau. We then cruised for three hours on a water taxi, seeing the shoreline. Again, absolutely breathtaking, as was Kaikoura. The water in both places is amazingly clear! And we have mountains, or at least large hills, right by the seashore. Tomorrow I'm hoping to kayak some of that shoreline.

We have a campsite for the night and will be meeting up with the other group for dinner shortly. Terry and I also went for a short, brisk swim in the ocean, since we are on the north end of the south island. It is frigid!

That's the news from the CamperVan. I hope you are all doing well!

Serena, Rachel, and Terry

* The Southern Dip from the CamperVan

(from the desk of Serena) Let's see... Last time I wrote it was from East to West. Now we're on West to East, via the South. We spent Saturday night camped in Queenstown. As Terry was writing the last post, we also saw Jason and Robin in the internet cafe. They were with us on our blackwater caving adventure. We then ran into them at the check-in for Fox Glacier. (They went on a different tour.) After Terry got done writing the post, the five of us went out to a bar together. Then Terry, Rachel, and I wandered around town for a bit.

Sunday morning started with a jet-boating trip. Justin, you'll be jealous. A jetboat sucks water in through on onboard propeller and shoots it out the back. They actually have two propellers, and that's how they turn. Also, once they get up on the water, they only need four inches to keep going. Our driver took us within inches of canyon walls. We also did 360 degree spins within a boat length at top speed - the only time that we got slightly wet on the journey. Sunday afternoon we split up. Terry went off-roading on a Lord of the Rings tour, while Rachel and I took a steamboat ride to a farm where we went horseback riding. Unfortunately we didn't get to do much riding - mostly sitting on the horses following our guide. But the scenery was gorgeous! (As if anything here isn't!) We also got to see a sheepdog at work bringing in sheep and a sheep-shearing demonstration. We met up with Terry at the camper about 6 pm and left for Manapouri, the gateway to Doubtful Sound.

Monday morning after calling a happy birthday wish to my mom, we got on a cruise to Doubtful Sound, which is actually the second largest fjord in New Zealand - larger than Milford Sound. It was an extensive tour during the eight hours - we took a boat ride across Laka Manapouri, switched to a motorcoach for an hour's drive across the mountains, and then got onto another cruiser to enjoy Doubtful Sound. History note: Doubtful Sound was originally named Doubtful Harbour by Captain Cook. As he sailed pass he declined to go in for fear that he would have unfavorable winds and be unable to make it out again. There are two islands that block the entrance to the Sound from most of the waves and breakers from the sea. Really, there are no words to describe the beauty we saw. There is no way to reach Doubtful Sound by vehicle without crossing Lake Manapouri, so we were the only ones out there. There was a time when the captain cut the engines and we got to spend a few minutes just listening to the nature around us.

On arriving back to shore we had dinner and then made our way Southeast to Invercargill. We were unable to meet up with the other group during our one night stay. This morning we got up and hit the road, after stopping at a pharmacy to get Rachel some medicine. Hopefully she can get over this cold soon so she can go scuba diving! She crashed in the back today while Terry drove us from Invercargill along the Southern Scenic Route to Dunedin. We stopped for some amazing views of the Ocean. At Curio Bay we saw the fossils of a 180-million year old forest (Think Jurassic Period). Repeated volcanic eruptions fossilized the tree stumps and some fallen logs which were buried by the sedintary rock. The remains can only be seen at low tide, which we were fortunate enough to be there for. All the Ocean views we saw were spectacular. The water was such a beautiful, pure blue-green. Rachel wants to live in the valleys of snow-capped mountains, but my home would be on a hill overlooking the ocean, so clear that you can tell the depths by the ocean color. Hopefully we'll get pictures up soon.

I hope you all are doing well!

Serena, Rachel, and Terry

* from East to West

(from the desk of Serena) Yesterday Terry, Rachel and I meandered from Akaroa on a bay on Banks Peninsula on the eastern side of NZ through Arthur's pass to Greymouth on the West side. Let's see you cross a country in a day! We had set the day aside for driving, so we stopped several times to enjoy scenery. Terry handled all the winding roads in our campervan wonderfully. I did have to tell him he could have found a more beautiful spot for lunch. He could only find an amazing valley with sparkling blue water. In the distance we had snow-capped mountains. Every now and then a small waterfall gushed out through the rock, falling about 50-100 feet before it hit the bottom. We also took a walk over a footbridge where we could see to the bottom of the 20 foot deep river that gushed through it. The bridge had a maximum of 5 people, until the end where we had to go down one at a time. We also went under a bridge that was built for water to flow across above us. It was wonderful driving through the valleys surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

We spent last night on the Seashore in Greymouth. Rachel and I saw a gorgeous sunset over the water. This morning we got up early to go on a blackwater tubing adventure. We were with an Australian couple, a British couple, and our guide. We had a 20 minute walk through gorgeous rainforest lands to the cave entrance. There was a lot of wandering through the caves and less tubing, but it was amazing. I felt like I was at Devil's Lake in the darkness. We had some small caverns that we climbed through. During our tubing sessions we got to see glowworms on the top of the caverns. At the end, Terry and I slid down a 30-foot natural waterslide. That was a rush! Then we got to enjoy their complimentary hot tub, muffins, and beer/wine.

From here, we plan to head South to Fox Glacier and then on to Queenstown, where we will hopefully catch up with the other group and exchange stories.

Hope you are all doing well!

Serena, Rachel, and Terry