First of the firsts....

We're back in Calgary living off the generosity of our friends here. It's a little surreal being here for such a quick visit. We feel as though we're still just tourists!

While we were in New Zealand, Krysti and I were careful to note some of the "Firsts" of the trip. I thought I'd share a few of the more exciting ones.

First time across the equator:

First swim under a waterfall:

First Octopus:

This one counts for two...First sea cave AND first Penguin!

First 747 (I didn't get to go upstairs though), first time living Wednesday twice, first eel.... There are way more, I just don't want to bore you all! All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic trip.

Thank-you New Zealand!

Final NZ Days....

We've just returned from a few days of tramping on the Kepler Track. Man, the alpine huts here are deluxe! They even come with entertainment.... This is a Kea.
He is an alpine parrot...an absolute clown. We saw him when tramping the Kepler Track. We went to a mountain. We also saw a funny sign.

Hope all is well! We'll see you soon.

Abel Tasman...WOW!

The South Island is FABULOUS! From the Abel Tasman to Nelson Lakes to the West Coast, this place just keeps getting better! We've been having a blast tramping about where-ever we can find a trail. We've also discovered two of New Zealand's best pests: sand flies, and wekas. On the "annoying bug spectrum" sand flies are right up there with mosquitos. I've taken to calling them Satan's little helpers. Wekas are these goofy flightless birds that pester you when your camping. They're fun!

Lyndsay, get better!

Sorry, no pictures allowed here...internet rules. Bye for now.

Caution, Soft ground.

So we've been all over, gravel roads, mud roads, pavers, wet grassy campgrounds ... NO PROBLEM! Then, yesterday, while trying to select a perfect campsite, TRAPPED! Our poor little van was swallowed up in this bizzare mix of sand and gravel. Oh well, at least I got to dig until some kind fellow campers came to push us out. Welcome to the South Island!

Canadians have high albedo.

Kia Orana from New Zealand!

This place is FANTASTIC! Aside from Auckland, the entire time we've been here we've been asking ourselves why didn't we come sooner?? Why are we leaving so soon???? We've been here less than a week and we've fallen in love with the place! So far, we've beached, we've jungle walked (on the Cook Islands), we've dune jumped...we're even driving on the opposite side of the road... like we know what we're doing! So far, no kiwi-bird sightings, but lots of kiwi-fruits.

Here's a highlight from Auckland...

So-long Cow Town!

It's been a slice, but it's time for Little and I to be moving on...moving on. Our bags are packed, and we're on our way to New Zealand. Ya-hoo!

Uh-oh...Calgary "culture" rubbing off on me...DANGER!

See you on the flip side,

B+K