New Zealand - Day 6

November 8, 2010

Today is the day I have been least looking forward to: the day of our longest drive from Dunedin to Christchurch. We planned a route that would hopefully be scenic but honestly had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, Lisa had done some research on other cool things to do in and around Dunedin before we left town so we ended up having a very fun and eventful day after all.

This morning, after a Starbucks run (yes, they have Starbucks in New Zealand!), James and I visited Cadbury World!! He's a big fan of Cadbury Easter eggs and we were very excited to discover that not only does this company make a whole lot more than chocolate eggs, but one of their primary factories was only a couple of minutes from our hotel! One of the big things to do there is take a tour of the factory. Unfortunately we didn't have time for that, so the staff were very gracious and at least let us take some pictures and buy a few things from the gift shop. There were so many different chocolate products, from candy bars to boxed assortments to baking goods and hot cocoa!

After we got our fill of sugar and creme, we piled back into the car and drove around trying to find Baldwin Street - the world's steepest street according to The Guinness Book of World Records. It's got a 35% grade and couldn't be paved with traditional tar and asphalt because it would slide down the hill on a warm day. We honestly weren't sure what to expect before we arrived, but it really was unbelievably steep. James decided he wanted to try driving up to the top, and it was so scary! The car almost didn't make it to the top. When we got up there we parked and took a few pictures. It was hard to walk down because we felt like we might over-balance and tumble all the way down. It was a totally random stop but we actually had a lot of fun!

Looking down from the top. AHHH!

I set the camera on the pavement to take this picture

so you can get an idea of the crazy angle on which

these houses are built.

Next we drove up the coast and stopped to see one of the natural mysteries of the South Island: The Moeraki Boulders. They are big, perfectly round boulders formed by ancient sediments and slowly exposed again through erosion. They look so unnatural - like dinosaur eggs or something the aliens might have left behind. haha. We certainly had fun climbing all over them and taking pictures.

From there we drove a couple of hours inland to see the beautiful region of Twizel, which consists of rolling, golden grasslands, stunning turquoise lakes and a section of the South Alps that includes New Zealand's tallest mountain: Mt. Cook. For those nerds in the audience, this region served as the backdrop for the largest battle at the end of The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The battle of Pelennor Fields. Twizel had the perfect combination of massive, snow-capped mountains overlooking sweeping, uninhabited fields. It's definitely an impressive landscape.

One of the most memorable parts of the drive was seeing the water in that region. Due to glacial silt in the lakes and reservoirs, they are a bright, almost unnatural shade of turquoise. It was strange seeing water that is a brighter blue than the sky. We got out a couple of times to take pictures of the lakes and Mt. Cook, then continued on our long (7 hour) drive to Christchurch.

Check out that water!

Mt. Cook across the lake.

Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand but still only has about 300,000 residents. On the outskirts of the city are sprawling suburbs with lots of shops and restaurants. We also noticed they have a lot of home improvement stores. We found out later that Christchurch is called The Garden City because one of their primary hobbies is gardening.

We didn't see any damage or evidence of the recent 7.0 earthquake that we had heard so much about until we got into the city center where our hotel was located. There were construction cones everywhere, lots of dust and gravel in the gutters, parts of the store fronts were missing and most of the upstairs windows were broken or boarded up. We heard that they are still having repeated aftershocks and so I don't know how quickly they will be able to be replaced. Many of the businesses there in downtown had been closed or relocated for the time being. It was a very ominous feeling as we arrived at the door of The Living Space Apartment Hotel.

On the website this looked like a very modern, chic place to stay in the inner city, but in actuality it's more like an upscale backpacker's hostel. We had a 2 bed, 1 bath apartment, furnished with what looks like dorm furniture. But each couple got their own room and it had a kitchenette where we could make our own breakfast so, for the price, we really can't complain.

The best part about staying here is that we were located within walking distance of the shops and restaurants on the river front as well as the heart of the city: Cathedral Square. We ate dinner at a restaurant called the Coyote Street Bar & Restaurant. It was kind of a Mexican fusion place. The food was good but, as was typical in New Zealand, it took forever for our food to be delivered. We've decided it's because they work with fresh ingredients and probably wait to cook the entire meal until after you order it, which makes for incredible food (if you're willing to wait for it.) It seems like most kiwis are more than willing. They have such a laid back culture that I'm sure taking 2 hours for dinner it not a big deal to them at all. Such a New Zealand attitude - no worries! Cheers!

New Zealand - Day 5

November 7, 2010

This morning we had to hit the road early and drive to our next destination: Dunedin (pronounced doo-NAY-din). This drive was not nearly as stunning as they have been over the past two days - just a bunch of sheep pastures and small towns. But Lisa and I enjoyed looking out for bouncing lambs - one of the cutest things ever!!

We arrived in Dunedin around 1:30 and checked into the Sahara Guest House - a kitchy old-fashioned B&B where we were all sharing one big room. The bedding and wallpaper were very traditional (and outdated) but the ceiling is ornate and the antique feel gives the place charm.

After getting settled into our room we went to an awesome lunch spot frequented by the local college crowd called The Governor's Cafe. It was very cold outside and we knew we were about to step out into the elements for several hours so we filled up on hot coffee, warm sandwiches and soup. The food and service were outstanding and we would have definitely gone back if we could.

Unfortunately we couldn't linger because the bus for Elm Wildlife Tours would be picking us up at our hotel at 3:00. This was a major find during our research and we were so excited! The tour took us way out on the Otago peninsula and showed us a bit of the local wild birds - namely albatross, as well as fur seals, sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins. Personally, I was still a little apprehensive since we were going to be out in the freezing cold for six hours, but it was SO worth it.

One of the main reasons the tour was so great was because we had a couple of fabulous guides. They were both funny and knowledgeable, and taught us a lot about the history of New Zealand and how its landscape and wildlife population have changed dramatically over the years. Turns out New Zealand is the meeting place of 3 separate tectonic plates. The plates are all sliding in different ways beneath the North and South islands which explains the difference in seismic activity between them. Also, New Zealand was apparently the first land mass to break off from Pangaea and the last one to be inhabited by humans and so for millenia there were no land mammals here. It was all marine animals and tons of birds that exist no where else in the world. All other wildlife now in New Zealand has been introduced by settlers. But because there are no natural predators for them, many of these animals (as well as over-hunting by the Maori people and Europeans) have altered the ecosystem dramatically.

There are still a lot of bird species that are only found in New Zealand and we got to see many of them on the tour. The main ones we were on the look-out for were Albatross, which pretty much look like gigantic seagulls. I'm not usually a big fan of bird watching but our tour guide's hilarious commentary on their unique mating habits made that part of the tour quite fun - even if it was cold and windy outside.

They have a wing span of about 3 meters (9 feet)!!

From there we drove out onto the Peninsula to see some seals and penguins! Our tour group split in half, and our smaller group hiked down a steep hill to an overlook where we could see some fur seals lounging on a large outcropping of rock. The hike was pretty brutal and I wasn't sure if I'd make it back up to the top, but the view and the cute seals were well worth the effort.

The seals and penguins live on land owned by private sheep farmers

but Elm Wildlife Tours has permission to take people out there.

This is one of the reasons the tour was worth the investment -

there is no way we would have gotten this close to these

animals on our own!

This seal was so fat!

So excited to see these cute seals!!

These guys were curious and hopped up the rocks to

a ledge right below us. SO CUTE!

Unfortunately that was only the first half of the trek. I really wasn't sure if I was going to survive another long hike down a steep cliff to the beach where the sea lions and penguins live. But those penguins were the whole point of me going on this tour so I decided to risk it and trust that the pictures would be worth the pain and embarrassment. I am really glad that I went!

First, we caught a glimpse of a miniature blue penguin in its nest. These are the smallest penguins in the world! We couldn't see it very well - just a tiny wing and some white fluff above their little feet, but it was in there! Then we walked out onto the beach and saw some huge male sea lions fight for territory. The warnings our tour guide gave us about how fast they can run on land and how strong they are was enough to make me stand back a bit. But thankfully these giants were not interested in us - only in each other.

This younger seal popped out of the ocean to

check out the action. The other seals weren't

too happy about him butting in.

Finally, we got to walk over to the penguin observatory and watch them slowly pop up out of the water and waddle up the beach. Then they hopped up the rocks to join their buddies on the green hill above where we were sitting. We were surprised by how few of them there were, but apparently they are fairly anti-social penguins. But they are still cute and fun to watch! Our tour guide made sure to note that this is one of the only places in the world where we could see penguins and sheep hanging out together. haha.

After several minutes of penguin-spotting, our group climbed up yet another steep hill to see where the penguins were nesting, but James and I decided to stay behind so that I would have enough strength to hike back up to the bus. I didn't feel like we missed out on much, and we enjoyed seeing a few more penguins appear and waddle up the beach. What an experience!!

Finally, it was time to head back. By grace I had the strength to make it back up. At this point the official part of the tour was over and we were left to our own thoughts during the 40 minute drive back. James and I sat in the front row and were highly amused listening to the tour guides' conversation. Apparently the main guy also dabbles in acting and tried out for a small speaking role in The Hobbit. I hope he gets the part so we can say we met someone in the movie!

The view on the way back was pretty spectacular as the city lights sprang to life and were reflected in the harbor. I tried to get a picture of the dozens of orange streaks on the still, purple water but the bus was moving too fast and they turned out blurry. Oh well.

That night we just relaxed in our room. I journaled while Derick ordered what he thought would be a large pizza but it turns out a jumbo pizza in New Zealand is only 14 inches! Then we all crowded around his laptop and watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother until we fell asleep. Good times!!

Christmas is in the Air!!

It's my favorite time of year! Now that Thanksgiving is over and the left-overs are safely tucked away in the fridge, it's time to start decorating for Christmas! Last year we bought a nice artificial tree in an after-Christmas sale. We weren't sure if they would sell real ones in Japan, and knew that either way we wouldn't have much room so this seemed like a good option. I'll admit that our first thought when we pulled the parts out of the box was: "Really? That's it?" It looked pretty wimpy. But now that we've got all the branches fanned out and decked-out with lights and tinsel I think it looks very beautiful.

We (and by we I really mean I because my wonderful husband always does the hard work putting up the tree and then lets me do whatever I want with the rest of the decorations) decided to go with a red and gold theme this year. I was wanting something a bit more sophisticated and cohesive than our usual mish-mash of every color under the rainbow. The tree looks especially good against our burgundy wall. =^)

I love these colors because they always

remind me of our wedding day.

Another cool thing about this color scheme is

that it goes with our Japanese decorations.

I also put lights and garlands on top of James' desk and

the TV stand. Twinkly lights everywhere I turn!

Add a little pine and cinnamon scent to the air

and Christmas has officially arrived!

Thanksgiving Interlude

We interrupt our regularly scheduled recap of the New Zealand trip to bring you a tale of Thanksgiving...

This year many of the people from our squadron decided to stay here in Misawa for Thanksgiving, so we had many people to celebrate my favorite holiday with. In fact - there were a few too many celebrations to choose from! We finally ended up selecting two Thanksgiving feasts to attend - the first one around lunch time was a large gathering from the squadron, and the second, primary meal that night at Derick and Lisa's house with our neighbors and Lisa's work associates.

The big squadron Thanksgiving meal was held at one of the recreation rooms in a tower housing unit here on North Base. Everyone brought a dish or two to share and we all sat around small tables, eating and laughing together. Honestly one of my favorite things from this party was my friend Rachel's cider that she made with sparkling cider, ginger and cranberries. SO beautiful and refreshing!

There was so much good food that we had to be careful not to fill up before the main event. Derick and Lisa had our friend buy the largest turkey they could find at the commissary and stick it in their freezer while we were gone. Sure enough, they came home to a 23 lb. frozen bird!! Lisa has this incredible recipe from Martha Stewart and so she has been working on thawing, brining, marinating, and stuffing this bird all week, plus rubbing butter under its skin and all kinds of other fabulous tricks that made it, no joke, the best turkey I have ever tasted!

SO EXCITED!

23 lbs of juicy, meaty goodness.

When it came time to carve the turkey, there was an awkward pause as we asked who wanted to do the honors. Thankfully there was one man in the house who knew what he was doing, and so our neighbor Nate Denton picked up a knife and went to town. There were exclamations from all as he lifted out the first of two massive turkey breasts. There was NO WAY that our modest gathering of 10 could even make a dent in that mound of meat.

You can see that she stuffed it with apples and onions!

Any of you who have eaten Thanksgiving dinner with me in the past, you know I'm all about the side dishes. Between Lisa and I, we had a decent spread. At James' request, I made my grandmother's now world-famous sweet potato casserole. As always, people said these were some of the best sweet potatoes they've ever had. I also decided to attempt making my grandmother's creamed corn. This has been my favorite holiday food for as long as I can remember, and I'd be completely satisfied if my Thanksgiving meal consisted of nothing but a giant, steaming vat of this stuff. Considering this was my first-ever attempt at it, the corn turned out ok. But it's going to take several more tries to get it anywhere close to the creamy goodness my grandmother can whip up. I also used our bread maker to make some honey wheat bread.

Lisa's contributions far outweighed my own. She had an entire menu planned out of dishes from Martha - including real cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, stuffing, baked artichokes, blanched green beans and an assortment of apple and pumpkin pies made from scratch! Oh, it was SO GOOD!

James decided he wanted dark meat so he tore off a drumstick.

So full, happy and very thankful for awesome friends. =^)