The Ends of the Earth

Having just arrived home from a 16 day road trip around the north island of New Zealand, I am overwhelmed by all of the things I could write. First, the trip would have absolutely not been the same if it wasn't for the amazing company I had: Lindsay, Larissa, and Chris made the trip what it was. I cannot count the number of times we laughed until it hurt.......

For fear of dragging this out and wanting to include every detail, I will pinpoint the highlights. First, our main tour even started out in Abel Tasman National Park where we a) stayed in a tipi, b) did a full day trip of sea kayaking, c) saw the most beautiful look-out spots, d) Larissa and I went skydiving from 13,000 feet!!, e) went on a 24 km walk that absolutely killed my legs the next day.

Then it was off to Wellington where we felt odd being in the city again and wanted to be in the small country towns. But we finally received our little rental car and then there was just no stopping us. Next it was off to Taupo/Rotorua where I did the 143 foot pluge from the Swoop. Pretty crazy. Then we sadly lost Chris to a small fire at his apartment after which he flew home to assess the damage. We missed him though. Then Coramandel came which I was unable to see due to a 24 hour flu I caught somewhere along the way. Sad I know, but true. Finally, it was off to Apihara and Cape Reinga where we saw the very end of New Zealand and where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific. We then were shown one of the hugest sand dunes I have ever seen and we proceeded to toboggan down it which was unreal. We also crusied along 90 mile beach, an actual beach that is used as a highway as it is too far north to build a decent road. Our final destination was Auckland where we braved the Sky Tower and I was reunited with my two kiwi friends, Jeanne and Helen, that I had met in Thailand in January.

There you have it, 16 days crammed into two small paragraphs. I could go on and on about but I figured I would just include the major highlights. Of course, we saw many more things (National Museum) and many more places (Nelson, Picton, Whangarei) that I could have included. It was truly and sincerely one of the most amazing trips I have had and it actually felt like we were gone a month as we had done so much in such little time. My favorite was Cape Reinga because it looked like a paiting with all of the colors meshed into one: blues, greens, whites, aqua; all rolling onto the same shore.

Catch Phrase was a popular pastime and I successfully finished two books. I truly could not have asked for a better holiday. The roads in NZ as we soon found out, are among the windiest in the world, I am sure, and travelling over many mountains and hills and valleys was a daily routine. It honestly and whole heartedly feels like I have seen and experienced one of the most beautiful countries in the world and I feel nothing short of blessed.

Now for Monday, where it is back to the grind of PSIII......