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Archive - August 2011

South Island: The First 4 Days

Wednesday:  Wellington to Nelson It was time to say goodbye to the North Island and board the Interislander Ferry for the 3.5 hour transit to the South Island.  Boarding just a few kilometers north of Wellington CBD, the Ferry was much like a small cruise ship, complete with reclining chairs, cafes, movie theater, and a playground for passengers, vehicles, and...

10 Things I Have Learned in My First 10 Days

10 Things I Have Learned in My First 10 Days in Aotearoa (New Zealand) 1. The Maori people are beautiful souls who are raised in a tradition of valuing one’s ancestry, respecting nature, and honoring eachother’s spirit. 2. New Zealanders (or Kiwis, as they call themselves) are some of the most hospitable people we have ever encountered.  Nearly every day...

Wellington: Te Papa, Gardens, Beehive, & Mt. Vic

Sunday:  Rotorua to Wellington Sunday was road trip day, as we made our way south from Rotorua, past Lake Taupo and into the southern wine country before arriving into Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Our first stop was to Huka Falls, a huge rushing stream of the Waikato River as it makes its way downstream.  Huka Falls is located just a few kilometers from...

Rotorua: Sulphur, Geothermals, and Te Po

Friday:  Rotorua Rotorua stinks…  But that’s a great thing when you are visiting one of the most active geothermal areas on the planet.  The smell is sulfur and it is everywhere in this town.  As volcanic steam is released through the surface via geysers, steam vents, and boiling mud, it also contains sulfur, among a number of elements and minerals...

Waitomo: Glowworms, Caves, & Bushwalks

Wednesday:  Pahia to Waitomo and Glowworms Today was primarily a transit day, with a 7:30am start from Pahia, back aboard the NakedBus to make our way back to Auckland.  Phillip, our driver, brought his own iPod and connected it to the coach’s stereo system and he provided us with a great range of music as we wound our way back into the City Center. From here...

Northland: Pahia, Cape Reinga, & 90 Mile Drive

Monday:  Auckland to Paihia On Monday morning, as the big polar storm was making its way deep into New Zealand, Natalie and I headed to Britomart (Central Transport Centre for buses and trains) in downtown Auckland to pick up our bus to get to the North.  A couple minutes before 8am, our jet black NakedBus arrived and Mike, our driver loaded the 7 of us and our...

Auckland: Where Big City Meets Kiwi Charm…

It really wouldn’t be fair for us to have traveled thousands of miles to say that Auckland is a lot like San Francisco, but there seems to be something of a separated at birth feeling about this place.  Tall buildings dominate the downtown area near the waterfront, there is a bustling workforce that floods the area each morning and afternoon as folks arrive for...

Kia Ora: The First 24 Hours…

(Note:  The best way to see all of the pictures from the trip on a regular basis is to check out the Photo page, where full galleries and slideshow are available…) After a new travel record of 6 total minutes from check in counter to completion of security checkpoints, Natalie and I made our way to gate G93 at SFO to meet up with a massive 747-400 that would be...

The Day That Almost Doesn’t Exist…

The International Date Line has a way of seriously messing with your head… Our flight takes off at 9:45pm on Tuesday, August 9th.  We arrive at 5:40am, Thursday, August 11th and yet, we’re only flying 13 hours. This post pays a moment of tribute (because that is about all we will be able to experience of it) to Wednesday, August 10th, 2011. I’m sure...

The First Step…

Turning a dream into reality is not easy… Anyone that tells you otherwise is choosing to ignore many of the details between the start of the venture and when it all finally comes together, or is just plain lying to make you feel better about the process. Yes, there might be a moment of brilliant clarity when all of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place or...

How-To: Packing for 3, 7, 10, 14, or 100 Days

Q:  How does one pack for 100 days of travel? A:  The same way as one packs for 3 or 7 or 10 or 14 days of travel. Apologies in advance if you were expecting a long post full of pictures and reviews on every single item that we packed for the big trip.  You won’t find this here.  Instead, we simply offer some suggestions and a downloadable resource that helped...

It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye…

On August 1st, after 6 years with my current company, I said goodbye. I have been very fortunate to work with some really great people and as many of my colleagues have done, I sent a message to those that I have worked with over the years to reflect on the time and the experience.  Here is the text of that message: It’s not often that someone gets the chance to say...