Dog Days

One thing we are seeing a lot of here are dog beaches, dogs are allowed on almost all beaches! Beth and I keep saying how much we think Zara would love it here because she could run and jump in the surf and catch the drift wood logs that float in. She would have a blast if she was here. The one thing that will be hard about being away for so long is not being able to see my puppy dog! :( boo hoo, but 5 monts will go by way to quickly though and I need to focus on enjoying every minute of it!!
PS Beth took these pics...

You know I had to add this pic in... she is just so cute!

Drive to Nelson!

Well today we left Greymouth and headed to Nelson! Nelson is a town along the northern coast of the southern island. The Nelson area is famous for its amazing wine! Savinon Blanc to be specific.

Today was the day. We woke up, and it was raining... and it was raining hard! It was a bit sketchy driving through the winding mountain passes through fog and rain! But we made it to Nelson safe and sound. We walked about the city center and had some food, and stopped at a pub to watch some of the superbowl, of course, and wandered around the big cathedral. We went down to the beach around 6pm and just for the hour we were there at the beach, the sun came out! Beautiful sunny skies and no clouds to block it! So we soaked in as much sun as possible and called it a night, for we have an early day tomorrow! More to come!

Kiwi Life.

There are about 4 million people who live in New Zealand, around 900,000 on the south island. There are about 10 million people who live in the LA area in the States! So it isn't heavily populated here but one thing there are a lot of.... Sheep! Tons and tons of sheep! around 75 million sheep in NZ! But the Merino wool that comes from here is some of the most coveted in the world!

Greymouth

Greetings! Well today Beth and I left Franz Joseph Glacier and made the trek to Greymouth, a seaside town on the west coast. We stopped south of the town for awhile to walk along the beach and hunt for New Zealand jade that washes up on the beach at the mouth of the river, and we found tons! We then got an ice cream and kept heading north. We checked in early to our hotel and then drove north to Paparoa National Park to see the beautiful pancake rocks! The rocks were formed by a weathering process called stylobedding, with layering of limestone and mudstone that looks like stacks of pancakes! They were amazing! And at high tides there are formations called blowholes where the surf comes in so quickly that it hits the rock and is shot out the top through small holes! Incredible! Well that’s all for now!

Franz Joseph Glacier

Today Beth and I had a lovely time. We started our day with a nice little breakfast sitting by an outdoor fireplace and enjoying a nice coffee. We have had the most amazing coffee since we have been here. We then did another hike through the valley but this time up to Franz Joseph Glacier. We had great views with some of the only sun of the day. This whole area is temperate rainforest so it is usually cloudy and rainy but we have been so lucky and not had a lick of rain! It was very different hiking across tons of rocks and boulders that Beth described as a lunar landscape. We then took a little detour, of course, for me to climb some rocks and explore the base of a few waterfalls. We then drove a few miles down to the coast to walk along though the wetlands and walk along the beach where the sun was shining and we had some time for me to pick some unique rocks up from the coastline, which we later found out was the Expensive New Zealand green stone or Jade! We then drove back to town for a little relaxation at the Glacial Hot Pools, and a leisurely dinner and the local bar. We then waited until dark, around 9:30, so we could do a short walk to a nearby cave to see some glowworms! I was so excited, so beth and ventured out in the dark with my head lamp and some flash lights, get all the way up the hill and are about to go into the cave and find a sign that tells us the track is closed due to flood damage… L BOOO! So we turned around, and went back to the room and watched the end of the Wellington Sevens, Rugby matches. All in all a pretty awesome day!!!

Drive to Franz Joseph Glacier

Today Beth and I woke up early. We had a long day of travel from Queenstown to Franz Joseph Glacier. We took our time getting there though. What should have been a 4 ½ hour drive turned into 8! We were driving up and down winding roads through mountain passes and passing all of the ski fields! There are a ton of skiing resorts in Queenstown and Central Otago! We drove past Wanaka and the lake, which is the south islands largest lake. We then entered into Mt. Aspiring national park. This place was incredible! High mountain peaks with snow on the top and it turns into dense rainforest! We took a little detour to hike into the blue pools, which was a little hiking trail that winds down through the rainforest and opens up onto some little suspension bridges that give you a view down to these deep pools that form in the glacially fed rivers. The turquoise color of the glacial waters is difficult to describe and I don’t think you would even believe how gorgeous it is unless you were here! We also stopped at the Gates of Haast, a roaring river with huge glacial boulders in it. Right as we were leaving the park the up and down roads flatten out to a river valley. Wow was this incredible, I cant describe it so check out the pic below! As I was trying to take these pictures because I was in awwe of how beautiful it was I left Beth at a rest stop and started venturing toward the bridge. I then realized that if I tramp down through the undergrowth I can get a really amazing shot from underneath the bridge! So down I went, not following any trail and getting speared by wild rose bushes and sinking into the bush. But I dint care! It was so amazing I hope my photo can do it justice! I then come up from under the bridge to find beth on the side of the road hollering my name because she was worried something happened to me! Doesn’t she know by now that if there is an opportunity for me to do something a little crazy I am going to take it! We then left Mt. Aspiring NP L but we still had a long way to go. We came out to travel by the coast and we had our first glimpses of the Tasman Sea. Blue, turquoise waters with big surf is the usual there, and it was magnificent. Before we got to Franz Joseph Glacier we stopped and hiked in the blistering sun up the valley to see Fox Glacier. It really is incredible to see the power that these glaciers have had on forming the landscapes. Huge U shaped valleys with big boulders and cliff faces that have scrapes on them from being grinded along in the ice. How amazing. We were then so tired when we finally arrived that we had a big dinner and went back to our room. We then watched a few Rugby matches (something New Zealanders are crazy about!) and listened to the locals at the bar cheering and singing into the night and celebrating the All Blacks win! I think I can get into this sport! Bye for now!

This one!

Last day of Queenstown

Greetings from NZ! Well, today we took it pretty easy, not as crazy as yesterday! We slept in and had an amazing breakfast at a little café on the water. We then rode the Gondola up the mountain side right in Queenstown! It was beautiful views of the city and lake Wakatipu. We also did a little shopping in town J. We then walked all around the town and through the beautiful botanical gardens. What fun! Especially Beth, since we know she loves a good garden. And we ended our day with the most amazing dinner! 3 hr. slow roasted Rib eye! YUMMM! Cheers for now!