Here we go...

So in Christchurch from November 25 (my last blog entry with any substance) until December 23 (when Devin arrived and the mayhem ensued) I pretty much worked all the time. I worked early in the morning on the weekends usually running the cash register. On weekdays I mostly took meals to the tables and did dishes and things like that. I only worked at night waitressing a few times. One night (the night we got a new cash register system) we were really slow and then REALLY busy. It was a total rush. So I think that makes it count as official waitressing experience.
On my few days off we walked around the botanical gardens, picnicing by the river and watching the kayaks and punting boats go by. We also visited the Canterbury Museum and the Art Gallery and did boring stuff like grocery shopping.

On Brian's birthday (December 16) I had to work during the day and then we had a staff holiday party in the evening. So on the 15th we drank some wine with Aulikki and then hit the pizza restaurant around the corner and then ate some ice cream sundae at a cafe before having a bit of a singalong on the back porch. Happy birthday Brian, now you are old like me!

The holiday party was held at a Chinese restaurant in town (the owner of the cafe/my boss, Mia, is Chinese) we had tons of plates of food and 2 Peking Roast Ducks (delicious btw). There was also plenty of wine/beer consumed and we were a jolly crowd.

Devin arrived on the 23rd and after Brian picked him and the rental car up (during which time I called my family at their Christmas gathering and chatted them all up, hooray! Hey Palars!) we hit the road (after showing him around Chch a bit) through Arthur's Pass in the centerish of the South Island, en route to Greymouth. We stayed at a really nice backpackers with a spa pool that we made good use of.

Dec. 24th: Spent the morning (8am-1pm) caving. We were outfitted in wet suits, helmets and gum boots, climbed in the back of a truck, rode to the entrance of a forest path, walked through the forest for 40 minutes in the wet suit (it was really good that it was rainy and cool that morning!) and then climbed through a cave. We swam through a bit of COLD water to wet the suits, we jumped off a waterfall and were dunked into the water... deeper than expected! Then we floated down a little stream with our lamps off so we could see the hundreds of glow worms glowing green above us. Then we sat on a rock and ate a candy bar and drank some cocoa and turned around and did it all backwards... except we climbed up the water fall and squeezed through a tiny little canal called the love canal. Then we went back to HQ hit the spa with wine and a muffin, hit the showers and then hit the road. We took a walk to pancake rock and to a seal colony. Then we headed HOME to Blenheim to spend Christmas with Marj and Bob and Tadeu on the vineyard. We were greeted with a pile of mail and boxes, wine and good conversation.

Dec. 25th: I struggled to stay asleep past 5am... but decided 7 was early enough and got up then to shower and make coffee while the others still slept (obviously not as excited as me). When Brian got up we had a bit of coffee and some breakfast and then (finally) it was present time! Socks and underwear, peanut butter and miracle whip, money, mail, newspapers, cookies, magazines, crown royal, Qwitch (from Brian's mom... Best game ever!), Burt's Bees, and a Do-it- Ewe-r self NZ Sweater making kit from Quinn... what a silly boy! We took turns calling our families, it was great to talk to the Hall/Esbeck crew at my house. Best Christmas ever! Even though it rained until noon. The weather cleared up around noon and we started preparing our feast! Bob grilled a turkey with stuffing and made venison and sausage stuffed peppers. Brian and Devin chopped veggies and made salsa and guac. I made rhubarb and pumpkin pies as well as a meat pie from the leftover pepper stuffing. We were joined by some other Christmas orphans... Ronan and Amanda, a Brazilian couple working for Marj and Bob and John, a Bostonian in NZ on a wine tour. It was a lovely day, full of food and friends and all that good stuff.

Dec. 26: I drove Brian and Devin to several wineries for wine tastings. We took a break in the middle of them to return to the vineyard for some leftovers+ BLTs (with miracle whip-- thanks Caitlin!). After a full day of tastings we camped out in the tent and played Qwitch while enjoying tea and biscotti. The rain stopped in the late evening so we had a dry night camping.

Dec. 27: Brian and I organized and packed our stuff and we hit the road again. We stocked up on a few days worth of groceries and headed to Picton for coffee and sandwiches at Le Cafe and then a lovely ferry ride to Wellington. It was fun to do the ferry in a car this time. We drove to the top of Mt. Victoria for the good views of Wellington. Then we found a backpackers where Devin slept in a dorm and Brian and I camped outside. It was a windy night and the tent flapped around so much that Brian moved to the car. It started raining at 7 am which was enough to get it sufficiently wet, especially since it was still flapping around and spraying into the tent at times.

Dec. 28: We dropped Devin at Te Papa while we visited an art gallery we had missed on our last pass through the city. We bought some more tent stakes and proceeded on to our next campsite. We made a lovely soup/stew for dinner and Brian and Devin built a beautiful fire out of wet wood!

Dec. 29: We took a morning walk through the bush forest next to the campsite. Then we dismantled our campsite and drove on to Mt. Bruce, a wildlife reserve where we finally saw a tuatara lizard (continuous line back to dinosaurs, called a living fossil) and a KIWI! They have the Kiwi enclosure set up with opposite lighting so during the day it looks like night (Kiwis are nocturnal) and we saw the Kiwi in the burrow with a night camera and watched as it came out and hopped around looking for food. It was so cool. We saw some other birds too... whatever. Then we ate some kiwis (the fruit) and hit the road again. This time stopping at the Tui (local beer) Brewery and then in Palmerston North to have coffee with Rudyard, a former wwoof host. We stocked up on provisions for the coming days and drove to Whakapapa Village at the Tongariro National Park (the world's 2nd oldest National Park after Yellowstone). We set up camp and got to bed as soon as we could make ourselves tired.

Dec. 30: We woke up at 4:45 and started taking down the campsite so we could be on the trail at the Tongariro Crossing as early as possible. We started at 6:50 and finished in 7.5 hours with a decent lunch break and MANY catch my breath and rest my out of shape body breaks. Brian probably would have been able to make a better time without Devin and I holding him back. It was good to have a slacker buddy though! Thanks Devdev! Despite being really tired and stupidly sunburned (arms/shoulders/knees) we had fun and really enjoyed the scenery. We got milkshakes to ease our weary bodies and continued on to Taupo where we dipped our swollen feet in the lake and emailed our mommies before buying more provisions and showing Devin around town-- mostly to Huka Falls-- and proceeding on to Rotorua. We returned to the backpackers where Brian and I stayed and camped for the first time a few months ago. This meant showers and a spa pool, both of which were DESPERATELY needed. We were too tired to cook so we got a ton of fish and chips instead.

Dec. 31: Packed up and sent Devin to check out the cool boiling mud and geysers and steamy lakes next to the backpackers while we cleaned up the site. Then we hopped in a bit plastic ball and rolled down a hill... Zorbing again! It was great... again! We headed straight for Auckland and arrived in time to drive around and see the sights a bit before meeting Matt and Isabel. Matt is a Knox alum who is good friends with Laura Lane-- director of the Knox College Choir. He and Isabel live in Auckland and invited us to stay, even over the new year! We arrived and helped them prepare for a dinner party to be held there that night. Their friends arrived and before dinner we were treated to a mini recital of art songs. So fun! Brian even participated with his Knox Choir audition piece. Dinner was amazing, the conversation was wonderful and before midnight we climbed a little hill to see fireworks being shot off the Sky Tower downtown.

Jan. 1, 2008: Happy New Year! We visited the Auckland Domain Museum, specifically the exhibition on Darwin. Then we took Devin to the airport and bid him adieu! It was so much fun to have another traveling buddy to entertain and to be our excuse to do fun things a second time! Thanks for the fun Devin! And thanks for taking 2 bags full of our stuff home! For dinner, we had scallops that Matt had been diving for and that Brian helped shuck the day before. Then we watched an episode of Carl Sagan's Cosmos which put me right to sleep.

Jan. 2: We were going to hit the road and head north today but Brian and I were invited to be the crew on the yacht that Matt shares with his friend John. We met John at noon with some sandwiches and hit the water for 5 hours. We took turns at the helm (steering the boat) and Brian got to pull on some ropes attached to sails. It was a gorgeous day. Not too windy, so we didn't go very fast, but it was relaxing, as sailing should be they say. We had a lovely afternoon on the sea with John. And now, I want to be a sailor.

Jan. 3: We packed up, hit the supermarket and headed north for the few remaining days with our rental car. We went to Goat Island Beach where we rented full wet suits, snorkels and fins for a really reasonable price and hit the water. The suits keep you warm so you can stay longer and go a bit farther into the water. We saw kelpfish, snapper, and 3 other types of fish I can't remember the names of, some sea urchins and a sting ray. It was so cool. The wet suits were also bouyant so you could just float on the water and be carried with the waves a bit. I really like doing this while positioned over the sea grass below. It was really, really fun. And now, I want to learn to scuba dive. We found a campsite next to a beach and pitched the tent while cooking a yummy pasta dinner. We walked on the beach a bit before going to bed.

Jan. 4: That is today! Finally caught up! We had tea and doughnuts on the beach this morning and are now in Whangarei en route farther north to the Bay of Islands. My sunburn is peeling and I have a few bug bites but I am the happiest girl ever. I am in love with the sea and this country and I am so happy to be here with Brian and today New Zealand invited us to stay (telling us how to get residency and stuff like that) but we aren't interested, despite the beautiful scenery, people and being surrounded by my beloved sea. We miss our mommies!

Happy, Healthy and Hitting the road again!