New Zealand

Sulphur Point at Sunset

2010-03-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

I shot these last night from Jon's boat. He hoisted me up the 40ft mast and I was able to get a great view of the harbor.

South Island- Day 5

2010-03-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from the last leg of our trip back up to Christchurch. After flying back up to Auckland, we drove to Cathedral Cove on way back to Tauranga. I've been before but still am amazed by this beach.

South Island-Day 4

2010-03-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

This was mostly a travel day. Started in Queenstown and drove up the west coast arriving in Greymouth. Along the way stopped at Fox glacier, one of two New Zealand glaciers.

South Island- Day 3

2010-02-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

From Te Anau we drove 2 hrs to Milford Sound stopping along the way to take some pictures and do some short distance hiking. Once we got to the sound we boarded a ship for a three hour cruise. The pictures really do not do this place justice. It's incorrectly named a sound. Actually, it's a fiord. This means it is a valley dug out by a glacier and flooded with sea water. Made it all the way back to Queenstown that night.

New Zealand-Day 2

2010-02-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

We spent the second day exporing Queenstown. It is known as the outdoor adventure capital of the world. Being such, I had to try bungy jumping. I was terrified. I couldn't stop shaking afterwards but it was so much fun. That evening we drove down to Te Anau to stay the night.

South Island- Day 1

2010-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures from the first day in the south island. My friends Dawn and Michael came out to visit. I picked them up in Auckland which is 3 hrs NW of my house. We had a few hours and grabbed lunch by the habor. The building in the background is the sky tower, the most recognizable structure in New Zealand. From Auckland we flew to Christchurch. Christchurch is the largest city in the south island. The next morning we headed south through the central part of the island. The landscape changed pretty dramatically. Midway down we were rear-ended at one of the many one-way bridges. Not my fault. We were all ok and pressed on unscathed. The mountain in the background of the picture of me skipping rocks into the lake is Mt Cook. This is the tallest peak in NZ. Eventually we made it down to Queenstown. We stayed at this great house just outside the city.

Summer Pics

2010-01-10T20:50:00.001-08:00

Northland cont

2009-10-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

These are some pics that my friend took with his camera during the recent trip north. He has a much nicer camera and I'm starting to think I need a new one.

Northland-part 2

2009-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

After a day of diving, we continued north up the Aupori peninsula. At the very end, was Cape Reinga. This is where the Pacific and Tazman Sea meet. On the way back, we raced up the giant sand dunes. There is a shot of Andre climbing up. To get a sense of just how high these dunes are, you can see Pip standing at the base.

Northland-part 1

2009-09-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Went to the northern most part of the country this past weekend with a few friends from work. The first day we drove up to Whangarei. It's about a 5 hr drive. I posted a few pics of the falls just outside of town. This is supposedly the most photographed waterfall in NZ. The next morning we took the short drive east to Tutukaka. Our boat left from here to some volcanic islands off the coast, the Poor Knights Islands. We did 2 dives there. Saw lots of stingrays, fish, eels and one of the drivers saw a hammerhead. Our second dive was through an underwater cave where the fish were concentrated in huge schools. It is generally regarded as one of the 10 best dive sites in the world. Really wish I had an underwater camera. As we pulled into the harbor in Tutukaka, a group of 10-15 Bottlenose dolphins played around the boat.

Skiing Ruapeho

2009-09-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from this past weekend when I went skiing on Mt Ruapehu. Ruapehu is an active volcano that last erupted about 2 years ago. It's generally regarded as the best spot to ski in the north island. Driving up to the mountain is a unique experience in itself. I tried to get some pics that show the landscape. It's all lifeless volcanic rock. Almost looks like it could be another planet.

Fishing off the Coast

2009-09-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

One of the guys I work with lives on a 45ft or so sailboat that he sailed from Mexico. He invited a few of us from work to go out fishing off the coast of Tauranga. We caught lots of snapper, some baracuda, a kingfish and a blue cod. We ate the snapper and cod for dinner when we harbored. Probably the best fish I've ever eaten.

Mount

2009-09-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

These are a few pics from the top of the Mount. A really cool climb.

Rotorua

2009-09-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

These are a few pics I took in Rotorua yesterday. The town is about 1 1/2 hrs south of Tauranga and known for the geothermal activity in the area.

Coromandel Peninsula

2009-08-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

The drive was only a few hours north from Tauranga. Stopped at several places along the way. Lots of amazing beaches but the cathedral coves were absolutely amazing. The beaches there were surrounded by towering white cliffs. The water was turquoise with these strange rock formations jutting straight out. In between the two beaches there was a cave with a ceiling 50-60 ft high. Could have spent all day there. The pictures don't do it justice.

Tauranga

2009-08-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Gonna try to keep everyone up to date about where I am and what I'm doing. Just got into Tauranga the day before yesterday. Woke up this morning around 5am and went out to Mt. Maungnui to explore a bit. The Mount (as it's known around here) is about a 10 min drive from my place. It sits on the end of a pennisula surrounded by the Pacific on one side and the harbor on the other. Lots of paths for tramping (hiking in NZ). The beach there is popular with surfers. Think I'll get some lessons. Then went to the Strand which is harbor side with lots of shops and restaurants.