reunited with the mint slice

First off, apologies to all my blog faithful followers for not updating recently. But, do not fear, my trip has started back up again and the posts shall continue.

Since my time in Tonga, I have been back in my hometown of Pittsburgh. It has been the longest amount of time that I have been back in "the Burgh" since graduating high school. I have a whole new appreciation for the city now. Along with my time with mom at home, I also went through the East Coast visiting friends and family, spent a week with my grandparents in North Carolina, and have been employed as a "Kayaking Guide Trip Specialist" (a job I got through my neighbor and new travel companion, Dave) leading groups along the rivers of downtown Pittsburgh.

James and Liz in the Strip

Catching crabs in NC with Grandad and Robert

Halloween has always ben an exciting time, and this year was no exception. However, instead of dressing up as a battered and bruised squashed bug or a panda, I decided, hey, why not fly to New Zealand. So, on October 30th, Dave and I flew from into Auckland and met up with my lifelong friend Allison, who had flown over the previous day.

We spent the last two days exploring Auckland which is an awesome city. We took a ferry over to Devonport where we hiked up Mt. Victoria and got the most spectacular 360 degree views of the city and islands. Yesterday, we decided to explore Waiheke Island where there are numerous vineyards. Allison's navigation to the Mudbrick Vineyard took us on quite the adventure - summiting steep hills and giving us a real sense of part of the island. The reward being amazing vistas, and a wine tasting once we eventually arrived at our destination. I'm amazed at how beautiful it is here. Last night we met up with a friend of mine and his girlfriend, who I haven't seen since I was about 15, which was fantastic. They took us up one of the five volcanoes just as the sun was setting where you could see the entire sprawling city of Auckland. We then went and had an incredible Thai dinner. It was a really fun evening.

wine tasting at Mudbrick

Dave, Liz, and Allison at Mudbrick

Waiheke Island - photo by Dave

photo by Allison

Next stop is Queenstown on the South Island where we are picking up our rental car and driving down to the Fiordlands.

A major highlight of being in New Zealand is being reunited with my all time, favorite cookie (or biscuit as they call it here), the Mint Slice. Picture a thin mint with a layer of mint paste, enrobed in chocolate. Amazing.