New Zealand... Colorado on Steriods

We just had the most incredible two day kayaking trip through Doubtful Sound in the Fiordlands down in the South Island. After mastering driving on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car, we drove through the stunning mountains from Queenstown down to Te Anau. There were sheep in every direction you look and views that take your breath away around every turn.

We stayed at a hostel in Te Anau and were picked up the following morning at 6:15am. After a 20 minute bus ride to a ferry, an hour ferry ride to another bus, and an additional 30 minute bus ride, we reached Deep Cove where we packed and launched the kayaks. There were 8 of us including our incredible guide, Ricky. It was raining when we started, but seeing that the Fiordlands get 200 days of a rain a year, we were actually incredibly lucky because the after about two hours, the sun broke through the clouds and we had sunshine the rest of the trip. We all looked snappy in our kayaking gear which included a Paddington bear style yellow rain hat and a sleeveless wetsuit. I cannot describe how incredibly beautiful it is here.

We got about two feet away from a seal, attempted to keep the sandflies away, and I wished we could have gone for longer. A great start to what should be an amazing time here in New Zealand. We're off to go for a hike in near Milford Sound now.

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.

Back in the USA

After 6 great weeks in Tonga, I had to cut my time short and return home to the states. It was the fastest and smoothest last-minute traveling I have ever done. If all things are well, I will be heading to New Zealand as planned in early November, then head on to Australia, then South-East Asia before returning home again for Christmas and New Years. I will add photos when I get organized.

I know you have been waiting with baited breath for my next blog posting. Apologies for the dely. The last ten days have been great. So much has gone on it’s hard to know where to begin. I had a great visit with Mom and James, although it went way too quickly (and including some unexpected delays). They must have brought the good luck, because since they arrived, we’ve had some of the best whale encounters yet. There are a very friendly mother and calf who have been sticking around the area. The cow sits down about 30 feet below the surface while her calf came up right next to us to play. It slaps its tail, comes incredibly close then flips backwards, all the while looking directly at us, and at one point, Kirsty dove and flipped around, and the calf mimicked her movements. It was incredible. We have had four really good days of encounters with this particular mom and calf.

Mom, James, and I spent two nights in town (Vava’u). The noises that started at 5am were like a surround-sound of cacophony. There were pigs, roosters, dogs, church goes, band members practicing, etc all adding their own sound track. The weather cooperated for us and the winds died down, so we were able to go out whale watching everyday while they were here, even on the days we stayed in town.

So much like Stam-vegas!

Friend's house Mom, James, and I stayed at in town.

It’s been a very fast few days and I can’t believe that their trip has already come and gone.

I stood up on the board when kite-boarding today! We won’t linger on the fact that it was only for about 5 seconds before falling back into the water… but I stood up!!! Ed spent the entire day (literally… we went out at 9 and finished at 4) teaching me how to do upwind drags, powering the kite during body drags, getting up without using a board (where I proceeded to get about 3 pounds of sand in the bottoms of my swimsuit), and finally getting up with a board. It was fantastic. Even with sunscreen, these seven hours also allowed me to work on my amazing tan – or should we say burn – lines. It now looks like I have red gloves on and it feels as though I am wearing a clay mask since my entire face got quite a bit of sun. I now just need to practice a lot, and then who knows, perhaps you will be hearing from the next kite-boarding extraordinaire.


We’ve had a great last few days. The whales are starting to be a bit more friendly, and curious it seems. Two days ago we swam with five adult whales (one female and four males), who came incredibly close. I finally got some shots that I’m excited about. Yesterday, we swam with a mom and tiny calf, which probably wasn’t older than a week old, with three males chasing them around. If those pesky males weren’t bothering her, I bet you anything the mom and calf would have settled down to rest and allowed us to have a really nice, long encounter. Oh well. I’m looking forward to the next few days.