New Zealand Adventure

Christmas, New Years - Fine Holiday Fun!

2011-01-17T14:35:00.030+13:00

2010 closed out with a low key Christmas - just the two of us at home in Christchurch. We decided to plan a lighter menu since it was so warm outside instead of the traditional Christmas fare. This included some shrimp scampi with linguine, potato salad and of course kiwi and passionfruit pavlova! It was a great day.

Christmas Dinner :)

Unfortunately, the next day, Boxing Day, there was another sizable earthquake here in Christchurch which was centered a mere 2 blocks from our apartment. It was very similar to the first one on September 4th and shockingly took more things down off of our walls, etc. than the initial one. It was a shame since Christchurch is still trying to dig itself out financially (and emotionally) from the 7.1 quake and having to have stores close down on Boxing Day when people are all out to shop was not a good thing at all. It did prompt us to put rubber bands around our cabinets and take the tv off the stand before we left the next day for our 2 week adventure in Auckland and the South Pacific cruise on the Pacific Pearl.

The next day we took a short hour flight to Auckland where we decided to spend a few days prior to our cruise which left out of Auckland Harbour. We took a convenient shuttle from the airport to downtown and walked to our hotel which was centrally located. We got a spacious room at the Grand Chancellor Hotel with a full kitchen, balcony, living room and a bird's eye view of the harbour! It was spectacular - not that we spent much time in the room.

The first day the weather was not great but we got there early enough to have brunch at a local cafe on a cobblestone side street. People on the South Island tended to talk down Auckland but it is a city in its own rite - much more so than Christchurch in our opinions. Next we decided to take in our surroundings and just walk down Queen Street which has many shops and restaurants and down to the Viaduct with some more upscale restaurants and bars right on the water. We ducked out of the rain for a wee bit and enjoyed some drinks at a bar/restaurant called Snapdragon which had an Asian influence and was definitely more Jocelyn's style than any place she has found in Christchurch. After our drinks we took the opportunity to do more indoor activities and headed to Auckland's Sky Tower.

Auckland Sky Tower

Jocelyn looking out one of the floor windows

Both of us standing on the glass floor

It was definitely more fun than the one in Sydney we felt. We walked around the tallest level as well as the one below it and watched some people bungy jumping off off it. That was pretty neat. They also have a casino in there which we passed on checking out as well as bars and restaurants. We did enjoy a glass of wine on one of the highest levels and took in the excellent view of the city and its surroundings.

View of Auckland harbor from the Sky Tower

This isn't the North Pole

That evening we did a low key dinner since we had woken up early and did a lot of walking around the city. Jocelyn had heard online about an "authentic NY style pizzeria" which she was dying to check out. Even people in NY had given rave reviews so we figured it was worth a shot. We walked in and immediately got a good feeling about it. It was tiny, with just a few booths with the signature red cushions that any respectable NY/NJ pizzeria has. Just 2 things on the menu: garlic knots and pizza. Simple. Basic. We ordered a pitcher of beer and a large pizza to split. You could already smell this was going to be good. They brought out our pizza on a silver pedestal. It was thin, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. After one bite, Jocelyn was in heaven and truth be told, was so nostalgic she almost started to cry!! For anyone's reference it is called Sal's. We HIGHLY recommend it!

Me like pizza and beer!!!

Day #2 in Auckland was the shopping day! Trey faithfully took Jocelyn around to shops in Newmarket and Ponsonby Road in Auckland. We started by having a champagne brunch at a cute restaurant on Ponsonby Road and then shopping we went. It was sadly another rainy day but we did not let it spoil the fun. Jocelyn found one of her favourite shops - Sass and Bide and a few other stores only found in major cities. Trey was a good sport and Jocelyn even picked up a few goodies. That evening we decided to go dress up and go out - first some cocktails at Bellini Bar in the Hilton hotel and then to a nice dinner on the Viaduct to a place that had been recommended called Soul. Bellini had some really interesting cocktails and we just had to try some. Trey tried a special mojito but Jocelyn went with an award-winning molecular creation which was garnished with an actual chili pepper - and it was definitely spicy!

Molecular "Si Way" Molecular Si Way is the unique cocktail that won Loic “Bartender of the year” at the 2010 New Zealand Culinary Fare. This drink mixes Tommy's Margarita with premium Patron Silver Tequila, Lime juice, Cointreau and Agave - syrup produced by the same plant tequila is made from. This blend is layered with a mango chilled coriander molecular foam.

The Drake The grandfather of the Mojito – named after the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake or ‘Francis the Dragon’ and prepared just the way he used to drink it. Jamaican rum, fresh mint, lime and just a hint of sugar, built together with crushed ice – not a cocktail for the faint hearted.

Next we went on to dinner and were fortunate enough to get a table for two outside on the patio with a great view of the Viaduct. Dinner was delicious and definitely had a refined "soul food" flavour. We actually enjoyed it so much we wound up going back when we spent the day in Auckland upon returning from the cruise!

The Sky Tower at night

Our final day in Auckland was fortunately a beautiful one which was great since we had planned a trip 35 minutes outside of Auckland via ferry to Waiheke Island. So many Kiwis had told us to go there that we could not possibly miss out. After breakfast we boarded the ferry and got a great seat - perfect for taking photos of the city of Auckland as we drifted out to sea.

View of Auckland from the ferry

Once we got off the boat, we had planned to take a taxi but when we saw none around we panicked a wee bit. Fortunately, in true Kiwi fashion a rainbow coloured bus pulled up and out jumped a young guy with dreadlocks and super laid back attitude. "Hey bro! Jump in! Hop on, hop off Island Hopper!" We both sort of looked at each other quizzically. "How much?" we asked. "Dude, it's free today only! It's the first day we are doing this and it is just a trial. We only printed a few maps but I will take you anywhere on the island you want to go. Spend time at a winery then I will swing back and pick you up, and so on and so forth bro." We figured we had nothing to lose and we have officially lived in New Zealand long enough that this didn't strike either of us as too odd. We hopped on the Island Hopper. :)

The Island Hopper

First stop was Mudbrick Winery. This had been recommended to us and the Island Hopper dude told us it was the nicest winery on the island. The property was truly amazing.

Looking up at Mudbrick Winery

The view from Mudbrick

We did a wine tasting and both decided our favourite was the rose' which was perfect on such a hot day. We each got a nice cold glass and ordered some nibbles to eat outside and take in the spectacular view of the water and the city of Auckland in the distance.

Wishing we could bring a bottle of Rose on the cruise

Next stop was Cable Bay Vineyard. Equally stunning we also did a wine tasting here. We decided we did not enjoy the wine as much but it was still lovely to taste. The lawn at Cable Bay was just screaming to be enjoyed and since we already had two wine tastings under our belts, we obliged by laying out on the green grass in the sunshine amongst the sculptures and trees.

View from cable Bay Winery

Enjoying the lawn at Cable Bay

The grape vines at Cable Bay

Since we only had a small snack at Mudbrick, we decided to have a few more nibbles here with a glass of wine. The two snacks together was plenty of food for the day. Of course since it was so hot, we also made sure to drink plenty of water between sips of wine as to not get dehydrated which is all too easy in this hemisphere. We were aiming to take the 4pm ferry so our time was just about up. We waited for the rainbow bus which faithfully appeared and we went back to the pier to take the boat back to Auckland. We both decided that Waiheke is probably one of our favourite places we have been to! That evening we had a casual bite to eat at another recommended restaurant steps from our hotel called Monsoon Poon. We were pretty knackered from the wine and the heat and needed to pack up our stuff to check out early the next morning.

The next morning we headed to the pier where our cruise ship was docked. The check in process was very easy and as soon as we boarded we decided to take a look around to see what the ship had to offer! It was nice that they had it decked out for Christmas but we still struggle to be able to get into the Christmas spirit when it is lovely and warm outside.

The main stairway of the ship

It was around lunchtime so we decided to go to the sit down restaurant to have a meal. We were seated with another couple around our age from Auckland which was nice. We both enjoyed our lunch and made our way upstairs to the top deck for the sail away party. The captain informed us that we would leave a little later than expected because they were still waiting on some supplies for the ship. We had some drinks and the time seemed to pass rather quickly. It was fun to watch the city slowly move out of view and even though we did not do much that day, it seemed quite eventful with exploring our new surroundings so we opted to do the buffet for dinner and head to bed on the early side.

Leaving Auckland

Sun setting over the Pacific Ocean

Unfortunately, though Jocelyn was armed with her sea legs medication and sea bands the seas proved a bit too rough for her and overnight she became quote seasick. She spent a majority of the night without sleep and vomiting. The further we went out to sea the worse it seemed to be and there was no stopping in sight as this was only the first few hours at sea and we were scheduled to stop in the first port 2 days later. Since we boarded the boat on the 30th sadly this meant that we missed out on New Years Eve since she was still very ill. In fact, even when we docked at the first port in Vila, Vanuatu, Jocelyn was still not well enough to get off the ship.

Port Vila as seen from the cruise ship

Jocelyn told Trey he should go but he would not leave her. That day we went to reception and mentioned that Jocelyn was very seasick and was not even able to get out at the first port. Fortunately, there was a lovely woman who helped us. She asked what Jocelyn had been taking and when we told her she said, "Oh no. Take what we take who work on the ship" and handed us a box full of something called Avomine. Jocelyn took the first dose that night and it was literally as though a switch had been flipped! Magic! That night she was able to eat most of her meal and get a full night's sleep! On a sidenote, after speaking to many people who got off in Port Vila, we did not miss anything. People described it as dirty and sad and mentioned that the cruise ship was only required to stop there so they could visit Mystery Island. So, in the end, if there was a port to miss, it was probably that one.

The next morning we docked at Mystery Island in Vanuatu.

Arriving at Mystery Island

For this port, and the next two, the cruise ship anchored in the middle of the sea and tender boats were used to take passengers from the ship to the dock. The system they had was actually quite good and we usually did not wait more than 10 minutes to board a tender boat. There were no excursions to do on Mystery Island since it is very small it only takes 45 minutes to walk around the entire island. Mystery Island is a small uninhabited that was used as a landing strip for allied forces during WWII. Locals boat over on "ship days" to set up a market and charge for things like passport stamping which we took advantage of. The locals make sure to leave the island before dark because they believe it is haunted The island was beautiful and had a great lagoon to swim in.

Finally on dry land

We did not have snorkel gear but the water was so clear that as we were swimming around we spotted fish and our favourite blue starfish that we recognised from the Cook Islands! The locals had music as well as markets to shop at. The main thing we noticed about Vanuatu and its people was that they seemed sad. When we went to Cook Islands, people definitely did not have a lot but seemed happy and friendly whereas the people in Vanuatu made us realise the difference between being poor and poverty. They were selling beautiful handmade items, some of which must have taken hours for the equivalent of $1-3. We bought a few souvenirs and figured even if things were confiscated at customs, it was still important for us to leave money on the island.

Some local kids playing on a boat

Fortunately, nothing was confiscated so it was a double win! The weather was not perfect and there was intermittent rain but we did not let it spoil our fun on Mystery Island. It was a great day off the ship. After a final swim, we took a tender boat back to the ship and got a late lunch at the buffet. It was great for Jocelyn to get through a full day without feeling sick.

The next port was Lifou, New Caledonia.

Arriving at Lifou

View of Jocelyn and the ship

This began our tour of New Caledonia which though many Americans have never heard of, is quite popular with the French as it is part of the French Republic and along with island languages, French is widely spoken. We heard there was great snorkeling here so we booked a snorkeling excursion with the gift voucher that we had received from Trey's sister's and husbands. Once the tender boat dropped us off, we walked to the other side of the island, passing by locals building a hut which was very interesting so see.

Locals building a hut

Once we got to the other side, there was a patch of grass, not a beach and a wooden ladder leading down to a lagoon with LOTS of coral and fish! We have learned that we love to snorkel so this was our idea of a perfect day.

That was a good snorkeling spot

The sun was shining and it was much nicer than the previous days. Even though we loved the snorkeling we did in Fiji on Malolo Island, we decided that Lifou was the best coral we had seen. It was so colourful and vibrant. We saw some clams and parrot fish. Some of the fish were quite large. It was nice that much fewer people seemed to venture over to that side of the island so it was also more private and relaxing. After our snorkel adventure we headed to the other side of the island where the tender had dropped us off to enjoy the beach and swimming since snorkeling had taken a lot out of us.

A local boy holding a giant hermit crap

A sea turtle waving goodbye as we boarded the tender boat

That evening we decided to take in a show of Pacific Cirque which is a group of entertainers on board who do some very impressive circus/gymnastic feats.

At first this looks hard then take into consideration that the boat is rocking back and forth and traveling at 20 knots

The show was done outside on the top deck while the ship was at sea which made it even that much more impressive. They did all sorts of acrobatic stunts. We enjoyed it so much that we went to two other shows of theirs while on board the ship.

Next stop, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.

Being greeted by the locals on the Isle of Pines

In the 1870's the French made this island into a penal colony for 3,000 political rebels. We initially had a shore excursion booked to do more snorkeling here but unfortunately we received a notice the day before saying that the local operators had warned them that they had spotted blue bottle jellyfish, which is also known as a Portuguese Man of War. If a tentacle attaches itself to a human, it releases a poison (through the use of nematocysts), and if you continue to rub the skin after the tentacle has been removed more poison or venom will be released. We decided that since the beginning of the trip had been dampened because of Jocelyn's illness, we would not take our chances. This wound up being an excellent decision since on the Isle of Pines, we discovered the most wonderful and picturesque swimming beach!!

A nice little swimming beach

At the beach by the sacred rocks

Don't even think about climbing

The island is very interesting because you do not really expect to see huge pine trees amongst tropical surroundings.

Tropical pine trees

The water was so perfect and you could literally just sit down in what was the softest sand we have ever felt. Jocelyn kept rubbing the wet sand on her body and asking Trey if it had any healing properties in the hopes that she would have an excuse to do so! We swam around the sacred rock which is cherished by the locals but were advised that it was very important not to touch the rock. We figured that by spending the day swimming we would be relatively safe since the blue bottle jellyfish had been spotted on the opposite side of the island - and this island was much larger than the previous islands we had visited on our trip. It was also one of our favourites.

Final stop of the Pacific Pearl was Noumea, New Caledonia.

Noumea as seen from the ship

People had described this as similar to the French Riviera so we were excited to explore. To our surprise, it was a real, actual city - practically in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific! It was busy, bustling and vibrant with lots of shops and eateries. Here there was much more of a mix of people - typical islanders that you would expect to see but also plenty of French white people! Jocelyn wore her shirt that says "bonjour" on the front and "au revoir" on the back in hopes of winning some French friends since we know how much the French like Americans ;-) wink wink At this port there was no tender boat necessary since the port is relatively large. We decided to explore the city on our own. It was a very hot day so it did not take us long to walk around and decide to take a cab to the beach rather quickly. We had done some prior research but were not sure if we should go to Baie de Citron (Lemon Bay Beach) or Anse Vata. We decided since Lemon Bay was on the way, we would ask the cab driver to drive past it and decide if we wanted to stay or go on to Anse Vata. When we drove up to Lemon Bay, it seemed pretty crowded with lots of cruise ship towels and did not look like much so we decided to go up a little ways to Anse Vata. There seemed to be a lot fewer cruise towels and a lot more locals so we felt this was a good decision on our part! While it was pretty and 2 years ago we may have called this paradise, since we have been to so many amazing beaches it just did not live up to the same standards of beauty. Since Noumea is a lot more populated there seemed to be a lot more trash lying around and in the water which did not make for a pleasant experience. We took a quick swim and it was not long before we were hungry for lunch. We had been recommended to go to a place called Le Roof which was just a short walk from Anse Vata and sat out on a pier overlooking the water.

Looking out at Le Roof from Anse Vata

We definitely wanted to try some authentic French food whilst in New Caledonia. We were fortunate enough to get a table on the deck over the water.

Happy after a nice French lunch at Le Roof

We started with a beautiful goat cheese appetizer with local honey which we salivated over. Trey tried the local beer and Jocelyn, a glass of French wine. Trey ordered seared tuna for his main and Jocelyn took the opportunity to get duck and foie gras which is oh so French!! The food was amazing and the view superb! We were so glad we took the time to enjoy it. After lunch we walked back to the beach and went against urban legend by going for another dip in the ocean. Before going back to the ship, we stopped in a french patisserie hoping for some tasty pastries but were sadly disappointed and were even happier about our choice for lunch, only regretting not getting dessert there as well. Prior to boarding, right outside the ship, some locals had come to do some traditional dancing for the cruise passengers which we stopped and enjoyed, taking in our final dose of New Caledonian culture.

The next two days were back on the ship before returning to Auckland. We saw a few shows and checked out the casino where Jocelyn won $50! As for the cruise itself, there were some highlights but in the end, I think we decided that we are not cruise people. Though there was a good mix of ages, etc. on this cruise vs. the one we went on to Bermuda, everyone seemed to enjoy things like Bingo and Scrabble which is simply not our thing. We checked out the night club which was just ok and some of the shows were just not our humour. The restaurants were definitely refurbished nicely but the staff is clearly new and at the a la carte restaurant Jocelyn had the wrong dish brought to her on at least four occasions. It was in the end an excellent way to see islands that we could not have otherwise seen which made the entire experience completely worth it!

The ship

We docked in Auckland on a beautiful day and stored our luggage at a hotel while we took in the Viaduct yet again and enjoyed brunch at Soul.

It was a great vacation, albeit with a few hiccups but nonetheless a great start to 2011!

If you want to see all of our pictures click here.

Silly Season = Parties!

2010-12-24T17:37:00.009+13:00

Connon and Jocelyn at the Dux celebrating the last day of work at hairyLemon

Kisses!

Jocelyn kissing Michele

For Christmas Jocelyn wants world peace :)

Jocelyn with Karen and Louise at the Dux

Jocelyn opening her present from Secret Santa

hairyLemon Christmas tree

Jocelyn's "lemonised" nails for the hairyLemon Christmas party

hairyLemons and partners

Dancing at the Christmas party

Jocelyn has been teaching Stu how to pose

Dave and Joslyn's cocktail party

Joslyn and Jocelyn :)

The Bull and the Matador at the Feliz Navidad Christmas party

Rowan and Jocelyn at Feliz Navidad party

Sangria in a big pink bucket = Christmas

Debi's cocktail party

Trey making balloon animals

Special punch at Debi's cocktail party - Jocelyn and Michele

One feature of Christmas being in the summer is lots of parties. Of course in the northern hemisphere there are also Christmas parties but this is heightened here because of the gorgeous, sunny, hot weather so it is also coupled with bbq's and outdoor events.

We feel like the entire month of November and December we have done nothing but drink, eat and hang out with our friends here who have really in a short time become like family. It is a nice reminder this season how many blessings we do have.

So we have decided to put up here a collection of our favourite party photos from this season so you can see just how much fun we have been having (hence, the lack of blog posts!) :)

Enjoy!

In other news, Jocelyn completed her last day as a hairyLemon and is looking forward to a new year filled with doing whatever her heart desires. She plans on reading lots of books, getting even more into her exercise and possibly picking a cookbook from which to cook cover to cover a la Julie and Julia.

Trey is already on the job search back home and has had some inspiring feedback. We hope to return home in May/June if all goes well and start the next chapter of our lives in 2011 which will hopefully include buying a home and starting a family.

On Monday we head off to Auckland to explore the city for a few days and then on the 30th we set sail on the newly refurbished Pacific Pearl cruise. It will only be the ships second voyage and will take us on a 10 day trip around Vanuatu and New Caledonia in the South Pacific. We are really looking forward to it and will celebrate New Year's on board floating somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean! How many people can say that!!??

We love you all and look forward to celebrating Christmas 2011 with our families back in the USA.

Happy Holidays!

Jocelyn and Trey

Thanksgiving in New Zealand II

2010-11-30T22:01:00.005+13:00

Two weeks ago we celebrated our second Thanksgiving in New Zealand. We went shopping Friday night for all of the supplies so that we could start cooking first thing in the morning. On the menu was artichoke dip with bagel crisps and cream cheese with sweet chilli sauce for dipping potato chips in for appetizers. We had the sweet chilli sauce to add a Kiwi flavor!

The main dishes were a roasted chicken for Jocelyn and basil roasted salmon for Trey. For side dishes we had mashed potatoes, Enid's yummy yams, vegetarian stuffing, green beans with Campbell's mushroom soup, and cranberry sauce. And of course Trey baked a pumpkin and an apple pie for dessert. Cooking such a large meal was a challenge with our small kitchen and miniature oven but we managed to get everything done timing it right so everything was still warm when served since we had practiced the year prior.

As you can see we each piled the food on our plates to start the feast. Trey finished his portion with ease but Jocelyn struggled - having to stretch a few times while finishing the last few bites. Once she finished she proclaimed "I don't understand how those professional eaters do it." Trey had to remind Jocelyn that it was not a competition. This is also the first time we both liked the vegetarian stuffing recipe so I think we are going to make it a yearly tradition which is nice since most of the other things we have are taken from dishes we remember growing up with. The stuffing can be a Fary-Holzwarth family tradition. After dinner we both proceeded to pass out on the couch in our post Thanksgiving food comas. We woke up about an hour later with enough room in our stomachs for some pie with whipped cream.

It was good and we still had enough leftovers to last us two more days. Since we decided two pies for two people might be a little overkill, we invited our friends Michele and Kurt and Mel and Troy for dessert the next evening. We opened a bottle of dessert wine that we had been saving for a special occasion from Cloudy Bay and gave everyone a piece of both the pumpkin and apple pies. Pumpkin pie does not really exist in New Zealand so they were all surprised how good it was. Michele even plans on a getting a few cans of Libby's pumpkin from the US so she can make the pie herself. Although it was a food filled Thanksgiving it was just not the same without having family around. We look forward to next Thanksgiving when we will be back in the US and will be able to share the holiday with our family. It does still seem odd to celebrate Thanksgiving in warm weather but who knows, maybe next year it will feel odd to celebrate it in the cold since we have had two years here!

Cup and Show Week 2010

2010-11-22T11:27:00.008+13:00

Joc and Trey at brunch before the races

The group posing at brunch

The race grounds

Our gazebo - prime location at the races

Joc and Trey posing in front of our tent at the races

Mel, Debi, Michele and Jocelyn at our tent

Jocelyn and Michele

Jocelyn posing with a policeman - don't worry - she did not do anything naughty!

Deciding on what to order from Mr. Whippy

What to choose.....

Jocelyn finally got her Mr. Whippy!

Jocelyn and Trey with Mr. Whippy

Last weekend we put on our best frocks and headed to the races with friends!

http://nzcupandshow.co.nz/home/

Jocelyn's friend from work had organised a brunch and had another friend get to the racetrack early to get a prime spot to watch the races. We paid her each $17 for tickets and a bit more so that we would not need to worry about food, glasses, etc.) A modest price for an entire day of fun! We chose the tailgating option as opposed to being in the stands which seemed like a more "authentic" way to enjoy the event.

The morning was spent with Jocelyn getting fully made up with false lashes and a giant flower fascinator (hat/headband) which you simply cannot go to the races without! We joined the group at a lovly restaurant which was just a short walk from the track - this way we could just walk from brunch to the races.

It was a lovely day - probably the nicest weather day since we have lived here in NZ.

We got to the parking spot that our friend had scored and there were lawn chairs, a gazebo/tent and a table all set up. The alcohol we had dropped to our friend a day prior was already chilled and waiting for us to pur into our wine glasses. No fuss!

We were one row back from the track and immediately in front of the large screen showing the races and the outcomes. We were with a very large group and went in $20 each on a syndicate so we all got a chance to bet on a race. We ended up winning $10 each which is not a lot but it definitely felt good to go home a winner and helped us to pay attention and stay invested in the races.

It was a great party atmosphere and Jocelyn really enjoyed watching all of the hits and misses in the fashion department. There were some awesome dresses, shoes and fascinators!

Two things that Jocelyn was told were "must try's" of Cup and Show week was that she must get a "hot dog" which they said was like th American version of a corn dog and Mr. Whippy ice cream (The Kiwi version of the Ice Cream Man).

She was not a fan of the "hot dog" and towards the end of the races she could not find a Mr. Whippy truck. This was very disappointing to her.

We got a ride home with some friends, Michele, Kurt and Debi. As we were driving back to our place before ordering pizza for the evening's dinner, we spotted a Mr. Whippy truck pulled over at the side of the road - but it did not look open. "Pull over!"

We hopped out of the car while Kurt parked it on the side of the road. Debi knocked on the window and we pleaded with the man (we'll just call him Mr. Whippy ;-) ) "Please, Mr. Whippy! We are not from here and were told we must try some!" He obliged and Jocelyn and Trey got their very first Mr. Whippy's. It was not over-hyped. It was delicious and the perfect ending to our Cup and Show week.

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2010-11-15T22:22:00.002+13:00

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Labour Day Weekend

2010-11-04T20:28:00.020+13:00

We certainly had an exciting Labour Day weekend. We both had Monday off of work so we planned to head north to Blenheim and Nelson. We had already visited Blenheim (Marlborough - where many fabulous Marlborough wineries are located) with Trey's parents back in March but wanted to visit a few more wineries and re-stock some of the bottles we had lost in the earthquake. We now keep our wine of the floor instead of a tall shelf on the wall. Classy.

We got out of the house very early - around 6:30am and headed north. We arrived at the first winery around 10:30am and had a goal of visiting 6-7 wineries. Jocelyn feels that it is never too early to have a glass of wine.

The first winery we visited was Montana. We enjoyed a few of their wines and took advantage of the fact that they were having a 40% of sale on many bottles since they are going to be changing their labels to Brancott Estate. They currently use that label in the USA since people there think of Montana, the state. Now they will be consistent all over.

Next we headed over to Hunter Winery. This place was recommended by one of Jocelyn's co-workers and we were not disappointed at all. We tasted wines with another couple from Christchurch and were commiserating about the earthquake. It was definitely a common topic when people in Marlborough asked us where we were from. It remains difficult to fully communicate to anyone what we went through and frankly, continue to go through (we had 2 quakes in the past 24 hours that were over 4.0). Hunter wound up being our favourite winery - we bought 4 bottles!! It was a cute property with an artist on site. Very cool.

We could not hang around Hunter since we had lunch reservations at the next winery called Herzog. We had read that the food was excellent here. The vineyard itself and the outside seating at the restaurant was absolutely lovely. The food however was pretty mediocre and we decided not to stay for dessert. We had planned to do a tasting there as well but they did not seem to have a lot of options which was a little disappointing. We certainly did not let that dampen our spirits though. We moved on to the next winery!

The rest of the wineries blended together a bit - maybe it was all the tasting we were doing!!?? We did buy at least 1 bottle from each one though. We did hit our goal of 7 wineries and left Blenheim in the rearview as we headed to Nelson for the night.

We had arranged to stay at a place that got excellent Trip Advisor reviews called the Palazzo. For a motor lodge it was very nice and the people who own it clearly take great pride in it. Trey had to get Jocelyn to sober up a bit since she refused to tip any of her wine out at the tastings. We had made reservations at a really nice restaurant called Mint.

Mint is relatively new and have a very interesting and classy way of welcoming guests. The restaurant only has a few tables and when you go in they walk you to a room with a fireplace that looks more like a funky living room. That is where they take your order and explain that there is no rush - the table is yours for the evening. It was lovely. What was even lovelier was the food!! We started with Golden Bay Goats Cheese Bavarois with granny smith apple salad and tamarillo chutney. Tamarillo is also known as a tree tomato that is used often in NZ as a sweet flavour. Jocelyn ordered lamb 3 ways for her main (a dish that apparently won an award for being the best in NZ!) Jocelyn knew Trey was really enjoying the food since he even wanted to order dessert! We shared a tasting plate that showcased all of their desserts in small portions. It was all very interesting and incredibly delicious. It was a perfect ending to the day.

The next day we slept in a bit and then headed out to check out the Centre of New Zealand. We walked uphill for about 20-30 minutes and got to take in an incredible view overlooking all of Nelson. It was fitting that Jocelyn was wearing her Uggs to take a photo with her feet exactly on the centre!

Looking out over the city of Nelson

After the walk we decided to drive out to some wineries in Nelson that had been recommended by friends. At the second winery, Seifreid we decided to have lunch. It was another beautiful day so we once again decided to eat outside. Trey enjoyed a huge and gorgeous seafood platter while Jocelyn got yet another lamb dish. Typical. After a wonderful lunch we went back to the town of Nelson to check out some shops before dinner later that night.

Yummy!

For dinner we decided to go to Mapua Wharf that was yet another recommendation. We thought we had left ourselves plenty of time and even had printed out a map because it was a ways out from Nelson but alas, we wound up getting lost - or at least we did according to the map. After pulling over to ask for directions we finally got to the wharf and boy did it look different than what we pictured! It was basically a few run down restaurants on the "waterfront" which was basically like a muddy lake. Jocelyn was way overdressed - even more than usual!

The meal was nice though and afterwards we spoke to the waitress about getting lost so we would be sure we would not get lost on the way back in the dark. She politely let us know that we must have been going by the "old map" because the new HIGHWAY had opened just last week! Huh? Only in New Zealand.

The next day was another early morning. We checked out of the hotel in Nelson and headed to the Marlborough Sounds. On the drive there we got to drive through Havelock which is the source of the famous NZ green-lipped mussels.

After experiencing the Sounds it is hard to believe that we almost missed the Marlborough Sounds on our New Zealand adventure. After a very windy road (where Jocelyn almost lost her breakfast) we arrived at the boat that would take us out 1.5 hours to our destination so we could begin our 10.5km hike - part of the Queen Charlotte Track. The boat left from the same dock as the Interislander - the ferry that goes in between the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

Stretching between the Queen Charlotte and Keneperu Sound is the Queen Charlotte Track. A 71km track renowned for its stunning views and contrasting landscape, historical landmarks and wonderful variety of native bush and wildlife.

The boat was actually quite nice and the scenery made the journey feel like no time at all. On the first part of the ride we passed houses on one side but not too long into the trip we were told that after this point there was no road access - hence why we were taking a boat. That said, there are actually houses and hotels around the Queen Charlotte. Some people choose to stay there when doing the 5-7 day trek but there are also some luxury lodges there as well.

Before our destination the boat dropped a few people off at Ship's Cove. At this site there was a monument for Captain Cook because this was one of the first places he landed on the South Island.

Our stop was next - Resolution Bay. We walked from Resolution Bay to Endeavor Inlet where the ship would pick us up in a few hours. We were the only ones who got off the boat so it felt like a real adventure!

The boat dropping us off.

The walk was amazing. It borders the water so you get a bird's eye view. We also passed many waterfalls and met a few wekas. They were very friendly and we got some funny video of them!

We could describe the full 3.5 hour hike but to be honest the pictures say it better than we ever could. And frankly, the pictures don't even truly do it justice.

Our friend the weka.

I made it!

We thought we were making pretty good time. The map we were given said that the hike would take fast walkers 2 hours, average walkers 2.5 hours and slow walkers 2.75. Just when we thought we were done, we wound up having another 45 minutes ahead of us!! We would have considered ourselves pretty decent hikers until the Queen Charlotte Track told us different!

Fortunately, the journey ended at a very quaint lodge with a restaurant right on the water. We did not have much time left to have the leisurely lunch and wines that we had envisioned but the woman working at the restaurant told us that she would place our order quickly and give us a warning when the boat called her to tell us to go down to the dock. We scarfed down our fried seafood platter that we felt was well-deserved and headed down to the dock.

The hotel where we got picked up at.

It was the end of Labour day weekend so the boat returning back to Picton was a lot more full than the boat out. We thought it was just going to be a shuttle back but just a little ways into the journey the captain spotted a large number of dusky dolphins out in the water. Back home the captain would probably be so concerned to keep us on a time schedule but not in New Zealand! He stopped the boat so we could get an up close and personal look at these amazing creatures. We got amazing video which we have posted for you.

On the drive back to Christchurch we drove through one of our favourite places, Kaikoura and it is the perfect time of year to admire the beautiful snow-capped mountains overlooking the turquoise blue ocean. We could not help but stop and take a photo!

We got back to Christchurch safely and ended what will likely be our last NZ Labour Day weekend.

Best Couple Contest!

2010-10-18T20:25:00.002+13:00

We have decided to enter an online contest - the search to find the BEST COUPLE! We think we qualify and the prize is a 22ct princess cut Michael Hill diamond!!

Please follow the link to vote for us!!!

And please tell all your friends.

We have 4 weeks worth of "challenges" ahead of us and just completed the first 3.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Brian's Visit

2010-10-11T20:29:00.014+13:00

After arriving back from Fiji we had about 12 hours until we had to be back at the airport to pick up Brian. This was just enough time to get some sleep, unpack and go grocery shopping. When we met Brian at the airport of course he was representing by wearing a New Jersey t-shirt just in case people could not tell where he was from just from his voice. New Zealand was Brian’s second stop on his around the world trip. His travel plans are US-Australia-New Zealand-Japan-Thailand-Western Europe-US a good trip between defending his thesis and starting in a new job in New York. The first night he was here we took it easy since we had all been traveling. Jocelyn cooked her lamb ragout, with a vegetarian version for Trey, and we basically talked the rest of the night getting caught up with everything going on in each others lives.

The next day Trey took Brian to work where he hung out in the student center studying most of the day for his fundamentals of engineering exam that he will have to take a few weeks after his trip. After work Trey met up with him there and they had a few drinks and played some pool before heading home to meet up with Jocelyn. For dinner we took Brian to our favorite sushi place down the street from our place.

Brian and us at our favorite sushi place

To our surprise Brian has gotten much more adventurous with food. When we first met him he basically only ate chicken parm, pizza and burgers, but at the sushi place he had no problem ordering sashimi (raw fish) and he seemed to enjoy it. After dinner we headed across the street to the casino to test our luck. We tried out the blackjack table first and did pretty well with Trey $90 up and Brian $10 up. Felling lucky Brian tried playing some three card poker and had a little more success winning another $20 before we left. It was getting late and some of us had to work the next day so we gave Brian a set of keys to our place so he could explore the town on his own while we slept.

The next couple days Brian explored the city and went up to the port hills in the gondola. Trey took Thursday off from work and he and Brian drove up to Kaikoura, one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand.

Driving to Kaikoura

Just on the car ride there he commented on how beautiful and relaxing everything was here. Once we got to Kaikoura we had lunch and then started out on a hike. This was the same hike that we took Trey’s parents on when they were here, but this time we planned ahead and checked the tide schedule so that we did not get stuck anywhere. The first part of the hike we saw many seals including one baby one that was playing in a tide pool, you can see the video below.

We then proceeded to hike along the coast seeing a large number of seals and sea birds. During the hike we had to keep a constant lookout because you never knew when there would be a seal sunbathing behind the next rock. It was very surprising how easy it is to not notice a seal laying out on the rocks.

The seals were everywhere

Views from the Kaikoura peninsula

These baby seals tried to follow us back to the car

After the hike we stopped at a fish shop to pick up some lobster, Kaikoura’s specialty, for dinner later that night. When got home Jocelyn had already had dinner cooking. About fifteen minutes later we were sitting down eating a great lobster pasta dish. We were both tired from the hike so we went to bed early knowing that we needed our rest for going out tomorrow night and for going to Queenstown for the weekend.

The next night Brian and Trey went over to Jocelyn’s work around 6pm to have a drink before heading out for the night. Jocelyn’s work had just finished having a cocktail making competition so most people had already had a few drinks making it easier to convince them to come out for the night.

Hanging at Hairy Lemon before going out

From her work we went to Malbas, which is not a bar Jocelyn and I normally hang out at but the bar had been clever and struck a deal with Burgers and Beers, a popular restaurant whose building was damaged in the earthquake, to serve their menu. At the bar we had some burgers and chips and then started to dance the night away. As you can see the dance floor was packed.

Jocelyn ripping up the dance floor

Around midnight Trey drove Jocelyn and some of her friends home and then went back to the bar to hang out with Brian and some of the other Lemon’s a little longer. By 2am it was time to call it a night because we wanted to get an early start tomorrow driving to Queenstown.

Brian and some of the Lemons

Trey woke everyone up early the next morning so that we could all get packed, showered and on the road by 9am. For once we even got on the road a little a head of schedule. The weather was nice and the drive was beautiful. Brian was amazed at the brilliant turquoise color of the glacier feed lake Tekapo and Pukaki.

Us at Lake Pukaki

Roughly 6 hours and 500km later we arrived in Queenstown. Our landlords had been nice enough to let us stay at their place in Queenstown for free so we gladly took them up on it. When we arrived we were surprised how nice of a place it was. We were expecting something nice but by no means were we expecting a three story house that had beautiful views of the lake and mountains. It was really a shame that we were just going to be here for 2 days.

Where we stayed in Queenstown

The Kitchen

The Master Bedroom with views of the lake and the mountains right outside the window

The view of the Remarkables from the house

Close up of the Remarkables

Once we got settled in Trey did not let us relax for long because he wanted to go to the gondola and luge before it started to rain.

View from top of the gondola

We headed out and were at the top of the mountain racing down the luge in no time. It was Brian’s first time on the luge and he was a little hesitant at first and it did not help that the second time he went down he had a luge where the breaks were failing, but by the third run he had the hang of it. The luge was made a little more challenging than when we were here in the summer because there was water from snow melt on some of the turns, which definitely made braking in the turns harder. Just as we were finishing our last run it started to rain so we headed back down the gondola.

Brian on the luge

By this time we were all very hungry so we decided to go straight to dinner at one of the local favorites The Cow. The Cow is a pizza and pasta place that is housed in a small stone building on Cow Lane where the cows were milked way back in the day.

The Cow

We had been recommended by just about everyone that this is the place to for good pizza in Queenstown and we were definitely not let down. The meals started with an oversized loaf of garlic bread which the three of us demolished in a few minutes. Since none of us had lunch we decided to order 3 large pizzas. Trey had the Vegetarian, Brian the Bolognaise, and Jocelyn the Pepperoni pizza. The overall consensus by the meat eaters was that the Bolognaise pizza was the best, but they were all good. Trey was the only one to finish his whole pizza so we had the other two wrapped up so that we could have them later. We then drove back to the place we were staying and we all took a power nap before heading out for the night. That night we went to World Bar, one of the many backpacker bars in Queenstown. To be honest World Bar is a very nasty place the whole place smelling like a mixture of BO and stale vomit but they do play good music which is hard to find in New Zealand. We hung out here for a few hours but the lack of sleep was starting to catch up so we decided to head home around 1:30 am to get some sleep.

The next morning Trey must have been feeling nice because he actually let everyone sleep in. He went out and bought some breakfast supplies and cooked bacon and omelets for everyone. After breakfast we took Brian to the Shotover Jet boat launch since this was one of our favorite things that we did in Queenstown last summer. The river was much higher than when we went making the ride a little choppier but Brian said it was a lot of fun and definitely worth going.

Brian representing on the Shotover

In the early afternoon we went to a wine tasting shop so that we could find a nice bottle of wine to leave for our landlords as a thank you. We ended up tasting a lot of wines and buying a bottle for the landlords and another for ourselves. Brian ended up buying a bottle of New Zealand port which was very delicious. After tasting the wines we headed back to the house and had some of the leftovers from the previous night for a very late lunch. We chilled out at the house for a little bit longer before heading back on the road to drive home. A little ways outside of Queenstown the serpentine belt our car snapped so we drove back to the house in Queenstown and decided to stay another night so that we could get the belt fixed Monday morning before driving home. We were lucky we were staying at someone’s house and not in a hotel making easy to just stay one more night at the last minute.

We wanted to keep with the saying and make lemonade out of lemons so we made sure not to waste this bonus night in Queenstown. We took a cab downtown and had dinner at Wai, which is a nice place right on the waterfront.

The is no shortage of scenic places in Queenstown

Brian had the duck, Jocelyn the beef and Trey the snapper. We were all very happy with our meals and decided to keep the night going by having a few drinks at the Bunker bar a few blocks over. We all very much liked this bar because it is on the roof of a building and there is a place outside where you can have a drink sitting around a warm fire while watching an old James Bond movie project onto the building next door.

Drinks at the Bunker

After a few drinks here Jocelyn headed home and Brian and Trey explored the town a little more. After checking out a few of the bars they ended up back at World Bar because it was the only place that had people and was not playing techno music.

The next morning we got the belt on the car replaced and then we started to drive home. We stopped at the place where Jocelyn did her bungy jump last January and watched some people jump. We tried to tempt Brian into jumping but to no avail so we continued on our journey.

'88 it was a great year - Brian and Trey got matching wristbands

On the way home we stopped at the Gibston Valley winery for a tour of their wine cave as well as a tasting. The wine cave was very cool but the rest of the tour was lacking and the wine was not as good as many of the ones we tasted the day before.

Gibston Winery

The Winecave

There was also a cheese place next door and after trying some of the cheese Brian ended up buying a blue cheese and Gouda. We then back tracked a little to have lunch and taste more wines at The Winehouse Kitchen. The restaurant had a nice outdoor seating area with great views of a nearby waterfall.

The food here was very good and a good way to end the trip. After lunch we headed back on the road for the long drive back to Christchurch. On the drive it was a particularly clear day so when we arrived at Lake Pukaki we were treated to a great view of Mt. Cook. By the time we got home it was already 10pm so we all went to bed.

Mt. Cook

The next day Trey and Jocelyn were back at work and Brian took advantage of the day by sleeping in and catching up on his sleep since he has 3 more weeks of traveling ahead of him. After work Brian cracked open the NZ port he bought in Queenstown and set out the cheese and crackers for a nice after work treat for us. That night we took him to one of our favorite "Kiwi style Mexican
place, Coyote bar for dinner and then out to the Bangalore Polo club for drinks afterwards. After a few drinks Brian went out to some more bars while Trey and Jocelyn went and got some sleep. The next night was Brian’s last in Christchurch so he and Trey went out for one last night out on the town. Being a Wednesday night there was not much going on but they somehow managed to stay out till 4am drinking and playing pool. The next day we drove Brian to the airport and said our final goodbyes. It was a good visit and I think we all had a lot of fun.

We already miss him but it was great to be able to share this amazing place with someone who has been there with us since the first night we met!

Week in Fiji

2010-10-05T20:15:00.010+13:00

Sorry for our lack of posts but September has easily been the craziest month of our lives. It all started with the earthquake the first week of September and honestly, has not stopped since. We are still feeling aftershocks a month later and have now had more than 1000 aftershocks! To say the least, it is quite unsettling but the city is trying its very best to get back to normal and many businesses have really stepped up and allowed competitors even in some cases to share office space and keep going. It is inspiring and we think tells a lot about the Kiwis as a people.

A week after the earthquake we were fortunate enough to have had a trip planned to Fiji. We could not WAIT to get out of Christchurch and escape the aftershocks. We had to wake up at 3:30am to get to the airport. Before the quake Trey thought he might have trouble getting Jocelyn up and out of bed at that time but post quake, Jocelyn could not have been happier to wake up and flee NZ. Even while we were at the gate waiting to board the plane, a fairly large aftershock struck. We finally got on the plane and it was probably the first time either of us had been relaxed in a week.

The flight was actually very turbulent but after experiencing a 7.1 earthquake and many aftershocks to be honest, it did not really phase us. When we finally landed in Fiji a short 4 hours later we easily got through customs – adding to our many passport stamps, collected our luggage and took a cab to the Denarau Marina where we had already purchased tickets for a 2 hour boat ride to our first hotel, Liku Liku, on Malolo Island.

The boat we took to Malolo Island

It was a great way to start the trip. The boat basically goes around and stops at a variety of resorts that are on tiny islands around the main island. There is music and a bar. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the only hiccup was that neither of us thought to put sunblock in our carry ons so we got a little burned. One of the first things we saw from the boat was a giant sea turtle so we knew it was going to be an awesome trip!

The way they work the boat is really seamless. When you check in they take your bags and ask you what hotel you are staying at. Then, they attach a tag with the name of that resort to your luggage. As they stop at the various islands, smaller boats come from those islands to the large boat. On one side, guys are throwing the luggage off the large boat into the small boat and on the other side they board the passengers.

People getting into a smaller boat to take them to their resort

The islands are so small that the big boat cannot possibly get up close enough to let people off. It was pretty awesome. Ours was one of the last stops. We hopped in the small boat with one other couple from Barcelona who spoke minimal English.

Jocelyn on the small boat

Liku Liku our home for the next 4 days

The driver of the boat explained to us the Fijian greeting and when we arrived at the dock to our resort there were men playing music and waiting to greet us, “BULA!”

Bula! The traditional Fiji greeting

We exited the small boat and another staff member was there waiting to welcome us with a special necklace to keep, a cold, wet, scented towel and a passionfruit iced tea with fresh mint. It was a perfect start on such a hot day. He walked us around and explained the resort and oriented us to our new surroundings. We had not eaten lunch yet so he also directed us to the restaurant where we ate while they set up our room with our luggage. There is only one restaurant at the resort and 2 bars – one indoor and one out on the pier where we arrived. The menu (except for breakfast changed daily so there were plenty of options)

Looking out at the bar on the water

The view from the bar on the water

The food at the resort was excellent and each meal was 4 courses with an amuse bouche, starter, main and dessert. The presentation was also lovely.

Every meal had a live band

Our first meal at Liku Liku

It was good to come to this island first because after the week of the quake, it was nice to be at a place where the food was included in our price so we were not even thinking about little details like that. They even mentioned when we checked in that they would accommodate and knew about Trey being pescetarian and Jocelyn being allergic to berries. After lunch they took us to our room in a golf cart. Even though it is not a large resort, it is very spread out. It is adults only and mostly couples so this increases the level of privacy having things so spread out. We walked into the room and they had set up the bed with a welcome message as well as leaving us each a resort branded sarong to keep.

The path to the villas

Our welcome greeting in the room

There are 3 types of rooms and the resort is pretty much the only thing on the island so it feels completely isolated. All rooms are beachfront and the entire resort is surrounded by a marine reserve. All the rooms are luxurious but the one we had was between the standard and the overwater bungalows that had a deck with a day bed and a private plunge pool. The pool was small and had jets but was about 5 feet deep so it was definitely more than a Jacuzzi. We were literally steps from the sand and the lagoon and our bed faced in that direction so it was lovely to wake up to the each morning.

The plunge pool

Our day bed

All rooms have 2 vanity areas with sinks, etc. as well as an indoor and an outdoor shower. Jocelyn has learned now that we have been on so many tropical holidays that her hands down favorite thing is outdoor showers! Jocelyn was also pretty excited to learn that when they come to make up the room each day, they also bring fresh baked cookies and fill up the cookie jar in the room. She took full advantage of those daily!

As soon as we got situated in our room we threw on our bathing suits and quickly jumped into the plunge pool since it was so hot. Every day in Fiji was at least 85-90 degrees but the Fijian sun made it feel about a million times hotter. It was nice to be able to just go out on our porch and get the benefits of a pool, a day bed and the beach/lagoon. Plus, this holiday we were smart and brought our own liquor and wine so we enjoyed that as well as we relaxed. The overwater bungalows looked nice but we were glad we chose the room we did since the overwater ones were pretty much as far away as you could get from everything and the Fijian tides are quite drastic. At times the overwater bungalows were not over water at all.

Overwater bungalows

We walked right off our porch down to the water at low tide and Trey keenly spotted a small sting ray!! It was amazing.

Be careful of stingrays

We like the sunsets

The next day we went to the restaurant for breakfast. We enjoyed our a la carte meals but were a little bit disappointed by the breakfast at the resort and were not sure if we could have enjoyed it for more than 4 days since the menu did not change. They did offer some buffet options though such as fresh fruit (and a juicer to make fresh juice if you wished) as well as breads and muffins that were quite delicious. And of course, green coconuts with straws to drink the water! Later we ventured to the resort pool as opposed to staying on our deck. It was a complex design and they had cool water with lemons poolside to enjoy.

The main pool

There were always a few other people at the pool and sometimes the staff brought around fruit which was very refreshing. It was not long though before we went to the hut at the resort to claim our snorkeling equipment for the stay. It is great because they give it to you in a shoulder bag with your room number on it so you do not have to go retrieve it new every day. We took the bag and walked right down to the end of the pier and jumped off into the crystal blue water!

We cannot say enough about the snorkeling in Fiji. It is said to be one of the best places in the world and we could not argue with that after our experience. We thought Aitutaki was amazing but this tops it. It was literally like being immersed in a tropical fish tank with as many fish as you could imagine. The colours are far more brilliant than we can describe. Trey was pretty excited when he “found Nemo,” a little clownfish who looked up at him just like the one in the movie! We also were fortunate enough to spot an octopus which apparently is quite rare and of course more blue starfish than we could count! The fish were huge and swimming amongst them was truly unreal. It was good that Jocelyn had practice in Rarotonga and Aitutaki because it helped her to enjoy the snorkeling in Fiji more since she had gotten over many of her fears and felt more independent out in the water to venture out on her own.

Days all sort of blend together in Fiji which really helped us put the earthquake out of our minds.

Did I mention we liked the sunsets

Some other notable things in Fiji was the fact that one evening there was a traditional meal at the restaurant for everyone to enjoy where the menu consisted of an Indo-Fijian smorgasbord and staff singing traditional Fijian music. One thing that we did not realize going to Fiji is how many Indian people/influence there was. Indians had been employed for a long time on the European ships trading in India and the East Indies. Many of the early voyages to the Pacific either started or terminated in India, and many of these ships were wrecked in the uncharted waters of the South Pacific. Indians were basically indentured labourers and brought with them their traditions and other ethnic influences which remain a huge part of Fiji today. The meal was a lot of traditional Indian flavours of course but mixed with tropical fruits like guava and paw paw and seafood like mud crab. Jocelyn discovered that this might be a type of Indian food she actually enjoys and is determined to look for some yummy recipes!

The staff signing traditional songs

Indo-Fijian mudcrab

Before dinner most evenings we stopped by the bar right out on the pier to have a cocktail and look at the stars. It was completely relaxing.

Before dinner drinks

We really did not want to leave but the time had come to go to the next place on Denarau Island and check out the main island. We did not leave until around 4pm though so we lounged around all day, swimming in the pool, in the lagoon, etc. We made our way down to the pier and the gentlemen who sang to us upon our arrival were there to sing farewell. We hopped onto the little boat to get to the larger boat and off we went. It was another 2 hours until we got back to Denarau and the timing was perfect because right before we got to Denarau we were able to watch the sunset over the water.

We got off the boat, collected our luggage and took a big coach bus to the Hilton resort where we were staying. It was definitely a much different feel than Liku Liku. The Hilton is quite large and more like a traditional resort we are used to with multiple restaurants, bars and shops. There is an Asian inspired restaurant, a grill type restaurant, a coffee/pastry shop as well as a frozen yogurt stand. We also realized it was our first holiday at a non-adults only place which was interesting. When we checked in we had a funny experience since we booked the holiday so far in advance. The woman confirmed that we had booked the Romance Package including a bottle of champagne, a spa bath drawn and a private dinner on the beach. We both sort of looked at each other like, “ummm…that sort of sounds familiar? But not really.” It had been so long that we forgot we booked it!! It was a nice treat.

We arrived so late that the first night we just ordered room service and watched tv. Our room was in a good location though since it was 3 buildings over from the adults pool and restaurants. The room was on the ground floor overlooking the water. We did have a small porch and 2 loungers in back as well as a hammock. Even though it was more traditional hotel style, it was not as loud as we thought it could be especially with children.

Looking out from our room at the Hilton

The next morning we went to the grill type restaurant, Nuku, for a buffet breakfast that was also included in our package. They had an omelette station which we loved as well as pancakes, fruit, potatoes, and many other options. We were surprised that we loved the breakfast so much here but we really did. Jocelyn also enjoyed that they included sparkling wine in the cost at breakfast!

The days pretty much all went the same at the Hilton – buffet breakfast, grab a lounger at the pool, order some drinks and snacks at the pool, go back and shower and get ready for dinner. It was lovely.

Drinks on the beach

One thing that we did not love is that even though there were plenty of kids pools and just one adult pool, the adult pool almost always had kids in it. It was definitely a different vibe than any other holiday we have gone on but we felt like we had to experience the main island. One day we did venture out to see the other resorts on Denarau but in the end felt the Hilton was in fact the best fit for us. Another thing that was a bit disappointing on Denarau was the fact that you don’t really see people going in the water. It is pretty murky and the sand is so dark and fine – not great for swimming and definitely not snorkeling so other than laying out by the pool there did not seem to be a whole lot to do. It was just a shame to be that close to the ocean and not truly be able to enjoy it like we have other places.

On our second to last evening we did our private dinner on the beach. It was reminiscent of our honeymoon and now we have done 3 dinners on the beach so it may very well be our “thing”. The food was lovely and it was nice to hear the waves practically at our feet. We could hear the music playing from the main restaurant and at the end of our meal Jocelyn invited Trey to dance with her on the beach. It was a great moment.

Dinner on the beach

How romantic!

On our last night we decided to go check out Denarau Marina where we had caught the boat since there were a good amount of shops and restaurants there. Jocelyn found a sun hat that she fell in love with and of course we had to pick up another magnet to add to our growing collection from the places we’ve been.

Check out my new hat

We also bought a traditional Fijian cannibal fork – don’t worry – it is just decorative! LOL We wound up eating at the Hard Rock Café since we felt like being away from home it would be nice to have American food. We were mostly disappointed with the experience except that Trey enjoyed some nachos that he felt reminded him more of home than any other nachos we’ve had in the past 1.5 years and our waiter was convinced that Jocelyn was famous which made Jocelyn quite happy. Jocelyn also got a shot glass to add to her collection since she collected those from each Hard Rock Café she visited when she lived in UK/Europe.

Mmmm American food

Drinks at the marina

The next day was another full day. Even though we had to check out, the hotel kindly locked up our bags and we lounged out by the pool all day. They did not have facilities to shower in but when we asked at the front, they actually were kind enough to allow us to use a room in their spa to shower and change so we would not be all nasty for the plane ride home.

We arrived home on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon we went to the airport to pick up Brian. I am sure you are starting to get a sense of why we have not been able to get around to posting blogs!

To see the rest of our pictures click here.

Earthquake Aftermath

2010-09-08T19:53:00.005+12:00

The past few days have been tense to say the least. We have dealt with more than 100 aftershocks, many of which would normally be considered large quakes on their own. This morning was the most frightening since the original 7.1. It hit around 7:45am as we were getting ready for work and only measured around 5.1 but was much closer to the heart of Christchurch and much shallower so it felt quite strong. This caused many of the already inspected buildings to need re-inspection to make sure they were safe. For some buildings, it was the final straw.

Trey is still out of work until tomorrow but Jocelyn has worked every day since. The street she works on, Victoria Street, was one of the hardest hit streets. Many buildings have been compromised and will need to be demolished. This was the case for the shops directly across the street from Jocelyn's work.

This is just an example of the "clean up" that will be happening around Christchurch to deal with the aftermath of this earthquake.

The Earthquake

2010-09-04T15:04:00.008+12:00

Well, we have officially survived our first earthquake and boy was it a big one! Initially reported at 7.4 and downgraded to 7.1.

At about 4:30am we were woken up by a violent rattling that even though we have never felt one before, we both knew it was an earthquake. While Jocelyn froze from panic, Trey was cool-headed as usual and grabbed Jocelyn out of bed and we both stood in the doorway of our bedroom. You could feel the whole building swaying and glass smashing all around. It lasted for what felt like was forever but reports are 40 seconds. It felt like it would never end. For hours afterwards (and even still almost 12 hours later, we are still feeling aftershocks. Some of the aftershocks have been as big as 5.3 which many would consider a pretty good earthquake in itself. Reports have said that we have had at least a dozen aftershocks.

Here is a surveillance video from a local electronics store that gives a good depiction of what it was like

We were VERY fortunate and our only casualty was the duty free liquor we had stocked up on (vodka, wine, bubbles, etc.) Everything was shifted but nothing else broke. We were also one of the few buildings that did not lose power at all during the quake or after. Our water was manually shut off due to pipe breaks but now seems to be back up and running.

Once we spoke to family and friends we decided to venture out into the city to see just how devastating this quake was to Christchurch. Fortunately, it turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny, hot day - people all walking around assessing the damage and wearing shorts and sandals!!

Many of the roads were closed and will be for a while as they determine what is safe. All we can really say is that it is a blessing that we fared as well as we did and that it happened at 4:30am and not 4:30pm. With the pictures we took - which weren't even the worst hit parts that were closed off to the public -you can see that if it had happened during the day, surely people would have been in these buildings and would likely have lost their lives.

We survived but Christchurch will sure have a lot to clean up in the coming weeks and months.

P.S.
(updated September 6 - we are still continuing to feel aftershocks. We have now had over 50+ aftershocks between 3.2 and 5.3 - hopefully it will end soon.

Jocelyn's Birthday

2010-08-29T16:15:00.006+12:00

Jocelyn's birthday was on Friday the 13th this year and since she did not really celebrate her 30th birthday since we had literally just moved to New Zealand, she thought it would be a good opportunity to celebrate with all her new friends.

We reserved some space at a local bar called 205 Yakitori Lounge which is Jocelyn's favorite bar in Christchurch. It is a dimly lit bar with plush couches, curtains - a great ambiance.

Jocelyn wore her favorite dress and even had massive false eyelashes put on which absolutely makes her day! To top it all off, Jocelyn brought Harry her nail guy a photo of the dress she would be wearing and he did her nails to match! What a genius.

We had about 25-30 people join us over the course of the evening from Jocelyn's co-workers to couples we met while in the Cook Islands! So many people also unexpectedly brought gifts which Jocelyn really appreciated. Most of all, the gifts really showed how well people here already know her! She got a beautiful metallic gold clutch from Scott and Debi and some amazing pieces of funky jewelry from Andy and Jess. She was really touched.

We ordered a few plates of yakitori (grilled meat and veggies) for guests and around 10pm we treated guests to a champagne toast and Jocelyn's favorite cupcakes from the cupcake parlour - decorated with edible glitter of course! Since Trey got Jocelyn cupcakes from there last year it seems to have become a birthday tradition of sorts for Jocelyn's day.

Everyone seemed to have an excellent time and some friends even asked Jocelyn to plan parties for them in the future which bodes quite well for Jocelyn's event planning business that she hopes to start when we return back to the US!

It was a fantastic birthday and was so great to see for both of us just how many people have come to love us and that we have come to love in just the past year here.

Jocelyn and Paula

Michele, Jocelyn, Kurt, Briony and Connon

Trey, Jocelyn with Clare and Steve who we met in Rarotonga!

Emma, Gordie, Jocelyn, Babs and Richard

Jess and Andy enjoying the cupcakes!

Jocelyn, Trish, Debi and Briony (all hairyLemons) :)

Dave, Jocelyn, the other Joslin and Emma (we met Dave and Joslin in Aitutaki!)

Jocelyn and Lily

New Zealand All Blacks vs Australia Wallabies - Jocelyn's 1st rugby game!

2010-08-23T20:14:00.004+12:00

On Saturday August 7 we went to AMI Stadium in Christchurch where they were hosting the NZ vs Australia rugby game. It was a big deal since Christchurch does not get BIG games like this often. They were using it as a trial for when the Rugby World Cup is held here in 2011 - closing off streets, etc.

As you can imagine, since it was NZ vs Aussie, there is much rivalry and people get pretty excited. We were surprised how many people we saw during the day and at the game in Christchurch who had obviously flown in from Australia! The game was also part of the Tri-Nations Cup (which New Zealand ultimately wound up winning). It is a series of rugby matches between New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Since the streets were closed off from the city to the stadium, that pretty much was exactly in our way from home to the game, we decided to do as the city recommended and walk with the crowd down the closed off streets to the game. It was about 2 miles but it really did not feel that long when you were walking with a large group. Apparently, the walk was led by Canterbury native, Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race.

The stadium is pretty nice and we had decent seats. We decided before we made it to our seats that we should get some refreshments. The way the sold drinks was much different than what we are used to in the States. You enter a room through a turn-style where there are multiple refrigerators like you would see in a convenience store filled with 4 packs of beer! It seemed like the standard thing to do was to grab a 4 pack and take it to your seat so we decided to follow the Kiwis lead on that. It was enough to last us the whole game, solving the ever-present dilemma of who is going to get up to get the next round :)

We made our way to the seats and there was some entertainment happening on the field. Our seats were in the perfect place to get a bird's eye view.

After announcing the players and singing both national anthems (New Zealand's anthem is sung in both English and Maori) the teams lined up on opposing sides of the half - it was time for the Haka!!!! For those of you who do not know what the Haka is, it is a traditional Maori dance that is a greeting, a war chant and a challenge. We video taped it that evening for you all to see. The All Blacks do the Haka before every game. It is also funny to watch the opposing team just standing there watching them do this dance.

Once the game started it was difficult for Jocelyn to grasp the concept that the clock never stops - not even when someone is injured!! The All Blacks started off strong with the first score but this was quickly countered as the Wallabies scored off of an All Blacks mistake.

This was however not a sign of how things would go because New Zealand dominated the remainder of the first half. As the second half started, so did the rain which resulted in sloppy play by both teams and very little scoring. The end result was the All Blacks winning the game which made everyone in Christchurch very happy. It was not nearly as rowdy though as we expected but again, since there is no stopping of the clock, it is a shorter game, giving people less time to get wasted.

Jocelyn learned that she really likes watching rugby (or, "the rugby" as people say here) and we hope to go to more games while we are here.

Cook Islands Part 2 - Aitutaki

2010-08-15T17:15:00.014+12:00

As we neared Aitutaki we were treated to a great aerial view of the main island, lagoon, and surrounding motus (small surrounding islands). As we landed at the airport we quickly realized that this is going to be like no place we have ever visited before. The airport consisted of a runway and a small open air building. We were greeted at the airport by two staff members from Etu Moana, where we would be staying, and were given leis just like in Rarotonga. After a short van ride, there is no such thing as a long ride in Aitutaki considering it is only 6 square miles, we arrived at Etu Moana.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were greeted by the hotel managers, Jeff and Janine, and were given a coconut to drink to re-hydrate us after our flight. They told us about the various features of the hotel and island. Etu Moana is a very unique hotel. There are a total of eight Polynesian style huts that are spaced out in a large garden that opens up to the beach. The hotel is self catering so there is not a restaurant but next to the pool there is an honor bar, which we made good use of during our time there. They have all the liquors, wines, beers and mixers you could ask for and you would always get a drink to your liking since you are the bartender! Our room was right off of the beach and consisted of a porch with a table and chairs as well as multiple lounges. From the porch, a double sliding glass door opened up to the bedroom. To the left of the bedroom there was a fully equipped kitchen with granite countertops and to the right was the bathroom. The bathroom consisted of both an outdoor and indoor shower. It was amazing how high quality and clean everything was. It made us wonder how a place this nice can exist in on an island this remote. On the porch was an ice bucket with champagne that Jocelyn had arranged ahead of time so we could have a celebratory toast to our second anniversary one last time.

After settling in we realized how hungry we were se we decided to go next door to Café Tauonos. The café did not look like much when we walked up to it. Just a hand painted sign pointing down a driveway towards a small house. Outside the house there were four picnic tables set up and we sat at the last empty one. We found on Aitutaki many of the “restaurants” were really just someone cooking out of the kitchen in their house with picnic tables set up outside for the diners. Everything was cooked by the owner Sonya using mostly ingredients from here garden. Jocelyn had Mahi Mahi with starfruit salsa and roasted pumpkin and Trey had a spinach omelet with a side of tropical fruit and pumpkin. Also to drink we both had glasses of boiled rainwater. The water on the island is not safe to drink so boiled rainwater is the drink of choice. Both Jocelyn and I decided that this was our favorite meal on Aitutaki. As we left we grabbed some coconut cake for us to have later in the day, which ended up being a perfect after dinner treat.

Since there was still plenty of sun left after lunch we decided to hold off unpacking till later and just get our suits on and go to the beach. The beach here was perfect for us. Because of the unique shade tree it was possible for Trey to be in the shade and Jocelyn to be out in the sun. Jocelyn spent the rest of the day reading her book (Eat, Pray, Love – which, by the way, she would recommend to the ladies) and laying in the sun. Trey on the other hand made good use of the kayaks and snorkeling equipment which were included at the resort. One of his favorite things to do here was to kayak out close to the reef where you could tie up to a buoy and then go snorkeling. Although the snorkeling here was not as good as the lagoon cruise we took later in the trip, there was still plenty to see. Trey even spotted a moray eel sticking its head out of a hole in the reef. At first he thought it was just a large stick stuck in the coral but then he noticed the mouth with teeth opening and closing as small fish swam by.

For dinner we went to Puffy’s the local fish and chip spot. The unique thing about this fish and chips place is that they always use fresh, high-quality fish such as Mahi Mahi, tuna, or wahoo. The day we went wahoo was on the menu and it was delicious. In addition to fish and chips the meal also came with a fresh salad which was a nice touch. Puffy’s (called that we think because of the large woman behind the counter who we assume owns it) was packed with all 7 tables filled with a combination of travelers and locals – we even saw Jeff and Janine there, our hosts at Etu Moana so we knew it was not a bogus recommendation! Although you would think that it would not take long to make fish and chips, but being on island time some how we waited over an hour for our meal, but it was well worth it. After dinner we went back to our hut and went to bed.

The next day we decided to have a relaxing day on the beach and just enjoy the island and weather. Trey took one of the hotel bikes for a ride down to the grocery store to see if he could find something to cook for dinner and also to find some things for lunch when they did not leave the hotel during the day. At the grocery store he found next to nothing. For example, the entire fresh produce section consisted of lettuce, eggplant and nothing else. We were told that there was not much food on the island when we arrived because the monthly supply ship was late in arriving, but we did not expect it to be this bad. Trey decided to just grab a loaf of bread, granola bars (the last box in the store) and some potato chips. When he got back Jocelyn was disappointed that they were not going to be able to cook a fancy meal in their kitchen. Because of the lack of food we decided to make dinner reservations for later at Café Tupuna, which many people regarded as the best restaurant on the island. That afternoon we both took the kayaks out together. This was Jocelyn’s first time in a kayak and she did very well although after about 45 min or so her arms started to get tired so we headed back in. For dinner we had arranged a ride to pick us up and found out that it was in fact a van that stopped at our hotel and others to pick people up to go to the restaurant. This was not too bad but the annoying thing was the van did not leave to take people home until everyone was done since there was a diesel shortage on the island. The one thing we quickly learned on Aitutaki is that there is a shortage of just about everything-except for beautiful scenery that is. The dinner itself was good, Jocelyn had the parrot fish special and Trey had the tuna and shrimp. Not many people must have ordered the parrot fish special because when they brought the meal out there were three large filets on the plate. We ended up having plenty of leftovers, which Jocelyn had the next night for dinner as well. After dinner we hung out on our porch talking for a bit and we ate more of the coconut cake we had bought the day before. We decided not to stay up too late because the next day we were going on a full day swimming and snorkeling lagoon cruise.

The next morning a shuttle van came and drove us to the other side of the island where the lagoon cruise started. The boat was a large pontoon boat with seating for 50 people, although there were only 20 people on the cruise, and a sun deck on the roof.

It took us about 45 min to get to our first destination but all along the way we had spectacular views of the lagoon and listened to some island music that was being played by the ship’s crew. Our first stop was a small island that had a nice sandy swimming beach. This island was also where one of the tribes lived during the filming of Survivor: Cook Islands. Jocelyn and I headed straight into the water where we swam around for an hour or so before having to get back on the boat to go to the next destination.

On the way to the next stop we got lucky and spotted a large sea turtle. We tried to take some pictures of the turtle but none of them turned out great.

At the next stop our boat set anchor near some coral and we got our snorkeling gear on to go take a look. Jocelyn had briefly tried snorkeling for the first time in Rarotonga but did not like it very much mainly because the snorkeling gear did not fit her very well and the current kept pushing her into the coral, causing her to get a big cut and bruise on her foot. Her experience here was much better and I think she is looking forward to snorkeling again in Fiji. Here we saw some giant clams with the biggest one being over two feet in diameter. We also saw some clown fish, parrot fish (Jocelyn did not mention to them that she ate their brother the night before), blue starfish, colorful coral and many other brilliantly colored fish. One thing we noticed was that out here in the deeper water the blue star fish were much bigger and there was much more variety of fish. We saw one bigger fish that was fat and about three feet long; Trey swam after it for a little while but it swam away to a deeper part of the lagoon. After about an hour of snorkeling we got back into the boat and were now starting to get hungry. Next, the boat dropped us off on a sand bar that had a few young palm trees growing on it.

We hung out here for a few minutes before starting the walk though the water to One Foot Island where we were going to have lunch. The walk through the water was really fun and it took us about twenty minutes to get to the island but the water was never more than waist deep.

Once we got to One Foot Island we got our passports stamped there at the post office. Why they have a post office on an uninhabited island we do not know. Then we were treated to a buffet lunch with salad, bread, passion fruit, starfruit, grilled fish (that the crew had caught along the way) and hot dogs that the boat crew had been preparing while we were walking over to the island.

After lunch we had time to explore the island and do some more swimming, which Jocelyn and I took full advantage of. Jocelyn thought that it was pretty funny that after her long search for American style hot dogs in the South Pacific that they had them in Aitutaki where they pretty much had no other kind of food! The boat then took us back to the main island and we grabbed the shuttle back to our hotel.

The timing of the end of the lagoon cruise worked out perfectly because when we arrived back at the hotel Dave, one of the hotel staff, was just starting his weekly coconut show. This show was really good (we had read about it as a “must do” in the Guest Book that each Villa at Etu Moana has where guests write all about their stay) and we were glad that we made it back in time. He showed us the right way to climb a coconut tree as well as three ways to shuck and break open a coconut – including with a stick, with your mouth and with a rock. He then let us taste the difference between young coconuts, brown coconuts, and coconuts that had already started to grow into trees. At the end of the show they made piña coladas for everyone using the coconut cream. This became Jocelyn’s drink of choice for the rest of the trip and she knew how to make it because they had a recipe book in the honesty bar with recipes and a place for guests to add recipes for all guest coming after them – nice touch. We were surprised by how many people came to the show. It appeared that all but one villa was there. That night after such a long day we decided to stay in and have left overs for dinner from Café Tupuna and finish off the rest of the coconut cake.

The next day we took it easy and just hung out at the beach with Trey doing a little more kayaking and snorkeling. For dinner we staying in and cooked some pasta. The next day was our last day but we had paid for a guest past so that we could use the hotel’s facilities all day and have access to the guest villa where we could store our stuff and take a shower before we grabbed our flight back to Rarotonga which was well worth it since we had a majority of the day to kill. So far the whole trip the weather had been perfect but just as our plane left Aitutaki it started to rain. It was like the sun had stayed out long enough just for us.

When we arrived back in Rarotonga we had an 8 hour layover until our 2 am flight back to New Zealand. We arranged a cab through Etu Moana to pick us up from the airport. We decided to spend this time at a nearby restaurant and bar called Trader Jacks which had been recommended to us by same mates in New Zealand.

This turned out to be the perfect idea! The cab would also pick us up at an arranged time to go back to the airport and of course in true island style, when they dropped us off at the restaurant as we tried to pay, the response was, “Oh no! Pay when I pick you up!” We had some appetizers and drinks at the bar and then had a late dinner in the restaurant, both of which were right on the water. After dinner we went back to the bar where they had some live music to kill another hour or so before heading to the airport. At the airport we ran into some of our new friends that we had met at Etu Moana in Aitutaki even though we were on different flights. We bonded over the fact that the girl’s name was also Joslyn (obviously spelled differently). The flight from Rarotonga to Auckland was pretty miserable and it was really hard to stomach that we were going to have to wait in Auckland for another 3 hours before catching our flight back to Christchurch. It probably did not help that at Trader Jack’s we pretty much drank the night away. Lucky for us we ran into our new friends from Aitutaki again and they gave us some guess passes to hang out in the New Zealand Air lounge where they had couches, drinks, and a full breakfast set up for free. Feeling slightly recharged we got on our last flight of the day and made it back to Christchurch and home. Once we got home we went straight to bed even though it was 11am.

All in all our trip to the Cook Islands was lots of fun and a great success. Although Jocelyn decided that Aitutaki is as close to camping as she ever wants to come, she does admit it was a great experience and probably unlike any other place in the world. We now see why New Zealanders make the Cook Islands their Pacific destination of choice and Jocelyn hopes that Trey will take her back some day! Next holiday stop: Fiji!

Cook Islands Holiday - Part 1 - Rarotonga

2010-08-11T18:54:00.003+12:00

We had planned our Rarotonga vacation 6 months ago so it was much anticipated.
We left on Friday evening on a direct flight from Christchurch to Rarotonga. It was just a 4.5 hour flight so not too bad, but what is interesting is that since you cross over the international dateline, it is actually a 22 hour time difference! It is one thing to get used to the time difference from NZ to the USA after being on a 13+ hour flight but after a short haul flight it was a little strange.

When we arrived we de-boarded the plane right on the tarmac and out into the warm Raro weather. We arrived at about 2am their time - all the flights leave and arrive at really odd times in the Cook Islands for some reason. We got into the tiny airport (we had no idea actually what a tiny airport was until we got to Aitutaki! More to come on that in the next post) and as we waited for our bags around the tiny baggage claim there was a local man playing the ukulele atop the baggage claim! Next, we went through customs and the customs officer stamped our passports and said, "Welcome to paradise!" He wasn't joking! The people of the Cook Islands are just simply the nicest people you will ever meet in your life - and best of all, they are totally genuine. They are not being nice for a tip (no tipping) or anything. Just friendly people with a carefree attitude. After all, everyone is on "island time".

Once we exited customs, we were greeted by another local woman who asked where we were staying and pointed us in the direction of our proper shuttle. We were pointed in the direction of a lovely woman who gave us each a lei which smelled incredible. Even as we landed we could smell the frangipani scent wafting through the air - like nothing we have ever smelled before. We were a little concerned though when the woman who gave us leis seemed a little surprised to see us when we gave her our names. We had originally had flights coming in a little later in the day (not 2am) but arranged with the hotel to check in early and pay a small fee.

We got on the shuttle with a few other couples and headed to the hotel - about a 10-15 minute car ride. When we arrived at the hotel with another young couple they seemed to have a room for them but they, as we gad feared at the airport, did not expect us until later. Trey showed the man at the hotel the paperwork confirming us to arrive when we did and he quickly said that there were a few cleaning ladies who lived right down the road and they would come in and make up our room. Turns out they did have a room for us but it just had not been made up yet. In some ways though it wound up being a good first impression because we both got the feeling that even if we had made the mistake and did not have a confirmation, they would have handled it in the same way. And for some reason, perhaps the relief of being out of the cold or the warmth of the Rarotongan people we had already met, neither of us seemed to care too much. Two island women rode into the parking lot a few minutes later on their motorized scooter and made up the room at 2:30am while the man who greeted us sat with us underneath the stars and gave us recommendations of what to do on the island. Once they showed us to our room, he walked us around and showed us where things were. They talked about giving us a room upgrade, but in the end we felt that we had already been given the best room at the hotel! The room was not beachfront but was the only room that had a view of the water and the sunset without being right on the beach. The units on the beach were actually separated by the pool/bar from the beach and that is a place where people tended to congregate so I imagine it could have been noisy at times in those rooms. Also, our room had an outdoor shower which not all of the rooms do. It wound up being one of our favorite features of the holiday!

The next morning we woke up in time to get the last bit of the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. Just basic stuff: islands fruits, cereal, toast and jam and tropical juices. The restaurant is right on the beach and has a full sand floor as most restaurants and bars do in the Cook Islands. Luckily Jocelyn figured this and did not pack any heels :)

The first day we took the opportunity to laze about the pool and lagoon/beach. One of the first thing we noticed on the island is the animals. There seemed to be dogs roaming everywhere. Some with collars and some without. They were all pretty friendly and would just lay down next to your lounge chair. We found one who we particularly like who we named Snoop. While we lounged around the pool and beach, the staff was all too happy to bring your drinks to you after you went up to the bar to order them. We also took the opportunity to have lunch at the restaurant a few days so we would not have to disrupt our relaxing. We also took a dip in the lagoon which had unbelievably crystal clear water and we could see tropical fish and other sea creatures. We even took a few photos of blue star fish or as they are called there, blue sea stars. The pictures we took of them were just walking down the beach!

The first evening we went a few resorts down the beach to a restaurant that had been recommended to us called Windjammer. It had gotten incredible reviews and did not disappoint. We took the opportunity to take a nice romantic walk on the beach there and back. Unfortunately on the way back we got caught in the rain but again, it did bother either one of us. We had already converted to our island state of mind.

The next day we headed off the property to check out the Saturday markets that had been recommended to us by the hotel staff. We took the shuttle bus that goes around the island. There is everything from jewelry to food to crafts. You do need to be careful though. Some things that appear to be authentic such as the black pearls are actually from Asia if you look closer. We wound up having some tropical fruit smoothies and bought an authentic black pearl ring for Jocelyn after much searching. There was music, dancing and just in general an amazing atmosphere. It was super hot that day as well. After the markets closed around 1pm we decided to head to the opposite side of the island from our hotel to Muri Beach which we had heard was a little more "touristy". We hung out on the beach outside of the Pacific Resort where friends of ours had stayed previously. It was definitely more "commercial" though not what we are used to in the USA. The lagoon was lovely and was suited more for swimming than snorkeling like where our hotel was. It was a really nice change. We also had a bite to eat there for lunch (we tried what they call island fries which are island sweet potato and taro - which if cooked wrong can apparently be poisonous) but had to leave earlier than planned since the last shuttle left to go back to our hotel around 4pm. We had planned to go to Island Night that night back at our hotel which had also heard great reviews about.

We got back to hotel in time for happy hour where lots of people from the hotel seemed to congregate. After that, we had just enough time to shower and change before we went to Island Night. It was really convenient that it was at our hotel. We got a great seat and before the evening began the staff had everyone go around and say their name, where they were from and what brought them to Rarotonga. It was a nice touch to be introduced to the fellow guests. Most people were Kiwis of course. Raro seems to be to Kiwis what Mexico is to Americans. The meal was buffet and we were pleasantly surprised - not expecting much from a buffet. It was very tasty though and we even got seconds! Jocelyn's favorite was paw paw fruit with yellow curry sauce on it. Mmmmm. After dinner is when things really got started. First they set up the band and then brought in the dancers. They were a variety of ages and there was even one tiny little girl - about 3 years old. So adorable! They did traditional island dancing and during the next portion, grabbed people from the audience to participate. One of the first people they grabbed was Jocelyn. The one little girl who danced with her was a tough cookie and kept telling her she wasn't doing it right! LOL Very strict little girl. But her coaching must have paid off because at the end they chose one guy and one girl as the "winners" and they got a free drink coupon and Jocelyn won! The final part of the show was an incredible fire show. The reviews had all been right. It was a great night. After the show, some people from the hotel were hanging out and we chatted with them for a bit, drinking and sharing stories.

The final day in Rarotonga we used mainly to chill on the beach at our hotel and snorkel in the lagoon. We saw some really interesting fish and more blue sea stars! The weather remained beautiful the entire time. We also did happy hour that day to hang out with some of our new friends and while we were enjoying the sunset, we saw some whales out in the distance! It was once of the coolest things. We could not watch for too long though because Trey had planned a special/surprise evening for us. He rented a car and drove to the other side of the island back to the Pacific Resort where there was a private outdoor hut on the beach away from all the other guests lit by tiki torches. There were flowers and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. We even had a private waiter! The food was exceptional and the company was obviously outstanding :) It was a lovely surprise for Jocelyn and a perfect way to enjoy our last night in Rarotonga.

When we got back to the hotel we saw some of our fellow hotel guests from Island Night. We had some drinks with them and even exchanged emails since they live in Christchurch.

The next day we left the hotel and headed to Aitutaki on Air Rarotonga. We got a shuttle from the hotel to the airport. The domestic terminal at the Rarotonga airport was even more bare than the "international terminal". On to part of paradise!!

Cook Islands

2010-08-05T11:06:00.001+12:00

We are still recovering from our trip to the Cook Islands so we have not had a chance to post a blog update yet, however, our pictures are online here if you want to check them out.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2010-07-20T19:41:00.006+12:00

Last weekend we celebrated our 2^nd Anniversary. Trey started the celebration off right by sending Jocelyn flowers at work. Jocelyn described them as the best flowers that Trey has ever sent her, although that is not saying much because Trey does not have the best track record with sending flowers. One time he sent flowers for Valentines Day and due to a big snow storm the delivery got delayed; it arrived two days latter as a box filled with dead flowers. Oh well, maybe he is finally learning.

After work we went out to dinner at a restaurant called the Sign of the Takahe. The building that houses this restaurant is situated high on the Cashmere Hills overlooking Christchurch. It was first started being built in 1918, but was not fully completed until 1949 due to the world wars and Great Depression. The building is best described as a miniature stone castle. Even the inside is decorated with a suit of armor and coat of arms. The restaurant itself is very small with no more than 12 tables. We were seated at one of the tables next to the fireplace which was a nice treat on a cold and rainy evening. Overall the food was just slightly above average but the atmosphere and the service was great.

After dinner instead of bringing out the dessert menu they brought out a small cake that looked exactly like the top of our wedding cake! Jocelyn had been sneaky and had a cake company make a replica of the top of our wedding cake and deliver it to the restaurant. She did this because we did not get a chance to eat the top of our wedding cake on our first anniversary and because she likes to surprise Trey!

After dinner we explored the castle a little bit. We found a picture of Bill Clinton on the walls from when we was there giving a speech outside the restaurant. Overall we had a very good anniversary night, but we are eagerly awaiting the rest of our anniversary celebration when we go on our trip to the Cook Islands this weekend.

Beautiful weekend in Lyttelton Harbour

2010-07-19T21:09:00.006+12:00

Last weekend we decided since it was a beautiful day to utilize our annual gondola passes and head up to the hill to overlook the port hills and have some afternoon tea. It was a beautiful, clear day and reminded us of why it is a blessing to live here even if for a short time.

We had not been out of the main downtown Christchurch for weeks and so we felt it was time to get back into nature and check out some new places. One of the things that Jocelyn had not yet done was go in the Time Tunnel at the gondolas. It was pretty cheezy (which Trey warned her about after having gone with his parents) but they figured since it was free they had to do it. Trey told no lies.

After tea we went out on the lookout and just took in the amazing view that is Lyttelton Harbour. Trey noticed that the sun set much earlier there since it was already getting dark down there around 4pm. Unfortunately after the Time Tunnel we just missed watching the sun set but that just made us realize we must go back again. It would also be nice to have a picnic up there and we have definitely seen other people doing that.

After spending a relaxing afternoon there we went to the downtown area of Lyttelton for some drinks and dinner. Trey had been before but Jocelyn had not so we figured we would check it out. It is a very small, cute and very quirky town and Trey had 2 bars in particular that he wanted to show Jocelyn. The first was called Monster Bar which is a tiny yakitori lounge. Yakitori is technically skewered grilled chicken but in fact yakitori can be many things - fish, veggies, etc. We got a few pieces to share and some rice and edamame. It was delicious.

Notice the hanging monster outside the door

The sign outside both bars

Next, we moved onto a bar called Wunderbar. They claim to be the most unique bar in NZ and we would tend to agree. I am sure you would too after seeing the lampshade made out of dolls heads! The bathroom doors were strange as well. The handle for the mens room was a clenched up fist and the women's was an iron. It was probably the only time Jocelyn has ever touched an iron in her whole life. :) Apparently some pretty decent bands play at this bar so we will keep a look out to see if anyone strikes our fancy.

We sat next to a man there who apparently knew the German guy who designed it. They we met had was a Kiwi who just returned from living in Russia and teaching English. He had an amazing photo album of his experience and shared it with us. While the photos were great, it did not convince Trey and Jocelyn to put Russia on their travel docket anytime soon.

Finally, since we were having some drinks, we decided the yakitori was not quite cutting it and tried a Mexican restaurant in Lyttelton called Lava Bar. We got nachos and Trey got a vegetable enchilada. The nachos were probably some of the best and most authentic we have had in New Zealand but the enchilada was not as good. We have noticed Kiwis are a little shy about flavour - especially spice. Things tend to be on the milder side so the enchilada really had more of a tomato sauce than a spicy salsa happening.

All in all it was a great night and it was fun to check out new spots. We will definitely be back to Lyttelton!

Trey in Alaska

2010-06-20T09:09:00.009+12:00

After about 24 hours in LA Trey was back at the airport getting ready to board his next flight to Anchorage, Alaska for a conference. The flight arrived in Alaska around 2am but because Alaska is so far north it was still light out. Technically in Anchorage during this time of year the sun sets around midnight and rises at about 2:30 am. The time in between this the sky is a bright dusk. When I got to the hotel it was still a little early for check-in ~3am so I got on my computer and did a little work. To my surprise the hotel let me check in only a few hours later at 5am. This was nice, but I decided not to go to sleep because I was scared I would not be able to wake up for my 8am bus tour to Portage Glacier. I decided to take a shower and then head back down to the lobby to get some breakfast.

view from my hotel room

After a long breakfast I boarded the bus to start the tour that I had signed up for. I was expecting the tour bus to be full of older people, but boy was I wrong! It was filled with nobody. In total there were only four of us taking the tour and we had a full size couch bus to ourselves. It looked like there was no reason to show up early to make sure I got a window seat. The bus took us outside of the city down US highway 1 along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. The scenery along the drive was amazing, very reminiscent of New Zealand with the water, greenery, and snow-capped mountains all so close together, yet it was somehow distinctively different.

After about an hour in the bus we arrived to our first destination, the visitor center at portage glacier. We were given about an hour to explore the visitor center; learning about glaciers, Alaskan wildlife, and the Exxon Valdez incident. Although we could not see Portage Glacier from the visitor center we could see some medium size icebergs floating in the adjacent lake. When the visitor center was originally built you could see the glacier from it but it has since receded around a corner in the 1980s.

Next we boarded the bus again and drove a few minutes to a dock where we boarded the mv (marine vehicle) Ptarmigan for a 1 hour boat cruise to the glacier. The boat had a little bit more people on it than the bus, but it was still almost empty. Also, it had started to rain a little which kept almost everyone down on the covered first deck, leaving the entire open-air second deck free for me to enjoy by myself.

The boat took us to within ~300 feet of the glacier where it circled back and forth for about 30 minutes so that we could get our fill of pictures and also in the hopes of seeing a chunk of the glacier fall off into the ocean. Unfortunately, this did not happen but it was sill amazing to see the blue ice of the glacier. When you are looking at the pictures it is good to note that the ice from the glacier extends 200 ft below the surface of the water. Also in some of the zoom-in photos you may notice that it looks like there is a large overhang of ice over the water. This is a result of the ice in the water melting faster than the ice above it in air.

After the boat trip we boarded the bus again and drove to Alyeska ski resort where we stopped for lunch. The ski resort was beautiful, although I do not think I will be traveling up to Alaska anytime soon just to go skiing because it would be too cold. For lunch I had a very good Halibut sandwich with strawberries and goat cheese. After lunch we got back on the highway and began the trip back to Anchorage. At this time the tide was going out which was a site to see since Alaska has a very high tidal shift. When the tide changes the rate at which the water flows out of the Turnagain Arm causes standing waves to form. The waves are a few feet high and look like regular ocean waves except for they stay in the same place instead of moving towards shore. Our tour guide told us that on nice days sometimes there will be people out on these waves surfing, but this is very dangerous because of the high current. I arrived back at the hotel around 4pm just enough time to get ready for the reception banquet at the conference.

The reception banquet was a lot of fun because I got to see many people from MIT that I had not see for almost a year including Hank, my former advisor, and many current and former members of my old lab. Although I was enjoying talking to everyone the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with me so by 9pm I went to bed so that I would be well rested for the talks and my poster presentation the next day. I will not go into detail about the conference but I did go to some interesting talks and based on conversation I had with people there I have a few ideas I want to try with my research.

After the first day of talks I went out to dinner with all of the people who had worked in the same lab as me back at MIT as well as Volker, the one guy from my new lab in New Zealand who was also at the conference. Although it was around 10pm by the time we finished dinner it was still very light outside so we all decided to take a little trip to nearby Flattop mountain and climb to the top. It was good to get a little exercise after spending the whole day sitting and listening to research talks. We drove over to the mountain and by 10:30 were starting the 1.5 mile long, 1280 feet elevation gain, hike from the parking lot to the summit. Flattop mountain is the most climbed mountain in the state so at least the first portion of the track is very well-maintained. Towards the top the hike got harder due to some areas still being covered with snow and other areas being quite steep. We reached the top at midnight and enjoyed the views for a little while before heading back down. One thing I found amazing was the number of people that we saw climbing at the same time we were. Even as we were heading down well after midnight there was a group of people just starting, hoping to the get to the top in time to see the sunrise. Your whole sense of time of day is really thrown for a loop when it is daylight all the time.

the start of sunset ~11pm

Looking up towards Flattop mountain

Looking out over Anchorage from the summit at midnight

This is about as dark as it got the whole time I was in Alaska

The next night was the conference main banquet which was held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center museum. Before dinner we had a chance of touring the outside of the museum where they had built traditional native houses from 5 of the native tribes of Alaska. What I found most interesting about these houses were to deal with the cold weather the houses were typically shared by a large group of people and their walls were a few feet thick of dirt, almost like living in a man-made cave. During dinner they put on a small show demonstrating the native dancing as well as some of the native games. The original purpose of the games was for hunters to stay fit during the long cold winter months. Most of the games emphasized strength and body control. The hardest one of the games was where they balanced their whole body on one hand and then tried to reach as high as they could with the other hand, it sounds easy but looked very difficult to do. Also at the banquet we had a guest speaker, Edgar Mitchell, who was one of the Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon. His talk was quite good recounting his trip to the moon. The end of his talk got kind of weird when he started talking about finding the meaning of life and us not being alone. He thinks there are aliens. Enough said. It turns out that he is a little bit crazy but that is why his speaker fee is so much less than the other Apollo astronauts. After one more day of talks I grabbed a red eye flight back to LA so that I would get back for Cynthia’s birthday.

It was good to see old friends and explore a new state.

Cyn's birthday and more California fun!!

2010-06-13T18:19:00.013+12:00

Well, how perfect that one of the popular songs on the radio was California Gurls by Katy Perry this trip!!??!! "I know a place where the grass is really greener...you can travel the world but nothing comes close to the Golden Coast!"

The next day Jocelyn and Cynthia attacked Robertson Blvd. to stock on more fabulous fashions. Later in the day Jocelyn tried out Minx nails at a salon which is basically design stickers that they affix to your nails instead of polish. Obviously Jocelyn got cheetah print and later found some to bring home and do herself at Sephora!! God Love Sephora! She got told a few times in LA that she was "super fly" when people noticed them. Cynthia enjoyed the massage chairs in the salon while Jocelyn was getting her nails done. After that it was some 2 for 1 margaritas in Boys Town (obviously the gay part of town). The waiters were walking around with no shirts on. Nice. Nothing better than afternoon margaritas, chips and salsa, sunny weather and hot waiters with no shirts!!

Later the girls had to pick up the parents from the airport so they went for a quick meal at Sushi Roku. The food was sooo good that we went back later in the week. There was a even a cocktail with strawberries at Sushi Roku that used 42 Below NZ vodka as well! YUM! The girls passed on dessert but made their way back to Boys Town to visit a place called Millions of Milkshakes. They have tons of milkshakes "designed" by various celebs. Cynthia had the Miley Cyrus shake and Jocelyn had the Oreo milkshake apparently inspired by President Obama. YES WE CAN!! LOL Soooo good. Jocelyn was between that one and the Kardashian milkshake with Snickers bars in it. Pretty sure those girls do not eat snickers though. ha!

Next it was off to LAX to pick up the parents from their flight from Newark. It was amazing to see them and even though we see them on Skype seeing them in person made us realise how much we missed them. At baggage claim we saw Crystal Bowersox of American Idol who was apparently on Bruce and Enid's plane! Jocelyn's dad yelled out to her, "You should have won!" LOL Love it. She seemed real nice and not like she is getting a big ego. REAL plain in person. You can tell how much they made her up on that show - probably against her will. It was late so we dropped them off at their hotel and headed back to Cyn's place since Cynthia had work the next day.

The next day Jocelyn spent time with her parents one on one which was nice. They are breakfast at The Farm of Beverly Hills at The Grove which is a mall within walking distance from Cyn's place where Jocelyn was staying. They walked around for a bit and then hung out at the hotel since it was a nice day and there was a beautiful courtyard. Cyn met them after work and they all enjoyed Chinese food at Cyn's local Chinese take out spot.

Dad and Jocelyn posing in front of the fountain at The Grove

The next day was Cynthia's birthday and we had to wake up VERY early to pick Trey up at the airport. After we met up with him we went out for bagels and donuts and then all crashed since we had big plans that night for Cyn's birthday!! We all readjusted after lunch and met Jocelyn's parents at The Farmer's Market across from the hotel they were staying at. There are tons of different food stands there so everyone could have exactly what they were craving (Mexican, Crepes, Deli, Pizza, Greek, etc.) There was also a car show going on there which we all really enjoyed as well. Jocelyn and Trey also tried on animal hats at the Farmer's Market. Trey, a moose and Jocelyn, a dog. For those who know us, you will get the significance.

That evening we all got dressed up in our very best to celebrate Cynthia's birthday at Madeo in Beverly Hills. It was funny to see paparazzi sitting outside the restaurant we were going into. The service and food was awesome and the waiter was great. When he found out Trey and Jocelyn were visiting from New Zealand he gave them a sampling of his favorite NZ sav (Craggy Range) even though we had ordered a different bottle of wine for the table. It was a nice extra. We dropped the parents off at the hotel and then headed out to the bar Angels and Kings to meet up with all of Cynthia's friends. When we walked in we noticed a big Spongebob pinata. We deduced that it was someone else's birthday too and soon we found out it was one of the owner's birthdays....Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy with wife Ashlee Simpson!!!! How awesome is that?

Article about Pete Wentz celebrating birthday at Angels and Kings

Pete Wentz in gray jacket and hat

Pete Wentz on right at his birthday party at Angels and Kings June 5. (or should we say he was at Cynthia's birthday party??) LOL

There was a big cymbal behind the bar that he hit to signal a round of free drinks for everyone!!
The bar was awesome - rock and roll feel to it and a montage of various celebrity mug shots on the wall. Quirky. In the bathroom the entire wall was like a chalk board and there were some pieces of chalk to leave your mark on the wall - for the night at least.

We stayed until a bit after 1am and then of course no night out in LA would be complete without a visit to Mel's Diner on Sunset. Jocelyn and Cynthia felt it was important to start the day out with eggs and bacon! LOL The night ended at 4am and it could NOT have been any better.

Cyn and her friend Derek

Jocelyn and Cynthia at Cyn's birthday party

Posing before the party - Cyn in BCBG and Joc in Betsey Johnson

Tim, Cynthia, Rachel and Derek

Cyn and Rachel

Jocelyn showing off her new Betsey Johnson dress and Steve Madden stilettos

The birthday girl with her blackberry - SOOO LA!! :)

Tymica and Cyn

The next day was a recovery day with brunch at The Saddle Ranch. The food was good and how can you go wrong with $10 bottomless mimosas and bloody marys?? Nobody was brave enough to ride the bull inside though. The place was awesome and the gimmick is that each table gets something free with their meal. For us, it was a massive silver martini glass filled with cotton candy. Jocelyn took an artistic photo of it in case people did not believe it.

This day we also checked into the hotel so we could give Cynthia a bit of space.

Other things that we did on the holiday were go to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The La Brea Tar Pits where there is literally tar coming up from the ground. Enid and Jocelyn also went to see Sex and the the City 2 while Trey and Bruce went to the Tar Pit museum. Additionally on this trip was Enid's first sushi experience. I do not think she would say she loved it, but it may be something she tries again!! We took a picture just in case it was a once in a lifetime.

Joc Mom and Cyn at La Brea Tar Pits

The family at LACMA

The last day Jocelyn's parents were in LA we all took advantage of hanging out by the hotel pool and enjoying a relaxing day. Cynthia worked but got out a little early to drive them to the airport while we enjoyed the one private meal in 2 weeks. It was hard for Jocelyn to say good bye to them.

Later, on our last night there, we went out with Cynthia to a place called The Abbey. Trey and Jocelyn like to dance and there is not much music here that we like to dance to here in New Zealand (hip hop, etc.) The Abbey is technically a gay club but there were definitely straight people and Trey was an excellent sport - even posing with 2 men for a photo!! It was named Best Gay Club in the World by MTV Networks and is an SBE venture which is a company that owns many prominent bars, clubs and restaurants. Amazing cocktails and awesome music. And, of course, what gay club would be complete without an iridescent painting of Liza Minnelli on the wall!!??!! LOL I just had to get a photo. We also met a really nice guy named Brian who was celebrating his birthday and simply could not wait for other people to start dancing so got into it himself. Nice guy.

WEST COAST BABY!!!

DJ booth at The Abbey

Trey showing off the menu at "The Best Gay Bar in the World" :)

Nobody knows how to party like the gays. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!!

Last day was spent relaxing with Cynthia and of course, one more stop at Mel's diner for breakfast.

It was the best trip to LA yet and it was amazing to see Jocelyn's family. It will be hard to go a whole year without seeing them again but Trey confirmed that his conference next year will be in Las Vegas so the Fary's and the Holzwarth's will show Vegas a party like it has never seen before. Vegas may even need a year to prepare!

First visit home to the USA

2010-06-03T12:31:00.003+12:00

Film shoot we saw on the way home from dinner - 1/2 mile from Cyn's apartment

Making Mr. Chow's famous noodles - which we couldn't help but order!

Not that you have to believe me, but the sleeve with the white stripe behind me is actually Rickey Minor of American Idol fame - as in, "Thanks to Rickey Minor and the band!" :)

__________________________________________________________________

We made it! Our first time back home to visit since we moved to New Zealand. It is a strange feeling. So far Jocelyn has noticed certain things like veering to the left when passing someone walking head on instead of right (jut like driving) and saying things like "Cheers" and "Ta" in restaurants and stores when the American term would be a simple "Thank you" Funny how quickly you can get into a new routine. Also, our hearts have dropped a few times while passengers in Cynthia's car when she turns a corner since we feel like she is turning into the wrong lane and into oncoming traffic. LOL

The first day we picked up a few things and treated ourselves to Chipotle for dinner. Even chain Mexican food is better here than in NZ! Sorry Kiwis. We got an excellent night's sleep surprisingly since we were not sure how our body clocks would adjust. We think we were just so exhausted from the travel even though we slept on the plane.

The next morning we met one of Joelyn's college friends, Courtney. Jocelyn also travelled with Court through Europe when they lived in London together so there is quite a history there. She has lived in LA since college and Jocelyn tries to catch up with her whenever she is here. Courtney works on Brothers and Sisters if any of you are fans! :) We went out to a restaurant called Toast and it was yummy! We took advantage of sitting outside since we just came from Winter!

The rest of the day we went to an outdoor mall where we bought Cynthia her birthday gift: a more than fabulous BCBG dress for her birthday festivities! She looked amazing in it and we just couldn't resist! Jocelyn may have bought a few things as well ;-) We stopped to have a late lunch at an Italian restaurant at the shopping center and then we drove Trey to the airport to bid him farewell while he goes to his conference in Alaska.

Jocelyn and Cynthia grabbed Subway and some wine on the way home. At the Liquor store, Jocelyn discovered that Cynthia's local liquor store ACTUALLY carries NZ 42 Below vodka!!! Then, Cynthia's friend Derek came over and watched a movie with the girls. It was a great, quiet night.

Full Day #2 left the girls to their own devices. Joc and Cyn went to the Camrillo Outlet stores about an hour away from LA where Jocelyn single handedly ended the recession. You're welcome ;-) Betsey Johnson (where Cyn got fabulous birthday shoes to match her fabulous dress), Coach, Saks 5th Avenue, Juicy Couture, Neiman Marcus.....the list goes on! They refuse to divulge how many hours they were there. Let's just say that if Dr. Drew had a shopping intervention show, Jocelyn and Cynthia would be candidates!! The girls had good old Johnny Rockets American 50' style diner for lunch and the infamous In N Out Burger for dinner. That's a whole lotta fast food but it was YUM!

Today Jocelyn started the day by enjoying a lovely breakfast with Cynthia's landlord while Cyn went to work and then on to a great lunch in Melrose at Taste with her college friend Angela. It had been more than 10 years since the girls has seen each other and they talked, drank iced tea and ate for hours!! The girls vowed to never let so much time go by. It was an excellent afternoon spent on their divine patio across from Vera Wang. On the drive home there was even the LA experience of seeing paparazzi camped out outside one of the stores hoping for a glimpse of whichever celeb was shopping inside. Jocelyn hopes to see Ang at least one more time before they leave. It is amazing how friends can just pick up right where you left off and yet find each other again at the most perfect time.

Tonight the girls went to Mr. Chow for a very special girl's night out. The food was awesome. It was packed and very loud. Seated next to Jocelyn and Cynthia was Rickey Minor of American Idol fame and apparently even though Jocelyn lived in Boston for 9 years, it took coming to LA to see Doc Rivers, coach of the Boston Celtics up close and personal at Mr. Chow! :)

Tomorrow is Robertson shopping: Kitson, Lisa Kline, etc. Hope the credit card still works ;-) Tomorrow evening at long last, Jocelyn's parents arrive!!!

Much more to come!!

First visit home

2010-05-29T20:47:00.002+12:00

Well, it is finally upon us - our first visit back to the USA. So many things are going through our minds: Will it feel real? Will we feel like outsiders? Will people think we sound funny or will they pick up on our new lingo? Will it go by too fast?

We are all packed, house cleaned and we are ready. Tomorrow we will plan to go out for a nice brunch since we have gotten all the food out of our house. Our friend Debi has graciously agreed to take us to Christchurch airport.

We are flying Emirates to Sydney and then V Australia to Los Angeles where we will meet Cynthia. The plan is to go pick up some Mexican food as soon as possible. We are really looking forward to it.

We wonder how the flight will be different - less anticipation about what awaits us on the other end of the journey. I guess now, when will we ever have that anticipation again now that we are officially citizens of both hemispheres. Crazy how much 10 months can change you and your perspective and also how quickly it has flown.

Bon Voyage! USA Here we come! :)

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve

2010-05-28T18:18:00.007+12:00

This last weekend Jocelyn and I decided to go to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve located on the outskirts of Christchurch. Willowbank is broken up into three main areas; wild, heritage, and natural New Zealand. Upon entering the reserve the first creature that we encountered were the eels. These ugly creatures were black, with blue eyes and about 5 feet long. There were some small kids feeding the eels, which was a sight to see because the eels would stretch about 6 inches out of the water with their mouths wide open trying to get at the food. Another kid was reaching into the water and petting the eels and said they were very slimy. We were not brave enough but will feel a lot less bad now eating them in our sushi since they are so horribly ugly.

We then entered the wild New Zealand section which included animals that have been introduced to New Zealand in the past and others that are found in Australia. These animals included deer, black swans, ostriches, wallabies, pheasants, turtles, and monkeys.

In this section I would have to say the monkeys were our favorite. There were a few baby monkeys hanging on to their mom’s back where they would spend the first few weeks of their lives. I guess even monkeys sometimes have a monkey on their back.

The next section, heritage New Zealand, contained mostly farm animals. They had a few piglets for sale and I think Jocelyn wanted one, but when she saw how ugly the adult pigs were she changed her mind. In this section we also saw donkeys, a Clydesdale horse, peacocks, turkeys, goats, sheep, llamas, and of course an American mini horse. Jocelyn was pretty excited about the mini horse. Figures, we come all the way to New Zealand for her to see an American mini horse. We went through this section fairly quickly since we had seen many of these farm animals before.

The last section we went through was the natural New Zealand, which contained only native animals. Since there are not any large, native animals, this section was mostly birds, fish, and lizards. In the first exhibit we got to walk inside the area where the birds were kept.

One of the birds we saw in this sectional was a Kea, which was very busy digging a hole and throwing rocks onto the pathway.

Next we walked though a small replicated Maori village where later on at night they have a show with traditional Maori traditions. Since it was getting chilly we decided to save the show for another day. The very last part was the Kiwi house. This was the main reason that we came to Willowbank because Jocelyn had not seen a kiwi yet. Since kiwis are nocturnal the kiwi house is dark during the day so they are up running around. When we first entered the darkness we could not find any kiwis, but after our eyes adjusted we then found one pacing back and fourth searching for grubs. Kiwis are truly funny looking animals with their short legs, big butts, and long beaks. Once we found the first kiwi we started to notice more and in the end we saw four of them. We tried taking some pictures in the dark without the flash but those did not work so well so we decided to turn the flash on and scare the kiwis. To my surprise they did not seem to be phased at all by the flash. I figure they are used to people breaking this rule. All in all it was a fun day and if you want to see more pictures click here.

Trey's Birthday Gift - Akaroa Cooking School

2010-05-02T21:29:00.008+12:00

As you may remember from an earlier post, Jocelyn’s birthday present to me was a private cooking lesson and meal at The Akaroa Cooking School. Two weekends ago we drove to Akaroa for a lesson and it could not have been better. When we first arrived we were greeted by Lou, our teacher for the day.

We learned that we were the first people to have a private cooking class there ever, which was very exciting. They had a beautiful table set up for us with gorgeous flowers, wine glasses, decorated napkins and cutlery.

We first sat down with Lou and had morning tea with home baked brownies as we went over the plan and recipes for the day. She went over the five dishes we were going to cook as well as the basic and advanced cooking techniques we were going to learn. The greatest part about this cooking lesson was that not only did we learn five great recipes, but we also learned many cooking techniques that we will be able to use for many different dishes we cook in the future. Lou had planned out the time schedule so that each dish would be done at the right time which meant cooking them out of order, but for ease of explanation I will describe each dish in the order we ate them.

The first dish we ate was roasted pumpkin, mascarpone & thyme tartlets. This was made by first starting with ready-made savoury shortcrust pastry which we cut into small circles to line the inside of a mini muffin tin. We then added small pieces of roasted pumpkin, a dollop of mascarpone cheese, a few thyme leaves, and a small piece of feta cheese. Next we prepared a mixture of eggs, cream, salt and pepper that we used to fill each pastry 2/3 of the way. We then placed in the oven to bake for 20 min. The nice thing about this dish is that it is something that you can make ahead of time and pop in the oven to warm it up right before dinner and you can do a million variations on it with different vegetables and herbs.

The second dish that we made was a smoked salmon & horseradish crostini. This dish was by far the most easy to make and involved starting with a skinny baguette that had been thinly sliced, sprayed with olive oil, salt and peppered and toasted. We topped this with a mixture of cream cheese and Mandy’s horseradish sauce. We then added a little rosette of smoked salmon to the top to complete the dish. What really made this dish stand out was Mandy’s horseradish that is hand made in Christchurch. We enjoyed this horseradish so much that we decided to buy a jar. We ate these two canapés together accompanied with a glass of bubbly.

Next we moved on to the appetizer which was roasted aubergine (eggplant) parcels with mozzarella, sundried tomatoes & pesto with a balsamic glaze and micro greens. We started this dish by thinly slicing the aubergines lengthwise and then pan frying them. We then in a mini food process combined basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, roasted pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan. After learning how easy it was to make your own pesto and how much better it tasted than what we buy in the store Jocelyn and I proclaimed that we will only use homemade pesto now on in our cooking. We then took one slice of the grilled aubergine and in the center layered a slice of fresh mozzarella, a dollop of pesto, and a few pieces of sundried tomatoes. We repeated this layering and then added a dash of pepper, folded up the aubergine slice and then added a second slice of aubergine to wrap around fully closing up the parcel. We then topped this with some micro greens. For the plating of this dish we first made a balsamic glaze by reducing a high quality balsamic vinegar. We placed this reduction in a plastic squeeze bottle so that we could drizzle it onto the plate which made it look so professional. The aubergine parcel was then placed on top of it. We loved this dish so much that we made it again at home a few days later!

For the main course we made an herb crusted gunard fillet (white fish) on creamy citrus mash with fresh green beans & lemon infused olive oil. To start we made the lemon infused olive oil. To do this we heated a good quality olive oil in a pan and added large chunks of lemon zest. The trick is to make sure the oil is warm enough but not to hot, you should be able to stick your finger in for a few seconds without getting burned. This is then allowed to cool and is stored with the zest still in it. This is one thing that you can modify depending on your dish to infuse the olive oil with just about any flavor you can imagine. For the mash we boiled peeled Agria potatoes, but any floury potato will do. Once cooked, we strained out the water and added warm cream and butter and mashed them. Next we stirred in lemon juice and added salt and pepper to taste. For the fish we used fresh gurnard filets that were caught just the day before! We then made a bread crumb mixture the consisted of bread, thyme, parsley, butter, lemon zest and the flesh of a preserved lemon. For those of you that have not heard of preserved lemons, they are lemons that are pickled in brine of water, lemon juice, and salt. They have a very strong salty lemon flavor so a little bit goes a long way. This is something that Jocelyn and I had never used before in cooking before and liked so much that we bought a jar of them. Once the bread crumb mixture was prepared we put it on top of each fillet. Next we drizzled a little infused olive oil on the fish and grilled it for a few minutes until the fish is cooked and the crust was golden. For plating we put a large scoop of the citrus mash on the plate topped with cooked green beans and then the fish on top of that. We then drizzled the lemon infused olive oil over the fish. We ate this dish with a nice sauvignon blanc.

The last course was dessert which consisted of crème brulee with rhubarb & orange compote. For the rhubarb and orange compote we cut up the rhubarb. Lou showed us the proper way to use a knife for chopping. We mixed the rhubarb with brown sugar orange juice and zest. We then covered this and popped it in the oven until the rhubarb was tender. For the crème brulee we first heated some cream and vanilla paste until almost boiling in a pot and set aside to cool. Next we whisked together egg yolks and sugar. During this step we learned a good way to separate the egg yolks from the whites is to pour the eggs into your hand and the egg whites will slip right through your fingers with yolks remaining in your hand unbroken. We then slowly added the warm cream mixture to the egg mixture making sure not to add it too fast that it would scramble the eggs. Next we strained the mixture and poured it into ramekins. The ramekins were then placed in a water bath in the oven. This mixture was baked at a low temperature until set with centers slightly wobbly. Making these was relatively simple which was a surprise to us both. Once set the ramekins were allowed to cool and then refrigerated. The next step was to place a small a mount of caster sugar on the top and then caramelize with a blow torch. This proved to be very tricky because the goal is to caramelise the sugar while heating up the mixture as little as possible. I will have to admit that Jocelyn was much better at this than I. With dessert we had a Selaks ice wine that went along very nicely.

All in all we were cooking, eating and learning for about 5 hours but the time seemed to fly by. It was one of my best birthday presents ever.

Everyone at the Akaroa Cooking School was so amazing to us and they really made the day very special and something we will both remember forever.

Tattoo, Easter and our first Kiwi wedding!

2010-04-11T21:18:00.006+12:00

The weekend after the Holzwarth's left, Jocelyn got her 4th tattoo at a place called Zealand Tattoo. This whole NZ experience has inspired her to get a tattoo with the words, "carpe diem" which means seize the day. From the time Trey and Jocelyn had to make the decision about whether to move to NZ or not, they have chosen to seize the day and have not regretted one minute of it. It will serve as a reminder to Jocelyn, if she is hesitating taking a chance in life, to just do it! Trey sat with her patiently. The tattoo was done by a guy named Zane who has been tattooing for 22 years.

Ironically, that same morning there was another American girl getting a tattoo by the other artists at Zealand Tattoo. The tattoo artist was also American so for a while, in the shop, there were more yanks than Kiwis!! The tattoo only took about 20 minutes and is on the inside of Jocelyn's left wrist. No tattoos for Trey :)

Also, we celebrated our first Kiwi Easter. We stayed in town but both got a 4 day weekend (Good Friday, the weekend and Easter Monday they call it). Saturday was so nice that we actually went to Sumner beach. The day was downright HOT and Jocelyn reckons it has been the nicest day since we have lived here. The tide was so low that we could walk pretty far down the beach and the water only came up to our ankles. We collected sea shells, saw some people fishing and then retired to a deck at a restaurant on the beach for some snacks and drinks. It was so peaceful just watching the waves crash with the mountains in the background. Because of the trees around the beach, you know you are in New Zealand. Before we headed home, we got some homemade ice cream and picked up some movies to watch on Easter day since everything shuts down. Easter, in many ways here is a bigger deal than Christmas! It is like a ghost town.

Jocelyn had her very first hot cross buns which seem to be a very big deal here. Mmmmm. We also went out and bought traditional Kiwi Easter candy, or at least things that are common here that we do not have at home. We got an Easter egg with chocolate covered pineapple lumps inside, Cadbury creme eggs but instead of cream, there is caramel inside and also chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. The caramel egg was Jocelyn's favorite and Trey discovered that he hates Easter candy.

This past week was Jocelyn's last week in the Riccarton hairyLemon offices. She had a huge hand in helping with the shift and they will be moving into their new location on Victoria Street Monday the 12th of April. Jocelyn will have a whole 4 minute walk to work! LOL She is pretty excited. It is also good because now Trey will try to go to the gym in the mornings since he won't have to drive Jocelyn to work anymore.