tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78953579316672457272024-09-04T18:22:54.306-07:00Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-15321113600319265942011-04-15T19:48:00.000-07:002011-05-24T20:07:53.873-07:00

We noticed that there are a lot of Germans staying at Rosie's Backpacker homestay, which is very comfortable and homey. There are two shared bathrooms and our room is very nice and comfortable. We ate breakfast this morning with a backpacker from the Czech Republic, Rosie, and her husband Alastair, before starting our drive to Milford Sound at 9 am. The first 50 km of the drive was quite

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-55891496555224639172011-04-14T21:09:00.000-07:002011-05-22T20:44:50.650-07:00

Today after breakfast, we drove to the Queenstown Botanical Gardens, enjoyed the rose gardens and walked into town, stopping for a Mochaccino at a McCafe. We then drove on to Te Anau about 3 hours away. We stopped at a VERY small town with a cafe and bought egg salad sandwiches, chips (real chips, not fries) and a slice of carrot cake. Denise drove for a good portion of the trip to Te Anau while

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-82542764698129568292011-04-13T21:45:00.000-07:002011-05-18T21:33:39.978-07:00

After our usual breakfast, we left tiny Haast. On the drive to Wanaka (about 2.5 hours from Haast), we stopped and saw two pretty waterfalls, each just a 5 minute walk from the highway, Thunder Creek and Fantail Falls.   On the way, we passed between two massive lakes - Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea, stopping to take in the beautiful scenery.  Wanaka was a very cute lakeside town

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-45083625523142409162011-04-12T23:05:00.000-07:002011-05-04T23:06:08.606-07:00

Unfortunately, because Birdsong Backpackers is located right next to the State Highway, we had to use earplugs last night (Denise put hers in before going to sleep and Corey put his in around 4 am). The backpackers has a nice homey, alpine lodge-like feel to it, and the shared bathrooms were fine, with a shower, toilet and sink in each, one upstairs and one downstairs. In addition to our usual

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0Haast, New Zealand-43.8811066 169.04243740000004-44.0375476 168.75137440000003 -43.7246656 169.33350040000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-58230222250643380082011-04-11T21:19:00.000-07:002011-05-01T17:58:30.019-07:00

It is a bright and sunny day today in Motueka, and we decided that we would have a nice leisurely morning for once. We opened the windows to hear birds chirping while Denise made a full breakfast- shoulder bacon, garlic roasted potatoes (in the toaster oven!), and fried eggs with yolks the color of a sunset...they were a deep orange that we had never seen before! We strolled around the orchard

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-48881569675195211912011-04-10T20:58:00.000-07:002011-04-27T22:28:45.803-07:00

We woke up early this morning and timed our drive to Motueka (about 50 minutes away) to coincide with the opening of the Motueka i-site at 9:00 am so that we could book our water taxi "Sea Shuttle" into the Abel Tasman National Park, and our lodging tonight in Motueka. The only access to the park is by water taxi or by hiking, and there is a network of Department of Conservation-owned huts for

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-8684680120157271962011-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:002011-04-24T23:43:14.064-07:00

After packing up and having coffee and more lamingtons for breakfast, we drove up Mt Victoria overlook for a bird's eye view of Wellington before dropping off our rental car right next to the Interislander ferry terminal. We took the 10:25 am ferry to Picton, and the waters were surprisingly choppy. Corey had taken Dramamine before boarding the ferry, but Denise did not in case Corey was too

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-75353891140029644892011-04-08T22:20:00.000-07:002011-04-24T22:47:02.415-07:00

Today is Corey's 31st birthday! After breakfast, we checked out of AnnDion Lodge and paid a visit to the Wanganui i-site to book ferry tickets for tomorrow. We wandered around Trafalgar Square in downtown Wanganui trying to find a pay phone so that we can reserve a parking space at the Wellington hotel- Hotel Ibis- tonight. It was a nice, pretty straight, drive from Wanganui to Wellington,

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-76764325612264101422011-04-07T21:05:00.000-07:002011-04-24T22:39:48.274-07:00

Got up this morning and took out my earplugs and realized that I (Corey) am no longer 21. The kitchen at the BASE Taupo hostel was small, dirty and crowded- we quickly ate our breakfast standing up! Anyways, the BASE Taupo hostel had nice ensuite baths and plenty of hot water, so it wasn't all bad.  However, as we were packing up our things, it started pouring rain outside, putting doubts

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-2143644949490263362011-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:002011-04-24T22:49:34.034-07:00

We ate breakfast in the very nice YHA hostel kitchen: Wheet Bix cereal, yoghurt, fresh feijoa (Denise loves these but they taste bitter to Corey for some reason), a microwaved lasagna pie (like a breaded and deep fried piece of lasagna-Kiwis love their meat pies!), and corn and cheese "toasties". We had Lemon and Paeroa (L&P) soda which was delicious- a lemony ginger ale! We were warned

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-36624903604969877322011-04-05T21:55:00.000-07:002011-04-24T22:47:39.597-07:00

After a lovely breakfast at the B and B and a large amount of time spent trying to recusitate our netbook, we went on the whole Ruaraki bush walk (about 45 minutes long, with tunnels, beautiful plants, and caves) and then drove on for 2 hours to Rotorua.  The bush walk was the same one we took the night before to see glowworms, but in the day it has a totally different feel - sort of like

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-48331978693499474692011-04-04T20:35:00.000-07:002011-04-23T18:22:03.576-07:00

Unfortunately, today our netbook has died on us. Denise is livid that our brand new netbook died before we were even able to make one post on it, and Corey had to hide it out of her sight so that she doesn't throw it straight into the harbor. After trying some incredibly tasty ANZAC Biscuits, this morning we walked to Hertz to pick up our Ford Focus rental car, stopping for a quick picture with

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-83475280930505372832011-04-03T22:00:00.000-07:002011-04-21T23:34:51.268-07:00

We went straight from the airport to our hotel, St Martin's Waldorf Hotel, in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, which took about 30 minutes by bus. After the desk clerk (a nice guy from Pearl City in Hawaii) did some switching around of rooms, we were able to check into a room at about 7:00 in the morning- and he even said that we could have complimentary breakfast that morning (in

Denise Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125370122531154798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-38877308252579445612011-04-03T06:30:00.000-07:002011-04-21T21:59:59.435-07:00

We left SFO at 9:45 pm on Friday April 1, 2011 and after a 19 hour time difference and crossing the International Date Line, Corey and I arrived in Auckland about 13 hours later on Sunday April 3, 2011! The flight was great- so nice to fly a non-US airlines- we were served not just one, but TWO hot meals on our flight, dinner (I had the chicken and potatoes and Corey had lasagna) and breakfast (

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-20427398896740037572010-12-28T17:07:00.001-08:002010-12-28T17:07:56.141-08:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-84379913369384385822010-12-27T20:53:00.001-08:002010-12-27T20:53:50.019-08:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-72597144779892221632010-12-07T17:18:00.001-08:002010-12-07T17:18:15.437-08:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-55167915865654098142010-04-23T19:46:00.000-07:002010-04-23T19:48:20.171-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-73964712029642143532010-03-28T12:44:00.001-07:002010-03-28T12:44:45.211-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-69176864701200901742010-01-23T13:53:00.000-08:002010-01-23T13:54:43.888-08:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-6272928355425732222010-01-14T18:28:00.000-08:002010-01-14T18:29:53.911-08:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-58120982456411887182009-10-29T21:44:00.000-07:002009-10-29T21:45:06.969-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-83128146954032541302009-09-21T00:31:00.000-07:002009-09-21T00:32:27.522-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-64051072745163814982009-09-20T18:00:00.000-07:002009-09-20T18:01:22.072-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895357931667245727.post-8050265462515586292009-09-20T17:22:00.000-07:002009-09-20T17:23:14.493-07:00

Corey Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657580093881869360noreply@blogger.com0