No photos for forgetters of camera cords...

Oh well, I tried to remember everything.

(Heh... that having been said, I managed to leave my ipod in my checked bag in Auckland AFTER not forgetting to charge it but hey! I'm getting good at bird whistles so... yeah!)

Anyway, just wanted to give you guys a smidgen (correct spelling? word at all?) of a post so that you won't give up on me. Basically, the trip sans the rents has been fairly exciting as well (though I do miss them and dear Palmy). It began with a chance happening of going to a jewelry showcase (fair thing) in Auckland the night of Mere and Pere's departure. Great selection of stuff and made a lot of contacts, including a teacher in Dundedin who studied at the Zeichenakademie under Herr Schulz-Wahle!!! I'll be visiting her on invitation too, if all goes well on the South Island!

Basically, I took a tip to Hahei, or "the Coromandel" where we dug a hotwater tub in the sand (biggest our busdriver, Skins, had ever seen a group make.... fit for 10!) late at night an looked at the stars (hello Southern Cross), then went to Raglan where there were some awesome beaches and waves and a very cool hostel... definitely the place to go (in summer) for surfing, Then to Maketu where we partook in some Maori tradition (food, watching performance and learning the Haka, etc), through Rotorua (I did caving and saw Angora Rabbit shearing somewhere in this mix) onto Taupo (the had a plane on display in McDonalds where my Brazilian friend and I drank cappacinos inside!!! Also the craziest, drinkingest trivia night ever FOLLOWED the next day by SKYDIVING! I hadn't planned on it, but weather looked bad for Tongariro so... yes. Post to follow on that with pictures), National Park (indeed that... went skiing with the two french girls from the bus! IN JULY! A feat for us all!), and down to Wellington where met up with dear Joan again.

Joan is now my best Kiwi friend probably ;) She is also working on earning points for her party she's getting when she next visits SC, btw... My bus driver, Skins, was a great Kiwi friend as well. In addition, the bus was made up of a great and colorful crew from Germany (as Johnno, my caving guide said, "I don't know how there are any Germans left in Germany, with all the ones I meet here, eh?"), Holland, England, France, Canada, Brazil, and me.

After coming to Wellington, I hitched a ride with Skins over the ferry to Picton, Abel Tasman, and back to Nelson the next day. Nelson had a great saturday market full of artisans and craftspeople... finally got some gifts there. Spent the night with the Irwins who were extremely hospitable and sweet, despite my short notice, and hiked around. I then took the scenic ferry back (saw Star Trek too.. yay!) to Joan and have since decide to extend my stay.

I'll admit, I've been taking it easy here in Wellington, but I've had a cold to be reckoned with (which is another reason I'm glad I didn't have to fly) so it's been nice. I've also visited about every goldsmith possible in Wellington and atleast heard Kiwis at the Korari (?) sanctuary, as well as seen many other neat birds and things.

Today, of course, it's been incredibly sunny as I've ironed out all my plans and bankwork and internets, so I think it's finally time to go outside... after all... sun... in WELLINGTON...

much love and hopefully pictures next time~!

Some Flashbacks to New Zealand

We have had a few requests to put up some more stories and pictures from our sojourn, even though we are back home.  So, to start, let's go back to the beginning.  If you remember, after our first week of getting our feet on the ground in Palmy, we flew to Invercargill on the southern tip of the South Island and then flew to Stewart Island, the "3rd" New Zealand island.  The plane ride to Stewart Island was on Stewart Island Air which flies a small 8-10 seater plane across the water.  It was a very rainy day and for some reason these planes don't have windshield wipers.  The front window also kept fogging up and apparently they don't have defoggers either, but they did have a towel, which the pilots used generously.  In fact they even handed the towel back to us midway through the flight so we could clean off our windows.  Nice!  Here is a clip of landing on Stewart Island.  Our main pilot is sitting in the right hand seat and I'm pretty sure we had an apprentice pilot actually flying (do you like the term apprentice pilot? - I think it's better than the other term I could have used.)  However we loved the flight and had no problems as the landing shows.

 

There and Back Again

And so all good things must come to an end, at least for some of us.  Friday morning (NZ time) we dragged our big bags to the airport and took the flight from Palmerston North to Auckland with Claire.  It was beautiful weather and Mt. Ruapehu, Nguarahoe, and Tongariro gave us some great exit shots.  We got to Auckland, checked in, and then said good bye to Claire, off on her second adventure (must have some Took blood in her).  She stored some stuff at the airport for her return in about 10 days and then we said good-bye as she hopped on the bus to take her downtown Auckland to the youth hostel.  We heard later she went to a big gold/jewelry fair they were having and met someone who had trained with Herr Schulz-Wahle!  But we'll let her add her own tales.  She'll be traveling on the Stray Bus through the North Island ending in Wellington.

So then it was just Lynda and I again.  And it was very sad to say good-bye to New Zealand.  I went to sleep on our Air New Zealand Boeing 777 watching an old All Blacks - British Lions rugby game (guess who won, of course).  But wait, we finally saw a bunch of sea lions!  Well, yeah, we did, but where?

Here is your first clue.  Don't scroll down to look for the answer until you have looked at the pictures.  There is a landmark in the background up on the hill behind Mom that is your 1st clue as to where this picture was taken.
And your second clue is this scary old place behind me.  Wouldn't want to spend the night out there, would you?
Yes, after a nice plane flight from Auckland leaving at 7:30 pm their time and arriving at our first stop about noon THE SAME DAY Mom had a great idea.  Our next plane didn't leave for 8 hours, so we put our carry on stuff in a locker, hopped on BART and headed down to the Embarcadero.  Yes, the answer is San Francisco.  We had a nice sunny afternoon, had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf looking at the Sea Lions, Alcatraz, and Coit Tower (in the background).  Then back to the airport and on to our minimalist USAir red eye to Philadelphia.

We arrived quite tired the next morning at 6 am local time, but got on our plane to Charleston at 9:30 am.  Well, we got on and in our seats.  Then they let us know there was a mechanical problem (some light coming on) so we all had to get off.  Fortunately they got us another plane rather quickly and we were out of there about an hour and a half later arriving in Charleston at about 1 pm - Total Travel Time since leaving Palmerston North - 41 hours!  But a smiling Papa and Grandma were there to meet us and we had a nice trip home.  After  a little unpacking and a little nap, we just had to take a walk to the beach.  It was nice to be back in the Shire.

One for the Road

Okay, one more post. We leave Palmerston North at 11:55 am to fly to Auckland and it is now about 9:40 am. So here goes.
These are a few pictures from our last trip a few days ago to the East side of the island. Lynda and Claire really enjoyed hiking Te Mata while I really enjoyed Cape Kidnappers golf course as you have previously heard.

After a couple of days at work cleaning up a few last cases that all went very well, we went to Rosie O'Grady's for quiz night. As you may remember, we had started getting a group to go there and it now appears it will live on past us as they all love it. We are ... El Gato! Our group consists primarily of Lynda and I and any of our kids that happen to be in town, Kerry and Antony, Janine and hubby when available, and Mareka when available and hubby. So last night was tough! Fortunately we relied on Claire's movie knowledge, Kerry and Janine's inborn skills, Lynda and my random contributions, and of course Antony's unparalleled knowledge of Kiwi sports to propel ourselves to ... 1/2 point out of 2nd place. Usually they only pay out the top two, but the girl who runs the contest, recognizing it was our last night (and possibly related to the fact that we tried to buy her off by giving her an Isle of Palms, SC, frisbee) presented us with a $20 NZ certificate. Team - Use it well next week! and in fact, keep doing well until we return sometime in the future!

So long New Zealand! We love Palmy!

Claire arrives in NZed

Claire arrived in Palmerston North after coming the wrong way around the world - Frankfurt to Dubai to Melbourne, Australia to Auckland to Palmy. But she looked just the same getting off the airplane!
I have to admit that Mom and I were sort of "planned out", so we didn't have the tour ready to go for Claire. But that may be just as well. She enjoyed trivia within 6 hours of her arrival and although she liked everyone there, she was noted to be nodding off about halfway through the game. We got her home, filled up her hot water bottle, and got her to bed. She adjusted on Friday in Palmerston North and we then thought about leaving Saturday morning for Christchurch or Queenstown on the South Island. Unfortunately school vacation was on and as we were booking tickets the last seats were scooped up by someone else. Rats! We did go out to the airport, in classic Selbies fashion, and waited like poor homeless waifs, but everyone showed up for their flight. Double rats! So where else to go but ... the Tui Brewery! And then on to Joan's in Wellington who, even though last time we said we wouldn't see her till our next trip to NZ, was quite welcoming as usual when we called her on the phone. We had dinner at one of the local pubs in Miramar and of course a great visit with Joan who was off for a mini golfing holiday early the next morning. We woke up to say good bye to her, well, at least Mom did, and then we headed to Weta Cave where Claire may get a job working for Peter Jackson movies. Next to Mt. Victoria. Claire's weather literally blew away the weather David and Isabelle got. It HAILED on us up on Mt. Victoria. I believe the winds were at least Force 9!

Then what to do? Well, we did a half day of Wellington, then headed for the Wairarapa on the REALLY blustery southeast coast of the North Island. And again, an unexpected finding - the Pinnacles where Aragorn and Legolas got the Army of the Dead to join them. We hiked with only 1 1/2 hours of daylight left, but got up in time to see yet more unbelievably spectacular New Zealand.

Monday Dad played in his last golf tournament at his club, Manawatu Golf Club. It was an over 55 tournament and he came in 5th! Good for $3! (Paid $5 to get in). Still seemed to be ending golf on a high note! But there was more to come. Tuesday we decided to figure where the sun would be shining and go there no matter where. It was Napier/Hastings! So off we went at only 8:30 am, good start for us. We got to Hastings on a beautiful day and stopped in at the I site (information site). It turned out the Cape Kidnappers Golf course, ranked 27th in the world ahead of the Ocean Course at Kiawah and Harbour Town at Hilton Head, was open and wanted me to play. And I just happened to have my clubs and shoes in the trunk. What are the odds! I ran to tell Mom and Claire the good news, but they were out playing with the sheep.

So the plan was made. They dropped me off at the golf course where I checked in with the guy behind the counter who had gone to school at COASTAL CAROLINA! It was meant to be. And they charged me the rate for local New Zealanders who belong to another club, which I do. That was literally a savings of over $100! And the course was probably the most beautiful I have every played in the world, Pebble Beach included. Meanwhile Mom and Claire hiked Te Mata which they said was the most beautiful place in the world (although there were some steep dropoffs that some people might not like to hike on).

That picture is not an exaggeration, by the way. But the rest of the hike was equally beautiful and they had a great time.

Then we drove to Napier, the art deco city, had dinner, saw the Milky Way better than I have seen it since I was a boy and Dad showed it to me in semi-rural Kentucky, and then drove home. Today I am back at work for my last two days. Friday the 3 of us will fly to Auckland from whence Mom and I will head home. Claire will pick up the Stray Bus Saturday morning and tour the island with her soon-to-be new friends. Mom is in withdrawl over leaving NZ, but tried to ease the pain by seeing the new Harry Potter movie today with Claire. I will go home now and get the first review. Tomorrow night we will go to Trivia for our Grand Finale.

Isabelle and David

As part of Isabelle and David's great adventure in New Zealand, I thought I would add a little extra - a video and some more of their mountain climbing.This is how they looked leaning out of their room balcony at their swank New York type honeymooner hotel in Auckland Harbour, the Auckland Hilton which is shaped like a ship (almost everything in Auckland seems to have a water motif).This was apparently how things looked on Mt. Tongariro (check out the latest National Geographic - July 09 - In the Land of the Lord of the Rings - for pictures where you can see more).

And here is Isabelle's favorite moment - well, at least one of many!

Isabelle and David climb Mt. Doom - they think

Next in the line of climbers to Mt. Doom, aka Mt. Nguarahoe, Mt. Tongariro, and Mt. Ruapehu in the distance, were Isabelle and David. However this story may be a while in the telling. They set off at the usual time and it was okay weather but clouded over. However they encountered snow at much lower levels than John or Lynda and I and had to put on the crampons quite a bit sooner. And then the big snow and wind began. But they made it to the top. At least that's what the guide told them. Apparently it was pretty difficult to tell where you were.

The weather was supposed to clear sometime during the day and the hope (of the guide) was that it would clear before they got to the top. However ... it didn't. the picture below is comparable to some when B & L hiked and at that time it was clear and no snow at that level. Still being the expert hikers they are, hmm, er, they really enjoyed it, hmm, er, maybe, er.

But survive it they did and other than sore muscles, no one fell off the mountain. And the sky did clear on the way down so that they could look back up and say, "Oh, that's where we were!"In fact Isabelle was able to take solace in the fact that the previous day we had gone to Hobbiton (where the Shire part of LOTR was filmed, and she got to hold a baby sheep, um lamb.

So the Linaburgs are now happy in Palmerston North and sort of ready for another adventure, though maybe not quite as big. So we are heading to Wellington and then will take the ferry to north end of the South Island. But we probably won't climb a mountain there.