tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56682592094978257942024-03-13T06:07:44.350-07:00The Hopeful And The Unafraidbefore you know it
we will be gone.C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-11457079996184441222011-08-06T10:40:00.000-07:002011-08-06T10:43:30.885-07:00World TripI'm leaving the US for the third time this year to return to New Zealand and eventually meet up with my brother to continue to Indonesia and India. I leave August 17th from Los Angeles and arrive in Auckland on August 19th. I plan to be in Indonesia by mid- late October and India by November. I'm excited to embark on another journey and to pick up blogging about my travels once again.C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-11815324534658538692011-05-22T20:37:00.000-07:002011-05-22T20:40:04.800-07:00Buy Me Online<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh the places you can purchase me online. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My collection of poetry, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A History Of Silence</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, was published by Bicycle Comics in 2010 and is now available on Amazon:</span></span><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Silence-Carrie-Rudzinski/dp/0981992013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301889306&sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">http://www.amazon.com/History-Silence-Carrie-Rudzinski/dp/0981992013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301889306&sr=8-1</span></a></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-23921659733662850432011-04-21T21:31:00.001-07:002011-04-21T21:41:03.839-07:00Hokitika: The River<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>One of my favorite spontaneous things we did: jumped into a freezing river in the afternoon and rode that current all the way home. Just outside of Hokitika on our way to Glacier Country.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtHTZ0-R3JfrJO_AOZ4_W_6Psjn8pYUJrYwHMB97OhJPnXPFi4KUntESwOznrFRSEDJYGwzvhuu4QgR-JUwaRSGhG8gT_pw7vA89nUVNWCbQXSdwAnWFCISeFY6i334zPrDpnZsPvevU/s1600/100_1120-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtHTZ0-R3JfrJO_AOZ4_W_6Psjn8pYUJrYwHMB97OhJPnXPFi4KUntESwOznrFRSEDJYGwzvhuu4QgR-JUwaRSGhG8gT_pw7vA89nUVNWCbQXSdwAnWFCISeFY6i334zPrDpnZsPvevU/s320/100_1120-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598262854492056722" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5EmIVywbNZ26pd-qKkiIsIWyYVvk1Rz9K9lMcm8oXWb16IW3lzN_OE7mXAl9np5fuV-MGQuDf4obNuwsnT5F4d5uo4blVvUsjHe0LPyI17l9bD27jGA4p-h3sT3ZkYQby4Sa0J_dpMQ/s1600/100_1122-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXmvMrHVQ9GI9pefR6tLH2A-yQ3kSPKSG_XrxXESERXYZo85OE9Zb0svLbDQH7qVfWj1kAfmy9DuJhnHiOY1A9i9s22Xry9V34fAIUcciimzgF7ohgi4u2aNCfvRIH3IOys7viw18JDQ/s320/100_1144-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598262378702880786" /></a>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-74689657500174901782011-04-21T21:16:00.000-07:002011-04-21T21:30:50.226-07:00The Tunnel Trail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0v76Xrmhd9iu3inero5Aekq-7GZGhXX_PmA7DbwEQI18lQMQ0qOQ686mI9_-CEhGLjUIjiRD04HdFVbnH0kpVAQK1gHhlo4OHV58JlVxcpBn5Rt8znP4dOvrRzH40YPZcesWJjczAAA/s1600/100_1087-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0v76Xrmhd9iu3inero5Aekq-7GZGhXX_PmA7DbwEQI18lQMQ0qOQ686mI9_-CEhGLjUIjiRD04HdFVbnH0kpVAQK1gHhlo4OHV58JlVxcpBn5Rt8znP4dOvrRzH40YPZcesWJjczAAA/s320/100_1087-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598260030740216802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4zcfZim1STiqieYFgmu7b6rzrWM93t3p7i3MUxeevNLge3laopsOpDNeNtqYUKv4VUFcD0BwMQqzyXAyDg7i-gClPmSueswT9IUmqFE8BWKwCD9QCnv9PQscEQuSoggIw3RtziZUxm4/s1600/100_1091-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4zcfZim1STiqieYFgmu7b6rzrWM93t3p7i3MUxeevNLge3laopsOpDNeNtqYUKv4VUFcD0BwMQqzyXAyDg7i-gClPmSueswT9IUmqFE8BWKwCD9QCnv9PQscEQuSoggIw3RtziZUxm4/s320/100_1091-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598260022196109826" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDPxhUxVug_Jx_hW7nIarvBlUw3JW5bLTVqJ_nJkt3zPf06RgeZtUElo0uICkqolWH9haeEPk0PdOiqKKo2QoW4PVKbVZubhwknUN9yb1mEozLV3aPb16FNfKVAmNM0Kw4VXPWlCqE_g/s1600/100_1095-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDPxhUxVug_Jx_hW7nIarvBlUw3JW5bLTVqJ_nJkt3zPf06RgeZtUElo0uICkqolWH9haeEPk0PdOiqKKo2QoW4PVKbVZubhwknUN9yb1mEozLV3aPb16FNfKVAmNM0Kw4VXPWlCqE_g/s320/100_1095-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598259639225490034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Kx5wF1ps8MPvgIhuU1gVekG4_RafoMT9_X6PK2073V1HFwyPuCzQZ4nyBz1pdyqJ9y6Uy2-HpSmrAAYoUigFHv7441NlGHl1okr9Hp6BLz400pFrVZXKlHzRb3wQN9kihTiKHoH0-Pk/s1600/100_1101-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Kx5wF1ps8MPvgIhuU1gVekG4_RafoMT9_X6PK2073V1HFwyPuCzQZ4nyBz1pdyqJ9y6Uy2-HpSmrAAYoUigFHv7441NlGHl1okr9Hp6BLz400pFrVZXKlHzRb3wQN9kihTiKHoH0-Pk/s320/100_1101-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598259636371282098" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyCIaw7Ue4P27FPqSDkVo37vGnyG46Z_8FsiOa0kSvaePmMFFMIwJXaBF1T8cz57opulmRdWGnMcAKWf0xi60CcbxceBxF6DXJs1edZpBWQgWiq3jiVM5Gl61p_SJS-gpa7W4wHGDtp4/s1600/100_1102-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyCIaw7Ue4P27FPqSDkVo37vGnyG46Z_8FsiOa0kSvaePmMFFMIwJXaBF1T8cz57opulmRdWGnMcAKWf0xi60CcbxceBxF6DXJs1edZpBWQgWiq3jiVM5Gl61p_SJS-gpa7W4wHGDtp4/s320/100_1102-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598259632794321778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHZheU0IZ4YzR6PlGt0mDtLd8P4s4Hyitc4oHEovvCW6edmuk2Ajf4nzeSYVsngicaGsw0rf1EnFNzfLtJ9jnktOvoFm1fpOrryZlbNEgm7beZHj98ZvWKkrquXrLmkWpn3AhJZeLJYw/s1600/100_1111-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHZheU0IZ4YzR6PlGt0mDtLd8P4s4Hyitc4oHEovvCW6edmuk2Ajf4nzeSYVsngicaGsw0rf1EnFNzfLtJ9jnktOvoFm1fpOrryZlbNEgm7beZHj98ZvWKkrquXrLmkWpn3AhJZeLJYw/s320/100_1111-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598259629950356674" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5mYXOlCTS81B53wSOAZz4W_RCCz410FyPn04WZCaHtSd8McObq9QhsxmYsOQDcUGp7BQBfln9X9bTwSWXxD4OSdLcyhiBF8RBiqrxNqvFKZiSLCbTHu09cOmASnNfzRiWcBylw55W3g/s1600/100_1113-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5mYXOlCTS81B53wSOAZz4W_RCCz410FyPn04WZCaHtSd8McObq9QhsxmYsOQDcUGp7BQBfln9X9bTwSWXxD4OSdLcyhiBF8RBiqrxNqvFKZiSLCbTHu09cOmASnNfzRiWcBylw55W3g/s320/100_1113-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598259621829617330" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>From Top to Bottom: (1) Dan at the beginning of the Tunnel Trail,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(2) There must have been a million cicadas - it was unbearably loud,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(3 - 6) Dan and I traipsed around various tunnels with and without paths,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>saw incredible foliage, and even spotted a fantail bird.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(7) The exit tunnel on a beautiful day.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-3282587806627679382011-04-04T22:53:00.001-07:002011-04-04T22:55:14.629-07:00Mike's New Blog<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My favorite thing to do when I have a moment is to read my brother's new World Trip blog:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="http://aroundtheworldwithmike.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://aroundtheworldwithmike.wordpress.com/</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Please check it out. His writing and photography skillz are outta this world. He has an open invitation for everyone everywhere to join him on his trip around the world and his blog will provide you with all of the information and inspiration you could need.</span></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-69990651636675606802011-03-21T07:43:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:51:05.447-07:00Let's Go Down The Coast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_Rn05-7wY-YQL4-NJKKPkF8HG3EYudL8YQOCi0KkGcr4jlyXz5jL-MBuuHj-l1ypcII7JjQPO-kwt_-UptHiVg4i_C84OrFjo8Gakxg-NGd1y2fjx9_NUtNTjuOw0Sgyc6PpVuM2U2Y/s1600/100_1050.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_Rn05-7wY-YQL4-NJKKPkF8HG3EYudL8YQOCi0KkGcr4jlyXz5jL-MBuuHj-l1ypcII7JjQPO-kwt_-UptHiVg4i_C84OrFjo8Gakxg-NGd1y2fjx9_NUtNTjuOw0Sgyc6PpVuM2U2Y/s320/100_1050.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586545145785081602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR-4yypiDhsc8G06Kv6KhfkZCH1G2GFG01W3pVA9oeLmp1eVYfWtENWbJaVGug2gNZsBbES0q9cFLb3_NRFJYRny3BrU1TxImWwtAt3M7KNsGFkldi3po9gGl9u86QLxREHi3VylWa1A/s1600/100_1048.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR-4yypiDhsc8G06Kv6KhfkZCH1G2GFG01W3pVA9oeLmp1eVYfWtENWbJaVGug2gNZsBbES0q9cFLb3_NRFJYRny3BrU1TxImWwtAt3M7KNsGFkldi3po9gGl9u86QLxREHi3VylWa1A/s320/100_1048.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586545142634656258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoZzVMrb_pL4HGzadxo2xroDF7454VQyid05-J-yWZbxo-w9O10JWVsL6dwVen5sMjs8pjkxcWBkJA1Nn4D5fwJ6nErluGBnrzWwoPn2FEKs8Er2xaFNNqONsWMNgHTvbigVaY3_5Qec/s1600/100_1059.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoZzVMrb_pL4HGzadxo2xroDF7454VQyid05-J-yWZbxo-w9O10JWVsL6dwVen5sMjs8pjkxcWBkJA1Nn4D5fwJ6nErluGBnrzWwoPn2FEKs8Er2xaFNNqONsWMNgHTvbigVaY3_5Qec/s320/100_1059.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586545140921281602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZPB2opgprk4rD7J_sH8I_MGek9V6aoMpCNZZk1_uXKmft6cI7l8DZAcn1VW9OxVxd44EjlFM4b31rLRPRAbeUYRxvmHZDsjZ9xLAm1onzHXQLK2GIxkh_o6w55EqtiG0Obr3GD1Ky3w/s1600/100_1061.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZPB2opgprk4rD7J_sH8I_MGek9V6aoMpCNZZk1_uXKmft6cI7l8DZAcn1VW9OxVxd44EjlFM4b31rLRPRAbeUYRxvmHZDsjZ9xLAm1onzHXQLK2GIxkh_o6w55EqtiG0Obr3GD1Ky3w/s320/100_1061.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586545136225297858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH0CUJ4xREehZEdeJcymvCvI5b4JYfvqZWqF8BpwWdhKTZ1B6zEp3SrGlgQ6bcLQMKj5lIMFU-nohV_bdCrpRFKe8eByXWvZ-gubT5nyNi1BoyUupVDafPUvvCRmZxcUu6vcF1_KXfZY/s1600/100_1064.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH0CUJ4xREehZEdeJcymvCvI5b4JYfvqZWqF8BpwWdhKTZ1B6zEp3SrGlgQ6bcLQMKj5lIMFU-nohV_bdCrpRFKe8eByXWvZ-gubT5nyNi1BoyUupVDafPUvvCRmZxcUu6vcF1_KXfZY/s320/100_1064.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586544744973626818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Yy0fWXqWiaCKDagqERmUeZoe5e4JezwjBNOCOzNOii6c8jzi4wS1FWCBIHwMLUV1zmOcSwCVFKT7yVZCVDnRzRHpcoSN2fM8mvCn-XGRcsa26P9sP8wohLdHk6QKCBxJTYJNWuoTG7U/s1600/100_1070.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Yy0fWXqWiaCKDagqERmUeZoe5e4JezwjBNOCOzNOii6c8jzi4wS1FWCBIHwMLUV1zmOcSwCVFKT7yVZCVDnRzRHpcoSN2fM8mvCn-XGRcsa26P9sP8wohLdHk6QKCBxJTYJNWuoTG7U/s320/100_1070.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586544745290324434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINmLE8gA4n1IbSLC6edAtQNka-VeDVM6072ODS453GIJog9ocWw1iiUtuGiiEyJMZWExTEIvtk4N9N7yWmURqvn9e1P1gbRkgGBgyZmadRzJXlhLJWxJ-vIGsDmc5xDCeg6ohydhs7qo/s1600/100_1074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINmLE8gA4n1IbSLC6edAtQNka-VeDVM6072ODS453GIJog9ocWw1iiUtuGiiEyJMZWExTEIvtk4N9N7yWmURqvn9e1P1gbRkgGBgyZmadRzJXlhLJWxJ-vIGsDmc5xDCeg6ohydhs7qo/s320/100_1074.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586544740956788354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV5LNRAv30jClGd_e0xb1cnEqvxTyiy5N8BPMHVg2B8Oho_oe54kUu1N_xiFLpDEM2k6wUuZNxY1kqdITyzw0sWI_sS5pNqfQCCSGbZ6W3F1Abmh_fdOxQ51xcsKwj_CK0HOZuKIBnb0/s1600/100_1077.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV5LNRAv30jClGd_e0xb1cnEqvxTyiy5N8BPMHVg2B8Oho_oe54kUu1N_xiFLpDEM2k6wUuZNxY1kqdITyzw0sWI_sS5pNqfQCCSGbZ6W3F1Abmh_fdOxQ51xcsKwj_CK0HOZuKIBnb0/s320/100_1077.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586544734958865698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSf7_6Xc0pdnjwEHrVNx-yy75MbcZAPLfNFUjR5o8d4j6zvuNvv1-ZDW0N97IrgDqgZ5TVprYaUVvlECsSmm69nGmsi4hRcRl_cx4B2rG8Du3CNOPKPc9-j5yWrOapDPn8OBv0XWhEYVM/s1600/100_1082.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSf7_6Xc0pdnjwEHrVNx-yy75MbcZAPLfNFUjR5o8d4j6zvuNvv1-ZDW0N97IrgDqgZ5TVprYaUVvlECsSmm69nGmsi4hRcRl_cx4B2rG8Du3CNOPKPc9-j5yWrOapDPn8OBv0XWhEYVM/s320/100_1082.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586544729786228770" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>From Top To Bottom: (1) Punakaiki Caverns,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(2) The Excursion,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(3) Dan leaving the Cavern like a true Hobbit,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(4) View of the sky from the cavern entrance,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(5) Riding down the coast,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(6) Sunset along the coast,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(7) We really like sunset,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(8) Upon discovering one of our best campsites we were really excited,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(9) REALLY excited - look at that stove!</i></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-83415001277557002462011-03-21T07:27:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:34:56.030-07:00Punakaiki Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1snOku1JGXT1vYfabK9X3qnxrbLa9BmZQg7LykQdxL8A-i4w9ACFTcSTactyq8p6G9TxfuOjsMJMJ1Z2M8PSZMdKs1_pE5QWcuQtAsMT67UuMMNHd56RVarHG_PNIHMMnegUihw4ccU/s1600/100_1005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1snOku1JGXT1vYfabK9X3qnxrbLa9BmZQg7LykQdxL8A-i4w9ACFTcSTactyq8p6G9TxfuOjsMJMJ1Z2M8PSZMdKs1_pE5QWcuQtAsMT67UuMMNHd56RVarHG_PNIHMMnegUihw4ccU/s320/100_1005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586541005569450754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6fiI33X7QOiJo4WiELRAO_l5QakCHrexVn-GHPFiKavlwuazAFOr3yccijXotntejjvdnrI9uhbq6Cz6no8-MkrsPld-nEIMeIrkF5rCW7KeajKWPbg3pETS3o5V6vIS47C9pL9QI7I/s1600/100_1009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6fiI33X7QOiJo4WiELRAO_l5QakCHrexVn-GHPFiKavlwuazAFOr3yccijXotntejjvdnrI9uhbq6Cz6no8-MkrsPld-nEIMeIrkF5rCW7KeajKWPbg3pETS3o5V6vIS47C9pL9QI7I/s320/100_1009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586541005503642322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67UNBkpADZ8zBJG2lHlQbO-3A1f-eIa8b15J2WZppRcokPK7jWhtpIBPs-QtEMfEaWx2rKM8iRYLDJcCy-KIpS7g6TRrjMuETQZnJDiFDfuyZ1Wcs0upG6mBmYqKyMepVPJ_k6edayCA/s1600/100_1015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67UNBkpADZ8zBJG2lHlQbO-3A1f-eIa8b15J2WZppRcokPK7jWhtpIBPs-QtEMfEaWx2rKM8iRYLDJcCy-KIpS7g6TRrjMuETQZnJDiFDfuyZ1Wcs0upG6mBmYqKyMepVPJ_k6edayCA/s320/100_1015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586540839210412274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKsL6q2zovIY1BUy0RukCBItGsRZE8iTqBo6JzzSnVSs8Ck_458pSWcBSQ2XewWWQJ2qHHWu5FXdgPCyBkqI99Tiw-9g8mdFy7-ceQHUWkH8gZZclteFDTnbqvGAPrPEgQfC1fI0eLaY/s1600/100_1017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKsL6q2zovIY1BUy0RukCBItGsRZE8iTqBo6JzzSnVSs8Ck_458pSWcBSQ2XewWWQJ2qHHWu5FXdgPCyBkqI99Tiw-9g8mdFy7-ceQHUWkH8gZZclteFDTnbqvGAPrPEgQfC1fI0eLaY/s320/100_1017.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586540836653522722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RlYOjI1zR-3HMeq5L28IKM6urVwqfBnJt6V608Y53eCpo-MS7Lt6GX_yydCb0QmgT6sl21hpQwEc8z80_dtQ7Rs3gZnOs6i4AovoHOkNS-jyavdsOTI4G_wc7XGcMVTIJ5VbmAZac_w/s1600/100_1018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RlYOjI1zR-3HMeq5L28IKM6urVwqfBnJt6V608Y53eCpo-MS7Lt6GX_yydCb0QmgT6sl21hpQwEc8z80_dtQ7Rs3gZnOs6i4AovoHOkNS-jyavdsOTI4G_wc7XGcMVTIJ5VbmAZac_w/s320/100_1018.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586540829190667842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9tDYz0bU0RF3ug71IfqFUWN0DNXQQPQSCyHNSbc74VmBYNDrfr7Yt24M5mfjmZJ_FFKigCGDz1Uo8SrSc4jV2zIhDjIZDjkVGOF2RGYc5fWjMRiYBq8F4j-2yIAhs_xzz8ZQT57EULE/s1600/100_1022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9tDYz0bU0RF3ug71IfqFUWN0DNXQQPQSCyHNSbc74VmBYNDrfr7Yt24M5mfjmZJ_FFKigCGDz1Uo8SrSc4jV2zIhDjIZDjkVGOF2RGYc5fWjMRiYBq8F4j-2yIAhs_xzz8ZQT57EULE/s320/100_1022.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586540825801245618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhwsrZLJg1Hj__GHtA_DbwyjYHkbfu6n3LLJrzP5GhpSnYoDd2dm6iEe8hVjqdDP6Coy-Wh7erSjcNcaCc2a_3L8kBYMqEwYq3pIT5jYPCWqOnKHrXUDk7eXC6dW4lxtOuddBfmIpZyM/s1600/100_1033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhwsrZLJg1Hj__GHtA_DbwyjYHkbfu6n3LLJrzP5GhpSnYoDd2dm6iEe8hVjqdDP6Coy-Wh7erSjcNcaCc2a_3L8kBYMqEwYq3pIT5jYPCWqOnKHrXUDk7eXC6dW4lxtOuddBfmIpZyM/s320/100_1033.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586540823192457202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">From Top to Bottom: (1) The West Coast! </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(2) The coast of Paparoa National Park,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(3) Our friendly Kiwi family,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(4) One of the best sunsets of the trip,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(5) This was our view from our beachside campsite,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(6) Campfire on the beach,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(7) The boys with the Pancake Rocks.</span></i></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-74437809822976433922011-03-18T06:27:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:42:35.156-07:00Punakaiki Caverns<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KhQR3zyN2GM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-3880518607692920772011-03-07T11:06:00.000-08:002011-03-21T07:55:19.129-07:00Queenstown: The Adventure Capital Of The World<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Carrie: "Uh oh, I forgot to take my lactaid pill."</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Dan: "Are you going to start lactating now?"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We arrived in Queenstown on the afternoon of January 26th after several stops at fruit stands and orchards where we lightened the Free Dried Fruits and Nuts tasting tables. The weather cleared up as we got into town but it was a better choice to stay indoors as the ground was still wet from all of the rain. We opted for the cheapest place in town: The Pinewood Lodge, which provided us with a private room with 2 bunk beds and access to shared showers and toilets. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">It was a sterile, dorm styled place and immediately made us appreciate the Palace Backpackers that much more. It was definitely clean and cheap but had the vibe that a lot of dunk bros from the states came to piss and vomit in their own beds every night after bungy jumping their money away. Maybe that's a bit harsh but it's true that the environment an establishment provides allows the way its patrons treat it. The Palace provided a warm kitchen with free shared food, spices, and a heated towel rack - all of which encouraged people to share their own food and take care of the kitchen. The Lodge was the exact opposite: nobody did each other's dishes - there were hardly any dishes to use to cook with.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We quickly picked up some chicken from the grocery store and made a big stir fry dinner with some fresh vegetables from our orchard stops. I was exhausted and used the internet while the boys made friends with some other Americans and we all went to sleep around midnight. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">In the morning, I forced the boys out of the dorm and left them in the early afternoon (after a nap in the sun) to go explore Queenstown. The size difference between North Island and South Island "cities" became even more hilarious as I strolled around the quaint, busy streets of Queenstown. More mountainous and ski resort-esque in its feel, it reminded me a lot of Wanaka but more vibrant, touristy, and younger. I window shopped and met a nice Frenchman named Julian at a candy shop who convinced me to buy some fudge after one taste of the Creme Bruelee Fudge. The weather was perfect and the town thriving along the lakefront. I returned to the hostel to skype with my mom for a bit and almost missed my ferry ride around the lake with Mike! I ran all the way back into town in my flip flops and we just made it aboard. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The boat ride was a cheap $25 for a relaxing hour and a half ferry ride in gorgeous sunny weather. It was exactly what I wanted to do: sit, chat with Mike, and enjoy the mountains (known as the Remarkables) and million dollar homes lining </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Lake Wakatipu</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">. After our boat ride we bout some chips (the best french fries I've ever eaten) and wandered around the amazing botanical gardens which line the lake front before returning to the Lodge to meet Dan and Tim after their exciting afternoon on the Canyon Swing. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We finished our day by going to FergBurger which we all immediately fell in love with and didn't mind how much our wallets were lightened by the experience: I got a chicken burger with sun dried tomato tapenade, aioli, tomato, onions, and lettuce and downed it with a ginger beer. FergBurger is terribly expensive (what isn't in Queenstown?) but their burgers are MASSIVE and DELICIOUS. We ate along the lake front watching a Canadian street performer while the sun set over the lake behind us. We went in search of our British friends Danielle and Will from the Palace Backpackers who we knew were in town and we managed to surprise them in their hostel and they joined us for ice cream: also expensive, also massive, also delicious. Our bellies were so happy and so full that night. We said farewell to Will and Danielle who asked us where we were staying that night (as it was now dark and getting late) to which we replied "We don't know!"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Off we drove out of town to search for a campsite. We drove to Moke Lake and were certain we'd driven the wrong way as it took forever and we kept driving through gate after gate of Private Property Signs in the dark. For the FIRST TIME Dan and I slept in the tent at the request of Mike and Tim who wanted to sleep in Adi. We survived the cold night to be woken up by Tim in the morning whispering that we needed to be quiet and stay inside the tent as the Ranger was there and Mike and Tim were going to tell him that they were the only two camping there. This was funny enough as it was, listening to Mike and Tim try and be sociable with the Ranger in the least sociable way possible, but Dan also had to pee really bad and was squirming around and finally peed out the side of the tent that the Ranger couldn't see. After some stealth passing of our belongings out of the side of the tent, Dan and I finally ran to the car when the Ranger wasn't looking and covered ourselves with blankets as Mike and Tim broke down the tent and jumped in after us. We hit the dirt road, glancing over our shoulders, proud of our stealth moves and ability to save money: a whole $14 worth.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-56937866586050991662011-03-06T14:34:00.000-08:002011-03-06T14:47:34.413-08:00Mmm Wanaka you make me sleepy<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"The best part of waking up is Sprinklers up your butt!" - Mike </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(to be sung to the tune of Folger's coffee commercials)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Getting up at 6 in the morning to avoid paying a camping fee: not as worth it as we perhaps thought. Sure we didn't end up paying any money and we got to eat breakfast on the lake front while the sun rose to light up the mountain ranges - but being that exhausted? No. Not worth it.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The boys made us oatmeal on a picnic bench and the sprinklers decided to come on in the middle of everything. So I watched, safe and warm from inside Adi, and decided to video tape them get soaked while trying to rescue breakfast. It was entertaining for certain. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We had already agreed that we would get a cheap motel room for that night as we knew we'd be sacrificing sleep, we hadn't showered in 7 days, we'd managed to camp for free all 7 days, and it was rumored to rain that night. So Dan fell asleep in the car, Mike went for a walk, and Tim and I hunkered down in the motel lobby to use the internet until we could check into our room. I had set up a much needed skype date with my friend and tour mate, April, and after several exhausted hours of internet use was able to take a shower in our motel room. We did our laundry and watched the worst television soap opera I've ever seen (hey- it was New Zealand made) and I fell asleep for a delicious three hour nap. I wish that I had had an opportunity to really hike around the Wanaka area because that is what it's known for: it's breathtaking views from its hiking trails up and around the lakes and mountains. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We made potato pancakes and a warm veggie salad for dinner before heading to Cinema Paradiso to watch "Due Date" starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. The theater was so worth the $14 entrance fee: it only has one screen and there are old comfortable sofas and car seats and actual cars for people to sit in while watching the movie - AND they make their own previews/ads - AND there were the most AMAZING warm homemade cookies that are served during intermission (yes. there. was. an. intermission.). Hands down awesome sauce.<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The next day we got up early to find it was pouring rain and ended up spending most of the day curled up indoors reading, journaling, and catching up on blog posts. Mike and I booked us a hostel in Queenstown, where were headed to that night, so that we wouldn't have to camp if it continued to rain. We said fairwell to a now rainy Wanaka and headed for the "Adventure Capitol Of The World": Queenstown.</span></span></div></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-22562577525757047602011-03-06T10:46:00.000-08:002011-03-06T11:06:25.816-08:00Hello Wanaka<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Carrie: "Mike take my pants off!"</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Mike: "As your brother I would be honored."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now that I have your attention, I first have to apologize for the lack of posts as of late and specifically the lack of photo posts. I am currently back in the US and on a poetry tour and therefore have had very little time to catch up on all of my NZ posts. Additionally, Mike - who is currently in Melbourne - has all of my photos and has had difficulty getting them to me. BACK TO THE ADVENTURE (and the explanation of the above quote):</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We rolled into the lakeside town of Wanaka after an incredibly beautiful drive through the bottom of the West Coast. We stopped so many times to just gasp and take photos and stand in sunny lake water that it actually got annoying. Nothing should be so beautiful but it is. The lakes that you see below are huge and brilliantly blue with these powerful green mountains lining them and the entire drive winds around them.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLIAh1kRNte3lJsGnZBpVVPhLB_CzLaQX6QPC65pqSF1lf7X0K8u_oR8lb-Ypvvm1fQpt2BjCiC2cPKz3s9zkHqOmYl_XGsejhpiX0XnpJypyQ-xMJD923JJ5aUaAJoofG_P9erIe8jM/s320/map-02.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581041611349906034" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wanaka is kind of what I imagine Aspen, Colorado to be: a small, gorgeous, resort town with lakes and mountains and sunsets and incredibly expensive everything. We picked up our most expensive groceries yet, got gas for a parched Adi, and scoped out information at the iSite which happens to be right on the grassy beach of Lake Wanaka. We ate some snacks, checked some emails, and Tim, Mike, and I went swimming in the blissfully cold lake water as the sun began to set behind the mountains. We made dinner at a picnic table (chicken sausages and beans) and drank tea as it began to get dark.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mike and Tim were off chatting up some pretty foreigners as Dan and I got the tea ready and somehow I managed to dump my entire mug of tea across my lap while fighting with the honey bottle. I started shouting and trying to rip my pants off as fast as I could on a public beach front. Dan had no idea what had just happened and started to video tape what I was doing as Mike and Tim came over to see what I was shouting about. Let's just say it's a pretty good video and someday will surface. I was writhing on the grass with my pants around my ankles screaming "My crotch! Is! On! Fire!" and thus said the quote that began this post much to the boys' delight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We rewarded undressing in public with ice cream and spent some time standing in front of the Real Estate windows exclaiming over the number of 0's on some of those plots of land. We heard from some other backpackers that we shouldn't freedom camp in the area as the Rangers were particularly active and that instead, we should camp in a nearby campground and just leave at the crack of dawn. That sounded like a good idea to us for some reason so we went to the campsite and tried to sleep through the loud techno music being played ("They have to be German" - Tim) and the full moon. Dan and I gave up and just watched an episode of Friday Night Lights on my ipod before passing out somewhere around 3:30 in the morning for two and a half hours of sleep.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-11800137882930135092011-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:002011-02-15T21:21:02.999-08:00Lake Matheson and the beautiful road to Wanaka<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Before we left Glacier Country, the four of us headed just down the road to Lake Matheson: a body of water notorious for it's picture perfect reflection of Mt. Cook and the glaciers on a calm day.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We did not visit Lake Metheson on a perfect, still day but it was definitely beautiful regardless. We had an awesome time on the suspension bridge and made friends with an older British couple doing a house exchange in Austrailia, a pair of priests from the local community, as well as a German woman and her father (seen in the video below!)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N5pyUNkDAPY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I fell asleep as soon as we left Lake Matheson - I was utterly exhausted from the early morning wake up, the hike up the glacier, and extreme climate changes. I woke up a couple hours later as we approached our campsite for the night. This was one of the most stunning areas I had seen up until this point on the trip: incredible rolling fields of gold, forest along the roads, and snow capped mountains. Our campsite was buggy, but there was a rock beach and a river of glacial runoff. It was amazing. We cooked at a stone firepit before it was dark (possibly a first for us!) and were joined by 3 German men who weren't too certain of our quick conversations and jokes. We had tea for dessert and went to sleep around midnight.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We managed to get away with not paying yet again: our 6th consecutive win! We decided we should probably bathe and attempted to do so in the river. I scolded the boys for using soap in the river and had to literally limp back to shore as the water was so unbelievably frigid my feet cramped up and I couldn't walk.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We hit the road around noon and spent the day racing tour buses to the dozens of photo spots along the gorgeous road to Wanaka. We stopped at so many waterfalls, the "gates of Haas" (which is essentially a giant waterfall gushing into a river and absolutely perfect), and the infamous Blue Pools. The Blue Pools are the most brilliant blue I've ever seen. You walk this lovely 20 minute path through the forest to reach two suspension bridges that extend over the Blue Pools and surrounding river. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Dan had his heart set on jumping off of the suspension bridge into the Blue Pools: something we'd been told to do by the Germans we'd met the night before. And he did. He leapt from a bridge a good 20 to 24 feet in the air down into the crystal blue waters that were reportedly just as cold, if not colder than the glacial run off we'd bathed in that morning. Mike had a fun time pooping in the woods while I watched Tim and Dan survive the cold waters -- it's a good story, you should ask him about it sometime.</span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-2608808733780571962011-02-14T13:06:00.000-08:002011-02-14T13:56:05.391-08:00Glacier Country<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">After we left Hokitika I was feeling like something spontaneous needed to happen and suggested that when we saw a river worthy of jumping into, we should do so. 10 minutes later we were all in our swimsuits leaping into a river with a very strong current: strong enough that when we leapt into the water, it rushed us downstream about fifty feet or so until we swam out of the current to the sandbar. It was really difficult for me to actually stand on the sandbar the current was so fast and often had to opt for making it all the way to the rocks at the edge. We cheered and waved at the cars passing on the bridge above us and when the boys decided to jump in naked into the freezing water, I decided I should probably walk away.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We drove down to Glacier Country to stay at a free campsite called Gillespies Beach about 20 km outside of Fox Township. "Glacier Country" refers to the World Heritage Area where New Zealand's two most profitable glaciers sit: Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. Mike and I had decided that we wanted to take a guided hike onto one of the glaciers and had a lot of difficulty deciding which to do. Franz Josef was much more commercialized and popular and for an extra $20, you got entrance into the Hot Springs. Fox offered smaller tour groups, bigger glacier, and was much older. The major difference seemed to be that Franz Josef offered more ice time but was more expensive.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkpXAzMDGRgzoqdQLULJC1sYDsOdiJWVUwpCZkJTVTgS9O3GOTXdu815jk70mtfW9__8ZSm7tEYoLO0wtRrYColflYOx90kQ_RrmAKP0e22tDtPei6WwfUdhQABh4yYOIkmxDSidbszA/s1600/map.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkpXAzMDGRgzoqdQLULJC1sYDsOdiJWVUwpCZkJTVTgS9O3GOTXdu815jk70mtfW9__8ZSm7tEYoLO0wtRrYColflYOx90kQ_RrmAKP0e22tDtPei6WwfUdhQABh4yYOIkmxDSidbszA/s320/map.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573659894362897266" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">In the end, Mike and I opted for Fox Glacier based on some locals recommendations, and now having done the glacier, I would probably suggest people opt for Franz Josef. It was definitely a very cool and surreal experience - but the stories I heard from those travelers who did Franz Josef kind of trumped my stories. C'est la vie!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">After a buggy, late dinner night at our packed to the absolute gills campsite - we woke early and Tim and Dan dropped Mike and I off at the tour. We decided to wear shorts and layer our shirts as we would be hiking up through a rainforest (hot hot hot) to get to the access point of the glacier (cold cold cold). It was nice for Mike and I to have some time to spend together (although the tour was seriously not as fun without Tim and Dan there to be crazy) and we really enjoyed our tour guide Sam, a native New Zealander in his early 20s. I think the thing that was the strangest was that we were on a TOUR: we were with tourists and for the first time it really felt like we were... tourists! We couldn't go off on our own and had to hike at the same pace as everyone else - so it was definitely a change. We were also required to wear the provided hiking boots. They did not fit. That's all I'll say as I'd prefer not to relive the feeling.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The rainforest was really cool to hike through and I peeled off my layers as fast as possible. We passed waterfalls and crossed water fresh enough you could drink it straight out of the stream. The absolute coolest thing that happened was during a short break during the hike: we had a perfect view of the front of the glacier below us when the front of it collapsed! Pieces of the front of the glacier melt and fall off everyday into the river of water that flows below, but this was a HUGE chunk and the echo of the collapse sounded like thunder down the valley. Sam immediately jumped on his radio to warn other guides and rangers and promised us he'd never seen such a huge chunk fall off. It was so awesome!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">When we hiked up the ice stairs to the glacier (which have to be hacked away at with ice picks all day long by three Fox guides) it became frigidly cold. We'd put on our shoe ice grips and grabbed an ice staff to walk with and we clambered around on top of a freaking glacier! The glacier was much dirtier than you'd expect: each snowflakes is built around a speck of dust and when you have billions of snowflakes creating a glacier, you have billions of specks of dust as well. I loved how blue the ice was and we got to poke around a little ice cave in the glacier. It was an overwhelming experience: looking behind us towards the middle of the glacier, it was sparkling ice blue in the sunlight and absolutely beautiful. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">And now I can say things like "I climbed a glacier" in normal conversation.</span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-64544945651417601012011-02-11T21:14:00.000-08:002011-02-11T21:30:06.414-08:00Hokitika and the Drugs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We seem to have this luck following us around on this trip and one of the luckiest and coolest parts of the trip was our ability to camp entirely for free down the West Coast of the South Island. We didn't pay to sleep anywhere from Nelson to Wanaka: seven whole days of free camping and no showers. This doesn't mean that we always stayed at free campsites: sometimes we freedom camped, sometimes we stayed at DOC Basic Campsites which don't have fees, and sometimes we just got lucky and the Ranger never came to collect fees at the DOC Standard Campsites (which are just marginally better than Basic ones and thus usually have a fee).</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Such was the case with our magical Nacho Campsite between Greymouth and Hokitika. This campsite had our own private campsite with a stove over our campfire, drinkable water from a nozzle, and flushing toilets. And apparently free drugs.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Mike was off christening the flushing toilets while Tim, Dan, and I sat around the campfire eating breakfast and drinking tea when a car pulled up to our site. At first we all thought it must be the ranger coming to collect our fee: I know we all thought this because we all had the same long pause when the woman who climbed out of the car asked us if we had stayed at this site last night. After a very long awkward moment we all replied that yes we had (though I had no intention of telling her that there was a fourth person with us as I expected her next to collect our fee) -- to which she replied "Have you seen my pot?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Now to my credit, I am straightedge but I have apparently spent enough time around drug culture to be a bit more savvy to these sorts of questions than Tim or Dan. This is to their credit and by their own admittance (you did good, Mrs. Malone!). So this story is actually funnier because Tim didn't know what the woman had asked for and actually thought she was looking for her wallet and was sort of stunned when it was revealed that she was looking for her lost drugs which she had driven 68 kilometers back to this camping spot for. As this woman is scouring the campsite - I know that she thinks we smoked her weed and I'm praying that she finds it and the big Maori looking man in her car doesn't get out of her car. But she DID find it and off she went leaving us a little but more entertained than we planned.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We drove down the road to this Tunnel Trail not far from our site and I really enjoyed exploring the forest and listening to the loudest Cicadas I've ever heard. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the sunlight just filtered through the forest as Dan and I found some tunnel caves to crawl through off the path and also spotted a Fantail Bird which was really cool to watch.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We reached Hokitika in the early afternoon to use internet, book tickets to hike the Fox Glacier the next day, and eat lunch. We were more re-energized when we left -- in fact, this is exactly what we did when we left town:</span></div><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yrf0Lb1e-CQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-90906048634860434872011-02-11T06:31:00.000-08:002011-02-11T21:13:51.493-08:00Punakaiki and Greymouth<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We woke from our beach campsite in the morning to have tea and breakfast over a fire on the beach on an overcast day. After a sluggish start, we headed back up the road to see The Pancake Rocks: a tourist attraction located on the coast of the Paparoa Naitonal Park where limestone rocks have been shaped by the ocean to look like pancakes stacked on top of one another. The most alluring part is the blowholes that occur at high tide and while we'd hoped to catch the blowholes in action, we weren't so lucky. The Pancake Rocks were still cool and I stalked a guy wearing a Boston Red Sox cap only to discover he was actually from Oklahoma. We met a couple Americans traveling on tour buses in the area and it was one of our first real experiences being in a locaition populated entirely by the tour buses passing through and people like us.<br /><br />We grabbed some drinks and ice cream at the little cafe across the street and discovered that just down the road was the Paparoa Caverns. The sun came out and we scurried along in high sprits to climb around this amazing cave. We sang songs ("I Would Walk 500 Miles") and Mike took photos as we walked and crawled through sand stone and little waterfalls. We even saw a few glow worms hiding out in the back of the cavern. It was awesome.<br /><br />We jumped back on the road and headed down to Greymouth: possibly the largest town on the West Coast. The boys discovered that a brewery tour was just going to start at Monteith's Brewery, so I dropped them off and went to search for internet. I was late to pick them up due to some charging electronics and boys were no where in sight when I hopped out of the car in front of the Brewery. Suddenly, I heard someone running very loudly and very fast in flip flops and realized Tim was screaming my name at the top of his lungs and sprinting full speed down a hill towards me. As he ran into me, he lifted me into the air screaming "We thought we'd lost you!"<br /><br />They drank a LOT of beer on that brewery tour.<br /><br />With groceries and more beer supplies in our vehicle, I drove my rowdy and joyous men to our next campsite where we had one of the best meals of our trip: nachos over a campfire. We made so much food that for the first time we legit could not finish everything. The campsite itself was awesome -- it had a stove built over the fire pit and was set off away from the other campsites -- and ... wait for it... FLUSHING TOILETS. Being set off from other sites was definitely good, as we watched Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King while we ate copious amounts of nachos around our campfire and finished the film while all laying on top of each other in our tiny tent. Epic epic night.<br /></span></span>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-24199801781216793582011-02-05T02:05:00.000-08:002011-02-05T02:11:28.770-08:00Buller Gorge and Westport<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFK3H2MeCxQhoxsbDI7jvMkRku8XL5HDHFCNJyAVDTnRgR7HV_8cBULYzEYGcjAMGJmx3sL3O2UZqECRcWqwk52wnTiHIGAdbgAXEGvgna9As3DBFTmToUhv9yxJfOVxuJgoTCUqsOjg/s1600/100_0998.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFK3H2MeCxQhoxsbDI7jvMkRku8XL5HDHFCNJyAVDTnRgR7HV_8cBULYzEYGcjAMGJmx3sL3O2UZqECRcWqwk52wnTiHIGAdbgAXEGvgna9As3DBFTmToUhv9yxJfOVxuJgoTCUqsOjg/s320/100_0998.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570145654718857762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6nQyKzgCvG19pHHbsMbwQ13-bzTIYCKAtur-rYL2fBvkqjYDHxyj_rpRFZpaOxZqm0qPDXEQAoPbAXv1MMs9c57ExMWm0qy2SJzHsisra34m-F8BGg8YwFXFoBTEYlIXw3PsNkywln4/s1600/100_0997.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6nQyKzgCvG19pHHbsMbwQ13-bzTIYCKAtur-rYL2fBvkqjYDHxyj_rpRFZpaOxZqm0qPDXEQAoPbAXv1MMs9c57ExMWm0qy2SJzHsisra34m-F8BGg8YwFXFoBTEYlIXw3PsNkywln4/s320/100_0997.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570145654498870626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge4hsos-xThAMhUBixbw8GcBo1PPDNeL5ZXftROCRnC7FmhHjzYYEpeK4L3YIhLZiFGzkeQOb_UcWe9l3acyMWRLYghsvlX9GqHwVZwFmHtFdTMVkYb-Xl6s53sLGOowiTlSEs0uy9k4/s1600/100_0993.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge4hsos-xThAMhUBixbw8GcBo1PPDNeL5ZXftROCRnC7FmhHjzYYEpeK4L3YIhLZiFGzkeQOb_UcWe9l3acyMWRLYghsvlX9GqHwVZwFmHtFdTMVkYb-Xl6s53sLGOowiTlSEs0uy9k4/s320/100_0993.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570145647692167202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZzsToyRrEAwPlkpXad1AsZzkdMar0XiuLWxXOvJdZOuMk2DrHDnU9_abl9jSoutu2DYCABlfxPRZJYwAclvMhWmW6mnYUalL8S0Wf0rybdwHokWa0pT5F_T4Y8WX_sytyPDOp8X4DAk/s1600/100_0990.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZzsToyRrEAwPlkpXad1AsZzkdMar0XiuLWxXOvJdZOuMk2DrHDnU9_abl9jSoutu2DYCABlfxPRZJYwAclvMhWmW6mnYUalL8S0Wf0rybdwHokWa0pT5F_T4Y8WX_sytyPDOp8X4DAk/s320/100_0990.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570145635106889346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6JOTCJe-PoypNamtUJ8795HkE79bpmovp-dTujYU8s0brgL0TNX8RRc12M4uQZK5kUGT973QFWkNWj4gFgXO3RQ2A1I79TSyf00JqJeYTlgIBJrlHCrU-H7ihvE_BCpl6DQnh_1KMTY/s1600/100_0983.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6JOTCJe-PoypNamtUJ8795HkE79bpmovp-dTujYU8s0brgL0TNX8RRc12M4uQZK5kUGT973QFWkNWj4gFgXO3RQ2A1I79TSyf00JqJeYTlgIBJrlHCrU-H7ihvE_BCpl6DQnh_1KMTY/s320/100_0983.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570145630463052498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic;">From Top To Bottom:<br />(1) Westport: Thank you for the library bathroom and free wifi,<br />(2) Buller Gorge and The Iron Bridge,<br />(3) I like taking photos of Mike taking photos,<br />(4) Breakfast at Buller Gorge,<br />(5) Our gnats campsite.<br /></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-13468243347633162322011-02-05T01:48:00.000-08:002011-02-05T02:05:03.108-08:00Abel Tasman National Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_fGD1-1hjJQvAk9WvNP9yhrx-3K-4dyr1hVby53tVLSQbdhe2PuDSZKU5ZmxJjA53TfJvuNYLl6PBj2IdfKh9gG0B07xLL2f_aSR9e_7L8psv1Rtcj10xcMl_eY9cQYq0dySnUwEbRY/s1600/100_0981.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_fGD1-1hjJQvAk9WvNP9yhrx-3K-4dyr1hVby53tVLSQbdhe2PuDSZKU5ZmxJjA53TfJvuNYLl6PBj2IdfKh9gG0B07xLL2f_aSR9e_7L8psv1Rtcj10xcMl_eY9cQYq0dySnUwEbRY/s320/100_0981.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570143911631631218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAkUAnNweCFkq8fMYpyO_R0SWpD_aJsgq0Sxaa7XuK5gBM8I7Qqh_UQszN0aJ6YCWahuB1EUUP5XuKRN1wTkZklfq3NRKQyHa8BC_Vezw_bgRrsNAD3qb-vDIcfI_utO0bSBjaRxvSsM/s1600/100_0976.JPG"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrO12rKtn32tST7f32HHbGQD5wyV036KFRB8HmI2DiuXS3NaM1DWijz5lI88miLHX2ZcvfEDDfRZxzauYE78CUKkufgkKSkfahTwvb8j-gZePwmGJA4zrDslwUhW6yjMJjd6WMX37pW0/s320/100_0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570141610712163346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTNQEZqna6Bw2l3R9sKtQcUHJjWf9Dw5cqTIQw43k-QKizbSlHbC7Elfwo3ArdnP0SpDTtps8rAXBS8hgVC5jOwNjVYv_ihW6W-NidCxgbNEhxKPdppsza029CG4hrNDD5QsQZDAIDuM/s1600/100_0930.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTNQEZqna6Bw2l3R9sKtQcUHJjWf9Dw5cqTIQw43k-QKizbSlHbC7Elfwo3ArdnP0SpDTtps8rAXBS8hgVC5jOwNjVYv_ihW6W-NidCxgbNEhxKPdppsza029CG4hrNDD5QsQZDAIDuM/s320/100_0930.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570141605710523042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">From Top to Bottom: (1) The prairie grass looking out to the ocean,<br />(2) 5pm is great for photos but not necessarily for swimming,<br />(3) The trees were incredible,<br />(4) "On The Coast Of Somewhere Beautiful NZ 2011",<br />(5) The coast of somewhere beautiful,<br />(6) Naptime with sand flies,<br />(7) Anapia beach,<br />(8) To the beach!,<br />(9) The path through the forest,<br />(10) These awesome fern palm trees,<br />(11) Mike admiring the trees<br /></span></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-46230459485313195112011-02-05T01:26:00.000-08:002011-02-05T01:43:42.256-08:00The Road to Abel Tasman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHYchNzlafRjVtZV9TdH_L5z2puXHFDbTB4Wziu1NiXLc0IAr1cHsuV6s8fqE4BRCkxmAabkX2biCD1je4puQ6s2mDkfh8SzWgCJWOCSmeHdNiCTgK6LKKuW_gWusTaR9-my0NnkdCJY/s1600/100_0905.JPG"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4qROQni6gIFasKiHCJVvKUbVGQk_29us5u6v827Ow2nJB8n0NI31ucYa0NExjdxas0rTx4HpsdNmbdUq36qcfdhEEvDXrq6jB1aBJBp9r24xer1uJd-qSsoSSA-2F2kEDv_6ZBGD3f4/s320/100_0899.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570138309152404738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNmnKIDP3FJKh-cNVXfN8lrJy4tOADr5b0FvkADce7BJwStIRtJO8OCF2ScrB3lGlsySJcfk5bkf8N_ROe9Ft1Ji54jhpDvZGUTAAIf_8g5qnKtx0esOVyGeusbNZqanfFf9ElMrLnUg/s1600/100_0903.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNmnKIDP3FJKh-cNVXfN8lrJy4tOADr5b0FvkADce7BJwStIRtJO8OCF2ScrB3lGlsySJcfk5bkf8N_ROe9Ft1Ji54jhpDvZGUTAAIf_8g5qnKtx0esOVyGeusbNZqanfFf9ElMrLnUg/s320/100_0903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570138298566699698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu0Ix_jkYeRKHlxSFvJwMH97jrJ27vyfAd47ksEY5CMr3hhd0_6NljY1KEfRaaQT_aFlvBkW4KAxvGFQK8CUuK59MNCFkyG_PoVWsAjIS7i9Vj06VZ-l5NtKDFUleln-xMdnGxJftaJg/s1600/100_0900.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu0Ix_jkYeRKHlxSFvJwMH97jrJ27vyfAd47ksEY5CMr3hhd0_6NljY1KEfRaaQT_aFlvBkW4KAxvGFQK8CUuK59MNCFkyG_PoVWsAjIS7i9Vj06VZ-l5NtKDFUleln-xMdnGxJftaJg/s320/100_0900.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570138293222293826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpESKpBwnxoOME7bOg7GbPzUnYS8x_e-wyzjIp1fIFREHXuL56KmMcVOwfWUeMbWxiP7RZRyWMU4_ogwgXAME8JimxdfJzbtb-w2YWijpqAmfIDpO-YYxxkA-Caqx4vVzWZBJvYOBgP8/s1600/100_0892.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpESKpBwnxoOME7bOg7GbPzUnYS8x_e-wyzjIp1fIFREHXuL56KmMcVOwfWUeMbWxiP7RZRyWMU4_ogwgXAME8JimxdfJzbtb-w2YWijpqAmfIDpO-YYxxkA-Caqx4vVzWZBJvYOBgP8/s320/100_0892.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570136153201610658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY1UO3cNqmni-2OGiGKG025aSWSXVzU-WPlRtasm29aMUuEXUP5FIyyAVopxDE9IeljLpjuNHphhzf9-RV822xL1npEj67_yJVlW61ulKBdKHlH8zAPRfc3yR5HBeC5rKr4CZGAOu4po/s1600/100_0890.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY1UO3cNqmni-2OGiGKG025aSWSXVzU-WPlRtasm29aMUuEXUP5FIyyAVopxDE9IeljLpjuNHphhzf9-RV822xL1npEj67_yJVlW61ulKBdKHlH8zAPRfc3yR5HBeC5rKr4CZGAOu4po/s320/100_0890.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570136142706339266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcN9gG_riBi_UUmJzL7CAoZoDOet60OXsONGog6adGRvQFg4e2Kc_qVUGptNUUgcGJhSkRCXvrcbtRb6TH4oPwqTZ2itNsH7xH7LQAUi-08To0L18cJeUqn8qi1y8mlgE1z_MMvOpySo/s1600/100_0888.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcN9gG_riBi_UUmJzL7CAoZoDOet60OXsONGog6adGRvQFg4e2Kc_qVUGptNUUgcGJhSkRCXvrcbtRb6TH4oPwqTZ2itNsH7xH7LQAUi-08To0L18cJeUqn8qi1y8mlgE1z_MMvOpySo/s320/100_0888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570136134533281266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECETtmtk_1I6-Fh4gvjGPS23gNOBqGpRcvhwJA0wCx8StYzpyi_-Xh9fdtiXbPA6tPaXM1Plf2RVfKk3-hZ5tCQ3ljU7AQMT5ltxKxUZJkhLGbj0KZeOWcIvMkC0rne3Y7dpqdrPgOT0/s1600/100_0883.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECETtmtk_1I6-Fh4gvjGPS23gNOBqGpRcvhwJA0wCx8StYzpyi_-Xh9fdtiXbPA6tPaXM1Plf2RVfKk3-hZ5tCQ3ljU7AQMT5ltxKxUZJkhLGbj0KZeOWcIvMkC0rne3Y7dpqdrPgOT0/s320/100_0883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570136131085790834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6teWLsU7QuEVCtdoLiMpV0G3Y6FCL8hg9l7iYpxB71OXoTLclT7ZCxYGmOxAYTD7nhVl13S49MGv49BrXD7QYwlF0xAziiUUyEUn-QMG2X3V3awt_MKf7WgmwWg1oWomGewGtuLmL7EU/s1600/100_0877.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6teWLsU7QuEVCtdoLiMpV0G3Y6FCL8hg9l7iYpxB71OXoTLclT7ZCxYGmOxAYTD7nhVl13S49MGv49BrXD7QYwlF0xAziiUUyEUn-QMG2X3V3awt_MKf7WgmwWg1oWomGewGtuLmL7EU/s320/100_0877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570136124254298914" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">From Top to Bottom: (1) Tim has this habit of sweeping me off my feet - literally,<br />(2) Up the Mountain to Abel Tasman!,<br />(3) The beach was literally shimmering gold,<br />(4) Golden Bay,<br />(5) The beach we stopped to have lunch on,<br />(6) From the top of one of the mountains down into the valley,<br />(7) Mmm Mike don't jump!,<br />(8) Mike testing the water,<br />(9) Tim enjoying the sunshine,<br />(10) We had to stop on our way to Abel Tasmen cause it was so beautiful.<br /></span></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-4267480872506326312011-02-05T01:19:00.000-08:002011-02-05T01:26:18.285-08:00The Palace Backpackers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirce3lMmrIg5hN8y42vlT_s2ik9-W_cLOQbNiYssoKNiNG5VT4hIqGHJGKNYvHVEdqdAHQ-ErsBtiaNVpLtHbC5dUnL7nitG95vBmNcf7NTbgQp1lj_hwDEyPSBHAycYQbn_01MBvvVBc/s1600/100_0767.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirce3lMmrIg5hN8y42vlT_s2ik9-W_cLOQbNiYssoKNiNG5VT4hIqGHJGKNYvHVEdqdAHQ-ErsBtiaNVpLtHbC5dUnL7nitG95vBmNcf7NTbgQp1lj_hwDEyPSBHAycYQbn_01MBvvVBc/s320/100_0767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570134030686234146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMTEYy9jviSRoiEX1PW3l8WljywOOoD7BoBnDZAELApS6AfrdkMFZBzIEOsqe004NtEbInVVUaWX1D1nmvJ9gYc6ljFGcB2jpS6a5veRQiPhrOjXH59NQQsB8WwPl9kIeNyfNteprmAk/s1600/100_0875.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMTEYy9jviSRoiEX1PW3l8WljywOOoD7BoBnDZAELApS6AfrdkMFZBzIEOsqe004NtEbInVVUaWX1D1nmvJ9gYc6ljFGcB2jpS6a5veRQiPhrOjXH59NQQsB8WwPl9kIeNyfNteprmAk/s320/100_0875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570133642130540162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X9wJwJ8jnM_ah55FJgAG9Xs8CbdFJp-scLyL69cSpzJzH0BR9Zm8gIyIaMIN4c3-akv0NjYEwJrevipd-T3J_SL7BEgEdb6DdyG6_KFgVUtC7IwatGq1N8haQ1GGaqwH9VJv8UxVSV8/s1600/100_0868.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X9wJwJ8jnM_ah55FJgAG9Xs8CbdFJp-scLyL69cSpzJzH0BR9Zm8gIyIaMIN4c3-akv0NjYEwJrevipd-T3J_SL7BEgEdb6DdyG6_KFgVUtC7IwatGq1N8haQ1GGaqwH9VJv8UxVSV8/s320/100_0868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570133638513106130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKE1ejpRaX-UlZ2LXjnfP8hw_29ZrTL1rwMwzqxW4Zqpg5c3bOJj5SfIypHIkQhkxSbeE-6wuwacD0_M2pvSOeW6Bbxw3K5wCBEqwbfeq2SzfrARnd7P7YuVKtu5M7EYx3jNgRhWOCL6o/s1600/100_0846.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKE1ejpRaX-UlZ2LXjnfP8hw_29ZrTL1rwMwzqxW4Zqpg5c3bOJj5SfIypHIkQhkxSbeE-6wuwacD0_M2pvSOeW6Bbxw3K5wCBEqwbfeq2SzfrARnd7P7YuVKtu5M7EYx3jNgRhWOCL6o/s320/100_0846.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570133629749856210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFur833E2eNZXTcc8skzrL-oyK0UGKfO4DvFo1i6U8gpDJVutypbVrRPVyJIz0FVuuVBRpP9Kgv1T3Z8m6_uIBvwGmAm7wHIn2UslQ3rCJUzFioT18Ewre8yIpbut1fMsvM_XSL7nsswM/s1600/100_0845.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFur833E2eNZXTcc8skzrL-oyK0UGKfO4DvFo1i6U8gpDJVutypbVrRPVyJIz0FVuuVBRpP9Kgv1T3Z8m6_uIBvwGmAm7wHIn2UslQ3rCJUzFioT18Ewre8yIpbut1fMsvM_XSL7nsswM/s320/100_0845.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570133625319329426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">From Top to Bottom: (1) Dan asleep in our room,<br />(2) The boys leaving the Palace our last morning,<br />(3) The porch on the side of our room,<br />(4) Our balcony,<br />(5) The walkway up to our balcony from the driveway.<br /></span></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-11527993232547296452011-02-02T15:28:00.000-08:002011-02-02T15:52:30.099-08:00Camping on the Beach<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">On our drive down the coast through Paparoa National Park we discovered that the DOC campsite (Department of Conservation) we were headed for actually was much further away and we wouldn't make it there that night. So we thought we would look for camping signs or perhaps a free place to stay on the side of the road.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We drove past a huge pasteur that led out to the beach and the boys spotted three campervans sitting at the end of a long road, literally parked right on the beach. So we headed down the road to see if people were just surfing or if they were going to be camping on the beach for the night and if we could find a spot for our tent and car.</span></div><div> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">"Free camping" or "Guerilla Camping" is something that we're pretty big fans of but it happens to be a hot topic issue here in New Zealand on the South Island. Almost everyone on the South Island seems to be a pair or trio of tourists in a campervan with no toilet driving the islands as we are. But they camp on beaches or on pasteurs and they just shit on the land and peace out. To put it plainly. So obviously New Zealanders are getting upset. We've done an excellent job finding and using public toilets and making sure never to litter and to leave our camping spots as we've found them but I can certainly say not everyone follows those rules of conduct.</span></div><div> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We discovered three Germans, two Parisians, and a family of Kiwis (from Auckland) all camping out on the beach for the night in their campervans. The kiwis had a huge firepit going with benches made from beach wood (as well as a palm branch bed) and they invited us to cook and chat with them while the sun set over the ocean. It was amazing. Tim drove off in search of water and actually ended up driving across several fields to find this house and ask them for water and it turned out to be the people whose land we were free camping on! They gave Tim water and sent him on his way - but asked him to drive on the driveway. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">He returned to the beach just in time for the most gorgeous sunset of the trip and for a dinner of rice, beans, zucchini, onions, garlic, potato, carrots, and broccoli with teriyaki sauce and a big salad for dessert. Yeah we camp in style. We stayed up late eating and talking with everyone and when the family went to sleep, the boys broke out the cigars and we chatted with the Germans about working in New Zealand while enjoying the warmth of our huge fire. </span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-54354226683279524482011-02-02T15:09:00.000-08:002011-02-02T15:23:47.023-08:00Westport and The West Coast<span style="font-family:times new roman;">We arrived around midnight at a campsite located at an old Railway station stop on the side of the highway. It was packed with campervans and tents but we plopped down on a patch of grass under a full moon. When we woke in the morning we discovered literally hundreds of gnats swarming around us and Adi: it was disgusting and we've never moved out of a campsite so quickly!! We drove away with the windows down to flush out the gnats and stopped about an hour later for breakfast beside the Iron Bridge overlooking the Buller Gorge. I was picking wild blackberries above a waterfall when I somehow slipped and turned my ankle: I was litterally standing one second and then on my hands and knees the next. Although initially I was terrified I'd sprained it, it seemed alright so we jumped back in the car and pushed onwards to Westport, a larger South Island town on the coast.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It should be noted that the South Island towns are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than North Island ones. There are only 800,000 people living on the whole of the South Island and only 4 million people populating New Zealand all together. So a "large" town on the South Island consists of a few cross streets along a main road with one gas station, library, and grocery chain. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We plunked down in the Westport library to use their free internet and skype with our respective mothers. We ended up needing a good five hours to sit and catch up on our lives and in that time my ankle swelled up and I hobbled down to Subway to steal a bag of ice. Mike and I managed to get yelled at twice in that library (My mom: "Who the hell was that dick?!" Love you mommy) before pushing out of town with new groceries.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">As we drove, our exhausted spirits were suddenly lifted as we turned a corner to be greeted with The West Coast and these beautiful waves crashing against the shore. We were driving along the coast in Paparoa National Park and we were in paradise. It was very similar to driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in California but we were in New Zealand and that makes absolutely everything better.</span>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-5405822483647722202011-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:46:08.485-08:00Abel Tasman: How Not To Do It<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Wel eft The Palace on a bright sunny morning to head up to Abel Tasman National Park: which had been continually built up to be one of the most beautiful parks in New Zealand. We were excited to be on the road and the drive was fantastic on such a warm day. We stopped a lot along the way and one of the highlights of the day was this little fruits and veggie store that had a bakery, ice cream, and lots of organic food. We bought tons of local vegetables that were on sale and some "real fruit" ice cream and continued on our way.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">It had been recommended to us to actually drive to the end of the Abel Tasman walking track and hike back in to the beaches instead of driving to the much closer beginning of the track where it would be more populated. We took the recommendation on good faith and I'd say it was one of our poorer decisions but one we had no way of knowing would actually be a poor decision. We spent our afternoon driving for hours and only stopping for a short period of time in the Golden Bay to have lunch. The sand was literally the color of gold and the water was warm but we decided to not swim as we had been promised better on the track.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We discovered that the final portion of our journey into the park was on gravel road uphill around a mountain with giant potholes. It took absolutely forever to find where we were going and it was 5pm when we finally started our hike. The hike itself was amazing: the forest here is sort of like a cross between a North American forest and a rain forest. But better. Of course because we're in New Zealand. We reached the closest beach, Anapia, at 6pm. It was secluded and beautiful but the waves were crashing and the sand flies were biting and we were exhausted. We had such a short time there as we needed to turn around and drive the two and a half hours back the way we came and then push on down to a campsite on the highway to Westport.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We couldn't have asked for better weather and poorer planning but every vacation has a bad day: when we finally reached a town with a supermarket that night everything but KFC and McDonalds was closed. We chose KFC and just used McDonalds free wifi and bathroom. It was a long, tiring day but the full moon guided us into the night.</span>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-17617122134691865942011-01-31T19:04:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:04:24.902-08:00The Birthday Weekend Photo Post<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Carrie: "Hey I'm changing into jeans over here."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Tim: "Daniel we couldn't get you a stripper for your birthday so we got Carrie to take her pants off. Happy Birthday."</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRY1gVsd2Uy4R9XFI_E1g_3ZKgYrA2aaojL0jq3EzX7ahzgRTogvM8UyW9XshmsjOwPmPThVq39JxH_anSPtCxVOpxj5yQ5lH41jq8vD9xKJJHaLTUgjoCbN9Zubd3XFUTRI_9o_T5vc/s1600/100_0842.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRY1gVsd2Uy4R9XFI_E1g_3ZKgYrA2aaojL0jq3EzX7ahzgRTogvM8UyW9XshmsjOwPmPThVq39JxH_anSPtCxVOpxj5yQ5lH41jq8vD9xKJJHaLTUgjoCbN9Zubd3XFUTRI_9o_T5vc/s320/100_0842.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568565317119656674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsjfR9CJD5cbDRDNpynOU-UHza3kTZTJHDAN0GBsINMpnFYZY7_cF7K4E3yaiA3sqvFoGiajECo90-9HlmTf1SJK7PJAIP5KYJTpvpDglf1upK2V7Uv9ja4s-fSErShd1IjWNIPVkvDE/s1600/100_0828.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsjfR9CJD5cbDRDNpynOU-UHza3kTZTJHDAN0GBsINMpnFYZY7_cF7K4E3yaiA3sqvFoGiajECo90-9HlmTf1SJK7PJAIP5KYJTpvpDglf1upK2V7Uv9ja4s-fSErShd1IjWNIPVkvDE/s320/100_0828.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568565315786725906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO14CTYEvWson5Zqvm-0WymYqRU-TFHuSSp0UKOPaeUGAALxZBwo8Dm0vGe0d7KmZmlJlmbelpqfjfAH8h761DHrDM5WS05p_LSoGMHUgaI2JRvTpHhrPKhfZ9AmzDXjCeOo-DiNT_aY/s1600/100_0824.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO14CTYEvWson5Zqvm-0WymYqRU-TFHuSSp0UKOPaeUGAALxZBwo8Dm0vGe0d7KmZmlJlmbelpqfjfAH8h761DHrDM5WS05p_LSoGMHUgaI2JRvTpHhrPKhfZ9AmzDXjCeOo-DiNT_aY/s320/100_0824.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568563604944773186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoTNAu5yFrZiN0LxO3IagorVmZnjWAsds9-MzQMAtEJ_1z-_iDQ7ZuP1muSjNRGLJFL3dU7SABdjXXXQKw3roaWfYWG7a6UVzWVjM9KdCZA4amwqalTE8Owb0Ocg-HpmQLr6xTmJ3KFs/s1600/100_0814.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoTNAu5yFrZiN0LxO3IagorVmZnjWAsds9-MzQMAtEJ_1z-_iDQ7ZuP1muSjNRGLJFL3dU7SABdjXXXQKw3roaWfYWG7a6UVzWVjM9KdCZA4amwqalTE8Owb0Ocg-HpmQLr6xTmJ3KFs/s320/100_0814.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568563603324347442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7e2DlferPfAhy0W9qxh-fa0g-jk0OEZXNKyhwvQh4Xw_U07Gte0VvTY-cqguYDfT1HPA8o6cdadhpdPszNSFMRp7lvjOD7snbkhrRZiJm95ihrNod6XLF8T2GO0ejCpPIkdjVWZNnjs/s1600/100_0805.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7e2DlferPfAhy0W9qxh-fa0g-jk0OEZXNKyhwvQh4Xw_U07Gte0VvTY-cqguYDfT1HPA8o6cdadhpdPszNSFMRp7lvjOD7snbkhrRZiJm95ihrNod6XLF8T2GO0ejCpPIkdjVWZNnjs/s320/100_0805.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562563221819186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTdQfYwXATSozL4S_TvYM70PdUYt6Z3_2x1TtJfF_WBnIr6KI8N3wWPseKTDKRSWNHCBElhVw736waQGqeLEXsVzWo0aVj2dqdinlOMwG3UBSuESLPj8QKUYOnipOraZ_kwdXh1sF-j8/s1600/100_0787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTdQfYwXATSozL4S_TvYM70PdUYt6Z3_2x1TtJfF_WBnIr6KI8N3wWPseKTDKRSWNHCBElhVw736waQGqeLEXsVzWo0aVj2dqdinlOMwG3UBSuESLPj8QKUYOnipOraZ_kwdXh1sF-j8/s320/100_0787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562558581398690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeMI-IETdOmo3GiRLGAYMvAnNHN9atfblFT-5fTfcTcSCX62jHMLSWxkmvwOovR0QTqZNG1_mr8OGwimXaKaxJBiIILphYepZwtZ-lXf0YuHPquZhubDD34cbdYKaXXW1lv-hg6nKdvc/s1600/100_0786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeMI-IETdOmo3GiRLGAYMvAnNHN9atfblFT-5fTfcTcSCX62jHMLSWxkmvwOovR0QTqZNG1_mr8OGwimXaKaxJBiIILphYepZwtZ-lXf0YuHPquZhubDD34cbdYKaXXW1lv-hg6nKdvc/s320/100_0786.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568560812230057890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiqfKn0rJ2jGJA_zp7ivKyGPEl9ZYoDGRs9yHop8YZm67UZ1Mg6OocFWsToHy-Y34103woI6MEcNxjaOE4nNdu4VMWVcpILR17TESOb5f3sUKXNZkkztDiFYmv0w5-YxO-wVrVUK8S94/s1600/100_0784.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiqfKn0rJ2jGJA_zp7ivKyGPEl9ZYoDGRs9yHop8YZm67UZ1Mg6OocFWsToHy-Y34103woI6MEcNxjaOE4nNdu4VMWVcpILR17TESOb5f3sUKXNZkkztDiFYmv0w5-YxO-wVrVUK8S94/s320/100_0784.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568560808049104882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt2X79s_z716chePR_F5mfKfVY8pKAj6ksq0X7-DwPGF_aQwDOd2vY7DBa3yiQOoufxXM6V00cguzAgPze5tpvU1dyHtw113QVuqDKssajCJwmhKrFgS0y0yOhiDd_AmLCXxHrsLh3J4/s1600/100_0781.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt2X79s_z716chePR_F5mfKfVY8pKAj6ksq0X7-DwPGF_aQwDOd2vY7DBa3yiQOoufxXM6V00cguzAgPze5tpvU1dyHtw113QVuqDKssajCJwmhKrFgS0y0yOhiDd_AmLCXxHrsLh3J4/s320/100_0781.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568559286888968866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JOlc6gTRDYrlVz5PkJVe5brrZC5cnMHZ8sM2Pkkitl0M4MSBNI0Oxd029Y62RCTGDPMHytZC1tbbTUKd0s1WMa5VDHqL7zypBZaX5MSSAAz0y8bDW5zR6peBO10Fqj-TFjI6YsfuO3A/s1600/100_0778.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JOlc6gTRDYrlVz5PkJVe5brrZC5cnMHZ8sM2Pkkitl0M4MSBNI0Oxd029Y62RCTGDPMHytZC1tbbTUKd0s1WMa5VDHqL7zypBZaX5MSSAAz0y8bDW5zR6peBO10Fqj-TFjI6YsfuO3A/s320/100_0778.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568559280095890370" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaibD8fD7ta778g3Qt-xrH4L3Brh0UiD2NmrPMgr4R1OfW8r9GXhyphenhyphenPBS4c2Ffsa6dwIaC8aFXP8ilVxkAvTQTGYkHt6Jc0M4BziEZX4hdf0YF4TAj4dCEDjSIqq8v3gp97nEdrd2o_CQ/s1600/100_0775.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaibD8fD7ta778g3Qt-xrH4L3Brh0UiD2NmrPMgr4R1OfW8r9GXhyphenhyphenPBS4c2Ffsa6dwIaC8aFXP8ilVxkAvTQTGYkHt6Jc0M4BziEZX4hdf0YF4TAj4dCEDjSIqq8v3gp97nEdrd2o_CQ/s320/100_0775.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568555260003464146" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>From Top to Bottom: (1) The Palace!,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(2) The magical playground where everyone falls off,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(3) Will spinning Tim off,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(4) Mike on the Flying Fox,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(5) The crazy tire claw,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(6) The view from our balcony at The Palace,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(7) Me on the beach,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(8) The group with Cindy,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(9) Tim and Dan like to dive when playing volleyball,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(10) Sand volleyball on the perfect day,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i>(11) Mike on the beach outside Nelson.</i></span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-10772739624907788372011-01-26T02:19:00.000-08:002011-01-26T02:29:45.318-08:00On Being Homeless<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We're actually those homeless kids changing our clothes in the parking lot of McDonalds as people drive by in the drive thru. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We're the people brushing our teeth in the public library's bathroom.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We're the kids camping on the beach for free and using every single flushing toilet we can find.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We haven't changed our clothes in three days because actually taking them off to do anything but go swimming just sounds too difficult.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We are the people bathing in the river. Because we haven't showered in 7 days.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We have been sleeping in the trunk of our car. For three and a half weeks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We are 4 Americans on the best 6 week vacation of our lives.</span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5668259209497825794.post-24811798149314094742011-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:002011-01-25T15:33:17.255-08:00Nelson: The Birthday Weekend<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We arrived in Nelson at the Palace Backpackers two days before Daniel's birthday on January 17th and it became a true Birthday Weekend as we celebrated for three excellent days. The excuse for the absurd amount of food, juice (me), and alcohol (boys) consumed was that "Heeeey it's your birthday!"</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We slept in the morning of the 16th and Tim and I ran birthday errands before we headed out to the beach for lunch and a great afternoon. We purchased a Boogie Board and a Skim Board (which is a heavier wooden board that skims along the waters surface as the waves roll in and out on the beach) to use and I definitely wiped out wicked hard on the Skim Board. I hit the sand so hard I was bleeding. We enjoyed the warm waters, beautiful mountains and weather, and a great time playing volleyball. We were joined by our new French friend Cindy who was great to add to our dynamic.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">After our beach day we spent time in the hostel's hot tub and decided to stay another day for Dan's birthday! We cooked a HUGE meal with Cindy: pasta, red sauce, cheese, soy sauce veggies, garlic bread, and a big salad. We stayed up late chatting and playing cards which we became addicted to.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We woke up very late on the 17th and I made Dan breakfast for his birthday as he checked his facebook for well wishes. We left mid-afternoon to go to Richmond (the next town over) to visit the cutest cooking store: Baku! The women working there, Lyn and Linda, made us tea and chatted with us for over an hour. We bought presents and we headed back to Nelson to finally have a picnic lunch at 5:30pm. We also had fun playing on this tire swing claw contraption - wait for photos on that. It was hilarious.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We picked up some other people from the hostel to come play a game of volleyball with us: we were joined by Will from Britain, Danielle from Jersey (a British Isle), and Charles from Sweden. The game was awesome -- Danielle, Charles, Tim, and I triumphed 2 games to 1 over Mike, Will, and Dan. We played on the most amazing playground post-game: there were zip lines and spinning swings and tire claws! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We had a repeat of our meal the night before and shared cake and ice cream with our new friends as we played card games and finally fell asleep exhausted.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">When we woke in the morning it was raining and we decided once again to stay at the Palace and avoid camping in the rain. We had a lazy internet, laundry, napping, errand day and had a fantastic dinner of stir fry and rice. We played card games with Charles, Will, Danielle, Cindy, and a few others that wandered in and wanted to join in our silent game of Spoons. It was a fantastic night and a great ending to the Birthday Weekend.</span></div>C Rudzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252352694283205161noreply@blogger.com0