Ahh New Zealand was such a refreshing visit. We had a blast finishing up on the west coast and truly enjoyed the country. Our stop to Milford Sound was amazing. It's a truly unique area b/c the water there is part fresh water and part salt water! There's a layer of fresh water approx 4m deep that sits on top of the salt water. As a result the scuba diving is amazing b/c it simulates a deep sea environment. The freshwater is all murky and light can't penetrate it so the stuff that's on the bottom comes up closer to the surface!
We really enjoyed seeing all the areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed. There were also some incredible Mirror Lakes that looked as as though a sheet of glass were over them. Water so still you'd think it were fake!
Tara and I enjoyed cruising around Milford Sound on a boat and were a bit sad that we had to give up our camper van.
We've got a short stop in Tokyo before heading off to Europe. We decided to break up the flight since it was going to be 30 hrs =p
Keep on truckin'!
Jonathan and Tara
New Zealand - numero dos
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Welcome to Middle Earth!!
NEW ZEALAND!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Where to start?! This country is breathtakingly beautiful and we are IN LOVE with this place!!!
It has been a while since our last update so we will try to do our best to give a good update on our travels.
WE RENTED A CAMPERVAN!!! Haha! This one is the super deluxe suite of campervans!!! We have a toilet and a shower! So we are able to travel wherever we want whenever and it makes seeing New Zealand that much more enjoyable!
We went to Hanmer Springs and enjoyed the hot springs on our first day! The second day was amazing! We went to a town called Kaikoura and went whale watching. We saw 2 sperm whales!!! AND a pod of about 200 dusky dolphins surrounded our boat! WE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE LUCKY!!!
The next day we drove up to Mt Cook! Fabulous views and scenery and also wonderful photos! We walked through the valley and had such a good time we didn’t realize that more than half a day had already passed! Oops! On to our next spot… We saw the Tasman Glacier and walked through the Tasman Valley!
Then to Oamaru to see the penguins! We were really excited to see yellow eyed penguins and we did…we saw 1… Of course we thought they would show off like the dolphins, flaunting themselves, ASKING to be photographed but no luck.
Off to Dunedin to see KELVIN AND SOOHEE!!! WOOHOO!!! We were so glad to see them, how cool to meet some of your friends in one country, than another and than in another! PRETTY DARN COOL! We spent the weekend with them and their friends at Kaka Point where they had rented a house for the weekend. We also got to meet up again with Mike and Laura, who we also met in Malaysia! We had a great time getting to meet some different people and learn new things. We learned how to play cricket!!! Turns out I am not so bad and got a few compliments about my cricket skills! We had a delicious barbeque at a friend of Kelvin’s! Jonathan also got to experience super cold water snorkeling and they tried to find some abalone! However, the water was really rough and the waves were huge that they didn’t get any abalone but had a blast! After swimming Jonathan and I went our own way and headed towards the west coast of the island.
We ventured to the southernmost point on the South Island! Only about 4000km to the South Pole! We had a good time adventuring through farmland and taking photos of the many sheep and cows!
Last night we camped in Middle Earth! Actually we camped right where they filmed many of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies! Check out the photos and see if you recognize the scenery!
Today we arrived at Milford Sound, one of the 8th wonders of the world! Pretty impressive! It is beyond words beautiful! Tomorrow Jonathan is going diving and than we are going to explore the waterfalls and unique landscape of this location.
Bottom line: New Zealand has been our favorite country so far, it is beautiful and you should come visit!
Love to all!
Tara and Jonathan
Check out New Zealand!!!
It has been a while since our last update so we will try to do our best to give a good update on our travels.
WE RENTED A CAMPERVAN!!! Haha! This one is the super deluxe suite of campervans!!! We have a toilet and a shower! So we are able to travel wherever we want whenever and it makes seeing New Zealand that much more enjoyable!
We went to Hanmer Springs and enjoyed the hot springs on our first day! The second day was amazing! We went to a town called Kaikoura and went whale watching. We saw 2 sperm whales!!! AND a pod of about 200 dusky dolphins surrounded our boat! WE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE LUCKY!!!
The next day we drove up to Mt Cook! Fabulous views and scenery and also wonderful photos! We walked through the valley and had such a good time we didn’t realize that more than half a day had already passed! Oops! On to our next spot… We saw the Tasman Glacier and walked through the Tasman Valley!
Then to Oamaru to see the penguins! We were really excited to see yellow eyed penguins and we did…we saw 1… Of course we thought they would show off like the dolphins, flaunting themselves, ASKING to be photographed but no luck.
Off to Dunedin to see KELVIN AND SOOHEE!!! WOOHOO!!! We were so glad to see them, how cool to meet some of your friends in one country, than another and than in another! PRETTY DARN COOL! We spent the weekend with them and their friends at Kaka Point where they had rented a house for the weekend. We also got to meet up again with Mike and Laura, who we also met in Malaysia! We had a great time getting to meet some different people and learn new things. We learned how to play cricket!!! Turns out I am not so bad and got a few compliments about my cricket skills! We had a delicious barbeque at a friend of Kelvin’s! Jonathan also got to experience super cold water snorkeling and they tried to find some abalone! However, the water was really rough and the waves were huge that they didn’t get any abalone but had a blast! After swimming Jonathan and I went our own way and headed towards the west coast of the island.
We ventured to the southernmost point on the South Island! Only about 4000km to the South Pole! We had a good time adventuring through farmland and taking photos of the many sheep and cows!
Last night we camped in Middle Earth! Actually we camped right where they filmed many of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies! Check out the photos and see if you recognize the scenery!
Today we arrived at Milford Sound, one of the 8th wonders of the world! Pretty impressive! It is beyond words beautiful! Tomorrow Jonathan is going diving and than we are going to explore the waterfalls and unique landscape of this location.
Bottom line: New Zealand has been our favorite country so far, it is beautiful and you should come visit!
Love to all!
Tara and Jonathan
Check out New Zealand!!!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The end of an era -
We officially sold our campervan today for $6800! An English couple put a $200 deposit on it a week ago and slowly but surly they’d been taking the rest out of their accounts to pay us today…in cash. Nothing like walking around the city with 132 $50 dollar bills in your pocket !#$!@ But hey that’s ok b/c we had my two body guards – Mr. Right and Mr. Left. Haha. The sale was rewarding, but also sad – especially as we watched them drive away…IN OUR VAN!! After the sale we went and checked out the Sydney Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House which was absolutely fantastic. They played songs from West Side Story and both Tara and I really enjoyed it!
Tomorrow we fly out to New Zealand where we will explore the South Island, meet up with some friends and explore some of the greatest untouched areas in the world!
Adventure on!
check out the pix:
goodbye lollie
Jonathan and Tara
Tomorrow we fly out to New Zealand where we will explore the South Island, meet up with some friends and explore some of the greatest untouched areas in the world!
Adventure on!
check out the pix:
goodbye lollie
Jonathan and Tara
Sunday, March 2, 2008
From Mushy Mallow to Luscious Lollie!
Mushy Mallow, a chocolate covered marshmallow from Western Australia, was desparate for a makeover. Covered in Mission Brown House paint and an interior of has been 1970’s print fabrics, she needed it desperately. So with the help of this makeover and all of the lovely people involved, she would become a hot commodity!
Let’s see what she had done:
****MECHANICAL****
1.) New (and under warranty) 2.0L Engine (only 20,000km on it)
2.) Rebuilt 4 speed transmission
3.) New clutch
4.) New Starter
5.) Rebuilt Throttle Body
6.) New suspension
7.) New Tyres
8.) New oil/oil filter
9.) Repaired pop-top struts
10.) Fabricated new passenger window lock
11.) Repaired rear license plate lights and welded on new latch
12.)
****INTERIOR****
1.) New carpet
2.) New paint (water based so there is no noxious smell!)
3.) New upholstery for cushions
4.) New blinds
5.) New Hinges for storage area
6.) Re-fabricated Windshield washer bucket and bracket mount
7.) New hinges/mount for glove box
8.) Seal repair done to fridge
****EXTERIOR****
1.) Rust free (all rust has been removed, cut out, ground off, re-welded and filled!)
2.) Beautiful New Paint (1 pack Acrylic Lacquer from Paint City, color codes and touch up paint included)
3.) Completely redone wheels/rims with matching bolts!
Now let’s meet Luscious Lollie!
Lucious Lollie
Keep the love coming!!
Tara and Jonathan
Let’s see what she had done:
****MECHANICAL****
1.) New (and under warranty) 2.0L Engine (only 20,000km on it)
2.) Rebuilt 4 speed transmission
3.) New clutch
4.) New Starter
5.) Rebuilt Throttle Body
6.) New suspension
7.) New Tyres
8.) New oil/oil filter
9.) Repaired pop-top struts
10.) Fabricated new passenger window lock
11.) Repaired rear license plate lights and welded on new latch
12.)
****INTERIOR****
1.) New carpet
2.) New paint (water based so there is no noxious smell!)
3.) New upholstery for cushions
4.) New blinds
5.) New Hinges for storage area
6.) Re-fabricated Windshield washer bucket and bracket mount
7.) New hinges/mount for glove box
8.) Seal repair done to fridge
****EXTERIOR****
1.) Rust free (all rust has been removed, cut out, ground off, re-welded and filled!)
2.) Beautiful New Paint (1 pack Acrylic Lacquer from Paint City, color codes and touch up paint included)
3.) Completely redone wheels/rims with matching bolts!
Now let’s meet Luscious Lollie!
Lucious Lollie
Keep the love coming!!
Tara and Jonathan
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