Finally! Zorb!

Ben is de-Zorbed after his wild ride.


Ever since we visited Rotorua when we first arrived in July, the kids wanted to try the Zorb (the most innocuous of NZ’s many crazy adrenaline-inducing activities). In Zorb, they put you in this big plastic ball with some water and roll you down a hill…well, you really have to see it to understand the attraction (and no guarantees you will even then). It was too cold in July, and it was still too cold when we drove by again during spring break in October on the way to our Abel Tasman trek. So this was our last chance, and the weather was wonderful! Only Emily and Ben were brave enough to do it, as Terry and Lucy were afraid an old bone might break or an old ankle might get twisted, with lots of big hiking trips still to look forward to. So Emily and Ben each went twice and loved it! Lucy and Terry were happy to watch (and laugh).


Click here for 10 photos.

Off on our Christmas Adventure

With everything packed the night before, we got up very early on Sunday to start ferrying everyone and everything (including 8 huge suitcases plus 4 backpacks, a duffel bag), and laptop computers to the car ferry. Terry’s first trip took Lucy, Ben the backpacks and several of the suitcases, the next trip included Emily and more suitcases, and the final trip brought everything else. All done in plenty of time! Gayleen’s (our landlady) husband, Don, met us at the ferry terminal in Auckland with his pickup truck and helped us take everything and everyone to their house. We put the suitcases and computers in their (very nice) storage shed and stayed for a nice cup of tea and some cake. Then it was back on the road with just the duffel bag and backpacks. What a relief!

All along our trip, we stayed in family cottage motels. They were very comfortable, usually with one or two separate bedrooms, a small kitchen and a living room – all for $80 - $120 US for 4 people. Many of the motels had a play area for kids outside, often with a trampoline (no law suits allowed in NZ, obviously!) Many of the motels carried a line of sugar packets with funny sayings on them – another example of the kiwi sense of humor.



Click here for 3 photos.

Farewell, Waiheke and Time out for Art

In the last 2 weeks before we left, it finally got warm enough for everyone to go swimming at Onetangi Beach. The water was still a bit chilly at first, but most of us (except Terry) got used to it. A big bonus was that the water was crystal clear.

Lucy and Emily took a little time out from packing to visit Kelly ?? at her local studio (you can see some of her art here). Kelly is an amazing artist (she is the partner of one of Terry’s ferry buddies, which is how we met her) and has a studio on the east side of the island. Emily loves art, and Kelly invited her to visit her studio, so with time running out on Waiheke, we drove over to her side of the island. Following Kelly’s advice, we stopped along the way to admire an incredible view…how is it we spent 6 months on Waiheke and never made it to this part of the island? Kelly was so gracious, showing Emily the journals she keeps, which is how she gets her ideas, discussing her techniques and showing her various works in progress. What a great experience for Emily!

After that, Emily and Lucy went by Waiheke High for one last look, and Emily showed Lucy the site of an epic struggle to recover a ball that rolled down a steep embankment into the bay.


Click here for 9 photos .

Time to Finish the Blog

Wow. Where did the last five months go?

We returned home and ran fast into the day-to-day of living.

With summer here, we'll finally finish the blog and add photos from our three week dash through New Zealand last December.

Did the mysterious strangers who agreed to buy the Honda Ascot arrive?

Stay tuned!

Did Benjamin and Emily lose their way on the Milford Track--never to be seen again?

(Well, no, we would have posted that, I guess.)

Did Lucy try to jump from the plane as she screamed "No, no! I'll never leave! You can't make me."

Stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

We're home!

Got in last night and started settling in again.

Cheers to all, wishes for a great new year, and, no worries.

(We'll start filling the blog with our 8GB or so of photos, videos, and stories.)

Shorter story:
Passports lost, then found.
Tyre lost outside Milton, rusted lug nuts stripped and sheared off, fixed with AA's help.
Milford Track walked.
Franz Josef glacier walked.
Ascot sold in Christchurch.
Tyre on rental car lost in Auckland.
The heaviest bags allowed.
Extra security on flight to U.S.

Sleeping on our own beds for the first time in six months is sweet as! (Lucy)

Drinking Shiner Bock again--good as. (Terry--but I'll miss Lion Red, Monteith's golden lager, Tui, Speight's, Mac's whole beer line, ...) (Lucy--and I'll miss the great NZ wines at local prices.)

Unpacking the X-box and shooting space aliens--excellent as. (Benjamin)

Having a working cell phone so I can text my friends is awesome as. (Emily)

Cheers, all! No worries.

(Winter in Texas is only slightly cooler than summer in Invercargill. Discuss.)

Flight Home

Today we fly to LA, then get a domestic flight to IAH.

We'll have a long 1 January--we arrive in Texas only a few hours after our departure according to the clock. But after a long day of travel for our bodies.

A giant van awaits to carry us and our luggage home.

Cheers, no worries.