Can I also get hardship pay with that?

As was inevitable from the onset, we've found ourselves in nearly daily diplomatic talks trying to explain away the idiocy of current U.S. foriegn policy in a way that doesn't make us look like a bunch of Elmer Fudds for allowing the almost 8 year fiasco in the States to go as far as it has. What is the GS level for U.S. foreign ambassadors, because I'd like to get my check including all the overtime put in-- thank you very much.

Baa!

As has been said, sheep run the place here!

Trick or treat?

Yesterday, Chris and I finally left Auckland for good (we only returned there for a night after as a pit stop on the way back from the Bay of Islands) and began heading south. As we entered the area known as Mercury Bay, our bus pulled over for a customary tree hugging of the Kauri tree, aka the "king of the forest"(equivalent to our Redwoods in stature), to ask for safe travels and good weather. Then we continued onto our destination. Mercury Bay is a popular vacation area for the Kiwi's. It's is best known for the hot water beaches, great sea kayaking and that's about it. Chris wanted to try digging a pool in the hot water beach (which involves making channels for the sea water to merge with the hot water below the sand, to make the "pool" a tolerable temperature) and I wanted to try paddling my way in the sea. So we went our separate ways and met up later at the hostel. My adventure began almost right away! I was paired with an English guy for the two person kayak and just after leaving shore with my mate, we capsized!! Not too sure why and I'm hoping it wasn't my fault! So trick or treat? Flipping over and clinging on to the kayak for my life (okay, I'm exaggerating) made the experience terrifying, but quite memorable, so a bit of both. Luckily our valuables (cameras and money) stayed perfectly dry while we got soaked. We managed to regain our confidence and our balance and continued on to meet up with the others. After cruising on for a bit we made our way to the shore of Cook's Cove, where our guides brewed up some cappuccinos for us. Quite classy! And the warmth was much appreciated since I was freezing my behind off!

Something seems fishy here

I'd like to say that I was directly responsible for gathering this bountiful harvest of scallops, but I spent the day laying out on the pontoon of Bruce's boat taking in the sun while he dove to great depths at near peril to provide for himself, his wife and his visitors. Like it only takes about five minutes to catch a ride, it only takes about fifteen to catch a load of scallops. After a quick dive for these shellfish that are hidden under the sandy bottom of the sea floor we headed over to some rather craggy rocks where we picked up about a half kilo of Paua(similar to abilone and fetches about $200.00 a kilo).
From there we stopped off at his favorite mussel grounds where we procured about 50 green tipped mussels. There's something extremely satisfying in pulling in your own catch and cooking it up just minutes out of the water. Can you say possible carreer path?

Moturoa Island

There is nothing quite like waking up to an unobstructed view of the sun rising above the sea with the sounds of waves, birds and sheep as a signal that morning has arrived. In exchange for 4-5 hours of work each day, we have all meals provided to us (including fresh seafood and vegetables), access to the entire island, kayaking, hot tub and lots of peace and quiet. We took a "spa" last night under the full moon--now that's the welcoming to our New Zealand adventure we were loking for!





These last two pics are of the full moon.

5 minutes seven seconds....

..is how long it takes before getting picked up while hitching in N.Z. (that's less time than it takes for my first trip to the bathroom in the morning).
After spending Monday night in Paihai (a seaside town in the Bay of Islands), Tuesday morning we hitched a ride to a nearby town to be picked up by our Wwoofing hosts (not the B&B owners). After a scenic ride through the country side in their Mini Cooper Convertable, we took a speed boat to their "private" island. Not a bad way to start our first wwoofing gig...

Southern hemisphere's sun

How long does it take to get a sunburn in NZ? ~ 10 minutes. This is me. 12 minutes.

On the road again...

I hate parking. Chris hates driving. And neither one of us is brave enough to drive a stick from the passenger side, let alone learn to drive on the left side of the road (we can hardly cross the street without forgetting to look right for oncoming traffic). So we decided to let someone else do the driving for us. Thank goodness for the "Kiwi Experience"--a backpacker's bus that allows you to "hop on and off" as you wish (well, more or less). We bought a pass that will take us throughout the North and South islands. We still plan to spend several days tramping through Tongariro National Park, Wwoofing, and hanging out in Queenstown (and further South) for a couple of weeks. We're happy with our decision (it was either that or hitch hike our way around), although I need to find some Dramamine before our next leg!!

Auckland kind of blows

Well, three dirty hippies and one dead hooker and I think we've had enough of the Auckland area. We had our first couchsurfing experience at an "Eco-Village" just outside of Auckland. As it turns out, an eco village is a place where everyone smells like patchoulli and B.O., toilets aren't flushed and food is a serious commodity. Pretty great place otherwise. They were on 18 acres of unadulterated bush where the call of the Tui and Gobbler could be heard for miles. Sadly the community is smack in the middle of encroaching development. It won't be long before Chipotle, Bed Bath and Beyond, and WalMart force out the dread-donning idyllic utopians.

We're getting prepared to head up North to the Bay of Islands, an area that boasts 127 small islands, where we'll be working for someone who is renovating their B&B. They'll pick us up by boat as there is no other way of getting to their place. Well, at least that's the plan for now.

"I'll do it later."

Well, here we are, hours before leaving for our two month hiatus to New Zealand and what do you know, Chris is still packing, running around frantically trying to locate clothes ("I think someone stole my fleece jacket") and other gear, but he's handling this last minute preparation quite well, somehow managing to have time to take cat naps, watch TV and play guitar. "I'll do it later" is his standard response to my nagging and encouraging him to get things done. Maybe it's better this way. I am actually grateful for the distraction, otherwise, I think I would be constantly biting my nails, butterflies in my stomach, having a million thoughts run through my head, like, how do you pronounce " Kahikatea"(the first place we will stay upon our arrival); how am I going to manage carrying a twenty pound pack on a four day tramp?; when do you tip? and of course, what and where will my next meal be?
Despite the nerves, I am excited. I'm excited to experience a new culture, meet lots of people, work on organic farms, and create amazing memories with Chris. On a recent climb we chatted with an older gentleman whom we crossed paths with and he left us with these words: "Enjoy each other". A wonderful reminder and a mantra I will surely use on this adventure. What matters the most is that we have fun and enjoy each other. Just saying those words makes the nerves disappear.