10,000 one-way bridges later (aka Julie eats steak)

So, yet again we’ve been carried away by all the adventures that NZ has to offer, and have let the blog fall to the wayside. Since we last left you, Emily has been called a “pome” (prisoner of mother England) and Julie has fed some cows. But here we are, on the road to Milford Sound. We are now on the South Island (we last left you waaay up on the North Island), and finding we have a lot to pack into a very short amount of time. There are plenty of good reasons for this- there’s too much to see! Some major highlights included spending a few days with the Palmers. Alison, Ted and Fiona opened their home to us, and on their farm we went horseback riding until we fell off, “shifted” cows with horses, moved sheep with dogs, ate much appreciated homemade meals complete with NZ kumara, and had an insider’s tour of Hastings, Napier and a 1500 cow dairy farm (yes, this was exciting for us. Especially Julie. Those of you who know her will no doubt understand. Insert eye roll now). Oh, and there was ice cream. And a Guy Fawkes bonfire.
Well-rested and well-fed, we headed south to Wellington and on towards the South Island on the ferry (where we attempted to write a blog post, but were preoccupied with pretty scenery, seasickness, and trying to convince staff (successfully) to let us make toast).

Side note: WE ARE CURRENTLY IN FIORDLAND, and passing impressive, moody-looking snowcapped mountains. That is all.

One major highlight that we will elaborate on is our time spent in Abel Tasman National Park. We arrived in horrible weather, but after a “good” night’s sleep at Old McDonald’s Farm (eee aye eee aye ohh) and a slathering of sunscreen (still not too effective), we set out KAYAKING. Words cannot describe how much fun it was (see picture), and we had a blast kayaking 15 km up the coast (including the “mad mile”) with our guide Darryl (Dez) and guide-in-training Joe (a Londoner-turned-kiwi), and although for a short time we were split up to help the weaklings of the tour (apparently us relatively inexperienced Canadians are strong paddlers), the brownies, coffee (read: juice), and seals made up for it (can you find the seal (technically a sealion) in the photo???). Interestingly, Emily’s jokes are almost bad enough for her to be a NZ kayak guide. Also (Erik, you will like this) we were likened to an old married couple (what’s new), and had intense conversations about the versatility and overall greatness of HP sauce (much to Julie’s chagrin). Here’s a little gem from Dez: Why are pirates pirates? They just ARRRRR



Here’s some highlights from the North Island:

-Being ID’d for a buying a bag of ice in Tauranga. No lie.
-Boiling mud, erupting geisers, a living Maori village (tasty highlight: corn on the cob cooked in a thermal mineral pool), a wild wallaby sighting, a kiwi encounter and a sulphurous stench (that permeates every pore of everything you own and stays with you until Taupo) in the geothermal and volcanic hotspot that is Rotorua.
Name of that Maori village? Whak…..
-A foot soak in hot Kerosene Creek (Thanks Mrs Einfeldt!), a magnum icecream bar at Huka Falls, and dinner with some ducks in Acacia Bay in Taupo.
-A hike or two through a lava flow zone of an active volcano and a drive around the amazing Tongariro National Park (where there is a serious lack of the definitive NZ fern forest. Twas refreshing).
- A visit to the windy city that is Wellington (but honestly, what city hasn’t been windy?), including the parliament buildings and Te Papa Museum where Emily drooled over a colossal squid.



The trip is drawing to an end quickly. Still to be seen: a penguin.