Queenstown

Thursday, we left Wanaka for Queenstown. On the way, we stopped off at Puzzling World. Apparantly, it is the origin of the modern-styled great maze. It was a surprisingly great thing to do as a family. Also on the way, we stopped off at AJ Hackett's Bungy Jump. This is the place that invented the bungy jump. You can choose whether your jump will allow you to dip into the water or finish just above it. That is one time I wouldn't want to lie about my weight. We decided it was more fun to just watch other people do it.

When we arrived in Queenstown, we took a gondola ride to the top of a steep mountain for a spetacular panorama. Then we took a ski lift up higher and did the luge. Queenstown is a ski town in winter, but in summer it is the "adventure capitol of the world." I used to scoff at this marketing, but after reflecting on it, I can't think of any place else with such an adrenalin rush choice. It is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. Unfortunately, we were there on a cloudy day and it wasn't Queenstown in all its glory. Nevertheless, it was still spectacular.

Franz Joseph Glacier

Wednesday morning we went to the foot of Franz Joseph Glacier. People walk on it and land planes on the top of it but we just hiked to the foot of it, looked at it, took a picture, and left. We continued driving down the West Coast as far as you can go, then turned inland across Haast Pass. We passed Lake Hawea (pictured) and ended the day in a beautiful town called Wanaka. In the winter, it is a ski town, but is also really nice in summer. It is near Queenstown, which gets all the fame, but many people prefer Wanaka for its more subtle style.

The West Coast

We started Tuesday morning with a walk along the Heaphy Track. This is one of the most unbelievable places I have ever seen. It is a coastal walk along steep mountains covered in palms, ferns, and dense forest. You can walk on it for 5 days or so, but we only spent an hour. The only downside is the sandflies. After walking the Heaphy, we headed south down the West Coast. It is listed as one of the best drives in the world. I can see why. There are hours and hours of dramatic scenery. It reminds me a little of Hwy 1 in California, but much more remote. We finished the day at Franz Joseph Village at the foot of Franz Joseph Glacier.

Trip to the South Island

My dad always says the difference between a vacation and a trip is the kids come with you on a trip. The day after we returned from our "vacation", we picked up the kids from Mama and Pa and set off for a family "trip" to the South Island. We drove down to Wellington, the capital, slept in the car, and caught the ferry to the South Island. Going through the Marlborough Sounds into Picton is gorgeous - lush, steep mountains plunging into the sea. We drove from Picton to Riwaka, where Mark's family first settled in NZ. We came across an old cemetery and found some family names. We went on from there to one of New Zealand's "Great Walks", the Abel Tasman. It is along some beautiful beaches. Then we had a long drive and spent the night in a really remote part of New Zealand called Karamea, which borders my favorite place in New Zealand, the Heaphy Track.

The Australian Open

Mark and I have spent the last few days in Melbourne, Australia at the Australian Open with Mark's brother, Greg, who generously gave this to us as a Christmas present. We went to the US Open together a few years ago, and it is turning into a little tradition for us. We have seen some phenomenal tennis. I am so impressed with the talent and athleticism at the top levels of tennis. It's a great experience to sit in the stands with Greg and Mark. They give me a much greater insight to the nuances within the game that an average person, like me, would miss.

Auckland Half Ironman

Many of you may not know I have signed up to do a half ironman at the end of March before we come home. Several people have asked me how the training has been going. This distance will be a real challenge for me because it is a lot more than I know I can do. The swim is 1.2 miles, the bike is 56 miles, and the run is 13.1 miles. As soon as we got here I bought a bike on Trade Me (an ebay equivalent). I started out riding on the roads, but after a few days of riding on treacherous, narrow, busy roads, I borrowed a bike trainer from one of Mark's friends. It is mind-numbing when you ride it for 3 hours, but it is a lot safer, and it makes Mark happy. My plan is to go out to the race course once a week when the kids get back in school. I have come across a few people that are eager to get out there and show it to me, so I will probably take advantage of that. I started the swimming at Christmas. The water was too cold for me before that. There is a cold current that comes through here, so to be honest, it is still too cold for my Texas warm blood, but I do it anyway. The beach where I swim couldn't be more convenient. The truth is, I will probably miss this most when I am gone. I have been trying to get in twice the distance of the race each week in different combinations. It works out to about 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours per day. It is a lot more exercise than I am used to, but I think it is good for me and I am driven because I know I will never finish the race if I don't put in the hours. The early morning 5:30 jet lagged workouts are long gone, I'm sorry to say, but I have had amazing support from Mark and Mark's parents in taking care of the kids when I am selfishly out on my own running or something. Good luck to all those out there doing the Austin Marathon in a few weeks. It's almost time to start tapering. I'm thinking of you.

Sarah's first day of "Kindy"

Sarah started her first day of Kindergarten today. It is actually preschool, but they call it Kindy. She has been sooooo excited. She is going to a place called Small World. Kids in NZ start Year 0 as soon as they turn 5. It is a real school year where kids feed in at their birthday, then they all start Year 1 the following February together. Sarah will just miss out in taking part of Year 0 because she doesn't turn 5 until July. She was feeling a bit left out. I'm happy for her to be able to make some friends of her own and feel like she is having this experience, too.