Notes from the Road - New Zealand #2 - December 14, 2002 If you have not seen "Lord of the Rings," then go do it, if only for the cinematography! The entire trilogy was shot in New Zealand over three years and does an amazing job at conveying the beauty of this land. There are several ways to tour New Zealand depending on your budget. Buy a van, rent a campervan or car, take a bus, or hitchhike. We opted for the most cost effective option: buy a van. We spent the 1st week in Auckland canvassing all the bulletin boards at the numerous backpacker joints looking for our perfect chariot. We ended up buying a dirt bomb of a van and named her "Stella" because we were told that girl cars don't seems to have as much trouble as boy cars! After building a bed platform, putting up curtains and seat covers, we outfitted the van with a chilly bin (cooler), bedding, clothes/food storage containers, and other camping items before taking off to tour the country. While our first month on the North Island was filled with gusty winds and rain, we managed to have pretty darn good time. -- Visited many memorable places (Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Coramandel, Russell) -- Met several colorful locals -- Witnessed the fascinating Maori culture prevalent throughout NZ (went to a Maori concert and Hangi-meal) -- Several rounds of needle-sticking for our travel shots (cost as much as our car "Stella")! We made our way to the South Island a few weeks ago and were bedazzled by the much-acclaimed scenery. We've already managed to complete a vineyard tour (hangovers abound) in Havelock as well as our first multi-day hiking trip on the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds (not as in shape as we thought). We spent ~ one week traveling west on the scenic northern coast through Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park (WOW!!), and Golden Bay before heading south towards the Nelson Lakes area where Dave had hoped to check in for some fishing. No luck since the rivers were so high, but the scenery between St. Arnaud and Murchison was worth the trip. After completing a few obligatory tourist stops at the Buller River Gorge and the Fur Seal Colony in Westport, we headed back east over the picturesque Lewis Pass to Christchurch for our last round of travel shots. Great place to spend New Year's Eve! We have ~ two more months to explore this lovely country and hope to volunteer on a few farms and complete a few more multi-day hiking treks before returning home. Dave is also hoping to catch a few of the wily NZ trout along the way as well! Notes from the Road - New Zealand #1 - December 12, 2002 "Ta" - Short for "goodbye" & "thank you". Said ALL THE TIME at check out counters, bars, restaurants...EVERYWHERE! Sheep & Cows - Anywhere and everywhere. It's fun to catch either beast going for a scratch on a post. We've also spied several running around fields like bucking broncos. Those suckers are pretty fast...SO FUNNY!!! "dear" - The price was very "dear"--expensive. "out the back of" - In American English...the other side of Trolly - Grocery store cart Garage - Pronounced GAY-RAJ Different foods Mayonaise - globs of it on everything Beetroot - on most sandwiches (ick!) Beans on toast & spaghetti on toast - common breakfast foods Middle bacon - not the part we're used to--more fat Gerkhins - pickes. They have 2-3 brands in the grocery stores and they are sweet. I MISS PICKLES!!