There and Back Again - New Zealand

Yes yes I realize it has been over a year since our adventures in New Zealand. But better late than never, right? I've got to get caught up on my shutterfly projects so I'm ready for Baby!!

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Last Day in New Zealand

Well, the day has finally come for me to document our last day of our magnificent experience in New Zealand.

First I would like to present some of our favorite slang terms we heard the "kiwis" of New Zealand often say:

(Try to hear these words in the glorious accent of New Zealand natives. Oh how we miss that lovely accent.)

"I got heaps of 'Lollies'!!!" - Candy
"That's all right" or "That's okay" - You're welcome
(I don't think we ever heard the phrase "you're welcome" the entire time we were there.)

"Rubbish" - trash
"Are you under control?" - Is everything okay? (Jon wondered why they continually asked him this his first day at the firm.)

"They are busy scruffing it out" - Fighting it out
"Motorway" - Freeway
"Are you on 'holiday'?" - vacation
"Ninny!!" - Grandma
"Poppi!!" - Grandpa
"I spent three years at the 'Uni' " - University
"I go to Kindy!!" - Kindergarten
"Would you like a Bicky?" - Biscuit

Hee hee.


During our last day in New Zealand, we...

Soaked in the beauty of the landscape one last time.

Lake Wanika

Ate a few of our favorite things, like another Ferg Burger with chips for Jonathan

And one more container of Rach's favorite TipTop icecream. (Jon is my hero for finding this at the last minute! I needed to experience it one last time. Delectable :-)

We drove away to the tiny Queenstown Airport

 And while we were so sad to leave...(there's our sad, black airplane)

We were so happy to leave together! (No more goodbye-for-3-and-a-half-weeks-heartaches! Highly UNrecommended.)

We flew back to Auckland, and rented one more adorable little mini mouse car. 

And while gearing ourselves up for the 13-hour flight to the states, Jon flipped when he realized who was standing in line behind us...

And was particularly grateful that his wife is still not shy so that we could chat with him for a bit and even snag a quick photo. :-) We love and respect Bronco!

The Greatest Standstill Moments of New Zealand:

-Seeing Jonathan again after 3.5 weeks. Just holding his hand and being near him again felt incredible.
-Snorkeling at Goat Island while the sun set
- Driving through the rolling hills of green throughout New Zealand
- The tropical forest that awaited us at the end of Tongariro Crossing
- The emerald pools of Tongariro Crossing
- Celebrating our 2 year anniversary at Lake Taupo
- The dream-like glowworm caves
- Standing on top of an active volcano
- The dolphins at Milford Sound and the scenic drive we took to get there
- The Redwood Forests

I have traveled to Mexico, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. I have toured the east coast of mainland China and Hong Kong.

Jonathan grew up in Hawaii, served his mission in South Africa and Botswana, and traveled to Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Monacco.

We both agree that overall, New Zealand is the most majestically beautiful place on earth we have ever been.

Mount Cook

Day 13.

This was the one day that the weather really did beat us. We woke up to this.

We hoped by the time we got to the trail head of Mt. Cook, it would have died down. Oh how wrong we were.

However, my husband is not one to easily give up on an idea he's already fallen in love with. Of course he persuaded me to fight the rain and begin this trek. The weather just happened to die down at the precise moment he needed it to, so that I could venture out of the car. 

And let's be honest. He's like an excited little boy when he envisions an adventure for so long. He was looking forward to hiking Mt. Cook all month long! I couldn't resist his pleading eyes. 

So like a sucker, I caved. And this was the result.

Aw the hilarious memories of being cold, wet, and partially miserable. So we didn't make it all the way to the glacier, much to the chagrin of my adventurous husband. Once my clothes were completely soaked to my skin and the umbrella was all but destroyed by the unforgiving winds, I turned around. 

Jonathan thought it best not to leave me alone in the wilderness.

Sorry Mt Cook. The weather got the best of us and we failed you. Just another excuse to return to gorgeous New Zealand during their summer rather than winter!

But here are a few good photos while the moments lasted.

These hawks were everywhere! They were so cool. 

Too beautiful for words.

Glenorchy and Paradise, New Zealand

Day 12.

One of our favorite things to do while touring both the north and south islands of New Zealand was to take road trips in our rental car. It wasn't until the drive to Glenorchy that I finally had the courage to take a turn driving on the opposite side of the road. Seriously, such a rush! It takes a lot of concentration not to make a fatal mistake. Jon has had a lot more experience with this as he served his mission in South Africa, so I basically just banked on him to guide me through it.

Oh the adrenaline...

I kid you not, Jon did drive on the wrong side one time after we returned home to the states. Luckily it was in a neighborhood and no damage was done. But it was still hilarious. And I probably should have tallied how many times he turned on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker once we got back to Utah driving. Everything is opposite and it just plain messes with your mind!

Feeling brave.

Always stopping to capture some magical scenery on the way.

This is what most of the roads look like in New Zealand, right along the coastline and absolutely stunning. We love New Zealand!

The plot of land for Isengard, located in Paradise, New Zealand.

Paradise is a beautiful little farming community about an hour and fifteen minutes from Queenstown. 

I didn't even crash our rental car! I'm so successful. 

I named her Gertrude. Jon said she was getting "testy" all up in our business. 

Later that day we returned to Queenstown, took the gondola to the top of a mountain (the Ben Lamont track that we hiked a couple days before), and ate way too much food at this lovely restaurant buffet. 

Round 1.

Round 2. 

Round 3! He packs it in!

Round 4 for dessert. Gluttony.

Just a little celebration of sweetness here. The tiramisu was my favorite. Jon still raves about that raspberry chocolate cake.

We just had to spend one more day relaxing and enjoying this phenomenal view.

Owning a summer home in Queenstown would be just fine with me. ;-)

And that day we said goodbye to our lovely friend Sheree who took us in for 3 nights! She is such a splendid, spunky little woman and we hope she comes to visit us in America some day. 

Milford Sound

Day 11.

I cannot put into words how scenic and beautiful this day in New Zealand was. In fact, it was probably the most scenic day of our entire trip. I guess I'll just let the pictures tell the story.

En route to Milford Sound...

Floating Mountains

Waterfalls flowed down every side of this mountain.

Arrival to Milford Sound

Kiwi bird look-alike. (Native bird of New Zealand)

I love this picture.

Our little cruise boat.

Burrrrrr. We would have loved to kayak the sound but we'll have to save that for next time.

Look closely, and you might see some friendly dolphins!

 These mountains are literally a mile high. Everything was so vast and so breathtaking. A bit overwhelming actually, to take it all in.

Sometimes a video catches the moment better.

Turning around in the Tasman Sea.

Baby seals!

Can you imagine kayaking this? I am still daydreaming about it.

Our goodbye shot of Milford Sound.

Whenever I think of New Zealand, I think of Jonathan giddy with excitement and soaking in every moment of the gorgeous landscape. For someone who cherishes nature and the outdoors as he does, this country is a dreamland to explore! Heaven must look something like this.