New Zealand

Our Route: Manila-Singapore-Christchurch-Kaikoura-Christchurch (to pick up the campervan)-Mt. Cook-Wanaka-Haast-Franz Josef-Hokitika-Punakaiki-Lewis Pass-Hamner Springs-Christchurch-Queenstown (by plane)-Te Anau-Christchurch-Singapore for a night to see my dad-Manila

TOPS
* the gorgeous lavendar farm at the B&B we stayed at in Kaikoura (fresh bread, free range eggs, homemade granola and local fruit each morning - a treat!)
* Sawcut Gorge: a little-known but beautiful hike along a running river ending at a narrow gorge
* the bright turquoise waters (glacial flour) of Lake Tekapo and the double rainbow at Lake Pukaki
* the floating glaciers and a refreshing walk at Mt. Cook
* a brisk ascent up Iron Mountain in Wanaka in windy-as-hell weather with sweeping, 360-degree views of multi-colored farmlands, dark blue mountains, expansive lakes and rumbling storms in the distance
* a day full of hikes in Haast Pass: Blue Pools, waterfalls galore (including Roaring Billy) and pockets of run-offs spilling from the surrounding mountains
* our Christmas morning hike to Franz Josef Glacier (peaceful, serene and chilly; the sound of the icebergs floating from under the glacier and down the river past us was unreal - it sounded like muted bombs being dropped the way they crashed against the boulders in the river)
* Pancake Rocks and the blowholes in Punakaiki; we also enjoyed a BBQ dinner between rains with a seal friend
* a cave and glow worm tubing adventure in the rain (almost lost mom down the river)
* the multitude of seal colonies (but especially the one at Cape Foulwind - there were lots of babies!)
* clean laundry in Christchurch after 11 days!
* Marlborough wines (think we supported the local economy quite well if I do say so myself)
* Tuis (the local beer)
* the Lupines growing along the highways through the mountain passes
* a Lord of the Rings marathon
* wearing layers (sometimes LOTS of them!)
* the fresh, crisp air
* playing (and winning) Quiddler and Skip-Bo on Christmas Eve
* karaoke-ing in the campervan as we toodled along (mom's word)
* naming the campervan the Gray Gandorphian
* "disco madness" in the campervan every night
* laughing hysterically over "The Making of the Beds"
* being with, laughing with, joking with and drinking with Amy and Del (friends from Australia) in Queenstown
* winning more Quiddler (oh, and lawn ball!!!)
* skydiving in Te Anau over the mountains and lakes with an approaching storm hovering nearby (mom went first and then me!)
* sledging (Cory's one adventure activity he got to do)
* the gondola ride in Queenstown to view the city from on high
* cruising through Doubtful Sound (we packed the BEST lunch on the ship!)
* organic eats in Wanaka and Q-town (the cutest little place nestled in the mountains)
* the beautifully spacious farms with lots of happy sheep and cows
* spending so much quality time with mom and Ams and Del

BOTTOMS
* seeing no Sperm whales with a company that legitimately boasts a 95% success rate in Kaikoura (I have VERY bad luck sighting whales) and the subsequent sea-sickness (and when I say sea-sickness, I mean it: it seemed the entire boat was barfing)
* the weather (rainy, windy, rainy, gray, dark, rainy, windy, cloudy, windy and rainy) - as a result, we were extremely limited in our outdoor quests for fun
* the lack of "freedom camping" available even though we had rented a campervan that could freedom camp for 3 days without needing to refill/empty
* mom waking at 3am scared out of her wits by a rising river near one of our sites
* a closed hike to Fox Glacier on Christmas Eve (due to inclement weather)
* a 6-hour hike at Franz Josef with no happy ending (the last 15 minutes of the hike involved jumping across a rushing current of water cascading down the vertical side of the mountain - only Cory attempted it and the view from the top was way less than stellar
* signing an additional insurance contract without reading the fine print (which said: no driving on beaches and no driving through flooded areas), then proceeding to drive through a "flooded area" which was actually a puddle when we first arrived on the scene
Ironies
--we stopped to assess the situation before deciding we could make it
--the road had spilled over no less than 10 minutes before we arrived on the scene
--small cars, big cars, semi trucks and camervans were all going through it
--we were the only vehicle that did not make it across
--we had left a flooded campsite that very same morning only to be stuck in a puddle and have to be wenched out in the afternoon
--the weather through the passes and on the west coast had been dry for 10-12 weeks prior to our arrival on the southern island

IN-BETWEENS
(things that could have gone either way, but ended up being just plain hilarious)
* being the LAST people in the airport after arriving in Christchurch (we had to unpack our packs to show our shoes and exchange money - think US$5,000 in $20 bills)
* popo run-in #1: being pulled over for a random breathalizer after a huge glass of wine - I passed
* learning how to drive and shift on the left side
* mom being pooped on by a bird the first night in NZ
* almost losing mom in the river on our glow worm tour (and her eye bug)
* a minor run-in with a tree in Luggate (BUT clean laundry and a shower!)
* farting in a limited space - now that is ALWAYS hilarious!
* "Chinese laundry"
* popo run-in #2: being wenched out of the "flooded" road near Hamner Springs
* the Disneyland of hot springs at Hamner
* our last "freedom camp" at the Caltex station (and cutting our trip short by two nights) while waiting for a lift back to Christchurch - on a bus
* the toppled sheep
* the green basket we had bought in the beginning of the trip for beers, which went with us everywhere we went, including to Queenstown (much to my chagrin)
* popo run-in #3: getting a speeding ticket while passing on a hill (going down)
* our luck: just plain crappy (besides the weather, besides the extra money shelled out for a speeding ticket and a ruined campervan engine, besides not seeing any whales, besides not being able to hang-glide after four attempts, besides not being able to para-glide after not being able to hang-glide, things could have been worse.)

There are eight photos that warranted more laughter than anything else we did in New Zealand. I laugh just typing this. We were in this teeny tiny historic gold mining town called Ross. We were dumping our waste from the campervan and refilling the water when we came upon this huge group of Japanese tourists who had stopped to "pan for gold." They were having so much fun, they didn't even notice the Gray Gandorphian pull up alongside them to do our business. Even better, we noticed the face-less scenery boards just ASKING to be photographed with our mugs in them. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Or my mom. Or Cory. And the tour group didn't even take a second glance! We had an absolute blast. Here they are.