Thank you, Wolfgang & Missy for writing about our awesome trip! We, too, had a fabulous time with you both. What cherished memories we made and we look forward to more in CA and other parts of the world!
Amazing, what else can we say?
The idea sprouted on a Saturday afternoon, dodging a rainstorm, drinking wine in Virginia, with Sherry, Ben, Prakash and Aradhna. We were all excited about Ben's professional adventure "down under". 8 months later, after a couple of e-mails, we hopped on a little Air New Zealand plane and went south. 12 hours worth of South and a couple of hours West, +21h west that is. Don't get it? Well, we skipped Monday January 24th. No idea where it went. Gone!
But we didn't care, as Sherry and the 3 kids at the Wellington airport, with 4 smiles and a friendly “sweet as, mate” picked us up! Went on a little walk through town, through the harbor, saw the Velux 5 Ocean race sailboats, (Wolfgang would have been happy and ready to go home if this would have been all he did in NZ). Went to the Maori museum, learned all about the history and culture of NZ. At least all you can learn after being up and on a plane and skipping a day, and ..... We were in New Zealand, and we loved it! Indian food for dinner, met Ben, loved the house, fantastic view, great sunset, we were in New Zealand, and we were happy!
Next morning, a little packing, some light shopping, and off we were to the Tongariro National Park, for a little hike. (Missy says, “little hike, my ass!) In the car and on our way.....on the wrong side of the road! Sherry's parting words were: stay left!! And she was right, make a right turn from the right seat of the car ..... stay left! Missy got scared a few times as I went too far left, hard to judge distance to the side of the road. So we were staying left, all the way through the little town of Bulls....and then we made a U turn. Missy has always been crazy for bull jokes. (What do you call a bull who swallowed a bomb? Explode-a-bull! Or even better a-bomb-in-a-bull…Get it?) Anyway, a whole town that is in on the joke. Awesome!
Made it to the Tongariro National Park, went to the ranger station, and read all the warning signs! Take water, take rain gear, take snow gear, take food and water, don't go if you are not in shape, prepare for the worst.....the famous Alpine Crossing, most scenic walk in NZ! 12 miles with 3000ft elevation gain! Well, we did it the next day, walk walk walk, from grassland to marsh, through volcanoes and sulfur lakes, back through some jungle....amazing.
Following day: Taupo, Missy sees this sign for Taupo Bungee....and she wants to go, and she wants me to go also.... ok, we go! Pretty little river valley, 150 ft drop, into the water. Well, neither of us quite reached the water, but we did jump and we came close. I have the video!
Nice relaxing drive to Napier (Art Deco Capitol of the World), brief stop to donate some money to the local police department, not for driving too far left, but too fast. oops. Found the oldest winery in Napier, sampled a little vino, and found our hotel. With the cozy little bar; walls decorated with Churchill quotes...nice! Fabulous dinner, pretty room.
Friday...already...a few more great wineries, and back to Wellington, Lower Hutt to be exact (across the Bay from Wellington). Ben says: on that curvy road, be careful, stay left, a few weeks ago a car went over the cliff and it took them 3 days to find it. We stayed left!
Delicious home made lamb for dinner! Our first encounter with the famous NZ sheep...not quite...they are all over.....many of them, although not as many as we expected.
Sherry prepared a delicious meal...we were in New Zealand and in heaven, again.
Early morning drive to the Wellington ferry for our week in the South Island. A short trip on the ferry across Cook Straight, some waves, some wind, some nausea, gorgeous views.....a different country, not really, but many folks from the North Island never went to the South Island in their lives, and vice versa.
From the ferry to the train, which traveled along the coast, Kaikoura, lovely little town on the water, nice little walks, beaches with rocks, fun little dinner outdoors. Sun setting with a big rainbow over the mountains. Maemae and Calvin are warming up to us. Lazy morning the next day, some whale watching for Ben and Calvin, light shopping for us. Back on the train...to Christchurch, stories of earthquakes, some cracks in houses, some signs of rebuilding. Family photo in front of the cathedral....(three weeks later Christchurch is hit by another devastating earthquake! Our hearts go out to all the people down there). Dinner at a Korean restaurant with the 3 kids, we are warming up to them.
Early trip to the airport the next morning. Air New Zealand is amazing, laid back relaxed friendly, helpful. Off to Queenstown, the outdoor adventure capitol of the world. You want to do it, whatever it is? You can do it in Queenstown. Anything! Flying, diving, sailing, hiking, skiing, bungee jumping, eating, drinking, fishing, Kiwi-watching, LOR (Lord of the Ring) tours, Milford sound tours (ask Sherry about that one!) Fantastic times, 3 nights, we felt at home, and Wolfgang wanted to buy a house! We were ready to adopt MaeMae. Ben and Sherry finally took us up on our baby-sitting offer and snuck out for a stroll around town. The kids slept the entire time. It was great! 3 kids asleep in their beds, we were whispering, and watching muted TV.
The next morning a quick flight back home to Wellington, an evening at the Royal Port Nicholson Wellington Yacht Club, and exchange of some burgees. Pizza for everybody a little bottle of wine, and a great night sleep. Missy hadn't cooked in 10 days and was feeling some withdrawal, so after Sherry and Missy explored the local farmers’ market she and Sherry fixed lunch for everybody. Easy flight back, 4 movies and lots of great service on Air New Zealand, and home several hours before we left (we found that missing day!) in time for the Super Bowl!!
If I could describe New Zealand I would say it was some sort of utopia. Like our idealized version of Mayberry of the year 2011, or even 2015. What do I mean by that? The whole country has a small-town atmosphere. Everyone seems to know each other, no highways (except right around a big city), all two-lane roads, little vibrant towns that aren’t passed-by by the interstate, people are polite, lots of cafes and great restaurants. The country is pretty much self sufficient as far as food. Not much is imported, which is no small feat. But rather than being stuck in Mayberry circa 1968, they have the social consciousness of 2011, or even 2030. And of course they have all the latest technology. Add to that the incredible natural beauty of the country, the ease of which one can get around, the commitment to outdoor activities and tourism, great wine, great food, fantastic airline… what else is there to ask for?
Thank you Sherry and Ben!!
We wouldn’t have had this much fun without you!!
Wolfgang and Missy
The idea sprouted on a Saturday afternoon, dodging a rainstorm, drinking wine in Virginia, with Sherry, Ben, Prakash and Aradhna. We were all excited about Ben's professional adventure "down under". 8 months later, after a couple of e-mails, we hopped on a little Air New Zealand plane and went south. 12 hours worth of South and a couple of hours West, +21h west that is. Don't get it? Well, we skipped Monday January 24th. No idea where it went. Gone!
But we didn't care, as Sherry and the 3 kids at the Wellington airport, with 4 smiles and a friendly “sweet as, mate” picked us up! Went on a little walk through town, through the harbor, saw the Velux 5 Ocean race sailboats, (Wolfgang would have been happy and ready to go home if this would have been all he did in NZ). Went to the Maori museum, learned all about the history and culture of NZ. At least all you can learn after being up and on a plane and skipping a day, and ..... We were in New Zealand, and we loved it! Indian food for dinner, met Ben, loved the house, fantastic view, great sunset, we were in New Zealand, and we were happy!
Next morning, a little packing, some light shopping, and off we were to the Tongariro National Park, for a little hike. (Missy says, “little hike, my ass!) In the car and on our way.....on the wrong side of the road! Sherry's parting words were: stay left!! And she was right, make a right turn from the right seat of the car ..... stay left! Missy got scared a few times as I went too far left, hard to judge distance to the side of the road. So we were staying left, all the way through the little town of Bulls....and then we made a U turn. Missy has always been crazy for bull jokes. (What do you call a bull who swallowed a bomb? Explode-a-bull! Or even better a-bomb-in-a-bull…Get it?) Anyway, a whole town that is in on the joke. Awesome!
Made it to the Tongariro National Park, went to the ranger station, and read all the warning signs! Take water, take rain gear, take snow gear, take food and water, don't go if you are not in shape, prepare for the worst.....the famous Alpine Crossing, most scenic walk in NZ! 12 miles with 3000ft elevation gain! Well, we did it the next day, walk walk walk, from grassland to marsh, through volcanoes and sulfur lakes, back through some jungle....amazing.
Following day: Taupo, Missy sees this sign for Taupo Bungee....and she wants to go, and she wants me to go also.... ok, we go! Pretty little river valley, 150 ft drop, into the water. Well, neither of us quite reached the water, but we did jump and we came close. I have the video!
Nice relaxing drive to Napier (Art Deco Capitol of the World), brief stop to donate some money to the local police department, not for driving too far left, but too fast. oops. Found the oldest winery in Napier, sampled a little vino, and found our hotel. With the cozy little bar; walls decorated with Churchill quotes...nice! Fabulous dinner, pretty room.
Friday...already...a few more great wineries, and back to Wellington, Lower Hutt to be exact (across the Bay from Wellington). Ben says: on that curvy road, be careful, stay left, a few weeks ago a car went over the cliff and it took them 3 days to find it. We stayed left!
Delicious home made lamb for dinner! Our first encounter with the famous NZ sheep...not quite...they are all over.....many of them, although not as many as we expected.
Sherry prepared a delicious meal...we were in New Zealand and in heaven, again.
Early morning drive to the Wellington ferry for our week in the South Island. A short trip on the ferry across Cook Straight, some waves, some wind, some nausea, gorgeous views.....a different country, not really, but many folks from the North Island never went to the South Island in their lives, and vice versa.
From the ferry to the train, which traveled along the coast, Kaikoura, lovely little town on the water, nice little walks, beaches with rocks, fun little dinner outdoors. Sun setting with a big rainbow over the mountains. Maemae and Calvin are warming up to us. Lazy morning the next day, some whale watching for Ben and Calvin, light shopping for us. Back on the train...to Christchurch, stories of earthquakes, some cracks in houses, some signs of rebuilding. Family photo in front of the cathedral....(three weeks later Christchurch is hit by another devastating earthquake! Our hearts go out to all the people down there). Dinner at a Korean restaurant with the 3 kids, we are warming up to them.
Early trip to the airport the next morning. Air New Zealand is amazing, laid back relaxed friendly, helpful. Off to Queenstown, the outdoor adventure capitol of the world. You want to do it, whatever it is? You can do it in Queenstown. Anything! Flying, diving, sailing, hiking, skiing, bungee jumping, eating, drinking, fishing, Kiwi-watching, LOR (Lord of the Ring) tours, Milford sound tours (ask Sherry about that one!) Fantastic times, 3 nights, we felt at home, and Wolfgang wanted to buy a house! We were ready to adopt MaeMae. Ben and Sherry finally took us up on our baby-sitting offer and snuck out for a stroll around town. The kids slept the entire time. It was great! 3 kids asleep in their beds, we were whispering, and watching muted TV.
The next morning a quick flight back home to Wellington, an evening at the Royal Port Nicholson Wellington Yacht Club, and exchange of some burgees. Pizza for everybody a little bottle of wine, and a great night sleep. Missy hadn't cooked in 10 days and was feeling some withdrawal, so after Sherry and Missy explored the local farmers’ market she and Sherry fixed lunch for everybody. Easy flight back, 4 movies and lots of great service on Air New Zealand, and home several hours before we left (we found that missing day!) in time for the Super Bowl!!
If I could describe New Zealand I would say it was some sort of utopia. Like our idealized version of Mayberry of the year 2011, or even 2015. What do I mean by that? The whole country has a small-town atmosphere. Everyone seems to know each other, no highways (except right around a big city), all two-lane roads, little vibrant towns that aren’t passed-by by the interstate, people are polite, lots of cafes and great restaurants. The country is pretty much self sufficient as far as food. Not much is imported, which is no small feat. But rather than being stuck in Mayberry circa 1968, they have the social consciousness of 2011, or even 2030. And of course they have all the latest technology. Add to that the incredible natural beauty of the country, the ease of which one can get around, the commitment to outdoor activities and tourism, great wine, great food, fantastic airline… what else is there to ask for?
Thank you Sherry and Ben!!
We wouldn’t have had this much fun without you!!
Wolfgang and Missy
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