New Zealand Memories....

Our first stop on the adventure was in New Zealand, where we spent a couple weeks hanging out with Annie and touring some of the highlights of the North Island. Experiencing winter during June was kind of a trip, though being in the cool rain was a delightful change. New Zealand provided us with some fun new challenges, like driving on the left, manuvering loads of round-abouts, eating with a fork and knife properly, and learning a new coffee vocabulary. We laughed a lot, at ourselves and sometimes even the situation. What an incredible country. Hopefully we'll return there someday, maybe next time in the summer months of December! Here are some photos from our time in New Zealand.

Driving on the left...
Ordering flat white and long black coffee drinks...
Bushwalking in search of glowworms...
Exploring caves...
Trekking through thermal areas...

Utilizing "hotties" (centralized home heating in New Zealand)...
Walking beaches in the rain...

Hiking along a few muddy trails...
Being amazed by the scenes of Piha Beach...

Riding the ferry to Waiheke Island...
Posing in the sunshine...
Spending time with Annie...
Viewing the giant Kauri trees...
Soaking in thermal pools...
Taking in the sights of Auckland at night...
Eating at the top of the Skytower...
Standing on top of the world...
and touring volcano land...

Austrailia and Cook Island Activities...

We kept pretty busy in Australia and the Cook Islands as well, sampling a variety of activities along the way. There were magical moments everywhere, and lots of new memories were created. Here's a glimpse at some of our adventures on the second half of our trip.

Appreciating the Aboriginal artwork...

Watching out for the infamously dangerous box jellyfish...
Perusing the local grocery stores...

Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef...
Cruising around on boats...

Sampling some local brew...
Riding the scenic railway...

Marveling at the views on the Cook Islands..
Hiking across Raratonga...
Crabwalking down the detour trail on our hike...
Striking on pose on some palm trees...


and lazing in the sunshine...