THE FIRST POST

This post is going to be a long one, to summarize what we've been up for the past couple of weeks.

April 4

Aly: Arrived in NZ safe and sound... and tired. Intital impression is that kiwis are super nice (and all sound like they're from flight of the concords - all E's are pronounced as "I's", hence Yes sounds like Yis - entertaining).

Craig: was corrected by a Kiwi on the plane as to the pronounciation of my name - spelled Craig, but said Creg, she politely inquired as to why I didn't pronounce it "Cray-ig". Have now been accused of pronouncing my own name wrong on three different continents - starting to wonder if I have it wrong.

April 5

Aly: In one day we've managed to see most of Auckland - the city is just a tad smaller than expected. Hiked mount Eden (an active volcano) for an amazing view of the city. Sauvingon Blanc is delicious.

Craig: discovered Speights Gold Medal Ale - shouts out to P-Rean for the tip - great stuff.

April 6

Aly: Took the ferry over to Waiheke, an island off Auckland known for its wineries. Renting bikes may have been a bad idea, since it seems that all roads on the island lead uphill... thank god wine tastings make everything better :)

Craig: met up with Luis, who gave us some tips on how to conquer "Nuh Zilund".

April 7

Aly: Craig is a brave man. We rented a car and drove halfway across the north island (on the wrong side of the road). Vistas were beauful, with the roads winding through the mountains. Definitely more sheep than people in this country.
Stopped at a limestone cave with a grotto covered in glow worms enroute (sounds gross but was AMAZING).

Craig: In addition to brave, I'm also modest. Made an agreement with Alyson that since I now know how to drive on both sides of the road, she has to learn how to drive on at least one side of the road - doesn't matter to me which side she chooses. Also, fell in love with the game of Rugby.

April 8

Aly: Bad weather closed the hike we were planning to do, so we took advantage and enjoyed some much needed r n r.

April 9

Aly: Winds and rains have subsided, so the hike is on. Word on the street is that the Tongariro crossing is rated one of the most beautiful day hikes in the world - we wouldnt disagree. 6 hours of hiking around volcanic peaks, turquoise lakes, and rainforest is defintely not a bad way to spend a day.

April 10

Aly: Pushing onward south to Wellington and really glad that we'll be sitting all day (legs are pretty stiff).

Craig: Dropped the rental car off in Wellington - we were almost got charged NZD325 for a tiny chip in the windshield (which didn't occur while we were driving the car) - adamently denied the allegation that it was us and was ultimately charged nothing. Celebrated the victory with happy hour drinks.

April 11

Aly: Spent the day walking around Wellington, a really clean and beautiful city on the water. Ate by far the biggest mussels we've ever seen... delicious!

Craig: Worth noting the mussells were steamed in dijon and blue cheese cream. Also, the people of Wellington are super active, as exhibited by the amount of people running on the harbour front on a Monday afternoon.

April 12

Aly: On the move again, taking the ferry over to the South Island through the Cook Straight... accompanied by a few dolphins.

Craig: Upon arrival at the Ferry terminal, we were informed by numerous friendly Kiwi's that the bus would pick us up from the Ferry terminal and take us to Blenheim where we were staying - only the bus never came. After a couple of hours of multiple reassurances, we were ultimately saved by the owner of the B&B we were staying with.

April 13

Craig: Toured the vineyards of the Marlborough region (on bike), enjoying tastings at multiple vineyard cellar doors. Originally booked the half day tour, but decided mid-way through to continue on for the remainder of the afternoon. Crashed a honeymoon in the process (but were assured that we weren't crashing it). Finished the day with the best penang curry/phad thai I've ever had in my life - oddly enough in central New Zealand. Really looking forward to eating food in Thailand at this point.

Aly: Honestly couldn't have asked for a better day...weather and scenery were perfect (and the wines were delicious).

April 14

Craig: Took the bus back to the Ferry terminal - turns out buses actually do run to the ferry terminal. Picked up a car and headed to the Abel Tasman national park. Stayed in a "villa" with an amazing view of the ocean and the mountains.

April 15

Craig: Woke up to terrential downpours, waited for a bit, then had to pull an audible and skip the Abel Tasman national park - figured kayaking in monsoon rain wouldn't be too enjoyable. Drove down the west coast of the south island, voted one of the most scenic drives in the world - stood up to the hype. The weather cooperated long enough for us to enjoy the drive and then checked out the pancake rocks, was somewhat underwhelmed, and then continued on to Fox Glacier - about an 8 hour drive, probably should've taken 7 but I drive like a floridian senior citizen.

April 16

Craig: Woke up in the Fox Glacier town, lucky for us the weather hasn't changed and its pouring down even harder and more consistently than yesterday. Finally started putting the actual "blog" together and about to make this first post.