The PLAN for our trip to New Zealand was to keep an on-going journal along the way. That obviously didn't happen.

When we started looking into what we wanted to see in New Zealand, it seemed easy. Kent was lecturing in Auckland for a few days. Auckland is on the north island, so we figured that we'd spend our time looking around the north island. But then we received several very nice books from a friend who lives in New Zealand. These are books that we didn't see in the United States. That changed everything.

When we started looking through them, we spotted many other things that we needed to see, and many were in the south island. So, before long, our trip encompassed both islands with a good flavor of New Zealand. We have been here from December 8 to December 25. Even with that much time, there is so much we didn't see. But we are so grateful for what we were able to visit.

Blogging went by the wayside fast. While Kent was in Auckland, I spent two days in the Bay of Islands while he was busy. When I got back to Auckland, I was able to make a posting. Then, we left Auckland and from there on out, we went from one site to another. Internet was spotty and unreliable, and when available, they charge for bandwidth usage and it gets expensive real fast (no photo uploading!). I downloaded blogging software that allowed me to keep a journal for later posting, which I will do as I process our photos.

But here's the clincher... we both have a passion for photography. We recorded our entire trip in photos. In all, we have 7,625 photos! Crazy, isn't it? They will get posted as I get time, but from those photos, I'm sure I'll create my yearly calendar, a photo book for my coffee table, and just have fun with them throughout the year.

This has been an incredible trip. We are heading home today, which is Christmas Day here, and Christmas Eve at home. We are hoping that fewer people will travel on Christmas, having already arrived at their locations. That will make the 24 hours of flying a bit easier.

Can't wait to leave this 70 degree weather (I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt) and arrive home to 20 degree weather with snow. At least, I'll be able to see my cats again. I've missed them and I've actually missed Connecticut.

While Kent was lecturing in Auckland, I decided to take two days and travel up to the Bay of Islands, a four hour drive north from Auckland. This is up in the small town of Paihia. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The weather was not optimal for photos, but the scenery was just unbelievable. And on my last day, the weather was clearing off.

The first day, I looked around the charming little town of Paihia. I also took a short boat ride over to the town of Russell. In the days of whaling, it was the city the fishermen liked to visit because it was the home of over 30 brothels and other places of "ill repute". But, it was a favorite for the sailors because it was the home of prostitutes, pimps and escaped convicts from Australia. It was dubbed "The Hell Hole of the South Pacific". Today, it is a quiet little town and quite respectable.

A few photos from those two days...

The painted face at the end of the Maori War Canoe

The very famous Hole in the Rock Island

One of the shore streets in Russell. The Gables (on the right), now a restaurant, is one of the last standing buildings that used to be a brothel.

Otehei Bay, where we stopped for lunch

And the complete track from the two days, starting out from Auckland, and the Bay of Islands Tour...

We've been going like crazy. We spend a day or two in each place, but during the day, we take hikes, or tours of different things. So when we finally get back to the room, there are two things on our mind: taking a shower and going to bed. NOT blogging!

But today, it's rainy out and I didn't feel like putting the rain gear on and forging through a wet forest. So I decided to take some time off (like a vacation) and sit in one of the three lobbies of this huge resort hotel, and write a bit.

So far, we've been to Auckland, Rotorua, Lake Taupo, and are now staying in the Tongariro National Park. Every location if very different. Auckland is a nice city, as far as cities go. I posted a few photos of the city here, but here are a few...

Auckland Harbor on our way to Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island

Auckland Sky Tower from our hotel room

Here's the track that we took on our way to Waiheke Island

The harbor cruise out to Waiheke Island was really nice. It was especially nice to be able to do it together. We went to bed early that night. The strangest thing of this vacation is that I can't honestly tell you what day is which. I'm all confused. I've opted not to worry about it. The harbor cruise was two days ago. Yesterday, I took a trip up to the Bay of Islands for a two-day tour. I'm actually there now, and have a couple of hours to kill before my ride gets here.

The entire tour was a real mixture of different things. Yesterday, we stopped for morning tea at this little place out in the country (it doesn't have a name). We passed through Whangarei, the Northland's only city and major port. After arrival at the Bay of Islands, we went to the Waitangi Treay House, the Maori Meeting House and visited the large Maori War Canoe.

I then went down to Paihia Wharf for a ferry over to Ruessell, a small town that used to have a horrible reputation for let's just say, sinful acts. Today, it's quite respectable, and quite touristy, with many million dollars homes on the small island. Once there, I took a tour of the island and spotted some remarkable views of the Bay of Islands. I hope to share many of them when I get home, but for now, I'm on vacation!

Today, I took a morning cruise of the Bay of Islands. It is amazing how beautilful this area is. I'm sure I could actually move here with little effort. The weather is a bit hazy for photos, but I did the best I could, and had a wonderful time. I wish Kent was here to enjoy it with me.

I head back to Auckland in two hours, so I'll see him tonight. He wraps up his meetings today, and tomorrow, we head off to Lake Taupo together.

I love it here!

What a long trip! My God! We left Connecticut yesterday (I think) at 11:30 (Saturday). We arrived in Auckland this morning at 4:30, which means that the total flying time was about 24 hours. We both managed to get a fair amount of sleep on the flight, thanks to German beer! It did the trick.

We are about to take a harbor cruise because after showering, we actually feel pretty good. I'll let you know how it turns out. We might up load photos, but the link we are on is a bit slow. Wish us luck!

First of all, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I would have said that earlier, but our lives have been incredibly hectic. Sometimes I think that getting ready for vacation is so stressful that you have to have a vacation just to recuperate. But back to Thanksgiving...

We had a nice dinner at the Hotel Viking, but I think the place in Mystic, CT is a bit more to our liking. It's more quaint, and the food is better. We ate too much and paid the price later with a relatively sleepless night. I hate that. But Thanksgiving seems so long ago to me now because I've been so busy at work clearing up all the loose ends. It seems unreal that just a few days from now I will be on a cruise in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. I'm getting excited about it, but I'm trying to get my rest for the long trip there. I'll keep you posted

This is the longest trip we've ever taken, so it takes a lot of preparation. The cats will miss us, but we've made arrangements for someone to come in to feed and pet them, right up to making sure the house is warm for them. I suppose that sounds nuts, but they are part of our family.

Speaking of crazy, I was almost got killed last night. Yes, I'm serious. It's funny how life can turn on a dime. Here I am working hard, getting ready to leave, and looking forward to taking this incredible trip, and something unexpected happens.

I was driving home last night from seeing a friend. I was on a country road, and had stopped at a stop sign. All the sudden, I saw this car coming down the road at 100 miles per hour I would say. The road shifted slightly and turned. This person was going so fast that they didn't make the curve. They almost hit me. They left the road, and hit a power pole head on. The pole split in two. The car rolled and hit a large monument in the town green. I rolled down my passenger window to ask if the people in the car were ok. Someone got out of the car, and collapsed. They then stood up slowly, and ran away. Above me were the power lines, that were holding up the severed power pole.

I could then hear the lines starting to snap. I stepped on the gas and went across the street, and the power lines fell, creating sparks and loud bangs. I dialed 911. They answered immediately and I told them what happened. Then I heard the police coming. They were chasing the car that was racing so fast. Soon, the area was surrounded with police. I told them that I saw the accident, but they were more interested in the pursuit of this individual who, judging from the interest of pursuit from the police, must have been wanted for some heinous crime.

So, if i had been just a bit quicker, I would have been hit by that car, or hit with the power lines. It makes you think, doesn't it? Instead of going on this great vacation, I could be in the hospital, or worse off.

What a crazy world.