Wine and Beer

While in New Zealand we had the opportunity to go to 3 wineries and a brewery. Our group consisted of beer drinkers, wine drinkers, and non-drinkers. We were an eclectic bunch!

In New Zealand we saw several wineries. This one produced award winning wine sold all over the world. The picture was taken from atop a third story tower that overlooked the vines. It was a spectacular view! Down in the basement there were hundreds of casks. Special wine tasting groups could go down there and sample the wines. We tasted wine in the main lobby and then went into a larger room for a delightful lunch.

From there, we went on to the Moa brewery. Dan was the one who really wanted to check out a brewery. The word Moa is the name of an ancient dinosaur bird who roamed the landscape of New Zealand.

You can see from Dan's happy smile he enjoyed the beer tasting. Good thing we had a tour bus taking us around because several in the group were a bit toasted!

Fiordland National Park

As we left Australia we sailed for 2 days and rounded the bottom of New Zealand. We spent a full day slowly cruising around Fiordland National Park. This would be like cruising through Glacier Bay if you were on an Alaskan cruise or through the Fjords of Norway. Beautiful scenery although after those majestic Fjords of Norway, these seemed small. It was cool to see the difference between the Fjords/Fiord's near the two different Poles. If I remember correctly, the ones in New Zealand are older, but don't quote me on that.

It was a beautiful morning to sail through the area. A Park Ranger got on the ship early in the morning and began his commentary about 8 a.m. and continued off and on until about 4 p.m. He said that this day was the clearest they had had all season (which began in October)and how lucky we were. It was indeed quite pretty. Compared with the Fjords of Norway these were tiny and not as magnificent. They were pretty none the less. The water was so still and pristine as we cruise through them. I think it would be so cool to have a permit to hike through the National Park.

That night we had "formal night" so everyone dressed up for dinner. It was fun to get a little dressed up and have a wonderful evening of dinner and music. Here's the whole group. Many nights we had 2 tables of 6 and we preferred it to the long table of 12 where you didn't really get to talk much...and you know how I like to talk!

Pahuto Geyser

In Tauronga, we went to the Te Puia Village which featured a recreated Maori Village, the Pahuto Geyser and the Thermal Mud Pools.
We got to see some authentic dancing and singing too. Very similar to the the South Pacific Islanders found in Hawaii. Since I have not seen 'Ole Faithful' here in the US, this was neat to see.

Grilled Pizza Night

How fun this meal was going to be! At our Bible study tonight we ate dinner first and what a meal it was! Lori started things off by stretching pizza dough out and put it on greased jellyroll pans. The she took them out to the heated BBQ (on medium low) and set the dough on it to cook. Took about 5 minutes to crisp up. Then she took them off and slid them  onto a wooden cutting board.

From there she took them into the kitchen and on the cooked dough side added pizza sauce or Alfredo sauce and then all the toppings. Back onto the grill it goes with the lid down for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese melts and the bottoms are cooked. Oh how yummy.

We baked 6 pizza combinations: Chipotle Chicken; Sausage & Pepperoni; Alfredo with Spinach and Onion; BBQ chicken; Canadian Bacon & Pineapple; and Vegetarian. Wow! It was so good and the thin crust was great. Just look at the feast we ate.

I'm going to do this when summer comes and it is too hot to turn the oven on.

Bible study and fellowship followed with full stomaches.

Antarctica

As you can see from this map of Antarctica, the North Island of New Zealand is getting pretty close to the pole. There is a place called Breakers Bay that is in a direct line to the pole and it often is hit with strong winds and freezing temperatures. Very rugged coastline.

Despite the proximity to the pole, New Zealand is a very green continent. The terrain and colors remind me a lot of Ireland. Hilly, rocky, and many shades of green...and lots of sheep!

After a morning touring the city of Christchurch and the destruction left by the 2010 earthquake, we went to the International Antarctic Center to learn about life in and around the pole. One exhibit had us going into a chamber for about 6-7 minutes that was designed to simulate the living conditions you might find there. Before entering we had to put on special rubber booties and a very heavy coat. Despite the gear, it was COLD. The lights were turned low to simulate the lack of sunlight, wind blew hard, and the temperature went to about 8 without the windchill. Guess that was their summer.

Because the center is set up like a museum, we wandered through many exhibits featuring native birds, type of rock under the snow, how exploration has been done over the years, and how different countries around the world have signed treaties not to exploit the South Pole for personal gain. Cool place for sure...no pun intended!