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!

Sheer Beauty

Last night I got a call from Brian. He decided to take a walk from his house to his local Chicago neighborhood park since it was such a pretty night. It was about 10 I suppose when he went out, but he said it had been lightly snowing all day and he felt like going out to see it. Well, that would never occur to me at that time of night, but then he sent me the picture! WOW! So many descriptive words come to mind.

He is such a great photographer. Don't you think he has a good eye for layout and what will capture the viewer's senses? I would never have thought to take this picture from this angle. I will have to ask him if he used his SLR or his iPhone. Either way, I am envious of his talent. You haven't seen pictures like this in my blog, that's for sure.

My New Car

After much investigation and research, we decided to trade in my BMW and buy a new car that would hopefully hold its value more and would be easier to have maintenance done on. As a friend said to me yesterday, 'we went over to the dark side' and bought a Mercedes. It is a C250 sedan and is a dark metal gray with a light gray interior. And pretty!

The pros include riding higher in the driver's seat, great visibility, better sound system, navigation system, easier to get in and out of, enlarged trunk size, more leg room in backseat, more comfortable seats, heated seats, back-up camera, lighter upholstery, and better gas mileage. My car payment is considerably smaller as well. Hopefully this will be my last car. Dan loves driving it too.

The cons, well, it doesn't take turns like the Beemer and it does not accelerate as quickly. Of course the new car is a 4 cylinder and the BMW was a 6. Two very different cars for two different kind of drivers. I am more of a conservative driver, so the new car is better suited.

Today it is going for its first car wash. Ah....

The Hat

I am not a "hat person". I don't look good in hats. But a year and a half ago I bought a straw sun hat that would help keep the sun from my eyes (migraines) and the off my face (pre-cancer spots). I tried on zillions of hats and finally found one that I would actually wear consistently, however it was found at Nordstroms. You know where this is leading...it was way to expensive.

This hat is a joke in my family. The boys-mostly Jay- tease me all the time with comments like, "Mom, don't forget your hat" as we are leaving a restaurant or something. He has even hidden it, and then asked, "Mom, where's your hat?" I HAVE misplaced it before, so the jokes are somewhat fair.

I wore the hat all the time and even took it with me on the Australian trip! Well, it began to rip as some stitching came loose along the brim. Oh, I was crushed! But what to do? When we returned, I hopped in the car and drove to the mall, of course!

Well, thankfully I had purchased it on my Nordstrom credit card, because they looked it up and said, "Oh, this hat should have lasted you a lifetime." Well, the long and short of it is, I have a brand spanking new hat! No wonder I love to save up and shop there.