Has it been that long???

Hello one and all, and a very Merry Christmas to you all.  I KNOW - less than a week till Christmas!!!  Being on vacation since December 1st in a land where there is no snow to be seen (unless you are looking at the Southern Alps) certainly does not make one feel Christmasy! I occasionally blasted the van with Christmas carols to try to make it more festive, and we did see a Christmas tree or two in suburban windows.

So, let's have an update so everyone is on the same page.  My parents were picked up by my ever sweet hubby on the 19th of November.  Since arriving my father has told anyone who would stand still how brilliant and beautiful New Zealand is.  He has made friends of the regulars at our local pub and has gone fishing several times with Chris (neighbors) and Don.  He's in heaven.  Mom keeps wandering around in a dazed state, taking pictures of the local flora and fauna, stunned at their size and numbers.  Between them they  mastered the local bus service and checked out the sights while Don and I were at work and the boys at school.

On December 1st we loaded up our 6 seater van with a roof storage rack and hit the road, driving the 7 hours down to Wellington, staying overnight and then taking the ferry across to the South Island.  From the 2nd to the 17th we drove all over the South Island seeing amazing sights and having remarkable times.  Below I will give you a taste of what we did and what we saw.  Let me preface this update by saying we had unbelievable weather for virtually all of our travels, sunny skies and warm temperatures - we were so unbelievably lucky!!!

Split Apple Rock

Our first stop was Picton where we fulfilled Lloyd's first bucket list item, kayaking in the Able Tasman Park to a rock formation called the 'Split Apple'.  Lloyd, Don and I participated in this quest.  The kids were also supposed to come but the wind was mighty that day and the white caps were crashing down so they were sufficiently freaked out that they stayed on the beach with Shirley while the adventuresome threesome set out.  Also in Picton we did an afternoon cruise of the Queen Charlotte Sound where we saw dolphins and many different types of birds.  Gorgeous and relaxing.














We were next on to Christchurch where we, on one day, went punting on the Avon river and Shirley and I went the the Ron Mueck sculpture show - it was stunning!!  Then we took and train trip to Arthur's Pass and saw the rare Mountain parrot - the Kea.

A Kea/Mountain Parrot

Punting on the Avon River

Wild Flowers on the way to Arthur's Pass

Off to Queenstown, which might have been everyone's favourite stop.  Certainly Lloyd got to cross more off his 'bucket list' such as going jet boating on the Shotover River (where Connor famously said to me 'stop being so "historical" mommy, you are laughing too much') and we took him zip lining as a late father's day/birthday gift.  Don and I took the kids, on a different day, horseback riding in a place called Paradise, where lots of Lord of the Ring filming was done - breathtaking and so worthwhile.  Don and Lloyd did their own full day Lord of the Rings tour and got some amazing pics too.  And Don and I capped our whole Queenstown adventure by purchasing our own LOTR rings (geeky I know).

Our Next Year Xmas card pic

Lloyd in his glory

Beach across from Bach in Dunedin

Yellow Eyed Penguins

Our final major stop was in Dunedin.  I think that everyone loved this bach/house the best as it was across the road from a mile long white sand beach that we tried to walk on everyday.  Aidan was thrilled to finally be able to visit the Cadbury factory where Shirley, Connor, Aidan and I took a 75 min tour and got oodles of free samples.  The guys took the beer factory tour - losers.  The next day we all drove over the Otago Penninsula to the Albatross and Penguin colonies.  The driving was simply breathtaking, certainly rivalling anything we saw in Scotland.  And the penguin encounter we took was absolutely stunning.  We were all mere centimeters away from baby Yellow Eyed Penguins, some of the rarest penguins in the world, and their parents.  So utterly amazing.

On the way back north to catch the ferry home, we stopped by Shirley's 'must see':  the Moerake boulders, a marvelous bunch of spherical boulders just sitting in the surf, been there for thousands of years.  Marvelous.

Moelaki Boulder

 

It was a lot of driving (nearly 4000 kms worth) and, all things considered, the boys did OK, especially considering that they only had each other for company for all that time.  During most of their long journeys they happily played on their DS's.  I, being the unbelievably cruel mother that I am, made the boys keep a daily journal of their travels and adventures.  My favourite quote comes from Aidan, who, upon hearing his Grandma's lecture about how to communicate in 'proper English' stated that he was going to speak in French from now on.

It is now officially school holidays until February so they are both very happy.  I pulled out a couple of the Christmas decorations that I hauled over from Canada and they were absurdly thrilled to see them.  Warmed my heart!

Tomorrow we hope to go and buy a real Christmas tree (tiny) and will also be celebrating Don's birthday with a bbq with Jacqui and Chris and their kids.  Never mind that it's raining - we are all still in shorts!! 

So, again, happy holidays to you all.  I hope to be able to skype with a fair few of you during this holiday season.  I'm off until January 10th so I hope that works!!!

Much Love to you all.