Sorry for disappearing..

     I just wanted to take a brief moment to apologize to all of you who read this. I have not been updating on a regular basis as I had intended to do. In part, this is due to a great many changes as well as due to visits with family and wedding planning suchness. A lot has happened since I returned from NZ, most of it not-so-great. 

     I went home a few weeks ago to visit my family and to begin the process of planning an out-of-town wedding. Thus far, this process has been terribly frustrating, mainly because of my pickiness combined with my budget restrictions. It is surprisingly hard to find what I'm looking for.. within my price range, anyways. I just want to get married in a garden somewhere with an outdoor reception, is that so hard?? 

    Anyways, the more troubling bit of news is that my grandpa (mom's dad) was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It wasn't completely unexpected news.. he'd started having trouble remembering short-term things a while ago, but doctors just assured us that it was just a mild cognitive disorder. But, when he began to get worse, and began to forget things, big things, we knew it was more than just a "mild problem". As much as I feel we were all prepared for the news, it was still really difficult to hear. At least he has most of my family nearby to look after him.. still...

   So, that's the gist of what's been filling my thoughts lately, and is part of the reason why I haven't managed to update this blog in the past few weeks. I'll get back on track soon, I promise. I still have so many photographs and memories to share from my trip that I want to jot down before it becomes too hazy. For now, I'll wish you goodnight, and see you soon.

New Zealand Part 1 - A Journey Through the Clouds

     So, as you know, J and I just returned from a two-week holiday trip to New Zealand. The main purpose of said trip was to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with J's extended family (yes, he is half Kiwi) while also exploring a bit and having some fun! In the next few blog posts, I will be introducing you to each of the main places/attractions we visited on our journey. Today, I'll mainly be covering the journey TO New Zealand.
     For those of you who don't know, New Zealand is that bit of island Southeast of Australia and is about 6,500 miles across the Pacific from California.

     So, as you may be able to guess, it takes a long time to get there. About 12 hours to be exact.  We began our journey in LA at approximately 10pm on December 23rd and we arrived in Auckland at approximately 7am on Christmas Day (skipping a day as we crossed the universal date line). In between, food was eaten, many movies were watched, and a couple hours of sleep were managed. I honestly can't remember much of the flight, apart from feeling very cramped and uncomfortable and being exceedingly tired pretty much the whole time, but I do remember the sunrise.

The Maori name for New Zealand is "Aotearoa" which means "the land of the long white cloud"

     Sunrise, as seen from a plane, is pretty spectacular. I mean, a sunrise is beautiful to begin with, but when you're above and below clouds, with the sun just barely peaking out in between, it's just so ethereal. The clouds below taken on the appearance of great mountains and swirling seas, and the sun seems as though it's resting just below the horizon instead of above.
     While the clouds were beautiful and made for spectacular views from the plane, they also meant stormy weather, and when we finally landed, it was raining. Exiting the gate at Auckland, a bunch of J's rellies - dressed in reds greens and funny hats suiting the holiday - were waiting to take us to the hotel, where they had reserved a room so that we could freshen up for breakfast/brunch. Brunch was a rush of meeting and eating. I met some of J's cousins as well as aunts and uncles, only one of which I had met previously, so it was a bit overwhelming. All was made better with food - and I must say, if this kind of complementary breakfast is the norm in NZ, I will definitely be returning. There were eggs, muffins, waffles, pancakes, bacon and sausage, a plethora of fruits, and even tater tots! We also each got a party popper (the kind that you split apart and there's a prize in the middle), which was fun and apparently a big thing among J's rellies.
    Too soon, it was time to pack up again to catch our flight out to Tauranga, where we would be spending the rest of the trip. We said our goodbyes and hopped on a tiny plane for a much shorter flight (20 minutes) to our final destination. J's grandparents picked us up and drove us, luggage and all, to their home.
    After getting unpacked and settled, we took a trip to the local store to stock up on food and drink. I was quickly introduced to some of J's mum's favorite foods, many of which would become everyday staples of our vacation diet. The most commonly consumed food on our trip was the potato top pie, which is exactly what it sounds like: a beef pot pie topped with mashed potatoes instead of pastry (. The other was a pavlova, something I had heard of but had no concept of taste or appearance. A pavlova, as best as I can think to describe it, is an extremely light cake/meringue-type dessert (think Angel Food cake but even more airy and sweet) that was served with fruit or whipped cream or both. I can't say I'll be going out of my way to find either of these foods anytime soon, but they are worth a try.
    The best part of every meal? The view! Bordering the dining room are windowed doors that lead out to the wrap-around balcony, which has a gorgeous view of the bay as well as Mount Maunganui, which juts out separating the bay from the Pacific Ocean beyond. Below is a sampling of photographs of Mount Maunganui - all but two of the photographs were taken from the balcony.

     The next post in our New Zealand series will cover our explorations up and around Mount Maunganui, as well as along the beach, and the nearby Moturiki Island.

New Zealand - A Foreword by J

               Hello Everyone!  Many people reading this know already that Alyssa and I spent 2 weeks in New Zealand, visiting some of my many relatives there.  Some of you also know that I've been there several times - it is a beautiful country, in which I have made many fond memories.  In previous trips, I have been much farther afield than in this last trip, partially because it's a little more difficult for some of my relatives to do the kind of bush-walking that you need to do in order to see some of the most spectacular sights.  Also, New Zealand doesn't have the same level of road infrastructure, and has at least 200 more north to south miles of distance in order to go north to south via the roadways.  It takes a lot of planning and preparation to do New Zealand properly in a short amount of time. 

View from the summit of Mount Maunganui

                Most times that I have visited, we have mainly focused on the most important thing, visiting my relatives.  This time was no exception, as we spent most of our time in and around Tauranga with my grandparents.  Tauranga and nearby areas have a lot of fantastic things to offer - adjacent to Tauranga is the city of Mount Maunganui, which has Mount Maunganui (Mauao to the Maori), which I have run and hiked up countless times, a downtown that is alternatively quaint for shopping, or great for nightlife, hot salt water pools, Ocean Beach and Pilot Bay Beach.  The one has great surf, and the other is a great place for fairly smooth sailing.  In Tauranga proper, downtown Tauranga has a nice downtown area, a number of beautiful parks and athletics locations, more than a few nice trails, and other places that are good for shopping and dining.  Some of my favorites include the Tauranga Domain, the Waikareo Walkway, Kulim Park, and Ferguson Park.  

                We went a number of other places near Tauranga on this trip, including Rotorua.  Rotorua is known for more than a few things including volcanic activity, cultural history, and a number of other tourist concessions.  Rotorua has a large geothermal reservoir underneath it, which results in having hot springs, mud pools, and  geysers, with an unfortunate side effect of a bad egg smell.  Rotorua had a history of having a Pa (Maori fort) and being a place of cultural significance.  The Maori have a number of cultural exhibitions in Rotorua.  Other tourist attractions in Rotorua include Rainbow Springs, which has a great daytime kiwi encounter exhibit (which is difficult, since Kiwi are nocturnal), a number of extreme sports concessions (including items on Lake Rotorua), and a number of agricultural displays (sheep shearing, cow milking, etc.). 

                Matamata, which most people now know as Hobbiton, is located in the Waikato, a region south of Auckland between the Kaimai range and the west coast on the North Island.    It also has the city of Hamilton and the University of the Waikato, my mother's alma mater. 

                Now for a few places in the south island, where we didn't go on this trip.  Christchurch was a beautiful city when I last saw it.  My aunt, my uncle, and my cousins still live there.  It is the city from which most aerial missions to Antarctica are based, and has a fun Antarctic Centre.  The city center of Christchurch was iconic and beautiful, and I have fond memories of going to see the Wind in the Willows there with my relatives.  Unfortunately, in the last few years, it has been rocked by multiple magnitude 6 and above earthquakes, as well as more than a few magnitude 4 and 5 aftershocks.  As a result, the city center has been almost entirely destroyed, and most of it still remains closed to the public.  One of these high magnitude earthquakes hit the ridge below my aunt and uncle's house, causing significant damage, but leaving my family unscathed.

                On one trip, we traveled from Christchurch to Queenstown by way of Arthur's Pass and Westland National Park.  I have been hiking in the foothills below Mount Cook and Franz Josef glacier, both of which afford spectacular views.  After that, we went to Queenstown, which is known for its extreme sports offerings, and is centrally located at the bottom half of the South Island.  They offer everything from bungee jumping to skiing to water sports. When I visited, we went on a jet-boat (the Shotover Jet).  That (again, a fairly long time ago) was a rather fun trip.

                Last and certainly not least is Auckland.  We always fly through Auckland, as do most people from most parts of the world.  Auckland is a beautiful city which was built atop numerous small volcanoes, some of which are still active. Situated between two harbors, you are never more than a few miles from the ocean.  Many events have been hosted here, including several America's Cup sailing races (owing to the fact that it seems like every year, the kiwi sailors win, even when they're sailing for an owner in another country like Larry Ellison), and the most recent rugby world cup, in which New Zealand dominated in every game except for their close win in the cup final over France.  In the past I have also gone up the Auckland Sky Tower, gone to a nearby island wildlife refuge (Tiritiri Maitangi, home of many rare birds including kiwis, kokakos, kererus, and some cheeky takahes), and explored the city center. Alyssa particularly  enjoyed Kelly Tarlton's, which is an aquarium that houses a small population of Antarctic penguins, as well as huge stingrays and other native sea life. I have many fond memories of meeting with my granny's side of the family in Auckland.  All of the gatherings, whether in the airport, at the home of one of my many relatives, or at aquariums, are always filled with happiness and boisterous laughter.   

                It was a marvelous 2 weeks, but as always, it was too short.  Over the next week or so, Alyssa is going to tell the story of our trip in her usual excellent prose, with her excellent photography (I promise, I took all the bad photos), and other photos taken from my mother's camera.  Suffice it to say - we had a Merry (if hectic) Christmas, and a Happy New Year, and I hope that everyone reading this enjoyed their holidays, and has a great 2013!